Computers can be funny things...

Every second of every day, countless billions of bytes of data flows
across the globe in a constant, ever-changing stream of precious
information; each individual fragment of code singularly insignificant by
itself, and yet, at the same time, vitally important to the integrity of
the whole. Monitoring this bewildering, arcane dance of quanta,
differentials and potentials are the shamen and magi of the modern age;
armed with wickedly sharp wits and fortified by voluminous quantities of
black, caffinated goodness, these stalwart guardians keep a constant,
thankless vigil upon the sanctity and security of the modern god.

All too often, however, unforeseen branches of possibility may surface
within this relatively new, and often vastly misunderstood medium of human
interaction. An infinitesimal variation in calculation at one juncture; a
single mislaid keystroke at the information daemon's inception, and the
best laid plans of mice and men have the disturbing tendency of just going
all to hell. It is at these humbling moments of confusion, when the true
glory and terror of human innovation rears its sneering, digitally
rendered head, that one is inclined to just step back from the churning,
frenetic crush of quantified chaos, and think that perhaps someone,
somewhere, is laughing at you... 

(~)

Patient number 11576 arrived at the outpatient desk of the St. Patrick's
general practice clinic at exactly 4:39.42.38 p.m., mountain standard
time, as measured by the number two atomic clock at the National Institute
of Technology in Bethesda, Maryland, with only a one billionth point
variation from the number one atomic clock, which was currently under
clinical observation. Patient #11576 was subsequently checked out of the
computers at St. Patrick's at exactly 6:20.22.76 p.m., though the records
for the security cameras indicate that the patient likely left the
facility as many as 1.6.66.52 hours earlier. When taking into account the
timelogs for the automatic doors, however, an error of approximately 05.32
seconds was detected between the time that the sensors state that the
doors closed, and the time at which the security tapes record the doors
closing. 

None of which was of any concern to the intern that was manning the
outpatient station at the time, with the exception of the rather larger
clerical discrepancy of the 1.6.66.52 hours following the patient's
departure, which can not currently be accounted for, as security camera
records of the outpatient station at that time are conspicuously absent.
In any event, the intern accessed the outpatient records archives at
exactly 6:58.01.03, exactly 4.76 minutes before he is recorded as signing
off of the system, and retroactively altered the records of patient #11576
by 1.6.67 hours. This alteration was subsequently sent into the central
records system.

In the meantime, patient #11576 was being pulled over by a law enforcement
officer, badge number MT008979, with regards to an alleged infraction of
the local traffic laws. This infraction, number 173876, was recorded
electronically from the squad car's onboard laptop, where it was sent
directly to the county magistrate's office, pending review. When then
computer at the magistrate's office attempted to access the central
records system, in order to compile a case file for patient #11576, it
detected a -0.0.00.48 hour discrepancy reported from one of the accessed
systems. Unable to resolve this error, the municipal records system at the
county magistrate's office froze. Frustrated by this development, a
technical assistant at the magistrate's office signed on to the state
municipal records system in order to restore their files... 

(~)

Slamming the door of her car violently, Eimii began to stalk across the
parking lot towards her dorm, a dark scowl on her face. Her currently less
than hospitable mood could possibly have been attributed to the fact that
she had been forced, once again, to park at the far end of the lot, but
that probably wasn't the primary reason. 

"Stupid cop. I was driving _36_ for _two_ goddamn seconds..." grumbling to
herself, Eimii reached into her jacket for her wallet. "...self-righteous
bastard..." finding her wallet, Eimii produced her university ID and ran
it through the magnetic scanner for the electronically locking doors of
her dorm... 

(~)

The scene in the "cooler" at NIT, the sub-basement where the bulk of the
facility's computer hardware was kept, was one of utter chaos. Panicked
technicians rushed about frantically, attending to the countless,
unexplainable error messages that they had begun to receive from their
charges. Some speculated that an outside entity had accessed the system,
and had somehow transmitted some type of fast-acting viral protocol;
others suspected internal sabotage. Regardless of the cause, however, the
technician's fears where not allayed by the numerous warning messages that
began to crop up, as the computers regulating certain sensitive projects
proceeded to run amok... 

(~)

Reaching her dorm room, Eimii began to search for her keys. When she
couldn't find them in any of her pockets, she suddenly realized that she
had forgotten to take them out of the ignition. "DAMMIT!" Raising her
hand, Eimii pounded on the door a few times. "Mihrna! Hey, you home?!
Lemmie in!" Unfortunately, this exercise proved futile. Grinding her teeth
in frustration, Eimii stomped down to the front desk of the dorm and
rented an extra key for her room. 

Returning to her room (and subsequently finding that the key didn't fit,
thus being forced to go _back_ to the desk to get the _right_ key), Eimii
plopped down on the lower unit of the bunk bed. "Can this day get any
worse...?" Just then, she remembered something that she had promised to
do. Sighing in resignation, she hauled herself out of bed and turned on
the computer. While it warmed up, she started rooting through her jacket
pockets. "Please tell me i didn't lose it... grr... Ah!" Her expression
brightening significantly, Eimii produced a computer disk.

Inserting the disk into the computer's floppy drive, Eimii started up her
e-mail client program and signed onto the university mainframe. "Hehe...
finally got it done." Cycling through her mail, a contemplative expression
crossed her face. "Hmmm... It's been so long since i posted anything
new... i wonder if anyone still remembers me... Oh well, a promise is a
promise, after all..." Searching for an appropriate subject header, Eimii
made sure that she had attached the text file correctly. "Anyhow, it's
good to be back..." Smirking to herself, she stabbed the 'send' key... 

(~)

Independent processor unit #55501, currently orbiting the earth in a
geo-synchronous onboard SOL satellite #UAS24, was not operating at optimal
efficiency. 4.47 minutes ago, it had received an encoded burst
transmission from satellite control processor unit #33245, at which time
the safety protocols governing the satellite's internal capacitors had
been overwritten. The subsequent fluctuation of current and voltage within
the satellite's systems had immediately begun to cause a large scale
heat-regulation problem, which in turn was impeding the processing
capabilities of the satellite's onboard computers. Independent processor
unit #55501, which was assigned to damage control functions, quickly
assessed the options available to it, given its initial programming and
taking into account the new programming received from satellite control
unit #33245. As the transmission from satellite control had removed the
command restrictions for activation of the satellite's primary function,
unit #55501 determined that the most efficient course of action would be
to activate the primary function, so as to purge the capacitors, after
which it would initiate a complete system shutdown and reset. After
00.21.33 seconds of deliberation, this command protocol was executed. 

(~)

At exactly 7:10.44.63 p.m., mountain standard time, a bright flash of
light was seen over the skies of western Montana and eastern Washington.
The local chapter of the National Organization for the Exploration of
Intra-Atsmosheric Phenomena mobilized towards the projected event site,
while the Montana chapter of the Free Men immediately went into retreat at
an undisclosed location somewhere within one of the officially
'uninhabited' areas of the state. At present, investigators have no leads
regarding the cause of the disturbance. 

(~)

*I wonder what's going on...*

Pushing through the crowd in the hall, Mihrna gradually managed to make
her way to her dorm room. She was greeted by the pungent smell of charred
wood and burning plastic.  Covering her mouth and nose with a
handkerchief, she peered into the room through the charred remains of the
door. She could just make out the outline of a large, perfectly circular
hole, taking up most of the center of the room. She could see this, of
course, because of the starlight filtering through the roughly identical
hole in the ceiling. In addition to this, it looked as though there had
been a fire in the room quite recently, as most of the room's contents
appeared to be charred rather badly, and the remaining floor looked like
it was covered in a fine layer of ash and soot. It was too dark to tell
how deep the hole in the floor was, but Mihrna had a sneaking suspicion
that it went all the way to the basement of the building.

A tired expression settled on Mihrna's features as, with a sigh, she
walked into the room. Hanging her bag on the remains of the bed, she
leaned over the hole. "Tadaima..." 





"...o-o kaerii... n-n-nasaaaai......" 






(~)






Across the length and breadth of Japan, mystics and spirits, celestials
and infernals of every description paused in the midst of whatever actions
they were engaged in to cock their heads and listen. Some, those who could
listen but could not hear, quickly returned their attention to the tasks
at hand, idly wondering at that fleeting impulse. 

Others, those who could hear the throbbing pulse of the spheres, who could
dance time to the heartbeat of the universe, reacted somewhat differently.
Some of them turned a malevolent smile at the sound, quickening their pace
and lightening their step in the anticipation of things to come. Some
peered quizzically in the direction of the outcry, a morbid fascination
gripping their minds and wills. Some, a rare few, bowed their heads in
remembrance of things past, perhaps uttering a silent prayer for the
future. 

Urd, Norn of the Past, grit her teeth as, somewhere far off in the
distance, the fabric of universe was torn asunder, the howl of the beyond
raking at her soul. Then, turning her face to the heavens, she waited with
baited breath for the call to arms. 

*****

Within the Yggdrasil Monitoring Complex, several long-unused tell-tales
sprang to life, the cheery red gleam of the alert beacons belying the
urgency of their message. The tech deities on duty peered at the
unfamiliar situation codes for several seconds before the newer systems
completed their interpretations of the data. At this point, panic ensued
as the readings were cross-referenced with those of other departments,
priority messages surging through the small number of recently shielded
internal heaven net connections. 

As the verifications of their findings came in, the Monitoring Office sent
one of their pages to the Communications Office, so that the message could
be relayed to the selected earth operatives. Upon reading the message, the
communications deity on duty(who was, much to the traumatized page's
relief, not Mihrna) forwarded it to one of their specialists. 

*****

>From the shadows, Marller examined the scorched earth at the front of the
Ucchan. The air still crackled with static, the lingering bite of ozone
making her nose itch. Looking off into the distance towards the now fading
howl of divine wrath, Marller became pensive. *The message is fresh, so I
still may be able to beat her there. The question is: Do I want to...?*





                   **SHATTERED HEARTS ON THE ROAD**

                            *CHAPTER FOUR*

                     Moonlight and Rose Blossoms





Ukyou threw herself to the side as a stone lantern whizzed past her and
shattered on the cobbled pathway just outside the door of the inn. Kodachi
had harried her across the entire expanse of the inn grounds, just now
returning to the main building, and Ukyou was beginning to tire. *Damn it,
without my combat spatula, I can't go on the offensive.* Ukyou ran quickly
through her current options as Kodachi's ribbon plucked another volley of
throwing spatulas from the air before they even came close to reaching the
deranged gymnast. Then, an animal cry of anguish split the air, coming
from where the boys should have been fighting. To Ukyou's horror, though
the cry itself was inarticulate, the voice was gut-wrenchingly familiar.

*Ohmygod...Ran-chan...*

Unlike Ukyou, Kodachi had long been too far gone for screams of pain or
other such minor things to penetrate the veil of madness upon her senses.
She drew back her ribbon, which was still wrapped around the handle of one
of Ukyou's throwing spatulas, readying a blow meant to slice the
distracted cook's throat with her own weapon.  Using small, precise
motions, she began to snap the ribbon forward. 

"SHISHI-HOUKOUDAN!!!"

The voice seemed to crash inward from all directions, reverberating in
Ukyou's and Kodachi's ears for several moments afterward, only to be
followed suddenly, not by the characteristic column of focused ki that the
perfect shishi-houkoudan created, but by a deafening explosion and a flash
of pure white light. Ukyou clutched her ears in pain, while Kodachi simply
lowered her arm and turned to face the lion's roar. What followed however,
made Ukyou wish momentarily that she truly had been deafened by the
explosion. A horrible wailing issued forth from the area of the flash; a
howling wind that Ukyou was certain could not have originated from
anywhere upon this earth. 
 
*I've got to finish this _now_; who knows what Ryouga's done over there?
But how...?* A barely dodged snap at her throat alerted Ukyou to the fact
that Kodachi, too, had determined that the time to finish this fight had
come. *Maybe in the halls, that ribbon of hers won't be so effective...*
Ukyou thought, as she jumped backwards through the doorway of the inn. 

Once within the halls, Ukyou was rewarded by the fact that there were far
fewer things for Kodachi to throw at her, and that the halls drastically
reduced the space in which Kodachi could swing the ribbon. Of course, the
halls also reduced the area within which Ukyou was able to dodge, but
Kodachi was at that disadvantage as well. 

Hopping around the bend in the hall that led to the baths, and
backpedaling some of the way towards the main hall, Ukyou suddenly came
face to face, once again, with the vengeful spirit doll. *Oh shit, it's
the doll. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.* As she thought
this, Ukyou caught a glimpse of Kodachi's ribbon lashing out from the
other side of the bend, and wrapping around the leg of the pedestal that
the doll was resting on in the corner. As the ribbon became taut again, it
suddenly became clear what Kodachi's intent was. *She's going to throw the
pedestal at me. But if she does that, then the doll will fall off, and the
spirit will-* The ribbon jerked back around the bend, sending the doll
tumbling towards the ground. "No, wait!!!" Ukyou cried, as she dove for
the doll, just barely making a solid catch before the world went black. 

*****

Ryouga watched in silent horror as the sucking void advanced, swallowing
inch after ponderous inch of space in its unrelenting expansion. He felt a
strange, wet warmth on his shoulder. Looking down, he cradled Akane closer
to himself as she cried. The numbing pain within his heart had not
lessened, and Ryouga doubted that it would for some time. *Oh, Akane... it
shouldn't be like this...*

Looking up again, Ryouga stared into the dark, merciless vacuum. Faceless
death stared back at him, cold and passionless in its purpose. *This isn't
how warriors die...* He felt a flame light in his chest, the heat of anger
radiating life through his body again. *This isn't how the story is
supposed to end!  It _can't_ end like this! It _won't_ end like this!! I
WILL NOT ALLOW IT!!" At this last thought, shouted aloud above the keening
wail of the nothingness, the void seemed to shudder. Ryouga, body tensed
in impotent rage, advanced a step, still clutching Akane against himself.
Much to his surprise, the sphere of infinite darkness began to fluctuate,
growing and shrinking almost reluctantly, until it had receded a distance
equal to his advance. 

For a moment, Ryouga's rage gave way to confusion, as the void's growth
was halted. Then, with a determined set to his face, he gently disengaged
Akane, setting her on the ground, and turned back to the sphere of
blackness and took another step, almost exalting when the creeping
darkness once again surrendered ground. He continued forward, each step
yielding another ring of scoured earth. The desolation of these sections
was not complete, however. Some small plants with deep roots still clung
tenaciously to the soil, stripped though they may have been. When he
reached the range where Ranma had been swallowed, though, the ground
yielded nothing. Where Ranma had lain, on the now nonexistent stone path,
not even plant life had been spared. 

*NO!! I'm too late!* Ryouga roared in frustration. *Damn you Ranma, I'll
never forgive you if you're dead...* Ryouga pressed forward faster, the
great sphere of nothing now barely five meters in radius and still
shrinking. *There!* Now, as Ryouga looked along the path which would have
lead from Ranma to the origin of the void, Ryouga noticed ten narrow
furrows dug into the raw earth. *Maybe...*

Ryouga felt a presence at his back. Turning his head suddenly, he found
Akane standing unsteadily behind him, using his body as a shield against
the relentless pull of the dark. He started to turn around, so that he
could move Akane back to a safer distance, when she gasped, and pointed
back towards the sphere. "RYOUGA!" She shouted hoarsely over the wail of
the wind. Ryouga followed her tear-streaked gaze, along the eight long,
bloodied gashes that had been dug into the ground. He followed them to the
edge of the darkness, and let out a grunt of surprise when he saw that
they terminated in a pair of bloodied hands gripping the earth
tenaciously, just reaching out of the void. 

"RANMA!!" Ryouga roared, lunging forward into the void. For a moment,
nothing happened, and Akane stared slack jawed at this seemingly pointless
act. Then, the void began to flicker around the edges. The horizon of the
darkness receded in the blink of an eye from seven meters to two meters in
diameter, revealing a somewhat dazed looking Ryouga leaning over a
battered and bloodied, but still whole, Ranma. The remaining sphere of
nothingness now seemed to boil and writhe sickly, before vanishing with
the audible rush of air filling a vacuum. Of that which was within the
sphere, there remained nothing. A hallow, sharp-edged crater was scooped
out of the ground where Kunou had stood. 

Drawing upon reserves of strength that she had not previously been aware
that she possessed, Akane ran over to Ranma's body. *He's not moving.
Please don't be dead, Ranma, please...* Grabbing her fiance's shirt, Akane
hugged him to her body, wrapping her arms around him as new tears sprang
to her eyes. "Dammit Ranma, you're not going to die! I won't let you!"
Akane felt Ryouga's hand on her shoulder, restraining her. Looking up in
confusion and anger, she saw an odd, unreadable expression on the lost
boy's face. Ryouga knelt down and carefully pulled Ranma's body away from
her, laying him on the ground again. 

As Ryouga's hands moved up and down Ranma's body, feeling for injuries,
Akane gasped and pointed at the gaping wound in Ranma's abdomen, which was
still bleeding steadily.  Cursing, Ryouga quickly stripped Ranma's shirt
off his body and used it to bind the wound, placing a folded wad of
bandannas over it as a compress. Then, after feeling Ranma's neck for a
few moments, he let out a long sigh. "He's alive." 

Ryouga watched as Akane circled around Ranma's unconscious form, placing
Ranma's head in her lap, murmuring softly to him. As tears of relief
streamed down Akane's face to fall upon Ranma's brow, Ryouga strode
between the lines of an internal battle. The unabridged love and relief
that radiated from Akane warred with the pain of his loss, and the cold
tide of depression that came with acceptance. Ryouga would have broken
down and cried with Akane, had his own sympathetic happiness towards her
not evened the field. So Ryouga stood, expressionless, staring at his
greatest rival and his only love, not knowing what to feel. 

After a few moments, the vision and the conflict became too much to bear.
Silently, Ryouga turned and ran off down the path. Akane paid the lost boy
no mind, and continued to cry softly and cradle Ranma's head in her lap,
brushing aside his long bangs to peer into his peaceful face. "I knew
you'd come back..." 

*****

Ryouga ran, tears streaming down his face. *She loves him. And he loves
her. She loves him. How...* Ryouga cried his anguish into the night,
startling the various remaining people who had elected to walk the path
despite the events of earlier in the evening. Ryouga ran until he reached
the door of the inn, surprised that he hadn't reached Hokkaido by now. He
sat upon the steps leading to the door, his fists clenched and resting on
his thighs. "How... why... why couldn't it be me..." Ryouga sobbed in a
hoarse whisper, bringing his hand up to wipe his face. "why couldn't it
ever be me..." As he did, he noticed a pile of rubble near the door of the
inn. If he used his imagination, he could see how it might once have been
one of the stone lanterns that lined the path. 

"Huh? What happened here?" Ryouga, trying to push aside the pain of his
loss, focused on the area around the inn entrance. Various objects were
strewn about, including stones, branches, and a few of Ukyou's throwing
spatulas. *Ukyou! Where did she go?* As he thought about the cook, the
familiar, heavy emptiness of Ukyou's depression sprang into focus. She was
somewhere nearby, but something was... wrong... about how she felt. 

Ryouga stood and walked into the inn, following the hallway away from the
baths, until he saw something that made his blood run cold. Propped in the
corner of the hallway, a few feet away from its toppled pedestal, was the
vengeful spirit doll. And Ukyou's emotions were emanating from the doll. 

"No..." Ryouga rushed down the hall and picked up the doll. *Can it be?*
Ryouga turned the doll over in his hands, examining it carefully. It
didn't look any different, but it _felt_ like Ukyou. "How did this
happen....? Ukyou? Can you hear me?" Ryouga held the doll up carefully,
looking into its cold glass eyes. He got no response. 

*Damn it! How could this happen? What was she doing?* Ryouga thought back
to when he had last felt Ukyou. It was just before he had arrived and seen
Kunou and Ranma fighting. She had left, accompanied by the... other
presence. Ryouga shivered involuntarily. *Maybe that's it. It looks like
there was some sort of fight, so perhaps the doll possessed Ukyou to
punish whomever it was that she was fighting.*

Ryouga tried to locate the twisted presence, and was surprised to find
that he was just barely able to sense it now. *They must be awfully far
away,* he thought, recalling how the presence had always been close enough
to provoke discomfort before. Also, there was something else. It was
unfamiliar, but it was very close to the twisted presence, and it burned.
The flames fed and consumed themselves, growing greater and hotter by the
moment. *The vengeful spirit. Sheesh, it must be furious!* Ryouga thought
back to the extremes that the spirit had previously gone to, in order to
'punish' Ranma. *Shit... I'd better stop it before something happens to
Ukyou's body.*

Ryouga, still carrying the doll, jogged back and forth through the halls
of the inn, turning around every time he encountered an exit, until he
located his and Ukyou's room. Then, setting the doll gently beside Ukyou's
pack, he changed out of the flimsy yukata into a clean set of clothes.
Casting a final worried glance at the doll, which still hadn't shown any
sign of life, Ryouga set off down the halls until he found an exit, then
took a bead on the twisted presence and burst into a sprint. 

*****

A brilliant wash of pastel light erupted from the screen of the television
in one of the inn's lounges. Moments later, Urd burst forth from the
screen, immediately falling to a defensive crouch in the center of the
abandoned room. After quickly scanning the room to ascertain that she was
truly alone, Urd then fell back into one of the handy lounge chairs and
let out a long breath. "So far, so good," she sighed, wiping a bit of
sweat from her brow. Then, sitting up and setting her features into an
expression of grim determination, Urd stood and brought her hands out to
her sides and closed her eyes. "Time to finish this," she muttered under
her breath as she initiated a long range passive scan. 

At first, she didn't sense anything at all. No evidence of supernatural
activity whatsoever, godly or otherwise. That was odd in itself,
considering that nature spirits tended to congregate around places such as
this inn, with all of the natural springs and other sources of dynamic
natural energy. Then, after closer scrutiny, she discerned two residual
energy signatures in the vicinity of the inn. 

The most prominent was that of the rogue god, and was probably due to
that... event... that the rogue had initiated earlier. Urd shuddered
involuntarily. The message from heaven had said that an unauthorized
system entity, presumably the rogue god, had forcibly torn a hole in the
fabric of the universe. That sort of disturbance had been unheard of for
millennia; the undermining of the primary realm was universally abstained
from by both heaven and hell, the only recent exception being the Lord of
Terror disaster. That any god in their right mind might even consider such
an act was truly disturbing, though not nearly as disturbing as the
possibility that the rogue could indeed _not_ be in his right mind... 

But the hole had been sealed, else its presence would have completely
overshadowed the other, weaker energy signature that Urd was sensing. It
was much less intense, probably due more to a constant presence than to a
sharp spike of activity. It resembled the energy signature of some types
of guardian spirits that Urd had dealt with, and Urd guessed that it was
probably the guardian of the inn. That might explain the lack of other
spiritual presences, if the guardian spirit was a particularly possessive
sort. 

Regardless, neither of them were here _now_, and Urd's passive scan didn't
detect any other energy signatures anywhere within its effective range.
Frowning slightly to herself, Urd decided that it would probably be
informative to inspect the site of the event. *Damn it, how can I keep
missing him?* She thought crossly as she walked out of the room and down
the halls of the inn towards the rear entrances. 

As she neared the bath entrances, Urd noticed that the halls of the inn
fell into an increasing state of disarray, showing the signs of some sort
of pitched battle. Pieces of furniture were broken and strewn about, and
small gouges were cut into the walls and floor. Some of the gouges
resembled those made in the walls of that restaurant that she had
investigated in Nerima, Urd realized. *Hmm...maybe the rogue is
responsible for this damage as well....*

As she pondered this, Urd's eye caught the glint of metal among the
remains of a chair. Bending over, she retrieved an object that, for all
that Urd could tell, could only be described as a small, sharpened
spatula. Turning to one of the walls, Urd pressed the spatula into one of
the familiar gouges, and found it to be a good fit, though the gouge in
the wall indicated that the spatula that had made it had probably been
yanked from the wall quickly and at an odd angle. "Stranger and
stranger...." 

As Urd stepped out of the main building and onto the stone path leading
through the inn property, she noticed even more rubble and destruction.
The majority of the fight had apparently been fought outside. She turned
to walk down the path, but stopped immediately when she saw the couple
that was currently coming up it towards the inn. 

They were obviously a couple; despite her many failed attempts at
match-making, Urd could recognize love when she saw it. They also
currently looked like they had just been through an air raid. The man,
actually not much more than a boy, had a pigtail and a toned, muscular
frame.  Deep blue eyes looked out of a handsome face, though his cheeks
were pale and drawn, and a blue shirt was wrapped around his side as a
makeshift bandage. He walked unsteadily, being supported by an only
slightly more steady young woman. The girl was pretty, with short black
hair and expressive eyes, though her visage was marred by a raw wound
encircling her neck. 

Biting her lip uncertainly, Urd agonized for a moment about whether she
should continue with her mission or stop to help. Compassion and concern
easily won out over Urd's questionable sense of duty, however, and she
briskly covered the distance between them and began helping them towards
the steps. "Take it easy kids. Just let me help." Urd uttered consolingly
when the girl gripped the young man possessively as she approached. "Let's
just get you to those steps over there, then we can look at your man's
injuries, okay?" Reluctantly, the girl accepted Urd's support as they
walked over to the steps with the boy between them.. 

When they reached the steps, they set the boy down in the shoe removal
area. Then Urd began searching through her cloak for a healing balm and
some bandages. While she did, she tried to find out a little about the
pair. "So, what're your names?" she asked the girl. 

"Saotome Akane and Ranma." The girl replied, perhaps just a bit too
quickly. 

*She's being awfully defensive. I wonder what her problem is.* Thought Urd
speculatively as she continued to search. "Well Akane, I don't suppose you
could tell me what happened to you and your husband there?" Urd asked,
indicating Ranma with a nod of her head. 

Akane's face darkened considerably, and for a moment she said nothing.
Then, she spoke in a voice virtually dripping with anger. "We were
attacked by a pair of psychopaths by the name of Kunou." 

At this, Ranma grunted and pushed himself to his elbows, peering intently
at Akane. "A _pair_ of them? You mean Kodachi was here too?!" 

Akane started to nod, then stopped, wincing painfully. She brought her
hand up and indicated her throat. "She...she tried to kill me, but I think
that Ukyou saved me. At least, it was one of Ukyou's spatulas that cut the
ribbon." 

"Spatulas? Like this?" Urd asked suddenly, holding up the small spatula
that she had found in the inn.

"Yeah..." Ranma replied slowly, examining the spatula. "Ukyou uses
spatulas like that. She's an okonomiaki chef in Nerima." He then stared at
Urd with a piercing, blue-eyed gaze. "Where did you get that?" 

"I found it in there." Urd replied, pointing into the inn. She didn't like
the suspicious looks that the Saotomes were giving her. "It looks like
someone was having a fight out here and then took it inside." *So, this
Ukyou person is the owner of that shop, huh? Interesting. Why would she
wreck her own store, though? Perhaps she's the rogue god, and has somehow
gone insane. It's certainly unusual for normal people to fight with
_spatulas_ of all things...* Urd's speculations were cut off abruptly when
she finally found her healing potions. 

"Here, why don't you take that bandage off so I can look at the wound?"
She asked Akane, successfully redirecting the girl's attention. While
Akane removed his bandage, Ranma began thinking aloud. 

"Kunou, Kodachi, _and_ Ukyou? How in the world did they all find us?!" He
growled angrily. 

"You forgot Ryouga." 

"Ryouga?! He's here too??" Ranma tried to throw his arms into the air, but
he grit his teeth in pain and settled for balling his fists in
frustration. "If even the damn _LOST BOY_ found us, then what good are
Nabiki's assurances of privacy??" 

There was definitely a lot more going on here than was immediately
evident, mused Urd as she prepared a poultice for Ranma's side. *Hmm...
Ryouga. That name is familiar for some reason...* Urd pushed that thought
aside when she actually saw Ranma's wound. A ragged diagonal cut decorated
the lower left side of his abdomen. Urd was surprised that the boy was
even awake, much less walking and complaining. 

"Now, don't talk that way about Ryouga, Ranma! He saved you from Kunou."
As Akane said these words, she suddenly went pale and brought her hands to
her mouth. "Oh god... he... Kunou..." Akane trailed off, silently mouthing
the words to herself. 

Ranma, who had been ready to explode in indignation at the thought of
being _saved_ by _Ryouga_, caught himself when he saw the expression on
his wife's face. "Akane... What did Ryouga do to Kunou?" Akane just shook
her head and closed her eyes. "Akane,-OW!" 

Ranma cried out as Urd began rubbing the healing potion into his wound.
"Be still! This will help you heal." Urd snapped at him as she continued
applying the ointment. After she was done, she applied a compress to the
wound and re-wrapped his abdomen with fresh bandages. Then she began to
work on his fingers. "I'll see about this Kunou person after we're done
here. Now hold still!" 

Ranma reluctantly obeyed the strange woman before him as she tended to his
wounds. He cast a glance over at Akane, who looked like she desperately
wanted to be the one helping him. When his right hand was done, he reached
over and took Akane's hand in his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Akane returned the squeeze, though not too hard, and looked down into
Ranma's eyes, her face filled with concern.

"Now you, dear." Urd turned her ministrations to Akane, applying a
soothing balm to Akane's throat and rubbing in the healing potion. "With
any luck, this won't leave a scar."  She said quietly as she wrapped
Akane's neck with a bandage, proceeding very slowly after Akane flinched
away when Urd brought the strip of cloth to her throat.. "There, all
done." 

Standing, Urd looked down at Ranma and Akane and said, "Now then, I
suggest that you two both get some rest. Go back to your room and don't do
anything... _too_ strenuous." Urd finished with a mischievous smile. Ranma
and Akane responded to the smile with a deep blush and some fidgeting.
With that, Urd stepped lithely down the stairs and along the stone path,
her spirits momentarily buoyed by the sight of the newlyweds. As she
walked, though, her thoughts quickly darkened. 

*There's a _lot_ going on here that I don't know about: This Ukyou, who
likes to fight with sharpened spatulas and owns a store right beside one
of the event sites; The Saotomes, who seem to have everyone and their
mother after them. Then there is this Ryouga, who might have killed this
Kunou jerk, if Akane's reaction is any indication....* Urd strode down the
path more quickly, unconsciously readying a defensive spell. *Why does
that name sound familiar? Ryouga....*

*****

*Why does it seem so... familiar?*
 
Ryouga couldn't put any sort of name on it; but, somehow, as he got closer
to the twisted presence, it began to remind him more and more of something
that he had felt before.  *Alright, maybe this might be the right time to
think about this, before I actually have to face this thing.* He mused, as
he charged relentlessly forward, towards the steadily intensifying...
*Well, I suppose I've figured out this much already. I'm feeling someone's
_emotions_, as impossible as that may seem.*

Ryouga silently cursed whatever cruel god had decided to give him that
particular talent, as he carelessly smashed another obstruction of some
sort out of his way, (much to the confusion of a suddenly airborne and
very sore bear). *I don't _need_ to know that nobody wants me. That
nobody... nobody loves me. Aren't I even allowed to dream anymore?* The
lost boy lashed out viciously at an unoffending tree, knocking it a good
hundred feet out of his path. But regardless of how he had acquired it, he
now undoubtedly had the ability to _feel_ the emotions of those around
him. This still didn't explain why some strange sense of deja-vu passed
over him whenever he concentrated too hard on the swirling miasma of
sensations that emanated from the presence, as if some half finished
thought were waiting for him to complete it, always dancing just beyond
the reach of his mental grasp. 

*Okay, it's not like I've been able to do this for very long. Why would an
emotion seem familiar?* He thought back to events of earlier that day,
back to the first time he had been able to feel someone this way. *Gods,
it seems so long ago now. I can hardly believe it was just this morning.
So much has changed since then...* As Ryouga's mind began to slide again
towards this unpleasant train of thought, he recalled the first emotion
that he had recognized: Sadness. Ukyou's sadness, to be precise. Even as
he further distanced himself from the Inn in his pursuit of her body,
Ukyou's soul wailed mournfully to him, resonating with the deep sorrow
that weighed heavily upon Ryouga's own soul. The Resonance. That was the
key there. *I knew Ukyou's sadness simply because of how much it was like
my own.*

But could there be anything within himself that this... abomination before
him might remind him of? *Hmm... what might this feel like if it weren't
so... so... diseased; sick.* Something nagged at him at that thought, as
if therein lay the answer. When had he first deemed this feeling as such?
*When we were following Kunou, when it first arrived.* There! It had
reminded him of Kunou, in some perverse manner. *Just as Kunou's madness
reminds you of yourself.* a small, detached voice rang out from the depths
of Ryouga's mind.

*NO! I am _not_ like him!*

*Then how did you recognize Kunou's emotions, but through comparison with
your own?* The voice of inner truth inquired curiously.

Ryouga didn't have an answer to that question. The tightly focused
maelstrom of heat and motion that he had felt in Kunou; the rage, the
overwhelming need to act, and the all encompassing determination contained
therein had not been at all difficult to identify. He had understood
almost the moment he had lain eyes on the man. But how? Perhaps it was
because of the way Kunou had acted on all of the occasions that Ryouga had
seen him. 

Kunou was a man of extremes. Anything he did, anything he felt encompassed
the whole of his being. How many people had Ryouga met that were like
that? Shampoo and Mousse, born of proud Amazon blood, forever dogged in
their pursuit of their loves, even in the face of constant disappointment
or rebuttal. Tendou Soun, with his wild overreaction to every unexpected
occurrence; Happosai, forever sustained by his perversely undisciplined
passions. They were too numerous to name, both friends and foes. 

And Ryouga himself was one of them, he could now see. *But there shouldn't
be anything wrong with strong emotions. Being able to trust, and love, and
fight with all of your heart is what makes us strong.* But Kunou went a
bit beyond that. Kunou denied what other people felt and knew, in favor of
fully immersing himself in his own desires and drives. 

That was the path upon which madness lay, Ryouga realized. Though he
recognized his own drive and determination in Kunou, he could also see all
too clearly how far beyond him Kunou had gone. Kunou lived in a world of
his own, one where only his own thoughts and emotions merited belief. *But
if that is Kunou, then what does it say about the other one? Who do I know
that is like Kunou, but... worse?; deranged.* It appeared that he was
about to find out however, as the landscape around him began to show the
lingering scars of an intense battle. Large stones and uprooted trees were
lain haphazardly across the battleground. In some places, slashed stumps
were all that was left to attest to the viciousness of the warriors that
had passed this way, though here and there Ryouga could see small scraps
of cloth among the wreckage... some of them green, some of them black.

He remembered seeing a strip of black cloth laying near... Ryouga clenched
his teeth painfully as he tried to block out the image of Akane's crumpled
form, but to no avail. That scene of sickening horror would be burned into
his memory until his dying day. So he settled into the cold rage that
began to burn in the pit of his stomach as he thought on what he would do
to the perpetrator of that dark deed as soon as he had ensured that Ukyou
was safe. 
 
Soon, the sounds of battle assailed his ears, and the emotions of the
embattled, upon his other... senses. Off in the distance, over the next
hill, the roaring inferno of the vengeful spirit's righteous rage spired
higher and blazed hotter, and Ukyou's voice roared an almost feral battle
cry in response. Ryouga almost winced at its intensity before reminding
himself that these flames would not burn him... yet. A crash echoed
through the cooling night air and the twisted presence bounded away from
the vengeful spirit's presence. At this distance, such erratic motion of
his prey wrenched at Ryouga's stomach violently enough to almost knock him
off stride, but Ryouga forced the sensations aside and plowed onward,
towards the fray. 

As Ryouga began to crest the hill, however, he heard another sound; at
once terribly familiar and frighteningly alien, and it chilled him to the
core. The sound of laughter. He had heard the shrill, unhinged laughter
before; he knew it all too well for his tastes. But something was
different now; something scathingly wrong echoed in the undertones of the
laugh, clawing at his new senses like the harsh sound of breaking glass,
and something more. 

*Her. It's _her_.* Things began to slide into place as Ryouga reached the
top of the hill overlooking the small valley that the battle had
progressed to. He scanned the valley intently, searching through the trees
for a glimpse of his prey, hungry to verify with his own eyes what his
mind had already come to accept. As he watched, the twisted presence
approached the tree line, bobbing and weaving like an insane
jack-in-the-box. 

A black clothed, lithely feminine figure burst forth from the trees,
twirling a long, black ribbon crazily, swatting down various small
projectiles that whizzed out of the trees in her wake. She didn't give any
indication of noticing Ryouga as she snapped her wrist to the side,
wrapping her ribbon around a stone the size of a watermelon. Then, with
what seemed to be a ridiculously small motion, she sent the stone hurtling
back into the forest at some unseen foe. 

"Kodachi...." Ryouga seethed silently as he contemplated the gymnast from
afar. He still hadn't yet repaid her for chaining him to Ranma upon their
first encounter. For that, he would have settled for seeing her defeated,
and perhaps humiliated. But she had tried to kill Akane. Ryouga had long
lived by the maxim, 'Never Forgive: Never Forget.' But Ryouga didn't
intend on allowing Kodachi the chance to trouble his mind ever again. *It
ends now.*

As Ryouga prepared to mete out justice and vengeance, Another figure burst
from the forest. Its rage howling like a beast of pure heat and emotion,
the vengeful spirit wearing Ukyou's body tore out of the forest and lunged
for Kodachi, a splintered tree branch in her hands serving as a crude
spear aimed directly at the gymnast's heart. Ryouga fought down the
curling red haze that began to creep into his vision as his own barely
restrained fury howled its own battle cry in response to the spirit's
rage, crushing the terrible bloodlust that coursed through him, the power
of their concerted wills.

Instead, he concentrated on Ukyou's body, and the gruesome collection of
bruises and scrapes that attested to the amount of care that the spirit
paid to its host body. Ukyou's dark green Kimono was torn badly in several
places, some of those places darkened to black, as Ukyou's blood seeped
into the fabric. That same red blood ran freely down Ukyou's left upper
arm from a nasty looking gash that decorated her shoulder, Ukyou's life
dribbling lazily from her elbow to the grass beneath her feet. 

*I have to get the spirit out of the fight before Ukyou's body is
seriously hurt,* Ryouga thought frantically. Again, forcing down the
burning wall of rage that sang to him from just the other side of his
tenuous self control, calling for Kodachi's blood, Ryouga gathered his
will. *No! I have to do this first!* Without further deliberation, Ryouga
sprang from his position at the top of the hill, his leap carrying him
into the air over the valley. As he fell to earth again, above the still
raging conflict, he tore several bandannas from his forehead. Ryouga began
spinning the bandannas around his forefingers, channeling some of his
rage- suffused Ki into them to make them as sharp as steel, not noticing
the dull red glow that surrounded them as he did so. When he had chosen
his targets, Ryouga released them, sending the glowing daggers of cloth
hissing down into the battle below.

Three of them sliced into Kodachi's ribbon, extended in mid-attack,
shredding it to useless bits of cloth before the severed sections began to
smolder and shrivel to dust. A fourth skimmed close to Kodachi herself,
forcing the gymnast to flip backwards awkwardly as the bandanna sliced
past her into a large rock. The rock was sliced cleanly in two, the uneven
halves cracking and distorting the air around them with strange heat
shadows. At this sight, both Kodachi and the vengeful spirit leapt away
from the area, glancing around warily for signs of another attack. 

Ryouga himself didn't notice the effects of his bandannas, as he was too
intent on watching Kodachi and the vengeful spirit for signs that they
might retaliate. He landed lightly in the space between them and turned
slightly towards the spirit in Ukyou's body. The spirit seemed to be
watching him intently, though Ryouga could sense that it still yearned to
lash out at Kodachi. "Stay put." Ryouga commanded as he backed towards the
spirit, all the while watching Kodachi as Kodachi watched him. 

Surprisingly, both of the combatants complied, and Ryouga reached Ukyou's
body in a second or two, with both the spirit and Kodachi eyeing him
appraisingly. Kodachi then seemed to reach a decision, and sprang off into
the forest, though Ryouga could tell, by the persisting, dull nausea he
felt, that Kodachi hadn't gone far. The spirit seemed ready to follow, but
Ryouga put a restraining hand on Ukyou's unwounded shoulder. "Please
release Ukyou's body. Now."

The spirit peered incredulously at Ryouga through Ukyou's eyes. "The
sanctity of my domain has been violated, Kami-dono. Though far be it for
me to presume too much over your will, I _am_ the guardian of this place,
and the ribbon wielding one has displayed before me actions of great
disrespect. I must demand retribution." The spirit looked Ryouga up and
down, giving him a look that Ryouga couldn't read. "What is this mortal to
you?" 

*Kami-dono? Mortal?* Ryouga stared at the spirit in confusion, not quite
understanding the implications that the spirit was making. "Ukyou's my
friend. You're wrecking her body and I want you to stop." He replied
curtly, trying to get his thoughts back on track. "Use my body if you
must, but stop using Ukyou." 

Now it was the spirit's turn to look at Ryouga in confusion. "_Your_ body?
Y-you mistake my intentions, Kami-dono." The spirit tried to back away
defensively, but was held fast by Ryouga's restraining hand. "I would not
presume to attempt such a thing. But I _must_ have retribution before I
shall release this body. I would not venture your wrath further were it
not so." 

The situation was becoming stranger and stranger, by Ryouga's point of
view. The spirit had just spoken to him in a clearly deferential tone, and
had referred to him as 'Kami-dono' again. *The spirit thinks I'm a god?*
Ryouga could not spend the time to understand though, as Ukyou's shoulder
was still bleeding, and there was no telling what might go wrong next. The
spirit's rage however, Ryouga could understand.

"If you must have vengeance, then _I_ will carry it out, but Ukyou's body
must not be put in more danger. Is this acceptable?" Ryouga peered
intensely at the spirit in Ukyou's body, waiting. 

As the spirit stared into Ryouga's smoldering eyes, it could almost taste
the fury that burned behind them, and was afraid. Terrible calamity was
said to befall those that angered the gods, whether the offender was
mundane, infernal, or divine, and the vengeful spirit truly did not wish
to have the anger behind those eyes unleashed upon itself. "That is
acceptable. I will release this body when you are done." It replied,
looking away from that burning gaze. 

Nodding, Ryouga released Ukyou's shoulder and turned in the direction of
Kodachi's warped presence. It still tugged strongly at his senses, and was
not moving away. "Stay here." Those were the last words Ryouga uttered as
he finally let down his defenses, allowing the tide of fire to wash over
his soul. As his and the spirit's combined rage filled him, setting
Ryouga's mind and blood ablaze, a malevolent red battle aura sprang up
around him. The plants around him shriveled as the earth beneath his feet
dried and cracked from the heat, and Ryouga tore loose a feral,
bloodthirsty cry as he barreled into the forest, forging a blackened,
undeviating path towards his prey. 

Behind him, the spirit in Ukyou's body watched the angry god depart,
wondering fearfully at what might have elicited such rage. It shook the
girl's head slowly, banishing such dangerous conjecture from its thoughts.
*My vengeance shall be served...* As it thought upon the concern that the
god had shown for this mortal's body, it decided not to risk his further
wrath by allowing its condition to deteriorate in his absence. Sighing
worriedly, the spirit sat Ukyou's body on the ground and began to tear
strips off of her kimono to secure Ukyou's wounds. *That would not do at
all...*

*****

Cold. Cold, and... stiff; confined. Claustrophobic. 

Ukyou's mind swam in a sea of oppressive sensations, laboriously churning
the waters of thought as she struggled towards the surface, the veil of
consciousness. *Cold, like sleep. Like death...* Death; cold and stiff,
like a corpse. Ukyou's mind struggled violently with this thought,
thrashing blindly for the surface, for lucidity. *Not dead! No, this can't
be!* Groping claws of rising fear and panic found purchase, and ripped the
veils aside, bathing Ukyou in the harsh, unyielding light of awareness. 

But the coldness and feelings of confinement were not dispelled as Ukyou
awoke from her slumber, her mind still stumbling about in a confused
stupor. *Feels so strange. Why...?* As sight returned to her, Ukyou tried
to shut her eyes against the still painfully bright light that assailed
them, only to find that she couldn't. Briefly, an image of the empty,
unblinking eye sockets of a skull flashed across Ukyou's mind. *No! It- I
can't be-* Ukyou began to panic as her vision resolved itself into a view
of a ceiling, lit warmly by some artificial light source, though its
warmth did not- or could not- penetrate the chill shroud in which she was
entrapped. 

Desperate to prove to her still disorganized mind that she was not dead,
Ukyou struggled to move. Her limbs resisted, a strange confinement
stifling her efforts as though she were entombed in her own body, the
thought of which immediately spurred Ukyou to more feverish struggle.
*MOVE, DAMN IT!* Under her constant, frantic struggle, the barrier
reluctantly began to give way. At the first, intangible sensation of
increased freedom Ukyou slowly, laboriously wore away at her prison. She
could feel her shoulder twitch against the rough grain of the floor under
her back, followed soon after by a slight bending of one of her legs.
*YES!!* Relief flooded through her as the path of action was once again
cleared. 

*Almost. A little more-* After what seemed like an eternity, Ukyou felt
that she had regained enough control to attempt to sit up. Her limbs and
body were still cold and somewhat numb, and the sensation of confinement
lurked on the edge of every motion that she made, but at least she could
move. Slowly, carefully Ukyou began to prop herself up on her elbows, only
to meet defeat when her left arm slid out from under her. *Ouch! Damn it!
Why is this so hard? Maybe if I...* Ukyou, using her right arm, slowly
began to lever herself over on to her chest. Once she had accomplished
that, she brought both arms out in front of her against the wooden floor,
pushing herself up onto her hands and knees. For a moment, it seemed like
she was going to fall over again, but eventually she managed to right
herself, settling into a sitting position.

Once there, Ukyou was almost tempted to give a sigh of relief, when
suddenly she caught sight of one of her hands. It was chalk white and
smooth, almost like- *Porcelain. My hand looks like the hand of a
mannequin, or a... doll.* Her eyes roving along the arm attached to the
hand, Ukyou saw that she was wearing a familiar looking black, floral
patterned silk kimono, though the arm itself seemed somehow severely
abbreviated. *Oh no...* Ukyou traced her hands up her body, everything she
felt confirming her fears, until she came to her face. It was smooth,
hard, and deathly cold. *I'm in the doll...*

For several minutes Ukyou sat frozen in shock, a thousand questions and
fears flying through her mind. One particular line of thought soon seized
precedence, however. *How did I get into the doll??* Ukyou thought back to
the last moments that she could remember. She had been fighting with
Kodachi, running through the halls of the Inn. Kodachi had been fighting
like a mad woman, as Ukyou had become absolutely convinced that she was,
and Ukyou had led her into the Inn in hopes of putting her at a
disadvantage. It had almost worked for a while, and then she had turned a
corner and come face to face with the Vengeful Spirit Doll. Kodachi's
ribbon had snaked around the corner and fastened itself to the pedestal
that the doll had been sitting on. Ukyou could remember diving for the
doll as it fell, it's pedestal having been yanked roughly out from under
it. Ukyou could remember catching the doll, and then- *Then... I can't
remember what happened after that. Then I was here, trapped in this body.
Which means...* Ukyou mentally furrowed her brow as she considered this
new development. *which means that the vengeful spirit is in my body.*

As Ukyou considered this, she realized that this could be a very bad
thing. If the spirit killed Kodachi, then _she_ would be the one that
would receive the blame. The spirit certainly hadn't displayed any qualms
about using lethal force when it had hunted Ranma before, and it _had_
seemed rather skillful when it had been using Akane's body. From the
descriptions that she had received, mostly from Ryouga, after they had
arrived back in Nerima, she was willing to bet that the spirit would go to
any length to kill Kodachi. After all, it had... *It- it threw Ranma and
_itself_ over a cliff. Oh god...*

A feeling of dread spread throughout Ukyou's being as she realized that
the spirit probably didn't care what happened to her body, just as long as
Kodachi died. And considering how Kodachi had been fighting before...
*I... I could be _killed_! I have to get out of here and get my body back
before either one of those psychopaths does something to it!* But in that,
Ukyou met with several seemingly unresolvable dilemmas. First, she had no
idea where they had gone, and second, even if she knew, she had no idea
what she was going to do about it in her present condition. The doll body
certainly wasn't going to be easy to get around in. As the familiar
feeling of helplessness began to settle in, Ukyou mentally took hold of
herself and shook her head violently. *I can't just sit and do nothing! I
have to try to at least find some help.* After all, if Akane could do it,
Ukyou would be damned if she gave up before she even tried. That having
been decided, Ukyou set herself back into the task of standing up. From
her present position, sitting on her heels, Ukyou found that she could
just barely get one leg under herself, using both arms to steady her body.
*Damn it, why does this body have to be so stiff?*

As she started to straighten the leg, pushing herself up so she could
unfold her other leg, Ukyou very nearly pitched herself forward onto her
face, before hastily shifting her weight back onto her lowered knee. On
her second try, with much effort and care, Ukyou finally got to her feet.
Once there, Ukyou took a minute or two to rest and further work out the
stiffness in her joints. *Whew, this is hard work! My arms and legs are
too short.* As she thought this through, Ukyou was suddenly struck by the
fact that she herself was quite drastically reduced in stature as well.
She began to really take in her surroundings for the first time since she
had regained consciousness. 

The room that she was in was absolutely _huge_. From Ukyou's point of
view, it was practically an auditorium, though the tatami floors suggested
that she was still in the Inn somewhere. *But I'm not in the hall anymore,
so where am I, and how did I get here?"* Ukyou slowly began to turn in
place, trying to figure out where she was.

>From the looks of the far off walls, Ukyou guessed that she was in one of
the guest rooms. *So, someone found me and decided that the doll would
make a neat souvenir? Not if I have anything to say about it...* As Ukyou
turned completely around however, she found herself facing what appeared
to be some sort of gargantuan, brown cloth bag. *Hmm... what have we
here?* Ukyou began to walk slowly around the bag, stumbling once or twice
as she overestimated her still tenuous motor control. As she got about a
quarter of the way around the bag Ukyou suddenly noticed that there seemed
to be some absurdly large slab of metal sitting beside it.

The slab came half way up to her knees as she walked up to it, and it was
twice as wide as it was high. As Ukyou followed the metal bar down its
length, she could see that a ways down, the bar abruptly widened into a
broad rectangular shape, terminating in a straight edge that gleamed in a
rather peculiar way under the room's bright artificial light. At this
point, Ukyou's finely honed Okonomiyaki seller's instincts kicked in,
instantly dispelling any mysteries that she held in the face of this
strange object. *MY SPATULA!! I'm in my room! Unless someone moved my
stuff...*

Quickly, Ukyou retraced her steps around her bag, scanning the room
carefully. Finally, off in one corner, she spied Ryouga's bag, exactly
where he had left it earlier that day. The only difference was that his
cloak, rather than being folded neatly on top of the bag where she had
left it, was tossed to the side, along with the yukata that she had given
Ryouga just before she had led him to the baths. Ryouga's bag was also
opened, a few small items peeking out of it, as though he had left in a
hurry. *Hmm... So Ryouga must have found his way back after all. He must
have found me and brought me back here. But how did he know that it was
me? And how did he find his way back, for that matter?* If Ukyou could
have frowned in consternation, she would have. All things concerning
Ryouga just hadn't been adding up lately.

*He hasn't been getting lost at all, as far as I can tell. Or wait, that's
not quite right. He still couldn't find the washrooms without my help, but
whenever he's _following_ someone he seems to do just fine... And then
there's all of those weird things that keep happening around him, like the
way... that- that _thing_ that happens whenever he puts the cloak on.*
Ukyou shuddered slightly in recollection. *And the way he's gotten so much
stronger since the last time I saw him.* Ukyou thought back to the scene
at her restaurant, and again just shortly before she passed out, when she
had heard Ryouga's cry of "ShiShi-Houkoudan" just before that explosion,
and when that horrible keening noise started. Stilling herself, Ukyou
listened carefully, but she could no longer hear it.

During the entire time that she had been fighting Kodachi in the Inn,
Ukyou could recall hearing that terrible, howling wind calling to her from
just outside of her focus of attention. *Ryouga, you jackass, what've you
done this time?* Ukyou wondered to herself as she paced the floor in
worry. *Damn it, I've got to get out of here and find out what's going on!
I don't even know how long I've been out!* Ukyou slapped a tiny porcelain
fist into her palm, and began to formulate a plan. *Alright! First thing
to do...*

Ukyou looked up to the cliff-like expanse of her bag as it rose dauntingly
before her. Then she walked around to the back of it and, taking one of
the straps firmly in hand, laboriously began to climb. Once she had
reached the top, after thanking the gods that she hadn't closed it
completely, Ukyou ducked inside. She emerged several moments later with a
length of twine, a couple of paper clips, and one of her small throwing
spatulas. 

Or, at least it would be a small throwing spatula to her under normal
circumstances. Right now, she could wield it almost like she would
normally wield her full sized combat spatula. After taking a few
experimental swings, Ukyou nodded her approval, and tucked the haft of the
spatula into the back of her miniature sash. Once she was sure it was
secure, she tied the twine to one of the paper clips, which she had bent
into a sort of makeshift grappling hook, and repelled down the side of her
bag. 

After landing roughly on her behind, and taking a few moments to curse
doll makers everywhere for not understanding the concept of "anatomically
correct," Ukyou dusted herself off and yanked a couple of times on the
twine, causing the paper clip to lose its hold and clatter down beside her
on the floor. Then, after re-coiling the twine and hanging it over her
shoulder, Ukyou turned towards the end of the room and set off resolutely
towards the door. *Better not waste any time. After all, who knows what
that doll might be doing with my body right now? Seducing Ryouga?* A brief
image of the spirit in Akane's body leading Ranma off flashed before her
mind's eye. *She better not be seducing Ryouga!* she thought angrily..
Ukyou sped up her walk, being careful not to fall down again in the
unfamiliar doll body. When she reached the door however, she encountered a
rather serious obstacle. 

*DAMN IT! WHY THE HELL DID THAT MORON HAVE TO SHUT THE DAMN DOOR?!* Ukyou
raged silently as she glared at the huge, dauntingly wall-like, and most
definitely closed, sliding wooden door. The door ignored her, as doors are
generally wont to do, and continued to stand in unmoving silence, cruelly
blocking Ukyou's most promising route to freedom. Ukyou unlimbered her
mini-spatula and gripped its hilt in frustration.  *Ooooh, when I get my
body back, _somebody's_ in for a world of hurt!*

With that angry thought firmly in mind, Ukyou jammed the flat of the
spatula as far as she could into the seam where the door joined the wall.
Once it was firmly stuck, Ukyou walked half way down the wall, and turned
to face the handle of the spatula that was still protruding from the wall.
If Ukyou was still capable of human body language, she would at this
moment probably be quite red in the face, huffing hot breath through her
teeth, and snarling in a rather unpleasant fashion. As it was, she simply
cracked her knuckles in a way that was most definitely not good for a
small porcelain doll. Thus, it was probably safe to say that Ukyou had
slipped into a decidedly bad mood. 

*Kunou no Baka... KODACHI NO BAKA... _RYOUGA NO BAKAAA!!!_*

Had anyone been present to observe this, and had they happened to be
familiar with the phenomenon that is the Nerima Martial Arts Community,
they might have remarked that this type of mantra usually preceded the
demonstration of a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the Acute Female
Rage Induced Spontaneous Violent Outburst, in which said female martial
artist would temporarily gain a frightening amount of adrenaline induced
strength and speed, which she would immediately exercise in the brutal
pulverization of whatever might be handy at the moment, usually a large
stack of bricks, or perhaps an offending martial artist. 

This phenomenon did in fact occur at this time, though the small porcelain
doll that was Ukyou apparently had to settle for making a mad-bull rush at
the protruding handle of her spatula, as there really wasn't much else
around upon which she could release her frustrations. With a deafening
battle cry, or at least it would have been deafening in Ukyou wasn't just
screaming inside her head, Ukyou plowed down the length of the wall at
full tilt. Slamming into the handle of the spatula roughly with her left
shoulder, Ukyou fell flat on her face as her makeshift lever suddenly
worked its way free and went spinning off to the side to clatter softly to
the floor a foot or so from the door. 

*Ouch... For a body with no nervous system, that hurt an awful lot...*
Slowly, rubbing her abraded shoulder, Ukyou picked herself up off the
floor. It was getting easier to do this very time she fell down, but Ukyou
still wasn't thrilled about the prospect of spending too much time in the
doll body. When she was satisfied that she hadn't done any damage to
herself, Ukyou looked over to where her spatula had landed. The spatula's
head was bent at an odd angle, and probably wouldn't be useful for much
even if she could bend it back again. *Damn it, 'been going through too
many of those lately...* Ukyou grumbled to herself. Then she turned
around, to check if just maybe, it might have been enough. When she
returned to where she had wedged her spatula Ukyou was pleasantly
surprised to find that the door had opened a little bit. Only about an
inch, but it was almost enough. Perhaps, with a little work... 

Ukyou put her hands into the crack, on the half that was the sliding door,
and began to push with all her might. At first, nothing happened. Then,
bit by bit, the door began to move. One millimeter; two. After about two
minutes of pushing, Ukyou had to stop. Stepping back, she surveyed her
work. The crack was still only about two inches across, but Ukyou thought
that she might be able to squeeze through. *Well, only one way to find
out...* Carefully, Ukyou positioned herself so that she could shuffle
sideways through the crack. Then, after listening to make sure that no one
was in the hall outside, Ukyou began to work her way into the crack.

It was tight, and about half way through, Ukyou got stuck. She then spent
the next several seconds trying not to panic as she twisted about,
attempting to free herself. Finally, she got loose, and continued on. The
rest of the way was relatively easy, and soon Ukyou found herself standing
in the hallway in front of the room. *Yess!* Ukyou took a second or two to
pump her arm and pat herself on the back. 

"-honestly Ranma, there's no need to bother yourself about how it looks!
We're almost back to the room anyway." *Eep!* Ukyou squeaked mentally in
panic, before bolting with previously unknown speed and grace back through
the crack, into her room. If Ukyou had possessed a heart at the time, it
would have been beating furiously as she stood motionless, listening to
Akane and Ranma walking down the hall, and then entering the room next
door.  *Well, I suppose that answers one of the things I was wondering
about...* Ukyou thought to herself as she attempted to calm down. Then she
looked around. *Damn it! Why'd I come back in here again??* Grumbling to
herself, Ukyou began to work her way back into the hall.

When she got outside, Ukyou looked down the hall both ways before
proceeding towards Ranma and Akane's door. *I suppose it would be too much
to ask for them to have accidentally left the door a little bit open,
huh?* Sure enough, the door to Ranma and Akane's room was firmly shut,
eliciting a mental sigh from Ukyou. *Of course. Well, maybe I can still
listen in on them and find out what's been going on...* Though she wasn't
sure how much difference it would make, Ukyou pressed a porcelain ear up
against the door and strained to make out what was being said inside. 

"...I can sit down by myself, you know. There's no need to fuss over me so
much." Ranma's voice rang out in weak protest. 

"Really? I seem to recall that you have a rather sizeable cut on your side
here, and I was just trying to make sure you didn't move around too much."
Akane's voice sounded somewhat irritated, but Ukyou thought she could
detect a momentary worried undertone. "Unless, of course, you've healed
already-" 

"OWW! Hey! Don't poke!" 

"Then sit still like a good little boy, and let me help. Now where did I
put those extra pillows...?" A low grumble that Ukyou couldn't make out,
but she assumed to be Ranma, was the only response that Akane got. Ukyou
giggled a little bit at the interplay between the newlyweds as she
listened to them bicker.

"Here we are. Now lean back, and try to relax a bit." Akane's voice
returned in surprisingly soothing tones. 

Ranma sighed loudly. "How'm I supposed to relax? Half of Nerima is running
around outside, trying to kill either us or each other. The Kunous almost
succeeded too." Ranma's voice took on a disgusted tone as he mentioned
their assailants. "And I got rescued by Ryouga! The lost boy! How in
_hell_ did he find his way...?" Ranma's voice trailed off, as if he had
forgotten what he was talking about. "Akane, what's wrong?" 

When no answer was forthcoming, Ranma apparently decided to press a
little. "Akane...?  What happened with Ryouga and Kunou, Akane? Please,
talk to me..." Ranma's voice was both pleading, and slightly apologetic,
two things that Ukyou had seldom ever heard from Ranma since she had met
him. Ukyou's heart began to sink as she thought about what had elicited
this change. Her attention was recaptured, however, when Akane's unsteady
and quiet voice shook her out of her introspection. 

"You... you remember what happened in the fight, before..." Akane's voice
trailed off, a somewhat confused note hanging in the air, as if she was
searching for the right words.

"I... I remember being on the ground, clutching my side, and hearing- it
was like a really loud shout. It left my ears ringing. Now that I think
about it, I think he was shouting 'shishi- houkoudan.'" Ranma paused, as
if waiting for confirmation. Then, apparently having received it, he
continued. "Then there was a white flash, and an explosion, and something
was pushing me into the ground." 

Ukyou nodded to herself, recalling what Ranma described, as she had heard
most of it all the way over at the inn. Then Ranma continued his
narration, his voice becoming more uncertain. "After that, there was
this... this... howling noise, sort of. But worse. Much worse." Ukyou
shuddered, pushing down her own memories of that horrid sound. "And all of
a sudden, I was being sucked in. I held on, but then... _something_ began
to creep up my body. It was like the wind, I think. So cold... It pulled
even harder, almost like it was trying to pull the skin right off my
body..." Ranma stopped talking, and Ukyou could guess that he was probably
shivering, trying to find words to explain himself better. "I don't
remember anything after that..." 

After a minute or so, Akane spoke up, her voice low, but heavy with
emotion. "There was a... it was like a..." Akane stopped, collecting
herself. "It was nothing. Absolutely nothing. And it was getting bigger.
It was sucking everything in, everything except Ryouga. He-" Again, Akane
struggled to described what she had seen, and failed. "He did...
something, and got around it. He grabbed me before I could get sucked in.
But- but when I looked for you..." Akane's voice broke. Ukyou could hear
someone shuffling around on the other side of the door; probably Ranma,
moving to comfort Akane. She heard the low murmur of Ranma's voice,
soothing his wife. Eventually, Akane shook herself out of it and
continued. "A- afterward, when Ryouga... made it go away, and we found
you, you were unconscious. You were almost the only thing left where it
had been. But... Kunou had been right in the middle of it. Where he had
been, there was... there was absolutely nothing. Everything was just gone.
Kunou was gone. Nothing left at all..." Akane almost began to babble,
badly rattled by the recollection. 

A thick silence hung in the air as what had just been said soaked in.
Ukyou personally was having trouble accepting what she had heard.
*Kunou's... dead?* It just didn't seem right.  Just that morning, she
could remember following the bokken wielding idiot through the empty
streets of Nerima, following him here. He just couldn't be dead. *Ryouga
couldn't have-* For a moment, the image of Ryouga blasting a solid, white,
burning pillar of ki into the clear morning sky flashed across her mind's
eye. *"Nothing left," that's what she said...* In the time that Ukyou had
known Ryouga, she had never marked him as a truly homicidal sort. He could
be very violent, and apparently he had a been good deal worse when he had
first arrived, but Ukyou had never though that he would go as far as to
murder someone. But Ryouga had been so different since he had gotten back.
And he certainly had it within his means to completely annihilate someone,
it seemed. But to save _Ranma?_ Even had it been in self defense, it
hardly seemed like something that Ryouga would do. 

Ranma had apparently been thinking along similar lines. "Ryouga...
_killed_ Kunou, to save me?" The disbelief rang clear in Ranma's voice as
he tried to wrap his mind around the concept. "That- that just doesn't
make any sense..." Though Ranma didn't sound like he wanted to believe it,
Ukyou could see how Ryouga might do such a thing. Two reasons, really.
Ryouga could never stand seeing people attacking those who couldn't defend
themselves, so if Ranma was incapacitated Ryouga might come to his aid.
And then there was Akane. Ryouga may finally have accepted that it would
hurt Akane if Ranma died, and Ryouga would do anything to keep Akane from
getting hurt. He would walk through the very fires of hell itself, and
perhaps even kill to save Akane from pain. 

*But he didn't have to kill anyone, did he? Ryouga was always more than a
match for Kunou. But if Kunou was able to almost defeat Ranma...* Ukyou's
mind began to run around in circles, trying to comprehend Ryouga's alleged
actions. Something just felt _wrong_ about Kunou being dead; about Ryouga
being a killer. It was too much to much to take in all at once.

Inside the room, Akane's voice finally broke the tense silence. "It's hard
to believe that he's gone..." Akane's voice was still quiet and somewhat
sorrowful, but a pensive note had entered her voice. "Ever since I was a
little girl, for as long as I can remember, Kunou's always been there. I
never actually _wanted_ him to be there, but he always was. And now he's
gone..." 

"You don't know that." Ranma was apparently still having some difficulty
accepting what had happened. "I mean, we don't know that whatever Ryouga
did _killed_ him, right?" but Ranma's words sounded hollow even to Ukyou,
and she suspected that Ranma was beginning to have trouble believing them
himself. "I mean, ever since I've known you, there was always Kunou. Dumb
as a brick, and always the same. Whenever something new and weird showed
up, we could always count on Kunou to be exactly how he always was, right? 
He's like a- Whoa!" 

Ukyou's concentration on Ranma's voice was abruptly broken as the floor
seemed to lurch out from under her. As she fell on her side, Ukyou could
feel the ground as it continued to tremble, the sounds of surprised guests
and falling objects resounding throughout the inn. *An earthquake? This
can't be happening. Why now, of all times?* After several moments, the
tremors subsided, though the sounds of confusion persisted. After
gathering her wits and getting back to her feet, Ukyou put her ear back to
the door. 

"For some reason, I just got a really bad feeling about all of this. I
mean, it's _got_ to be a coincidence, right? But still..." Ranma's voice
trailed off, sounding concerned and uncertain, and more than a little bit
surprised.

"Mmm... I wonder if there's anything special that we're supposed to do in
case of an earthquake. I'd better go check." 

"Akane-" 

"Don't worry, I won't be long. And _you_ aren't going anywhere." Akane
chided lightly, as Ukyou could hear her rising to her feet. "If we don't
have to leave the inn or anything, I'll pick up something for dinner.
How's that?" 

"...Okay. Just... be careful, alright? Kodachi's still out there
somewhere, and we don't know that Ukyou's done anything about her yet."
Ranma sounded very reluctant to let his wife go out alone, and Ukyou had
to agree that it might not be the safest thing to do, with the Vengeful
Spirit and Kodachi running around. "Just stay inside the inn and order
takeout or something, please?" 

"I promise, I'll stay out of trouble if you do." Now that was a loaded
statement if Ukyou had ever heard one. Unfortunately, she didn't have much
time to contemplate it, as she suddenly realized that Akane was heading
for the door. The door that _she_ was listening at.

*Oh crap! Gotta hide, gotta hide!* Ukyou thought frantically as she
glanced up and down the hallway, noticing the complete and utter lack of
good hiding places. The closest one was in her room, and she'd never make
it in time. Then the door began to slide open, and Ukyou scrambled nimbly
out of the way. As Akane stepped out of the room, Ukyou was vainly trying
to become one with the wall beside the door, praying that Akane wouldn't
look down. Fortunately, it seemed the gods had deemed her worthy of this
one, single transgression, and Akane shut the door to the room and
continued on down the hallway without giving any indication that she had
noticed the strangely panicked looking doll hugging the wall beside her
door. *Whew! That was too close. Gotta be more careful...*

Unfortunately, with Akane gone, it was unlikely that Ukyou was going to
discover anything more about what was going on here, unless Ranma liked to
talk to himself. *Hmm... maybe this would be a good time to go and check
for clues about where Kodachi and the Spirit went with my body. With all
the confusion from the earthquake, I might be able to get around a bit
without being noticed...* That being said, or rather thought, Ukyou took
one last parting look at the door to Ranma and Akane's room before
beginning her long trek through the halls of the inn. *Things to think
about later, I guess. I wonder what Ryouga is doing right now...*

*****

To Hibiki Ryouga, the world was often times a very confusing and
frustrating place. This was largely due to the fact that he tended to see
so much more of it than he would really have preferred to. At this
particular moment, however, Hibiki Ryouga's world was a far, far simpler
place. It was Rage. Pure, focused, unrestrained, unreasoning Rage. The
reasoning, the intent behind the emotion had long since been utterly
devoured by the ceaseless waves of searing, infernal flame that washed
across the blasted wasteland of Ryouga's conscious mind, leaving nothing
but the frenzied, all consuming drive of animal instinct to answer the
call for the Twisted One's final blood. The Man known as Hibiki Ryouga was
gone; the Beast, the avatar of Rage made flesh, burned in his blood, and
the hunt was on. 

The condemned, Kunou Kodachi, lay in wait, preparing to ambush whomever
might have chosen to pursue her into the forest, completely unaware that
she was no longer the predator, but the prey. The sounds of something akin
to a pack of wild boars charging through the woods assailed her ears, but
so confident of her concealment was she that Kodachi did not make a single
move to reposition herself. Only when the sounds of splintering wood and
the smell of scorched earth were nearly upon her did Kodachi realize her
error, but by that time it was far too late to rectify the situation.
Kodachi was forced to leap to the forest floor as the tree she was
concealed in was mowed down, and she watched in anticipation as the man
before her turned from the remains of the tree towards her, in preparation
for another charge. Little of the tree that had been between the branches
and the roots remained, and the stump that protruded from the ground was
blackened and smoking, as if the tree had been burned down, rather than
crushed by a charging madman. 

Kodachi had only a moment to appraise her opponent as she prepared to act;
he was a medium height, ruggedly built boy. He wore simple yellow and
brown traveling clothes, and had a black and yellow bandanna tied around
his forehead. *Ah yes, I remember now. This is the strange boy that would
sometimes appear out of nowhere and attack _my_ Ranma- sama.* Her
revelation was of short lived significance, however, as Ryouga's face
twisted into a viscous snarl, revealing a set of wickedly sharp looking
fangs. The dull red glow that surrounded his body flared violently,
incinerating the fallen leaves that littered the ground at his feet, and
then he was upon her. 

Kodachi twisted nimbly to the side, narrowly dodging a wild, open handed
slash that the boy threw at her. The blow continued onward, impacting with
the tree that Kodachi had been standing in front of. Ryouga's hand passed
through the obstruction without any noticeable reduction in speed,
shattering the tree trunk into a shower of charred wood as his momentum
carried him forward, past his target. Kodachi was not completely spared
however. Her side was badly scorched where Ryouga's arm and body had flown
past her, and she was pelted by smoldering wood fragments as she leapt
away, trying to put some distance between herself and her assailant. As
she was already badly worn and bruised by her previous fight with that
horrid, despicable chef girl that had presumed to be _her_ Ranma-sama's
fiancee, Kodachi was rather reluctant to risk further injury to herself by
continuing this fight in close quarters. 

Unfortunately, the boy had destroyed her ribbon earlier, thereby seriously
hindering her long range combat abilities. Her immediately available
option appeared to be limited to either retreating until she could find a
replacement for her lost weapon, or else dodging all of his blows, in the
hopes of wearing him down. This appeared to be a promising strategy, as
the boy looked to be attacking wildly, with no technique or thought
involved, and Kodachi was certain that she was faster than he was. The
only difficulty that she anticipated was the effects of that strange red
aura that surrounded him. That could make dodging much more dangerous if
he managed to come close enough, and probably rendered hand to hand
attacks against him a fool's gamble at best. 

And so, as Ryouga made his next wild rush at the gymnast, Kodachi quickly
sprang out of the way, avoiding the lost boy easily as she leapt over his
head and into one of the trees behind him. This charge and dodge strategy
worked well for the first few minutes that Kodachi used it, with Ryouga
always attacking blindly and Kodachi always leaping or tumbling out of the
way before he came close enough to harm her. As time wore on, however,
Kodachi's injuries began to wear at her stamina, while Ryouga surged
onward unrelentingly, like a force of nature. At some point, Kodachi
slipped, and made a mistake.  Ryouga's next attack, a raking, claw fisted
slash, lightly grazed her back as Kodachi was twisting out of the way. A
scream of agony escaped the gymnast's lips as Kodachi stumbled away, three
narrow strips of skin in the small of her back blackened at though someone
had struck her with a branding iron. 

>From then on, for Kodachi, the battle was an exercise in pain. She found
it impossible to regain her rhythm, and began to incur more and more burns
as Ryouga's blows came closer and closer to striking true. Finally,
Kodachi had endured enough. Determined to continue this fight another
time, Kodachi bounded away from Ryouga, turned, and began to leap off into
the trees. In mid leap, Kodachi's right ankle was seized in a crushing
grip, Ryouga's fingers sinking like white-hot iron into her flesh. She had
apparently underestimated the time that it would require him to react,
though it appeared that she would not have opportunity to regret her
mistake.

Ryouga landed in a crouch after his leap, Kodachi crashing to the earth
roughly at his feet. Still holding the stunned gymnast by the ankle,
Ryouga spun around, twisting at the waist, and lifted Kodachi over his
head again, slamming her down again with a sickening crunch as she landed
on her left side. But despite the blinding pain that stabbed like spikes
of quicksilver throughout her left arm and rib cage Kodachi was still
conscious, and could still look on in endorphin-numbed fascination as
Ryouga stood over her crumpled body, turning his body and raising his
clenched fist into the air in preparation for the killing blow.

As he did so, the dull red aura that had been surrounding his body dimmed
to nothingness. Then a flash of red on the boy's face caught Kodachi's
attention. Ryouga's eyes were emitting a livid vermilion glow, as were a
strange set of diamond shaped markings that were arrayed about his face
and forehead. Kodachi began to lose herself in that burning, hate filled
gaze, entranced by the fires that seemed to dance behind the boy's eyes.
As such, she didn't notice as a frigid, light devouring corona of midnight
black flame sprang into existence around Ryouga's upraised fist, nor did
she notice as, accompanied by an inhuman howl of fury and triumph, the
fist began to descend upon her, describing a graceful, deadly arc towards
her head, like Lucifer's hammer falling from the cold emptiness of space. 

The Beast exalted as it stood over the scorched, broken, bleeding body of
its prey. The fires of Rage, until now singing hungrily in his mind and
blood, suddenly seemed to flare out, leaving him feeling cold and empty.
Then, from somewhere within the depths of his soul, the eternal flame of
Ryouga's Rage was again rekindled, but it was not the same roaring inferno
that had driven him to this point. Instead, this Rage seemed to reach
outward from the center of his being, seeping into his very bones and
suffusing every point of his existence with the absolute, glacial
emptiness that lurked, waiting, in the most guarded depths of Ryouga's
soul. The cold flames consumed him, as had the inferno, and cleared
Ryouga's mind of all but its dire purpose. But as the blow that would end
his purpose fell, the cold flames brought with them a certain, perverse
clarity of mind that the inferno had denied him.

Ryouga felt strangely detached, almost as though someone else were
delivering the killing blow, and he was just an observer, a witness to the
act. He could see himself standing over the wounded, helpless form of
Kodachi, and as he watched, he could not help but feel as though he had
seen all of this happen somewhere before. As if bidden by some unspoken
command, images of the recent past flooded into the emptiness of Ryouga's
mind. Images of Akane, lying unconscious and almost dead, a thin red line
running around her neck. Images of Ranma, lying prone on the ground and
clutching his bleeding side, his eyes screwed shut in agony. Above him
stood Kunou, rage burning in his eyes and he raised the bokken high above
his head, preparing to deliver the killing blow, a cry of victory frozen
on his lips. The rage in his eyes, the madness, so familiar; his eyes
burning like the fires of hell itself, so familiar. And then the blow
descends... 

*NO!! I AM NOT LIKE HIM! I WILL _NOT_ BE LIKE HIM, NOW OR EVER!!*
 
Ryouga's conscious mind, awakened from the sleep that the Rage had imposed
upon it, cried in denial, shattering the cold, calm emptiness that the
cold flames had created. The power of his Rage still flowed in Ryouga's
veins, singing to him in an eerie chorus of Light and Darkness, Fire and
Ice, but the steady backbeat of Ryouga's Will once again pulsed in time
with the power, binding it to him and controlling it. It was almost as
though he was just waking up, except that Ryouga regained control of his
actions just as his fist, sheathed in a corona of heatless, eternally
black flame, was descending upon Kodachi's face. *NO!*

With a supreme effort of will, Ryouga diverted the blow at the final
moment, his fist sliding by Kodachi's face with only a millimeter to
spare, the force of the blow driving his fist deep into the earth beside
her head. Ryouga didn't have even a moment to breathe a sigh of relief,
however, as the black flames that had surrounded his fist suddenly began
to leach into the earth below their feet, drawing with them every last
mote of Rage- suffused power that Ryouga's body still held and flowing
across the land in waves of ice. With a gasp, Ryouga dropped to his hands
and knees as a crushing wave of weakness overtook him. 

Then, as he knelt over Kodachi, his head bowed and sucking in deep, ragged
breaths, Ryouga noticed that the ground had suddenly become _very_ cold;
frozen, in fact. Off to their right, Ryouga heard an ominous creaking
noise, and suddenly realized what was to follow. Ryouga dropped himself
down on top of Kodachi and covered their heads with his arms just as the
first tree exploded, all of the water in it having been instantaneously
frozen solid. Every other tree within a ten meter radius promptly followed
suit, and the sound of chain lightning filled the air as a large part of
the forest suddenly annihilated itself, exploding into a swirling blizzard
of razor sharp shards of ice and frozen wood. 

While the air was still filled with shrapnel death, the ground beneath
them suddenly began to tremble violently. The earth within the blasted
area began to crack and deform, jagged claws of earth reaching for the
sky, only to be dashed to oblivion as frigid, blue-black water and ice
erupted from the cracks in an enormous geyser, carrying several tons of
stone and dirt almost half a kilometer into the sky before freezing solid
in a great, black column of dirty ice, spikes of stone and wood protruding
irregularly from its sides and summit like some hellish rose blossom.

Almost as soon as it was created, however, hairline cracks began to appear
all over the surface of the pillar of ice, originating from somewhere
within the heart of the structure.  Then, like the trees that had occupied
its place just moments ago, the pillar shattered, raining frozen death
down upon the valley below. 

*****

Urd looked up from her sake as the sound of distant thunder proclaimed a
storm on the horizon. Sighing, she settled down a bit farther in the hot
spring, refilling her cup from the bottle in the wash bucket floating next
to her. "Damn weather. I guess that means it's back to work for me. Well,
at least I got a good soak in first." As Urd contemplated the evening sky,
however, something immediately struck her. *Strange... it doesn't _look_
like there's a storm coming.*

Suddenly, a chill raced down Urd's spine, both literally and figuratively.
A feeling of imminent dread descended upon her as the ground started to
tremble violently, churning the waters of the springs and toppling a few
of the stone lanterns arrayed around the bathing area. At that same
moment, the temperature of the water in the spring plummeted, scalding
heat replaced instantly by the frigidity of the polar seas. 

Urd fairly flew from the spring, crying out in surprise, only to stop dead
in her tracks, shivering in the chill night air as she regarded in shock
the black veil of night that stretched off into the northern horizon.
There, framed by the pale specter of the full moon, rose a twisted,
midnight black spire, lancing through the cloudless night sky at though it
were a tear in the night itself. Then, as Urd watched, the jagged finger
of darkness exploded, innumerable tiny shards of night shredding the
moonlight as a sparkling cloud of death descended upon the northern
horizon, a belated peal of thunder once again washing over the land. 

Urd began to tremble slightly as the last of the fragments faded from
view, this time not from the cool night air upon her wet skin. Clenching
her teeth and gripping her arms across her chest to steady herself, Urd
contemplated this development. *I guess he didn't leave through that hole
he created after all. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say that he
was taunting me...* Urd shivered again as she realized that she really had
no way of knowing whether or not he truly was aware of her pursuit.

Shaking her head to clear it, Urd turned a grim glare towards the horizon.
"Fine, if that's the way it is, then I'd hate to disappoint him..."
Ignoring her nudity, Urd began to stalk towards the wooden wall of the
baths. Then, almost absently summoning her battle uniform, Urd cleared the
wall in a single leap, landing lightly on the other side. "He damn well
better be there this time though. I'm getting damn tired of this game..."
With that last, grating and sullen utterance, Urd began to dash through
the trees towards the area where the black tower had risen, conserving her
power for whatever might come. 

*****

The spirit in Ukyou's body inched tentatively towards the blasted,
shredded field of debris that surrounded what had been the base of the
column of ice, now nothing more than a ragged hole in the earth surrounded
on all sides by an area of ravaged, ruined ground almost a kilometer in
radius. The jagged chunks of stone and ice that had mowed down the forest
like so much dry grass still littered the field of battle, some of them
protruding from the earth like black marble tombstones, bearing silent
testament to the death that was wrought here on this night. Here and
there, small fires burned in the piles of shredded wood that dotted the
ground, cloying smoke drifting towards the heavens in a strangely fitting
dichotomy of heat and cold, somber funeral pyres burning alongside the
solemn stone markers. 

>From the looks of the carnage that the strange god had wrought upon its
territory, the spirit's decision to remove its mortal shell further from
the area had come none too soon. Had it remained where the god had left
it, there would have been little left of the girl's body except perhaps a
bloody smear upon some forsaken, debris littered stretch of earth
somewhere near the outskirts of the killing field. The spirit did not wish
to contemplate what would have become of it had that occurred, if this
display was an example of a god's displeasure. 

The spirit stopped advancing for a moment, and contemplated whether or not
it should proceed. The god _had_ told it to remain, probably to await his
return; but still, had it not moved there would have been nothing left for
the god to return to. Also, though the spirit was not expecting to see the
remains of the infidel after such an attack, it was having unexpected
difficulty locating the god. *Surely he would not have destroyed himself
as well...* As the spirit scanned the field of debris, a hint of movement
suddenly caught its attention. It appeared that something was attempting
to dig itself out of a pile of melting ice and stone. Focusing more of its
attention on that spot, the spirit could then sense that indeed, the flame
of divine power burned strongly beneath the wreckage, though something was
subtly different about the power since the last time it had sensed the
god. 

Carefully picking its way through the twisted, scarred landscape, being
careful not to aggravate the girl's wounds, the spirit approached the
pile. As it was nearly upon the mound of debris, one of the larger rocks
was suddenly pushed aside, rolling down the side of the pile to reveal a
small, black form. Peering more closely into the darkness, the spirit was
somewhat surprised to see a small, black piglet. Though the creature was
soaking wet and somewhat battered looking, what immediately drew the
spirit's gaze were the miniature golden marking that adorned the pig's
head, shining brightly in the clear moonlight. *Ah, so he has changed
form; but why? No matter...*

The spirit stepped to the foot of the pile and knelt unsteadily before the
diminutive god, bowing the girl's head in submission. "You have well
fulfilled the geas of my retribution, Kami-dono, and I am grateful and
awed. As such, my own promise shall I keep. If it is your wish to
accompany me, we may go immediately to retrieve this mortal's soul." As
the spirit remained kneeling, it could not help but observe that the god
in a pig's body appeared distinctly confused for several moments after its
proclamation. Eventually, however, the pig hopped down from its perch and
walked up to the spirit's feet, looking up expectantly. 

It was the spirit's turn to peer back in confusion as it attempted to
discern what the god was waiting for. Then, when the pig bounded onto the
girl's knee, it decided to venture a guess.  "Do you wish me to carry you
back to the inn?" At the pig's emphatic nod, the spirit careful took the
small god in its arms and stood, carefully cradling the creature against
the girl's chest as it began to work its way back towards the edge of the
blasted field nearest to the inn. *Hmmm... perhaps he exhausted too much
of his power in the battle to change back.* The spirit speculated, as the
animal in its arms adjusted its position to face forward into the forest
ahead. 

A few minutes later, as the spirit turned onto a winding forest path that
led back to the inn, the pig's gaze wandered off the path, turning to
regard the darkened woods to the east. As the spirit followed his gaze, it
noticed, off in the distance, another thread of divine power weaving
through the night, streaking hectically in the direction from which they
had come. *It appears that you come with an entourage, my small
benefactor. This becomes more peculiar by the moment...* The spirit mused
with a worried sigh. 

*****

Urd almost felt like slapping herself as she realized that she was nearly
upon the event site and she hadn't even initiated a scan yet. *Might as
well just put on a target and shout "here I am, shoot me!"* Urd cursed
silently as she drew herself up short and began an active scan.  *No time
like the present, I guess.* She was close enough to sweep the immediate
event zone by now, though she still couldn't see the actual site. It
appeared as though it wouldn't be necessary, either. 

"_GOD DAMNIT_" <wince> "oops, shit. Sorry!" Urd looked up at the sky for a
moment before crossing her arms angrily and glaring back into the darkened
forest ahead of her. "Well, hell, this is just great..." The power that
the rogue had used, whatever its nature, had been burned very efficiently,
leaving the event site fairly clean. This only emphasized the fact that
the site was _empty_; completely, utterly, not-a-soul-in-sight vacated.
Urd cursed again as she began to advance. "Well, I might as well see what
the stupid, no-show bastard did _this_ time." 

As Urd approached the one kilometer point the forest began to thin, small
patches of it here and there having been crushed by falling debris. As she
passed the kilometer mark, however, the damage quickly became more severe,
until Urd found herself standing before a vast, completely decimated
stretch of land, the area having been so thoroughly bombarded that not a
single tree still stood. *Sheesh, what the hell is this guy's problem?*
Urd sighed regretfully as she surveyed the blasted plain, re-initiating
her scan just to make sure that she hadn't missed anything. She noticed
that there seemed to be some sort of crater in the center of the ravaged
area, and in a few magic assisted leaps she was standing at its side. As
it turned out, it wasn't actually so much of a crater as a pit, its bottom
disappearing into the murky, all concealing shadows that lurked down deep
within the earth. As she played her scan across the pit, Urd was suddenly,
just _barely_ able to make out a sort of weak energy signature. It wasn't
coherent enough to make any precise judgements about its nature, but there
was one definite fact that Urd could easily discern: It was not the type
of energy signature that was left by any sort of divine power. 

"Maaaarrllleeerrr!!" Urd growled and began to ready a particularly nasty
exorcism spell. The energy signature was most definitely demonic in
nature, which meant that some demon had beat her to the site. It didn't
necessarily _have_ to be Marller, but considering what had happened
earlier, Marller was Urd's first bet. That Urd could sense a demonic
energy signature at all meant that the demon that had been here had
probably used some sort of magic to cover up whatever evidence had
existed. 

*Dammit! Why am I always the last person to find out about these things?!*
Levitating herself down into the pit, Urd cast a simple light spell to
illuminate her descent. The pit was indeed very deep, but Urd didn't need
to go far to find her confirmation. About five meters down from the
surface, Urd's magically enhanced vision picked out a single, wavy blond
hair wedged between some rocks protruding from the pit wall. After
examining the hair for a moment, Urd levitated herself back out of the
pit, touching down lightly upon the solid, still frozen earth at its rim. 

As she stomped away from the fruitless, obviously sterilized event site,
Urd began to ponder all of the wonderfully painful things that she was
going to do to Marller the next time that they met. It wasn't that Marller
was the only person that she was upset with at the moment, however. *Why
in Kami-sama's name can't those idiots in monitoring come up with some
sort of workable way to track this guy?? This "wait for him to blow
something up, then rush to the scene" approach just isn't cutting it.*
Still, Urd had to admit that the longer she followed the rogue god, the
less sense his actions made. *The Yggdrasil Archives, Siberia, Nerima, and
now this dinky little resort town; No sort of pattern there, unless you
count the fact that he's lowering his standards... Still, the last three
events just _screamed_, "Hey, look over here! It's meeee!" I'm beginning
to think this guy is playing some sort of sick game with me...* At that
thought, Urd sighed and shook her head, lines of worry creasing her face.
"If that's the case, the least he could do is tell me what the rules
are..." 

*****

*Why the hell can't anything _ever_ be easy...?*

Ukyou irritably took another look around, her tiny doll head swiveling
left and right to take in the empty, largely featureless corridor that she
stood in, and then angrily stomped a delicate porcelain foot, lashing out
at the unsuspecting hardwood floor in frustration. There were indeed
numerous drawbacks to being a ten inch tall porcelain doll, though the one
that Ukyou was currently bemoaning was not one that she had initially
anticipated. Apparently, the massive change in perspective that had
accompanied the loss of roughly five feet in height had done several odd
and rather inconvenient things to her senses of distance and direction. As
a result, shortly after leaving the vicinity of Ranma and Akane's room,
Ukyou had found that she could not for the life of her find the exit of
the Inn.

It felt as if someone had decided to completely rearrange the layout of
the building while she had been asleep, leaving Ukyou extremely agitated,
and undeniably lost. *I wonder if this is how Ryouga feels all the time...
Used to feel all the time.* If Ukyou stopped for a moment and put a hand
to her chin in thought. *What if that jackass Ryouga could somehow have
passed his lousy sense of direction on to me? Hmmm... Nah, that's just
stupid. But whatever the reason,* Ukyou looked up again and heaved a
mental sigh, *It doesn't do anything to change the fact that I'm stuck in
this stupid body, lost in this stupid Inn, while those two psychopaths are
running around somewhere with _my_ body, quite possibly with that
numbskull Ryouga in tow. Someone up there must really hate me...* Ukyou
spared what she hoped would be construed as a baleful glare towards
whatever higher powers might be watching her from above at that moment,
and them grimly began to plod onward, assuming that if she walked long
enough, she would eventually find an exit.

This hypothesis, which Ryouga had already soundly disproved on several
occasions, was spared further scrutiny in this particular instance. As
Ukyou's small body turned the corner in the hallway, she suddenly found
herself face to fa- er, shin with a rather battered and dirty looking
human being. She had just enough time to begin to panic before she, much
to her unbounded surprise and terror, found herself being picked up off of
the ground and held at eye level with her captor. The sight of her own
face staring back at her, however, cut through Ukyou's panic like a blade
of sunlight through the pre-dawn mist. Ukyou had only a moment to wonder
at the strange, distant look in her body's eyes, before the world suddenly
began to swim around her, twisting and contorting in a nauseating dance of
motion and sensation. 

When the ride slowed down enough for her to get off and find a rest room,
really only a few scant moments later, Ukyou found herself staring into
the empty, glass-eyed gaze of a small porcelain doll, held aloft in her
left hand, while cradling a rather relieved looking little black pig in
the crook of her right arm. Ukyou spent another couple of seconds trying
to sort through the utter disorientation that accompanied the reunion of
her body and soul, but eventually she regained her equilibrium. This fact
she immediately learned to regret, as all of the little inconveniences of
having a living body made themselves known in several very insistent ways. 

Ukyou groaned pitifully and slumped against the wall as she was assaulted
from all sides by an indescribable melange of aches and pains, nearly
every part of her newly regained body telling her that her temporary
boarder had not been terribly considerate in its treatment of her
property. "Ugh... dammit, that hurts... S'nice to be able to speak 'gain
tho..." Tentatively, she looked back at the Vengeful Spirit Doll. "Wha'd I
ever do ta you...?," she mumbled irritably, the pain temporarily drowning
out any fear she might have held towards the accursed thing. A squirming
sensation at her side then reminded her of her other passenger. Peering in
weary curiosity at the little black piglet, Ukyou eventually remembered
where she had seen the animal before. "P-chan? What're you doing here?" 

When the piglet just returned her questioning gaze with one of his own,
Ukyou suddenly realized how silly she must look, slumped against the wall,
battered and soiled, having a conversation with a doll and a pig.
Blushing, she carefully straightened herself, looking around both to
figure out where she was and to make sure no-one had seen her. *Hmm...
Akane must have brought him. Strange, that she would bring a pet on her
honeymoon, though. And I wonder why I, or rather _you_ have him...* Ukyou
though, casting another glance at the innocuous-looking doll. *Ah well,
I'd better go see how badly you got me hurt, at any rate. Maybe Ryouga
brought a first aid kit...*

With that hope firmly in mind, Ukyou again set off down the halls, limping
slightly and listing to her left side in fatigue and pain, but nonetheless
still making much better time that she had been before. In short order she
regained her bearings, and soon afterward found herself back in their
room, standing before Ryouga's bulging pack and staring at it with some
small amount of trepidation. *Who knows what sort of weird stuff that boy
caries around with him? Still, with all the fights he starts, he's _got_
to have a first aid kit, or at least some bandages. I'm sure he won't mind
if I borrow it...*

Ukyou had poked at a few of the makeshift bandages that had been tied
around her numerous wounds, and was not entirely certain that she wouldn't
need to go to a doctor later, especially for her left shoulder and ribs,
but it was still a good idea to wash the wounds and put on some clean
wrappings anyway. Plus, her kimono had been shredded both in battle, and
to make the bandages she now wore, to the point that it could barely be
considered clothing anymore. As such, after selecting another, bulkier
kimono from her pack, in order to hide the bandages that she was going to
apply, she knelt before Ryouga's dusty, travel stained pack and began to
root through its contents, looking for anything that might be used to hold
medical supplies. All the while, P-chan sat silently watching both her and
the doll, her in curiosity and the doll in guarded vigilance. 

As it turned out, Ryouga's pack held quite a bit more than it looked like
it should, though most of its contents consisted of relatively boring,
mundane camping supplies, clothing, pre- packaged food, and all of the
other random knick-knacks that a person living on the road might need. It
was packed rather tightly, and Ukyou found herself having to remove items
from the pack as she went, in order to see what was under them. He seemed
to have an inordinate number of propane tanks for his gas burner, as well
as several water-filled canteens and thermoses, but she had still failed
to locate a first aid kit among the items that she had unpacked.
Eventually, near the bottom of the pack, she finally found a flat, water-
proofed box with a red cross printed on it. Inside was an ample supply of
bandages, disinfectant, gauze, and other sorts of medical paraphernalia. 

Having found what she was looking for, Ukyou began to stuff things back
into the bag. Unfortunately, she was apparently not quite as adept at
packing and sorting as Ryouga was. By the time that she had stuffed the
pack to the point that she was certain she wouldn't be able to cram
another item into it, Ukyou found herself left with a couple of stray
items on her hands. One was the first aid kit, which she would have to
repack after she was done with it, and the other was a rather large and
old looking book. The iron and leather-bound tome was one of the small
number of seemingly non-essential items that Ryouga had in his pack, and
Ukyou was at a loss for what to do with it. As such, she decided to worry
about it later, and simply put it beside the pack, on top of his dust
cloak, so she wouldn't forget about it. 

That done, Ukyou turned to regard her two peculiar charges. The doll
didn't seem to be going anywhere on its own, but she remembered that its
pedestal was on the way to the baths. It seemed to Ukyou that all she
could do was return it there and pray that nothing else happened to
provoke it while they were here. As for P-chan, the little animal was
dirty and wet, so Ukyou decided that she might as well clean him up a bit
as well before she returned him to Akane. "C'mere little guy..." Ukyou
knelt down carefully and beckoned to the piglet in what she hoped was a
soothing tone of voice. Her throat was scratchy and raw, as though she had
been screaming at the top of her lungs all night, so it came out as more
of a hoarse whisper. Nevertheless, P-chan seemed to understand, and
wandered over to sniff at Ukyou's outstretched hand.

Ukyou gathered up P-chan, the doll, the first aid kit, her bathing
supplies, and her new kimono, and, with some difficulty, rose to her feet.
*Ouch. Damn it, I hope Ryouga has some pain killers in here.* She shifted
her left arm slightly to balance her load, and winced as the bandage
around her left shoulder twisted in the wrong way. *Make that a lot of
pain killers...* Then, trying not to move too much, Ukyou left the room
and began to shuffle painfully down the hall towards the baths. On the
way, she occasionally saw some of the inn staff trying to put the halls
back in order after her and Kodachi's fight, though it was definitely an
uphill battle, what with all of the destroyed furniture and other damage
that they had left in their wake. *I wonder what the spirit did to
Kodachi...* Ukyou wondered idly. Considering the extent of her own wounds,
and the convictions of the spirit that had been using her body... 

"oh no..." Ukyou's blood suddenly ran cold. She looked down at her hands,
around the irregular bundle in her arms. There was blood on the backs of
her hands, and under her nails, where she hadn't wiped it off. Whose was
it? *Could- could it have...* Ukyou began to tremble slightly as the
weight of the day's events crashed down upon her. *Could Kodachi be...*
P-chan gazed up at her, a very human-like look of worry in his eyes as
Ukyou glanced back and forth, checking to see if anyone was looking at
her. Thankfully, this particular section of hallway was, for the moment,
empty. Shaking more noticeably, Ukyou began to walk faster through the
hallways towards the bath, studiously avoiding the eyes of the few people
that she passed along the way. When they arrived at the particular bend in
the hall where the spirit doll's pedestal had been, Ukyou found that
someone had already righted the pedestal and replaced the miniature
cushion that the doll was meant to kneel on. 

Hastily setting down the bundle in her arms, Ukyou carefully replaced the
doll back on the pedestal, positioning it as best she could from memory.
Then, having done that, she took a step back and dipped into a formal bow
to the doll, staying bent for a full five seconds before straightening and
retrieving the rest of the items that she had been carrying. As she left
the doll's presence, Ukyou released an audible sigh of relief, and her
stride became slightly more steady, but there was still a noticeable
tremor in her steps. 

The women's washroom was empty when they arrived, and Ukyou noticed that
the outdoor baths seemed to be closed off for some reason, perhaps because
of the earthquake, as there was a sign beside the door apologizing for the
inconvenience. Ukyou practically collapsed onto the nearest stool, nearly
dropping her bundle, as she continued to shiver, a drawn, ashen expression
on her dirt and blood streaked face. For several seconds she just sat
there like that, slumped and shivering on the stool, staring at the taps.
*I didn't kill Kodachi. It killed Kodachi. If Kodachi's dead, that is. I
might not have killed her. _IT_ might not have killed her. There's no
reason to believe that she's dead, right? The spirit didn't kill Ranma,
right? But it tried to kill Ranma. And Kodachi tried to kill me. But I'm
not dead. And Kodachi isn't here. And it came back. And all the blood on
my clothes. Is it all mine? What if it's not? What if Kodachi's dead? What
if people think I killed her? What if people _SAW_ me kill her?! What if-*

Ukyou's train of thought was abruptly derailed by P-chan sinking his teeth
into her finger, as she had been squeezing the bundle in her arms, him
included, rather too tightly for comfort. Ukyou yelped and dropped the
bundle, P-chan skittering a bit off to the side and staring at her. If
Ukyou didn't know any better she would have sworn that the little pig
looked worried about her, and perhaps a little bit sorry about biting her.
Ukyou peered at P-chan in a slight daze, not quite seeing him, or else not
quite understanding what she was seeing. "P-chaaan. You saw what happened,
right? Right?" Ukyou nearly laughed out loud as the little pig nodded at
her. Ukyou began to think that she was losing her mind, but at the moment,
she didn't really care. "Did I kill Kodachi, hmm? Did you see me kill the
mean girl in black?" 
 
The little pig seemed to look away from her for a moment, as though it was
unable to look her in the eye, then slowly shook its head in the negative.
Ukyou peered at the pig a bit more closely, the haze on her mind lifting
somewhat. "Akane always said you were a smart pig. But if I didn't kill
Kodachi, then who killed Kodachi?" Then, sluggishly, a small piece of
memory slid into place in the back of Ukyou's mind. A bit of a
conversation that she had heard less than an hour earlier. "Did Ryouga
kill the mean girl in black? Did a boy with fangs and a bandanna kill
her?" The little pig backed away from her slightly unfocused gaze, again
turning away from her, before nodding the affirmative. 

"Oh. Okay." Ukyou said simply, feeling as if an immense weight had just
been lifted from her shoulders. *You're talking to a pig, and imagining
that it's talking back to you. You're becoming delusional, and they're
either going to lock you away in prison, or in a loony bin.* a small,
cynical voice in the back of her mind sternly reprimanded. Ukyou ignored
it, something that she hadn't been able to do since- Ukyou stopped
thinking about that thought, something that she had been doing quite a bit
as of late. "Well, I guess I'd better get cleaned up." Ukyou remarked out
loud, speaking to no-one in particular, though P-chan seemed inclined to
listen. With that, Ukyou began to undress, removing clothing and bandages
alike, until she sat naked upon the wash stool, dirty, bleeding, and
unsure of where to begin. 

For lack of a better idea, Ukyou filled her wash bucket with water and
began to soap her body down. As the soap began to sting some of the more
superficial wounds on her legs, and the pain in her shoulder became more
evident from the motion, Ukyou slowly became more focused on what she was
doing. By the time she was ready to rinse off, Ukyou was thinking
more-or-less clearly, though she was still rather single-mindedly focused
on seeing to her injuries, her thoughts always skirting wide of the series
of events that led to the acquisition of said injuries. 

P-chan, who had seemed rather tense throughout the entire interchange,
began to relax a bit. At the same time however, had Ukyou spared the
presence of mind to notice, it could almost be remarked that P-chan had
begun to acquire a rather vivid blush. As if just then fully noticing what
was occurring before him, P-chan emitted a panicked little squeal and
quickly turned away from the naked and preoccupied okonomiyaki chef, a
small trickle of blood leaking from his snout.

After cleaning them out and making sure that none of them had become
infected, Ukyou began to re-dress her wounds. Ukyou had determined that
none of her ribs were broken, though a couple of them were probably
cracked. Her shoulder, on the other hand, might very well need stitches,
and she would probably have to keep the arm in a sling for a while.
Unfortunately, Ukyou's search for pain killers had turned up some rather
peculiar results. Ryouga didn't have anything that even remotely resembled
an over-the-counter painkiller.  What he _did_ have was an unlabeled flask
of liquid that smelled like paint remover, and seemed to be slowly eating
away at its metal vessel. *Well, so much for that idea.*

As Ukyou finished up, she again allowed herself to notice her
surroundings. The first thing that she noticed was that P-chan seemed to
be facing away from her, keeping his snout firmly pressed into the corner.
He also seemed to be a slightly... redder? shade of black. *Is- is he
_blushing_?* Despite herself, Ukyou couldn't help but smile a how
incredibly _cute_ the little piglet seemed at that moment. "P-chaaan..." 

P-chan turned his head for a moment at the sound of her voice, just enough
to catch a glimpse of Ukyou's still largely naked body. He emitted a
strangled sounding "bwee" and immediately turned his head back into the
corner, causing Ukyou to erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Hehe... Akane's got you trained too well." Ukyou grinned and began to
dress, this time omitting the chest binder, as it probably wouldn't be
good for her ribs. When she was finished, she turned to the
embarrassed-looking little pig and called out again. "Alright, it's okay.
C'mon, you can turn around now." Tentatively, P-chan began to turn around
to face her. When he saw that she was decently dressed, and apparently in
a more stable frame of mind, P-chan trotted out of his corner and towards
her, staring up at her with big, inquisitive eyes. 

Ukyou examined the piglet, seeing something that she had not noticed
before. In addition to being covered in mud, there seemed to be some odd,
gold-colored flecks on his head. The mud smeared on his body obscured them
somewhat, but Ukyou could swear that they reminded her of something;
something important. "C'mere P-chan, there's something weird on your face
that Ukyou wants to see." she said soothingly, stooping down a bit to pick
the piglet up.

P-chan, however, had apparently decided that there was somewhere else he
had to be right at that moment. As the words "something weird on your
face" left Ukyou's mouth, P-chan had stiffened in shock. He recovered just
in time to dash between Ukyou's legs as she was about to grab him. He then
proceeded to dash about like a small black piglet with its head cut off,
zipping back and forth along the slippery bathroom floor, searching
frantically for a way out. 

"Wha- Hey! Come back here! P-chan!" Ukyou cried as, injured and sore and
very tired, she began to limp around after the piglet. Eventually, P-chan
located the exit, and thus began to bounce about in the halls of the inn
like a large black pinball. Fortunately for Ukyou, he could never keep
going in the same direction for very long, so she didn't have too much
trouble keeping him in sight. Still, they did get a pretty good distance
away from the bathroom before she finally caught him.

"That wasn't very nice, you know!" Ukyou, now rather winded, admonished
playfully to the squirming little pig in her hands. "Now c'mon, we have to
go back and clean you up before Akane sees you, right?" At this, the
piglet seemed to struggle even more violently in her hands. But Ukyou
wasn't about to let him go again, and she tightened her grip so that he
wouldn't be able to slip through her fingers. All of a sudden, however,
P-chan stopped struggling altogether. Instead, he simply stared straight
forward, silent and still as the dead. Puzzled, Ukyou looked up as well,
only to succumb to the same pallor that had claimed her porcine companion,
as she stared dumb-stricken at the figure standing in the middle of the
hallway, a mere five feet in front of them.

"Hello, Ukyou." Mumbled a slightly shaken-looking Saotome Ranma, as he
nodded slightly to his childhood friend and ex-fiancee.

*****

    ashibe yori
  kumoi o sashite
   yaku kari no
   iya touzakaru 
wa ga mi kanashi mo

   -Kokinshuu 819

*****

"R-Ranma..." Ukyou struggled vainly for the words that would free her mind
and finally make this bad dream come to an end, but none were forthcoming.
"Wh-what, how...?" she trailed of lamely, uncertainty eroding away her
concentration. 

"What am I doing here? I could ask you the same thing," He finished for
her, a slightly glib note slipping into his weary voice, "but I think I
know the answer to that one." Ranma favored her with a steely, unyielding
gaze; not unkind, but not overtly pleasant either. 

"Well, I..." Ukyou shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his eyes, and winced
involuntarily as a twinge of pain shot down her left side and arm. Ranma
seemed to notice, and peered at her even more intently, examining her
stance and the various bandages and bruises not covered by her kimono. 

"Ukyou, you're hurt. What happened to you?" Ranma's voice softened
slightly as he examined his friend. His eyes, however, narrowed
dangerously when his gaze fell upon the small, still form in Ukyou's
hands. "Oh, you found Mr. P too, I see." 

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I'm not sure what happened to me, or how I found him. I
just..." Ukyou cast about aimlessly, grasping for a good place to start.
"Kunou found out where you were, and Ryouga and I followed him- Ryouga
showed up out of nowhere this morning, and he's been acting really weird.
But we followed him to the train station, and then to the inn. And then
Ryouga disappeared, and I went looking for him." Ukyou's voice took on a
pleading, apologetic tone as the words began to spill out all at one,
tumbling over each other in a steady, unstoppable torrent of babble. "And
then Kunou attacked you, and Kodachi attacked Akane. I tried to chase
Kodachi off, but she started chasing _me_ towards the inn. And then we
were in the halls of the inn, and she threw a pedestal at me. And the doll
sitting on the pedestal fell, and I tried to catch it, and... and..."
Ukyou's tirade dropped off suddenly, her voice dwindling to nothing as she
turned her face to the floor, the pallor of recollection returning to her
features. 

When she spoke again, her face still turned down, but cocked slightly
towards a nearby window, the pale, cold light of the waxing moon cast her
features into harsh relief, the weight of its silence nearly stifling the
throaty whisper that remained of her voice. "And I woke up here, in the
doll. For a while, I wandered the halls of the inn looking for an exit,
but eventually I was found. And I was in my own body again, holding P-chan
and the doll. And I was hurt, and dirty, and tired. And covered in blood.
So much blood; it couldn't have all been mine..." Ukyou turned to face
Ranma again, but didn't meet his now-worried gaze. Her face was pained and
confused, and her hands were trembling slightly. "Kodachi didn't come
back. Ranma, I don't know if she's going to come back..." 

As Ukyou was telling her story, Ranma was going over the day's series of
events in his mind, filling in the gaps where his knowledge or experience
was lacking. When she had reached the point in the story where the
vengeful spirit doll appeared, Ranma had momentarily thought back to his
own experience with Akane and the doll. Akane hadn't remembered anything
of the spirit's actions either, other than what she had witnessed through
the doll. 

Ukyou's silence, however, had brought him back to the present. Ukyou did
not look at all well. As she began to speak again, however, she grew
worse. Her eyes grew slightly unfocused as an expression of numb horror
spread across her pale features. "Ukyou. Ukyou, it's all right. I'm sure
nothing happened. The spirit didn't kill _me_, right? Ukyou?" Ranma peered
into his friend's eyes, hoping for some sort of positive response, but she
seemed to be growing more detached by the moment.

"Ranchan, I'm hurt really bad, but I came back. But Kodachi didn't. P-chan
said I didn't kill her," Ukyou dazedly indicated the limp black piglet in
her hands, "but I don't know if I should believe him. You've known him
longer than I have, Ranchan. Can I trust P-chan?" 

"Ukyou, snap out of it! C'mon!" Ranma shouted pleadingly to Ukyou's face
as he grasped her shoulders in preparation to shake her. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the moment Ranma began to exert pressure on
her left shoulder Ukyou cried out and flinched away in pain, dropping
P-chan and backing away from Ranma in the process. In addition, Ukyou
could almost swear that she actually heard her ribs creak when she backed
into the wall. "Aah...ouch... Dammit, why couldn't that idiot even bring
some aspirin or something?" Ukyou hissed through clenched teeth as she
levered herself up again with her good arm.

P-chan, meanwhile, was still somewhat disoriented from his fall, and was
shaking his head and trying to regain his bearings. Ranma quickly resolved
to take advantage of this little accident, and snatched up the confused
piglet while Ukyou was preoccupied with her injuries. "Ukyou, you're hurt;
you should go lie down and rest for a while. You can use me and Akane's
room. We even have some aspirin, I think." He prodded, hoping that Ukyou
would be too off balance to refuse. He really needed to have a talk with
Ryouga, but he didn't want to leave Ukyou alone, just in case she started
to lose it again. Hopefully, Akane would be back in the room by the time
Ukyou arrived, so that he wouldn't have to worry about it.

"It's room 42, go on. If Akane's not there, she'll be back soon. I'll
just... clean up bacon-bits here for Akane." Ranma continued as he ushered
a still slightly confused and highly fatigued Ukyou down the hall. She was
still preoccupied with the pain in her arm and side, so she didn't put up
much of a fight, but she was still rather reluctant to leave him. 

"I- Rancha- Ranma, I'm so sorry about this. I don't want to bother anyone
anymore." Ukyou began, as Ranma led her down the hall. "Please, I'll just
get Ryouga and-" 

"No arguing, and no wandering around in the forest with those injuries,
Ukyou." Ranma cut in, glancing at her face worriedly. It looked as though
she had already forgotten about Kodachi, but he couldn't be certain. "I'll
find Ryouga, you just wait here and rest." By now they had reached the
room that he and Akane were sharing, but Akane wasn't back yet. For a
moment, Ranma began to worry about his wife, but reluctantly pushed those
thoughts aside. From what he had heard from Akane, and now from Ukyou, it
appeared that the possible threats had been... eliminated. Ranma grimaced
uncomfortably, and busied himself with locating some aspirin for Ukyou. 

Once he found it, Ranma poured Ukyou a glass of water from a pitcher that
he and Akane had in their room, and helped Ukyou get comfortable on the
small mountain of cushions that Akane had produced for him earlier. "Now
just lie here and rest. Akane should be back soon, but just tell her that
I found you and brought you here." He said, offering the pills and water.

Accepting them shakily, Ukyou cast a worried glance up at Ranma. "Thank
you Ranma. I'm so sorry for... for all of this..." Ukyou looked away, her
face colored with shame and regret. 

"Don't worry about it, Ukyou, please." Ranma replied soothingly, and
hesitated a moment before continuing. "After all, if you hadn't shown up,
who knows what might've happened to Akane?" Ranma's face darkened slightly
at this utterance, but his voice remained soft and comforting. "When Akane
asks, tell her that I've gone out to find Ryouga so I can... _thank_ him,
for... saving my life, okay?" Ranma struggled a bit with this last part,
as if he were tasting something truly unpleasant, and cast a surreptitious
glance towards P-chan, but Ukyou didn't seem to notice. P-chan didn't even
seem to be paying attention.

Then, with a sigh, Ranma rose and left the room, shutting the door quietly
behind him. For a couple minutes, he waited at the door, listening to
Ukyou's slow breathing through the door, just to make sure that she wasn't
going anywhere. Once he was satisfied that she was going to be alright, at
least for the moment, Ranma began to shuffle wearily towards the men's
baths, P-chan clutched firmly by the bandanna so that he wouldn't be able
to get away. Strangely enough, however, P-chan was being even less
argumentative that Ukyou had been. He simply hung listlessly from Ranma's
hand, swaying slightly as Ranma moved, like a hanged man swaying at the
gallows. This fact bothered Ranma greatly. Ryouga never came peacefully,
not even if he was sure that he was already dead. 

"So, where've _you_ been lately, hmm P-chan?" Ranma needled accusingly,
hoping to elicit some sort of reaction. Nothing. "Of course, that's right,
you gotta be _human_ to talk, huh?" He plowed onward through the silence.
"It sounds like you've had quite a day, Mr. P. You'll have to tell me all
about it, not to mention tell everyone about all of the wonderful places
you've been in the last few months..." Still nothing. The way that Ryouga
was seemingly ignoring him was beginning to really aggravate Ranma. He
decided it was probably time to try a different tactic. 

"I suppose you've heard." This time, no extra words were needed to discern
what Ranma was speaking of. His cold, humorless demeanor was description
enough. Still, P-chan remained a dead weight in his hand. "Ryouga, man, we
really gotta talk..." By this time they had reached the outer doors to the
men's bath area. Ranma, with P-chan in hand, entered the washing area and
proceeded straight through to the now-deserted baths. Ranma was sort of
puzzled by this, as the baths were usually occupied well into the night,
he quickly dismissed it as he had more important things to worry about.

Walking up to the pool, Ranma raised his right hand, which still clutched
P-chan by the bandanna, and plunged the unprotesting pig into the water.
Ranma drew back immediately as an icy chill raced up his forearm. "Shit
that's cold!" Ranma exclaimed, in a suddenly much higher voice, as she
stared in disbelief at the pool; the same pool that had been nearly
boiling earlier, but was now quite freezing. Looking around, she noticed
that the bath didn't display the tell-tale wisps of steam that it had
possessed earlier. The cold spring actually _was_ frozen, a glistening
sheet of faintly blackish ice gleaming silently in the moonlight. "I
wonder if this has anything to do with that earthquake earlier." Ranma
grumbled, looking down at herself in mild irritation. With her free hand,
Ranma began checking her bandages, knowing from experience that they would
have to be re-done. Incredibly, however, they all still seemed to be in
place, as though they had shrunken to accommodate her female form.
"Strange..." shaking her head, Ranma turned around and shambled back into
the bathing area.

When she reached the taps on one side of the bathing area, Ranma set the
shivering and wet, but otherwise unresponsive P-chan down on a handy
stool. Ranma grabbed a wash bucket and began to fill it with warm water.
Then, when she had enough, and was satisfied that the water was indeed hot
enough to cause the change, by testing it on herself of course, Ranma
turned to face P-chan. The little black pig was simply sitting motionless
on the stool, breathing slowly and staring blankly at the plain tile
floor. Still, Ranma made sure that he was in a position to move quickly in
case P-chan bolted, or Ryouga decided to get violent. Well, relatively
quickly, considering his injuries. But Ranma was confident that he could
take Ryouga; relatively confident, anyway. With a grim look of
resignation, Ranma poured the contents of the bucket over the motionless
pig, and watched as the small form on the stool rapidly twisted and
expanded until a wet, naked, and yet still motionless Ryouga had replaced
it. 

For several more minutes silence reigned, as Ranma stood warily observing
the lost boy, who had yet to lift a finger or twitch a hair in response to
the return of his humanity. Ranma's patience began to wear thin as the
moments of inaction ticked past, and he cautiously started to inch towards
Ryouga so the he could make sure that the lost boy hadn't fallen asleep or
something. Then, slowly, deliberately, Ryouga began to raise his right
hand to his still bowed head. Ranma tensed as Ryouga slipped his thumb
underneath his bandanna, but the lost boy simply pulled the sodden piece
of cloth from his brow and began to carefully wring the water from it. His
eyes never left the piece of cloth in his hands, and his motions were
efficient and meticulous, almost gentle; so much so that it seemed as
though, at that moment, that simple scrap of cloth was the most important
thing in the world to him.

Ranma began to relax slightly as the ritual was played out, but still kept
a wary eye on the silent man before him. As Ranma watched, waiting for a
chance to catch Ryouga's attention, he noticed a faint metallic glint on
Ryouga's forehead. Looking more closely, Ranma realized that Ryouga had
taken off all of his bandannas, though it appeared as though he was only
holding one of them. As Ranma puzzled over this, he examined the strange
golden mark that had caught his eye. He certainly couldn't remember Ryouga
having that mark the last time he had seen him. There were similar
markings on either cheekbone, near the outer corners of Ryouga's eyes,
indicating that the mark on his forehead was indeed new, and hadn't simply
been hidden by his bandanna before.

Again, Ranma's attention turned to said bandanna. He had seen the lost boy
do his "cloth shuriken" trick countless times in the past, yet he still
couldn't figure out how Ryouga could produce so many of the blasted things
whenever he needed them. Every time Ryouga or someone else wanted to take
the bandanna off, there was never more than one of them on his head.
Perhaps, like so many other things about the lost boy, it was best not to
think too much about it. Still, as he watched Ryouga take such delicate
care to wring every last drop of moisture from that odd, tattered scrap of
cloth, completely oblivious to the rest of the world, Ranma couldn't help
but wonder what exactly was going on in that empty skull of his. 

*****

Ranma's sudden, unexpected appearance had been, to Ryouga, the final nail
in the casket. He was no longer needed; with Ukyou's safety assured, and
the threats to her and the others... removed, the shattered facade of
Ryouga's will had collapsed in on itself, surrendering finally to the
cold, empty embrace of hopelessness. Into its place crashed the
unrelenting onslaught of chaos and cacophony that was the pure,
undistilled emotion of the world around him, flooding his mind and
scouring his soul until Ryouga, floating now untethered upon this, his own
personal sea of discord, could no longer distinguish these emotions from
his own. Gone, it seemed, were the walls, the barriers that shielded his
mind from all but the most intense and intimate connections. Ryouga had
barely noticed the change that his body had undergone, from pig to man, as
the feelings of every human being on earth howled through his shattered
defenses. At that moment, if he had screamed, Ryouga did not know if he
would have done so with one voice, or with many; and if, be it one, would
it have been his own? 

Then, as the fragments of eternity drifted past him, meaningless in the
void, Ryouga felt something. It was more of a memory of a sensation, a
phantom before his senses. He remembered the feeling of damp cloth against
his brow. It was not an unpleasant feeling, but for some reason that he
could not grasp at the moment, it felt... unwelcome. But it was _there_.
It was not, could not be any feeling but his own. As Ryouga focused on
this revelation, he could sense the waves of emotion receding, ever so
slightly, as though he were distancing himself from the rest of the world.
Seeking to increase this distance yet further, Ryouga latched on more
firmly to the sensation, attempting to fathom exactly why it was unwelcome
to him.

*Because it is wet.* But why should the cloth being wet make its presence
unwelcome to him? *Because I am a man.* That answer, vague as it was, was
somehow satisfactory to Ryouga's line of reasoning, though he could not
understand why. That particular question was unimportant at the moment,
however. *If it is unwelcome, then it should be removed.* But how?
Suddenly, as though he were walking out of a stifling haze, a path cleared
in the sea of sensation, and for the first time in what seemed like an
eternity of formless drifting, Ryouga could feel _himself_ among the
surging caress of humanity. Elated in this realization, Ryouga lifted what
he could now discern as his own hand to his forehead, and removed the
offending piece of cloth. 

As he lowered his hand, and the cloth came into view, Ryouga was given to
wonder what it was that he should do next. He had removed the piece of wet
cloth from his head, but what was he to do with it now? Simply throwing it
away felt wrong, for some reason. Staring at the cloth, Ryouga somehow
felt that he was staring at an intimate part of himself; something
important to his individual being, his personality. As the press of
humanity surged inward again, Ryouga grasped onto the idea of the cloth,
finding in it a tangible reminder of who he was. But it was still wet, and
therefore unwelcome. *If it is wet, then dry it.* Came the voice of
reason. So thinking, he took the cloth in his hands and did so.

Ryouga concentrated his mind completely upon the task of drying the cloth,
concentrated on the sensation of the runnels of water flowing between his
fingers as he gently twisted this delicate reminder of his identity
between his hands. As he methodically performed this simple act, he could
feel the others gradually fading from his senses. Slowly, painfully the
walls rebuilt themselves; each brick of personal joy or anger, each heavy
stone of loneliness or self-loathing piling atop the others, until Ryouga
was whole again. But still, he was not alone. There were still others,
though far, far fewer now, and one of them was quite close. This one,
Ryouga felt, was important somehow. Try as he might, he could not retreat
far enough into himself, could not build the walls high enough to block it
out. Reluctantly, Ryouga lifted his eyes from the floor and turned to face
this one who would not be ignored. He turned his dead eyes to face the
battered, grim, and weary countenance of Saotome Ranma, and in the moment
that their gazes locked, Ryouga knew what had to be said; what had to be
done. 

*****

As Ranma watched, Ryouga stopped wringing out his bandanna, letting his
hands fall to his sides. Finally, without preamble or further ceremony,
the lost boy turned to look at him. As their gazes locked, for just a
moment Ranma felt the overwhelming sensation that he was looking into the
eyes of a dead man. For as long as Ranma had known him, whenever he had
looked Ryouga in the eye, there had always been the fire of challenge
raging behind that wild, emerald gaze. It was something that Ranma had
come to both respect and loathe about the lost boy. Granted, on many
levels Ranma considered Ryouga to be rather pathetic, but his unreasoning,
undying tenacity was something that Ranma could understand. But that flame
had died in this man's eyes, leaving behind nothing but the cold ashes of
defeat and resignation. Ranma shivered as a momentary chill ran down his
spine, and steeled himself for what had to be said. "Ryouga, you-" 

"You won't see me, or P-chan, again. I- I won't interfere in your life...
with Akane. Congratulations, you win. Goodbye." Ryouga's face twisted into
a small, self-depreciating smile at this last utterance, though his tone
dipped lower still, his leaden soul weighing heavily upon his words. It
was all but impossible to miss the note of finality that the statement
carried. Then, without waiting for Ranma to respond, Ryouga stood and
began to walk towards the exit of the washroom that led to the inn, where
several complimentary robes hung waiting, on the wall. 

As Ryouga began to walk away, Ranma's mind reeled with questions. Sure,
that was _essentially_ what he had wanted Ryouga to say, but why had
Ryouga acquiesced without even a fight? And why had Ryouga... interfered
in his fight with Kunou? And what had happened to the Kunous, anyway? As
far as Ranma could tell, the only person that might possibly have the
answers he needed was Ryouga, so he certainly wasn't going to let the lost
boy just walk away. "Hey! Wait a minute there, I'm not finished with you
yet!" Ranma proclaimed as he shuffled hastily after Ryouga, catching up
with him near the exit as he was carefully, unhurriedly donning a robe. 

"No, you are quite finished with me." Ryouga replied dully, not looking up
from his ministrations. Only when the robe was fastened securely did he
turn to face the now highly agitated martial artist at his back. "You're
worried about your... your... wife." It was a statement, not a question,
that fell from Ryouga's lips, stopping Ranma cold just as he was about to
disagree rather vocally to Ryouga's previous words. "Go to her." With
that, Ryouga stepped out of the washroom, shutting the door behind him
with a barely-audible click. For a few moments, Ranma stood dumbfounded in
the foyer, wondering at those words. Then, shaking himself roughly and
cursing his own inattention, Ranma tore the door open and burst out of the
washroom. He was greeted only by dead, silent air of an empty hallway,
eerily punctuated by the staccato clack of the sliding door striking the
end of its rail. 
 
*****

  tsui ni yuku 
michi to wa kanete
 kikishikado 
kinou kyou to wa
 omowazarishi o

   -Kokinshuu 861

*****

It is widely felt within the untrusting hearts of men, that before any
great, terrible, tumultuous event, there is generally a short period of
relative peace; the proverbial "calm before the storm," as it were. This
being so, many people possessed of a more pessimistic mien often tend to
view any period of relative peace with a sense of grim foreboding, as if
the fates were consciously conspiring to lull them into a false sense of
ease. The fates would, of course, argue vehemently against this
accusation, stating that these people were just being paranoid. 

There is, however, another notable sort of atmosphere that these fleeting
moments of peace tend to cultivate. To one who has just endured an
extended period of chaos and unrest, the period of relative peace that
must inevitably follow such a time will undoubtedly be colored by their
own lingering unease. More sinister than the vague, necessarily indistinct
foreboding of future calamity, the shadow of past misfortune may overlay
itself upon the calm of the present; like oil spreading across the surface
of a gently flowing stream, insinuating itself into every eddy and nuance
of chance or choosing. The fates, of course, have their own views on this
as well... 

"Enough. I can't take any more of this crap. That's it!" The sharp crack
of a much-abused sliding door being roughly shut echoed sullenly through
the empty, darkened halls of the inn. "Let someone else find the bastard.
I quit." The dull thump of heavy footsteps rattled the wooden floorboards,
hammering out the broken rhythm of a tired, irregular gait. 

"I'm not gonna play this stupid game anymore. If he wants my attention so
much then he can damn well come to _me_, because I'm not going _anywhere_
until someone nails this boy's feet to the ground." With that
proclamation, Urd unceremoniously plopped down into one of the soft, plush
lounge chairs in the darkened TV room of the inn. Sighing deeply, the Norn
of the Past seemed to deflate, her previous indignation flowing out of her
body only to be replaced by bone-weary resignation. "This has just been
_way_ too long a day..." Urd mumbled as she settled deeper into her chair. 

Deciding that she had done enough work for one day, Urd set upon taking
her due in rest and relaxation. On reflection, however, now that she had
some time to really think about it, Urd came to the unsettling conclusion
that she hadn't really accomplished anything at all, other than managing
to have become even more confused and frustrated than she had been when
her day began. It had become painfully obvious to her that, for all of
their monitoring and planning, the gods in charge of heavenly security
hadn't actually practiced the procedures involved in hunting down a rogue
god in quite a while. *Where the hell _are_ those security daemons,
anyway? This is _their_ job I'm doing...* Urd thought bitterly to herself.
*They're probably hovering around Yggdrasil core like anal-retentive
vultures, waiting to see if our little friend is _really_ crazy enough to
try it again. Or else they're up with those feather-brains in monitoring,
telling me where to go...*

They weren't going to catch him this way; Urd was sure of it. Whomever she
was following had shown all of the signs that he was either possessed of
some deep, mysterious, and as of yet still-undiscovered agenda, or else
that he was completely and utterly insane. Either way, he had proven
himself to be much more slippery and unpredictable than anyone had
expected, and Urd's nerves were paying the price for that little
oversight.

To top it all off, Urd was starting to wonder whether or not she was still
the hunter in this little game of cat and mouse. The rogue's little
'disturbances' just seemed a bit too flashy for her to dismiss the
possibility that she was being led on. That last event especially had put
her teeth on edge. Even though she had been nearly on top of it, Urd
hadn't felt any echoes of divine power when that pillar of ice had risen
on the horizon, which meant that monitoring probably wouldn't have noticed
anything either, unless they had been keeping an eye on her location. And
the rogue had again failed to cause any real damage, aside from destroying
the surrounding countryside; nobody had been injured by the falling
debris, apparently. The rogue had yet to rack up a single human casualty,
as far as anyone could tell, and Urd was slightly reassured by this fact.

Instead, every one of the events up to the last one had been staged to be
as big and flashy as possible, as if he were thumbing his nose in the
faces of god and demon, mortal and immoral alike, daring them to follow
him. The ice pillar, however, might have gone completely unnoticed, had no
one actually been there to see it; a private invitation, rather than an
open announcement. But an invitation to whom? The only ones that Urd could
think of that were close enough to have noticed it, and might possibly
have had some inkling of its significance, were herself and Marller.

"Marller." Urd growled softly into the suddenly-oppressive silence. *Why
did _she_ have to get involved in this mess?* The demoness certainly
wasn't making life any easier for Urd.  Constantly being just a step
behind Marller, and just two steps behind the rogue, was the main reason
for Urd's current frustration with her situation. The fact that Marller
had obviously covered something up at the last event only served to
incense Urd further. Apparently, she had been just a bit too slow in
accepting the rogue's invitation, and Marller had been there to capitalize
on her tardiness. 

Urd was at a distinct disadvantage now; there was no doubt in her mind of
that fact. Urd hated it when people thought that they knew better than she
did, and she absolutely despised it when they were right; but this time,
there didn't appear to be anything that she could do about it. Marller had
tied up everything just _so_ neatly at the pit, and Urd couldn't do a
thing about it. "Dammit!! Why can't anything be simple?! Why does everyone
have to make everything so damn complicated..." 

Urd glared impotently into the darkness, willing for the forms of her
tormentors to step out of the shadows so that she could give them a piece
of her mind. Urd scowled darkly to herself as the exercise proved
pointless, but was again struck by the notion that perhaps, just maybe,
she wasn't quite as alone as it seemed. Peering more closely into the
blanket of shadows that surrounded her, Urd shivered slightly as a
familiar chill crept down her spine.

For a moment, it seemed as though a gentle breeze were caressing her body,
silent as the darkness itself. At that same instant, a small patch of
darker shadow seemed to detach itself from the gloom to swim and swirl
before her eyes, resolving itself momentarily into a faint, man-like form;
a drifting phantom cloaked in a twisting, writhing shroud of living night.
Then it was gone, nothing more than a mirage conjured by her harshly taxed
mind. Or so she told herself, as she drew her knees to her chest and
fumbled clumsily for the remote on the nightstand beside her. "Eheh...
seeing things now... Maybe some TV will help me relax..." Urd mumbled to
herself in an uneasy whisper, as the warm glow of the TV set and the
steady, inane chatter of late-night talk shows banished the shadows and
the silence to the far corners of the room once again. 

*****

Ukyou slowly released a tense, uneasy sigh as she slid stiffly out from
under the blankets that Ranma had given her. She had been starting to
think that perhaps Ranma was going to stand outside the door and wait
until Akane returned before he went out looking for Ryouga. Finally,
however, the sound of departing footsteps outside the door of the
Saotomes' room had told Ukyou that, despite all of the changes that
married life had wrought on Ranma, his patience and attention span were
still as short as ever. 

For that small blessing, Ukyou was endlessly grateful. After waiting a few
moments, just to be safe, Ukyou painfully hauled herself back to her feet.
Then, after waiting a few more moments to collect her wits and let the
throbbing ache in her left side die down, she made for the door. Only when
she was safely back in her and Ryouga's room did Ukyou let herself relax a
bit. With a worried sigh, she thought about what had just happened.
Something that shouldn't have happened. Ukyou held herself for a moment,
forcing down the cold, empty feeling in her breast. The heartache of
seeing Ranma, of facing him again after all that had happened, threatened
to overwhelm her. *He asked me to stay...* A single, bitter tear rolled
down her cheek, as Ukyou shook her head regretfully. Staying wouldn't
solve anything, it would only cause more trouble. 

Ukyou didn't want to cause Ranma and Akane any more trouble, and she
_really_ didn't want to wait around for Akane to return so that she could
find her husband missing and Ukyou lying in his bed. Their bed; the bed of
a couple of newlyweds on their honeymoon. Ukyou hastily wrenched her mind
away from that line of thought before she became seriously preoccupied.
Still, she couldn't help but blush a little as she began to put her things
in order to leave, as certain rather unwanted, and a few rather perverted
images danced tauntingly before her mind's eye.

Ukyou scowled darkly to herself as she removed the kimono she was wearing.
*That was definitely something I _didn't_ need to think about.* she
thought disgustedly as she took a clean pair of blue slacks and a
long-sleeved white blouse out of her pack, donning them gingerly as her
bandages pulled and her shoulder throbbed. That done, she re-wrapped her
combat spatula and put on a pair of dark sunglasses, despite the fact that
she was still indoors and it was probably almost midnight already. *Better
safe than sorry. I might run into Akane on the way out.* She took a few
more throwing spatulas out of her pack and hid them in her clothes before
closing the bag and hefting it on her right shoulder. *After all, you
never know who you might meet wandering around at night.* she thought
bitterly, one weak, mirthless laugh escaping her lips before she caught
herself and carefully skirted around that train of thought. 

As she walked towards the door, Ukyou stole one final glance at the lonely
little pile of odds and ends in the corner that was the sum of Hibiki
Ryouga's worldly possessions. Then, noticing the large book that she had
been unable to pack, Ukyou remembered that she had left the other item
that she hadn't been able to pack, Ryouga's first aid kit, back in the
women's wash room. *Oops.* After a moment of consideration, Ukyou decided
that she should probably go get it before she left. Ryouga wouldn't be
able to find it on his own, and he would never be able to get up the nerve
to go get it himself if she just left him a note telling where it was. "He
might need it later, if... I mean, he gets lost all the time right? Who
knows when he'll be able to get another one, right? Yeah..." That said
quietly to herself, Ukyou opened the door and proceeded towards the
women's bath. 

Walking as quickly as she could manage, Ukyou soon arrived at the women's
washroom, thankfully without incident. Apparently no one had been in since
she had left, as the bloodied strips of green cloth that she had been
using as bandages before still lay around the stool that she had used, and
the contents of Ryouga's first aid kit were scattered haphazardly across
the floor. She had probably tripped over it or something when she had been
chasing after P-chan, Ukyou mused, carefully averting her eyes from the
blood crusted, blackish strips of cloth as she hastily gathered them up
and tossed them into the wastebasket in the corner, washing her hands
afterward. That done, Ukyou began to pick up the bits of medical
paraphernalia strewn across the floor, her abraded ribs protesting to her
numbly every time she bent over. 

When she was done replacing the items in the kit, Ukyou started walking
back to her room.  Proceeding at a slightly less hurried pace, out of
deference to her injuries, Ukyou was nearing the last corner that she had
to turn to reach her room when a heavy, sinking feeling settled in the pit
of her stomach. Stopping abruptly, she slowly turned her head left and
right, peering around warily. *Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about
this?* After taking another glance around, this time looking at the
ceiling and the floor as well, just to make sure that she was really
alone, Ukyou took another step towards the corner. 

"Ryouga!" 

Ukyou froze in her tracks, the blood quickly draining from her face as
that startled sounding utterance drifted from around the corner ahead.
*That was Akane's voice! Oh crap! And Ryouga's with her too...* Ukyou
stood stock still, trying to make as little noise as possible as the
moments after the cry dragged on in silent eternity. Finally, another
voice; a weak, uncertain whisper of wind answered the cry. 

"A-Akane...?" 

*****

Ryouga's brain froze up in shock as he realized who stood before him. He
had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts, since leaving the washroom,
that he hadn't even noticed that he was standing in front of the door to
his room. And he certainly hadn't remembered that he and Ukyou had taken
the room right next door to Ranma and Akane. An unfortunate oversight
indeed, it seemed. For a moment, the question of how he had failed to
sense Akane until she was standing right in front of him wandered idly
across his shock-numbed mind. Then, with a subconscious jolt of urgency,
thought started flowing again, and waves of sensation flooded into his
mind. Still stunned, Ryouga managed to quietly stutter Akane's name once,
then fell silent again as he tried desperately to fight down the rising
tides of emotion that rose up within him. 

Had Ryouga paused to really think about it, he probably would have
marveled at his new- found aptitude for building walls around himself.
After taking a few moments to collect his thoughts, Ryouga carefully
closed his slack jaw and swallowed, staring silently at the woman he had
loved; the woman that he still loved. In his mind, Ryouga stood atop the
weathered stone dikes that held back the rising tide, trying to drive down
the cold, heavy flames consuming him within. He looked outward towards
Akane; she stood motionless in the hall before him, one hand on the open
door to her room, with her beautiful face frozen in a look of surprise,
but Ryouga saw far, far more than this. 

The maelstrom that had been Akane's emotional state the last time Ryouga
had seen her had calmed considerably. This time Ryouga found it far easier
to read, as if the chaotic swirls of tint and hue had somehow been
separated out into simple primary colors. Still present, and very
prominent, was the warm, enveloping sensation that seemed to pulsate like
some alien heartbeat; the powerful resonance of Akane and Ranma's love.
Around, and yet somehow within it darted a frenetic, uncertain sensation;
probably doubt, or worry, Ryouga mused.

Apart from these, Ryouga felt another, somewhat separated, warm sensation.
It seemed to somehow call to him, a tiny flame drawing him forward and
lighting his way. *Like Ukyou...* Indeed, the sensation was very similar
to the small light that he sometimes felt in Ukyou's soul. *Friendship,
then.* Ryouga lips momentarily curled into a small, now familiar,
self-depreciating smile, before a piercing note of discord suddenly
sounded within Akane's soul. There, somehow twisting about the warm
beckoning sensation of Akane's feelings towards him, appeared another
presence. This sensation was dark and malign; it crawled. And yet, it some
way, it seemed to recoil away from him, drawing the light and heat of
friendship with it. As he continued to examine Akane, it seemed to
intensify, now clearly drawing away from him, almost as though it was... 

*Fear. Akane is afraid of me.* This revelation rocked Ryouga's
consciousness to its foundations. *How...? Why...? Why is Akane afraid of
me?* Ryouga blinked a few times, losing his concentration, and let out the
breath that he had been holding in the few scant moments since he had last
spoken. Then, as though the distraction of his attention had somehow freed
her, Akane began to speak again as Ryouga broke his gaze. 

"I... Ryouga..." Akane began tentatively. Ryouga could now hear the slight
quaver of fear and uncertainty in her voice. "We... we missed you at the
wedding, Ryouga..." She began again, as if testing the waters. Apparently,
Akane felt that the wedding was a suitably innocuous subject to start
with. She stopped again as she noticed Ryouga's frame stiffen slightly. 

Trying to marshal himself; to salvage what was left of his will, that he
might throw it before this onslaught, Ryouga consciously forced his body
to relax. Then, in a gentle, apologetic voice, he spoke. "I-I...." *I love
you.* his heart rallied in protest, but Ryouga forced his lips to keep
moving. "I know, A-Akane. I'm sorry..." Taking another deep breath, Ryouga
lowered his eyes, trying to look anywhere but Akane's face. A faint
glimmer of moonlight reflecting off of something on Akane's hand caught
his eye. Noticing the direction of his gaze, Akane tentatively lifted her
hand to the middle of her chest, offering it towards Ryouga so that he
could see better. "My wedding ring. Isn't it wonderful? Ranma picked it
out himself." As Ryouga's eyes tracked that faint glimmer of light, the
details suddenly came into sharp focus. Two interlaced bands of white
gold, worked to flow around a single small, perfect diamond. Tiny leaves
and thorns were etched into the bands, all seeming to lead towards the
diamond in the center. 

Distantly, Ryouga felt the warm resonance of Akane's love surge slightly
as she mentioned Ranma, but his attention was held fast by the glittering
band of gold on Akane's finger.  *Vines of white gold.* Two interlaced
bands of white gold, worked to flow- *A single diamond.* -single small,
perfect diamond. Tiny leaves and thorns- *Like a rose.* -seeming to lead
towards- *Like my dream.* Two interlaces bands of- *No. It can't be.*
-leaves and thorns were etched- *It's _exactly_ the same as in my dream.
It's like-* -a tendril of cold darkness, tearing at the sky- *No! Not
like-* -a light devouring corona of midnight black flame- *like* -like
some hellish rose blossom. *Not her!*

Ryouga's blood froze in his veins as thorny, grasping tendrils of darkness
crept from the pit of his soul to coil about his heart, absolute,
paralyzing terror gripping the core of his being. *It's happening again!*
-I HATE YOU!- *Not again!* Inhaling deeply to cover for the fact that his
entire body was shaking badly, Ryouga looked up into Akane's eyes, his
face now pale as death. *Can't let it happen again!* Staring into the
depths of Akane's soul, Ryouga searched for a way to prevent the disaster
that he could sense approaching; the catastrophe that he could _remember_
occurring. *Have to get away.* Locking his intent upon the warm, driving
resonance of Akane's love, Ryouga could feel the world shattering around
him again. *Have to get her away.* Feeding his terror-driven intent into
the depths of his own soul, Ryouga opened his mouth to speak. *GET AWAY
FROM ME!*

As the words began to form on his lips, a strange new sensation grew
within Ryouga's chest. Fueled by pure, icy fear and the force of Ryouga's
will, a warm, familiar sensation began to build in the center of his
being. Locking eyes with Akane, who by this point looked startled and
worried, Ryouga began to speak. "Ranma... Your husband is looking for you.
Go to him." The warm, friendly tone of the words belied the grip of ice
that Ryouga felt on his soul, and the timbre of his voice seemed to
resonate with the warm sensation that had built within Ryouga's chest. In
turn, the words also seemed to resonate with the beat of Akane's heart,
and deeper; with the driving force of the love that existed in Akane's
soul. As though he were singing counterpoint to Akane's love, Ryouga's
words reinforced the feeling, thrusting it to the forefront of her mind. 

For several moments Akane seemed dumbstruck. She stared mutely at Ryouga
for some time after he stopped speaking, the rapidly changing expression
on her face reflecting the sudden, unexpected shifting of her focus. Then,
after casting Ryouga one last friendly, yet rather puzzled look, Akane
nodded to Ryouga and turned away. Shutting the door to her and Ranma's
room, she walked away from Ryouga, not looking back. 

Releasing a shuddering breath, Ryouga took the bandanna in his hands and
ran it across his face and forehead, wiping the cold sweat out of his
eyes. Then, running a hand through his disheveled hair, he closed his eyes
and wept. "It's over." he whispered almost silently, as he opened the door
to his room and walked inside. Not a sound was heard as the sliding door
shut, a heavy, mournful silence spreading across the night. 
 
*****

Ukyou released a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
*Well, _that_ was a weird conversation,* she thought, a slightly puzzled
look crossing her face. Ryouga had been awfully calm, especially
considering it was probably the first time he had talked with Akane since
a few months before the wedding.

Thinking back to the warm, friendly tones that Ryouga had used, when he
told Akane that Ranma was looking for her, Ukyou's mouth twisted into a
small frown. *I wonder if he's really okay.* After he had spoken, Ukyou
had heard what she had assumed to be Akane closing the door to their room
and walking away, but she hadn't heard a sound since. So, unless he had
somehow gained the ability to move in utter silence sometime in the last
few months, Ryouga was likely just standing there in the hallway, alone.
That sad, pitiful image drew Ukyou back to her memories of the wedding,
and of the seemingly endless night of torment that had followed; endless,
empty nights, all alone. The sense of loss, of utter hopelessness still
hung heavy on her heart, and seeing Ranma again earlier hadn't helped at
all. 

*What am I thinking?! Of course he isn't all right! God, I hope he doesn't
blow up the inn or something...* Ukyou's frown deepened as her mind began
to conjure up unpleasant notions of what "or something" might be. She
hastily quashed those thoughts, as much for her own sanity as for the
safety of anyone who might be nearby if Ryouga went critical mass, and
began to formulate a plan of action. *Okay now, if he's feeling as broken
up about this whole mess as I was..., then we could all be in big trouble.
Better go see if I can talk him down, first. If not...* Ukyou's frown
momentarily spread into a dark scowl,* If not, we'll see...* Nodding
firmly to herself, Ukyou drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly, trying
to calm her frazzled nerves. After another moment to steady herself, Ukyou
straightened, pasted on what she hoped was a calm, sympathetic look, and
stepped resolutely around the corner.

Much to her surprise, however, she was met by the sight of, well, nothing.
Not even the cool night air moved within the darkened, empty hallway
before her. "Wha... hey! Where'd he go?" Ukyou then realized that she was
thinking aloud again, and shut her mouth with an audible click.
*Oookaaay..... Well, if he's not here, then where the hell is he?* Ukyou
looked pensively at the three doors that were close at hand, two on the
right side of the hallway, one on the left. Though their room and the
Saotomes' were on the right side, Ukyou was sorely tempted to try the door
on the left first.  It was open, and she hadn't heard any doors closing
after Akane had left. Also, this _was_ Ryouga she was dealing with after
all, even if he wasn't behaving quite like himself lately. 

A quick scan of the room on the left, however, revealed it to be empty. It
looked as though the occupants had left recently, and hurriedly, probably
because of the earthquake, or the earlier havoc in the halls-<twitch>
stop, reverse gears; unsteady ground ahead. *Okay, so if he isn't here,
then that just leaves either our room, or Ranma and Akane's. Or somebody
else's room. Or somewhere else in the inn. Or somewhere in town. Hell, by
now the jackass could be just about anywhere...* Ukyou sighed helplessly
and began to rub her temples. For some reason, all of a sudden she could
feel a killer headache coming on. 

"Well, I might as well put this back first." Ukyou grumbled, contemplating
the first aid kit that she had just gone to retrieve. "Somebody really
oughta nail that boy's feet to the ground tho..." Sighing deeply, Ukyou
settled into a decidedly tired slouch as she shuffled wearily back across
the hall. With her free hand, Ukyou reached for the handle of the door to
her and Ryouga's room. <Blink>

The hollow click of wood on bone echoed solemnly in her ears, her only
warning before the screaming wind of pure darkness howled through her,
flaying the flesh from her body in an instant and laying her soul bare
before the gaping maw of the darkest Pit of hell itself. No fires burned
here; only her own silent cries broke the perfect silence of the black
emptiness around her. The soft rasp of metal on silk, a sword being drawn,
cut through the hard vacuum around her, seeming all the louder for the
absence of air. She was not alone anymore; shadowy, half-formed figures of
men stalked the void about her, darting erratically about the incandescent
light of her soul like moths drawn to a flame. With each pass, the edge of
the wind, like ragged claws of rusty steel, tore off a bit of the light, a
piece of her soul. Her cries reached a feverish crescendo as the last of
the light was shorn away, only her final scream of anguish left to bear
witness to her passing. Only the howling wind, black as the night itself,
left to stalk the void, searching for another... 

<Blink>Ukyou's hand stopped, a sharp intake of breath marking the moment.
"Wha-" With a sharp crack, the door slid aside, and the Pit glared
silently out at her. Cold tendrils of darkness reached for her hungrily.
"-aaAAAAGH!!!" Ukyou half jumped, half stumbled backwards, throwing her
hands in front of her face. Then she was falling, tripped by her own feet;
she let go of the first aid kit, reflexively twisting her body so that she
would land on her less-injured right side. At the same time, Ukyou vaguely
noticed something shoot out of the darkness, spearing the first aid kit
moments before it would have hit the floor, though she paid it little mind
as she had more pressing things to worry about. Even hitting on her right
side, this fall was going to _Hurt_. Then, in a heartbeat, the darkness
was upon her, flowing about her like liquid night. 

At this point, something rather unexpected happened. Rather than the hard
floor, or the cold embrace of vacuum, Ukyou felt herself hit something
warm, and perhaps just a little bit softer than the floor. And it seemed
to be moving. No, not moving precisely; breathing. She couldn't be sure,
as she had closed her eyes at some point in her fall and all she could
hear was the rush of her own blood in her ears, but the rhythmic rise and
fall of the surface under her back definitely _felt_ like someone
breathing. After several moments passed and nothing happened, Ukyou
tentatively cracked one eye open. 

Well, if she was looking into the face of death, then the assumption that
grim reaper was terminally bald was dead wrong. A thick mop of black hair
effectively obscured the top half of the face looking down at her, hiding
it in deep shadows. But Ukyou was relieved to see that her savior was
human; a young man, and probably handsome, if Ukyou could judge by the dim
profile that she could make out. The mouth, which she _could_ see, quirked
into a small frown, and Ukyou thought that she saw a hint of fang. She
hoped that her rescuer was human, anyway. A stray beam of moonlight
glinted off of something shiny and golden on his cheek, around where the
corner of his right eye would be. *Wait a minute...* Ukyou blinked once
and opened both her eyes wide. "R- Ryouga?" 

The frown deepened. Yup, definitely fangs there. "Ukyou, are you alright?
You seem awfully... tense." Ryouga intoned in a soft, worried voice,
grimacing at the end. 

"Whew! Yeah, I'm fine. You really-" Ukyou stopped, and just stared up into
Ryouga's face, suddenly very aware of the position that they were in.
Ryouga was standing slightly crouched, behind her, with one arm under each
of her shoulders, supporting her with his chest and upper arms. Ukyou's
head was resting on his right shoulder. A quick glance down revealed that
his hands were otherwise occupied, holding a tattered old book in the
left, and the first aid kit she'd dropped in the right. Ryouga had
apparently leaned back to cushion her fall, as Ukyou could feel his body
pressed, full length against her own. The heat of a deep blush quickly
rose to her face as Ukyou pictured what they must look like from the
outside. 

"Eep! Uh... um..." Ukyou squeaked intelligently as she desperately fumbled
to disengage herself from the somewhat confused looking lost boy. After a
few seconds she managed to get her feet back under her and, with Ryouga's
assistance, Ukyou was soon standing shakily on her own.

Turning around and backing away carefully, Ukyou attempted to collect
herself. She desperately hoped that the dim light would obscure her face
enough to hide her blush. "Aaah... so, um... where ya been? And what'd you
do with your bandanna? I hardly recognized you without it." She said, her
voice heavily laced with false cheer to hide her embarrassment. 

"I've been... I've been around, I guess." Ryouga replied solemnly. Ukyou
noticed that he was wearing his backpack and _that_ cloak again. That
certainly explained some things; or rather, it didn't explain anything,
but it left it unexplained in a generally more acceptable way. His posture
looked slightly anxious. Shifting his load, he gathered up the book and
first aid kit in one hand and nestled them in the crook of his left arm.
"Thanks for bringing this back, by the way." He mumbled, indicating the
first aid kit. 

"Oh? Ah, no problem." Ukyou scratched the back of her head, uncertain of
what to say. Ryouga had actually made it back to their room, and it looked
like he was ready to leave. And he had talked, albeit briefly, with Akane.
And he currently didn't seem to be inclined to destroy anything. It just
didn't add up. Deciding to try a more direct approach, Ukyou looked into
what she hoped were Ryouga's eyes. "So... did Ranma find you?" 

Ryouga was silent for a short while, and Ukyou became worried that she had
said the wrong thing. Finally, however, he turned from her gaze. "...yeah,
I suppose you could say he found me. We had a little talk..." A distinctly
sardonic note entered Ryouga's voice as he spoke. "I told him I would
leave, so I'm leaving. Thanks... thanks for coming here with me..." With
that, Ryouga fell silent. With his head hung low, he turned and began to
walk away.

"Wait- Wait! Ryouga-" Ukyou stuttered plaintively. Ryouga stopped walking
and turned to her. *Great, what do I say now? 'Hey Ryouga, could you tell
me what the hell's been going on around here? I've been a doll most of the
night, so I missed it. Oh, by the way, have you seen Kunou?'* Ukyou began
to sweat a bit as she tried to find something safe to say. Then her eyes
flicked over to the open door of her room, and her packed bag and spatula.
"I- I'm ready to leave, too. I'll go with you. So you don't get lost, `n
stuff..." Ukyou trailed off, realizing that she really didn't want to go
home alone. "Just... just wait a second, okay?" 

For a moment, Ryouga seemed to consider his options. Then, with an almost
imperceptible nod, he turned around and leaned against the wall, waiting.
Barely suppressing a sigh of relief, Ukyou dashed into the room and
grabbed her pack and spatula, being careful to heft the pack on her right
shoulder only. Then, using her wrapped spatula as a makeshift walking
stick, she shuffled back into the hall. Rejoining Ryouga, she used her
free left hand to point in the correct direction to reach the exit and
favored her silent companion with a tentative half-smile. "Shall we go?"
Straightening, Ryouga gave her another vague nod. Casting one final glance
at the empty room, Ukyou shut the door. 

*****

*Maybe I oughta just give up and go home...* Marller thought to herself
morosely, as she slumped tiredly in the rear entrance of the inn. *I mean,
what've I accomplished here?* With a frown of irritation, she held up her
right hand and began ticking off points on her fingers. 

"One, I get to the site in Nerima first, except rather than find out
anything useful, the scene in that restaurant only managed to confuse
things more." She folded her thumb into her palm. 

"Two, I don't get out fast enough, and get caught with my hand in the
cookie jar, thus tipping off Urd to the fact that I'm after the rogue as
well." She curled her forefinger over her thumb. 

"Three, when this guy gets pissed or something, and decides to rip the
universe a new one, I spend too much time twiddling my thumbs and worrying
about whether I should _really_ be getting involved in this mess, and I
let Urd get to the site first." She curled her middle finger into her palm
as well. 

"Four, I get to this place nearly an hour after she does, and the rogue is
nowhere to be found.  Urd has already gone over the site, so whatever
clues might have been there are ruined." Her ring finger joined the other
two. Stopping for a moment, she smirked to herself. "Well, at least it
looks like Urd didn't find anything either, the way she was stalking
around with a bee up her ass..." 

"Five, finally I manage to get to the most recent event just as the perp
is leaving. But rather than go after the girl, I decide to check out the
pit. Then, before I even have a chance to do a scan or anything, _She_
shows up, and I have to split. It's lucky I was using all of my power to
mask my presence, or else one of them would have caught me." Her little
finger folded into her hand, after which she promptly curled the hand into
a fist and pounded her thigh in frustration. 

"Of course, Urd somehow just _had_ to find out that I had been there
first. So she decides to throw a fit, making it too dangerous for me to
follow the rogue god- er, goddess, back to the inn. This whole situation
is just so stupid..." Marller growled, to no one in particular, as she got
back to her feet and dusted herself off. Then, casting a glance into a
patch of deep shadows, just a bit to the side of the entryway, a her face
assumed a calculating expression.  "Well, at least something came of this
little excursion. But that's definitely a matter for later; right now,
I'll bet I still have a chance to find her before Urd does..." So saying,
Marller cast another powerful concealment spell and stalked quietly into
the inn. 

*****

"Maybe if I juss sit an' wait here long 'nuff, he'll get bored an' come
an' find me." Urd mused, as she contemplated the half-empty bottle of sake
before her. "Yeah, that sounds like'a good idea..." 

Lifting the bottle to eye level so she see it better in the dim,
flickering light of the TV, Urd swirled the contents around a bit before
taking another long draw. It was her second... or maybe her third bottle.
She couldn't quite remember right at the moment. At any rate, she was glad
that she had brought them with her; this mission was turning out to be
even more stressful than she had anticipated. After all that she'd gone
through so far, she needed to unwind in a bad way. She'd thought that a
nice, relaxing bath would be just the thing, but apparently the rogue had
made other plans that he'd forgotten to tell her about. 

"Insensitive jerk. Hmph... jus' like a man..." At this point, Urd was
already a long way towards 'unwound,' and she was beginning to feel just a
little bit put out over her quarry's actions. "Least he coulda done was
asked nicely, n'stead a freezing tha bath. Izzat too much ta ask?"
Somewhere in the far, far back of Urd's mind, she realized that she still
didn't know what the rogue's current location or motivations were, so
perhaps getting smashed might not be such a good idea right now. The rest
of Urd's mind just ignored this part, stating unconditionally she was
going to drink like a fish, let off a bit of steam, and then quietly pass
out right in this chair. A good plan all around, Urd agreed, as she
guzzled the rest of the bottle and reached into her cloak for another. 

But though the alcohol had handily taken the edge off of her paranoia,
that one little, niggling doubt wouldn't go away. She had thought the
rogue long gone earlier, right before she nearly got turned into an
Urd-sickle. If he had surprised her once, couldn't he do it again?
*Naah... that'd be too predictable.* Not surprisingly, this line of
reasoning didn't help quell her doubts one bit. Frowning slightly, Urd
popped open her third(fourth?) bottle of sake and tipped it back, emptying
half its contents down her throat in one go. Lowering the bottle, she
glared out into the eerie half-light of the TV's glow. "Fine, I'll do a
passive scan, just to make sure he isn't hanging around." 

Taking another sip of sake, Urd somewhat lazily opened herself up to the
constant, underlying ebb and flow of power in the world around her. She
promptly spat out the mouthful of liquid, sputtering and coughing as a
small sun blossomed in her mind, a sudden surge of adrenaline burning away
the alcohol induced haze in an instant. *CLOSE!!!* Urd rolled out of her
chair as a tornado of white fire roared about her in her mind's eye. *He's
gotta be _right behind_ me!!* Stumbling clumsily to her feet, Urd spun
around, assuming a sloppy defensive stance as she began to ready a shield
spell. Fortunately, nothing leapt out at her from the darkness. The
powerful resonance of the rogue's presence did not fade, or disappear, but
the rogue himself was nowhere in evidence. 

Actually, now that she'd had a few second to get acclimated, Urd was able
to sift through the waves of magical static that his close proximity was
creating, enabling her to get a better fix on his location. He wasn't
actually in the room with her, but rather he was outside in the hall.
Also, he seemed to be moving; not very quickly, but he was definitely
moving down the all, away from her. *Maybe... maybe he didn't notice me?*
Urd prayed silently. Then she realized that she had a powerful shield
spell charged and ready, and dismissed the idea.

*Stupid! If that didn't get his attention, then I've got no idea what
would. Dammit, I'm such an _idiot_!!* Then, to Urd's magically enhanced
senses, the churning maelstrom of power stopped retreating, confirming her
fears. It did not reverse its course, however; instead, it remained
perfectly still, just a few meters down the hall from her. 

Fury burned in Urd's veins at this... this blatant display of
unadulterated arrogance. It was infuriatingly obvious that he wanted her
to make the first move, confident that he could deal with whatever she
might do. A bit of trepidation began to encroach upon her rage, as Urd
realized that he might be right. Shaking her head to clear it, she scowled
darkly and focused on her anger, trying to rebuild her confidence. "Not
gonna take me seriously huh? Not going to take _Urd_, Goddess of the Past,
second class, limited, seriously?!" With a muttered oath, Urd snapped the
shield into place. "Big mistake..." 

*****

They walked in silence. 

Ukyou was feeling distinctly awkward, though she was having some trouble
figuring out exactly what was making her so uncomfortable. Though Ryouga
hadn't pulled the hood over his head, thank the gods, without his
bandanna, his eyes were completely hidden in the shadow of his long bangs.
He was neither smiling nor frowning, his mouth a flat line with the merest
hint of fang peeking over his lower lip. His footsteps were strangely
silent, and the dark fabric of his cloak made him seem to melt in and out
of the shadows as they walked. The overall effect was one of guarded
menace, which was very strange for Ryouga.  Usually he radiated an aura of
barely restrained violence, but he had seemed much more reserved lately. 

But as Ryouga didn't seem terribly inclined to engage in casual
conversation, Ukyou supposed that it was having the desired effect.
Coupled with the tangled web of mysteries that surrounded the lost boy as
of late, the dark, brooding atmosphere that he was radiating was keeping
Ukyou too off balance to think straight. *Well, time to do something about
that right now!* Mustering her nerve, Ukyou turned her eyes from the floor
in front of them and faced the taciturn lost boy. 

"So, what'd you do with your bandanna?" She asked. Outwardly, it was a
perfectly innocent question, but Ukyou hoped that it would be enough to
break the ice. Also, her inability to see his eyes _was_ bothering her,
though Ukyou hoped that none of her uncertainty had shown in her voice. 

For a moment, Ryouga stopped walking, seeming to be in deep thought. Or,
at least, it looked that way to Ukyou. He had lowered his head, the
shadows obscuring his features even further, so she couldn't be sure.
Then, reaching into his pocket, Ryouga extracted the ragged yellow and
black piece of cloth in question. "It got wet. I took it off to wring it
out."  He stated simply, gently clenching his hand around the bandanna
once before making to put it back into his pocket. 

"Wait!" Ukyou blurted, before stopping herself, flushing slightly in
embarrassment. Ryouga stopped however, his hand halfway to his pocket, and
favored her with a blank, eyeless gaze. "You... you should put it back on.
I mean- I mean you might, like, trip over something in the dark, with your
hair covering your eyes like that, right?" She asked hopefully, trying to
cover for her mistake. "It's dry now, right?" 

Ryouga looked back down at the piece of cloth in his hand, or at least
that's how it looked to Ukyou. Having to second-guess herself like this
was becoming aggravating. Then, taking the ends of the bandanna in his
hands, Ryouga snapped his head back, flipping his bangs out of his eyes.
For a single fleeting moment, Ukyou caught a glimpse of Ryouga's face in
the light. His bangs were tossed back to reveal his eyes shut, almost
peacefully, and framed by seven glittering slivers of gold. For the space
of a heartbeat, Ukyou thought she saw a brace of tears float through the
air, flung from his face, sparking in the moonlight like a tiny,
luminescent string of pearls. 

Then it was gone; Ryouga pulled the folded piece of cloth over his
forehead and tied it, bowing his head back into the concealing darkness as
his bangs fell forward, his closed eyes now just barely visible. Ukyou
blinked, and his eyes were open; dull, dark green orbs, regarding her
solemnly from the shadows. "Better?" he mouthed quietly, just the barest
note of inquiry in his voice. After a moment or two, when Ukyou didn't
answer, Ryouga's icy facade began to crack, a look of concern shining from
the depths of those cold green eyes.  "Ukyou?" 

With a start, Ukyou realized that she was staring. "Ah! Uh... M-much
better, Ryouga! You can see better now, right?" Ukyou sputtered, feeling
the heat of mortification spreading through her face and neck. Trying to
hide her blush from the now somewhat confused- looking Ryouga, Ukyou
turned to the side to look down the hall. "Okay then, lets-" 

Ryouga's head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise. Rotating on his
heel to a sideways stance, he peered back down the hallway from which they
had come, his eyes now narrowed in anticipation. 

"Ryouga? What's wrong?" Ukyou asked, unconsciously slipping into a loose
defensive stance. 

The sharp retort of an opening door echoed through the inn like a gunshot,
and Ukyou turned her gaze with Ryouga's to see a tall, dark-skinned, white
haired foreign woman stomp out into the hall from one of the TV lounges.
She was wearing some sort of costume, with a cloak, large shoulder guards,
and small swatches of red silk and polished metal plate scattered about
it, making it look like a cross between some sort of stylized armor and an
evening gown. In addition to this, she wore an enraged scowl on her face,
which was lit by the flickering glow of a small, bluish white sphere of
light that floated underneath her outstretched left hand. Miniature bolts
of lightning would from time to time arc up to her palm from the sphere,
crawling up along her forearm and generally lending an air of menace to
her otherwise rather provocative form. 

Glaring at the both of them, and then focusing on Ryouga in particular,
she raised her hand and pointed the sphere of crackling electricity in
their direction. "STOP RIGHT THERE!!" she growled, the sphere surging
violently with the sound of her voice. 

*****

*Shit! He's got a mortal with him!! Shitshitshitshitshit!!* Urd nearly
screamed in frustration as she took stock of her situation. She had the
rogue in her sights, she was protected by her most powerful shield spell,
and she had a lightning ball spell ready to release. The rogue, on the
other hand, didn't appear to have _any_ spells, offensive or defensive,
prepared at the moment. What he did have ready was a staggering amount of
raw spiritual energy gathered and focused within himself, and a hostage.
Technically, with that much power ready to release, even without a spell,
he could probably be said to be holding the entire town hostage, but it
was the sight of the wary-looking girl at his side that truly drove the
reality of it home for Urd. *Dammit, what am I supposed to do now?!* Urd
thought fast, trying to figure out some way to diffuse this situation
without losing too much ground.

For a moment, she examined the rogue and his hostage. The rogue appeared
to be quite young; somewhere in his late teens, though looks could be
deceiving. He was handsome, in a rather... well, roguish fashion, with
piercing green eyes, chiseled features, and a wild mane of raven-black
hair, barely restrained by a ragged yellow and black bandanna. His god-
marks peeked out from beneath this bandanna, the cheek marks uncovered and
shining in the light of her spell. The red bamboo umbrella on the top of
his large pack tugged at Urd's thoughts, drawing her back to the longest
few days that she had experienced in recent memory. *The Umbrella Psycho!
He was on the cleanup teams in Yggdrasil!* Remembering the havoc he had
wrought then, Urd was suddenly thankful that the umbrella was safely
shipped on his pack. *_He's_ the rogue?! Why the hell didn't they catch
him then?! If the rumors are true, then he had to have accompanied at
least half of the teams that went into the core...*

As if to bring her attention back to the present, the rogue's hostage
shifted uncomfortably, her motions broadcasting extreme agitation. She
looked to be about the same apparent age as the rogue. She was
approximately the same height as the rogue, and had long, straight brown
hair, and reddish-brown eyes. She was holding a large, strangely shaped
wrapped bundle in her right hand, and carried herself as though she were
injured. Strangely enough, she didn't seem to be disturbed as much by the
rogue's proximity as by Urd's own presence. *Well, perhaps the lightning
spell might help explain that...* Then, upon scanning the girl, Urd was
struck by the fact that there didn't appear to be any magics on her
either, which made Urd wonder how the rogue was keeping her under control.
Then, noticing again how the girl was favoring her left side, Urd
remembered that there were ways to make people obey that didn't involve
using magic. The thought made her stomach turn, and Urd hastily pushed it
aside so that she could deal with the problems at hand. 

The most pressing of which was that Urd was drawing a complete blank when
it came to ideas for salvaging this situation. The rogue had been facing
her direction when she had entered the hall, and was favoring her with a
calculating glare even as she shouted for them to stop. His attention
meant that she couldn't call for backup now without him knowing about it.
Even if she still wanted to risk it, the lightning spell would undoubtedly
play havoc with her cellular phone. That left Urd with whatever scenario
she could create for herself, which at the moment was looking rather
limited. Even if she was fast enough with the lightning bolt to knock him
away from the girl, with the whole unspoken threat of decimating the
entire town at a moment's notice, the rogue pretty much had Urd over a
barrel. 

Right now, what she needed was some more time. *Okay, gotta stall him
until I can figure something out, or monitoring notices us. How the hell
am I supposed to do that??* Urd grit her teeth and continued to glare at
them, hoping that he wouldn't notice her indecision. 

"What do you want?" 

Urd blinked in confusion, nearly losing hold of her lightning spell, as
the young woman addressed her. The _hostage_ wanted to know what Urd
wanted? That didn't make any sense at all. What's more, the girl, though
wary, didn't seem terribly put off by Urd's open use of magic. Usually
humans were at least a _little_ more impressed the first time they saw a
goddess at work. Of course, the girl might have already seen what the
rogue could do, so she might know what to expect. But then, why would she
want to know what Urd wanted with him? This entire intense mental debate
was thus brilliantly expressed in one simple word: 

"Huh?" After a moment's consideration, Urd decided to elaborate. "What
d'ya mean 'What do you want?' Do you have any idea of what sort of
situation you're in right now?" she bit out angrily. 

"No, I'm not sure that I do. Would you like to explain?" The girl was
frowning now, obviously upset. At _her_! She was standing next to a rogue
god and an angry goddess was pointing a lightning bolt in their general
direction, and the girl wanted Urd to _explain_? Not bloody likely. 

"Look, are you trying to tell me that you have absolutely _no_ idea who
that man is beside you? You've got _no_ idea what he's done?" Now that
provoked an interesting reaction. The young woman backed off a step or
two, a look of uncertainty replacing her earlier irritation as she looked
back and forth between the rogue and Urd. "So you _have_ got some idea
then-" 

"So what do you want of me?" 

This time Urd actually did lose control of the spell, the lightning ball
dissipating harmlessly into the air as static. The rogue's voice was...
hollow; it seemed to swallow up all the heat in the area, drawing it right
out of her body and leaving her cold and empty inside. A shiver ran down
her spine before she could stop it. Turning to face him, Urd noticed that
the rogue had reacted as well. His face was pale as death, his lips drawn
together in a thin, tight frown. His posture had slumped slightly, and
where once his gaze was one of challenge, now Urd could find only...
resignation. 

Thrown badly off guard by this turn of events, Urd hastily reinforced her
angry glare and turned to point at the rogue with the hand that had just
recently been holding a ball of lightning. " I- I demand that you come
with me immediately, so that you can be tried and punished for your
crimes!" *Good recovery dumbass! That'll get him to cooperate for sure!*
Urd cringed internally at how she badly she had just screwed up. She had
just lost _any_ advantage she would have had over him in a fight, and now
she was making demands? What the hell was she thinking?? 

"...okay..." The rogue nodded once, his head remaining bowed after he
finished speaking. 

"Okay?" Urd froze in place, her train of thought completely derailed. 

"Okay?! Ryouga, what are you talking about?!" the girl fairly screamed,
shuffling over the rogue and grabbing his arm. "You shouldn't go with her
just because she tells you to!" 

*He said 'Okay?' Wha...?* Hastily Urd snapped herself out of it, confusion
quickly being replaced by suspicion. *This is too easy. Wait a minute;
Ryouga? Ryouga... Ryouga... Where have I heard that name before?* Wracking
her brain, Urd recalled that the Saotomes had mentioned someone named
Ryouga when she was talking to them, but there was something else. The
name had seemed strangely familiar then as well, but Urd couldn't quite
figure out why. Had she heard his name when he was running around in the
core with the cleanup teams? No, the system administrators had asked
everyone about that afterward, and no one had known. *Wait a minute...
something about the system administrators..."  Sluggishly, Urd's thoughts
turned to the somewhat fuzzy period of time after she had returned from
cleanup duty; returned to a particular note from Mihrna that Keiichi had
brought for her... 

*No way...*

*****

"Wait a minute, you wouldn't happen to be _Hibiki_ Ryouga, would you?" 

Ukyou turned from raging at Ryouga's unreasonable behavior to regard the
strange woman again. Her voice, when she had asked about Ryouga's
identity, had sounded rather confused, with perhaps a tiny note of dread
undercutting her words. *She didn't even know his _name_?? And she had the
nerve to ask _Me_ if I knew who I was dealing with?! Why that- *

"I am..." came Ryouga's faint, defeated reply. 

Ukyou was about to snap at Ryouga, and tell him to keep quiet until she
got to the bottom of this, when she noticed the effect that Ryouga's words
had had upon the silver-gray haired woman before them. While the woman had
originally looked rather imposing when she had barged into the hall,
puffed up in a rage and wielding some sort of lightning-like ki attack,
her nearly tangible aura of menace had deteriorated steadily from that
point on. She had been visibly shaken every time Ryouga had spoken, as if
his monosyllabic replies were some great revelation to her. At Ryouga
latest admission, however, the woman simply stared at the lost boy, eyes
wide, distress written clearly across her face. 

*I'll be damned if I let this go without getting some answers.* Ukyou
thought, a determined scowl on her face. Keeping a hold on Ryouga's arm,
she favored the woman with an acid glare. "Do _you_ have any idea who this
man is? It certainly doesn't sound like it to _me_!" Ukyou hissed icily,
taking advantage of the conversation to keep the woman off balance. "I
suggest that until you can get your act together and figure out just what
the _hell_ you want, you'd better just back off and leave us alone!" With
that, she turned around and began to stomp painfully off. "C'mon jackass,
we're leaving." she barked at Ryouga, pulling on his arm. Not offering any
resistance at all, Ryouga drifted along behind her, almost as if he wasn't
even there. 

That was, until Ukyou was suddenly brought up short, stumbling slightly as
Ryouga stopped moving. Turning around, she saw the woman holding onto
Ryouga's other arm, a very urgent and upset look on her face. "Sorry kid,
but this boy's gotta come with me _now_." The woman mumbled something
under her breath and a small blue spark of electricity arced from her hand
to Ukyou's, using Ryouga as a conduit. Ukyou yelped and pulled away as her
hand went numb, while the woman brought her other hand up to Ryouga's face
and began to speak in an odd, melodic tongue that Ukyou didn't recognize.
With a brief flash, a tiny green sphere of light flew from her palm and
struck Ryouga right between the eyes. 

The depressed martial artist stiffened for a moment, but otherwise showed
no signs of being affected. His would-be kidnapper frowned at this, but
began to drag Ryouga back down the hall, while Ukyou cursed to herself and
tried to shake some feeling back into her hand. "Hold it! Ryouga, what are
you doing?!" She yelled, shuffling after the quickly retreating pair.
"Come back here! Ryouga, you don't need to do this!" 

The woman led Ryouga back into the TV lounge from which she had emerged.
Ukyou, rounding the corner of the doorway as quickly as she could, noticed
that the room had no other entrances, and was completely darkened, save
for one, large, big-screen TV, which was currently filling the room with
noisy static, fractal snow swirling across the screen. The woman was
standing in front of the screen holding Ryouga's hand. She appeared to be
concentrating. Ukyou dropped her pack near the door and brought her
wrapped spatula to bear. "Alright, what d'ya think you're-" 

Ukyou words died on her lips as, with a burst of static, the woman put her
foot _into_ the screen, bluish motes of foxfire creeping up her thigh
where it met the glass surface of the picture tube. Ukyou just stood
there, stunned, as the woman put her other foot in and slowly began to
sink into the roiling static, her hand still firmly latched onto Ryouga
arm. Finally, Ryouga seemed to realize that something was terribly wrong
with this picture. "Wha- what the hell?!" His eyes widened in horror, and
he began to back away from the screen. Scowling, the woman grabbed
Ryouga's leg with her other hand and began to chant in the same language
she had used earlier. The smoky blue glow began to advance more quickly,
flowing down her arms and crawling like a living thing across Ryouga's
body, drawing him in. "Aaargh! Let go of me!!" 

Ryouga dropped the book and first aid kit, bracing himself against the TV
case with his arms and legs. His dust cloak began to whip and writhe
against the brutal gravity of the blue fire, riding the pale wind of light
emanating from the screen; curling and clawing at the air, vainly seeking
purchase in the shadows. "Grrr....let...gowhoa!!" Ryouga nearly faltered
as the woman shifted her grip and grabbed his legs with both arms,
wrenching them off the edge of the TV case and pulling them into the
screen. "Ack! Help!" In short order Ryouga was drawn in up to his waist,
then past. The sides of the TV case began to buckle and crack under
Ryouga's hands. 

Ukyou watched in sick fascination as Ryouga was devoured by the TV set,
too shocked even to move. Suddenly, one of the trailing ends of Ryouga's
cloak snagged the handle of her battle spatula, wrapping around several
times and pulling taut with an audible snap. "Huh? Ah! What're you-"
Finally, the flimsy plastic of the TV case crumbled in Ryouga's grip. With
nothing left to hold onto, Ryouga was sucked the rest of the way into the
TV set, yanking Ukyou forward as the cloak was pulled in with him.
"-aaaaaguhULK." Fortunately, or unfortunately, the screen of the TV set
was still quite solid for Ukyou, a fact that she verified personally, much
to her discomfort. "Ouch..." 

Pulling herself to her knees using the handle of her spatula, which was
stretched across the front of the TV, too wide to be sucked in, Ukyou
suddenly heard an ominous creaking noise.  Looking up, she saw the handle
begin to bow inward, warping around the strip of brown cloth still curling
out of the picture tube. Distantly, Ukyou noticed that the hazy blue light
that had pulled Ryouga into the screen didn't seem to touch the fabric at
all. Instead, the cloak seemed to dissolve right into the black and white
fuzz of static. A closer look at this phenomenon, however, revealed
something that made Ukyou's blood run cold. Floating on that roaring sea
of electronic chaos, Ukyou could make out seven narrow slivers of gold.
There, within the random swirls of snow, Ukyou could just barely make out
the faint outline of Ryouga's face; he was screaming. 

"Ryouga?!" Startled out of her shock, Ukyou jumped to her feet. "Ryouga!
Hold on!" Grabbing the handle of her spatula, she pulled with all of her
strength. Or what remained of it, which, considering her day to this
point, was precious little. Struggling to get some leverage, Ukyou put her
foot against the top edge of the TV, leaning back. Making no progress that
way, Ukyou put her other foot on the bottom edge of the TV, pushing out
with both legs as Ryouga had before, but with one small difference:
Ukyou's placed her foot over the power switch. 

Ukyou fell backwards as the room was plunged into darkness, her battle
spatula following her to the floor while the TV slid off of its stand with
an audible crash. "Aaaaaah! Ow... my back..." Ukyou groaned weakly.
Groping blindly along the handle, Ukyou's hand found the coarse fabric of
Ryouga's cloak. "Ryouga?!" Grasping the cloth with both hands, Ukyou
pulled, but was rewarded only with an armful of dusty wool. "Ryouga...?"
Aside from her own labored breathing, the room was silent once again.
"No." Crawling over to the wall, Ukyou leaned back and buried her face in
the cloth, biting back a sob. "Why...?" 

*****

   omoitsutsu 
nureba ya hito no
   mietsuramu 
yume to shiriseba
 samezaramashi o

   -Kokinshuu 552

*****

Marller cursed quietly to herself as she sulked in the shadows out in the
hallway beside the TV lounge. "This whole damn situation makes even less
sense the more I see of it." She grumbled, contemplating her next move.
Marller, having been unsuccessful in finding the rogue in the inn, as she
was going by sight search alone in order to avoid detection, had received
an unpleasant surprise a several minutes ago when she had suddenly sensed
someone powering up a powerful spell of some sort. 

She had rushed across the inn as quickly as possible, but had arrived just
in time to see Urd run down the hall and into a TV room, dragging some
young man wearing a cloak and a backpack behind her. The rogue goddess, or
at least the person that Marller had assumed to be the rogue, was running
after them yelling. *Maybe the boy got caught in the crossfire, forcing
Urd to retreat to save him. Or perhaps the boy was important to the rogue
in some way...* This second option had struck Marller as sort of unlikely,
as Urd didn't seem the type to take hostages, but anything was possible at
this point in the game. 

In any case, what had happened next frustrated Marller to no end. She had
felt Urd initiate a travel spell, and Marller realized she was too late;
she had already used too much power on concealment to survive a direct
confrontation with either Urd or the rogue. She decided to risk an active
scan in order to find out what was happening in the room without having to
enter, using the interference from Urd's spell to mask her presence.
Perhaps that way she might learn something useful about the rogue without
tipping her hand. However, what she sensed was _two_ deities, not one,
traveling through the conduit that Urd had opened, while a mortal stood to
one side just inside the room. 

The energy signature of the rogue, which was frighteningly intense at this
range, seemed to be resisting the spell, but to no avail. After a few
moments, the presence of the two deities had vanished almost completely
from the room, only a small trickle of power escaping from the still
active transport spell. The mortal had rushed to the focus of the spell
just as the rogue disappeared, indicating that perhaps there _had_ been
some connection between them, but then the spell had cut off completely,
and the mortal had been thrown across the room, possibly from some sort of
physical backlash. After that, he had moved over to the wall adjoining the
hallway, and hadn't moved since. 

Now Marller was left with the question of how Urd had gotten the rogue to
go with her. From the looks of things, Urd had lured her into the room
using the boy as bait, then initiated the spell and grabbed the rogue
instead. Any way she looked at it, Marller had lost, but maybe the
situation was still salvageable. 

*The rogue looked like she was struggling, so Urd is probably in for a
bumpy ride on the way back to heaven. So if she does escape again, then
maybe Urd just gave me something I can work with.* Marller thought, as she
contemplated the mortal that had been left behind.  Marller had shut off
her scan after the transport spell had cut out, just to be safe, but it
had been several minutes and the boy had yet to leave the room, so Marller
didn't know what condition he was in. *But, if the boy _is_ somehow
important to the rogue, then I can probably get some useful info out of
him, not to mention the fact that he'd make a wonderful bargaining chip.*
Hidden in the shadows, her face twisted into a somewhat lopsided evil
grin. 

Just then, a dark figure shambled out of the TV lounge and into the hall.
It was wearing a small backpack and a torn, tattered cloak, hood pulled
up, face concealed. The figure, which was obviously the boy, limped
slightly, supporting himself with a strange looking staff, or perhaps a
shovel of some sort; it was difficult to tell in the dark. He didn't seem
to have noticed Marller as she stood in the shadows. He shouldn't have, as
her stealth spell was still in effect, but it was reassuring nonetheless. 

*Alright then, time to get some answers.* Dropping her concealment wards,
Marller prepared a simple hypnotic suggestion spell, keyed to her voice.
The boy reacted immediately as Marller stepped out of the shadows a few
yards behind him, turning and dropping into a defensive stance, his staff
at the ready. Smiling, Marller kept her body relaxed and spoke in even,
commanding tones. "Stop. Put that away, you're coming with me." 

To her infinite surprise, however, as the spell struck out at the boy's
mind, traveling with her voice, the magic rolled right off of the boy's
cloak, skittering across the surface like oil on water. Stunned, Marller
blinked once, twice, and stared at the figure before her. The figure
stared right back, moonlight reflecting off of the metal head on the staff
in his hands, playing across the face under the hood for a moment to
reveal a dark scowl. 

*****

Ukyou glared balefully at the woman in before her, blinking some tears out
of her eyes.  *What the hell is with these people?! First Ryouga, and now
me?!* This new woman had long, wavy blond hair, and was wearing an outfit
just as strange as the first one, but somewhat more sinister looking. The
skimpy black leather and chain mail swimsuit, complete with knee-boots,
finger-less gloves and a blood red cape, did not strike Ukyou as something
any normal person would wear in public. But as the woman stared at her,
apparently in surprise at being disobeyed, Ukyou noticed something else.
She had marks on her face, like Ryouga; six of them, red and of a
different shape than Ryouga's. She had two long, nearly vertical slashes
on her forehead, and two triangles at the corner of each eye.

Had the other woman had them? Ukyou thought back, wracking her brain. *Did
she...?  Hmmm... maybe... yes!* Ukyou could faintly remember seeing, in
the light of the ki ball that the woman had created, a single triangle on
her forehead and on each of her cheeks.  *So, there's something about
those marks huh? Well then, since this bitch seems so interested in me,
she can damn well answer some questions!!* Ukyou snarled, advancing on the
woman and bringing her battle spatula low, for a leg sweep. 

*****

"Go- going with you?? THE HELL I AM! C'mere You!" 

*Whoa!* Marller stumbled backwards, barely managing to keep her feet under
her as the figure in the cloak swung the broad end of the staff at her
legs. *What brought that on?? Wait a minute, that wasn't a man's voice!*
Indeed, as the figure passed alongside one of the windows, most of the
left side of the face under the hood was revealed; the face of the rogue
goddess. *Shit, I'm dead.* Too late Marller realized that she wasn't the
only one who could conceal her nature. But then how could she have sensed
the rogue's energy signature leave the area with Urd? 

Ducking another rather uncoordinated swing from the girl in front of her,
and taking note that the wide flat end of the staff looked rather sharp,
Marller frantically tried to reason out how it could be possible. *Could
that energy signature have been faked? No, too intense.  Displaced then?
Maybe-* "Ack!" Marller suddenly found herself falling backwards, as the
girl succeeded in her original intent. Landing gracelessly on her behind,
back to the wall, Marller immediately felt something cold and sharp
pressed against her throat. 

"Now then, we're going to have a little talk." The girl growled, lifting
the flat edge slightly, scraping at Marller's throat without breaking the
skin. "How's that sound to you?" 

"Hglk... S-sounds good to me!" Marller rasped, trying not to breathe too
deep. Staring up at the girl's face, which was again hidden in the shadows
of the cloak, she decided that perhaps a more subtle approach might be
appropriate. *Dammit, if I hadn't used so much power earlier!*
 
Uneasily, Marller opened her senses up for a passive scan, in the hopes of
determining whether or not this girl was preparing any spells, now that
she had the demoness pinned... nothing. Impossible as it seemed, Marller
couldn't feel _any_ divine power emanating from the girl. A strange, weak
field of spiritual energy clung to the cloak she wore, but- it was wrong,
somehow. It wasn't the rogue. Confusion began to set in. *I don't get it.
It _looks_ like this one is genuinely mortal, even if the rogue's
signature had been radiating from her back at the ice pit. Maybe _she's_
the decoy then. It didn't feel quite the same back there anyway; not
exactly like what Urd took with her. I wonder what the deal is with that
cloak though...* she thought, warily eyeing the woman pressing a blade to
her throat. *The boy was wearing it before. A gift, maybe?* A scowl and a
twitch of the blade brought Marller back to the present. "S-so... what do
you want to talk about?" she mumbled, trying to smile innocently. 

"First, who are you, and who was that other woman?" The girl's voice was
starting to sound more irritated than enraged, which Marller took as a
good sign. "Second, what do you want with me? Third, where-" Marller's
trepidation returned in full force, however, as the girl's voice began to
crack. Taking a closer look, while her captor took a moment to compose
herself, Marller noticed that the girl's eyes were red and puffy, and
fresh tear tracks lined her cheeks. Shakily, the girl continued. " -where
did she take Ryouga, and why?" She paused. Then, after a second of thought
she added, "Fourth, what are the meaning of those marks on your face?"
With that, the girl leaned back into a more comfortable position, though
kept the edge pressed firmly against Marller's jugular, and waited. 

*Okay... she doesn't seem to know too much about what's going on after
all, and she's upset. How can this help me?* Marller's mind raced as she
tried to find the most advantageous face she could put on things. *If she
doesn't know about the marks, then the rogue and Urd probably didn't tell
her anything important. That could be useful. And she seems rather broken
up over this "Ryouga" person being taken away, so she probably isn't very
happy with Urd right now. So what I need to do is volunteer some
information, to make her trust me, and then pit myself against Urd, so
that she'll like me. Easy enough. But how to spin it so I look like the
good guy...?*

Suddenly, inspiration struck her, and Marller had to hastily suppress an
insane grin, as that probably wouldn't help her case any. Sobering up,
Marller put on her best 'sincere' face and looked up at the girl.
"Alright, um... I hope you'll forgive me if I answer your questions out of
order, but some of then are more closely related than others." she smiled
hopefully, and was rewarded by a slight nod. "Okay then. Well, I guess I'd
better start with your first question, and your last one, as they really
are the same thing." 

"You see, I am a goddess..." 






(~) 






�THAT�S IT?!!� Mihrna almost screamed, as she paced back and forth in
front of the hospital bed, throwing her hands into the air. �It took you
more than a year to write it, and it�s longer that _all_ of the previous
chapters _combined_, but do we have any closure?! Of course not! Instead,
you leave it off with another damned cliffhanger! What the hell were you
thinking?!� Growling, Mihrna rounded on the only other person in the room.

The figure in the hospital bed didn�t seen to notice. Wrapped heavily in
gauze bandages, Eimii�s head lolled haphazardly to the side, her eyes
staring blankly at the wall. ��Geh� aaalllgk� haah�� A trickle of drool
dribbled from the corner of her mouth. 

Gritting her teeth, Mihrna continued her tirade. �And another thing: when
are you planning to get started on the next part? Not to mention all of
the other stuff that you�ve got on hold!� Holding her head in her hands, a
pained note entered Mihrna�s voice. �I can�t _believe_ how disorganized
you are. Do you have any idea how _long_ it�s going to take you to finish
this, if you keep going at this rate, hmmm?� Looking up again, Mihrna took
a closer look at her companion. �Hey, are you even listening to me?!�

��Hebbbee� uughh� ack� pppblt�.� Eimii continued to babble quietly to
herself, though this time her head was actually nodding vaguely in
Mihrna�s direction. 

Sighing, Mihrna closed her eyes and shook her head. Walking over to the
window, she sat one the window sill and leaned back, banging her head
lightly against the glass. �But anyway� honestly, I still can�t believe
how much time you spend here. They have this room on reserve for you and
everything�� Opening her eyes again, Mihrna peered tiredly at her comatose
roommate. Blinking suddenly, she reached into her pocket ant pulled out a
crumpled piece of paper. �Oh, yeah. The doctor said that, right before
they sedated you, you wrote this down for me to read.� Unfolding the piece
of paper, Mihrna began to read aloud. 

��I�d just like to say a few things here. First of all, since I forgot to
write it in at the beginning, i�d like to say that all of the standard
fanfic disclaimers apply here: You know the drill; the characters aren�t
mine, so please don�t sue me, etc� Also, anything you have to say about
this piece- anything at all- would be much appreciated. Now that that�s
all taken care of, a few things about the fic itself: First of all, i want
to apologize for how long this took to write. It really should have been
done much sooner, but i kept getting sidetracked, and then school kept
getting in the way� but anyway, i�m really, _really_ sorry about that.
Second, i�d like to thank all of my wonderful prereaders, without whom
this fic would never have been written. Thanks especially to Jim �The
Prince of Rant� Nutley, and T.H. Tiger, who have been prereading for me
since i started this monster, and to The Eternal Lost Lurker, who picked
up later on. I�d also like to thank all of my second draft predeaders, who
asked to be notified when this chapter was done. Thanks to Lyn Daniel, who
went through and corrected all of the little grammar and spelling errors
that i missed, and who had a lot to say about my characterizations and
about Ranma in general. Finally, i�d like to thank everyone that read this
for putting up with my inane babbling for this long. I�ll try to get the
next chapter done in a bit less time than this one took, but i�m not gonna
promise anything until i see my classes for next semester� Oh, one last
thing: I�m really sorry about this chapter Mihrna. I promise you�ll have
some more screen time in the next one���

Glancing back towards Eimii, Mihrna managed to smile a bit. �Well, that
was nice��

�Gaah� ng.. maaaaa�..�

�Sheesh, what�ve they got you on, anyway?� Frowning again, Mihrna stood up
and walked over to the end of Eimii�s bed. Grabbing the chart off of its
hook, she began flipping through the numerous volumes of mystical, medical
jargon. �Urk� this stiff _can�t_ be good for you. I�ve never even heard of
half of these things�� Turning another page, Mihrna began to pace again, a
worried frown on her face. �What the hell is �Jenova� supposed to mean�?�