Death of the Great Tiger

  Ranma came to a halt, extending his arm to stop Shampoo as well.
  "Why we stop?" asked the Chinese Amazon.
  "Don't you feel it?" he asked, pointing at the bridge before them.
  Spanning over the concrete river was the heavy bridge that Ranma
had crossed so many times in Nerima, to and from school. The river
was at a low point at that point, yet there was enough water to
yield a reflection of the pale moon in the night sky.
  Carefully, Ranma inched his way to the end of the bridge. "There's
a guy under the bridge," he explained.
  "What troll sit there?" Shampoo wondered. "Make this quick!"
  Without hesitating, Shampoo vaulted over the side of the bridge,
and Ranma instinctively looked over the side where the girl had
jumped. Under the bridge, he heard several muffled yells of protest,
and one large blow being made against the concrete wall.
  Finally, Shampoo emerged, dragging behind her a beaten man, who
was clutching a straw doll.
  "Gosunkugi," Ranma muttered, recognizing the baggy eyes of the
antisocial student.
  Despite his pain, Gosunkugi's eyes lit up at the sight of Ranma
above him. "Saotome!" he blurted.
  Shampoo released Gosunkugi, allowing him full company with the
concrete river bed. She kicked around several straw dolls with
disgust. "This your troll?"
  Gosunkugi looked back toward Shampoo. "I'm NOT a troll!"
  Ranma shook his head. "C'mon, Shampoo, he's not worth our time."
  As Shampoo got ready to join the martial artist, Gosunkugi sat up,
clutching the air angrily. "W...what do you mean, I'm not worth it?!"
  He watched both martial artists walk across the bridge in silence.
"Hey! I'm talking to you, Saotome!!!"

  "What do you mean, he's not here?" the man inside the Furinkan
principal bellowed.
  "He said he was going out, and coming back in the morning," the
one-armed man replied. "You know how he is... communing with nature
and all that."
  Warmage shook his head as he threw open the gate the one-armed
guard stood next to. The possessing spirit stared out into the dark
night, illuminated only by the moon. "He's not coming back," the
assassin muttered under his breath. "I should've known."
  He turned around suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at the
guard. "You're without a doubt the most miserable excuse for a
watchman I have ever met."
  The guard reached for the sword at his left side with his remaining
right arm. "When Puerile was leader, he would never ridicule his own
warriors!"
  "I don't care, because Puerile is DEAD!" Warmage shouted angrily,
waving both fists in the air.
  "And we only have you to thank for it," the guard muttered.
  The angry assassin leader pushed his way past the one-armed man,
but came to a pause. "If Shifter has deserted us, then that means only
one thing: he has gone over to our enemies. When they arrive, I want
you to bring me the one called Ranma Saotome. The others, you can do
as you wish." Turning his head back, Warmage added, "Especially the
one who took your arm."
  Clash nodded in understanding, staring down at his severed left
arm, lost a year ago in the terrible battle against the self-styled
samurai boy, Tatewaki Kuno. "His death shall be quite merciless, one
that matches the pain that I've endured," the assassin promised.
  "I expected as much," noted the leader. "Note, however, that you
will be alone. Strand is... indispensable, now that Shifter is gone.
I'll send him to you when I no longer require his services."
  "I have no need for any of the others," boasted Clash. "I need not
the entire cult if I had them at my disposal! Revenge will be mine,
and mine alone."

  "This is it?" Ranma said, throwing his arms out in the air.
  Shampoo and Ranma stood near the edge of a cliff as they stared at
the heavy iron door before them. As the waves crashed against the
rocky shoals far below, the clear moonlight illuminated what should
have been a concealed entrance to the underground compound that
served as Nemesis' lair. A heavy, iron door, with only a large ring
serving as a handle, stood against the earthen walls, an unnatural
feature in an otherwise natural area.
  It had taken little time to arrive at the destination designated by
the Shinto wizard, even though Mousse got in the way. Ranma glanced
back over his shoulder, down the mountain toward the lights of the
city-- a place he knew he had to return to, if only for Akane's sake.
  Dying was not an option, he thought.
  Shampoo bent down at the foot of the door, examining the dirt. "It
has opened recently," she noted. "Maybe that why it is not concealed."
  "Probably a trap, I bet," Ranma guessed. "I wouldn't be surprised
if they knew we were coming by now."
  "Ranma want to go back?" asked Shampoo, reaching for her remaining
flamberge.
  The young Saotome martial artist shook his head. "Better get this
over with."
  Nodding, Shampoo grabbed the ring, pulling it back with all her
might. Protesting loudly, the great iron door eventually gave way to
the Chinese Amazon's greater strength, revealing a dark passageway.
  Ranma stared down the passage, noting several light sources in the
form of torches set against either wall, but a strange darkness stood
in the way of much of the illumination. He could barely make out the
outline....
  "I have been waiting," voiced the shadowed man.
  "I know that voice!" Ranma muttered, stepping back in surprise.
  Stepping out into the moonlight, the one-armed assassin known as
Clash, his blade ready in his remaining right arm, bowed respectfully.
"Two, I see," he noted. "Where is the swordsman?"
  "You won't need one," Shampoo replied, raising her weapon in
readiness. "Shampoo is right here!"
  "Well, heh-heh," chuckled Clash, raising his own sword, "heh, I
would prefer the other one, but you should suffice...."
  Shampoo charged, raising the snake-like curved sword with both arms
high above. She sliced downward, but the Orochi assassin raised his own
blade to parry the attack. With his one arm Clash forced his own
strength into the sword, throwing Shampoo back and away from him.
  "At least, until you keel over, that is!" taunted the swordsman.
  The Chinese Amazon steadied her position, carefully stepping back
as she watched the enemy swordsman creep toward her. "You strong, for
one with such handicap."
  "Your friend hardly made it easy," Clash replied, bitterness in his
voice. "The leverage offered by two arms is now what is in one arm;
do not make the mistake of underestimating me, as the others have
done before. I prefer my opponents to last."
  Shampoo flinched as the Orochi swordsman raised his sword again, but
instead of charging, Clash buried his blade into the ground. She felt
the earth rumble beneath her feet, and struggled to keep her balance.
  Behind Clash, Ranma suddenly appeared. He stumbled and fell with a
loud yelp as the tremors forced him to loose balance and concentration
at once.
  "Do not try to insult me by staging a back attack, boy," Clash
snarled, without bothering to turn around. "You may attempt to mask
your presence as much as you like, but the Ground Rippler technique
need not a target to function."
  Ranma shook his head as he got to his feet. "How the hell did he
see through my technique?!"
  Shampoo shook her head as she rushed the assassin once more.
  "Believe it or not," Clash said, paying close attention to Shampoo's
angry swings and responding with his own swings, "but the ground
itself told me."
  "Shut up and fight!" demanded the Chinese Amazon, gritting her teeth
in fury.
  Ranma stood motionless, studying the movements Clash made in his
dance against Shampoo's wild attacks. Blade against blade, warrior
against warrior, the match appeared quite even, but the young Saotome
was certain there was more going on than meets the eye.
  He leaped out of the way just as three wires zoomed past the
position where Ranma's head used to be.
  "You've gotten better since the last time!" Strand bellowed, his
short stature hiding a deadly threat. His outstretched arm willed the
three wires to return to his fingers as the assassin turned to face
Ranma. "Before, you never knew what hit ya!"
  "I know what to look for now!" Ranma cried, shrinking his nose as
the short man turned his way. "Pffff, yuck! When was the last time
you've had a bath?"
  Against the moonlight, the young Saotome could barely make out the
assassin's face-- his eyes seemed to stare out into oblivion, yet at
the same time focused on Ranma. Blood marred the creature's face,
trailing from his eyes and his smashed nose. Several sets of teeth
were missing from his toothy grin.
  "Shouldn't you be dead?!" Ranma finally decided. "You're the
biggest walking mess I've ever seen!"
  "Shut up!" shouted Strand. "The flesh does as it's told!"
  Throwing out both arms, the Orochi assassin sent forth ten wires,
one from each finger, toward Ranma.


					*  *  *  *  *
Liar (Doco-- Nabiki, Kasumi, Akane, Ranma, Shampoo)

(All) Tears drying in the night wind
Also in the street light, I could see a star
"Sorry" in a murmuring voice
Is painful to hear from the back

					*  *  *  *  *

  Ranma dodged three of the wires, leaping straight in the air.
Unfortunately, this time, the assassin anticipated the move, as
another set of three wires wrapped themselves around the young martial
artist, entwining both legs and his left arm in the process.
  Strand's terrible grin transformed into a screaming smile, a smile
one would find if a burned body were found still alive and well. He
willed the rest of the free wires to entwine about his victim, raising
his excitement with haunting laughter.
  "You're MINE!" he cried, allowing the wires to bind Ranma in mid air.


					*  *  *  *  *

(Akane) Without apologizing,
(Ranma) The things that caused me to cry
(R * A) Have become the feelings
That can't be excused

					*  *  *  *  *

  Shampoo abandoned all sense of strategy, her anger overcoming her
reason as her swings became wilder and wilder. Clash, swordsman as
he is, blocked each and every one of the wild attacks that came.
  The Orochi swordsman smiled as the last swing came. Instead of
parrying the attack, Clash ducked under Shampoo's attack, running
an outstretched leg through the Amazon's. She yelled out in surprise,
the ground suddenly missing beneath her, sending the flamberge up
into the air.
  "That was hardly a challenge; you fell right into my clutches, just
as I expected," Clash gloated, standing over Shampoo with sword
raised high.


					*  *  *  *  *

(All) The girl is probably a liar
(Nabiki) Suddenly, it has become that I don't like you
(All) The boy is probably bewildered
You were informed that I love you, having nodded
(Shampoo) It's the truth   (Kasumi) it was also some time ago

					*  *  *  *  *

  Deep within the dark recesses of the underground lair, Warmage
watched over the sleeping Nemesis, lying peacefully within the pool
created by the former assassin Shifter. Sparks of electricity seemed
to race across Nemesis' delicate skin, giving the impression that
the woman was a living electrode.
  "I have waited long," mused Warmage, bending down to Nemesis' level.
"You, my dear, are the key to my salvation-- the salvation of us all.
In about twelve hours, you will awaken, fully refreshed, and in full
command of all the power you need to rid me of my enemies. From there,
more energy... for the Cleansing, for the glory of the Orochi!"
  Towering above the pool, the statue of Orochi seemed to glow.

  Back in Nerima, in a restaurant called Ucchan's, the owner and chief
chef of the store rolled in her futon. The drawn shades over her
bedroom window blocked the moonlight from entering the room.
  Had she checked before she went to sleep, Ukyo would have noticed
that the clock had stopped working since before she went to sleep.

  Unwavering in his deep meditations, Tatewaki Kuno refused to move,
refused to welcome the sleep he desperately needed, in search of his
answers to his burning questions.
  "Mother has long since ceased calling me openly," mused Kuno, "but
she yet summons me, in a quieter tone. Perhaps now, it is the time to
make my move."
  Gathering himself from the floor, grabbing his bokken, Tatewaki Kuno
exited the Phoenix Chamber to look for his sister.


					*  *  *  *  *

(Akane) I don't want to answer the reason
You aren't anything bad
(Ranma) Tomorrow hurts not to meet
It was selfishness.  I understand.

					*  *  *  *  *

  Under the wild tufts that served as Shampoo's hair, a tiny insect,
no larger than a fruit fly, dug its way out from its hiding place
under the Chinese Amazon's skin on the back of her neck. It was
obvious to the fly creature that Shampoo was down, and not likely to
rise anytime soon. Blood flowed freely from the slicing wound on her
sword arm.
  So, this is how it will be, mused Shifter. Disaster began when this
girl ran Mousse through. The numbers have become quite unforgiving to
this band of martial artists.
  However, there was still a chance-- a chance to change it all. Even
though two of them must die now, there is a chance for the others to
live-- not just the other six martial artists, but the rest of
humanity. Nemesis should revive within twelve hours, if I'm correct,
and if she does so then, it would take an army of martial artists to
stop the spirit of vengeance.
  The others will come, Shifter knew. There was one, however, that
needed help-- the one who could make all the difference in the world.
  Carefully crawling away from Shampoo's body, Shifter the fly zoomed
off unnoticed into the night sky, with only one man in mind.
  Without Ryoga Hibiki, Ranma and Shampoo had no chance to survive.
Without them, there would be no future.


					*  *  *  *  *

(Nabiki) A star streaming   (Kasumi) my one wish
(N * K) Is to be able to become docile

					*  *  *  *  *

  Cologne paced back and forth in the dining room of the Nekohatten,
her gut telling her that something wrong was happening.
  Ever since leaving the company of the Tendos and Saotomes, and of
the renegade assassin Shifter, the old matriarch tried to think of
plans that would help her people against annihilation, but only the
thoughts of Shampoo's well being surfaced.
  And, she admitted to herself, Mousse's well being, too.
  Despite the boy being an upstart, and deliberately ignoring
authority, he did possess great talent, and bravery that extended
well beyond concerns of dying.
  A knock at the door interrupted the old matriarch's thoughts.
  "Who is it?" she yelled. "We're closed!"
  No one answered.
  Shaking her head in disdain, Cologne hopped onto her walking staff,
making her way to the closed entrance. She slid the door open wide,
fuming with anger.
  Instead of a man standing there, as she had expected, there was no
one.
  She raised a fist up in the air, yelling, "You crazy kids!"
  However, anger was soon replaced by surprise as the walking staff
was caught against something, forcing the old matriarch to the ground.
  Cologne got to her feet, and looked back at the cause of her fall.
Right before the front door, a crumpled body lay, curled into a ball,
hair strewn about. The body was dressed in a flowing white robe,
marred only by stains of red against the chest.
  "Mousse?!" exclaimed Cologne in surprise.
  Although he could not answer, Mousse was breathing, she knew.
  She crept closer, careful to note the location of the bloody, snake-
like wavy-curved blade that rest beside Mousse. Cologne pressed her
fingers against the bloody chest-- but jumped back in surprise.
  The sword obviously belonged to Shampoo, no doubt. The blow was one
Shampoo would make-- a fatal one at that, one where the victim would
bleed to death. A slow, painful death, as fitting for traitors of the
tribe.
  Only thing is, someone bandaged the wound-- in a manner that was
well beyond the knowledge of either Mousse or Shampoo.


					*  *  *  *  *

(All) The girl is probably hurt
(Shampoo) On purpose, you close the small box of love
(All) The boy is probably sad
Always gentle   because of you
(Ranma) My heart   (Akane) hurts

					*  *  *  *  *

  Ranma struggled against Strand's terrible wire bonds, unable to
break free through strength alone. He spied the fallen Shampoo from
his high position, and though the constricting bonds tried to force
his eyes shut, the young Saotome knew that the Chinese Amazon had
lost her battle.
  The one-armed swordsman appeared ready to deal the final blow.
  For a moment, Ranma reflected, we had them. For a moment, I thought
I was going to get through this alive. For a moment, I thought I
would protect Akane-- she didn't need to get into this. For a moment,
I believed I could do it myself. For a moment, I thought killing
Mousse was the best thing that could ever happen.
  It was all a mistake.
  Now, in the hands of the enemy, with no allies to speak of, I'm
going to die. Ryoga was who-knows-where, probably sulking about his
code of honor. Shampoo was down, and probably for good. Ukyo was gone,
turned off by my words, and further so by Nabiki... damn, when did it
all start going wrong with me and her? Mousse is dead. Heck, even
seeing Kuno or Kodachi would be a sight for sore eyes! Well, it's all
too late now, because this guy's probably going to kill me.
  Akane would kill me if she found out.
  "Ready for your 'nap?!'" screeched Strand from below. "I can sense
you are in pain... let me make it WORSE! Blaaa-hah-hah-hah!!"
  "Shove it up yers!" Ranma shouted defiantly through the pain.
  The Orochi assassin laughed maniacally as sparks leaped from the
bases of all ten wires. Ranma watched in terrible realization, in
slow motion, what was coming-- a shocking revelation indeed.
  "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"


					*  *  *  *  *

(All) The girl is probably a liar
(Kasumi) Suddenly, you become my darling
(All) The boy is probably bewildered
You were informed that I love you, having ran away
(Nabiki) It's the truth   (Shampoo) It was also some time ago...
(All) Which way also...
					*  *  *  *  *

  "RANMA!"
  Akane burst awake, sitting up in her bed, in a cold sweat. She was
still in her room, she knew. It was still night, she knew. Ranma....
  She patted the bed next to her, but felt nothing but the bed.
  "Ranma," Akane whispered, "how could you have gone without me?!"
  However, she knew why. And she knew why there was something in the
back of her neck telling her that he was in trouble.
  Jumping out of the bed, throwing her sheets about, Akane made her
way to the closet, picking out her best fighting dress, not bothering
to silence her movements for those who continued to sleep.
  As soon as she tied off her belt, Akane exited her room, not
expecting anyone to be standing there in the hallway. She leaped back
in surprise.
  "I thought it was you," Nabiki Tendo said, her arms folded. "And I
know exactly what you're planning on doing, and I simply won't let you
go."

(continued in Part 4)

----------------------------------------------------------
This has been yet another exercise in interpretation.
"Decepticons FOREVER!!" --Ravage, former Decepticon
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die." --Kosh, Babylon 5

"[Y]ou're lamer than your signature and screen name indicate."--Chris Davies
"The FFML exists to judge the writing, not the writers."--Richard Lawson
"There was a recent case where a fanfic author put together his work with 
only another fanfic serving as his primary resource.  *I* started writing 
fanfiction that way, and consequently I never grew attached to this whole 
idea of remaining true to the original.  I call it "correction."--Reverend 
Prez

--Razorclaw X
Author: "Wheel of Fire", "The World's Worst Ranma Fanfic!", "The Geometry of 
Shattered Souls", "The Balance of Power".
"I sold my soul to buy a copy of the dubbed 'Ukyo Can Cook'"
"Pathetic authors beg for flames. Wait, that's me."


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com