Well since tonight finishes the weeks repost session, I figured I'd
also repost the new part for those of you who didn't get it last
Saturday.
Legal: The characters of Ranma � were created by the great Rumiko
Takahashi.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of
entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that
desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com
--------
A Ranma � Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part seven
Ranma scowled as he ran his pencil over the equations filling
the notepad he was holding as he walked along the fence by the canal.
Akane scowled at the ground as she paced beside him on the sidewalk.
Behind the pair Nabiki strode with a smile on her face and a spring in
her step
"Are you sure you want to retire from gymnastics so soon?"
Nabiki asked with a grin.
"Yes." Ranma said, in an intense icy voice.
"I could have beaten her." Akane softly declared.
"Ah but you and Shampoo were too busy." Nabiki mirthfully
proclaimed to her sister.
"Ranma! Please warn that girl that there is a limit to what
I'll tolerate from my family!" Akane declared, cracking her knuckles
menacingly.
"Calm down Sis, I'm not going to say a word about this to
anyone." Nabiki said raising her hands in a consoling gesture.
Akane crossed her arms and increased her pace slightly. Ranma
jumped down from the end of the fence and joined her. Nabiki looked at
the pair walking together, and scowled for a moment.
The student's looked at the figure standing in front of
Furinkan High School's main gate. A ragged light brown cloak obscured
his whole appearance, however in the shadows beneath the hood, his red
eyes were visible, almost seeming to glow dimly. He had an unfocused
air about him, suddenly it vanished as he looked down the street where
Ranma and the two Tendo sisters were approaching at a slow run. He
smiled slightly "Ranma!" he said as he walked forward at a casual
pace.
Ranma looked at the figure approaching and slowed to a walk.
"Ryouga," He glanced at Akane and Nabiki who had slowed down glancing
at the Ranma and the cloaked figure with puzzled expressions. "Get to
class, this doesn't concern you."
With a short almost cruel laugh Ryouga spread his arms. "Come
come, you've had a long time to prepare for this day." Grinning he
added, "I hope you've taken advantage of that gift of time." He
brought his hands together before his chest, then lowered them as he
glanced behind him with a scowl.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno shouted as he charged from the school,
boken held high. "Today is the day you shall truly feel heavens wrath
for your misdeeds! I Tatewake Kuno," He paused as Ryouga suddenly put
out his hand blocking his path. "And who are you to dare interfere
with the great Tatewaki Kuno?"
"This isn't your business. Go before you get hurt."
"You dare take such a tone with the Blue Thunder of Furinkan
High!? I shall�"
With a slight twist a the waist, Ryouga slammed an open palmed
strike into Kuno's midsection. The kendoist was thrown backward,
rolling to a halt just before Furinkan's entrance. "Now Ranma."
Ryouga said coolly, bringing his hands back in front of his chest.
"Ranma�" Nabiki began to ask, suddenly she felt him grab her by
the waist.
"Hey!" Akane commented as Ranma grabbed her. She clenched her
fist, then relaxed it as she stared at Ryouga.
Ryouga's hands had suddenly become engulfed in a fiery black
streaked blue aura. Lightning seemed to pour from his palms forming
into a black sphere with a speck of brilliant light in it's center.
"Goodbye, Ranma," Ryouga said as he thrust his hands forward.
Nabiki screamed at the sight of the stream of mixed dark and
bright energy surging at her and her two companions, then her scream
shifted as Ranma jumped, right at Ryouga.
Ryoga jumped forward after his initial attack, his hands curled
like claws, his aura surging like a fire from them. Ranma avoided the
first attack by ducking his feet to his chest, and the second he
avoided with a pivot that allowed Ryouga to move past him. Kicking at
Ryouga's back, Ranma used his enemy as a springboard to throw himself
and the two sisters in his arms to the School wall. He bounced from
the top of the wall to the schoolyard just as a blast from Ryouga
shattered said wall to rubble.
As he landed Ranma released both girls. "Get clear!" He said,
jumping away from them.
Both Akane and Nabiki looked after him a moment, then with a
scowl Akane declared, "Hey, I'm not some helpless child!" She took a
step toward where Ranma was now standing in a defensive stance near the
hole in the wall, stopping as she felt Nabiki grab her shoulder.
"Sis think! This isn't some love sick member of your fan club,
this guy can shoot fireballs!"
"I'm not going too�"
Ryouga surged through the smashed section of wall. Seeing
Ranma, he grabbed his cloak and tossed it aside. With a cry he leaped
toward Ranma. As he landed he spun into a roundhouse kick which Ranma
ducked under. Lowering his kicking leg Ryouga hooked it back, almost
catching Ranma's shirt as he stepped back out of range. Stepping
forward Ryouga started lashing out with his fists. Ranma slid back
slightly, blocking and dodging the flurry of punches. Ryouga followed
up a failed two handed strike with a fast straight kick at Ranma's
chest.
Ranma sidestepped it, and jumped back, swinging his own foot to
smash into Ryouga's chin as he back flipped five feet from his
opponent.
"Still good with the defense I see." Ryouga commented smiling
thinly. "Not that it'll do more than delay the inevitable." He
stepped forward, his arms beginning to burn with their aura again.
Ryouga began lashing out like a hurricane, advancing in pace
with Ranma's retreat. Every blow struck only air, pushing it at the
building which was cracking under the impact. Ranma sudenly dodged to
the side, striking a blurred fist into Ryouga's side. As Ryouga half
staggered to the side he lashed out with a knifehand strike. Ranma
jumped back. Glancing down he saw that the missed blow had cut open
the front of his shirt. *Not good. Gotta be careful. OH NO!*
Looking past Ryouga he just kept shock and fear from rising to his
face.
"YAAH!" Akane called as she jumped in and spun into a kick to
Ryouga's face. His attention focused on Ranma Ryouga fell back from
the unexpected blow. Following him Akane slammed a fist into his
solar plexus and knocked him onto his back with an uppercut. "Ignore
me will you?!"
Ryouga rolled to his feet. He narrowed his eyes. Then he
shifted his stance as Ranma jumped in lashing out with a series of fast
kicks and punches. "Get out of the way Akane!"
"No way!" Akane shouted as she charged in at Ryouga. "I'm�"
Crossing his arms together before him, Ryouga explosively
lashed out to both sides with a fierce shout. A great wall of air
slammed into his opponents with the force of a battering ram. Ranma
was pushed back, his feet gouging two seven foot long groves into the
ground. Akane was thrown into the air, to land and roll to a stop
fifteen feet away. As she pushed herself to her knees, Ryouga raised
his hands, his aura once again blazing from elbow to fingertip.
"Look out!" Ranma called as Ryouga half stepped toward Akane,
thrusting his hands forward. Power exploded from his hands and surged
at Akane like a tidal wave.
Ranma jumped in kicking at Ryouga, this time his opponent
dodged. Pivoting Ryouga raised his fist and hit Ranma straight on.
Ranma was thrown back , smashing into the side of the school, forming a
crater. Ryouga ran in after him, his finishing blow sinking into the
wall to the elbow as Ranma ducked under it and jumped away.
Akane watched the wall of power coming at her, then felt an arm
grab her waist and felt herself pulled along as the arms owner jumped
out of the blasts path. Glancing up she saw Shampoo's purple mane
blown by the winds. "Akane be careful." Shampoo said as she landed.
"This too tough opponent." Putting Akane down she looked at where the
battle continued.
"Shampoo! We've got to help Ranma!" Akane said starting
toward the two fighters, stopping as Shampoo raised a hand before her.
"We help, but not by charge in stupid. We watch fight, and
help so Ranma not get hit because distracted." Akane's cheeks colored,
but she simply looked at Ranma and Ryouga.
Ranma backed away from Ryouga, arms raised before him. His
eyes rested on his watch a moment, then all his attention returned to
Ryouga. Who was walking toward him, with the casual movement and
smirking face of someone filled with absolute confidence.
Ranma slid his foot back, dropping into a solid defensive
stance. He raised his hands to an onguard position, his eyes pausing
imperceptibly on his wristwatch. *Seven minutes.*
Ryouga charged forward, lashing forward with a glowing
spear-hand as he entered range. Ranma stepped backward and to the
side, avoiding the blow. Ryouga jumped into a spinning kick. Ranma
pulled just out of the way, but the air pressure of the blow threw him
back ten feet.
Raising his hands, Ryouga formed a sphere of black power in his
right hand and released it at Ranma in an instant, following it with
eight more such blasts in rapid succession.
Ranma saw Ryouga's attack, and set himself, raising his hands
before him. He centered his breathing in absolute concentration as
Ryouga's barrage impacted with a series of explosions.
"Heh, too easy." Ryouga commented with a smirk. Then he
blinked as the smoke cleared, revealing Ranma who's slightly scorched
appearance was the only visible damage.
Ryouga looked at the greenish yellow glow fading from around
Ranma's hands. "Well, I see you've actually learned a minor trick."
"Give me a month or two and you'll be really surprised." Ranma
responded.
"Tempting, but no. Your death is my obligation and Hibiki's
sense of direction has delayed it too long." Ryouga walked
purposefully toward Ranma, power crackling along his arms. Ranma
raised his hands in preparation. *Four minutes.*
Ryouga charged forward, and Ranma leaped back in response.
Ryouga fired a blast beyond Ranma, who jumped to the side to avoid the
blast. Ryouga fired another shot at Ranma's landing point, but Ranma
had already jumped in at him.
Ranma kicked as he reached Ryouga, who staggered back two paces
from the impact. Ranma continued forward, bombarding Ryouga with a
dozen fast punches.
Ryouga ignored the attacks, concentrating instead on lashing
out with his own attacks. Ranma was just able to avoid the first two
punches Ryouga threw. Then the third blow glanced off Ranma's side,
hurling him to the ground fifteen feet away.
Ryouga shifted his attention to the right, just as Akane
stepped in and slammed a spinning kick into his side. He staggered
back from her, raising his hands in preparation to attack, then was
thrown back at her by a strong blow from behind. Akane met his stagger
forward with a fast uppercut knocking him to the ground. He barely had
time to feel the ground against his back when two bonbori maces smashed
down on him.
Ranma pulled himself back to his feet, feeling where Ryouga's
punch had tried to obliterate his ribcage.
Shampoo jumped back from Ryouga, landing by Akane.
"That should do it." Akane stated.
"No be sure, Shampoo remember this one. Fought Ranma near
village. Great Grandmother say he demon, Ranma say not."
With a snarl Ryouga shook his head. The two girls focused
their attention back on their opponent, who raised his hands, then
slammed his palms into the ground. The force of the strike set Akane
and Shampoo staggering backward a few steps, and tossed Ryouga into the
air. With a quick twist of his body he landed in a crouch, then rose
to a full standing position.
"Uh oh." Akane commented as she looked at Ryouga, who's entire
body was burning with a black laced aura.
Ryouga narrowed his eyes angrily at the two girls. Then he
glanced at Ranma. His eyes could see the Chi circulating through
Ranma, and from the world into Ranma. He knew that in a few moments
his opponent would have his pain and weakness almost completely
suppressed. *Time to finish this.* He stepped toward the girls,
swinging his hands through a fast circling pattern. The trailing
remnants of the auras of his hands, met forming a spiral pattern which
exploded into a sideways tornado. Ryouga was pushed back five feet by
the recoil, while Akane and Shampoo were both thrown into the air.
Ryouga turned to where Ranma was standing. The two looked each
other in the eye. Ryouga clenched both fists, and snarled as his aura
blazed with growing fury.
"RAAAAAA!!" Ryouga moved forward like a bullet from a gun.
Ranma slid back toward the corner, but as Ryouga reached him he
pivoted, swinging his foot in a rising kick which blasted Ranma into
the air.
Ranma landed and rolled to his feet.
Ryouga charged in, swinging a roundhouse punch as he reached
his opponent.
Ranma ducked right and very low, swinging his foot to sweep
Ryouga's legs.
Ryouga leaped over the attacking leg, rolling in the air once
before landing behind Ranma. He immediately pivoted swinging his kick
in a backward hook.
Ranma rolled forward into a handstand and pushed off spiraling
in midair to land facing Ryouga. He fought to keep his breathing under
control and hide his glance at his watch.
Ryouga moved forward like he was floating above the ground, his
arms drawn back to his sides. He struck with both palms, the energy
enveloping them exploding at Ranma like a battering ram.
Ranma was thrown to the ground. His vision lost all clarity
for a moment, then snapped into focus as Ryouga grabbed him by his
shirt.
Ryouga hoisted Ranma into the air with his left hand. Smiling
he looked into his opponents face. "Pretty good kid. You still know
how to delay me. But this time nothing's going to save you at the last
minute. It's time for you to die."
There was a slight hissing sound from all around. Ryouga
frowned and glanced at the ground, from which the black sprinkler-heads
were rising like mushrooms. "NO!!" He reared up his right hand in
preparation for a deathblow.
Ranma fell to the ground staring unfocused into the sky. She
closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Raising her head she looked at
the black piglet siting on her stomach. "Hey Ryouga, you back in
charge?"
The piglet looked at her and nodded.
"Good," she responded, giving him a quick rub by his bandana.
Cradling the pig in one arm she pulled herself to her feet.
"Who was that?" Nabiki asked as Ranma limped into the school.
Ranma looked at Nabiki, then at her watch. "Aren't you late
for class?"
"Ah yes, trying to learn more about a fireball shooting psycho
who almost killed me and my little sister rather than learn how to
spell 'library'. Where are my priorities?"
Ranma sighed. He looked at Nabiki, and considered his
options{TELL NO ONE}. "Alright, the short version, that was an old
friend of mine named Ryouga Hibiki. A few years ago there was an
accident at a Lemurian site he was helping me explore and he went a bit
nuts."
"Kuno's a bit nuts. That guy's an emesary of planet loony."
"Look it's not that big a deal! I know how to deal with him,
and since that accident left him even more lost than he was before I
don't have to deal with him often."
Nabiki watched Ranma storm impatiently paste her into the
school building. "He's hiding something. And is he ever a rotten
liar." Shaking her head she walked to her own class.
"So Ryouga follows you to this ancient Lemming temple." Akane
commented scheptically
"Lemurian."
"And then he went nuts, started running around trying to kill
you and you haven't tried to stop him?"
"I've been studying what happened to him, and I think I've
almost figured out a cure."
"None of which explains the fireballs." Nabiki interjected.
Ranma glanced at her. Raising his hand, he tightened the grip,
concentrating, then a fiery aura formed around the appendage, with a
ball of blue forming within his clutching fingers. "Heavy chi." He
commented before tossing the newly formed fireball into the ground,
where it detonated forming a small crater. "Ryouga and I found a
scroll explaining the principle a few years ago. It's a short-cut
method for generating Chi augmented atmospheric projectiles using heavy
emotion as a catalyst and control mechanism." Ranma turned to glance
back, then back farther to where his three walking companions had
stopped to look at the crater where his blast had fallen. "Is anything
wrong?"
"You just... How did you do that?" Akane asked.
"Great-Grandmother never mention Ranma know thing like this."
"I told you, it's a technique that was described on a scroll
Ryouga and I found a few years ago. It's simply a question of
syncronising chi with emotion and focusing the wave intersection to one
point."
"I see, and does that mean anything in Japanese?" Nabiki
responded.
Ranma sighed. "You make yourself feel miserable, you
concentrate your misery into a ball, you throw it at something, boom."
He shook his head. "Modifying it to work with confidence, anger,
curiosity etc wasn't difficult, but I'm still trying to crack the
problem of doing it without using emotion as a catalyst." He closed
his eyes and shook his head. Then brought up a hand to stroke his
chin. "Hmm, wait, if the curve went like that instead of... two N X
pi cubed! That could be it!" Pivoting he started down the road at a
run, slowing to leap from the street to a fencetop then onto the roofs,
where he proceded to bounce across town straight toward the Saotome
house.
"OOH! Just when I think he's not really talking down to me, he
pulls something like this!"
"Shampoo think she know what Akane mean, but Ranma always
talked that way about not-really-demon-boy."
Nabiki walked up by the pair and added, "You do realise that
he's lying, don't you?"
Akane and Shampoo slowed and looked at Nabiki. "Why Nabiki say
that? Ranma very honest, have trouble often because not think not say
wrong truth."
"I might not know Ranma but I know how to tell when people are
trying to hide something, and Ranma was definately trying to hide
something about Ryouga."
"Do you have any idea what it is?" Akane asked.
"Not really, I think it had something to do with that Lemurian
Chi whatever it was, and I couldn't make heads or tails of that."
"Great grandmother very wise, and she confused by lecture on
Le... Lam... L-word Chi Techno-something."
The three girls walked in silence.
"How will we figure out what Ranma's hiding? Nabiki commented
thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers. "Noriko."
Akane glanced at her sister. "Um, does she know very much more
lemming whatever it was Ranma was talking about."
"She'd probably know a little more from having to listen to him
talk about it at home, but what's important is that she really knows
Ranma." Nabiki contemplated the cannal for a moment. "We'll wouln't
want to get Ranma defensive untill we know what he's geting defensive
about, so perhapse I ought to write up a note and have you give it to
Noriko tonight." She said, glancing at Shampoo.
"Shampoo can do that, but not think it necessary. Ranma took
Shampoo on date once, had good time, then Ranma get idea, start drawing
circles and lines on paper, and so busy study paper he not notice when
Shampoo went home!" Shampoo scowled . "Ranma appologise two day
later, but Shampoo know Noriko make him."
Nabiki and Akane glanced at Shampoo with scowles of their own.
"So Ranma dated you in China?" Akane asked.
Shaking her head, Shampoo replied, "Ranma feel it way to repay
hospitality." She grined. "Ranma very stupid about romantic stuff, so
Noriko plan everything." She giggled. "Noriko very mad at Ranma after
hear what happen."
Ranma double checked his modifications to the sprinklers in the
room. He double checked the super soaker and small water pistol he
tied to his wrist. He looked over the room. Nine inches of water
covered the floor, with this raft floating in the center. Puting
Ryouga on the seat of the larger chair, he diped a cupfull of water
from the suroundings. Igniting a burner from a small propane tank, he
heated the water a few moments, then turned off the fire. Glancing at
the tables on both sides of the chair the pig sat on, he nodded to
himself and poured the water onto Ryouga.
Looking at Ranma from under his driping wet bangs, Ryouga
commented, "Took you long enough." With a scowl he stood, took the
cotton robe brom the table to his left and put it on.
Ranma simply picked up the small circular devices from the
table, and attached two to Ryouga's temples with white tape circles.
"Some things just can't be rushed. Don't move, I already told you
about these sensors."
"I know your brilliance! Pigs aren't deaf, and neither am I.
So how long will it take for you to get this thing out of me?"
Ranma sighed as he attached the final set of sensors to the
back of Ryouga's hands. "Ryouga, I want to get you exorcised as badly
as you do, but the Lemurian formulas are almost as tough to crack as
Navaho codetalk. A few friends of mine at the University have been
piecing linguistics together, but until they've gotten a better handle
on it, I'm stuck with what I've been able to find on my own." Looking
at the cobled together apparatus on the table, he turned a few dials
and noded to himself. "Ok. Any luck timing your resistance?"
"I don't exactly carry a watch you know," Ryouga growled as he
sat back, folding his arms. "I can tell you that the longest I've been
a pig is one week, and I never felt any of that preassure. Also a week
ago some chief tried to make boiled pork out of me, the lousy, rotten,
after you get me fixed up I'm going to find him and..."
"Focus, Ryouga."
"Ahem, sorry." Ryouga angrily punched his right fist into his
left palm. Closing his fingers to rub his fist he said, "There was a
clock in the kitchen, and it was something like five fifty. And when I
lost it, I could hear some bells nearby chiming six." He looked down
at his hands, mutering angrily under his breath.
"I see," Ranma commented as he double checked the readings.
"Do you remember the ShiShiHokodan?"
"Of course I remember it! I also remember everything that my
body does while you know who's in control. What about it?"
"Look, I set up a target on that wall, could you hit it with a
small ShiShiHokodan?"
Ryouga looked at the metal disk on the wall, surounded by two
yellow rings, and looked at Ranma. "Didn't you say that exciting the
flow of Chi through my body might speed up my loosing control?"
"May. And that's why you've got those sensors on. If I can
figure out what hapens when he takes over and what happens when your
normal, I'll be that much closer to being able to get rid of him."
Ranma paused to heft his supersoaker. "Don't worry, I'm prepaired."
"Your not the one who turns into the favorite dinner of most of
the world." Ryouga muttered as he stood. He shifted into a wide
stance, and raised his hands before him. Concentrating, he began to
shine a feirce blue light. His aura concentrated in his hands, where a
sphere of blue energy formed.
"It doesn't need to be too big," Ranma commented.
Ryouga directed an annoyed look at him, then refocused his
attention on the target. The ball between his hands shone brighter.
"SHI-SHI-HOKODAN!!"
Ranma looked at the wall where Ryouga's chi blast had struck.
Right in the middle of the target. The metal plate was surrounded by a
network of cracks, and the plate itself was imbeded almost flush with
the wall. *Either the alloy and converting system didn't work right or
Ryouga's even stronger than I though.*
"Ahhrh," Ryouga muttered as he flinched, grasping raising his
left hand to rub at his forehead.
"Preasure?"
"Yeah, it's not overpowering yet, but it's starting and it's,
Urrrgh, Quit it!"
Ranma shifted the supersoaker in his hand, and circled to the
table by Ryouga, and looked down at the dials. "Try holding back the
flow of your chi through your lung meridian."
"Huh, Whaa? Gaaah."
Ranma grabed Ryouga's arm at the wrist. "Feel this?" he asked
as he started tapping a point on the inside of Ryouga's wrist. "Feel
the resonence and try to stop it!"
Ryouga snarled to himself, and took on a look of intense
concentration.
Ranma's finger continued to tap, once per second.
Five taps.
Ten taps.
Twelve. Ryouga's arm twisted as his hand grabed Ranma's arm.
His head came up, a black fire blazing in his eyes, his lips pulled
tight in a beatial snarl.
Ranma pulled the triger on the supersoaker in his left hand.
"You spotted it too?" Noriko commented as looked into the
empty bag of potato chips she held. Rolling it into a ball she
casually bounced it off the wall into the wastebasket on the other side
of her desk.
"I'm good at that sort of thing." Nabiki responded.glancing up
at the girl on the bed. She Akane and Shampoo were siting on the floor
in a semicircle.
"Do you know what he's hiding?" Akane asked with a slightly
annoyed voice.
"Not yet. Ranma's done a bit better job of keeping this secret
than most of his others." She shook her head. "He even started using
this encryption thingy on his computer using Egyptian Highroglyphs."
"What crypt?"
"Encryption Shampoo, it means a code. And he knows I'm better
with codes, so he used Highroglyphs to keep me from breaking it."
Nabiki glanced at Noriko. "You spy on your brother?"
"He needs to be spyed on. He's mister wizard with Martial arts
and scientific stuff, but he's a total moron with everything really
important."