Well, here's chapter 5. Please, let me know how it is.
If there's another formatting problem, I'll resend
it, so don't wory about letting me know about
that.
Standard Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this
fic are the property of their respective creators.
Please don't sue me, I have no money.
Desert Moon
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
By Valandar the Red
Chapter Five
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Five thousand years ago, the valley now bearing the springs
of Jusenkyo was quite different than it would become. For one,
the highest mountain in the local range stood there. For
another, so did the castle of Jalamdhara, the demon god. He had
conquered the mortal kingdoms, and now prepared to conquer the
gods. As he was Siva's anger, made manifest, his power was
rivaled only by the three mightiest gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and
Siva, himself.
The demon god trod the seven hundred steps to the top of
his highest tower. Opening a small door with an act of will, he
entered a small room with a single, large window. He simply
stepped out of the window, and let the winds carry him upwards.
Soon, he would be in the home of the gods.
Raging from the heavens, Siva blasted into him with enough
force to shatter the mountaintop. The two gods grappled with
each other, hurling their immortal forms back and forth. The
ground trembled beneath their feet, and crumbled with each step.
The god of Destruction backed away from the product of his own
rage, and drew forth four swords, one in each hand, then cut off
the head of his progeny.
From the neck of the fiend, blood sprayed, and ichor
welled. But the blood flew back from the earth, and drew back
into Jalamdhara. It reshaped itself with the ichor, and two
heads sat where one once rested. Both grinned, and he dove at
Siva once more.
Again, four swords flashed, and two heads dropped to the
ground. Again, each neck sprouted two more heads. Knowing that,
soon, he would be facing a forest of heads, Siva cried out. He
called to the earth, asking it to drink of the blood of his own
creation, that it may not return and restore him. Four blades
then struck once more, each taking a head.
The four fallen heads began to laugh, then shrieked in
agony. The blood was leaving them, soaking into the the remnants
of his own mountain, drowning the spirit of the demon god in his
own blood. Without the blood to sustain him, the demon god was
no more. And, so, Siva returned, to tell his brethren what had
transpired, the mountain of Jalamdhara now but a valley.
Deep below, the blood seeped into a large cave. It pooled
there, and awaited the time it could come forth. It felt the
flow of a gentle spring, perilously close to its own edge. With
a last burst of conscious power, the blood ruptured the source
of the spring, increasing it. The water now passed through the
blood, and into the tortured earth above it. Its impure, mortal
substance did not mingle with the immortal blood, but was
transfigured by it, carrying away magic, and some darkness. In
the future, this spring would be called Jusendo, and the pools
it would spawn, Jusenkyo. But only one out of every generation
would be entrusted with the knowledge of the first pool - the
Blood Pool of the Drowned God.
********************
"But, honorable sir, let Plum go! She no know where Spring
of Drowned God is!" The Guide was old, now. His eyes were hazy,
and his back bent. He shuffled down the hidden cavern ahead of
a man only slightly older, and a woman in her late thirties. The
older man had a death grip on the woman's arm with his left
hand, and a small pistol in his right.
"That is irrelevant. I am fully aware that you would rather
die with the secret of the location of the spring, but you would
not so carelessly risk the life of your daughter - or her
children, back in the hut." The old man's voice was raspy, from
too many years in darkness, searching for a way to regain the
life of his dead wife. "I will have the secret of the Blood Pool
of the Drowned God, if I have to slaughter your entire family."
Truth be told, Tokugawa Akihito was totally unconcerned
with killing. Jalamdhara was said to have been able to raise the
dead. Thus, once he had the power of the dead god, he could
simply ressurect those he and his men had slain, and clear his
conscience.
The Guide sighed. He was no warrior. And Akihito was right.
His daughter was the most precious thing in the world, to him,
and his grandchildren and son-in-law only slightly less so. The
world was a cruel place, he mused, where a father's love could
damn the entire world.
Shifting the torch from his tired left hand to his right,
the guide paused briefly. Here, the caves below Jusenkyo became
a labyrinth, and he had to recite an ancient rhyme to remember
the path. "What is it, why have you stopped?" demanded the
Japanese businessman.
"Have to remember path. No can help Plum if no can remember
path, honorable sir." Barbarian, thought the Guide. Thoughtless,
mad, and doomed, especially if he got his wish.
Flickering torchlight always did the same thing in caverns.
It made monsters out of stalagtites and columns, bottomless pits
out of simple depressions ten feet away, and cave openings out
of irregularities in the cave walls. No creatures of darkness
lived in this cave, however. The pervading evil of the demon-god
kept them all away.
"Soon," muttered Akihito, "soon I will have what is
rightfully mine."
********************
A small force of amazons, accompanied by Khu Lon, Shen
Kuei, and the Wrecking crew, raced across the valley to
Jusenkyo. Despite their age, the older warriors forced the young
women to push themselves to the limit just to keep up. In a few
short minutes, the multitude of cursed springs came into view.
"Be careful," warned the old matriarch. "Come no closer than
twenty feet from the springs, lest you fall in."
Skirting around the edge of the pools, they approached the
Guide's house. It was larger than it had been, to accomodate his
daughter's family. No guards were in sight, so Ranma and Ryouga
crept up to the door. With a nod, they slowly opened the door,
to Akane's surprise, then jumped in.
Tied up on the floor of the living room, a Chinese man only
slightly younger than the martial artists that faced him
struggled against his bonds. He mumbled through the thick gag
stuffed in his mouth, and his eyes flew open wide. Ryouga
approached, and removed the gag. He immediately erupted in a
stream of rapid-fire Chinese even the Lost Man could not follow.
"Peace, peace, slow down. We are here to help," he said,
grabbing the man by the shoulder with one hand, and rending his
bonds with the other. "What happened?"
Taking a few deep breaths, he only said, "He has father-in-
law, and my poor Plum!"
Helping Ryouga get him to a chair, Ranma asked him, "You
know way they went?" He then wished he spoke better Chinese.
The man slumped, and shook his head.
"Do you know if your father-in-law led this man to one of
the pools outside?" asked Ryouga.
"N-no. He did not. They were going beneath Jusendo. Through
the catacombs."
"Catacombs?" Ranma glanced up at Ryouga, who translated the
unfamiliar word. "Where catacombs?"
The man stayed silent. After a few seconds, he whispered,
"I do not know." He reached up, and grabbed Ryouga's arm. "My
children! My two daughters are in the other room. I don't think
they're hurt, but they're locked in."
The Lost Man nodded, and walked over to a door. "This
door?"
"No, that is the door outside."
"Then this one?"
"No, that is a broom closet."
Ranma smirked, as Ryouga went to yet another door. "Then
this one?" he asked.
"No, no, no. That is the kitchen. It's through that door,
there!"
"This one?"
"NO! That's the broom closet, again!"
"Ryouga, never mind, I'll get the kids." He walked over to
the door indicated, and crushed the doorknob. In Chinese, he
sid to the man, "Will pay for door later."
"You mean 'doorknob'," said the Lost Man.
"Whatever." He gently pushed the door open, and stared in
shock. Yes, two beautiful, teenage girls were here. They were
also both dead, from gunshot wounds to the head. "The
bastard..." Since he wasn't moving, Ryouga pushed past him, and
closed his eyes at the sight.
"Ranma...he must have been using a silencer. Otherwise,
Plum's husband would have heard the shots. I don't know about
you, but this would-be god dies tonight!"
Ranma could not answer. Looking at the oldest of the two,
he kept seeing Akemi's face, with the same bullet wounds. The
thought of his daughter, dead, filled him with dread. He could
only stand, and pray to the kami that she was safe, with
Tofu-sensei, Kasumi, and Kenchiro. He also hoped that Ying Lu,
the young amazon with the falcon curse that had warned them what
was happening, recovered, and the family held each other safe.
"My daughters, where are they? Why aren't they coming out?"
The man knew why, but refused to accept it. He ran to the door,
but Ranma would not let him pass.
"Sorry. It bad. I so sorry." Tears were streaming down his
cheeks, as Plum's husband dropped to his knees, and began to
wail. The sound attracted the attention of the others, who came
pouring in.
Seeing the man on the floor, all eyes turned to Ranma.
Ryouga was still in the room with the girls, dealing with his
own troubles. "His daughters," was all the pigtailed martial
artist could croak out.
Akane's eyes sought her husband's. Unspoken words hung in
the air. Several amazons slipped past Ranma, but he would not
let his wife past. Instead, he gripped her in a hug as tight as
his heart, clinging to his greatest treasure.
The quiet voice of the amazon High Matriarch drifted to
them. "They were not amazons, but were among the few respected
by the Musk and ourslves. Phoenix Mountain had no love for the
Guides, but I do not care. We will give the girls the full
honors of the tribe, and I will send this man back to the
village, to be cared for until we return."
Ukyou could not bring herself to even attempt to enter the
house. The whole idea of Jusenkyo, itself, made her nervous,
and the knowledge that two young girls had been killed because
of it just set her on edge. She watched as Ranma, Khu-Lon,
Akane, and Ryouga left, then turned away as one of the younger
amazons helped the man out of his house, unwilling to watch the
girls being brought out. She had heard everything from the door-
way, and didn't want to face the emptiness she had borne for a
long time. Glancing over, she noticed the Lost Man headed into
the woods. "Hey, P-chan, where are you going?" She started to go
and follow him.
A hand stopped her. "No."
"But, Ranma, you know how bad his sense of direction is. If
we let him wander off like this, we'll never find him again in
time!" She tried to free herself, but his grip was iron swathed
in velvet.
"Trust me, we'll know. And if you follow, my best friend
will die." His voice was tight, and controlled.
"But Ryouga wouldn't kill me, he...but..."
Deep within the forest, a cry of "Shi...Shi...Ho...Ku...
Dan!" echoed. Green, heavy chi lanced upwards, then dove back
down to impact with him. It exploded, unleashing the depression
he felt as his inner demons wrestled for control, and won a
brief victory.
Waves of force rolled off the explosion, weakening as they
reached the Wrecking Crew, but still powerful enough to shove
them back a little. Ranma didn't budge, however, and his clothes
did not move, either. Khu Lon looked at him, and worried. When
he met up with this hubristic upstart, she thought, only one
would live.
When the shockwaves had died down, the middle-aged martial
artist walked out into the forest, for the heart of the new
clearing. He returned, less than a minute later, his friend and
rival over his shoulder. Gently setting Ryouga on the ground,
he simply sat, and waited.
"Ranma, aren't we going to go stop him?" Akane was
confused.
"It's too late to stop him. Those girls have been dead for
a few hours. He has likely found the spring, already, and we have
no idea where it is. We have to wait here, and deal with
him when he comes back."
"How?"
"I really shouldn't ask you to do this...but boil some
water."
********************
The bright red blood flowed in itself, and around itself,
with the look of shining lava in the erratic torchlight. A small
stream flowed into it, growing stronger beyond.
"Jalamdharanichuan," started the Guide. "Very tragic story,
of powerful demon god killed by Siva, whose blood feeds all Jusen-
kyo even to today..."
Puut! A silenced pistol bullet passed through the Guide's
shoulder, stopping his monologue. "I do not care for the tour,
old man. My entire purpose has been to reach this pool. Leave
me. It would not do for lesser beings to witness the rise of a
god."
Helping her father to his feet, Plum hurried out of the
cavern with him. Akihito was left behind, as he pondered the
Blood Pool of the Drowned God. To enter, would be to be reborn.
He, Tokugawa Akihito, descendant of shoguns, would be mightier
that even they had dared dream. Immortality, life everlasting,
and eternal peace for all mankind, that is what he would grant
them. They had treated him roughly, but he would show them
compassion. His compassion. The absolute peace of his reign,
where none may ever die.
He started stepping towards the Blood Pool. One step. He
was tempted to repeat the statement of the American astronaut
from when he walked on the moon, but thought better of it. The
edge of the pool was before him; one more step, and he would
enter it.
Funny, he thought, it's cold. I would have thought that
blood would be warm, no matter how long it's been here. That was
his last thought, as his soul was rent asunder in the howling
of the reborn demon god, Jalamdhara.
Notes: Jalamdhara is a real Hindu demon-god. Some information on
him can be found in the Encyclopedia Mythica, at
http://http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/ . And, let's just
say that next chapter is the last, and it's either going to
be a little long, or it's going to have an epilogue.
The previous chapters of this fic can be found at:
http://members.tripod.com/~Valandar/fanfic.html
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