The Wheel of Fire, #26: Reverse Gravity
Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYAhotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko
Takahashi. And all that other good stuff. Proper
licenses belong to respective properties and
characters. The manga has precedence over material in
the anime.
This file can be freely distributed so long as it
appears in its complete form and proper credit given.
No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without
permission from the author.
Fanart can be found at:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html
------------------------------------------------
Akane sat at her desk for several long moments, her
head buried in her arms.
Only moments before, infinity ago, Ranma left for
another battle. This wasn't entirely unexpected, of
course, but she felt left out of something she
should be a part of.
There was no need for good-byes, for she knew that
Ranma would come back-- he always came back. She knew
what had to be done, and that Ranma was the one that
was going to make things right. So with Shampoo, the
priestess Shizuka and her pet boa constrictor,
Thanatos, and the hooded girl he had left.
Akane raised her head, and reached into her pocket
for the sealed letter the hooded girl had given her on
the way out. The mysterious girl only said, "You, too,
have a part in all this," before departing.
The letter was obviously meant to be opened, but
when? Now? Later?
She set a jade earring down on the desk, and studied
it for several moments. Ranma kept the dragon earring,
a belonging of Ukyo's that was supposed to bring good
luck. Ever since Shizuka and her apprentice arrived and
matters got sorted out Ranma believed, quite reasonably
for once, that perhaps the hooded apprentice may be
Ukyo.
All the arrows certainly pointed that way.
Of course, there was only one way to find out.
She ran the sharp edge of the dragon earring under
the envelope and tore it open.
Akane set down the earring, and unfolded a letter.
"Akane," she read aloud, "I anticipated that you
wouldn't allow yourself to do nothing while all of
these events transpired, so I drew this up in case such
a time came up. In all likelihood Ranma is about to
get himself into grave danger, and if Shizu is still
with us then there is something you could do and
plausibly come to his aid."
She scanned the letter up and down, trying to find a
date. However, there was none to find, and somehow
Akane suspected that the apprentice came up with this
note long before she came to town.
"You probably know that anyone carrying around a
sword these days is viewed upon with suspicion," she
continued. "In order to remain somewhat inconspicuous
Shizu was denied her swords." Akane raised an eyebrow,
realizing where this was going. "It's not much, but
it's also not asking too much, either. So what I need
you to do is find a pair of good swords and bring them
to us."
"And then, you, too, can help."
Immediately Akane thought about the swords that were
kept in the house. There had to be at least another
good sword other than the Saotome sword....
Then again, was that what the note meant?
She realized there was now a problem: the type of
swords wasn't specified in the note. Each sword was
used in a different style, a different way from the
rest.
But the note DID say 'swords.' It obviously meant
more than one. And at most one person could only wield
two swords.
Okay, so it meant a specific set of swords that
could be used in the two-handed style. Of course, that
could be a dachi and shoto or any other combination of
swords.
One thing was for sure, such weapons weren't around
in the house.
"Hello?" Tofu said as he placed the receiver of the
telephone over his ear.
"Ah, good doctor!" came the voice of Joseph Nakamura.
"It's good to hear you well!"
Tofu glanced over at the wall clock. "Don't you think
it's kind of late for a social call?"
"We have an emergency, and only you can handle it."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm with a pa...."
"Kasumi."
"Kasumi?! Where?" Tofu's glasses started to steam up.
"She needs your help."
"Okay, okay! I'll be...."
His mesmerization wore off as he felt something hit
him over the head, popping his glasses off his nose.
Shaking his head, Tofu said, "Uh... excuse me, sir,
but can I get back to you?"
"No, wai...!"
Hanging up the phone, Tofu reached down for his
glasses, rubbing the back of his head sorely.
"You idiot," came the voice behind him, a man.
"Did you have to hit me that hard?" complained the
chiropractor.
"Who was it?"
"That was Mr. Nakamura from Saint Hebereke," Tofu
answered. "He says there's something wrong with
Kasumi!"
"And why would Kasumi be there at this time of day?"
"I don't know! I should get down there and...."
"And do what? You know as well as I that Kasumi
wouldn't be out at this time of the night."
Tofu saw another behind the speaker, a short girl
leaning on a polearm of some sort. "Hey, you're...."
"Where's Shampoo?" demanded the girl.
"I don't know," Tofu admitted. "She comes and goes
as she wants. You can wait here, if you want."
"That's not necessary," the other man replied. "I'll
find her myself." He turned to the short girl. "Make
sure the good man stays here."
The girl nodded. "Maybe then Shampoo come back."
"Perhaps," the man said. "Or perhaps not."
"He's not coming," Nakamura's voice rumbled
deeply. "All of Amakusa's plans were for naught as they
fall apart around me!"
The priest slammed his fist on the altar before him,
and threw the cellular phone in his other hand behind
him, over the heads of Kasumi and Spencer. Spencer,
dressed in a black suit, held Kasumi, whose hands were
tied behind her back. Despite the danger she was in,
Kasumi seemed oblivious to her impending doom.
"Tofu denies us in our hour of need!" railed the
priest. "Where is everyone? Sakurai!"
"He's being held by Kuno," the paladin replied.
"Nagi!" shouted Nakamura.
"Dead," Spencer said flatly.
"Miranda!"
"Disappeared without a trace."
"Mariko!"
"Out on a date with her new boyfriend."
"Asuka!"
"She's no longer willing to help us, not after we
left her behind. Besides, if she found out we disposed
of Amakusa in his moment of weakness, she'll likely
attack us, too."
Nakamura balled his fists, seething with anger. All
of Amakusa's warriors were spent. All, of course, but
one.
Turning around, he threw a finger toward Spencer.
"You're it." His eyes glowed faintly.
Somewhat startled, Spencer tightened his grip on
Kasumi's arms by reflex. "M... me? Are you mad?! I
can't take on Ranma myself; you saw him!"
"Maybe if you release me, he won't hurt you," Kasumi
suggested. "I'll be happy to put in a good word for
you."
"Forget about everything else; we're sacrificing the
girl NOW!!" Nakamura's head appeared ready to
explode.
"Eminence!" the paladin yelled. "What of Amakusa?
What of everything we've built so hard for?"
"Amakusa can rot in the dungeon for all I care!"
the priest screamed, throwing his arms out in the air.
"All that matters now is the ascension of the saint--
for Saint Hebereke demands it!"
Kasumi said, "You should watch your blood pressure,
sir. It's not healthy of you to...."
"Shut up!" demanded the priest. "Had you not been the
one I'd of gotten rid of you already."
"You're not feeling well?" she asked.
"Of course not!"
"Perhaps you shouldn't speak to the priest so,"
Spencer whispered into the girl's ear. "He is feeling
edgy now."
"Oh, I see," Kasumi said, smiling. "I deal with this
all the time at home."
"I can imagine," muttered the paladin.
"Maybe I can cook up some soup and...."
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!" Nakamura railed. He took
threatening steps toward the captive Kasumi, appearing
ready to throttle her. "You, my dear, should count
yourself amongst the blessed, for you will be the first
to become one with the saint!"
The first thing Kodachi heard as soon as Chika opened
the front door was, "Dragon Formation: Switch On!"
Chika stood aside, opening the door wide for Kodachi
and Ayame to enter her house, her expression betraying
embarrassment. "Shion's watching 'Getta Robo G' again.
He never gets tired of it!"
Somewhere down the hall Kodachi heard explosions
characteristic of television anime, as well as Shion's
blatant enthusiasm for ancient shows. "Does he ever
tire of otaku-ism?"
"He's otaku?" Ayame asked, wearing a befuddled
expression. "That's such a geezer's show!"
"Of course not!" Chika replied. "Don't you know what
a REAL otaku is?"
"Well, sort of," admitted Kodachi's lieutenant.
"The kind that wants to go out with cartoon girls?"
"Enough banter, time for business," Kodachi
interrupted. "Leave your brother be, lest we require
his services."
Chika nodded. "You know, I tried looking for your
brother on all the regular places... but it's come up
as nothing."
"I hardly expected such," Kodachi said sternly. "I
was looking more into more isolated locations."
"Oh, well... then that's beyond me," the media
specialist admitted. "I didn't think...."
"EXACTLY!" Ayame yelled. "It's a wonder you do at
all."
"Like YOU have anything to say about thinking!"
Chika shot back. "You couldn't think your way out of a
two-wall maze!"
"Enough!" Kodachi shouted. Facing Chika, she said,
"Get your brother here immediately, and we can begin!"
"Getta Beam!" the girls heard Shion yell.
"You're kidding," the lieutenant said, shaking her
head. "What can otaku-wanna-be do?"
"I believe it is time for him to earn his keep,"
Kodachi announced. "We must fine my dear brother
before he performs a regrettable deed!"
Ranma felt a strange sense of deja vu as he ran
into the night, toward battle, with Shampoo, Shizuka,
and the hooded apprentice.
The previous time it had just been with Shampoo, who
appeared to be the only one willing to help him stop
Nemesis at all costs, but that proved to be a poor
judgement. Later on, after the disastrous fight against
the remaining Orochi assassins, the others, lead by
Akane, appeared and lent a hand in the final battle--
in their own ways.
Of course, the cost of it all was one good life...
but this time, things will be different.
Ranma cast a momentary glance over at the priestess,
surprised to see that the huge snake of hers was
nowhere to be seen. Shizuka said it was a boa
constrictor, named Thanatos; Ranma hardly had fond
memories of that 'pet.' Minutes before he remembered
the slithering monster wrapped around the girl's
neck and body, but now it was as if the creature never
existed.
He glanced over at the hooded girl that ran beside
priestess Shizuka, and wondered. The forcefulness in
her voice and personality, as well as the things she
knew, all pointed to the direction of Ukyo. Akane
never believed that Ukyo could have survived the final
battle against Nemesis, but somewhere, deep down
inside, Ranma couldn't accept her end.
The last time Ranma saw the okonomiyaki chef alive...
as herself, was in his arms, when she traded her life
for his own. Apparently possessing such a power, Ranma
ran off into the battle with Nemesis and mopped-up the
war for good. And then Seiryu appeared, having
inhabited Ukyo's body for her own twisted ends. In the
end the martial artist was forced to use the deadly
attack theorized by old Cologne, and Seiryu was
destroyed.
No, Seiryu was destroyed... but where was the body?
There was no body. While the others thought the final
attack reduced Ukyo's body to ashes, Ranma believed
otherwise, and the girl was living proof. Not only
that, but Ukyo was probably just as smart as Seiryu,
and could fake her own death the same way the dragon
spirit had.
That's the only way, Ranma decided.
And yet, Ukyo seemed quite upset about being around
town. Probably because she wanted to leave this life
behind her, Ranma thought. She explicitly expressed a
wish to leave this terrible life she was leading in
Nerima behind and get on with her own; perhaps this
incident is getting in the way.
Well, that's all well and good, but where did
Konatsu go, and did he have any part of this? Maybe
not, but there's no way to know for sure.
Ranma set his eyes back on the objectives. If there
ever was a time to confront Ukyo over this, this was
certainly not the time: Kasumi needed help, soon.
* * * * *
To: blackwidow@northspire.net
From: warlock@spielburg.org
Subject: Re: A new job (Follow-up)
Digging on just the surface, there is apparently no
official record on a Shizuka Minazuki.
Apparently, yes, she was born to that name, but given
up for some reason by her parents. Will have to look
into that one deeper. Where she ended up is anyone's
guess, but certainly wasn't raised by parents.
Looks like she hasn't gotten a real formal education,
either. Sure, the documents are there, but they look
fake, and it's easy to fake 'em. Not to mention doing
fakes also gives a good eye for picking 'em out. She's
sixteen, and her education reflects such, but I suspect
whoever's doing this for her will also give her a nice
diploma, too. This, of course, gives her no reason to
be in school, so I don't know why she'd be at
Furinkan High.
But she has appeared here and there in the public
light, there's no doubt. Apparently, she's part of some
group of party arrangers, which makes her quite visible
to us-- so she's definitely not a fake person, I
suppose. There's also high score initials on a game
machine over in Osaka that seems to match our subject,
but I'll have to look into that later.
Right now she's apparently living with a Minazuki
family here in Tokyo, related to her birth parents by
blood. So she is who she claims to be, but that might
just be it.
I'll keep you posted if there's more I can find.
Have a nice day.
- Warlock
+-------------------------------------+
| There is no knowledge that is |
| not power. |
| We brake for nobody. |
+-------------------------------------+
* * * * *
Shion sat back at his seat, and sighed. Nabiki Tendo
was definitely one to pick 'em.
Before agreeing to help search for Tatewaki Kuno
Shion, otherwise known as 'Warlock' on the Internet,
decided to write the note to fulfill his obligation to
the 'Black Widow.' While the two had not discussed the
terms of the information, Shion found a strange reason
not to ask for money.
He first saw the subject, the mysterious Shizuka,
when Tatewaki was bringing her to his home the night
she was attacked by the paladins. He reviewed the
information tapes after returning from 'rescuing'
Chika from her problems, and was glad to have caught
sight of such crucial information. And yet, something
about the girl sparked Shion's curiosity.
There was something... special... perhaps regal...
about that girl that the hacker couldn't pinpoint.
Even when beaten and bloodied that air was hardly
diminished. Something that seemed to... stir feelings
inside the aloofness.
Perhaps that was the reason I never asked for money,
Shion thought. Am I getting soft?
Looking over his shoulder, satisfied that the three
girls were not looking his direction, the Warlock sent
off the note, into the twisted virtual web and beyond.
Akane had nowhere else to turn, and waited in front
of the heavy gate at the front of the Kuno estate after
knocking.
There was a good chance that neither Kuno was at
home, but there was the possibility that SOMEONE was
home. She could not think of any other person in the
neighborhood who had enough weapons from which to
find the right swords.
Strangely, without herald, the gate opened inward.
"Eh?" Akane peeked her head inside, but could find
no one, nor any indication that anyone opened the gate
for her.
Shrugging, she pushed open the gate the rest of the
way, and made her way to the front entrance, as she
had many times before.
Everything was still, as not even nocturnal insects
made a sound within the confines of the estate walls.
Akane's eyes darted about, looking for something...
anything that would make it so.
Soon she found herself at the front entrance, and it
was only then Akane realized there was someone standing
in front of the open doorway.
"And who might you be?" the woman asked, a hint of
annoyance in her voice.
Though the woman was definitely older, Akane could
not help but compare her appearance to that of Kodachi.
She bowed respectfully. "Good evening, Mrs. Kuno."
"Make it snappy!" demanded Shoto.
Akane could tell there was a servant hiding behind
the door as she saw the telltale shadow shaking in
terror behind the woman. "I'm Akane, a friend of your
son's." She forced herself not to wince at the mention
of 'friend,' as Akane hardly found it true.
But, if it did get her past the front door, using it
was a good idea.
"I see," Shoto said carefully, nodding slowly. "A
girl friend. What do you want?"
Going straight to the point, she answered, "He said I
could look at his sword collection...."
"Come in, go down the stairs, and go right," Shoto
directed, looking bored. "Those useless pieces of
steel are good for nothing else!"
"Thank you," Akane said with a bow.
She heard the woman 'hmph!' as she skirted by, trying
not to force herself to run. The moment Akane
descended the stairs to the underground level the aura
of oppression seemed to lift.
"At least she's not my mother," she muttered,
following Shoto's directions.
It was not hard to miss the sword chamber, as it was
at the end of the hall, door wide open for anyone in
the hall to see. Akane looked from wall to wall in awe
at the number of swords that were mounted on the walls,
careful not to bump into the display cases that dotted
the room here and there.
All of it was swords, all Japanese, of varying styles
and builds, from different periods in history.
"Now what?" Akane asked herself, heading for a single
sheathed sword that rest alone on a pedestal. She
reached out and picked it up.
"RESTORE ME!!" a disembodied voice boomed.
Startled, Akane dropped the sword, looking around for
the source of the voice. "Who's there?!"
"RESTORE ME TO THE STONE OF WISHES," the voice
demanded, "AND YOUR WISHES WILL BE RENEWED."
Akane raised an eyebrow as she realized the voice was
coming from the sword itself. Picking it up once more,
she said aloud, "The sword that gave three wishes?"
Looking behind her to see if Kuno's mother was
there, and satisfied that she wasn't, Akane said, "I
wish for...."
"NO WISHES," the sword said, "UNTIL I AM RESTORED AND
RESET."
Great, she thought. The Wishing Sword is STILL
useless. But then... does that mean you have to put it
back?
Replacing the useless sword on the pedestal, Akane
turned her attentions back to the other swords, in
particular to those mounted on the four walls.
It hardly took long for her to discern a pattern in
the way the swords were mounted. Tatewaki must have
sorted the weapons by era, Akane thought, so she traced
the beginning of the swordsmithing era and moved on
from there.
The two-blade style had not been developed until
after Musashi, so the search was narrowed down to the
wall opposite the exit, which held such swords. There
were several sets, many single blade sets, but several
double blade sets as well.
"Okay, it's just here now," Akane told herself. "Now
all I've got to do is find the right set."
Fortunately for her, Tatewaki had taken the time to
track down some of the owners of the blades, and
included such information on a card mounted below the
blades. Not only the owner, but the style of the
owner as well, Akane noted, as well as any brief extra
information, such as etched messages on the blades, or
whatnot.
She skipped all the single blade sets, and focused
on the double blade sets until one card stuck out in
particular.
The sword set was a pair of nearly identical katana,
the type of which possessed a nearly-straight blade,
but was indeed curved. Each blade appeared identical
to its twin in every way that Akane had no doubt that
both were forged by the same man. The handles were
wrapped in some kind of preserved, leathery skin,
likely from a reptile, while the sheathes were made of
solid iron. Near the pommel of the swords a serpentine
creature, probably a dragon or snake of some kind, was
etched carefully on the blades. Akane was awed that the
two creatures seemed exactly the same as on the other
blade.
Appropriately, on the information card the blades
were called the 'Dual Viper Fangs.' That must be a good
indication, Akane thought.
Sliding the blades into their sheathes, Akane smiled
to herself. "If this isn't it, nothing is. But from
what I know about Shizuka, this'd better be it!"
She gathered both sheathed swords in her arms.
"Ranma, Kasumi... just hang on." Determination filled
her eyes. "I'm coming for you guys!"
Picking locks without the aid of sight was more
difficult than Senryu Amakusa, founder of the Church of
Saint Hebereke, imagined.
He lay on his back on a stone-cold slab of stone,
chained down and locked without a key. Though the
chains limited the movement of his arms, Amakusa noted
that Joseph was very lazy in his job, as the founder
managed to produce the picking tool from his pocket.
A snap echoed in the empty underground chamber, and
Amakusa knew his job was a success. He lifted up the
arm with the pick, and started feeling for the lock
attached to the chain keeping his head down.
Not much time, he told himself. I can't stay down
here, not knowing what that priest was doing!
He found the lock, and started working.
"Well, that's interesting," Chika exclaimed, staring
at the monitor in front of her.
"What?" Kodachi asked, entering Chika's office. The
sounds of explosions and buttons echoed outside,
followed by angry growling by Ayame.
The seated girl pointed the butt of a pen at the
monitor of interest. "It's of the church hall."
"I can see that!" Kodachi yelled.
"No, no, look who's there," Chika said.
The gymnast squinted her eyes as she pressed her
face closer to the monitor. "It appears to be a
confrontation."
"Looks like Ranma and company," agreed the media
specialist. "I'll patch in the audio."
As Chika ducked under the desk, Kodachi watched the
initial banter with amused interest, her brother
forgotten. Fingers were pointed, Kasumi Tendo thrown
back to the priest, Nakamura, while Spencer, the
paladin, withdrew a pistol from his coat pocket. Ranma
and the three girls present charged.
"Okay, got it!" Chika called from below.
"DAMMIT, YOU!!" they both heard Ayame scream. The
sound of something slamming to the floor followed.
"Pick somebody OTHER than Great Mazinger!"
Both Chika and Kodachi's eyes stared out the door.
"It's not MY fault that you suck," Shion replied
coolly.
"Up yours, Four-Eyes!"
Chika shook her head. "I don't know why she thinks
she can beat him at Super Robot Wars."
"Forget them," Kodachi instructed, turning her
attentions back to the monitor. "What of the audio?"
"Oh yeah, forgot to turn up the volume...."
Time seemed to slow for Ranma as Spencer squeezed
off the first shot. For a moment, he saw the hiss of
smoke from the barrel of the pistol, and a moment
later the bullet flew from it.
But that sensation ceased completely when he hit the
wooden bench off on his left side in dodging.
Losing track of the others, the martial artist kept
himself low under the next bench while the paladin
continued firing-- at who, Ranma didn't know.
A startled gasp and gurgle by the paladin gave
Ranma the impression that someone was already tying
him up from attack.
Now's the time to get to Kasumi, he thought, quickly
darting to the end of the row.
He dared a quick glance over to where he thought
Spencer was, but the paladin was no longer there. A
series of heavy footsteps told the martial artist that
he was in pursuit of his attacker, and it was in a
direction away from the altar.
A sudden kick in the gut brought Ranma to awareness
of his new situation. A heavy fist swung in an
uppercut, sending Ranma reeling backward.
"You have no clue the trouble you've caused me," the
attacker said, throwing another kick into Ranma's
stomach.
"That voice..." Ranma muttered, as a final kick sent
him to the floor.
Nakamura's eyes glowed malevolently, his voice a bit
deeper than usual. "Amakusa was right to fear you,
but he was but a frail human. And so are you."
Dammit, Ranma thought.
"Ranma!" he heard Shizuka shout.
"Dear me," Kasumi said.
Dammit, have enough sense to get out of here!
Though he couldn't see where the priest was looking,
Ranma heard him move away. "You!!"
"What do YOU want?!" Shizuka complained. "Get out
of here!"
"The girl stays!" demanded Nakamura. Ranma caught
the glint of some kind of steel-bladed weapon.
"Or what?" the priestess shot back. "You'll pick my
fingernails with that kid's knife?"
Ranma oriented himself onto his side, looking up
toward Nakamura. The pain in his body hurt more than
expected, as the priest was apparently stronger than
he looked. Or at least, the demon was.
The priest of Saint Hebereke threw the knife.
Someone screamed, likely Kasumi.
"Now, my dear, don't move!" Nakamura ordered Kasumi.
He looked down at Ranma as he produced another knife.
"Now it's your turn!"
Twisting his body around, Ranma swept his legs
around, throwing Nakamura off his feet. The martial
artist was up on his feet just as the priest hit the
floor. He looked around, and saw only Kasumi standing,
her hands cupped over her mouth in shock.
"Shizuka!" Ranma shouted.
No reply.
Just as the thought of rushing to the center aisle
entered his mind the martial artist was tackled from
behind. His head smashed against the end of a bench,
and he felt the cold steel of the knife against the
back of his neck.
"Pitiful," Nakamura snorted. "A powerhouse such as
you, beaten by this weak shell!"
"Then finish it!" Ranma snarled. "The more you wait,
the more you'll lose it!"
And, as if on cue, he felt the spurt of blood splash
on his neck, but the cut had not been made. Nakamura
gurgled in shocked pain, and Ranma felt the tension
of the knife lessening.
"If there's anyone that gets to kill Ranma," a new
voice said, "it's going to be me!!"
Nakamura stood up, allowing Ranma the chance to see
his savior. "Mousse?!"
The Chinese martial artist stood with his left arm
extended forward, his thick glasses glistening in the
light of the room. A single chain extended out from
the arm's sleeve, a line Ranma traced the distance
down to its end, a harpoon, its head buried in the
priest's arm.
"Where'd you come from?!" demanded Nakamura.
"Same here," Ranma added.
"These past weeks I've trained in secret," Mousse
answered. "I've restored myself as before, and better
than ever!" His lips curved into a cold smile. "I've
waited a long time for this, evangelist!"
He threw forth his other arm, and fired off more
chains at Nakamura.
Ranma winced, taking an involuntary step back for
each hit Nakamura took from Mousse's attack. A spear
head buried into the other arm, a scythe slicing
through shoulder, a spiked mace gutting the gut. A rain
of blood showered over the polished floor of the end
aisle as Mousse continued in his relentless attack.
"Stop it!" Ranma shouted.
For a moment, the chain barrage ceased. "Take a good
look, Saotome! THIS is how you're going to die!"
He threw even more chains, and Nakamura was pinned
with more steel.
Ranma looked over his shoulder to Kasumi, who was
bent low on the ground, probably attending to
Shizuka, wherever she got hit.
"Kasumi!" he shouted, "take Shizuka and get out of
here!"
Nodding wordlessly, Kasumi threw Shizuka's arm
around her neck. The wounded priestess's eyes appeared
glazed, as a knife jutted out of her body somewhere
between her shoulder and heart.
"...and then he said, 'You get burning...'" the
priestess of Genbu mumbled to herself. "...and before
that, 'looks like I'm not doing too much in this
episode, either....'"
Ranma looked back toward Nakamura, and wished he
hadn't. The man was a living pin cushion now, pinned
against the wall opposite Mousse, many sets of chains
hanging limply on the floor.
Mousse started dragging the chains back, dragging the
body of Nakamura with it.
"What the hell did you do that for?!" Ranma shouted
angrily. "You didn't have to kill him!!"
"You don't get it, do you, Saotome?" the Chinese
martial artist said, dragging the chains closer. "I've
released him from a living Hell, just as I was denied
by Kodachi."
"What does Kodachi have to do with this?"
"She denied me a proper death, of course," Mousse
answered, prying the bloody body off his weapons with
his foot. "But, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have
gotten this opportunity."
"You're one sick man," Ranma decided.
"You are no warrior!" accused Mousse, pointing his
index finger at the martial artist. "What's the matter
with you? Afraid of death and dying?! Huh!"
"And you're so fixated on killing!" Ranma shot
back. "Why don't you go home and do it?"
"I will, but I've come to retrieve Shampoo as well,"
he admitted. "I've received word from home that the
war is not going well, and that Shampoo and I are
being recalled immediately."
"So go help Shampoo and get lost!"
"I think I can squeeze in killing you! Consider it
payback for all the humiliation you put me through
while in Japan!"
"What'd I do?! You ingrate; what about all the times
I helped you?"
"Touchy subject," a third voice said.
Immediately, the eyes of both Mousse and Ranma
turned to the bloody corpse of Nakamura, which began
to rise under its own power.
"Ah hell," Ranma cursed. "Don't tell me that the
priest had a pure heart, too?!"
"Not quite," Nakamura admitted, his bloodied face
fixing on the martial artist. "But it is a body,
nonetheless."
"The demon's taking the corpse," Mousse knew.
"Just like Seiryu," Ranma added. He suddenly
understood why Nakamura attacked Shizuka first.
But then, where the hell was Ukyo?
"Kasumi offered a body full of pure spiritual
energy," the demon Nakamura explained. "This purity
offered the greatest power, the greatest vessel. But
faith is faith; I'll just have to take what's here and
run with it."
"You're 'Saint Hebereke,' aren't you?" the Chinese
martial artist asked.
The corpse nodded. The myriad holes in its body
seemed to close as the proportions seemed to meld and
congeal. "It's the name given to me, and the name I've
assumed, yes." Skin began to discolor to an odd red
color as the corpse grew in height.
"I've waited in my dormant state in a statue of a
hidden shrine for many centuries," he continued, as
the corpse's eyes started to bloat in size, the
whites becoming yellow. "And it was only recently I
was found in my dormancy by the man who styles himself
Amakusa, and through him I've managed to slowly
restore myself to my former glory."
Nails formed from fingertips as fangs grew from the
teeth. "With enough energy, and enough power, I'll be
able to force myself back into the Kami Plane, the
dimension of the gods!"
"That's new," Ranma noted sarcastically, hiding his
revulsion of the monster. "Who would've thought that
there're some guys who want to leave the Kami Plane,
and guys who want to get in it?"
"I'll return home more than a god!" proclaimed the
corpse-turned monster. "Now that the bulk of the kami
have weakened due to humanity's influence on this
Earth, I'll be the GOD OF GODS!!"
"Hey, we beat up the Orochi!" Ranma pointed out. "If
we can beat up the most powerful kami left, what makes
you any special?"
Both he and Mousse launched a flurry of punches and
kicks.
Hebereke's foul lips curved into a smile, and stared
hunched down at Ranma. "Any and all energy you exert
now will only serve to feed me!" The creature chuckled
to himself as it seemed to not notice the attacks made
by the martial artists. "I consume the energy of the
masses, fool! The worship of the Saint Hebereke, the
feelings present in this very room fuel me!"
The monster raised a heavy claw, and smashed it
downward, over the heads of Ranma and Mousse.
Shampoo paused around the corner as shots whizzed
through the air where she once was. Taking several
shallow breaths she remained tense, listening for the
footfalls of the paladin.
The Chinese Amazon succeeded in leading Spencer from
the church grounds and out into the streets, where
she hoped the shadows of the night, as well as the
unfamiliar grounds, would allow her to catch the
paladin by surprise. Yet, a small part of her kept
reminding her how stupid a plan it was, and how much
of a plan it really was....
One step. Two steps.
Click! Spencer was probably reloading his pistol.
She tightened her grip on both her bonbori,
revealing them from their hiding place.
Three steps, four... five... si....
Five steps, and no shadow.
There's no way I could've underestimated, Shampoo
thought.
And by reflex she leaped back out into the street as
shots rang from above.
Spencer stood atop the wall, over where Shampoo was
once standing. "That's pretty good!"
Shampoo jumped up in the air, deflecting bullet shots
with her bonbori during ascent. Her descending arc
put her in direct collision with Spencer, who was busy
reloading his pistol again. She dived in with her left
bonbori forward.
But the paladin was quite aware of his surroundings,
and jumped backward on the wall, escaping Shampoo's
crushing attack. Having finished his reloading,
Spencer pointed the gun at the Chinese Amazon and
squeezed off several more shots.
Shampoo lifted her right bonbori up to protect her
in her moment of vulnerability, but after the third
shot the metal ball head cracked and shattered. She
quickly raised her remaining weapon to deflect more
shots, until she heard the telltale 'click' of the
trigger.
"Never rely on projectile weapon!" Shampoo yelled,
rushing with bonbori first.
"Never leave without a backup!" Spencer shouted back,
throwing the spent pistol away. He withdrew a second
pistol that was tucked in his waist, and fired.
But Shampoo kept on coming, even as her remaining
bonbori shattered from the shot. She howled out in
pain, but was too intent on her enemy to be bothered
by any minor wounds.
Both the paladin and the Chinese Amazon tumbled from
the wall into the alley, locked in death grips. The
second pistol of Spencer's was sent flying into the
air, but it hardly mattered to the two brawlers where
it landed.
Showing surprising strength, Spencer slammed Shampoo
into the wall, grabbing her by the shirt. Shampoo
screamed in pain, realizing that the wound she took
was a bit more serious than she thought.
"Not so cocky now, are you?!" the paladin said,
seething with anger. He slammed the girl against the
wall once more, with more force. "I'll teach you to
get in our way!"
Shampoo spat in the paladin's face. "False one!"
The paladin snarled, overcome by bloodlust. "You
heretic!" he cried, rolling a knife from up his sleeve,
"The saint delights on your sacrifice!"
BLAM!!
For a moment, Shampoo wondered if she was still
alive. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the
paladin's monstrous expression, locked forever.
His death grip released, and the knife clattered to
the alley street, the paladin following soon
thereafter.
And it was only then she realized she was breathing
hard.
"Oh my, how violent."
Shampoo's eyes turned to her right, where, at the
end of the alley, stood Kasumi Tendo, eldest of the
three Tendo sisters. She supported up the fanatical
priestess, Shizuka, from the right, as Shizuka's
right arm was draped around Kasumi's neck. The
priestess herself stood limply, a knife stuck in her
left shoulder. Despite that, it was her left arm
holding the smoking shotgun.
"'...fight honorably,'" the priestess said in a
seemingly drunken stupor, "'like you always
should....'"
The Chinese Amazon raised an eyebrow. "What you do?
Get yourself drunk?"
"I think the knife may have had some alcohol on it
before getting stuck in her arm," Kasumi replied, in
her usual blank look.
"Saint Hebereke knife?" Shampoo guessed, stepping
over the body of the paladin. "What's happening?"
She felt a hand grip her leg. "Don't... goooo...."
Staring back down at Spencer, she said, "Still
alive?!"
"Don't... leave... me," begged the dying paladin.
"The saint abandoned me...."
"And no wonder," Shampoo replied smartly, bending
down to pick up the pathetic man.
"Wait..." protested Shizuka. "I've gotta go back...."
Shampoo's eyes narrowed, carrying the paladin over
her shoulders. "You need help as much as paladin."
"I'm going back!" the priestess insisted, removing
her arm from around Kasumi's neck. She stood up
straight, but apparently too fast, for the priestess
fell flat on her face soon thereafter.
As Shampoo shook her head, Kasumi turned to greet
the newcomer. "Why, hello, Akane!"
Huffing and puffing, with a bundle of two sheathed
swords in her arms, Akane's eyes went wide when she
saw her sister. "Kasumi!"
"Where are you going?" demanded Shampoo.
"Shampoo!" Akane greeted. She stared down at the
collapsed Shizuka. "Uh... Shizuka...."
"I'm going back...." she mumbled to the ground.
"That's perfect!" exclaimed Kasumi. "I'm sure you're
going to go help Ranma, right? You can take Shizuka
with you."
"Hey!" Shampoo protested. "Why not I go and she take
Spencer to hospital?!"
"Because you're already carrying him?" Akane pointed
out. "Besides, you're going to watch Kasumi, right?"
"That would be nice," agreed the elder sister.
The priestess raised her head from the ground. "You
be goooooddd...."
"Shizuka...?" Akane whispered.
"'Ranma and Ukyo, sittin' in a tree,'" she blurted
out, trying to form a song. "'Dee why eye en....'"
Slinging the straps of the swords over her shoulder,
Akane bent over to help the priestess to her feet.
"The least you could do is stay 'normal' like you were
when split...."
Ranma continued to pummel the red giant on the back
as Mousse tried in vain to slice off its right thumb
with a saber saw. Hebereke regarded the two martial
artists with amusement, barely registering pain to the
two insects.
"More energy you expend," the demon said, "the more
that fuels my gate!"
"Dangit, won't you just PRETEND to get hurt?!"
complained Ranma, rubbing his sore fists.
Mousse threw the saber saw away as its edge dulled
flat. "I give up," he declared.
"No, no!" Hebereke boomed. "Keep fighting!"
Raising his huge right fist, the demon threw Mousse
at the opposite wall. Ranma jumped off its back just
before Hebereke slammed his back against a stone
column.
The Chinese martial artist hardly bothered to get
up. "Go 'way, Mom... I'm too tired to kill...."
Ranma regarded Mousse with scorn as he landed in the
benches. "C'mon, Mousse! Get up! We've got to beat
this thing!"
"With what?!" Mousse cried back. "None of our attacks
work on it! We don't HAVE any Magical +3 Swords of
Manliness!"
He dumped his gift pair of magic claws out in front
of him. "Not even these are strong enough to even
SCRATCH the guy!"
"JOSEPH!!"
All eyes turned to the source of the new voice.
Senryu Amakusa, draped in a dirty robe, leaned next
to the altar. His youthful face was marred with dirt
and grime, and appeared someone older than before.
"Amakusa...." rumbled Hebereke. "You escaped...."
"Magic weapons," the founder said, "may not be in
abundance these days... but...." He fumbled with the
folds of his robes. "Here's a present from the blue
dragon!!"
Ranma's jaw dropped in surprise as he recognized the
dart Amakusa threw. "A dragon earring?!"
The red giant hardly flinched as the earring, its
pointed shaft end first, buried itself into the demon's
thick hide.
"That bit," the demon said simply.
"What did THAT do?!" Ranma shouted at Amakusa.
"Damn, it's not enough!" cursed the founder.
Hebereke seemed to tremble a moment, as his eys began
to water up. He tried to pinch the earring out from
his hide, but it was too small to grasp with his great
claws.
"Poison," Mousse muttered. "That's poison!"
"And it's not nearly enough!" Amakusa added. "The
poison must've evaporated over time!"
"What, it's got a concealed injector?!" Ranma
realized.
The red demon stomped once in the direction of
Amakusa. "You'll die, for trying to exterminate me,
worm!"
"Deceiver of the masses!" accused the founder. "I
wish you never saved me thirty years ago!"
"With a heart such as yours I can open the gate home
in no time!" Hebereke roared in anger.
"Ranma!" Akane cried.
"Akane!" he yelled back, glancing over at his wife
who stood at the open double doors. The wounded
Shizuka, with the knife removed from her shoulder,
sat against the frame, a pair of sheathed swords
cradled in her arms, her head down. She mumbled
something Ranma could not make out as he rushed before
Akane.
Slowly, behind them, Hebereke stomped over the
benches toward the altar, and the vulnerable Amakusa.
"Akane," Ranma began, taking deep breaths, "give me
the dragon earring!"
"W... why?!" she asked, producing it from her
pocket.
"Thanks!" he cried, snatching the earring from her
hand. Immediately, he rocketed toward the red giant.
"Ranma!" Akane cried. "What're you doing?!"
"Here's more from the dragon!" Ranma shouted,
throwing the earring with all his might.
Dazed as he was, Hebereke barely caught sight of the
earring projectile before it buried itself in his arm.
"What's this?!" the demon cried out in disbelief.
"ANOTHER one?!"
"Poison fit for gods," Amakusa declared, "hidden for
so long in ancient Chinese assassin tools."
The proportions of the demon began to shrink and
disproportionalize. "N... no! I can't die now! I've
got to return...."
"You'll return home, all right," Ranma said, "but
dead."
He turned his eyes away from the melting demon and
headed back toward Akane. "The earrings were always
assassination tools...."
Mousse got up to his feet. "Strong enough for the
gods.... Heck, it's a god's poison."
Ranma turned his head back to Amakusa, who was
stepping down from the altar. "How'd you get that
earring?!"
"I found it on the beach," the founder explained.
"Found it along with Nagi, after your battle, from
what I gathered. I took the time to research such a
curious piece, so I saved it just in case." He smirked.
"It sure did bring good luck."
"Eh, I'll get 'em later, after the body finishes
dissolving," the martial artist decided. "I've no need
for poison, but...."
"Very good job, Ranma, Akane," a new voice said.
All eyes watched the hooded apprentice appear from
the shadows beyond the double doors.
"Where've you been?" demanded Ranma.
"It wasn't my place to fight," the girl answered.
"It was, however, my goal to bring down the demon
with the aid of the god poison."
"You knew?!" Akane gasped in surprise.
The apprentice pointed to Shizuka on the floor. "The
swords were only a diversion. I knew Ranma gave you the
earring, so we needed you here as well. Had Shizu
been able to wield them... well...."
"I thought she wasn't a martial artist," Ranma
pointed out.
"Not in that sense, no," admitted the hooded girl.
"But she is training."
"Who are you?" asked Amakusa.
"The question is, who are YOU?" countered the
apprentice.
"Huh?" Ranma drew a blank stare.
Amakusa laughed at Ranma. "Did you truly believe my
name really was 'Amakusa?'"
"Of course not," Mousse said. "You named yourself
after the supposed revolutionary leader back in the
Tokugawa Era."
"Funny that HE knows that," the apprentice muttered.
"'Course he know...." Shizuka moaned suddenly,
startling the others. "You're Ranma... you're Akane...
you're Ukyo... all big one happy family...."
"My name is really Senryu Nishimura," Amakusa
revealed. "Rather plain, but...." He turned to look
around the hall. "Well, maybe dropping 'Amakusa' might
be healthy for a while."
"And you," Ranma said, pointing a finger at the
hooded girl.
"You're Ukyo, aren't you?" Akane voiced.
If either could see an expression under the hood,
Ranma and Akane imagined it to be perplexion. "What
are you talking about?!"
"Shouldn't she be dead?" Nishimura asked. He looked
over to Mousse, who nodded.
"Ranma," the Chinese martial artist said, "are you
feeling all right?"
Ignoring Mousse, the young Saotome pressed further.
"Ever since you've gotten here you've known each and
every thing about us and our relationship, stuff that
nobody should know outside of town! And Shizuka said
you only appeared recently, at a time a little after
Ukyo 'died.'"
"That doesn't mean a thing," she scoffed.
"Ranma's got a point," Akane said in support. "You
DO seem to know too much." She pointed to Shizuka.
"Also, she's called you 'Ukyo' by name the entire trip
here!"
"She's got alcohol in her system," the apprentice
explained away. "Shizu doesn't know what she's talking
about."
"And yet," persisted the martial artist, "you've
always been there, hiding, planning everything, just
like Ukyo would."
The hooded girl gave a startled gasp of surprise
when Ranma grabbed both ends of her hood. Metal flashed
quickly, but the martial artist was quick enough to
stop her.
Akane gasped when she saw what the girl held. "That's
a spatula!"
Ranma smirked, forcing the girl to release her grip
on the metal spatula. "It's over."
He threw off the hood.
"You know," Chika said, turning her head away from
the monitor, "if we released this to theaters, do
you think we'd get a good amount of cash?"
Kodachi, standing above the media specialist, hardly
gave the thought consideration. "Waste of time. Hardly
exciting at all."
"The real show's out there," the other girl pointed
out, jabbing a thumb out the door.
"Shit sticks!" they heard Ayame curse, followed by
the slamming of a control pad on Shion's head.
"Hey!" Shion protested. "You're paying for it if you
break it!"
"Then stop cheating!"
"I'm NOT cheating! I didn't even use Great Mazinger!"
"I doubt it," Kodachi decided. "Perhaps we should
resume our search for Brother-dear."
The girl revealed under the hood forced Ranma to
step back in surprise. Her face was nothing like
Ukyo's, appearing somewhat more innocent in expression.
Her dark hair was worn short, with no bow in it at all.
"Eh?!" Akane gasped. "Who...?"
"I'm Hokuto Takemasa," the girl introduced herself.
Mousse slapped Ranma in the back. "See! What'd I
tell you?"
"Y...you're not Ukyo...." Ranma stuttered.
"The next best thing," Shizuka rambled.
"Ranma Saotome," Hokuto declared, "you're the one
that's making my life miserable."
"Ranma!" Akane shouted in warning, but Ranma
hardly heard her.
"Ho-boy, here it comes," the martial artist said,
shaking his head.
"I didn't know it until today, but you're the one
that's been gravitating my life," continued the
apprentice. "In fact, you're the gravity of the lives
of those around you."
"Say what?"
"Everything that's transpired, from the gathering and
separation of your friends and enemies, to the pain
and hardships you all suffered, are all caused by
you."
Ranma laughed. "That's the newest one I've heard!"
For a moment, he almost thought Akane was trying to
say something to him.
The world around the martial artist seemed to fade to
blackness. He tried his best to stomp out his momentary
fright as he realized that the only one left was
Hokuto herself.
"Think about it," she said. "It was you that drew
together those such as Tatewaki Kuno, then his sister,
Shampoo, then Mousse, Ryoga, Ukyo... all of them and
more, together in one town. All centered around you."
"And it was also you that made you, and them,
stronger. Your desire to become better was tempered by
the desire for stronger opponents. That introduced old
Cologne to Ryoga, who indeed became stronger. And then
Mousse and Tatewaki became stronger as well. The girls
couldn't stop chasing you because you wanted them to
chase you as well."
"That's silly!" Ranma yelled. "I never asked any of
them to fight or marry me! They could just leave me
alone if they wanted to; I had nothing to do with it!"
"And yet you were tempted by all of them in one form
or another," Hokuto continued. "You had ample time and
opportunity to rid yourself of these 'nuisances,' but
found you could not; you cling to the familiar and
sense of 'family.' No, that was why you couldn't tell
Ukyo the truth that you didn't love her. That's why
you couldn't help Tatewaki see the truth of your
curse. That's why Mousse always sees you as a threat to
him. All that and more."
"But now, they're all gravitating away from you, and
it scares you. It is a change you're consciously
unwilling to undergo, yet unconsciously you want this
to be. It's this type of conflict that binds me to
your life, and tethers the others to you at all times."
"That can't be right," Ranma countered, "I got Ryoga
and Akari together, and they're living happily ever
after. They're out and gone."
"Because that is what you truly wished for your old
friend."
"But Ukyo died... I didn't wish this!"
"You did, because you knew she cared too much about
her honor to allow her to live. You made her die."
"No way! Even then... Kuno and his Phoenix...."
"You pitied your opponent, and wished him to attain
the level you occupy. But, now that he's there, you
wish for him to... disappear."
"Mousse!"
"He saw his hollow love for Shampoo because you felt
pity for him as well. Part of you wants to give him
the fight he's dreamed of, yet the other wants him back
in China."
"Shampoo!"
"You want her to go home, but you can't bear for her
to leave, which is why she's still here instead of home
to fight a war."
"Kodachi!"
"She's found a new occupation for her time now that
the idea of being somehow related to her is revolting,
even if it is through a distant cousin as Taro. You
got rid of him for that reason."
"So what am I? God?"
"No, but you may as well be Fate to them."
"Then what does that make you?"
Hokuto sighed, taking a deep breath. "I'm that which
connects the gravity...."
"I don't play in riddles!" shouted Ranma. "Who are
you?!"
"Fifteen-thousand years ago a girl from Japan
traveled to China against her will. She was taken as a
slave concubine to be an exotic gift for some Chinese
warlord. On the way there they encountered a valley
filled with many springs. It was there that girl made
her escape, but it was too late when she discovered
the true nature of the place."
"Jusenkyo," Ranma guessed.
"She fell into one of the springs, and thereafter
it was cursed to become the Spring of the Drowned
Girl. However, she was recovered and revived by the
wardens, and she eventually returned to Japan. The
girl that drowned at the spring was my ancestor."
"Go figure," he muttered.
"It was not until after the Jusenkyo spring claimed
its first victim that its deadlier curse was realized,"
continued the girl. "Undocumented and unprecedented
in Jusenkyo history was a fate-link-- a destiny bond
between the cursed and the template. It was because
my ancestor, the template, was no ordinary girl, as
she possessed an unusual power."
"That's swell; I know where this is going."
"A strong spiritual link between my ancestor and
the cursed allowed the cursed to exert an unconscious
degree of control over fate, but the worst came at the
expense of my ancestor. She suffered a psychic
backlash on her very being by the cursed-- memories
and thoughts that were not her own. Ever since then,
whenever someone fell into the Spring of Drowned
Girl, a female member of my family suffered the
fate-link. There have been many that have been cursed
by that very spring, but I'm certain now that you're
the one."
"I'm linked... to you?!" Ranma exclaimed in
disbelief. "That's crazy!"
"The evidence is irrefutable!" Hokuto yelled angrily.
"Don't you see? I'm being overwritten by your
thoughts and perceptions of Ukyo Kuonji!"
"Why would that be, of all people?!"
"Because you killed her off! Because you're feeling
so bad about killing her that it's bleeding across
the fate-link and into me!" She threw open her robe,
revealing a familiar outfit beneath: a bandoleer of
spatula-darts. "I don't even know WHY I have this! Not
to mention I've suddenly become a good cook and
started getting memories that don't belong to me! And
although I wanted to try to discipline myself, you
ALSO sent me to the Shrine of the Four Gods, because
you remembered Ukyo had done so as well!"
"I'm willing to bet you qualify for the Miko no
Seiryu, too," Ranma guessed, "because that's how Ukyo
turned out in her future."
"Except I don't think I'll be ME long enough to
appreciate it!" Hokuto replied angrily. "I'm LOSING
because of you, dammit, and I don't even curse like
that!!"
"Because of my desire to restore Ukyo to life," Ranma
said, "I'm killing someone else...."
He nodded with firm resolve. "I'll stop now."
"Do you really think it's THAT simple?!" the girl
screamed. "No matter how CONSCIOUSLY you wish for it
to happen, UNCONSCIOUSLY you'll NEVER let go of Ukyo!
That's human nature. The only way to end this fate-
link is to remove your curse."
"Remove the curse?! That's never been even close to
happening before!"
"Plenty of times! You could've been cured, and I
spared of this misery, had you truly WISHED to be
liberated of your curse!"
"What're you sayin'?! I HATE turning into a girl!"
"A small part of you... no, perhaps bigger, desires
to know the life of a girl. I know this because of our
fate-link. Somewhere, somehow, you ENJOY it. You enjoy
the thrill it gives you and the edge it gives you over
others. That's why Tatewaki could not give you the
wish with his Wishing Sword; that's why Happosai drank
the barrel of water from the Spring of Drowned Man.
That's why the Japanese spring was dried-up. Each and
every chance of liberation was eliminated because you
WANT to keep it."
"Not only that," she added, "but you're also the one
who keeps the others from being cured as well. If you
can't get cured, nobody else will."
"But Herb's cured!" Ranma pointed out.
"That's because he, too, held a fate-link, and he
also possessed the gravity-- enough gravity to
counteract your own. My mother has been freed from her
torment in this manner."
"So we can just find his way...."
"You have to WANT to get cured, total and complete!"
"But I...."
"You continue to cling to your girl form! Until you
stop I'm going to die."
Hokuto's image began to fade away. "Maybe then,
you'll appreciate the friends you had... when they
were your friends," she said bitterly. "But now...
now, enjoy your fate. Enjoy it while it lasts, for
when I die... the gravity will disappear forever, and
it'll be too late to save anyone."
Ranma shook himself out of his trance, but found he
was no longer at the church.
He sat up in bed, realizing he was back at home--
how, he had no idea. He glanced over at Akane's bed,
which lay unoccupied, then at the clock-- only two
hours had passed since the battle, Ranma guessed.
Akane was likely downstairs... Mousse was probably
already getting ready to kill him. Shizuka was
likely still drunk.
And Ranma was alone.
"What the hell does it all mean?" the martial
artist wondered aloud.
Kodachi leaped down the stairs as soon as she saw
Tatewaki enter the front door of the Kuno estate,
bursting with energy. He still clung to the sword he
used to make the finishing blow to Nagi Tachibana,
former Orochi assassin, and his face appeared tired
and weary.
"Where have you been?!" she demanded, imitating the
voice of her mother.
"I have done soul searching," the elder replied
slowly. "Much thought, as to my existence, my way of
life, and what is left of it."
"And...?" Kodachi hardly liked what she thought was
coming.
"I shall be leaving for America to pursue my
studies," he announced, dropping the bomb.
Now was not the time for weakness. "What gave you
that idea?" Kodachi asked, trying to keep her voice
even. She wanted to say, "Please stay!" but knew it
sounded silly.
He had to choose his own path, just as he allowed
Kodachi to choose her path.
"The distractions brought about by living here in
Japan have diverted me from what is truly important...
life," Tatewaki said. "In this realm of violence one
cannot help but become a part of it, as I have. So
come the weekend, I shall depart over the seas."
"When will you be back?" the younger asked, avoiding
any sticky questions.
"Three or four years, perhaps." Tatewaki shrugged.
"But I assure you, 'tis for the best."
"What?" Shampoo exclaimed in surprise.
Mousse nodded, as did Ling-ling behind him. "When I
came by here to get my weapons I found her here."
Shampoo sat back in her seat, in the room allocated
to her while working at Dr. Tofu's office. Mousse and
Ling-ling stood by the door, their backs against the
wall, appearing relaxed-- but only in appearance.
"The old one," Ling-ling said, "has decided that,
since the battle fares against us, that you two be
recalled immediately to join the fight."
"This is what I've been waiting for!" Shampoo
declared happily.
"The old kook's finally cracked," Mousse said in
agreement. "We should leave immediately, before
anything else happens to our people."
Shampoo's eyes narrowed in suspicion, knowing the
man wished harm on herself and Ranma. "You seem
changed from before."
"And with good reason," the Master of Hidden
Weapons replied.
"How can I be sure you won't try to kill me
first, hmm?" Cologne's great-granddaughter folded
her arms, waiting for a satisfactory answer.
"Because the war consumed my father," he answered,
"and now, it too claimed my mother." He produced one
of the magic claws from his sleeves. "I'll make them
pay for that... with blood!"
------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
I purposefully arranged for the names Ayame and
Chika to mesh together after the singing duo 'Aya and
Chika from D&D' who sang the Power Stone anime's
opening ("Rise in My Heart") and closing ("Waitin'
For Heaven"). Actually, I had Chika named first, and I
adjusted Ayame's name to fit. Not that this has
any bearing on anything, as the two don't sing, but
just another fun little thing.
The usage of the jade dragon earrings was something
I was going to use in 'Nemesis' but it didn't fit.
That would've stopped Seiryu in her tracks instead of
the kiss... but the kiss was so much better.
Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOREPLYhotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
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