"Hold up, Ranma!" Ukyo said as she grabbed his muscular arm, "you
can't..." Her
words were cut off as he wrenched himself free of her grip. She stumbled
backward for a
bit before regaining her balance as he bounded off into the distance, moving
faster than she
had ever seen him before.
//Great, just great,\\ she thought as the people on the sidewalk
passed her by. What
was she going to do now? Should she follow him? //Of course I would.\\ He
may not have
loved her the way she wanted, but she would still follow him. There was no
telling what
he could be getting himself into. But what about the others?
Ordinarily, she would have just charged on ahead and hoped the
others didn't find
out. The prospect of having so much time with Ranma all to herself was a
seductive one,
even now. But, times had changed. If Ranma was right, and stranger things HAD
happened, then he would need all the help he could get.
Almost reluctantly, Ukyo turned around to find the others. After
all, she knew where
he was headed.
======================================
"Good," the old man said, "he is coming." The cursed springs of
Jusenkyou
surrounded him on all sides, the small pools of mystical water lying still
and peaceful in
their respective positions. Soon, that would change.
He looked over to the smoking remains of the small shed that had
held Jusenkyou's
guardians for generations. The fat one and his daughter had made for a
satisfying
diversion, their screams as their home burned around them nothing short of
delightful. The
Chinese government considered a post at Jusenkyou to be mere busy work, as
nobody
who really knew the legends of the place and had a modicum of sanity would
ever go near
it. As such, they sent men who truly didn't comprehend the power that was
sealed here.
With that obstacle out of the way, he had sent his newest soldier to
take care of the
other block, the Joketsuzoku. They were the real guardians of Jusenkyou, not
that
overweight fool and his child. They knew the truth about the pools, about
their birth, and
had pledged themselves to protect it. However, after so many centuries, the
true impact of
it had become lost in the mists of time and was almost forgotten.
The sounds of battle reached his ears, battle cries and shouted
commands mixing
with screams and howls of his newly-raised army to form a symphony of death
and chaos.
It would be over soon as the once-mighty amazons joined ranks with his force. By
nightfall, all would be in readiness.
Smiling, he cast his gaze to the soulstone that had been placed atop
the Nyannichuan
mere hours ago, joining it's hundreds of brothers atop their respective
poles. All those
souls, all that power, acquired over the span of centuries, gave him a
shiver of excitement
as he thought about the infinitely greater power about to be unleashed. That
same power
had kept him alive all those years, commanding him to gather the souls until
the day came
when the fruits of his labor could be reaped.
Now, all that was left was for that boy to come. Ranma wasn't
necessary for
completion of his work but he had helped bring it this far, however
unwittingly, and
deserved to be the first mortal to see just what it was all for.
===========================================
"I'm tellin' ya," Ranma growled at the hulking man standing before
him on the ramp
to the trawler, "LET ME ON!"
"An' I'm tellin' you, shrimp," he replied, "FUCK OFF!" The man,
Ranma assumed he
was the captain of the ship, took a menacing step forward. A stained shirt
adorned his
barrel chest, arms thicker than Ranma's legs bringing ham-sized fists to bear.
"You asked for it, pal," Ranma said, raising his own fists.
"Ah, this is gonna be good!" the captain bellowed between gales of
laughter. Furious,
Ranma sent his right fist rocketing forward into the captain's forehead.
To the surprise and awe of the assembled crew, the captain flew
backward to land
hard on his head. As he rose, Ranma made his way onto the deck of the
fishing trawler.
"Had enough?" Ranma asked.
"Boy," the captain growled, "I ain't even got started!" With an
unintelligible yell, he
charged Ranma with the intent of pounding him into the deck of the ship. NOBODY
humiliated Kazuhiro Murasaki in front of his crew, and on his own ship!
The blows landed so fast, none of the assembled sailors could track
them. Their
captain was rocked backward by the incredible fury of the kid trying to
board, fists and
feet flying with inhuman speed. After a few seconds of high-speed pounding,
the captain
was sent sailing backward into the side of the cabin. Groaning, he slumped
to the deck as
his crew took a few wary steps back.
"So when do we leave?" Ranma snarled dangerously, cracking his knuckles.
"Weigh anchor!" the captain shouted with as much dignity as he could
muster, "Bring
us about and set for China!" The crew was shocked out of their dumbfounded
state,
snapping to execute his orders.
He looked up at the kid who had beaten the hell out of him with a
certain grudging
respect. "You ride on my ship, you pull your own weight, got that?"
"Fine," Ranma said. "What do I do?"
"The crew'll show you," he said as he regained his feet. "Chow's at
1900 hours."
Without a reply, Ranma set off to find the nearest crewman.
"Goddamn kid," he snarled, "can't wait till he gets off my ship."
======================================
"He went where?" Genma asked, nearly stumbling over his own tongue.
"He said he was going to Jusenkyou," Ukyo repeated. "He said Akane
was there."
"How does he know that?" Nabiki asked with a frown.
"Don't ask me," Ukyo replied, "we gotta go find him!"
"My daughter is in danger," Soun said, tears conspicuously absent,
"I will not allow
it!" Soun charged out of the restaurant, a small cloud of dust trailing
behind him.
"Well, that settles that," Cologne said, "we're going." She just
wasn't sure what
they'd find when they got there.
======================================
The Sea of Japan seemed to be an endless expanse of black stretching
into infinity as
Ranma stood at the ship's bow. It had been steaming along at a stately
twenty knots, not
that he would have cared. His thoughts lay on the shore just beyond the horizon.
He was alone on the deck, which was fine by him. In the mess hall,
none of the other
sailors would even look at him, chattering amongst themselves as if he
hadn't even been
there. Not that he had cared, he wouldn't have spoken to them anyway.
Ranma didn't stop to wonder if the dream was any more than his mind
playing tricks
on him. He was certain Akane was being held at Jusenkyou, and that the old
man was
calling him for a showdown. Part of him kept insisting that it was a trap,
which was also
fine by him. He had walked into traps before, and had always fought his way out.
//But that old guy is one tough son of a bitch,\\ that part of him
returned.
//Remember how he trounced you in the dojo?\\
Ranma silenced that annoying voice. He hadn't been ready for the old
bastard then,
but he was more than ready now. If that bald freak wanted a fight, he'd get
one he'd never
forget.
======================================
Nodoka Saotome stood on the bow of the forty-foot yacht overlooking
the same
scene that Ranma was several hours ahead. She had never set foot off Japan's
shores
before, and had learned unceremoniously that she indeed had no sea legs. The
nausea had
passed, but still lurked behind the scenes ready to burst out at any time.
Genma had tried to get her to stay behind with Nabiki in case Kasumi
woke up while
they were gone, but she would have none of it. She had told her husband, in
no uncertain
terms, that Ranma was her son, and that she would go to him in his time of
need. He had
backed down in record time. She didn't carry the family blade around just
for show, after
all.
"Penny for your thoughts," came a parchment voice from the shadows
behind her.
Nodoka started violently, whirling to face Cologne. The elder woman was
perched on her
cane, mane of snowy hair stirring in the slight salt breeze.
"And I thought Ranma had been joking when he told me about you,"
Nodoka said as
her heart gradually clamed down. Cologne said nothing, merely hopping over
to the
railing. She dismounted her cane, standing on the top metal bar.
"We will not catch up with Ranma until sometime tomorrow," Cologne
said as she
stared out into the night.
"Why can we not simply go at full speed?" Nodoka asked in reply, "we
would catch
up to him sooner."
"This boat was not made to travel at full speed for a prolonged
distance," Cologne
answered. "Besides, we know where he is headed."
"Those gems you gave the owners looked very expensive," Nodoka said
conversationally. "Nabiki said she could get that Kuno boy to ferry us for
free."
"I would rather part with a few trinkets than put up with that
blustering moron,"
Cologne snorted. "Also, you weren't there the last time he captained a voyage."
Nodoka had heard the story of how they had wound up on Togenkyo and
of the
battle with Prince Toma. It had been an incredible tale, but not the first
of such that
revolved around her son. However this was no story that he was telling her
and that
Genma was embellishing. This was happening right before her, and she was
directly
involved.
"What has he done?" she asked, a question that had been plaguing her
since the battle
on the roof.
"Something stupid," Cologne said in reply, "something dangerous."
==================================
The port town of Xing Hua was not unlike many others on the coast of
China. A
small fishing village established sometime in the eighteen hundreds or so,
it had always
been populated with sailors and fishermen who made their living on the
water. The streets
were still mainly dirt, with one paved road leading off into the forested
distance.
Ramshackle houses and taverns lined the thoroughfares, with shouts and
bellows of
laughter echoing everywhere.
The luxury cruiser had drawn more than a few curious stares, the
sleek ship in
startling contrast to the filthy diesels already in port. Even stranger were
the Japanese who
were casting off lines to tie up the ship. The dockmaster, a man in filthy
overalls with hair
to match, glared at the boat with suspicion in his eyes. Just what were a
bunch of Japs
doing here?
He almost yelled for them to shove off when a diminutive form leapt
off the ship. the
dockmaster found himself staring into a pair of the hardest eyes he had ever
beheld, eyes
belonging to none other than Khu Lon herself. Swallowing past the lump in
his throat, he
shouted for a few men to tie off the boat. The citizens of Xing Hua knew of the
Joketsuzoku, and gave them as wide a berth as they desired. When one came to
town, she
was treated with utmost respect. When an elder came, however, it meant
something very
important, and that they had best not ask questions.
"Why are they avoiding us like that?" Ukyo asked as the group walked
through what
passed for the main street.
"Amazons have much clout here," Shampoo replied. Her posture was
almost regal,
her face indifferent to the nods of respect given by the men and women.
"Well, at least the food was cheap," Genma said, thinking of his
stomach as per his
character.
"Husband," Nodoka said, "did you pass through this place on your way
through
China?"
"Not that I recall," Genma said after a moment's contemplation, "but
most of these
places look the same to me."
"The town is called Xing Hua," Mousse said, "it is the closest to
Joketsuzoku. And
Jusenkyou."
"D'you think Ranchan went through here?" Ukyo asked as she stepped
around a
small brown puddle.
"Possibly," Cologne said from point. "At any rate, from here the
closest path to
Jusenkyou runs through Joketsuzoku. We will be there by nightfall." With
that, the
conversation ended as each one began to wonder just what was waiting for
them at the
cursed springs.
=======================================
Ranma hadn't waited for the trawler to tie up at the dock. Just as
soon as the old
clunker had been in range, Ranma had leapt off the deck and vanished into
the people,
much to the pleasure of the captain.
He knew the town, having come through it on his first trip through
China. He
couldn't remember the name, not that it mattered anyway. Jusenkyou and Akane
were only
a day's hike to the west. He'd get there by dark if he hurried.
Far above, unnoticed by the people on the ground, a lone raven
followed the boy's
path.
======================================
The sun gradually sank beneath the horizon, lengthening the shadows
with the day's
passage back to night. Shapes became far less defined in the waning light,
crickets and
assorted other creatures of the night beginning the nocturnal symphonies
that would fill
the cool air.
None of the seven people had uttered a single word on the trek to
Joketsuzoku, their
thoughts focused solely on their destination and what lay in wait.
Cologne had taken the lead, with Shampoo and Nodoka behind. Soun and
Genma
followed with Ukyo and Mousse bringing up the rear. Nodoka had traded her
sandals for
more appropriate leather boots which Mousse had conveniently stored in his
voluminous
robes. While she could do nothing about the kimono, the boots had at least
enabled her to
keep up. She had surprised the elder with her stamina. So Nodoka wasn't just
another
Japanese housewife after all.
As the journey neared its end, Cologne began to sense something
wrong in the air.
She was certain that the others had noticed it as well. The acrid smell of
smoke wafted on
the gentle breeze, coming from directly ahead. Not the cooking fires, but...
oh, no....
When the large wooden gates of Joketsuzoku came into view, Cologne
brought the
troop up short. The twin torches which adorned the high wall of pointed
stakes near the
doors were unlit, the usual pair of guards conspicuously absent. Faint
orange reached up
above the wall, instead of the normal healthy glow. There was no sound aside
from the
insects and owls, no human voices at all.
"Where guards?" Shampoo asked softly. Her posture was rigid, eyes
scanning every
shadow. Mousse came up beside them, hands in his sleeves.
"I do not like this," he said tersely.
"What's goin' on?" Ukyo asked, spatula at the ready.
"I do not know," Cologne replied.
"Maybe we shouldn't go through here," Genma said. The silence was an
almost
physical thing as even the insects had fallen quiet.
"We cannot afford to go around," Cologne said as Shampoo pulled one
of the doors
opened.
"Wow..." Ukyo whispered, "what happened?"
"Wha... what..." Shampoo stuttered in disbelief.
"How...." Mousse added. Cologne merely stood there speechless.
Joketsuzoku, her
home, her LIFE, had been laid completely to waste. As far as her eyes could
see, every hut
had been smashed to rubble. The faint orange glow they had seen from outside
was from
the still-burning remains of the council chambers that once rested in the
center of the
village.
She heard Shampoo fall to her knees, a sob escaping her lips at the
sight. Cologne
couldn't begrudge her that, wanting to cry herself. However, she would not,
at least until
this had been resolved.
"Come, Shampoo," Cologne whispered. "We will find the one
responsible for this.
We will make him pay." The girl rose to her feet, struggling to prevent the
tears from
escaping. There would be plenty of time to mourn later.
They set off again through the ruins of Joketsuzoku, the silence
almost deafening.
The streets, once as neat as any in the world, were littered with broken
weapons and
debris. Houses, some well over a century old, lay smashed and smoldering in
every
direction.
Strangely enough, no people were present. Not a soul wandered the
ruined streets of
Joketsuzoku, no conquering invaders, no remnants of the amazons, not even a
single
body. It was almost as if everyone had just picked up and left.
Every eye tried to look in every direction at once, scrutinizing the
semi-darkness for
any danger. They moved as quickly as they dared, avoiding the scattered
stones and
weaponry
"Uuuuhhhh....." came a weak moan from out of the shadows. Everyone
stopped,
clustering together as the tension threatened to snap apart. From beneath a
piece of what
may have once been a thatched roof, a human hand crawled out into the air.
On seeing it,
Shampoo rushed over and flung the material away from the prone form beneath it.
Shampoo's heart caught for a moment at the sight of the injured
amazon warrior. Her
hair lay matted and caked with dark ichor, a large pool of red congealing
beneath her. Her
right arm was draped over her abdomen in a failed attempt to prevent her
intestines from
escaping. She stared into the sister's pain-dulled eyes, ignoring the sound
of retching from
behind.
"El...der..." the girl whispered, her breath coming in short gasps.
"I am here, child," Cologne said from beside Shampoo.
"Too...many... c...cuh...." Her words were interrupted by a spasm of
coughing,
spraying blood from her lips. "...failed...."
"Rest, child," Cologne said in a soothing voice, "I am certain you
fought bravely."
"Ju...sen...kyou...." Her chest rose then fell one last time, the
light in her eyes fading
into nothingness. Still kneeling, Shampoo whispered a quick prayer for the
soul of the
fallen amazon while Mousse looked on. There would be a reckoning for this,
she swore it.
"We must get to Jusenkyou," Nodoka said, her voice weak.
"Yes," Cologne agreed, mounting her staff once more.
"That old guy is gonna pay," Ukyo snarled, her face pale and drawn.
"Let us go," Mousse said, moving away from the fallen warrior.
========================================
Had he bothered to think about it, Ranma would have realized that
nearly every
detail of his dream was coming to pass. Charging through the merciless
growth, however,
he had other things on his mind. Branches whipped and slapped at him as he
ran through
the growing mists, unmindful of anything except Akane.
A pale emerald glow began to tint the thick fog as his feet pounded
the earth
relentlessly. His heart pounded as the blood sang through his veins, every
sense on high
alert. There was no fear, only the fierce determination that defined his
character. Ranma
WOULD succeed, no matter what the cost.
Ranma finally broke through the fog, facing the cursed springs of
Jusenkyou beyond.
The unearthly glow was stronger here, staining the ground and the pools with
its unholy
light. Atop each bamboo pole that he could see rested a large emerald, each
pulsing like a
human heart.
//Where's Akane?\\ he thought as he ran toward the center of the
springs. He called
her name, but received nothing in reply.
"AKANE!" he screamed again, still with no response. Angry and
afraid, he leapt over
one of the many springs in front of him, springing forward until he reached
Jusenkyou's
center.
There was no altar, rather the form of the old man with his back
turned. His hat was
gone, arms raised to the sky as he chanted in a tongue Ranma had never heard
before.
Akane, however, was nowhere to be found.
"WHERE'S AKANE?!" Ranma shouted as the fear constricted his stomach
into a
tiny ball. If she had been hurt... "ANSWER ME!" Still the old man didn't
turn, ignoring
him as if he were not even there.
"I SAID DAMNIT ANSWER ME!" Ranma charged toward the old man's back,
bringing all of his power to bear. If the old goat wouldn't talk, Ranma
would just beat it
out of him! Before he could reach his target, however, a flash of motion
stopped right
between them. Ranma gawked at the form before him, unable to reconcile it
with his
memory.
"Akane?"
=======================================
It was on them before any of them could react. A blur of motion
sprang from the
shadows, landing hard on Ukyo with a terrifying roar. She hit the ground
hard, the fetid
breath of whatever it was hot on her face.
Ukyo looked up into its gaping maw, rows upon rows of jagged teeth
greeting her
with the promise of a messy and painful end. The creature's weight kept her
pinned, her
weapon laying useless beyond her reach. She struggled with all she could
muster, but she
had been denied any leverage to free herself.
With a cry of unbridled hate, two bonbori smashed into the side of
its head. The
force would have been enough to shatter even the thickest boulder. With a
howl of
surprise, it leapt off of Ukyo and towards the now-unarmed Shampoo.
To Genma, it almost looked like one of those creatures he saw in the
movie "Alien".
Its head held no eyes to speak of, just a large mouth with hundreds of
teeth. Black
chitinous armor covered every surface, sinewy limbs propelling it forward.
Shampoo leapt back a split second before it landed, a savage cry
bursting from her
lips. From behind, several chains shot from Mousse's sleeves, the metal
links wrapping
around the thing's armored body. The creature began to struggle against its
bonds, an
unearthly roar splitting the night.
Before anyone could react, a glimmering arc of steel slammed into
the back of what
may have been its neck. Nodoka stood there, sword in hand, slashing again
and again at
the demon's body, attempting to sever its foul head.
With a primal scream, she brought the sword up high again, the blade
glowing with
an electric blue aura. It came down one final time, the sound of cracking
armor and
severing tissue mingling with the whistle of the blade as it cleaved the
creature.
She stood there panting as the dark ichor spilled onto the dirt
path. She glanced
toward the others, amazement plain on their faces. Nodoka felt no small
amount of pride
at their reactions, a smile creasing her lips as she brought the katana up
in a salute.
"Nodoka... I.." Genma stuttered, eyes wide with surprise and fear.
"No wonder you ran off, Saotome," Soun whispered as she wiped the
blade on the
grass beside the path. More howls and shrieks split the night, the sounds
very close by.
"We had best keep moving," Cologne said, "before more arrive."
=======================================
"What's wrong, Ranma?" Akane asked as she strutted towards him. "You
don't think
I'm cute?"
Cute wasn't the word Ranma would have chosen. The black leather, or
what there
was of it, was stretched tautly across her body, her shoulders, stomach, and
thighs pale in
the green light. Knee-high black boots adorned her legs, her short hair
shimmering and
beautiful.
"Akane, what's wrong with you?" Ranma asked. He struggled to keep
his eyes on
hers, the glowing orbs that betrayed what the Crimson Dawn had done to her.
"Wrong?" she snorted. "Nothing. In fact, I want to thank you. You
DID make me
what I am today." Ranma felt as if a blade of ice had been rammed into his
heart. It was
true, he HAD done this to Akane. But he would undo it.
"This ain't you, Akane," Ranma said in as steady a voice as he could
manage. "This
ain't the girl I love!"
"Don't talk to me about love, Ranma," Akane growled. "If you want
love, go to
Kuno. He'll take you as the WOMAN you are!" Without another word, she lunged for
him, blood-red nails extending like thin blades.
Her arms swung out, twin red arcs forming from the blades on her
fingers. The
motion was almost too fast for Ranma to evade, his shirt splitting open as
he dodged
backward.
"Did you like that?" Akane asked as he stood there dumbfounded.
Ranma touched
the place where her nails had passed, surprised to see blood on his fingers.
"How about a
little more?"
Time seemed to slow down as Akane tensed her legs to spring again.
Try as he
might, Ranma simply couldn't raise his hands in defense. Despite the
clothes, the eyes, and
the voice that was still Akane. He wouldn't, no, couldn't fight her. Not for
real.
Akane leapt up, angling above him toward some unseen target. Ranma
turned and
looked up to see Akane locked in battle with Karasu. The two hung in mid-air
for a
moment, fists flying with blazing speed before the two broke apart to land
several meters
away from each other.
"Stand aside girl, my business is with him," Karasu said as he
pointed to the old man.
"Well, he's a little busy, so you'll have to deal with me instead,"
Akane returned.
"So be it." With that, Karasu lunged forward, cutlass appearing in
his hand. Before
he could close the distance, Ranma leapt toward the charging kami, ducking
under the
blade and connecting with a palm strike to Karasu's solar plexus. He reeled
backward a
little, quickly righting himself and affixing Ranma with a freezing glare.
"What are you doing?" he shouted, assuming a stance.
"I ain't gonna let you hurt Akane!" Ranma yelled in reply.
"That is NOT Akane!" Karasu returned, "now stand aside!"
"Now boys," Akane said, "there's no need to fight. I have plenty to
go around!"
"AKANE!" Soun's voice rang out across Jusenkyou, startling Ranma.
Just how had
he gotten here? He turned to see the Tendo patriarch running full-tilt
toward them, Ukyo
and Nodoka not far behind. They were joined by Ukyo, Cologne, Shampoo, and
Mousse.
"Well, father," Akane leered, "I was wondering if you'd show up."
"Akane," Nodoka gasped, "what..."
"What're you wearin', sugar?" Ukyo finished.
"You like?" Akane said. "It's a new look for me."
"Oh, no," Cologne breathed, the color draining from her wrinkled
face, "this cannot
be..."
"What is it, Great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked. As if in answer, a
beam of green
energy lanced out of the nearest stone, terminating at a point just ahead of
the old man.
The air began to warp and twist, tendrils of power arcing around the
distortion's
circumference. Beams from the other stones followed, each pouring more and
more power
into the forming portal.
"There is only one thing he could be doing with all these soul
stones," Karasu said, a
note of worry in his voice.
"And I am almost finished," the old man said. He turned about, a
sadistic leer on his
face. A fierce wind began to blow throughout Jusenkyou as the green glow
surrounding it
intensified.
"What are you up to?" Mousse demanded, twin claymore blades
appearing in his
hands.