I was disatisfied with the fight scenes and the more I thought about it, the
more it bugged me. So I did something about it.
You know where to send the C&C, for this, or any other of my fics.
-Komodo
"He knows what he's doing."
-Mantra for anyone reading a Komodofic :-)
Komodo <n>
1. World's largest lizard, found on the Galapagos Islands.
2. A writer of Anime Fanfics. See also "Legend in his own mind"
************
Nabiki hadn't been the only one having trouble sleeping. Ranma spent most of
the night awake, troubled by Kodachi's behavior. He wasn't surprised by it,
he had always figured the Kunos for mental cases and was sure that they would
snap eventually, but it was troubling.
He didn't need this, not after the botched wedding and not when he and Akane
were trying to rebuild things.
By the time it he finally managed to get to sleep, it was two in the morning.
So it was that a puffy-eyed, near sleep deprived Ranma emerged into the
dining room to find Kasumi escorting Nabiki in from outside.
"She was sleepwalking and wound up outside," Kasumi said by way of
explanation as they passed him. "Breakfast is on the table."
"Okay," Ranma said and went to breakfast, his thoughts still elsewhere.
================
"Honestly," Kasumi said when Nabiki had stopped shivering. "Whatever
possessed you to stay up there all night?"
"I had a lot to think about," Nabiki protested as she sunk deeper into the
steaming water of the Furo.
Kasumi, who was seated on the bathing stool, still fully clothed, sighed and
shook her head.
"What would you have done if it had started raining?"
"Turn into a duck," Nabiki said wryly. Kasumi couldn't help herself and
smiled as she stood.
"I'll be right back with a robe," she said. "Then you're going to bed while I
make you some soup."
"Okay," Nabiki said distractedly.
When Kasumi returned, she found the furo empty, save for a duck paddling
happily back and forth through the water.
'Like a child with a new toy.' Kasumi thought as she leaned on the door frame
and watched.
================
Nabiki spent the rest of the day in bed and on the following day, returned to
school.
Where Kuno was waiting for her.
"Nabiki Tendo, I would have words with you."
"What is it Kuno?" Nabiki asked, her gaurd up.
"Two nights ago, my sister was attacked by a white tiger. I wish to know who
would set loose such a foul beast upon the streets so that I may visit
justice upon them." With that, he thrust a wad of bills at her. "This should
be more then enough to cover my question."
'You're not the only one who wants to know the answer to that question,
Kuno-baby.' Then her eyes narrowed slightly. 'Foul beast?'
"Well, Nabiki?"
"Well what?"
"Do you not have the answer I seek?"
"You only gave me enough for the question, Kuno," Nabiki said turning to walk
away. "The answer is extra." That wasn't entirely true, he had paid enough
for both, but her ego was smarting from the "foul beast" comment.
"How much?" Kuno asked, taking out a wad of bills.
Spying a pair of hundred thousand yen notes, Nabiki plucked them from the wad.
"This should do," she said, counting up the money he had given her so far.
"To answer your question Kuno-baby," she paused and gave him one of her
patented predatory smiles, unaware that her usual predatory smile was in fact
reflecting the events of two days previous. Making it all the more unnerving.
"I don't know." She turned and walked back towards the school. "But when I
do, I'll let you know." She looked back over her shoulder. "For a small fee,
of course."
"Nabiki seems, different today," Kuno noted, as he, Ranma, and Akane watched
her disappear into the school.
"Yeah," Ranma agreed.
"What have you done to her Saotome?" Kuno cried, drawing his bokken.
"What? Nothing!"
"How sad that you continue with untruths. I shall have to beat the truth from
you then."
With that, the morning's entertainment for the rest of Furikan commenced.
================
The headache had been slowly building all morning and by the time came for
her afternoon classes, Nabiki was feeling extremely ill.
"Miss Tendo, Miss Tendo!"
"Nabiki opened her eyes, her head still cradled in her hands, only to see
Miss Hinako standing next to her desk.
"You are not paying attention," the diminutive teacher continued. "Is there a
reason?
Nabiki looked up and the teacher got a good look at her face. Nabiki was pale
to the point of being alabaster white and she was sweating.
"You're sick! Report to the nurse's office at once!" Hinako snapped, jabbing
her finger at the door.
"I'll go with her," Ukyou volunteered, rising from her seat. "C'mon sugar,"
she said, putting an arm around Nabiki's shoulders. "Let's go."
They had just left the room when Nabiki suddenly moaned in pain and sank to
her knees, hands pressed to her forehead.
*Protect*
"Nabiki?" Ukyou asked, kneeling beside her. "You okay girl?"
*Protect*
"Athletic field. . ." Nabiki gasped as the vision unfolded before her eyes.
"Tr-trouble."
*Protect*
"What kind of trouble?"
*Protect*
"Monster. . .student being attacked!"
*Protect*
"Who's being attacked?"
*Protect*
"I don't know!" Nabiki shouted as she looked up from her hand.
Ukyou gasped. Nabiki quite literally had a cat's eyes and her lips were
pulled back from her teeth in a feral snarl, revealing sharp fangs.
"What's wrong with you?!" Ukyou asked, grabbing her arm.
"Don't touch me!" Nabiki shouted, shoving the other girl back.
Pain flooded Ukyou's body as she hit the wall.
"What the hell is going on out here?" Another teacher demanded, poking his
head out of the classroom.
"I don't know," Ukyou replied, shaking her head to clear away the stars. "But
somebody tell Ranma to meet me on the athletic field!" With that, she
sprinted after Nabiki, who was nearly to the stairs.
Ukyou, like the rest of the "Nerima wrecking crew" as a reporter had once
named them, was at the very least, four times more then an Olympic level
athlete. Even so, she was hard pressed to keep up with Nabiki, who was taking
the stairs four at a time and it was taking all of her skill not to land
wrong.
By the time they had reached the ground floor, they were really moving and
the middle Tendo daughter hit the door without even slowing down, knocking
the heavy wood off its hinges and sending it crashing down the stairs.
"Get Ranma!" Ukyou shouted to the few startled students on the grass as she
ran past.
Meanwhile, Nabiki had really started running and perhaps it was the speed
they were moving at, but it seemed to Ukyou that she was starting to blur
around the edges. A moment later, she realized she wasn't seeing things,
Nabiki was blurring, almost as though she was liquid.
"Hey! Wait up!" Ukyou yelled, and then her eyes widened as Nabiki's form
completely vanished to be replaced by a huge white tiger.
It, she, or whatever Ukyou had just chased across half of Furikan, glanced
back and then it seemed to slow, falling back and behind her. A moment later,
she felt something nudge her from behind and then she was tumbling backwards
on something furry. Instinctively, she gripped the fur and then realized she
was on the tiger's back.
"Okay, sugar," Ukyou muttered as she pressed herself flat against the big
cat's back. "I dunno what's going on, but I'm not letting you out of my sight
until I do."
================
Ranma and Akane were joining the other twenty something students in Mr.
Akito's literature class in attempting to find meaning in the works of some
guy named Keats when the door slammed open.
"Saotome!"
"Huh?"
"Ukyou! I think it was him anyway, he was chasing something that knocked the
south door off its hinges and they were moving too fast to be sure." The
student paused to gasp for breath. " He said to get you."
"Where were they headed?" Ranma asked, rising from his chair.
"Towards the athletic field!" Ranma and Akane bolted from the room.
================
Kuno, attracted by the noise, poked his head out of his class to see Akane
run by, Ranma close behind.
"So Saotome, you chase Akane Tendo, for her terror is apparent to any with
sight. I shall protect her virtue from your foul machinations should it take
my last breath!"
With that, the self-described Blue Thunder of Furikan set off in pursuit.
================
As they crossed the field. headed for the back wall, Ukyou saw what looked
like a misshapen blob moving along it.
"Get me closer," Ukyou yelled in the tiger's ear. "I'll try a few of my
spatulas on it!"
As they drew closer, they could see the blob was in pursuit of young boy. He
was a little taller then Ranma, with short, black hair and glasses.
"Glaurgh," the blob said as they got close and lashed out with a tentacle.
The tiger leapt aside, the movement nearly sending Ukyou flying as the
tentacle hit the ground, sending the dirt and grass flying upwards in an
explosive display.
"Baksai Tenku?! That thing is using the freakin Baksai Tenku!"
The tiger's response was a muffled grunt.
================
"Prepare to die Ranma!" came the shout as Ranma and Akane, followed by Kuno,
left the main building. "Baksai Tenku!"
"Aw crud," Ranma groaned as he leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the
metal tipped umbrella that smashed into the ground sending the earth for a
meter around the point of impact flying upwards. "I don't got time for this
Ryouga!" he called over his shoulder.
"Coward!" Ryouga shrieked, shaking his fist at Ranma's back. "Stand and-" it
was at that point that something smashed into him from behind and he and Kuno
went down in a tangle of arms and legs.
================
"We need to change our tatics!" Ukyou yelled into the tiger's ear. The tiger
looked back at her with a look that seemed to say "I'm open to suggestions."
"Get me close enough to grab the kid then head back towards the school, maybe
Ranma can come up with something!"
The first part of the plan went perfectly, that is, Ukyou managed to snag the
kid and head back towards the school.
But as they turned to head back towards the school the ground shuddered
violently and Ukyou found herself flying through the air.
The kid screamed and Ukyou twisted in the air to take the brunt of the impact
as they plunged towards the trees.
================
When Ranma and Akane arrived, they found Ukyou, barely concious, lying admist
a pile of branches and leaves, with a junior kneeling over her and huge white
tiger, its tail lashing angrily, was facing off against a huge, misshapen
blob.
"That's the tiger!"
"What do you mean 'that's the tiger'?"
"From the other day!"
"You mean it's THAT tiger? Are you sure?"
"Yeah!"
Akane took a closer look at the tiger. It was far bigger then any tiger she
had ever seen, and the Tokyo Zoo had some huge ones. It was in a crouch, its
green eyes locked on the blob.
"Ranma!" Akane gasped, grabbing his sleeve. "The way the tiger is crouched,
look at it, its the fighting stance for the Cat Fist!" Ranma swallowed. Hard.
'Okay, maybe he's not totally unaffected by the Guardian, if that's what that
is,' Akane thought. Then she noticed something else. The tiger's stance was
off. It was the stance of someone who had seen the move performed, but lacked
the muscle memory necessary to actually do it.
"Bigmeanscarycatwithhugeteethandclaws!" Ranma noted.
"Snap out of it will ya?" Akane yelled and the air rang with the sound of
skin against skin as her hand connected with his cheek. Ranma's head snapped
to the side and then Akane heard a feral growl. Akane looked over at the
tiger, but it was watching them out of the corner of its eye.
When she looked back at Ranma, there was an inhuman look on his face.
'The Nekoken!' Akane thought as she took a step back from Ranma and towards
the blob.
"Blorgh," the blob interjected and a tentacle lashed out from its side, the
point stabbing into the ground.
"The Baksai Tenku!" Akane gasped as the ground erupted, forcing her to leap
clear. When she looked back, Ranma was also clear of the crater and the blob
had apparently returned it's attention to the tiger.
Sidestepping clear of the crater, Akane moved in again, only to be forced to
leap clear as a tentacle lashed out, forming a new crater.
A suspicion was beginning to form in Akane's mind. Staying well back, she
scooped up a rock and tossed it towards the blob.
As though a line had been crossed, a tentacle shot out and touched the rock.
causing it to explode.
'Of course. . .' Akane thought. "Guardian!" she called. The tiger looked at
her, surprised. "It's a perimeter defense!" She jabbed a finger at the
craters on the ground then at the blob. "Don't get any closer then about one
meter! Otherwise, you have to deal with those tentacles!"
"Great," the tiger's expression seemed to say. "Now how do you propose we
stop it?"
The question was answered as Ranma let out a feral yowl and leapt high into
the air, poised to deliver the Cat Fist from above. But just before he
struck, the blob slid aside and Ranma's attack only did more damage to the
ground.
Without pause, Ranma sprang forward, fingers extended like claws, slashing at
the blob, which drew back, moving its shape as though dodging. Nevertheless,
air presurre from Ranma's movements created dents in its surface, and rocks
from the explosions littered its sides as it struck out again and again with
the tentacles.
The Gaurdian, perhaps seeing an opening, leapt upwards, extending its claws.
The moment it touched it however, twin howls of agony split the air.
One of them was from the Gaurdian, who hit the ground and got immeditly to
its feet, but favoring its right forepaw.
The other howl was from the blob as it began to surge and writhe. Akane
clapped her hands to her ears and closed her eyes as the howl reached a fever
pitch.
Then there was only silence. Opening one eye, and then the other, Akane saw
that there was no sign of the blob.
'Where did it go?' Akane wondered as she knelt, holding out her hand to
Ranma, who, after a moment, padded over to her and curled up in her lap.
Smiling softly to herself Akane rubbed Ranma's head as he began to purr.
Turning as best she could without disturbing him, Akane saw the tiger leap
lightly over the craters, look at her, then run for the gym buildings.
'Come on, Ranma,' she thought. 'Snap out of it.'
================
When Ukyou awoke, she found herself in a dark room, lit only by the glow from
a street lamp from somewhere outside. Her arms and legs could barely move and
there was a soft, but steady beep.
'A hospital room? How did I get here?' Then she remembered the events of the
day. 'Hey, there's someone in here with me!'
The shadows moved and Nabiki, dressed in dark clothing, stepped into the
faint light. Ukyou's eyes widened.
"Well, I guess we need to talk," Nabiki said quietly.
The beeps began to come faster.