Anime Death Tournament Prelude
The Pre-Tournament Entrance Fights: Ranka
By Kahlil Noriega

Standard Disclaimer: All rights belong to whoever owns
them.



Prologue: A pre-fight match...


Red sky...

Dark clouds...

It was a bad sign he thought. Thunder rumbled overhead. He
could hear his labored breath echo in the cold rough wind
as he ran on a carved path through the forest he found
himself in. Angered birds launched into the air in a flurry
of feathers as the trees that lined the path streaked pass
his vision. Eyes firmly affixed on the greenish-black
structure that loomed above the trees.

The Arena, at last he was there...

Suddenly, the earth underneath him shook as the ground
before him shattered as a demonic cry echoed throughout the
forest as a large minor demon emerged from the rubble. Its
fur covered body reeked of blood and sweat as it snarled.
Revealing razor sharp teeth from its heavily muscled snout.
Its blood red eyes glowed like fire in the dark as the man
leaped to the air, narrowly avoiding a claw strike that
leveled the ground beneath him as he pulled back his hands
to one side and gathered his ki. Black lighting coursed
through his hands as he held it, before unleashing the bolt
of black lightning as it scorched the demon right on its
chest, killing it.

He landed on top of the carcass of the fallen demon. The
wind plastered his sweat soaked shirt to his chest, loose
black pants swished in the cold breeze as he stared up at
the Arena. Its shining greenish black dome glowed in what
little moonlight shone on it as the man's short red hair
was tossed back by the breeze. As the piece of white clothe
tied around his temple dangled in the air like two long
sinuous snakes behind him as were the bandages tied around
his forearms. He knew that she was inside...

Kentaro closed his eyes as he pictured the girl he came for
in his mind as he felt the wind wash over him. Two long
years, two long years of searching after she'd left, he
never felt as close to reaching his goal ever. Kentaro
opened his eyes as he stared up at the Arena. He had
finally found her...

He just prayed that he wasn't too late...

"Ranka..." he whispered as the wind blew around him still,
and storm clouds rumbled overhead...

~*~


The Arena was a large oval structure, much like the old
stadiums of today. It covered a large stone ring the size
of a football field in diameter with two large doors that
stood opposite each other on either end of the Arena.

Ranka stood motionless on the far side of the ring. Eyes
focused solely on the ground as the wind lightly tossed
back her golden hair. Amber eyes stared off into nothing as
her face took on an emotionless mask; an aura of sadness
seemed to radiate out from her...

Her opponent was a young spirited male in a sleeveless
tight fitted shirt and loose pants. He bounced around from
where he waited on his side of the ring, for the match to
begin. He almost felt sorry for her, and at the same time
drawn to her beauty, but it was a fight that he had to
win...

And as the announcer finished announcing the rules of the
match, the bell rung as the crowds in the stands cheered.
The young man, too eager for the fight to begin immediately
charged, fire in his eyes as he screamed his battle cry.

Ranka did not move from where she stood, eyes still focused
on the ground as the fighter's cry echoed throughout the
arena floor. Halfway, the man pulled back his fist as he
readied himself for the killing blow...

And still she did not move...

So close the fighter thought as he noted the distance
between them as he leaped into the air preparing for his
first strike...

Fist descending, as time seemed to slow around them...

The man, confident of his quick victory, the woman,
saddened by it all, as she finally looked up, eyes glowing
red as she stared at something far off, something only she
could see...

Sadness grew around her as her hair was tossed lightly by
the wind; darkness slowly covered the whole arena.

The crowd gasped as light itself was bent upon itself as
they watched, in horrid fascination, the fight continue as
though they were looking at the negatives of a
photograph...

And saw with horror as a thousand points of darkness
speared the fighter...



Chapter 01: A chance encounter...


The fighter's dorm...

Mako-chan's room...

Makoto watched the screen over and over, playing back the
same scene again and again as she tried to find weaknesses
in her next opponents attack. To be more precise, Ranka's
fight the end part of it anyway, as she played back the
tape again. Each time as frustrating as the first as she
watched the screen black out every time. She couldn't make
anything out of it, except that when Ranka finally looked
up, she saw her eyes glow red and then the screen would
black out...

"Is she a youma?" Makoto thought as she leaned back on the
plush seat she sat on before the television inside her
room, in the fighter's dorm. Her fight with Ranka was
coming pretty soon...

"Just what are you?" Makoto thought finally when she heard
a few soft knocks on her door.

"Who is it?"

"Mako-chan, it's me, Usagi." A faint voice answered from
the other side of the door. Makoto mechanically rose off of
her seat and walked over to the door and opened it, and
smiled seeing Usagi standing in the hallway.

"Come on in." Makoto offered as she stepped back to make
room for Usagi who stepped in. "Would you like anything to
drink."

"No, I'm alright Mako-chan." Usagi replied as she stepped
in and looked around her friends new dorm room. "It's
really nice."

"Yes it is, so Usagi-chan, what brings you along." Makoto
asked as she saw Usagi frown as she stood still for a
moment.

"Mako-chan, the girls and I are a little worried about you.
This whole Tournament thing has them worried. And that girl
- who is she Mako-chan? Is she another youma?"

"I, I don't know Usagi-chan. I really don't know."

"Mako-chan, just promise me you'll be okay after you're
fight. Promise me."

"I promise Usagi-chan. I promise..."


~*~


>From a place on top of the stands, a shadowed figure
watched the fight progress below. She stood on a fairly
dark and empty hallway, one side of it was open and allowed
full view of the Arena floor below. An opening to one side,
allowed one to step onto the top of a flight of stairs that
led to the stands and the Arena seats below.

Makoto leaned back on one of the pillars, sometimes taking
a spare glance from the arena floor to look at the large
monitors hanging from the roofs.

"She fights remarkably well doesn't she?" a voice said from
the darkness. His lean muscular figure was obvious from
were he stood shadowed by the hallway. His face is covered
in darkness.

"Huh?"

"You're next opponent, is very good."

"Who are you?"

"A friend, and a fellow combatant." The man said, clearly
hinting that he'd say no more.

"Yeah, well, whatever."

"Hmph, good luck on your match."

"Yeah, thanks."

And the man left. Makoto leaned on the pillar as she
watched the fight, Ranka again used that shadow move and
her opponent fell to the ground. Makoto shrugged and walked
away.

~*~

>From the Arena floor...

Ranka watched sadly as her opponent collapsed on the
ground, black smoke drifted off of the man's bruised and
bleeding body, she didn't like the sight at all as turned
her face away. Her long golden hair turning as well behind
her as she walked off the Arena floor, but not before
another tear fell on the ground...

~*~

>From within the Arena complex...

Kentaro is running through the halls of the Arena looking
for Ranka...

"Ranka..."

~*~

Makoto, hanging around with her friends, she didn't want to
think of coming match. Her friends try to cheer her up.

Minako then spots a really cute guy with red hair. And all
girls turn around to see a man, walking, his head turning
this way and that as if looking for something or someone.
She had to admit that he was kinda cute, looking just like
one of her old boyfriends...

The girls continue their small party...

~*~

Kentaro is walking along when he notices a huge crowd
gathered at the ticket sales. Naturally curious he walks
over and asks one of the passer's-by what the crowd is all
about. He then informs Kentaro that the next match was
between Sailor Jupiter and a girl named Ranka. Kentaro is a
little excited about the news and almost manhandles the
man, the man struggles and bops Kentaro to let him go. He
does so and apologizes as the man walked off grumbling to
himself about stupid martial artists.

Kentaro shrugs it off and noticed a poster, there displayed
was the woman he was looking for.

So close he thought...

=============================================================

  Thanks go to Kahlil Noriega for donating this part.  If you would like to 
add a side-story of your own (and you don't kill anyone off yet), send it to 
akun15@hotmail.com.

  (P.S. Kahlil, sorry for pestering you to get this done)

  A-kun
  ?????
  C-chan


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