*-----------------
Dark Crucible
Episode 4 v1.01
"Of Demon and Man"
*-----------------
Dawn. The coming of a new day. A symbol of hope, life
and renewal. And yet, this dawn was not greeted with the
usual cheers of a bright new day. It was met by the darkness
of a very serious omen. Over a steep rise overlooking the
city of Tokyo, an old woman propped herself up atop a short
length of hardened wood, her green garment flowing down like
the long white tresses of her hair. Her wrinkled face
twisted in consternation, taking in the sight before her.
Where Tokyo was supposed to be, there was nothing but a
huge, impenetrable dome of darkness. The light of the sun
vainly attempted to pierce through the deep, opaque surface
of the dome, which seemed to writhe and swirl, like a
million ebony serpents clashing against each other in an
endless dance.
"I leave on a simple errand for a few days and I come
back with everything thrown into chaos," she rasped in a
cackling tone which sounded like a lament, dripping with
irony. "What is son-in-law up to now?"
***
"So, what you're trying to say is that you're a team of
scientists from another world, who came here to examine some
weird anomalies occuring in this one?" the old man asked, a
thoughtful look on his face as he appraised the young man
and woman before him.
"Well, we're not exactly scientists," said Makoto
Mizuhara, sitting across the old esper who was regarding him
thoughtfully. "However, we are trying to pinpoint the cause
for all these `warps' which are occuring in your world."
"I believe that these `warps' can only mean trouble for
you and your world," Ifurita interjected. "Having travelled
through an endless series of worlds before, I have become
quite sensitive to these ripples. These ripples simply feel
-- unclean. It's as if the mere thought of them makes me
feel dirty and uneasy."
"It is possible that what you are describing is a
feeling of teleportation disorder," the old man said. "When
a person teleports from one place to another, time and space
are invariably bent around that person, instantaneously
sending him or her to the other location. The bending of the
fabric of existence can cause various degrees of nauseating
effects on the person."
"Perhaps," Ifurita mused, "but I am no ordinary person,
subject to such feelings of discomfort. These feelings I
have are something else..."
While Makoto and Ifurita were discussing things with
the grandfather of the family, Shayla and Afura were busily
discussing the situation on the porch.
"Something's weird about all of this, you know," Shayla
lamented. "How come he and his family are all taking this
story of ours so calmly? We're from another world, for
crying out loud! And they're just sitting there smiling at
us as if we were nothing more than a passing tourist!"
Afura regarded the fiery priestess coolly. "Makoto and
his friends were also from this world, if you may remember.
We weren't entirely excited over them when they came around.
Circumstances often dictate how we react to what's
happening, and right now, this old man seems to know
something about what's going on. We really should see what's
going on."
"Well, I don't like it. It all seems so... strange."
And strange it was. The Eye of God had sent the seven of
them across time and space, hurtling to this world through a
massive burst of energy. Evidently, something was amiss;
they had arrived unconscious, something which Makoto had not
experienced coming to El Hazard. There goal had been to
arrive near a source of the `ripples,' and assuming all had
gone well, here they were, being greeted by a strange old
man, his son, and his two granddaughters. They had brought
them over to this convenient cabin, on a mountain in the
middle of nowhere, with the excuse that they were here on an
annual family trip. While Miz, Nanami and Mr. Fujisawa were
being entertained by their unexpected hosts, the two
priestesses were brooding over this somewhat ill-fated turn
of events.
"For all we know, they might be the culprits we're
after!" Shayla blurted. "We ought to hang these bums and
hose the information out of them!"
"While your suspicions are not entirely unjustified, it
would be entirely rude to go about it in that manner," Afura
placidly stated. "But then again, what was I expecting from
a hot head like you?"
"What was that?!??!" fumed Shayla, sparks of energy
threatening to engulf the wooden paneling and supports along
the front porch.
"As I was saying, some people simply have no self
control and let off at the drop of a hat..."
Any further iterations were drowned out by a loud roar
coming from within.
"WHOOOWHEEE!!! This is some GOOD STUFF you have here!"
thundered a very inebriated Fujisawa.
"Really, Masamichi, you shouldn't be drinking so
much..." Miz started.
"She's right, sensei. You know how out of control you
get when you have a little too much to drink," Nanami
seconded. "You guys sure have some strong stuff out here."
"Well, even though we only visit here once a year for
some ritual meditation, we have a little party before we
leave so we keep the place pretty well-stacked." Manami
replied. "I must admit, though, I always thought we were
overdoing it a bit..."
"Hey, Fujikuns, you REALLY can PUT EM AWAY!!!!" Kurumi
spouted, her face splashed red from the blood pounding in
her veins. "Here, have some more!!!" She got another bottle
and slammed it in front of Mr. Fujisawa.
"Hey, don't mind if I do!!" he roared.
"Please excuse sensei if he's a little raucous," Makato
said, "but he always does this when there's something to
drink."
"Don't worry about it," grandfather said. "It's always
good for the spirit to let loose every now and then and get
roaring drunk. Young lady, would you like a little to
drink?" He asked Ifurita.
"No thank you. I do not require such beverages."
"Beverages? Hah! That's a good one, child. But you
really should drink up, you know-"
"What was that?!" Ifurita tensed, grabbing her powerkey
staff as she looked about. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"What was what?" Makoto wondered.
"What... no, it can't be...." grandfather murmured.
A shout from outside disrupted any further musings on
the matter, followed by a roar of energy. Makoto rushed out
to the front of the cabin as an inebriated Fujisawa fell on
his side, roaring drunk.
Outside, Shayla was breathing heavily, in a combat
stance, flaming energy pulsating around her. Afura stood to
her side, tense and alert.
"What happened...?" Makoto asked as Ifurita, Miz and
the others followed to see what was going on outside. All
their eyes shifted to a point in front of the cabin where a
haze of smoke and dust was clearing, obviously the target of
the priestesses wrath.
"This, this, this... there was this man in black,
and..." Shayla was stuttering, apparently disoriented.
"I'm not sure what's going on," Afura pensively spoke,
"but I don't like it. Don't you feel it?"
At her words, Makoto realized that something was wrong.
Just moments ago, there was a casual, friendly atmosphere as
his hosts were entertaining them after they had regained
consciousness at the cabin. Now, the air was thick with
dread.
"What?!" Ifurita suddenly gasped, loosing her balance.
"It can't be... this power..!?" She nearly fell to her
knees, clutching her powerstaff for support. She turned
around, searching for the source of her distress.
Behind them, standing atop the cabin, was a man dressed
fully in black. His long, black hair billowed in the breeze,
framing his face, matching the gentle wafting of the dark cloak
which concealed the rest of his figure. Looking up at him
from their position, silhoutted by the sun in the sky, his
entire form seemed darker than the darkest night.
"Omae wa... I did not expect one of *you* here." He
said, the calmness of his voice belying the tension in the
air.
"What do you mean?!" Ifurita demanded. "Who are you!?"
Why was she feeling so weak, so drained of energy? Yet, she
couldn't afford to show this man any more weakness. They
were all in terrible danger, she knew. She couldn't afford
to be weak.
"I don't care who he is!" Shayla declared. "No one
sneaks up on a priestess of Muldoon and walks away calmly!
Come down here and fight like a man!"
"Interesting," he said, a smirk coming across his fine
features. "You are a priestess? This is turning out better
than I imagined."
"And just what do you mean by that?!" Shayla demanded.
"I cannot pretend to know why you are here, but you
will regret that fact soon enough," he said calmly, as if
stating the inevitable.
"SHUT UP!!! HAAAAAAA!!!" her temper having gotten the
better of her, she released another stream of fiery energy
at the impertinent fool.
"Shayla!" Makoto exclaimed in surprise.
"He deserved it." She spouted.
"Think again," Afura shook her head.
"You couldn't hit me the first time," came his chilling
voice, this time behind them, in front of the cabin. "What
makes you think you would have more success this time?"
"Everyone!" Ifurita shouted, the air around her
tingling with energy. "Get away from here! This is a very
dangerous man!" Without saying anything else, she dashed
forward, leaving a trail of dust behind her as her staff
charged with energy, intending to lay the man to waste.
"Don't bet on it, sister!" Shayla declared grasping her
ancient artifact in her fist. "Get in line!"
Afura just shook her head and readied her own artifact,
knowing that a fight was inevitable. She looked to her side
and nodded at Miz, who held her ring at the ready.
"It looks like Mr. Fujisawa's too plastered to do
anything right now," Nanami noted.
As Ifurita streaked towards her target, she held her
staff in front of her and let loose several high powered
concussion bolts. She was moving fast, intent on finishing
this as quickly as possible; there was no telling what this
person was capable of.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from where he
was standing, streaking upwards into the air. The bolts of
energy leveled a boulder and some trees behind where he had
stood, spreading a thick cloud of dust onto the battlefield.
Without pause, Ifurita followed him into the sky.
"Afura! Clear this dust away!" Miz shouted. "Makoto,
get everyone away from the mountain!"
"I understand!" he replied, leading the Kasuga family
away from the battfield. With the fighting going on, a
landslide could be triggered that would put them all in
danger. It was a wise idea to get off from the mountain.
Nanami was trying to lug the still inebriated Fujisawa along
with them. Ura had already fastened onto her master. "Come
on, everybody! Let's go-"
"Wait!" grandfather said, "I know what he is after! You
must follow me!"
"What?!" Makoto asked, confused.
"Grandpa, you don't mean..." Manami voiced out.
"We have to go up to the shrine!" he said.
"What shrine?" Makoto asked.
"Just follow me, boy!"
Up in the sky, Ifurita faced off with her adversary.
"I don't know who you are, but you had better get away from
here. Don't force me to use my full power on you."
"What's stopping you, then?" he mocked. "Don't tell me
*you* have grown a conscience."
"What do you know about me? Who are you? What
are you doing here?"
"My name is Isharo. As for my business here, do you not
feel it? Do you not know what this place is?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Hm. You truly are pathetic," he extended his hand, and
let out an energy blast of his own. Ifurita studied the dark
energy streaking towards her. This was a different kind of
attack, something she had never seen. Still, he had made the
mistake of using it against her. It would be hers, now.
As it struck, she felt the familiar surge of energy as
her body assimilated the attack and analyzed its nature. It
was apparently a form of negative energy attack, which
caused a vacuum of non-energy to flow towards the target
instead of using normal energy to create force. The effect
was theoretically devastating, as the vacuum caused normal
energy and matter which it collided with to become drawn to
the negativity with explosive force. An interesting attack
technique which she now had mastered.
"An interesting attack. But a useless effort. You have
just given me the tool with which to destroy you." She
focused and discharged a similar bolt of dark energy towards
Isharo. As usual, the force behind her attack was even
stronger than the original. She estimated that his bolt
could level a small building. Hers could level a small city.
It struck him, and... nothing.
"What?" she exlaimed, at a loss. That attack should
have destroyed him!
"You really shouldn't depend on using other's attacks
too much," he smiled. "Especially when the attack is of a
questionable nature."
"What do you-" then she felt it. All of a sudden, her
sight went hazy as she swooned in midair. *What?! The
negative energy...* her thoughts swirled in a maelstrom of
chaos as darkness threatened to overtake her. She raised her
head, trying to hold herself up, as if that act would
reinvigorate her. Her gaze met his cold eyes, staring down
at her.
"You are so very predictable," he sneered.
The swirling winds cleared the dust away as Afura
exerted her control over the elements. As the dust cleared,
the three priestesses looked into the sky to see Ifurita
apparently dazed, helplessly staggering about before the
mysterious stranger.
"What the hell," Shayla swore. "Can't that demon god do
anything right?"
"Afura, Shayla, we have to work together on this. We
have to do a three point attack to corner him," Miz stated.
"Otherwise, we may not even be able to hit him."
"Yeah, I know," Shayla grimaced, remembering the speed
with which he dodged her attacks.
"Alright," Afura said, "Move and hit him from a
triangle. We must take him on all sides!"
Isharo grabbed Ifurita by the front of her garment and
held her up to look him in the eye. Those eyes were so cold,
the penetrating steel of that gaze judging her, no,
appraising her like a piece of defective equipment. She was
the greatest demon god El Hazard had known. Countless
kingdoms had risen and fallen by her hand. Her power was
absolute, supreme. And yet this man now manhandled her like
a rag doll, and she couldn't help but tremble at the
intensity of those eyes. Although she was often regarded as
a tyrant in El Hazard legend, she had never borne a hatred
of life, simply a need to fulfill the destiny she was born
to do. This man was different. Those eyes were full of
hatred. Endless, irrational hatred, the kind that destroyed
worlds. For all she knew, it might have.
"How does it feel, destroyer?" he said, those terrible
eyes still locked in her vision. "How does it feel to be
powerless?"
"What... what are you..." she began, when a swift
movement at the periphery of her vision caught her eye. In a
desperate bid to escape, she cuffed Isharo across the chin
as she used her other hand to break his hold. Isharo,
momentarily stunned, let go of her as three blasts of
elemental energy struck him from all sides. Ifurita broke
away, almost falling in the process.
The three priestesses looked upwards from their
positions.
"Did we get him?" Miz wondered.
"It would appear so." Afura replied.
"Is that all you can do?" came the voice, incessantly
calm.
The three priestesses and Ifurita started in disbelief
as Isharo, arms curled in a defensive position, emerged from
the point of the blast. His cloak was a bit more for wear,
and perhaps the edges of his hair were singed. Otherwise, he
looked perfectly fine.
"What does it take to nail this guy?!?" Shayla
exclaimed.
Ifurita noticed Isharo's energy level was rising fast;
no, rising tremendously fast. "Watch out!" she cried to the
priestesses. "He's going to-"
"If you want to hurt me," Isharo said as energy began
to radiate from his body, "you'll have to hit as hard as
this!"
The ensuing explosion blew away the mountainside.
***
Ranma awoke to darkness. It was morning, yet as he
opened his eyes, all he could see was pitch darkness. Then
he realized a big, black, furry paw was covering his face.
He quickly brushed the obstruction away, getting into a
sitting position. Beside him, his father in panda form
shifted to the side, getting the paw out of his face and
onto the next guy, Kyosuke's face.
*That's funny,* he thought, taking a look around. *It's
supposed to be morning, but it's still kinda dark.* He
looked at the alarm clock (which for some reason was never
set) and saw that it was a quarter to six. Looking around
again, it was as dark as midnight. The early gray of dawn
should have been creeping into the room by now.
*Maybe we switched to daylight savings.* he mused.
Kasumi would be up by now and would have breakfast ready in
a while, so he has some time to waste until then. Martial
arts was his life, and he was usually up at this time
training with his father. Unfortunately, the panda was still
asleep, probably from eating too much last night. Seeing
Kyosuke at his father's side, he remembered that there were
a lot of house guests today. That other new guy, what was
his name? Oh yeah, Erwin. He looked like the type to train
all day as well. Maybe he was up by now and ready for a
sparring match.
Ranma headed for the dojo, where most of the M-Team
were bunking up. As he approached, he heard loud snores
coming from within the dojo. *These guys are really heavy
sleepers,* he thought. He entered the dojo. Instead of
finding the three men of their Reganorian visitors sleeping
soundly, he only found the wily one, Allan, cramped with the
three Britannian stooges of the Avatar, all snoring loud
enough to take the roof off.
*How _do_ they get any sleep in there?* He wondered,
pondering where his potential sparring partner might be. He
was ready to go with either of the two who were missing, but
unfortunately the four he did find he considered mostly
worthless idiots in terms of martial arts.
Foiled in his mission, Ranma headed back into the
house, where the smell of cooking drew him to the kitchen.
Kasumi looked up from her cooking to greet him. "Why, hello
Ranma-kun. Breakfast isn't ready yet. It might take a little
longer today. I had to cook a little extra since we have so
many house guests."
"Uh, yeah," Ranma replied absently. "Say, you wouldn't
happen to know where that guy, Erwin- where is he?"
"Oh, you mean one of our guests, Mr. Epsilon? He went
with Mr. Tyler to take Ukyou-san home last night. He's a
kind person, that Mr. Tyler. He said they might be late, so
I shouldn't wait up for them."
"So, they haven't returned yet?"
"Not yet."
"Sou ka." Ranma returned to his musings. He wandered
back out to the garden to kill some time. The carp weren't
jumping in the pond today. Then he realized why, it was
still dark. It was still dark as night, although it was
almost seven in the morning.
"Missing houseguests and late daybreaks. Nothing to
worry about for a guy who turned into a girl when wet. It's
just another normal day," Ranma wondered out loud.
"Like little demons running around campus happen
everyday," said a sharp voice.
Ranma jumped in surprise.
"Nabiki! Don't butt in like that. You're giving me the
creeps!"
The middle Tendo sister just shrugged from her
position, seated on the porch facing the garden. "You're the
one talking to yourself in the morning."
"And why are *you* up so early?" Ranma was wondering
what she was doing out here so early in the morning. He was
also quite peeved to be talking to her alone right now. Past
experience told him that that meant she was about to `ask a
favor' in one way or another.
"Relax, Ranma, I'm not going to bite you," she said, as
if reading his mind. Looking up into the sky, she replied.
"What exactly would bring someone up so early on a morning
without a sun?" Without changing her tone of voice, yet
dripping with sarcasm nonetheless.
"Uh, so you noticed."
"Who *wouldn't?*" she replied.
"Who wouldn't what?" At that moment, Akane walked into
the porch, dressed in her school uniform. "Hey. I must have
woken up a little early. It's still dark."
"Only a dumb macho chick like you wouldn't realize that
it's already seven in the morning," Ranma said, almost
instinctively.
"What did you say?!?"
"It figures, you can't cook, built like a brick, can't-"
"RANMA!!!!"
"Oh please, this is getting old," Nabiki commented.
Ranma closed his eyes, instinctively cringing in
anticipation of the coming blow, fingers set in the standard
evil spirit warding position. But. the blow never came.
"Huh?" Ranma opened his eyes, and he saw Akane looking
about with her hands empty.
"Hey, where'd it go?" Akane wondered.
"Now, THIS is something new," Nabiki said, although her
attention no longer fixed on the two. She was instead
watching a bunch of people coming from the dojo. Coming
around the corner was...
"Avatar! Where didst thou get that hammer?" a
bewildered Dupre asked.
"Hey, Dupre, how do you like it? It's my new Juggernaut
Hammer!" Cara said, flexing a big hefty mallet around in one
hand. Much like the way Akane often did. "I was looking
through some drawers and voila! I didn't know that we had
stuff like this on Earth!"
"It's just like the one you got in Britannia," Dupre
noted. "The one you st- er, acquired from the Serpent's
Hold."
"Avatar!" an indignant Iolo said. "May I remind you
that we are guests in this house! I demand that you put that
back where you found it this instant!"
If looks could kill, the glare Akane gave Cara would
have slain her on the spot.
Without a word (probably because she was fuming so
badly that steam, and not words, would come out of her
mouth), she snatched the mallet from a surprised Avatar and
stormed off, her wrath towards Ranma all but forgotten.
"What was that all about?" Ranma asked no one in
particular.
"How many times do I have to tell you." Iolo ranted,
pulling Cara away to scold her privately.
"I'd better keep an eye on that one," Nabiki said.
Akane wandered back to the porch, apparently having
nothing better to do since Kasumi wasn't finished with
breakfast yet. "Honestly, the nerve of some people," she
huffed. "It's bad enough that there have to be so many
guests around."
"It's taking breakfast forever." Ranma complained.
"Maybe Kasumi needs some help with the cooking-" Akane
said.
"Uh, what's your hurry?!!!" Ranma quickly interceded.
"Well, I don't want to be late for school." Akane
replied. "Hey, Nabiki, why aren't you dressed up?"
"Because, sis, I can assure you that we *won't* be
having school today, or any time soon. In case you forgot,
there's this little matter of some demons running around
campus yesterday. You were there, I recall? And in case none
of you were watching the news last night, the entire of
Tokyo is in a state of panic with all these little monsters
running around the streets."
"What?" Ranma exclaimed. "You mean it wasn't an
isolated incident?"
"Apparently not," Nabiki replied, "I'd have checked the
news again this morning, but unfortunately, the television
isn't working. Neither are the phones. I'm not sure, but I
think the entire city is being overrun by monsters." Once
again, she kept the same tone of voice, as if stating the
weather.
"You've got to be kidding!" Akane exclaimed, suddenly
tense. "If they're all over the city, then they've had the
entire night to wreck the place. We're still fine, so."
"Actually, there's something-" Nabiki was about to
explain, when a shriek of surprise from where Iolo took the
Avatar erupted.
"What was that?!" Akane cried, jumping to her feet.
Ranma was already on the way. Around the corner of the dojo,
a bright flash of light erupted. Surprised but undaunted,
Ranma rounded the corner to see.
"Avatar, that was a little excessive for the little
beast," Shamino noted.
Cara was in a fighting stance, her sword Arcadion held
before her, shoulders heaving more from the surprise than
the exertion. On the ground before her was a smoldering pile
of ash which was unmistakably the object of her wrath.
"It asked for it!" she maintained.
A head popped out of the dojo. "Who asked for it?"
Allan asked.
"HAAAAAA!!!!!"
"WHOA!" Allan's head ducked back into the dojo to
avoid the searing gout of flame that singed the tips of his
hair. "What was that for?!" he demanded.
"Well you were asking for it!" the Avatar retorted.
"Remind me never to ask anything from you again," he
grumbled.
"What just happened?" Akane inquired.
"It seems that yonder beast slipped into the yard,"
Shamino appraised.
"How did it get through my shield?" Cara demanded.
"Your shield?" Nabiki raised an inquiring eyebrow.
"Yes, my shield!" Cara replied. "Yesterday a large
number of these beasties show up and wreck the place. No
adventurer worth his salt would rest for the night without
some form of protection."
"That pretty much explains it, I suppose," Nabiki said.
"Explains what?" Ranma asked.
"In case none of this strikes any of you as odd,"
Nabiki began, "Tokyo was suddenly attacked yesterday by a
horde of these little monsters. It was all over the news.
This is very serious. Now, I woke up early this morning to
check the situation out. Before I could go out and check on
the neighbors, though. well, it's better to show you. Follow
me."
Ranma thought it over. Well, what Nabiki said did make
sense, and if that were true, then this was serious! He
hadn't thought of it that way, but admittedly anything that
happened around here hardly struck him as strange anymore.
Everthing that happened in Nerima had seemingly desensitized
them all to anything weird. But if what Nabiki said was
true...
"NANDAZE?!??!" Everyone jumped in surprise as they came
across the front gate. Just outside, a horde of monsters
were bustling around, howling and growling as they scraped
across the perimeter.
"This is our little problem," Nabiki said.
***
Fire. Burning. Destruction. Chaos. It was a familiar
notion, one she was very accustomed to. She didn't have to
open her eyes to taste the sense of loss and devastation.
Deep within her, it was there. It was what she was created
for.
She opened her eyes to the yellowish haze. Around her,
she could see buildings burning. The air was black with
smoke as the flames licked the sky. The land was barren, all
the trees and other plants had long since been seared away.
There were no children crying, no men despairing over the
loss of their lives, no women anguishing over their
families. They were all dead. They always died. Nothing was
left but the charred remains of a civilization, destroyed by
the dictates of an edict older than their history.
It was a scene dragged from her past, a past she had
thought she had left behind. Yet here it was again. She was
reliving the destruction of El Hazard. Only it wasn't El
Hazard.
Ifurita had seen the rise and fall of many nations. It
was what she had been created for. She remembered each and
every one. The last nation she had laid to waste did not
look like this world. None of them did. The infrastructure
was different, the materials used, the layout, this was
unlike any city she had ever seen before. This world was not
El Hazard.
She never felt sadness or remorse for the destruction
she wrought. It was not within her to feel such emotions.
Although she had destroyed the lives of millions, there was
never a pang of guilt over her actions. Yet now, she felt
oddly distressed over the destruction around her. Perhaps it
was because she was closer to being human, now. Makoto and
the others had taught her the meaning of humanity. The
thought of the loss of this world, and the reminder it
conjured of the many worlds she had destroyed in the past,
almost overwhelmed her.
Looking on the carnage, she sensed a presence behind
her. Turning around, she saw a man, kneeling on the ground.
He was dressed in white, although his clothes were dirty and
singed, as if he had been in the conflagration. His face,
although finely featured, was marred by the sadness and
grief of one who had lost everything. Although he was in
white, a pall of darkness cast about him like a shroud, a
shroud of death and despair. There was nothing left for this
man, nothing except a fire burning within his eyes. Eyes
which shone with nothing but.
"So, destroyer. Are you enjoying your handiwork?" a
voice to her right asked.
She turned to face Isharo, standing unfazed by the
carnage, the wind which fanned the flames rustling through
his cloak like angry fingers. Though much of his stature was
imposing, once again that which caught her were his eyes.
Those cold steely eyes bore so much hate, hatred for her,
for the carnage around him, for all the world.
"I did not do this," Ifurita replied. "This place
registers no memories for me."
"Why?!?" he demanded suddenly, violently. "Why must you
always destroy everything?! You and your kind do nothing but
leave destruction in your wake!!!"
Ifurita wanted to shake her head, to retort that she
was different now, that she no longer used her power to
destroy. Her head reeled with his accusation, and she was
also confused by what he meant by saying `you and your
kind.' Yet she no longer walked down that path of
destruction. She had changed.
"And what of you?" she returned, unable to think
clearly of a rational for her actions. "You seem no
different! This morning you attacked us without
provocation."
"Do not lecture me about destruction," he snapped,
"You, who were created for the sole purpose of sowing chaos
and carnage."
"That is no longer my path," Ifurita replied.
"Walking one path in a fork does not change where you
tread before the fork."
Looking back at her life, she saw the truth of his
words. Too much of her life had been spent fomenting
destruction. What was the short time she had spent living a
normal life compared to the centuries she had spent
destroying civilizations, destroying countless lives? Was
there really redemption for one such as her? No matter what
she did today, it would not bring back what was lost in the
past.
Suddenly, out of the flames that surrounded her, she
saw people. Men and women, their faces blackened, hollowed
husks of suffering. Their cloths were torn, their hair
threadbare wisps of darkness, their skin shriveled remnants
of what they had lost.
Seeing this carnage again, she wondered, she wondered
how she could believe that she could wipe away her past.
When she was with Makoto, he made it make sense so easily.
With him, she walked a different path. She no longer had to
be the unthinking, killing machine she was. And yet...
Children! The children milled about her, their clothes
tattered, the skin charred and burned, their faces dust
covered and streaked with tears. The look on their faces was
that of utter grief, the lines of their tears caking down
their cheeks, the dirt and grime on their faces hardening,
stiffening, peeling, like burned skin coming off their
faces. Perhaps it was skin.
"And what rational did you offer the many
civilizations you had destroyed? Why did you destroy them?"
The children swarmed around her, their pleading hands
grasping at her, pulling her down, their wails of sorrow
echoing loudly, unbearably, in her ears. She gasped, as the
tugging became more incessant, more intensified. The
cacaphony soared about her, intolerable suffering, bringing
tears which were wrenched from her eyes with such violence,
as only pangs of guilt and self loathing could. And
inevitably, it released memories of a time where such
emotions did not matter.
A scream, a heart wrenching scream, as her emotions and
memories collided in that moment, and a great explosion of
energy erupted from her, an explosion as great as any she
had ever mustered in her days as a Demon God. All around
her, the wasted buildings were no more, the men and women
were no more, and the children, the children...
"Why?!" she screamed, her mind reeling, "Why is this
happening?"
"Because it is what you were born to do."
Ifurita paused, tears considering her life, her reason
for existence. She was created for that, for the sole
purpose of destruction. She had only followed what she was
told to do. She was simply fulfilling the reason for her
existence. If that was so... if so... then why was she even
alive?
"Why? Why are you doing this?!" she cried in anguish,
sinking to her knees.
"Why? Does a fire need a reason to burn? Does a plauge
ask why it spreads? Do you ask why a wound bleeds and
festers? Does a destroyer need a reason to destroy worlds?"
"But..." she feebly protested.
"And you destroyed worlds. Without reason at all."
Ifurita's mind screamed in protest, as her mouth
screamed a rejection. But deep inside, she realized it was
true. There was nothing she could do, think or say to deny
it. She turned to Isharo, a sibilant spectre standing behind
her, laying bare her soul.
"I can sense the hatred in you. What you have done is
no different!" she screamed, in anger, in rage. "Why are you
doing this? Why are you...why are you... why are you..." her
voice, strong in anger, suddenly died to a whisper,
"...destroying me?"
"I simply speak the truth," he replied.
And that single line damned her more than anything else
he had said.
***
"Why do we have to do this again?" Sokimo asked.
Sokimo, the demon of vegetation and undergrowth, was
a most unusual demon. His dark green robe, which covered most
of his body was a stark contrast to the usual color scheme of
his companions. The wide brimmed straw hat which covered his
head and kept his face hidden away was neither dark enough
nor imposing enough to be thought to be a monster's
headpiece. In fact, nothing was imposing about Sokimo at
all, not the robes which covered a small, gaunt frame; not
the hat, which obscured a face which could not possible
instill fear; not the pale, skinny hand (the only part of
him visible) which clutched a gnarled wooden staff.
"Because you failed the last time," came the flat reply
of one of his companions, a large demon who was easily
twice, if not thrice, Sokimo's size. This lumbering demon
had the look of stone, as if he had been sculpted from
granite. And a large block of granite it was, for the
demon's girth was reflected in its massive shoulders,
barrel-chested torso and trunk-like legs. The demon had the
look of a powerful, heavily muscled man carved from stone.
He was Galudos, the demon of stone.
"Not only that, but your incompetence has allowed one
of our number to fall," spoke Sokimo's other companion. "Be
glad that the Dark Lord did not see fit to smite you where
you stood." This demon was different from his companions as
well. Where Sokimo was gaunt and Galudos was muscular, this
one was lean and slender. Wrapped in dark cloths from head
to toe, the only visible part of this one was his shifty
black eyes. Underneath its tattered cloak, glints of metal
could be seen; hints of a small arsenal of weapons. He was
Murakamo, the Hunter.
Sokimo slumped a bit, a mark that he was sulking. And
indeed, sulking was unusual, very unusual, for a demon. "But
our Lord didn't. Our Lord is wise and pragmatic, after all."
"Maybe so," Murakamo replied, "but do not test our
Lord's wisdom. If we, if *you* fail once again, our Lord
might not be so forgiving." Sokimo didn't miss the edge in
that voice.
"So where are we heading for?" Sokimo asked.
"Our destination is not far," Murakamo said. "Our
target is near. We shall have her by day's end." Murakamo
was a hunter, he was possessed of such heightened senses. He
could sense his quarry from many leagues away. Some said he
could sense his quarry across dimensions.
Sokimo wanted to snort at that, but wisely kept his
mouth shut. Murakamo was a patient demon, one had to be when
stalking prey. But it was no secret that Murakamo had little
regard for the diminutive demon. In fact, most demons
didn't, either. But Sokimo felt derision at Murakamo's
proclamation of their quarry. After all, he could sense her,
as well; could sense her as surely as Murakamo could. He
could sense her as if she were right beside him, again.
Galudos looked on, quiet as stone.
***
"Are you certain of this?" Charles asked his friend.
The three of them, Ukyou, Erwin and himself, were barricaded
in Ukyou's okonomiyaki parlor. The previous night, after
witnessing the strange phenomenon in the sky, they had
thought the wandering around in the streets in the dark
might be dangerous. They couldn't have been more correct.
"As things stand, I'm quite sure that Tokyo will not be
seeing the light of day again," Erwin replied.
"You mean we're trapped in eternal night?" Ukyou,
deeply concerned, asked.
"It would appear so," Erwin replied. "At least, until
this shroud is lifted." He had spent most of the night, well
into the morning, studying the strange phenomenon in the
sky. The stars had simply disappeared, leaving only a
strange nine star constellation. At least, that was how it
appeared to the naked eye. But a dark green visor, "tech
specs" as Erwin called them, showed them otherwise. The
specs were an advanced prototype model from his home
dimension, Reganoria. They enabled him to take readings of
various energy signatures, enact precise computations and
obtain otherwise technical information.
"I took parallax readings of the nine constellations
and I came up with a very interesting conclusion," he
explained. "Those nine lights are no more than 25 kms above
our heads. They are most definitely not stars."
"What are they then?" Charles wondered.
"I cannot be sure. The radiation emanations I gathered
from them are mostly related to heat, light and
electromagnetic waves mostly, as well as a strange wave type
which I have never seen before, which was picked up at the
lowest end of the spectrum, below even the ultraviolet
spectrum."
"What does that mean?" Ukyou asked.
"Frankly, I don't know myself," Erwin replied. "But it
does mean that we're dealing with something unknown here,
and thus potentially very dangerous."
"Futhermore," he continued, "I sent out several sonic
ripples towards the sky to test a theory. Sure enough, they
bounced back at regular intervals."
"Signifying that dome you were talking about?" Ukyou
prompted.
"Indeed," Erwin took his specs off, and connected it to
a small box he retrieved from a pocket. He set the box
against a wall of the diner and pressed a button. The wall
flashed with an projected image of a map of Tokyo, covered
by a dome.
"By measuring the time it took for the ripples to come
back here, I was able to compute where we are in the dome
and how large it is. Using the map you gave me, I
approximated that the nine lights are directly over
Shinjuku. We are at the western hemisphere of the dome, here
at Nerima.
"The nine lights appear to be the farthest point of the
dome, thus the height of the lights can give an accurate
estimate of the radius of the dome, implying the diameter of
the dome. My calculations say that the expanse of the dome
covers an area of almost 2000km. On the western side, it
covers our current location, Nerima, to the western end at
Kodaira. To the north, it covers the area past Kawaguchi,
several kilometers short of Koshigaya. To the east it covers
the rest of Tokyo up until about Edogawa, coming short of
Funabashi but covering a good expanse of Tokyo Bay. To the
south it covers more of the bay but comes short of
Kawasaki."
"Amazing," Charles thought, "we're trapped under a huge
black dome, like mice in a cage. What power could have done
this?"
"Most probably the same power which we were hunting
down in this dimension in the first place," Erwin said.
Ukyou shuddered. "Whatever the case, this is a very
serious situation. After yesterday at the school yard, I was
pretty worried about all those little monsters running
around. But now, hordes of them are running the streets."
"Erwin!" Charles expressed, "Those little demons are
running down the city! How can we sit holed up here when we
could be helping the civilians!"
"Calm down, paladin," Erwin replied evenly. "The
incident last afternoon with scattered demon sightings
around the city was well-covered by the media, so the
citizens of the city are definitely not unaware of the
situation. That knowledge along with prudence would tell
most of them set a curfew and lock their houses tight. This
second horde of demons came along well past the middle of
the night, as we were taking Ukyou home. I'm sure that most
of the citizens are safe at home, holed up like we are."
"But there must be some people who didn't make it!
They're out there, with all those demons, defenseless and
alone. We have to help."
Erwin snorted, "I know how eager you are to help
anyone who even looks to be in the slightest danger, but
realistically speaking we can't get to them all. What we
have to do is focus on the cause of the problem, and not the
effects. The best thing we can do is to find out why this is
happening, and put a stop to it. And that's what I'm trying
to figure out right now."
"But." Charles protested. The paladin had been placated
earlier by a need to know the situation, but now that Erwin
had sufficiently explained the problem he felt he had to go
out and help the people out there. He was ready to go into a
head-on debate with his friend were it not for some
unexpected help.
"Take it easy, Charles-san," Ukyou said. "Even if there
were people who were stranded outside, they would be mostly
the people who work late at night. I don't know how it is in
your world, but in Tokyo most of the people out that late
are policemen and other professionals who keep the streets
safe. They are far from helpless and I'm sure they can
handle themselves. We have to concentrate on the source, as
Erwin said. We can be of the most help that way. Let the
professionals of Tokyo take care of its own. Tokyo isn't
entirely defenseless, you know."
Charles sighed. A part of him really wanted to be out
their, smiting the demons and helping the people. But as
always, Erwin's insight into the matter made sense, sense
enough that it convinced this other girl whom they had
scarcely known for a day. "Very well, we'll do it your way,"
he told Erwin. "But you'd better find some answer's fast!"
To accentuate his point, he snapped taut his whip between
his hands, causing a loud cracking sound.
"Of course," Erwin said, a bit too smugly. "But to do
that, I'll need some help. We're strangers in this world."
He turned to Ukyou. "Do you know someone who might know more
about what's happening?"
Ukyou furrowed her brow, trying to recall who might
best help them. "Well, off hand, I can think of two people
who might be able to help. One's a doctor who I believe you
already met yesterday."
"Tofu?" Erwin asked.
Ukyou nodded. "The other would be an old woman who
lives in," her face got agitated, as if the mere thought of
what she was about to say didn't agree with her.
"Yes?" he prompted.
"The other is an old woman who lives in a Chinese
restaurant across town," she said.
"Well, we'd better not waste time," Charles said.
"Let's go to one of them right now!"
"Which one do you recommend?" Erwin asked.
"Well..." Ukyou pondered, thoughtfully.
***
"Where are we?" Makoto asked, looking around the
clearing. They had climbed up the mountain relentlessly, and
were nearly at the apex. Somewhere before that, they reached
this clearing in the side of the mountain, a clearing that
was as remarkable as it was beautiful. As they had climbed
the path, the next turn had brought them to this clearing
that was filled with a rich garden of plants and vegetation.
A small mountain stream cascaded out of the rocks nearby,
and the entire area was settled with an aura of tranquility
and quiet power. Within the garden was a small wooden cairn,
shaped into the image of a miniature pagoda.
"This is the ancient shrine of the Tamashikusa,"
Grandfather Kasuga replied. "This shrine has been entrusted
to the Kasuga clan for generations. My family has been sort
of like the caretakers of this site for ages."
"It's beautiful,"Nanami exclaimed. "You know, you could
turn this into a tourist spot."
"This isn't anything like I've seen in all my years of
mountain climbing!" Fujisawa said. He had sobered up a bit,
although his face was still red with drink. Although still a
bit inebriated, his mountain climbing experience had gotten
him up as fast, if not faster, than everyone else.
"Of course not!" Grandfather laughed. "This is a very
special place, where the energies of the earth are at its
strongest."
"Will we be safe here?" Makoto quickly asked. He was
still concerned about that mysterious man in black, and was
afraid for the priestesses and Ifurita.
"As safe as we'll ever be," the old man replied. "The
biggest advantage we have here is that my grand daughters
and I can use the energy of this shrine if necessary to
defend us." Manami and Kurumi nodded.
"We'll help you, Ojiichan!" they chorused.
"Good," Makoto said, getting up. He made for the path,
evidently intent on going back down.
"Makoto-chan, where are you going?" Nanami quickly
asked.
"I've got to go back and help Ifurita and the
priestesses! There's no telling what that explosion might
hav-" he stopped, as Nanami's face suddenly flashed a bright
red, and he'd wished he'd said something else.
"Ifurita this and Ifurita that!" she ranted, "What
makes you think you can do anything to help her, anyway? She
can turn a mountain into powder in a snap! What are you thi-"
"Uh," Makoto was at a loss when a raspy, crooning voice
found his attention.
"So this is the ancient Tamashikusa shrine."
Everyone turned their heads to the speaker, who was
evidently perched on a rock above their heads. It was an old
woman, so old that her body had been shriveled and decimated
by age, not unlike an overripe prune. She was resting on a
short length of hardened wood, fashioned into a staff. Yet
in spite of her obvious age, her white hair was still full,
and her eyes gleamed with sharpness and intelligence.
"Who are you?" grandfather asked.
"My, Kasuga, is that anyway to greet an old friend?"
she cackled.
"Uh, Father, do you know this woman?" Takashi asked his
in-law.
The old man's brow furrowed in consternation before
lighting up in recognition. "Cologne? Is that you?"
"Who did you think it was?" she retorted.
"But. you've grown so short-" <WHACK!>
"What was that?" she demanded.
"Uh, nothing," the old man muttered, rubbing his head,
which had been hit deftly by the old woman's staff. "And to
think that you were once a sexy little fox." <WHACK!>
"I heard that!"
"Uh, Ojiichan, do you know this old ghoul?" Kurumi
asked.
Cologne gave her a gaze to wither a tree. "Hmph, you
talk just like son-in-law," she said crossly.
Grandfather Kasuga regained his bearing and nodded.
"This is Cologne, an old friend of mine who I met while I
was travelling the northern provinces of China," he looked
to the diminutive old woman, "I hadn't known that you were
in Japan."
"I'm here on business to help out my granddaughter,"
she replied. "But the reason why I came here was not to
discuss pleasantries or reminisce on old times. I came here
because of a certain problem with Tokyo, and because I
sensed a powerful energy in these mountains. That explosion
was visible across the countryside."
Old Man Kasuga nodded, recalling the powerful explosion
that had rocked the mountain. That concerned him more than a
little, and the mysterious man in black even more so.
"A problem with Tokyo?" Makoto quickly asked, growing a
bit concerned. Part of the reason he, Nanami and Fujisawa-
sensei had come here was to check back on their old home.
"And who is this young man?" the old woman inquired,
turning to Makoto.
"Mizuhara Makoto, obaasan," he replied. O-baba looked
at him intently, as if judging him.
"I can see that, although you are dressed in strange
clothing, you hail from Tokyo, Mizuhara-kun," she said.
"Very well, I shall tell you of your furosato directly. A
black dome has encased Tokyo."
"What?" Makoto, Nanami and Fujisawa exclaimed in
unison.
"This morning, on my way back to the city, I came
across a black dome where Tokyo is supposed to be."
"A black dome?" Makoto asked. "What does that mean?"
"I do now know," Obaba replied. "It is impenetrable,
and cannot be bypassed as far as I can determine. It extends
underground, completely around Tokyo, to encase the entire
city in a perfect sphere. The nature of the shell I cannot
determine."
"I do not understand much about what is happening
either," Grandfather Kasuga added, "but I suspect that the
man in black we met earlier has something to do with this."
"A man in black?" Obaba asked.
"Uh huh!" Kurumi piped. "You should have seen him!
Dressed all in black, with a handsome face and long black
hair. He was really scary! Scarier than even you, baba-san!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" the old woman asked a
bit crossly.
"It means that you should not be talking about people
behind their back."
Everyone nearly jumped at the sound of that voice, the
same voice that had assaulted them in the cabin down the
mountain. Isharo floated above them, over the shrine,
watching them all intently.
"Where are Ifurita and the priestesses?" Makoto
demanded.
"They have been... detained," he said delicately. "And
so, I imagine, will all of you, if you interfere with my
plans for this spirit node."
***
"Avatar! Come look at this!" Shamino motioned from his
post on top of a tree in the Tendo backyard.
"Oh, you expect me to climb up their after you?" Cara
snapped.
"Uh, of course not."
"Then just tell me the problem."
"Well, Avatar, it seems that the little monsters are
getting restless. They haven't gotten past your barier yet-"
"Of course not, I reinforced it this morning."
"But they seem to be heading off from the front gate
and circling the grounds. They're all gathering behind us,
over the fence adjacent to the dojo," Shamino confirmed from
his position.
"What could they be up to?" Ranma asked lazily from his
position, prostrated on the porch. Stuck in the grounds with
all these houseguests, Ranma was getting pretty restless, as
were they all. In the garden, the Avatar and her three
companions were keeping an eerie vigil, as Shamino kept his
watch high and Dupre his low. Iolo played his mandolin in
the background, lending an eerie quality the dark afternoon
with his softly plucked notes.
"Avatar! They are all in position right behind Dupre!"
Shamino called.
"Aye, you don't need to tell me," Dupre replied from
his position by the fence. "I can hear them all slavering
behind this wood!"
"Alright, we get a little action around here!" Ranma
jumped to his feet.
"Don't get too excited," Cara said. "My barrier can
hold these little cretins easily."
"As far as I'm concerned, we can't stay holed-up here
forever!" Ryouga said, clenching his fist. "Come on, Ranma!
Let's go out and fight, if you're man enough!"
"What are you talking about?" Ranma-kun suddenly
flared, jumping up to meet his rival head on. "Maybe you're
pigging out of this situation already!"
"Nandatte?!" Ryouga retorted evenly.
The two rivals stared each other down for a long
moment, and seemed ready to come to blows, when they both
suddenly iced over, frozen stiff.
"Idiots," Cara spat, her hands glowing with the tell-
tale signs of rune magic.
"Oh my, what did you do to them?" Kasumi asked, walking
from the house, carrying a tray.
"I'm just letting them cool off, that's all," the
Avatar replied.
"I'll just leave the tea on the porch," Kasumi
announced, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."
"Oh, we'll be just fine, madame," Dupre assured her
with a boyish smile.
"That's nice," Kasumi said as she went back into the
house. Everyone else was waiting inside, passing the time in
one way or another, including Soun, Genma, Kyosuke, and the
other women. Allan was reportedly in the dojo "training."
Who knows where Happosai was.
Nabiki had cornered Kyosuke. The way she looked at him
made him sweat profusely, and he wasn't quite sure just how
much she did know.
"So, you're saying that you don't know anything about
these monsters," Nabiki said squarely.
"Of course not!" Kyosuke stammered. "Why would I know
anything?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just curious, though. Madoka here
says that your family is on a visit to a family shrine in
the mountains west of here. Isn't that right?" Nabiki looked
at Madoka.
"Well, yes." Madoka replied, not really seeing the
point.
"What are you supposed to be doing in that shrine,
anyhow?" Nabiki asked.
"Uh, well... that is...," Kyosuke began, not sure
what to say. Of course he couldn't tell her that his family
was a family of espers who were entrusted with safeguarding
an ancient shrine which was the source of a strong natural
power which almost totally governed the feng shui of Tokyo.
But what could he say? This woman had a strange way of
knowing when you said something funny...
...Although in truth Nabiki couldn't really care less
what Kyosuke was really about. Today, and the coming days,
was no doubt going to be long and boring, and while she was
trying to figure out what exactly was going on, she was
getting bored and was using Kyosuke as a diversion. He
really was a joy to tease, seeing the way he got all fussed
up when asked the most innocuous questions. It was almost as
if he was hiding something.
"Well, I'll leave you two to your conversation," Madoka
said, getting tired of the little talk. She stood up, which
prompted Kyosuke to take his mind of the conversation and
onto her immediate departure.
"Matte, Ayukawa..." he began as he turned to follow her,
only to fall on his own foot and drop on the floor.
"Hmph," Madoka sniffed, turning away to walk down the
hall.
"Boy, you really are a loser, aren't you," Nabiki said
matter of factly.
"Well Tendo, look at the bright side. With all the food
they shopped for yesterday, we've got enough to last us here
for months! We can wait them out like a siege," Genma said,
as he pushed a piece across the board.
"That may be true, Saotome, but the gravity of the
situation does not elude me," Soun moved a piece. "As head
of the household, I feel responsible for all these people
who have come under my care. I can't afford to get
careless."
"What a noble man you are, Tendo. Would that we could
be out there, fighting the demons who roam the streets. But
your responsibilities tie you here, and as your friend, I
cannot in good conscience leave your side."
"Oh, Saotome, words can't express how grateful I am!"
he sobbed, tears flowing from his eyes. "We shall stay in
this house and protect everyone in it, no matter what!"
"Yes, Tendo," Genma replied, emotion sweeping his
voice. "No matter how strong our urge is to fight, no matter
how we may be dishonored by hiding, no matter what, we shall
do the right thing and keep our watch on all these
children!"
And with that, the two friends hugged each other as
they sobbed with tears in their eyes.
"Honestly, you two are such cowards," Akane said,
passing by the main room to enter the kitchen. "I think I'll
help Kasumi in the kitchen."
The two suddenly bolted straight.
"Tendo, you know what that means," Genma said,
suddenly serious, a glint in his eyes.
"I know, Saotome. It pains me, but if we want to live,
we'll have to order take out for tonight."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!?!" Akane stormed, her head seemingly
growing into huge proportions as she towered over her
father.
"Kowai..." Soun whimpered.
Madoka heard the voices from the dojo before she
actually saw them.
"Like this, Happosai-sensei?"
"That's right, boy. I think you've got it. You're a
natural at this."
"Thank you, sensei!" Madoka saw Allan, kneeling down
and bowing his head to the floor in front of the diminutive
old man, who was holding a pipe. "You are truly a master!"
"No need to feel overwhelmed, boy. All it takes is
years of practice before you can reach my level."
*They must be studying some martial arts,* Madoka
thought. *But what's that smell... smoke? And what's that
thing in the air? It was a smoky shape, faintly resembling...
a bra?*
"Sorry to interrupt you." Madoka began.
"Sweeto!" the old man instantly launched in the air,
headed straight for Madoka's bosom. Unfortunately for the
old man, Madoka had already been the victim of that trick
earlier, and wasn't about to fall for it again. A quick slap
of her wrist sent Happosai flying to the sidelines.
"Ah, Madoka-san!" Allan jumped to his feet, fanning at
the air with his hand. "What brings you here?" he laughed, a
laugh which sounded very sheepish.
"I heard you were training here," Madoka said. "If you
don't mind, I'd like to have a match, since there's nothing
to do, and I need to loosten up a bit."
"Uh, sure, if you really want to," Allan replied. "But
what about your injury?"
Madoka shrugged off the bandage on her head. "Oh this
thing? It's fine now. Don't worry about me." Indeed, she was
feeling fine and the bandage was getting in the way of more
than anything else. "Come on, then. Let's see what the old
man taught you." Madoka walked up to square off with him,
getting into a ready stance.
"Huh? Taught me?" Allan said inanely, wondering how
blowing smoke bras would help in a fight. Madoka sighed,
knowing a moron when she saw one. She just *hated* idiotic
men.
Needless to say, Allan was flying across the floor
repeatedly for the next few minutes. After a few minutes,
however, Madoka realized something was amiss.
"Quiet!" she hissed.
"Huh?" Allan groaned, his back would be complaining for
a few days. And then, as he kept silent, he heard it. Sounds
of battle.
"What the..." he began.
"Something's gong on outside!" Madoka ran to the dojo
door, and slipped a peak. What she saw was a scene froma
nightmare.
***
"Ojiichan!" Kurumi cried, as she, Manami and Takashi
stood behind their grandfather. Similarly, Nanami and Makoto
took a few steps back, as Fujisawa protectly went in front
of them. Obaba stood on her staff.
"Who are you, anyway?" the old man called. "What do you
want?"
"My name is Isharo," he said evenly, floating down to
the center of the garden. "And I believe I just said that I
wanted this node. You have two choices; you can go away
quietly and leave me to my work, or you can stay here and
die. Either way, I care not."
"I don't care who you are, but the Tamashikusa shrine
is under my care," grandfather replied. "I cannot allow you
to trespass on this sacred ground."
"So be it," Isharo said. Dark ki began to glow around
him, fiercely, menacingly. In a sudden, surprising contrast
to his usual calm, his face contorted in rage for a split
second as he let out a snarl, accompanied by a blast of
energy towards the old man.
But the patron of the Kasuga clan was not to be caught
unawares. "Kurumi, Manami! Concentrate!"
"Hai!" came the reply.
As the dark energy soared towards them, the old man
held out both hands, palms outwards, and shouted a powerful
kiai. The dark energy was deflected, sent scattering about.
"Impressive," Isharo remarked.
"I'm not done yet!" the old man retorted. All three of
the present pyschically inclined Kasuga family members
suddenly flared with energy, and Makoto involuntarily took a
step back. The shrine flared brightly as a blast of
brilliant energy shot from the old man's palms, streaking
towards Isharo, threatening to engulf him in its raw power.
Isharo smirked, then promptly disappeared.
"Where'd he go?" Makoto cried out.
"Right here," Isharo appeared in front of Makoto and
grabbed his neck, slowly lifting him off the ground. "You
are no warrior, old man," Isharo stated. "You're far too
slow."
"Makoto-chan!" Nanami called in horror, making towards
Isharo. But Fujisawa beat her to it. Even in his semi-
drunken state, he had a gleam of superhuman power.
"Let my student go!" the enraged teacher shouted,
springing towards the man in black. Before Fujisawa could
strike, Isharo flashed his free hand. One strike, two,
three, served to stop, deflect, and hurl the inebriated
teacher rapidly against a pile of rocks. Fujisawa collapsed
in a heap.
"Sensei!" Nanami cried.
Meanwhile, the Kasugas were storing energy for a
massive strike.
"I wouldn't do that," Isharo called to the three,
tightening his grip on Makoto's neck. Makoto gasped, choking
as he vainly clasped Isharo's iron-like grip.
"Damn you," grandfather said, keeping his power in
check, although he was ready to let it fly the moment an
opportunity presented itself.
"Let Makoto-chan go, you bully," Nanami demanded,
squaring off against Isharo. "If you wanted to finish this
off, do so already! Or is it that you're scared? So scared
that you have to resort to taking hostages!"
"You know not of it, girl," Isharo said threateningly.
"But you're not strong enough to take us, are you?"
grandfather called. "I sense that the power of the node is
stronger than yours. You can't just take it as easily as you
would have us think, can you?" To emphasize his point, the
old man let loose his rein on the power a bit, and the
shrine and the energy around him flared threateningly, an
ostentatious display of power.
"Perhaps so," he replied. "However..."
The quick tap of a staff on his wrist forced him to let
go of the choked Makoto, who fell to the ground gasping.
Nanami quickly went to his side. Before Isharo could reflect
his surprise, a gnarled old hand suddenly grasped at his own
throat.
"Keh," he said, "a mind-blanking technique. It allowed
you to sneak up on me."
"Indeed," Obaba said. "An ancient technique which I
haven't seen the need to use in ages. Speaking of ancient
techniques, there is an ancient pressure point which has all
but been forbidden to be used, for it can strike a man dead
in a heartbeat. I believe that this pressure point is
located somewhere in the neck area."
"You are learned, and have me at a disadvantage, old
woman," Isharo said.
"That is not all. An ancient scroll of prophecy tells
of the coming of the Dark One. It is said that his coming
will bring the world into eternal night.
"And He of the Darkness will come, carrying the Forge
of dark flames. He shall arrive at the Land of the Sun, and
shroud the people in a blanket of night. He who was once
sworn to defend shall seek to destroy, and He shall take the
Power of the Earth, and take the form of Youth. When the
night stars fly towards the city of demons, so shall the
Dark One come down to this earth, and he shall sacrifice the
light of purity to bring the darkness of despair," Obaba
recited.
"An interesting poem," Isharo said sarcastically,
"which has nothing to do with me."
"Oh really?" Obaba said. "I merely cited the most
relevant part. Three days ago, I saw the first sign. I went
out of Tokyo to see if the other signs were apparent. I saw
all the signs. And now, here you are, the Dark One, come to
the Land of the Sun, and you've cast a black veil over
Tokyo. I've caught you right here, trying to take the power
of the earth."
"Is that so? Well then, I have nothing to worry about."
"And why is that? A flick of my wrist will end your
life right here," Obaba said evenly.
"Because, if it has been prophesied, then it means I
will win," he laughed.
Obaba wasted no time hitting the pressure point in the
rapid succession technique prescribed by the ancient
scrolls. Isharo crumpled to the ground, and suddenly melted
away into a black pulp of nothingness.
"Oh, bravo!" Isharo called from the other side of the
shrine. "You just managed to kill my shadow!"
"Kono..." Obaba cursed.
"Now!" Grandfather Kasuga released his pent up energy
in one massive strike, intending to pulverize Isharo
completely. Impossibly quick, Isharo skipped to the side.
"Didn't I tell you that that wouldn't work?" he called,
and he released a blast of his own energy towards the Kasuga
clan. Immediately, the old man reversed the flow of energy,
creating a barrier against Isharo's onslaught.
"But you cannot attack me either, not with the power of
the shrine," Kasuga said. "And the power of the shrine will
not run dry, and as you constantly expend your energy, you
will eventually be overrun. Even if I cannot hit you, I can
face you off for as long as need be, Dark One!"
"Know one thing," Isharo said, and his face contorted
in a quick mask of rage, a solid contrast to his usually
calm demeanor. "I, am *not* the Dark One!" With a snarl of
rage, he sent a massive bolt of dark energy towards the
Kasugas. Immediately, the old man set up the shield to
deflect the blast only to find-
"Can you defend from two points at the same time?"
Isharo smiled, right behind them, and their shield.
"Such speed, should not be possible..." the old man
whined.
"ONIISAN!" Kurumi shouted.
"Shi-ne," Isharo said calmly, as he let out a blast of
energy equally powerful as the attack he sent up front.
***
Shamino's bow hummed as he sent arrow after arrow into
the mass of demons beneath him. But it was like trying to
shoot a horde of ants. Dupre and Iolo were equally busy just
trying to avoid getting overrun from their positions. The
demons were flooding into the garden as the fence was torn
down, and were evidently trying to get to the house.
"I thought you said your barrier would hold!" Ranma,
still a little chilled but ready to fight, called to the
Avatar.
"Against those little demons, yes," the Avatar said,
hacking at a nearby demon. "But not against that!" Ranma did
not need to look to sense the presence Cara was referring
too. He had felt it earlier, felt it as it came close.
"Why are you so worried about a big piece of rock?"
Ryouga called, looking at the large humanoid which seemed to
be carved from stone. "I can handle it!"
"Stop, you idiot!" Cara called out, but it was too
late. Ryouga leapt across the horde of little demons,
towards the large stone demon which had just made its
entrance across the gate. His face set in determination,
finger extended. The lumbering demon seemed to slow to be
able to avoid his attack. In moments, he closed the
distance.
"Bakusai tenketsu!!" Ryouga shouted, driving his finger
into the demon's chest. Ryouga grinned, expecting the demon
to burst in an explosion of rock and dust.
Nothing happened.
"What?" Ryouga barely had time to express his surprise
as a powerful, sweeping hand of granite smashed him aside,
flying towards the pile of stones surrounging the carp pond.
He crashed with bone-jarring velocity, but he got up,
hurting but thankful that he didn't fall into the water.
"Bakayaro!" Ranma called, "that technique doesn't work
on living things!"
"Well, it didn't look alive to me! It's made of rock!"
Ryouga retorted.
"It moves, doesn't it? It walks, doesn't it? It
punches, doesn't it?"
"Quit arguing, you two, and help deal with these
demons!" Cara screamed in exasperation, her mighty black
sword cleaving another demon in half.
Before Ranma could lay off, Akane ran up to the porch,
"I'll fight, too!"
"No, you stupid tomboy!" Ranma retorted, "You'd just be
in the way."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?" Akane screamed.
"I don't have time for this!" the Avatar shouted. She
didn't think that Akane was good enough to fight along side
them outside, in fact, she didn't think that anyone else who
was still in the house was in any condition to fight. Not
those two old martial artists who did nothing but play some
boardgame all day, not the cook, not the devious girl with
snake-like eyes, not the dark haired girl, no one. She had
to make sure there were no more distractions.
"Vas In Sanct An Por!" she called, the blue aura of
rune magic trailing from her hands. Archaic runes formed in
the air, flying and whirling towards the house. In seconds,
the runes stopped spinning around the house, and solidified
into a very solid barrier.
"Hey, what's going on!" Akane pounded on the barrier,
but to no avail. She couldn't get out.
"Omoshiroi," an empty voice sounded. "I've never seen
such magic before."
Everyone in the garden turned their eyes towards the
speaker. It was an unassuming, slender figure of a man,
swathed in dark cloths. It was hard to make him out, as dark
as the day was. His voice sounded empty, yet focused. "But
your magic is weak," the figure continued. "Surely you don't
expect that to stop me or Galudos," he motioned to the stone
monstrosity which had easily brushed Ryouga aside. The demon
of stone grunted in response to the uncalled for attention.
"Everyone," Cara said, "No matter what, we can't allow
those two to touch the barrier."
"Like hell they won't!" Ranma declared. Sifting through
his thoughts, Ranma realized that he couldn't let either one
get through, especially not that shifty looking man wrapped
in black cloth. Looking to his side, he saw Ryouga was
thinking similar thoughts. They had to keep those two away,
for Akane's sake.
"I'll get that little brat!" Ranma called out, "Ryouga,
you take the big one. Everyone else, keep the little buggers
off our back!" Ranma turned his full attention from the many
little demons scampering around him to the man clothed in
black. This was a serious match, and he was determined to
win.
"Geez, you could ask a little more nicely," the Avatar
said.
***
Kyosuke suddenly jerked up. He had thought he had
heard his name being called!
"Hey, Kasuga, what's wrong?" Nabiki asked, one eye
twitching a bit.
Kyosuke motioned a finger to his lips, indicating her
to be quiet. Nabiki was a bit put off at this; this was the
first time he'd seen him act a bit decisively. More
interested than angry, though, she regarded him
thoughtfully.
*ONIISAN!* Kyosuke bolted, a look of sincere concern
and -dread- on his face. "Kurumi! Manami! Ojiichan!"
"Kasuga, you're not making sense," Nabiki said.
A look of calmness suddenly went over Kyosuke's
features. If Nabiki didn't know better, she could have sworn
he was glowing.
"Does anything in this world make sense anymore?"
Kyosuke asked.
Nabiki cocked an eyebrow at this.
"Take care of Ayukawa for me," he said gently. The glow
intensified around him, and Nabiki realized she hadn't been
imagining things.
"Sayonara," and with that final, Kyosuke disappeared in
a flash of light.
***
"Doshio?" Allan whimpered, looking out the dojo door.
The little demons were crawling all over the backyard.
Fortunately, they seemed to be focused on getting into the
house, and not into the dojo. They were safe for the
meantime.
"Ite!" Allan cried as Madoka stamped her foot on his
head.
"Listen to yourself!" she chastised. "Cowering in a
corner, and you call yourself a man? They need our help out
there."
Allan shook his head and there was a different gleam in
his eyes. "That may be true, but I'm not much of a fighter,
as you might recall," he said, suddenly serious. "However,
that doesn't mean that I'm going to give up without a
fight."
Madoka cocked an eyebrow curiously.
"You for example, are a much better fighter than I am,"
he conceded, "but you're not half as good as those two out
there, and they're having a tough time of it." Allan was
referring to Ranma and Ryouga, who were duking it out with
the two demons.
"Your point being?" she asked, a little peeved at his
appraisal.
"When one has to fight someone stronger than one's
self, one has to bide one's time," he continued, and the
strange glint in his eyes caught her attention, and made her
wonder just how much of a moron this one really was.
***
He arrived at a scene of carnage. Bodies were strewn
everywhere; he hardly noticed if they were alive or not. It
mattered not. There were only two things which he concerned
him now, because his family was dead. He did not even need
to check their corpses; their life essences were gone, as
surely as the wind would blow away sprinkles of sand on a
glassy plane.
Only two things mattered now, the shrine, and their
killer. With his new understanding brought about by the
urgency of the situation and the blood of the rightful
guardians of the Tamashikusa shrine.
"I am Kasuga Kyosuke, 16th Guardian of the Tamashikusa
shrine!" he proclaimed, raw energy crackling about his body,
dancing like little fairies frolicking on a midsummer's
festival. The wind had picked up now, and it was rustling
around the clearing, blowing the grass and other vegetation
in an ever increasing gale.
"So, you have shown yourself again, esper," Isharo
said. "I was going to hunt you down myself, for you can be
of further use to my master. It seems you have saved me the
trouble."
"You're being a little too confident," Kyosuke said
evenly, regarding this dangerous man who had killed his
family. He was strong, but not terribly strong. And to
attack him here, in this shrine.
"Confidence stems from success," Isharo said, "And you
have done nothing but fail. You failed to protect your
family, you failed to protect this shrine. You even failed
to protect this little girl."
Isharo tossed a sack to the ground. Out of it rolled a
decapitated head.
"HIKARU-CHAN!!!"
"I have been watching you, Kasuga. Ever since you
deflected my attack that first time, my master had developed
an interest in you. I know of you, of your power, of how you
travel from town to town, trying to hide your identity. And
now, at last, I have the opportunity to face you, and take
you.
Isharo's ice narrowed. "I know more about your power
than you do. You cannot defeat me."
"URUSAI!!!" Kyosuke growled, and his ki flared
horrifyingly, as the power of the shrine further augmented
his own. Kyosuke felt the rage in him, the hatred that
quelled from the bottom of his being. Hatred for this man,
who had taken away so much from him. He was the guardian of
the shrine, and he would see to it that, with the shrine's
energy, this man would pay.
He felt the power surge through his body, heightening
his every sense. A rational part deep in the back of his
mind told him that it was dangerous, far too dangerous for
him to be using so much of the earth's energy in this
fashion, but he paid it no heed. He was beyond reason, just
as this killer before him was beyond redemption.
With a scream born of rage and power, Kyosuke sprang
the distance between them in a heartbeat, and try as Isharo
might, he could not get out of the enraged youth's path.
Kyosuke became a flurry of punches and kicks, pummeling
this hated man, this Isharo, mercilessly. Isharo blocked and
weaved, desperately evading Kyosuke's attacks. But the
flurry was too fast, too relentless, and with a final blow,
knocked Isharo back, blasting through the mountainside.
Kyosuke, not yet finished, heaved a powerful bolt of
energy after him. The mountainside was blown away by the
force of the attack, leaving a battered, broken Isharo in
the rubble.
He felt alive! More alive than he ever had, and the
energy from the shrine kept coming, refreshing him, no
matter how hard he pushed himself. He had never known that
he could be so powerful. He called on more energy, darting
towards Isharo's fallen body.
Isharo stirred mildly, some fight still left in him.
Kyosuke grabbed him by the front of his once fine tunic, now
ripped and tattered from the power - his power! - of the
attacks. As he held him up, Isharo's battered face, marred
by dirt and blood, leveled with his. Those eyes, those cold
gray eyes, locked with his own gaze.
"What's the matter," he slurred through a jaw that
might have been broken, "Don't you have the stomach to
finish it, boy?"
"Don't underestimate me!" Kyosuke, brimming with
energy, screamed into his face, and he landed another solid
punch into Isharo's stomach. He thought he heard several
ribs crack. And yet, Isharo returned his gaze, and a smirk
was one his face, even though blood was dripping from his
lip.
That look! That look of arrogant defiance and cool
confidence, was still there! And Kyosuke hated it, hated it
so much, hated that this man, even in defeat, was mocking
him. He would wipe that smirk off his face. And then he
remembered a memory, a fleeting look at the martial
techniques of someone he had known.
Kyosuke released his grip on Isharo, and his hands
immediately became a blur, punching repeatedly into Isharo's
broken body, a technique that was strangely out of place at
Kyosuke's disposal. A final punch knocked Isharo down once
again, sprawled amidst the rubble that was once the
mountainside.
Isharo struggled to a kneeling position, breathing
heavily, each breathe an excruciating struggle. He looked up
to Kyosuke, and smiled. He smiled that same, arrogant,
defiant smile.
Kyosuke had had it with this moron. Summoning the
energy of the shrine, he raised his hand. A massive ball of
energy formed in his open palm, ready to beat down on the
broken man.
"You are finished," Kyosuke said.
"No," Isharo replied, and Kyosuke's brow raised. "You
are finished," he continued.
It was then that Kyosuke felt it. A burning sensation
that was gnawing at the very core of his being. "What..." any
words Kyosuke might have said were drowned out as he
screamed in agony, and he dropped to the ground.
*No, this can't... be... happening... absorbed...
too much... power,* Kyosuke cursed his overzealousness. Isharo
had been right. He did know more about his power than he did. He
had baited him, goaded him, had known that the power of the node
was too strong for his body. Thus, he had tricked him,
pushed him over the limit, and now...
*I can't lose!* Kyosuke desperately thought, *I must
kill him, I must defeat him...* Kyosuke's last thoughts before
losing consciousness were of death and hatred for this man.
Isharo gingerly stood up, for he was indeed in pain. He
had almost died there, he knew, but in the end he was the
one who triumphed. Because he couldn't lose. He could not
afford to lose, not until he had accomplished his great
mission.
"You have potential, Kasuga," he said, tasting the
blood in his mouth. "The Dark Lord will be pleased."
Isharo gathered the fallen Kasuga, and lifted him up to
a shoulder, although the effort nearly made him buckle from
the pain. He surveyed the rest of the battleground, what was
once a beautiful garden shrine. The bodies of the others
were strewn about, battered and broken. He wasn't sure if
they were alive, not that it mattered. There was nothing any
of them could have done, and nothing they could do, now that
he had the esper in his grasp.
Slowly, but purposefully, Isharo walked towards the
stone in the middle of the shrine, the locus of the power of
the spirit node. He put a bloodied hand on it, and closed
his eyes. The thrum of the energy of the node changed then,
the cool, pleasant hum of the natural energy began to throb
discordantly and irregularly as Isharo's dark energy twisted
it and bent it to his will, the will of darkness.
Isharo opened his eyes, satisfied that the node was now
his to command.
"I shall see you know, my Dark Master," he mouthed, and
he walked off into the shadows, carrying Kyosuke along.
As he left, there was a slight movement. Obaba carefully
sat herself up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain
and the fact that she was bleeding severely. She looked
about her, and realized that the others were dead, dead or
dying. Just like herself. She wasn't sure, but she didn't
see the other young man. Mizuhara-kun. The pain was
distracting her, taking her attention away from the
situation at hand. The injury was serious, may even prove
fatal, and she was feeling more than lightheaded at the
moment. But in spite of it, she was sure of one thing. She
saw it clearly during the fight.
That young man, Kyosuke, had used the Tenshin
Amaguriken on Isharo. The implications reeled in her mind,
but she was having trouble considering them. She was having
trouble staying conscious.
"This simply will not do..." she muttered.
***
"Why are we trapped in here like this? We should be out
there, fighting!" Akane fussed, banging on the barrier the
Avatar had set up.
"I think that they're concerned about our safety, and
don't want to have to worry about us while they're
fighting," Giel said easily, coming up behind Akane.
"That's just the problem! He always thinks that I'll
just get in the way, that I'm nothing more than a nuisance,
a liability. It's just so- so.."
"So loving?"
"Huh?" Akane snapped up, instantly looking at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you get it? He always tries to protect you. It
shows that he really cares for you."
"Hmph, but I don't need protecting."
"I know you want to be out there, fighting beside him,
to prove to him that you love him too, and that you can
support him. I know it can be hard, at times, to sort
through your feelings, but in the end, that's what you
really feel, isn't it?"
Akane looked at Giel's face, expecting a smile or a
quick chuckle. There was none. She was dead serious about
all that bull she just said!
"Uh, yeah..." Akane said, backing away from the smiling
girl.
*That girl is crazy!* Akane thought as she walked away.
*I can't let her go on doing funny things to my head!*
Giel just smiled wistfully at her back, thinking of her
own romances, and sighing.
Kasumi was getting dinner ready. It was truly a
momentous task, since she had to prepare enough for Ranma-
kun and Dupre, two bottomless pits aside from everyone else.
And she would have to make some extra just in case the kind
Mr. Tyler and Mr. Epsilon came back tonight.
She was so busy chopping the next batch of vegetables
that she didn't notice the shadow that slipped under the
window sill and seeped down to the floor behind her. As she
turned to put the chopped vegetables into the pan, she was
startled to see a green-robed figure with a wide straw hat
standing behind her.
"Oh, Mr. Sokimo, you startled me for a moment," Kasumi
said, and without missing a beat, she put the chopped
vegetables into a low simmer and continued with the next
batch.
"It is good to see that you are well," Sokimo said.
"And that you are still practicing your craft."
"Oh but what else would I be doing?" Kasumi answered
with a smile. "Besides, I enjoy cooking."
"I know you like to cook as much as I do," Sokimo
began, "but this is a very dangerous place. The Denizens
outside may break in any moment, and there's no telling what
might happen then. I would like to take you away from here,
to make sure of your safety."
Kasumi looked up from her cooking and gave him a smile.
"You're so nice and thoughtful, Mr. Sokimo. But I have to
cook for everyone tonight, or they won't have anything to
eat."
Sokimo waved his hand, and a full banquet suddenly
appeared on the kitchen table.
"Oh my, you really are a good cook!" Kasumi said.
"Please," he said, "I don't want you to get hurt, and I
can't assure your safety here. I can take you to a safe
place for now, and maybe you can teach me a few recipes,
like you said you would. At least until the excitement here
has died down."
Kasumi looked thoughtful for a moment, appearing torn,
but obviously not wanting to abandon her family at this
time.
"You promised you'd teach me some recipes, didn't you?"
"Why, that's right," Kasumi said absently, considering
something. "Alright, since the food is ready and everyone is
doing their best to take care of the house right now, I
suppose it wouldn't hurt."
"Great!" Sokimo exclaimed. Under his hat, he smiled.
{"Sokimo, I'll entrust you to get the quarry again this
time," Murakamo said. "But do not fail like the last time!
Even though the Dark Lord may have pardoned you the first
time, know that if you fail in this, *I* will not be so
merciful."
"I said I'll handle it," Sokimo assured the Hunter.
"Be sure that you do," Murakamo said, the threat in his
voice highly apparent.}
*I'll handle it just fine,* Sokimo thought, the smile
under his hat growing even wider.
***
Ranma dipped and turned desperately. This demon was
fast, probably as fast as he was, and he knew how to use the
many blades he kept tucked under those swaths of cloth.
Ranma had already suffered many short cuts and nicks, and he
had not been able to launch any real offensive yet.
"What's the matter, boy," the low, emotionless voice of
Murakamo said. "Is this the best that you can do?"
Ranma would have wanted to leap away, hurl a couple of
insults and come back at the demon, but it wasn't easy when
he was busy enough just trying to avoid being skewered or
diced by those whirling blades. To make matters worse, Ranma
couldn't afford to break away from the fight, because to do
so would give the demon the opening to make a dash for the
barrier and break it, allowing the many little demons to
rush into the house and attack Kasumi and Nabiki and Akane.
Ranma somersaulted backwards, avoiding another slash
from Murakamo's blades, and upon landing sent out a short ki
blast, trying to fend the relentless fighter off.
Murakamo simply deflected the half-hearted attack off
one of his shiny blades.
Ranma braced himself for the next assault, taking only
enough time to slip a glance and see how well his comrades
were doing.
The Avatar breathed heavily as she recovered from her
last attack. By all measure, she and her three stooges were
doing well, well enough that they were able to keep all the
little demons from bothering either Ranma or Ryouga, as well
as slicing a good deal of them down. But she was getting
tired of it, and the others probably were, too, especially
old Iolo.
Even worse, there still seemed to be a lot of the
little cretins roaming around the streets outside, and
though they weren't coming in an everflowing tide, every
minute or so another one or two demons would walk into the
garden, ready to be sliced down.
Cara wished that she had enough energy to use her
magic; that would certainly make it a lot easier, might even
allow her to finish off the remaining demons fast enough
that she could help out Ranma or Ryouga. Unfortunately, the
ether was feeling very weak in this dimension, and it had
taken a lot of her concentration and ability just to enact
the low-level barrier she had used to shield the house.
To her left, Ranma was doing terribly against the small
guy in black cloth. To her right, she was amazed by the
power of the blows the stone demon was throwing, blasting
huge holes in the ground. Her heart nearly skipped a beat
when she saw Ryouga narrowly avoid a blow that would have
pulverized him, seeing the large crater it left on the
ground.
Nothing that she could do but take things one at a
time, as she concentrated on her next target, a spindly-
looking demon with long legs. Things were looking entirely
bleak.
"Avatar! Look out!"
Cara snapped from her contemplation. As she hacked
the spindly demon in half, she realized that it wasn't the
only demon to attack her. Too late, a tiger striped demon had
crept up behind her and had sprung, ready to rake its claws
into her back.
Iolo was suddenly there, in the way of the claws,
taking a stand behind her, a living shield. Blood spurted
wildly as the tiger demon connected, digging its claws
mercilessly into Iolo's flesh.
"Iolo!" Cara screamed, instantly reversing the momentum
of the Black Sword and bringing it around to lop the tiger
demon's head off. She was beside her fallen friend in an
instant, holding him tightly, oblivious to everything at
that moment.
"Old friend," she said, clasping his bloodied hand.
"I'm sorry, I let my guard down."
Iolo coughed, a wheezing sound which gurgled with blood
which was quickly seeping into his throat. "Don't worry,
Cara. I'm an old man, anyway..."
"But Gwenno! We haven't even found her yet."
Another spasm wracked Iolo's gangly frame, and in that
moment, he really did look like a tired old man. "Just say...
goodbye to my wife for me... <cough>, and Avatar... live...
virtuously..."
"Of course, old friend," she murmured, her voice
catching in her throat. "I won't take anyone belongings
anymore, I promise!"
"Remember... <cough> Don't grieve..., dreams are...
<cough> for... youth <cough>... and..."
Iolo breathed his last, as his head lolled lifelessly
to the side in Cara's arms.
Dupre and Shamino had made haste to work their way to
Cara's side. They stood in front of her now, broadswords at
the ready, hacking at any demon that dared come close.
Though their arms and legs were full of scratches, and
more than just demon blood was splattered on their cloths, they
fought on fiercely until their mistress was back on her
feet.
"Avatar, if you could-" Dupre began.
"Shut up!" Cara lashed, a bit more vehemently than she
wanted to. "Shamino, Dupre, get out of the way."
"Huh?" they both echoed.
"Vas Corp Hur!!!"
The sound of those three runes told them to get out of
the way, *fast.*
Like a ghost of righteous vengeance, a black wind
swirled around the Avatar as she looked at the remaining
demons in the garden. They came at her, intent on ripping
her to shreds, but then the wind picked up as Shamino and
Dupre scuttled behind her.
Ranma and Ryouga, as well, felt the shift, as did the
two demons they were fighting.
"Interesting," Murakamo noted, and he quickly jumped to
the side, as did Ranma and Ryouga, as the black wind
swirling around the Avatar formed into hideous, skeletal
faces, howling a terrible, forlorn cry. In an instant,
before the demons could reach her, the wind blew outwards,
and as each demon was struck by a skeletal apparition, it
howled in terrible agony. A festering evil, for those that
were evil, and each demon died a horrible, screaming death.
A couple of apparitions tried to latch onto Galudos,
but a strange force kept them at bay. And then the storm was
over, as quickly as it started, and the garden was again as
it was, plus several mounds of very dead demons.
The Avatar knelt in the garden, her fallen companion at
her side. She raised her head, lines of tears down her
cheeks, but there were no tears in her eyes then. There was
only anger. Murakamo and Galudos paused, regarding their
opponents. Likewise, Ranma and Ryouga had regrouped,
flanking the Avatar, Dupre and Shamino at their sides. It
was a tense moment.
"NOW!"
Everyone on the battlefield looked in surprise as the
dojo doors burst open.
Murakamo, closer to the dojo, readied his blades to
attack, but something flashed by and struck his arm, forcing
him to drop one of his blades. It was a small piece of
plastic, a guitar pick. As his guard dropped, a sudden blur
of movement was upon him, hitting him solidly in a full
tackle. Murakamo sprawled to the ground as his assailant,
the lightning fast Allan, rolled past him and went into a
crouch.
The others hadn't missed their cue. Ranma leapt to the
attack, eager to take the advantage over the opponent who
had been causing him so much trouble. He was backed by
Shamino, who easily dipped in to follow his attack. Ryouga
rushed to overwhelm the demon of stone, followed closely by
Dupre and the Avatar.
Murakamo, surprised by the attack, only mildly avoided
getting skewered by Shamino sword, and took a hefty swing to
his mid-section and a couple of blows from Ranma as he
retreated. The demon managed to spring atop the fence,
avoiding the rest of his enemy's attacks. Ranma, though, was
not to be easily dissuaded. Aerial combat was, after all,
the forte of the Anything Goes School.
Changing his attack quickly into momentum, he leapt
atop the fence and launched a follow-up attack on the
hunter. Murakamo, however, was no longer surprised and no
longer at a disadvantage. He easily parried the attack and,
even though he was wounded, managed a quick counter which
knocked Ranma off the fence, back into the garden.
Murakamo paused then, as if sensing something, and
called to Galudos, who was taking the triple attack launched
on him directly, but seemingly without effect. "Galudos, see
to these simpletons. I have business to attend to."
With that, Murakamo leapt off into the darkness.
Everyone turned to face the granite demon.
"Well, it seems that your friend has just abandoned
you," the Avatar said venomously, Shade Blade at the ready.
"That's the difference between you demons and us humans. We
never leave a friend behind."
Galudos turned his head to regard the Avatar with its
strange, stony gaze. Its mouth moved, and it spoke, a
gravelly voice which sounded like rocks being crushed
together.
"The Hunter sees fit to leave me behind. No matter, I
am good enough for all of you," the demon replied.
"Getting a little cocky, now aren't we?" Ranma snarled,
feeling more confident by the second. "Let's see if you can
keep that attitude after we finish with you!" Ranma's
confidence was at its peek now, and he felt the ki in him
ready to burst.
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma shouted as he shot a solid
stream of ki energy at the stone demon.
The Avatar followed up with a tongue of flame from
Arcadion, and everyone else backed down as the conflagration
hit. As the smoke cleared, the golem stood there, standing,
a little blackened but hardly noticing that a big chunk of
its body had been blown off.
"Finish it off!" Ryouga shouted, but before he and the
others could charge, the demon spoke.
"We have finished our objective here," it said, "I need
no longer restrain my power."
As it said that, the ground began to rumble. Everyone
stopped in midattack and suddenly shifted, attempting to
maintain their balance. Galudos opened its mouth and let out
a low, powerful roar, which sounded like an earthquake
building in magnitude.
"Damn it, this is bad!" Allan shouted through the roar,
and he realized that it was a good time to make a hasty
retreat.
The stone demon continued its roar, and the very ground
split apart, chunks of earth floating into the air as the
raw energy of the earth broke free of the ground and filled
the air.
"Into the house!" the Avatar shouted. The barrier
dissipated as she led the way, and when everyone was inside,
she hastily went to erecting the barrier again.
"Avatar, are you sure you have the strength to do
this?" Dupre asked with some concern.
"That's not the point now, is it?" Cara snapped, "I
have to do this, or else!"
A faint blue glow encompassed her as the rune magic
began to stir.
Outside, however, Galudos had reached his limit.
The earth rumbled and groaned, and the ground split and
gave way into deep crevaces. Clouds of dust rose into the
air, and the Tendo grounds were obscured under the thick
blanket.
***
"Sokimo, where are you going?"
Sokimo jumped a bit at the voice, but quickly regained
his composure. He turned to face Murakamo, the Hunter. "To
the Dark Lord, of course."
"It seems that you have taken a wrong turn. If I didn't
know better, I'd say you were headed for that old highschool
again," Murakamo said. "That wouldn't be very advisable, you
know, especially considering the cargo you carry."
Murakamo indicated the sleeping Kasumi, whom Sokimo was
carrying in a filmy, almost gelatinous shroud. Sokimo had
sealed her in his organic package, to ensure her safety.
"I decided to pass out the back route," Sokimo
returned, "to keep the girl safe. You know how Galudos gets
carried away at times, so I thought this the safer route."
"Indeed," Murakamo agreed, looking at the dust cloud in
the air, visible even at this distance. "That was perhaps a
prudent decision on your part. Give the girl to me now, so I
can take her to the Dark Lord in haste."
Sokimo nodded, and gingerly passed the package over to
the hunter. "Will you finish up our duties, hunter? I am
feeling weary and would wish to retire."
"Of course," Murakamo said. "You did well, Sokimo. Our
operation went quite smoothly. I'm sure the Dark Lord will
forgive your previous slip when he is among us."
"Among us?" Sokimo echoed. "You mean he's ready to
incarnate himself already?"
Murakamo nodded. "Isharo-sama has completed his mission
perfectly, beyond expectation, actually. You are expected to
attend the ceremony, of course."
"I'm not sure if I can make it," Sokimo whined. "My old
bones are feeling rather chill today, and I might just cause
some unnecessary distraction at the ceremony. The sacrifice
of light will be performed as soon as the Dark Lord is among
us?"
"Yes, our Lord is eager to begin his plans."
"I see," Sokimo said, and to Murakamo's heightened
senses, he detected a slight exhalation of breath in that
statement. Murakamo smirked.
"Very well, I see that you are feeling a little ill.
I'll leave you now, and send your regrets to the Dark Lord."
Sokimo nodded, and Murakamo walked away into the dark,
his precious cargo in tow.
Murakamo didn't mind that Sokimo would be absent,
actually. It was no secret that many of the other demons did
not like the presence of the strange little demon. In fact,
he even considered that Sokimo's presence would be somewhat
of a taint to the very important ceremony that was going to
be held that night.
Murakamo regarded the sleeping Kasumi in his arms.
"You shall make a fine addition to the ceremonies,
indeed."
***
The darkness parted once again to reveal a familiar
black throne. A soft wind once again rustled the cloak of
Isharo, who stood before the throne, arms upraised. But
Isharo was not alone this time, for gathered around was a
congregation of demons, tall and short, grotesque and
beautiful. Songs of the damned rocked the darkness, echoing
as if in a huge ampitheatre, as the congregation sang hymns
of doom and dread.
To each side, the hymns of despair echoed, floating off
the mouths of each demon in attendance. From the gravelly
voice of Galudos, to the empty voice of Murakamo, to the
rich tenor of Isharo, the voices of all the demons blended
horrifyingly, beautifully, into an orchestra of sounds which
no mortal could bear, a sound which could drive a man
insane.
The black throne panned around as the congregation
reached the heights of its dreadful song. And there, seated
at the base of the huge black throne, was a small figure,
wrapped in darkness. The darkness cowed a bit, as if to
herald the coming of this being, the Dark One.
Opposite the throne was a structure wrought of dark
black iron, resembling a pyramid whose sides had been cut
out, leaving a triangular frame. Within the structure burned
a fire like no fire on the mortal world. For this fire had
not the normal yellowish hue of a summertime blaze. This
fire was colored black, its tips licking at the dark black
frame of its receptacle. And yet, this dark flame gave off a
fierce, incandescent glow, a glow which wafted across the
features of the Dark One.
The features of Kasuga Kyosuke.
As the Dark One came into the light, the congregation
stopped its hideous chorus, and every demon fell to its
knee, or what passed for its knee.
"You have done well, Isharo. You have all done well,"
Kyosuke said.
Isharo genuflected even deeper. "It is but our will to
serve you," he said. "The Dark Lord reigns with impunity," he
recited.
The congregation collectively echoed his words, a sound
of obeisance, mirroring Isharo's sentiments.
"We shall begin the Sacrifice of Purity immediately!"
Kyosuke said, eyeing the dark flames in the pyramid-like
structure. "The Dark Crucible grows hungry."
"It shall be as you will," Isharo stood, somewhat
shakily, for the injuries he had received earlier had not
yet healed. But such was his grace, and his determination,
that he would not fail in his duties to his lord.
"Bring the girl in!" Isharo commanded.
The flames of the crucible suddenly flared, as if in
expectation. The light was waning; it was time for the
darkness to ascend.
***
In an abandoned building, littered with the corpses of
demons and humans alike, a figure in a dark green robe lay,
brooding. Truly, he wasn't feeling well, and try as he might
to dismiss it, his haggard old body would not heed his
commands to get up. Although it was the great triumph of his
kind, the coming of their Lord, he could not bring himself
into a roused state of ecstacy, as all of his other kin were
doing, as they attended the ceremony. Truly an unusual
demon.
And then he felt it, and he knew the darkness above the
city had lifted, although he could not see it. His grip on
his gnarled wooden staff tightened involuntarily, to the
point that his already pale hand shone whiter as the
knuckles strained against his parched skin.
"The spirit determines the flesh," he mused, relaxing
his grip on his staff.
"The Dark Lord reigns in impunity," he whispered as he
drifted off to sleep.
***
The trio made their way across the deserted streets of
Nerima. Where there had been packs of demons prowling the
streets, now only corpses remained. Charles was anguished
that they had come across several human corpses, barely
identifiable, but he took comfort that there were many more
demon's corpses riddling the the streets than humans.
"These things have no regard whatsoever for life, be it
their victim's or their own," Charles stated through
clenched teeth. "Would that they roamed the streets now,
that I could rip the life out each and every one of their
wretched little hides!"
Erwin watched his friend carefully, realizing that his
friend was showing signs of a nervous breakdown. It wasn't
that the Paladin was afraid for himself; he was angered that
he could not protect the people of this city. It was
stressing him out badly.
"Please, Charles, count your blessings that we can get
through safely," Ukyou said. "We're all tired at the moment
of all this, but you can't blame yourself for something that
isn't your fault. It was fate that brought this about, and
not you, not anyone, can fight against that."
Charles breathed out a long breathe. "Thanks, Ukyou.
It's good to know that, even in a dark world such as this,
there are still good people like you who I can count on."
"The same for you, sugar," Ukyou replied. This stranger
from another world was really sweet, she thought, and he was
pretty cute, too. *If only Ranchan were the same all the
time.*
They had declined to check on the houses of the other
residents, knowing that the residents were probably scared
and might think that they were demons trying to infiltrate
their homes. They had passed several policemen who were on
patrol, and one had even asked if they needed an escort to a
safer place. It seemed that Ukyou had been right about
Tokyo; it could take care of its own.
From what they heard from the policemen they had talked
to, most of the citizens had been ushered to safety,
although regretably, some hadn't and the corpses along the
streets testified to that. It also seemed that the demons
had suddenly vacated the streets, all at once, sometime that
evening. No monster had been seen since.
"I'm worried about Ran-chan," Ukyou said, looking
towards the direction of the dojo.
"Don't worry about the dojo," Erwin said, trying to
assuage her fears. "Allan and Giel are with them, so they'll
be just fine."
"Allan?!" Charles scoffed, "You'd put your faith in
that little swine?"
Ukyou raised a brow at this. "Your leader seems to have
a lot of faith in your teammates," she noted. "But how about
you? Is he really that bad?" she asked the paladin.
"Well, that is-" Charles began.
"It's just that Charles and Allan have had this
misunderstanding," Erwin explained. "But I assure you, the
wily one may act like a buffoon at times, but you can rely
on him when things get serious."
"So you say," Charles huffed.
Ukyou could only chuckle and hide a grin.
"We must make haste to Tofu's place," Erwin said. "I
want answers, and things are really getting serious. The
absence of all the demons really worries me more than their
rampage."
Before they could go any further, a strange light
flashed in the sky.
"What the..." Charles mouthed, "Erwin! Did you get a fix
on that?"
"More of not getting a fix!" Erwin declared, "the dome
has disappeared!"
"Maybe things are going back to normal?" Ukyou said
hopefully.
Erwin suddenly tore of his specs. The energy build up
in the sky had been enormous. He had to see this with his
own eyes.
The stars had once again appeared in the sky, but only
for a brief moment. Suddenly, a darkening in the sky where
the nine lights had been suddenly became apparent. The
darkness seemed to be growing, as if it were sucking the
rest of the nightsky into it. Then, suddenly, the locus
exploded upon itself, and a huge vortex of dark energy
exploded from that point, and covered the sky, covering the
stars once again. The vortex above them pulsed and throbbed,
giving off a strange light, a light which paradoxically
seemed tainted by darkness.
"What in the name of the Code is that?" Charles
shouted.
"I don't know," Erwin replied, putting back his specs
to analyze the strange phenomenon. "My specs can't make
heads or tails of it."
He looked at them both ernestly.
"We'd better get to Tofu's right away."
***
*OMAKE!*
[Tokyo Tower]
"Naze?! Naze ga, FUMA!!!" an anguished voice cried into
the night, but the darkness in the world about him did not
answer. He had no idea how long he'd been there, all he knew
was the loneliness, the desolation, and the cold. His limbs
had grown clammy, almost as clammy as the decapitated body
beside him.
He clutched Fuma's head in his arms, and he would have
cried, had he any more tears to give. Fuma's blood had
drained out onto his lap, but he hardly cared, trying to
take this moment, this moment of sadness, to bear witness to
what he had done. He had just killed the one he had sworn to
protect.
"NAZEEE?!??" he cried into the night sky, when
suddenly, something strange happened. The night sky blurred
and converged, and exploded into a swirling vortex of dark,
pulsating energy?
"Nan-nani kore?" Kamui thought, his mind suddenly taken
away from his plight. If this was a sign from Kami-sama to
answer his questions, it was a damn good sign.
"What is this? This isn't the same as the kekkai which
the Ten no Ryuu make," he mused. "And the Chi no Ryuu are
all gone, by Fuma's own hand."
Kamui reverently laid Fuma's head down, and stood up.
This was a sign from heaven, so to speak, and beared
investigation. "Gomen ne, Fuma," he said, and he looked over
his shoulder to where Kotori lay. "Sayonara, Kotori-chan."
He picked up his sword and flew off, into the night.
***
[Somewhere in Izumo]
"Matsudeira-kun! Is there any word on the condition of
Tokyo?" Kunikida called into the radio.
"No, sir, the barrier is still in place."
"I see," he mumbled to himself.
"Excuse, me, sir?"
"Yes, Momiji?" he replied absently.
"Do you think this has anything to do with the
Aragami?" Momiji asked, concerned. She hadn't seen Kusanagi
for the past few days, either. If it was the Aragami...
"I don't know, Momiji," Kunikida admitted. "It's too
much like the barriers which went up when Susanoo was
resurrected. The resemblance is uncanny. At this point, we
can't overrule anything."
"I see," Momiji looked downcast. "I thought that, as
the Kushinada, I had finally helped the people of Japan, and
taken care of these problems once and for all. But now.."
Kunikida went over and hugged the little girl whom he
thought of as his own daughter. "Don't worry, Momiji. I'm
sure that everything will be alright. Matsudeira-kun is
analyzing the problem as we speak, and-"
"Sir!" Matsudeira cackled over the radio.
"What is it?"
"The barrier! It's disappearing."
A sudden flash of light cut off any further
communication, as the sky was filled with a swirling vortex
which pulsated, rhythmically, like the heart of a huge
monster.
"This doesn't look anything like the Aragami." Kunikida
whispered.
***
[Somewhere in America]
*Where were all these demon's coming from?!* thought
Corporal Fly Taggart, survivor of the Phobos incident. He
raised his shotgun to blast a huge hole into a charging
demon, then quickly sidestepped to the right, twirling
around at the same time to nail another demon who had tried
to rip his back off.
*I thought that I'd finished this entire demon business
when I went into hell and blew that big motherf#%$ing demon
up. It seems that there's more to it than that, though.*
He jumped over the ledge, avoiding being eviscerated by
a nearby slashing demon and sidestepping the charge of a bull
demon. He came up with his rocket launcher ready, and he
pressed the trigger. Bull horns and bull guts splashed all
over the place, some bull intestine (with some bullshit
inside) landing on the nozzle of his shotgun.
He turned around, but there were two many of them.
Tiger demons, lion demons, dolphin demons, flying demons,
funny demons and more littered his sight, and he realized
that if didn't do something soon, they would all overrun
him.
He dropped his rocket launcher and shotgun, and drew
out a huge, metallic barrel. Sleek in design, connected to a
mass of batterypacks hooked to his back. On one side of the
barrel was stenciled, "BFG-9000."
"Let's see how you f#%$ing like this!" he snarled, and
he pressed the trigger.
***
[Somewhere in India]
He was almost to the top of the mountain! He knew that
he was there. He'd tracked him for so long, followed so many
leads, and finally, he knew it, this was it! He would
finally get to see his old friend, whom he hadn't seen since
they parted, as youths, so long ago.
He climbed the last slope, and was finally at the apex
of the mountain. He looked up, only to see.
"Ryu!" Ken called, and stopped short "What the-?"
There was Ryu, in the same tattered, graying white gi
he had worn all that time ago. The red headband he had used
to tie his wound was still there, and the same steely
determination was in his eyes. But the creature he was
fighting with was something else! It resembled a huge bear,
only that it had six legs, the horns of a bull, and the face
of a tiger. It snarled horribly, revealing razor sharp fangs
that were 12 inches long.
"Ken! What're you doing here?" In that moment, a huge
swipe of the demon's paws smashed across Ryu's shoulder,
knocking him to the ground.
The beast roared.
"Great timing you have, distracting me like that," Ryu
complained, ignoring the pain, getting up.
"What did you expect?" Ken laughed, that cocky,
carefree laugh. "I can't let you have all the fun, you
know!"
"Of course," Ryu grunted. "Ready?"
"Anytime you are!"
<Play Itoshisato Setsunasato Kokorotsuyusato!>
***
[Somewhere in Reikai]
"What's the idea summoning me like this, Koenma?!?"
Yuusuke demanded.
"You are a Reikai detective, Yuusuke," Koenma said. "It
is your duty to investigate disturbances like this. I fear
that Meikai is trying to make a move again."
"Well, get someone else for the job!" Yuusuke said,
peaved. "I was just about to go on my honeymoon with Keiko!"
"But you're the best we have," Koenma said.
"Even the best deserve a vacation!"
"It's just like you to back off from a fight like
this," a voice to his side said. Yuusuke turned to see who
would be so impertinent, although he did recognize the voice
of his diminutive, three-eyed friend. "When are you ever
going to develop some backbone, Yuusuke!" Hiei demanded,
stepping out of the shadows.
"Koenma, how the hell did you get Hiei in on this?" He
turned to Hiei, "You're one to talk! I thought you wanted
nothing more to do with this?"
"It wasn't only him," came a soft, almost feminine
voice. "And when the situation is this grave, even Hiei
knows better than to turn a blind eye."
"Keh," Yuusuke spat, "I should have known you had
something to do with this."
Kurama walked out of the shadows behind Hiei. "When the
situation is this grave, not even you should turn a blind
eye, Yuusuke."
"Fine," Yuusuke huffed, although he thought that if it
was enough to get Kurama and even Hiei on the move, it had to
be pretty serious. Koenma had counted on that, of course;
had brought the two here for that purpose of convincing his
prodigal detective.
"Alright, you see, the problem lies with this vortex of
dark energy we have detected..." Koenma began.
***
[Back in Tokyo]
"Studystudystudystudy." Kintaro Oe, age 25, continues
his quest for knowledge as he gets first hand experiences
regarding the denizens of the underworld!
He picked up a severed demon's claw, and noted the
shreds of clothing caught on to it. In particular, there was
a blood-stained piece of a woman's bra stuck to one finger,
complete with one of the cups. He removed the article of
clothing and threw away the claw.
"This is so educational!"
***
-------------------
Nani kore?!? Nandeshite??!?
Jikan, Da-ko Kurushiburu...
The survivors of the Tendo Dojo attempt to regroup, but
the insidious plot of the Dark One further tears them
apart. What is the meaning of truth and destiny, as the
fate of the Demon God, Ifurita, disappears....
-------------------
*** BLAH BLAH BALH.
Interesting tidbit: this thing was written over a span of
two years. About half of it was written some two years ago,
the other half some months ago. When you think about it
that way, the sudden change in style makes sense.
If you missed anything, you can check the website below.
For those of you still having trouble keeping up, you can
also check out the Dark Crucible manual. They are at:
http://www.geocities.com/jitou.geo/fanfic
As a final word, I'd like to say that the patented power
snack which kept me going this time was some good old hot-
pandesal, topped with a little butter! Nothing can get you
going better in the morning or in the late, late nights when
fanfic authors usually find time to write their delusions.
^_^
Hope you enjoyed this episode, although the tone seems to
have changed quite a bit. Ja ne!
- End --- Dark Crucible - Episode 4 v1.01
------------------------------------------------------
Jitou mosquiton@crosswinds.net
http://www.geocities.com/jitou.geo