Greetings all!

Well, here it is. I know this part has goen a bit slow, but then again,
I've had to work around putting up the website for it as well...Which is
now with my other stories on the site.

Not ALL of the translations are done...Geocities isn't liking me at the
moment, but I've tried to at least do the ones that are in the story now.
If you want any explanations on any of the translations, or other things in
this fic, just let me know.

C&C is, as always, welcome
gargoyle@glasscity.net
or
gargoyle9@hotmail.com

Takahashi owns Ranma and Akane, I own the rest...

Maybe I should let Michael Buffer do commentary on this one...But anyway...

Salud!

***

Mythos
By
Joshua Trujillo

Part 4 - Down and Dirty

Gouka lay down on the rock across from the small encampment. 
Gouka swore at himself silently. He had been a fool to follow 
Shiro into the storm like that, but he really had no other choice. 
The wind had ripped across him and Shiro as well, sandblasting 
wounds across both of their skins. He scowled at the stinging 
sands, but didn't worry, as they would heal quickly once the sun 
came up. Shiro would be in far worse condition after being out in 
the storm.

In order to keep from losing her, Gouka had to stay close enough 
to see her, but far enough away to keep out of her proximity. She 
had guts. Gouka hated to admire her, but he did. The fight would 
be one that he would never forget. Being this close wasn't the 
brightest idea that he thought he ever had, but he saw no other 
choice. Gouka could feel the dawn begin to run it's course over the 
horizon and soon it would break into the pause that had come up in 
the storm.

He had been following the wagon through the wind and it had died 
about half a mile outside of the camp. Not more than two minutes 
later, a shout rose from the distance. Gouka couldn't make out what 
the shout said, but it was clear from Shiro's reaction that it was 
from her companions. She pulled the wagon more towards the 
sound and yelled for the creature to pick up in speed. Gouka 
wondered for half a second if he could keep up. He didn't have 
much to worry about, as it seemed the creature couldn't go faster 
than a slow trot.

It made it a little easier to follow the tracks in the drifting sands as 
well. A little on fifteen or twenty minutes later Shiro went into the 
camp. Camp was a loose term for it. A sheet of tarp held aloft by 
two poles. It kept out the sand, so Gouka thought it as practical 
enough. Following Shiro and being sandblasted at the same time 
had taken its toll on Gouka. He was having a hard time breathing 
through the grit in his lungs and this skin was on fire.

He chuckled at himself. His skin was supposed to be on fire. This, 
however, was something different. This was the pain from having 
particles of sand driven into the pores of his skin. He settled 
himself down onto the rock. It was black and he could blend in as 
the sun climbed higher. It also began to heat quickly as dawn 
cracked overhead.

Gouka looked behind him at the breaking sun. He could see it 
through the blowing and drifting sands. A red glow came across 
the desert as the sun greeted the familiar landscape. Gouka 
watched the red ball in the east climb slowly from the morning 
darkness. The wind quieted in reverence of the dawn, as the storm 
sensed something momentous about the new day.

Shiro hopped quickly off the seat of the wagon, throwing the reins 
to a tall blonde girl that had come out of the tent. Shiro hopped into 
the back of the wagon and dragged out a barrel that she had fixed 
when she picked up the wagon and animal. The blonde tied the 
animal to a nearby bush on which the animal began to chew and 
helped Shiro to drag the barrel to the tent area.

The blonde shouted out something to which Shiro promptly 
ignored. Gouka looked around the area nearer the encampment. He 
had to get closer to get a look at the other two figures. One of the 
first things he learned from his sensei was that knowledge was 
power. Know your enemy. If you know him well enough, then he 
can't surprise you as easily and the fight shall be yours. Gouka 
spotted a small outcropping that was only several meters from the 
tent. With Shiro and the blonde occupied with the other two, it was 
a simple matter for him to sneak up to the rock outcropping.

Gouka settled himself in and waited a moment before he looked 
again. No sense in taking any chances, but something caught his 
attention. The third person that was moving. The one in green. 
Gouka could hear her crying. He scowled at the sound. Shiro didn't 
know how to pick her companions. This little one was too weak for 
any kind of journey. How she cried out for the person who was 
laying on the tarp. Someone named Akane.

Gouka slowly peaked over the stone in front of him into the tent. 
The clouds began to part overhead and a sliver of bright sun 
peaked into the tent. Gouka gasped. Red hair. The girl crying had 
red hair. And short. And she was wearing robes. He hadn't been 
following the Shiro Daiou after all!

The girl he thought was Shiro, whose name he picked up as Rei, 
was trying to help Shiro with some water, but she would have none 
of it. She kept insisting that this 'Akane' person should be treated 
first.

There!

Rei said the name of Shiro. Ranma. So...That was her name. 
Ten'imuhou-sama would be very pleased with the information, but 
he would be even more pleased with the knowledge that Gouka 
had taken her out. No, he wouldn't attack now. Too soon from the 
night. Gouka smiled lightly to himself, it had been a hard night too. 
He hadn't caught the name of the blonde, but it didn't matter.

Gouka pulled back and lay on the exposed rock face, letting the 
sun wash over him in the early morning light. He could feel the 
magic of the sun as it began to slowly knit his sandblasted hide 
back together again. Shiro and his group could wait. With the onset 
of day, they wouldn't be going anywhere.

***

The smack cut across Ranma's face like a knife. Ranma sat back 
and held a hand to her face.

"You're being hysterical!" Ikari shouted, "You want me to help 
her? Then sit down and put a sock in it!"

Rei sighed. She dipped the small bowl back into the water and 
once more tried to get her to drink. Ranma began to refuse, but 
then took it as the thirst finally took hold.

"I'm sorry Ranma, but Ikari is right. Let her work in peace," Rei 
said softly.

She agreed, but her heart felt like it was in a little puddle around 
out in the sands somewhere. Ranma had not found Akane, Akane 
had found them. And if it truly wasn't a trick then Rei could count 
her journey as ended and she could return home. Rei wanted to cry. 
She couldn't, though. She couldn't give herself the luxury of 
thinking that Ranma could feel that way about her. Rei forced it 
down.

The glow from Ikari's healing was washed away in the golden 
morning sunlight. Rei thought that today would probably be 
another hot one, but at least they could move again at dusk, and 
they might even make Kellenel in two days, if that was where 
Ranma and Akane wanted to go. Rei was so confused. She was 
glad that Ranma had found what he'd been searching for for two 
years, but at the same time she wanted nothing more than to cry in 
Ranma's arms and banish the thoughts that this person was nothing 
more than another stranger. Ranma slowly drank her water and 
looked sheepishly back to Rei.

"Uh, Rei?"

Rei lamented further on how much she had grown to love Ranma 
and how much she had always said about Akane. Rei had always 
thought that Akane never deserved someone like Ranma. She was 
always hitting her with a mallet, or calling her names, or some 
other derisive sort of thing.

"Rei?"

Rei thought that Ranma had stuck with Ikari was because Ikari 
treated her much the same way. Rei supposed she missed it. Ikari 
was different though, even from Ranma's descriptions of Akane. 
Ikari had a good heart and a soft spot too; you just had to find it.

"Rei?" Ranma said as she waved her hand in front of Rei.

Rei snapped back to attention and smiled at the red head.

"Uh, sorry," Rei said.

"Are you okay?" Ranma asked, taking another sip, "You've been 
kind of zoned out since you came back."

"Just thinking," Rei said, looking back across the sands, "About 
you and what would happen if we found Akane. And what Tsute 
did."

Ranma chewed on what Rei said. She knew that Rei loved her and 
that Rei might not take this little windfall too well. She seemed 
more stable than any of the fianc�es from back home, but then he 
wasn't back home either.

"And what have you come up with?" Ranma asked.

"Well, about Tsute, I didn't kill him. I didn't have to. He was 
already dead," Rei said quietly, "He had been tortured to death by 
someone. I could smell the magic in what was left of his body"

"Do you know who killed him?"

Rei shook her head and remained silent.

"Well, there is something else that's troubling me."

"What?" Ranma asked.

"I know that he didn't touch me because, well, because I would 
know," Rei said, "And even though he felt up Ikari, he couldn't do 
anything else. But I don't know about you."

Ranma set her bowl down as a wave of nausea rushed through her 
at the thought. She knew that the poison was making her feel 
worse, but the sick feeling didn't help at all. If he...

Ranma felt a hand at her shoulder, rubbing the suddenly increasing 
tension away. Rei had moved in behind her and was easing away 
the feeling in her back. Ranma didn't back off at her touch. She 
was glad that Rei cared. She wanted Akane.

"If you want a little peace of mind, I don't think he touched you," 
Rei said in her ear, "I know he didn't touch me."

Ranma angled her head back with a questioning look on her face. 
Rei smiled at her.

"Oh he probably got a free feel, but I cut off his head," Rei's smile 
increased, "So I think that makes us even. And he couldn't do 
anything too serious to Ikari."

"Yeah, you said that before," Ranma said as she looked toward the 
blonde healer, "But-how...?"

Rei chirped in laughter and quickly kissed Ranma on the cheek. 
She went back to the barrel and scooped out another bowl of water 
for herself.

"How couldn't he do something to Ikari? Ranma," Rei explained, 
"Why do think she's never cycled yet, or haven't you ever noticed? 
Ikari's people go through a very active period in their thirties when 
women give birth and go through life and stop being able to give 
birth by the time they're forty. Technically, Ikari's still a kid."

"I thought I asked you two not to talk about that stuff," Ikari 
squeaked out as she kneeled next to the water barrel.

"Aww," Rei stuck out her tongue at Ikari, "Just because you can't 
have kids yet..."

"Oh shove it Rei."

Ikari lay back down on the tarp and tried to keep herself out of the 
sun.

"Ikari, I have to ask," Ranma began.

"I know Ranma. She's okay," Ikari muttered, "She's got a severe 
case of heatstroke and sunstroke and several other things that I 
don't even know much about. But the healing took hold and she'll 
be okay for travel by tomorrow."

"What about getting underway tonight?" Rei asked as she sipped 
on her water.

Ikari thought for a moment.

"It'll be tricky, but I think it should be okay."

Ranma breathed out a sigh. Maybe this trip would still be okay. 
Ranma looked back to Rei. The girl was looking out into the desert 
forlornly. Like she wanted to join the slowly drifting sands and 
disappear. Ranma hung her head and looked back to the strange 
blonde girl. She looked so much like Akane. Ranma had spent 
many a night just watching Akane in the dark. Sleeping so 
soundly, if anyone would know what she looked like, she should. 
The blonde had something else about her though, Ranma couldn't 
explain it. It was like a dark cloud hanging over her, even while 
she slept.

Ikari awoke a couple of hours later in the late morning heat. 
Ranma had worried that Yuubi would somehow be affected the 
same way by the kelban plant, but she seemed quite happy enough 
having a numb mouth. Maybe it was the coolness of it. Yuubi also 
seemed happy to see both Ikari and Ranma, though the wet, 
cowlike tongue that she slurped them with was a little much.

Yuubi was sleeping contentedly, her head shaded in one corner of 
the tarp. Ikari commenced with the healing again while Rei 
lounged nearby looking at her map. Ranma began to worry. Rei 
was beginning to ask prodding questions about Akane.

How old was she? Why would she now have blonde hair? How did 
she get here? What happened to the wedding ring?

To the last one, Ranma didn't have a firm answer. He knew what 
happened to his own and he'd have to journey back to the Pfiirn 
continent in the north to get it. Ranma thought more on his earlier 
journeys with slight fondness. She smiled to herself. Esu would 
probably kick her ass if she came back without Akane. Esu never 
took failure too well.

Ranma hadn't wanted to snap at Rei, but dammit, she wouldn't stop 
with all the picky little questions. And for Ranma, it brought up a 
nagging problem that Ranma had refused to deal with for the past 
month. It forced her to think about it. She was beginning to forget 
little things. Like the thing that Akane had on the front of her door. 
She thought on that for a couple days, getting more and more 
frantic until it came to her. The little wooden duck.

Ranma had cried herself to sleep at the thought that the memories 
were fading. She had tried so hard not to forget anything, but two 
years of hard living and even harder adventures had taken their 
toll. Ranma was brought from her depression as the ground began 
to rumble.

"Ranma?" Rei asked, frightened.

"Earthquake?" Ranma asked to herself, "Maybe? I don't know..."

Their questions died away as an explosion showered them with 
sand. As the dust from the explosion cleared away, Ranma saw a 
huge man standing in the raw sunlight. He had his massive arms 
crossed across an even more massive chest. This guy was 
enormous, but that wasn't what bothered Ranma about him. Not 
even the fact that his eyes were a blackish red. No, the problem 
was the small licks of flame that were shooting out of his ears and 
the huffs of smoke coming from his nostrils.

"Ranma," he bellowed out towards the camp, "I have come to kill 
you."

Ranma sighed. It was going to be a long, hard day.

***

"...And may the Lords bless us and help us to protect others."

Ijisai looked up from her morning devotional as the prayer ended. 
It filled her heart with joy as the morning light streamed in through 
the painted windows. [Painter of light] was one of Ijisai's best 
finds. He was so handsome as well. It made Ijisai blush with such 
thoughts. He was a holy man too, but he did so love to paint.

He had come from Akamerajh with Ranma to help with the 
nunnery's foundation, but at the building of the chapel, wanted 
nothing more in payment than to paint the windows in the chapel 
and in the main dining hall. Esu couldn't argue as he did his sample 
window above the central altar and showed exactly how much 
talent he had in his small, but extremely well built frame.

Ijisai blushed further at the clarity of her memory. She coughed 
once to focus herself and bowed once as she exited the chapel. It 
was beautiful after all.

Ijisai blinked in the afternoon sun as she walked across the 
courtyard towards Esu's garden. Ijisai didn't want to giggle slightly 
at her mentor's problems, but it was quite humorous at how she 
described the council bickering that she had been enduring for the 
last four days. The council seemed to be dead set against 
whomever Son-sama had chosen to be her successor, but since her 
word was final, they didn't have much choice in the matter.

Halfway across the courtyard, Ijisai smiled as the sounds rose from 
the garden that none in the courtyard could mistake. Son-sama 
normally worked out her frustrations in her garden, but the sounds 
still carried. Ijisai frowned at some of the appellations that sounded 
off in the distance. They were so unlike what should come out of 
the mouth of a sister-protectorate, much less the head of the 
sisterhood. Ever since she traveled with Ranma, she had a 'potty 
mouth'. That was what Ranma called it, anyway.

Son-sama seemed to enjoy wreaking havoc on the ears of others 
when she was in a bad mood, or when she was physically stressed. 
Misery shared, or something like that. As Ijisai approached the 
garden, she could see that Son-sama was brutalizing a set of 
weeds. She wanted Ijisai to come by after the morning prayer to 
pick up a set of things that they would need for their journey. Ijisai 
had wanted to get started right away, but Son-sama had said that 
there were a few different things that would be needed this time.

Ijisai remembered what their first trip with Ranma was like. 
Surviving. Up in the caves. Ijisai shuddered at the remembered 
cold. She had almost lost one of her hands to frostbite up there. It 
was Ranma that had saved them in the end and one of the reasons 
Son-sama, and herself as well, would do anything to help her.

Ijisai cleared her throat as Son-sama finished with the weeds she 
was whacking the Hells out of. Esu looked up and her features 
softened. She smiled sheepishly as she realized that her voice must 
have carried. Esu stepped over the rows of newly planted fruits and 
vegetables. They had needed to plant more to replace what was 
destroyed in the last namagoroshi attack.

Esu stopped at the edge of the garden and looked to the unfinished 
wall on her right. It was about half the size it had originally been. 
By the time they got back, it would be back to full strength, but 
Esu wondered if it was even necessary at this point. It had been 
almost six days since the last namagoroshi attack. And while Esu 
wasn't naive enough to think that Mikan had gotten rid of them all, 
she most certainly got rid of the closest ones. Ijisai had done some 
scouting of her own in the last couple of days and found out that 
there was a dragon's lair in the nearby hills. The lake in those hills 
fed the stream that the nunnery used. But�No dragon.

Esu had chewed Ijisai out for taking on something so dangerous, 
but realized that if the namagoroshi had gone far enough north to 
get a dragon there, they could just have easily gone far enough 
south towards the southern sea and the port city of Cunec there. 
Esu had sent Jijisai and Yonjisai to investigate and they had come 
back with clear reports. No namagoroshi were even in the extended 
vicinity. Which meant that Mikan had power the likes of which 
hadn't been seen in this world for a long, long time. Of course, 
wherever Ranma was concerned, the unusual was commonplace.

Esu looked back to Ijisai as she cleared her throat again.

"Ijisai, you don't have to be so humble with me all the time," Esu 
said, gathering her tools, "But I suppose that I take enough liberties 
with your training as it is, huh?"

Ijisai said nothing, but smiled sheepishly on her own. She picked 
up Esu's water pail and followed her towards the tool shed. It had 
luckily been spared during the last attack. It wasn't without 
comment, however, as the other sister-protectorates had always 
referred to it as an outhouse. The moon-shaped hole in the front 
hadn't helped either.

Esu picked up the paper lying on the table and handed it to Ijisai. It 
was the promised list. Ijisai frowned in concentration at some of 
the items. Where in the names of the Gods would she get one of 
those? She looked back to Esu, concern in her eyes.

"What?" Esu asked, "Trust me Ijisai, when we go to look for 
Ranma, we first have to go to Akamerajh to consult the seers. Once 
they find him, we have to have a way to get to him. Did you think 
he was just going to come to us? Besides, it's easier this way for 
Mikan."

"Yes, Son-sama," Ijisai said, lowering her head, "It's just that this 
may take some time to get together. And shouldn't we leave as 
soon as we are ready?"

"Yes Ijisai, but you do need to learn patience. Remember, Ranma 
has been here in this world searching now for over two years, a 
little while longer won't make a difference," Esu said, taking the 
pail from Ijisai, her smile fading to a frown, "If she's still alive."

"Do you think�She's�?"

"I don't know Ijisai-chan, I just don't know," Esu said as she closed 
her eyes, "But you know Ranma. That girl would go to the Hells 
and back if it meant getting back her Akane."

"Yes Son-sama," Ijisai said, "I'll get these as quickly as I can."

"Ijisai? Go to Cunec if you have to and you can take Jijisai with 
you if you need help."

"Yes Son-sama."

The door closed and Esu stared back at the water in the pail on the 
table. The light coming through the little hole in the door reflected 
to myriad splinters of light against the back wall. A thought 
crossed through her mind. An insight, she would have said. Her 
insight hadn't served her when she tried to view Mikan. The girl 
seemed to elude all efforts to 'see' her. It was probably an after-
effect of her great power, but Esu didn't think so. Most certainly 
her power had something to do with it, but it was almost a hidden 
power. Like the little demons that the sister-protectorates had in 
their staffs. The source of their power. Perhaps�

But her thought left as soon as it came. Esu sighed and wiped her 
forehead in the hot shed. She really needed to vent this place 
better.

***

Ranma wearily lifted herself from where she was resting to face 
this new challenger. His skin glistened in an unnatural way as the 
light shined�No, it didn't shine. In fact, Ranma noticed that this 
guy didn't even look like he was warm and he was standing in the 
full heat of the desert. The nausea backed up into Ranma's gullet 
and she went back to her knees. She looked up at the challenger, 
who gave her an interested eyebrow, but said nothing.

He grunted in pain as a blast of white chi threw him further back 
into the desert. Ranma smiled as he looked back to Rei, who was 
once again sheathing her blade. Rei got up and tried to pull Ranma 
back to the tent.

"No," Ranma said weakly, "I might not be able to take him alone, 
but we can both take him. Ikari?"

"I know, stay with Akane," Ikari replied disappointedly from 
behind her.

Ranma looked back to the blonde and smiled at her.

"Thank you Ikari."

Ikari blushed and lowered her head.

"Just, don't get hurt, okay? I don't wanna have to do double duty 
again," she said.

Ranma laughed weakly as a growl came out of the sands in front of 
her. Ranma pulled herself up to a vertical base and stumbled 
slowly forward, the numbness crawling around her limbs like a 
rabid ferret on crack. Rei had withdrawn her blade again and was 
just a step behind her on her left. Both flattened themselves as a 
blast of heat rushed over them. Rei whistled and pointed away to 
Ranma's right.

Ranma nodded. Outflank him. Rei began to crawl her way left and 
Ranma jumped to her feet in a burst of energy. The huge man 
spotted her and formed huge fireballs in his hands. Ranma stopped 
to watch this for half an instant. So, this guy's chi was fire-based. 
That made sense. The fireballs began sprouting outwards in huge 
gouts of flame from the mans' hands. Ranma ran off to the right 
and threw a ball of chi at the big man.

It hit him square on and he grunted, but not much else. Ranma 
glanced behind her and saw that Rei had the same idea. Spiral 
inwards and get closer where her blade and Ranma's fists could do 
the most damage. More gouts of flame ripped across the landscape 
around Ranma as she ran. Ranma could feel the adrenaline 
pounding in her head as she dodged and jumped over the blasts.

Rei made her move. She jumped to the center and began slashing 
out with her blade. Ranma went to jump to the center, but a lick of 
fire burned up her left arm, causing her to fall and yelp in pain. She 
rolled to her right as another lick of fire arced up her previous 
position. As Rei swiped and cut, Ranma afforded a look at her arm. 
She could already see blisters forming on the edge of a black and 
very painful area. Ranma jumped back as a fireball brought her 
attention back.

Rei was holding her own, but the big man seemed to have some 
kind of blade of his own. Her blade was being blocked by some 
kind of flare that would arc out when he blocked her shot. Rei had 
to respect him, he was good.

She was better.

She dodged to her left to avoid a flare strike and punched inward 
with a single chi lance. She smiled as the length of it pushed into 
her opponents' side. He grunted as the chi vanished, leaving just 
the gaping wound. The man turned to her and smiled as he 
examined the wound. Rei gasped and backed off slightly as the 
wound regenerated itself in front of her. Another flare extended 
and Rei ducked to avoid it. She jumped back as another blow came 
in from above. It was almost as if he were calling down the sun 
itself to do his bidding. Rei gasped in the heat that flowed from the 
man. She caught her breath and jumped again.

Ranma crashed into the side of the man as Rei distracted him. She 
ignored the burning on her shoulder as the man staggered back. Rei 
launched another attack, this time at his face. Ranma gathered 
together enough chi and launched a tight beam towards the man's 
eyes. If he couldn't see, he couldn't fight. He howled in pain as the 
slash raked across his face and he staggered backwards, only to be 
hit full force in the face with a chi blast.

The man grunted once and fell onto his back, kicking up a cloud of 
dust in the midday heat. Silence echoed throughout the badlands as 
the wind began to stir again. Ranma looked off to the west. 
Another storm. Ranma knew that, even if this fight ended now, 
they couldn't move again until the storm passed. And they were 
once again running out of water. She looked back to Rei, who was 
looking in the same direction. She knew the same thing. She also 
knew that they'd have to take some drastic measures against it. 
Both sets of eyes jerked back to the man as he groaned and sat up.

"Shiro, you and your little companion pack quite a punch," the 
man said, "You have earned my respect. I am Gouka Kiyomeru 
and I'm afraid that I'll still have to kill you."

Ranma looked to Rei, who shrugged in response.

"Aw, bite me."

Ranma unleashed a Mouko Takabisha into the man called Gouka. 
He umphed as it pushed him back into about four feet of sand.

"Come on!" Rei yelled.

She grabbed Ranma and pulled her along over the next ridge. 
Ranma shrugged her hand off and followed her. Close quarters 
were no good. Ranma knew that Rei preferred open area fighting 
anyway. Maybe they could do more damage out in the open. A 
deafening shout could be heard behind them as Gouka threw a 
couple of fireblasts in their direction. Rei split to her right and 
Ranma to her left as the explosions rocked the ground between 
them. Ranma tripped over an exposed rock and crashed down.

She was quietly glad for the numbness, but knew she'd pay for it 
later as she could feel the rocks ripping across her knees. Ranma 
turned over and ducked to her left as Gouka brought his fist down 
into the rock, crumbling it underneath her. She swung herself right 
and left, avoiding his shots at her head. Ranma gathered her chi 
into her foot and brought it up sharply between his legs, mentally 
wincing in sympathy pains. Gouka dropped to the ground and 
growled in impotent rage.

Ranma took the chance to scramble away, stumbling as the new 
pain in her legs came and went in waves of nausea. Rei grabbed 
her as she fell to the sands. Gouka crawled after them, but went to 
his knees again in pain.

"We've got to end this Rei," Ranma choked out.

"I'll end it, just stay here."

"No! Rei, wait!"

Rei jumped in and swung her blade high, the energy crackling 
from the leading edge. Gouka rolled to miss the strike and brought 
out his own extended flare. Rei smiled slightly, she could see it 
now. He did have a blade. It was a blade of formed heat. It leaped 
to block her downward strike and flamed off. The sweat poured 
from Rei's brow as she struck and struck again. She would prove to 
Ranma that she was more worthy than Akane, she would prove 
that she should stay here with her rather than returning.

Gouka finally made it to his feet and staggered back under the 
relentless assault from Rei. She backed off for half a second as she 
charged her blade. It was more than he needed though. He pushed 
forward as she began to strike. The thousands of slashes that 
pushed through his attack were countered by the heat that he back 
washed into her face. The oxygen was ripped from her lungs in a 
stinking reek of brimstone. She dropped to her knees as she 
suffocated in the heat, but brought her blade over her head to block 
his kill strike.

She pushed herself back, away from the heat, away from Ranma. 
She could regenerate. If it saved Ranma, or helped him win the 
fight, it was a small price. Her breath slowly came back to her as 
she continued to fend off the attacks.

"Hey asshole!"

Gouka turned to the ridge that he had just followed the dark haired 
one over. Shiro was kneeling on the crest. She had almost a prayer-
like stance. How cute. Willing to die for this other one.

"Are you willing to give yourself in exchange? Is that your plan? 
Shiro, I don't care about her."

"Oh, no�" Ranma said, "Just time for you to pay."

Ranma formed two levels of chi quickly in her body. One in her 
hands and one in the lower parts of her body. She forced the lower 
part into the earth and thrust her hands into the sand in front of her.

"Let's get ready to rumbbbbbllllleeee!"

The ground beneath Gouka began to shake and rocked him off his 
feet as several walls of rock shot up around him, one edge 
collapsing inwards. Gouka exhaled a bit of his power and blew the 
wall outwards. As the dust settled, he could see Shiro standing at 
the opening. She was carrying the other one on her back.

"Eat it!" Ranma screamed as she launched Rei upwards.

Ranma let loose all of her energy into a Hiryu Shotsen Ha. The 
hurricane kept Rei aloft and lifted the howling Gouka higher into 
the structure. He cried out in pain as his head bounced off the walls 
several times. Rei whipped her blade forward and down in front of 
her, then called out to the chi that remained in her small frame. The 
blade came alight quickly and waved in the spiritual heat that ran 
rampant along the engraved metal blade.

"Gufuu Dageki!" Rei screamed slashing the chi-lit blade upwards.

Ranma's chi tornado lit with Rei's chi as the energy screamed 
upwards in the funnel and quickly overcame Gouka. He screamed 
in pain as the raw power began to overload his brain. The funnel, 
overwrought with raw power, shattered the remaining walls and 
began to march quickly across the landscape to the east. Gouka's 
shouts could be heard as the funnel passed over the horizon.

Ranma's legs came out from under her as she caught Rei and they 
lay on the ground for a couple of minutes as they caught their 
breath.

"Ranma?" Rei asked weakly.

"I don't�know�" Ranma gasped.

"He was a monster," Rei whispered.

"No Rei, the southern hydra was a monster. This guy was just 
supercharged," Ranma said as she tried to get up, "The worst thing 
is, that funnel won't kill him. Which means that he'll be back."

"But we'll be long gone when he-"

"No Rei," Ranma said, slowly shaking her head, "If he could find 
us out here, he can find us anywhere. He'll be back. And next time, 
it won't be so easy."

"Easy?" Rei chuckled in pain, "You call that easy?"

"God I hate my day job�"

***

Akuji adjusted his position in the top stair. So. Gouka had failed, 
though not without showing some of Shiro's weaknesses. Perhaps 
Akuji would let him live after he returned. If he returned. Gouka 
was prideful and he'd probably want revenge for losing to Shiro 
and her friend.

Akuji swept the hair out of his face with one hand and sighed. 
Perhaps Yoko or Kowaku would have better luck. He would hate 
to have to rely on Hisomu. He was so underhanded and dirty. 
Akuji looked back to the pool in the center of the room. Meijin was 
deep in concentration, his little fire halo barely visible as it made 
its little path around his head. His eyes had an almost greenish 
glow from the effort.

Akuji looked back to the column. He would be the first to admit 
that it probably wasn't the easiest or quickest way to keep an eye 
on Shiro, but any other method would disrupt Meijin in his task. 
And he wanted to keep an eye on Meijin while he worked.

Akuji laughed gently to himself, which brought Meijin back 
around a little. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Akuji, who 
ignored him. Akuji knew that power, no matter how great, would 
never alone defeat Shiro. That's where Yoko came in. Akuji 
laughed to himself again and continued to examine the column. 
Meijin wondered at this, but returned to his concentration as his 
eyes closed.

And the woman in the pool opened her eyes�And slowly closed 
them once more�

***


Joshua "Gargoyle" Trujillo
"Stone Cold Protector of the Righteous"
"Owner of The Anime Bar and Grille - The Best Ribs in the Multiverse"

Come on down!
Visit The Anime Bar and Grille!
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/1509
We Bake Our Stories Fresh Daily!