New server at the college has been playing merry hell with the e-mail... so I'll try posting these 
again..

Chapter 6 - Secrets Revealed! Mousse Is...

"So, you can't drain my blood..." Mousse muttered, a grim smile on his lips. *Not that it does me much
good, seeing as I'm losing blood so fast - but at least I won't be on the menu..*
"Alright, I want you to tell me exactly why not," Akari stated in a calmly venomous voice.
"I don't see why I should tell you anything," he smiled back icily, noting the anxious glint to Akari's
eyes.
"I may not be able to drink your blood, but I can still kill you," she hissed, her eyes narrowing and
flashing dangerously as she drew the dagger.
"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" he snarled, drawing out several blades of his own.
*Of course, if I don't finish this soon, I'll have lost too much blood from these injuries - damn they
hurt! I just hope she fights worse than she does magic...* he thought to himself, already feeling
slightly faint from the blood loss.
*Damn, I forgot what a good martial artist he is! There has to be some trick I can pull to give me an
advantage - wait! I know!* Akari smiled slyly, picking up a vase, which had amazingly remained unscathed
during the explosion, with a tendril of blood. "You know, I have an even better idea," she said, grinning
at Mousse's shocked expression. "Either you tell me what I want to know, or I'll be having roast duck for
dinner tonight."
"Not a good idea, I'd probably poison you. Still, I guess there's nothing to lose..." Mousse said
thoughtfully, backing away a little. *It might even give me a chance to heal some of these wounds,* he
thought quickly, before clearing his throat. "*Ahem* You cannot drain my blood because of the events
which occurred 4000 years ago. At that time, the Amazon village of Joketsozoku was besieged by an evil
two-headed dragon. Many brave warriors died fighting the beast, until at last all hope seemed lost. In
desperation, the council of elders sent the brave male warrior Po Shin to beg help of the great soceress,
Ku Rim Pu of the mountain. She consented, on the condition that Po Shin become her husband, to which he
readily agreed. Ku Rim Pu destroyed one of the dragon's heads, and the dragon, sensing its impending
doom, pleaded for mercy. The villagers agreed to spare the dragon, on the condition that it live as a
mountain, using its powers to protect the area," Mousse paused and shifted his stance.
"Nice history lesson, but what does it have to do with here and now?" Akari asked acerbically.
"Po Shin and Ku Rim Pu became the spiritual protectors of Joketsozoku, and their children after them, and
their children after them, and so on to the present day. I am the latest in that line, the 88th protector
of Joketsozoku, and it is my duty to destroy any supernatural threat to the tribe or it's allies. That
included Ranma and Akane, much as I hate to say it," Mousse finished with a coldly venomous glare, noting
that he had managed to stop most of the internal bleeding.
"Well, in that case I'll settle for simply killing you, which will be much easier once you're a duck!"
Akari smiled unpleasantly, drawing back the vase and preparing to throw it over Mousse. Suddenly,
something small blurred through the air, striking the vase and causing it to shatter, the water inside
splashing uselessly on the floor.
"Sorry, but there'll be no more death in the dojo tonight," said a mysterious, yet vaguely familiar,
voice from the shadows. "Now I suggest you get lost, unless you want to spend the rest of your life in a
prison cell."
Akari noticed the faint sound of sirens, scowled, and disappeared into the night.
"Thanks," Mousse said to the mystery figure, glancing at the symbol engraved on the shuriken which lay
amongst the shattered remains of the vase. "Nabiki," he added softly, before keeling over to lay
unconscious on the floor.
"You're welcome, Mousse."

"Spatula-girl!" yelled Shampoo as she entered Ucchan's through the side wall, effectively scaring away
all but one of the morning crowd.
"Shampoo! What're you doing here you jackass?!" yelled Ukyo, grabbing her giant spatula.
"Y'know, there's a door not ten feet away. An useful invention, you might want to try it one day," added
Ryoga, slightly annoyed at having his first decent meal that week interrupted.
"Shampoo sorry," mumbled Shampoo, eyes downcast.
"What?" Ukyo nearly dropped her spatula in surprise.
"Huh?" Ryoga looked more closely at Shampoo. Her clothes were crumpled, her hair was tangled and her eyes
were red from... crying? Yes, definitely - he could make out the tear tracks on her cheeks, now that he
was looking more closely.
"Spatula-girl, lost-boy, Shampoo have big bad news to tell. Is both sitting down?"
"Tell us what's wrong sugar," Ukyo said quietly, sitting down.
"Airen.. Ranma... and Akane... is dead," Shampoo choked out quietly, lowering her head.
"No... no way..." gasped Ukyo.
"Shampoo no lie about this, spa - Ukyo."
"Ranchan and Akane-chan are... how did this happen?!" Ukyo yelled.
"Shampoo no sure, Ukyo and Ryoga come with to hospital and ask Mousse - uh, why Ryoga glowing?" Shampoo
blinked.
"A-Akane-san..." Ryoga muttered through clenched teeth, the sound catching in his throat. He squeezed his
tear-filled eyes shut against the pain, the sheer, unutterable pain of his broken heart, which had
shattered like glass on the rocks when he heard the dreadful news, that his Akane, his one true love, was
dead, and he had done nothing to stop it. The shards dug deeper, twisting into his very soul as the
secondary shock of Ranma's death hit him. Ranma Saotome, his worst friend and best enemy, was dead. The
overwhelming darkness of the emotions he was now feeling was too much, even for him, and it overflowed
the boundaries of his control, the depression rolling off him in waves, the negative ki barely contained,
coruscating like blue lightning around his body as it threatened to boil over - yet he felt no compulsion
to let it go.
Ukyo clicked into semi-professional mode immediately. "NO SHISHI HOKODANING IN THE RESTAURANT!!!" she
yelled, whacking Ryoga into the street with her spatula.
"Is no nice to do that to friend."
"Hey! You have no idea how expensive the repairs would be!"
"Um... it bad when Ryoga no release ki, right?"
"Right. Why do you ask?"
"He no releasing ki. Shampoo think he go boom soon," Shampoo replied, pointing to the intensely glowing
Ryoga.
Ukyo gasped and ran into the street, Shampoo close behind her. "Ryoga you jackass! Let it go!" she
yelled, reaching out to shake his shoulder. When her hand met his flesh however, it was like receiving an
electric shock. Ukyo froze as depression poured into her, stirring up her own emotions and thoughts about
what she had just learnt. Ranma, her one true love and life-time friend, had been the first person to see
her as a girl for ten years - and he liked her. He called her cute. He'd always referred to her as the
cute fiancee, and was always kind to her, no matter what, even when she was scheming or trying to break
him and Akane up. Akane, who was the closest thing she had to a real friend at Furinkan, other than
Ranma, even though they were both competitors for his heart. Out of all the fiancees and obsessed
stalkers Ranma had accumulated over the years, Akane and Ukyo were the only ones to be anything like
friends. There was Shampoo, but she was more of a some-time ally, most-time deadly enemy, and was only
barely civil when they teamed up. Ukyo felt like the ground had collapsed beneath her when she heard
about Ranma and Akane dying, and like she was now cast into a deep pit of despair. She wanted out, and
she suddenly knew how to get rid of at least some of that negative energy.
Shampoo blinked as she watched Ukyo freeze up, then grab onto Ryoga so that the pale blue glow surrounded
them both and grew in intensity. Shampoo realised with a start that their depression was combining to
create a double shishi hokodan - if they released it. She realised she wanted them to release it, rather
than blowing themselves up. She had already lost two people she cared about, she didn't want another two
of her friends leaving her.
Were Ukyo and Ryoga her friends? Yes, she supposed they were - or at least, the closest things she had to
friends in this damn country. Even in China, she didn't have any real friends as such. People respected
her as the strongest warrior of the tribe, and were at least civil - in fact, most people sucked up to
her, which was annoying as they were anything but subtle. The exception was Mousse, and she didn't want
to think about that right now... Anyway, everything had changed when she had followed Ranma to Nerima.
Here, people treated her like everyone else, rather than someone to be respected. In fact, Ranma and
Akane both started out treating her like a nuisance, someone to be got rid of as soon as possible. She
couldn't blame them for this attitude - after all, she had first seen Akane as an obstacle to be
eliminated, killed if necessary. Back then, she would have been glad to see Akane dead. But now...
Now, the fact that both Ranma and Akane were dead left her feeling like a black hole had been punched
into her heart, its cold wind howling across her soul, making it barren and bereft of all positive
emotions, leaving her with only pain and misery to feel. All night she had been crying, unable to sleep
for the tears and the nightmares, yet still her sadness was raw, stinging like a fresh wound to her soul.
Holding back the tears which threatened to overwhelm her once more, Shampoo grabbed onto her friends,
allowing her depression and ki to mix with theirs into a seething whole.
The three as one yearned for release from their emotions, and yelled to the empty sky as one voice,
"ULTIMATE SHISHI HOKODAN!!!!!!!"
A _HUGE_ pillar of blue-white ki shot miles up into the atmosphere, burning a hole in the cloud layer on
the way. On the ground below, the three teenagers sagged slightly, leaning against each other in the
silence. Moments later, the ki returned to earth, crashing into the ground and taking out all the
buildings for half a mile - except for Ucchan's, which remained miraculously unscathed. Ukyo, Ryoga and
Shampoo sighed, exhausted, and keeled over to sleep in the large crater they had created.

Chapter 7 - A Decision Is Made! The Wizard's Apprentices!

"Great-grandmother, we is here," said Shampoo, greeting Cologne as she entered Mousse's hospital room,
Ukyo and Ryoga following.
"Hello great-granddaughter, Kuonji and Hibiki. I am afraid Mousse is sleeping right now," Cologne
answered, looking over to where Mousse lay in the hospital bed, sleeping restlessly.
"Will he wake soon?" Shampoo asked as she and the others settled uncomfortably into the cold plastic
seats.
"I certainly hope so. He has a lot of explaining to do."
"Hey, old ghoul, what does Mousse have to do with all this?" asked Ryoga, frowning as he noted how many
bandages were covering Mousse's body. He started when Mousse's eyes cracked open.
"Don't worry Hibiki, I'll explain in a moment," Mousse said, then paused thoughtfully. "Although you
probably won't like what I've got to say."
"Hey sugar, we already know that Ranch - Ranma and Akane are dead. I doubt anything else you've got to
say is gonna shock us much," Ukyo said with a wry smile.
"Shampoo think maybe it will."
"Shampoo my love! Were you watching over me in my sleep?" Mousse asked eagerly.
"Stupid Mousse! Great-grandmother watch you while Shampoo get friends!"
"Oh. I see."
"Hey duck-boy, aren't we forgetting something?" Ryoga cut in pointedly.
"Sorry. Uh... how to explain.. um.. well, do you know of Hikaru Gosunkugi?"
"You mean the creepy little pale guy with a crush on Akane-san?" Ryoga asked surprisedly.
"That guy gives me the creeps with all that voodoo stuff, but he's really quite harmless. Why do you ask,
sugar?" asked Ukyo.
"Because he's dead to."
"Uh... good reason," Ukyo mumbled.
"He was the killer's first victim, and may possibly have been responsible for the method which they have
used on their victims so far."
"Mousse honey, has anyone ever told you that you speak weird?"
"What exactly do you mean?" Ryoga asked, frowning.
"I mean that the murderer used supernatural means which Gosunkugi taught them," Mousse said slowly.
"Oh. How do you know this?" asked Ukyo.
"Because I was there, obviously."
"Right. So why aren't you dead too?" asked Ryoga thoughtfully.
"Well I nearly was, but... uh..." Mousse thought for a moment, and decided not to let slip about Nabiki's
surprising prowess in the martial arts. "Luckily Kasumi had called the police, and the sirens scared the
killer away before they could finish me off." *Well, that's _almost_ the truth.*
"So, do you know who the killer was?" asked Ukyo. Shampoo stiffened slightly, saying nothing.
"Well, yes. I am sorry to say the killer was Akari Unryuu," Mousse stated unemotionally.
"Bwah?!" Ryoga said in shock. *Akari? But that doesn't make sense! Why would she have done
somethinglikethatmaybeit'smyfaultbutIhaven'tdoneanythingwronghaveI?*
"Uh... who?" Ukyo blinked.
"A girl who is very much in love with Ryoga," Mousse replied, noting that Ryoga had gone catatonic.
"But Ryoga loves - was in love with Akane!"
"Yes, I know. I think Akari found this out, and that caused her to get insanely jealous and use the black
arts to kill her rival for Ryoga's heart."
*OhmyGodit_is_myfaultbutwhatamIsupposedtodoandhowdidshefindoutohGodohGodwhatcanIDO?!*
"And Ranma just got in the way. There's still one thing I don't understand, Mousse," Ukyo said, looking
at him solemnly. "Why were you there at the same time?"
"Uh... that one's going to take a bit of explanation..."

Outside in the starkly-lit corridor, a young man in a kendo outfit moved away from the door and walked
slowly, thoughtfully along.
"It would seem my twisted sister was correct," he mused, remembering the odd phone-call he had received
early that morning from his sister Kodachi, warning of the suspicious actions of the peasant Akari
Unryuu, and less importantly, her decision to marry some Cory-sama she had met during her... unscheduled
flight to America. "Sasuke!" he snapped, pulling one of the many notes he had consequently prepared for
this situation from his breast-pocket as he reached a quick decision.
*CLANG*
"Yes, master Kuno?" the small, monkey-like ninja asked, popping his head out of a ventilation duct in the
wall.
"LEARN TO USE A DOOR and deliver this to Nabiki Tendo in one hour," Tatewaki Kuno said, handing his
black-clad servant the note.
"Of course, master Kuno. Uh... master Kuno?" Sasuke quavered.
"What?"
"Is there a reason for the delay?"
"Yes."
"Um.. what is it?"
"What?"
"The reason for the delay."
"That I cannot say unto thou. All that I willst say is that thy curiosity willst be satiated whereupon
Nabiki Tendo, whom thou shalt heretofore address as mistress Tendo in thy most servile manner, opens my
missive in that one hour's time and not upon any occasion prior to that time. Do I make my meaning
clear?"
*As a muddy puddle!* "I think so, master Kuno."
"Very good. Farewell, faithful Sasuke," Kuno said, turning to leave, then pausing as a thought seemed to
strike him. "Oh, and Sasuke?"
"Yes, master Kuno?"
"Don't forget to do the laundry."

"You're saying that you're a male version of Devil Hunter Yoko?" Ukyo asked incredulously.
"Who?" Mousse blinked.
"Popular anime character who inherited the family business of devil-hunting by staying a virgin until her
sixteenth birthday," muttered Ryoga in a far-away voice, saying his first sentence in the last five
minutes.
"Er.. right... something like that, only without the age and.. other limits," Mousse said, blushing.
"Well then sugar, since you're the only one who can beat this Akari person, what do you plan on doing
next?" asked Ukyo.
"I.. I don't think... that is..." Mousse muttered, looking pained, then sighed as he reached a decision.
"Considering the recent events, and the wounds I received, I don't think I can defeat Akari Unryuu alone.
I am reluctant to ask this of you, my friends, and will understand if you refuse, but I was wondering if
any of you could possibly, uh, help me defeat her?"
"Shampoo help."
"Count me in too, sugar," added Ukyo, smiling grimly.
"Naturally I will accompany you to oversee the training necessary prior to any confrontation," stated
Cologne.
"Let me rephrase my earlier comment: you all speak weird!"
"I'll help, but... are you certain it was Akari?" Ryoga asked quietly.
Mousse paused, looking into Ryoga's intense, pleading eyes and steeling homself for any response. "Yes.
Thanks to Gosunkugi's memory I was able to recognise her despite the white hair and swirls of living
blood."
*SILENCE*
"'White hair'? 'Swirls of living blood'?! WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?!!" Ryoga yelled, leaping out of his
seat.
"Uh..."
"How did you read Gosunkugi's memory, sugar?"
"Well, I just put my hand on his forehead and -"
"I thought he was dead!"
"He was."
"Yuck!"
"Hey! Ranma _kissed_ Akane when she was dead!"
"EEWW!! I _so_ did _not_ need to know that!"
"Well, it sounds kinda romantic to me," put in Ryoga. "Now explain the swirls of living blood."
"*Sigh* I can see this is going to take a lot of training," muttered Cologne.
*What have I let myself in for?* thought Mousse as he attempted to explain things to Ryoga and Ukyo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Member 30 of SSoAGMA, Deadly Everyday Object Weaponry Technique, Dragon Warrior Style
Mousse no miku; Generally dangerous English otaku; Supporter of cliched pairs;
Member of the Chan club; WoS; SCG; COURT; SOotCiP;CotMHW - Launderer of the Robes of Death;
Head Castrator of the Hotnit Feminisation Project; Keeper of the Moneybags for the Hotnit Fan Club;
4th Gen. EOE; Image Consultant For "That Guy"; #WASHU#;AKPReSS, Gen. Div.; SLAP;
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Coming soon to list near you.. the legendary 50 foot sig of Team Chan !
"I just went to Germany, and all I got was this lousy sig!"