Ranma 1/2 is owned my Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Shounen Sunday comics
and Viz Communications. I make no money off of this endeavor, only
personal fulfillment.
****
Lo Shan ran her way through the foreign streets quickly, weaving in
and out of streets and side-alleys. The foreign ideas of street names
didn't make much sense to her, and it made a smaller amount of sense while
she was trying to avoid anyone or anything that meant her ill will.
She had thought of just asking for directions, but the chances that
any of these foreign devils might know Chinese was astronomical, and the
very idea that they would help her was even further out there.
Besides, the only Japanese words she knew were basically how to say
'sod off'. If she wanted a fight, she could easily do that.
But a fight wasn't what she wanted. It was dishonorable for a warrior
of the proud Joketsuzoku to AVOID fights, but this was a special
exception. She had a task to perform-- and a warning to deliver.
The letter had said that the restaurant was called the Nekohanten. The
elders had sent her with their blessing, but not even she had known she
would have pursuers.
Lo Shan looked up in decisive paranoia as a small bird chirped in a
nearby tree. She calmed herself, there was no need to fear a small bird.
In fact, simply having the bird THERE made her feel safe.
Safe beyond measure.
She smiled up at the bird and continued her walk through the Nerima
streets, hunting for what looked like the commercial district. She
couldn't be far, she thought. The residences all around her were protected
by large walls. A rather ingenious idea, she would have to suggest it to
the council when she was able to return to the village safely.
Suddenly, she heard a frantic chirping. Spinning around, she was able
to catch a glimpse of the small bird in the tree flying away at it's
highest speed.
Lo Shan could feel it in the pit of her stomach. A sudden weight of
gloom hanging over her like a two ton anvil.
She barely had time to react as the dark shape came upon her, blocking
out the noonday sun.
****
Charles D. Ward Presents...
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction...
Beneath the Veil
Prologue: Flesh and Talon
****
"Oh, get off it, Ranma," Akane said. "They ARE NOT!"
"I tell ya, Akane... They are. They HAFTA be," Ranma shot back,
obviously convinced. "I mean, Nabiki an' me have explained it to him
before, but he went nutzo."
"Look, he's thick headed, sure. Kodachi's a little out there too, but
escaped mental patients? You've GOT to be joking."
Ranma sighed. Just another day of arguing with Akane. Was it really
worth it?
"I still maintain my opinion."
Akane rolled her eyes and shot a look back at him. "Fine, Ranma."
Sure, Ranma thought. Definitely worth it. He didn't like to admit it,
but was kinda cute when she was overly annoyed. But he didn't want to push
it. Besides, she was annoyed enough as it is. His first day off of school
in WEEKS, and his Pop had to ruin it by suggesting that he and Akane go
out for a walk. Together, for that matter.
Of course, Ranma put up a fight. Akane did too, until she saw Ranma
was putting up a better fight, then, once again, took it personally and
punched Ranma in the back of the head.
Still, as violent as she could be... She was damn cute.
Somewhere in the distance, a bird crowed, and Ranma craned his neck to
see. He barely had time to see the dark shape fly up into the air before
the sun blotted out it's existence.
He could've swore--
"Oh my God, Ranma!" Akane exclaimed as she rounded the corner. Ranma
reacted quickly and jumped down from the fence.
Suddenly, he saw it. At first, it appeared as though it had been the
dark shape he had seen only moments earlier, but upon closer examination,
he realized this shape was a lot smaller, and a lot more bloody.
Akane reached the shape first. "Oh my God, Ranma. She's hurt badly!"
The girl opened an eye and looked at her two saviors with a
glazed-over look.
"Khu... Lon..." she managed to mutter before losing consciousness.
Ranma stood up. "Khu Lon? Cologne? Was she--"
"I think she's an Amazon, Ranma," Akane said, motioning towards her
clothing. It resembled what Shampoo regularly wore, except darker, and
stained with blood and ripped nearly to shreds.
"Move over," he said, then started to lift her.
"Ranma! She might have broken bones!"
Ranma shook his head. "No. She doesn't. You'd rather leave her here
and let her bleed to death? Cologne can help, come on!"
Ranma took off with Akane in tow.
****
Unbeknownst to the two teenagers, high above them, a bird flew in
distinct circles. Had they not appeared, the bird could have finished the
job with flourishing enthusiasm.
But it could not finish the job... so it would watch with keen,
remarkably human eyes, and wait for its chance. Still, its charge was
injured enough that it would be no longer a threat of danger to its
masters, and no longer a challenge to kill.
It would wait until she was alone, and then rip her throat out.
****
Shampoo happily hummed a little ditty as she wiped down one of the
many tables in the Nekohanten. Today was Ranma's day off from school, and
as soon as she finished her chores, she could go see him.
She had taken it easy since the wedding, as per her Great-Grandmothers
wish. Part of her punishment for employing such a... dishonorable method
of trying to win Ranma. Of course, she hadn't expected her
Great-Grandmother ordering her to be Mousse's servant for nearly
twenty-four hours.
But then, Mousse has had his glasses perpetually steamed since then,
even though he never asked one thing of Shampoo-- which was even worse,
seeing as she had to follow him around for the whole day.
But now was the first day after her week-long punishment. The first
day she could go back and spread her affections on Ranma once again.
Besides, since Ukyou and Akane had no restriction against seeing him, she
may have lost a beneficial edge on the fiancee competition.
She scrubbed at one particular spot furiously, trying to finish her
chores as fast as she could. The damn spot was just too stubborn.
Somewhat like A--
"Oi, Cologne! Get your ass down here, quick!" a familiar, yet welcome
voice called from the entrance.
Shampoo looked up and smiled. She couldn't believe it. Ranma had come
to HER instead of Shampoo coming to find him.
Spinning around to embrace her loved in one of her trademark bear
hugs, she faced the two others.
She frowned somewhat at seeing Akane, but once she saw the bundled
package in Ranma's arms, stained in blood red, she gasped.
"What is it, Son-in-law?" Cologne asked calmly, hopping into the
restaurant.
Cologne was the first to notice the texture and style of the clothing
adorning the bloody mess. She didn't gasp, however.
"Lo Shan..." she said. "Shampoo, close the restaurant. Ranma, lay her
on the counter."
Ranma walked forward and lay the woman on the counter. "She said your
name when we found her."
Cologne nodded. "She is the messenger," she said. "One of our best
warriors, almost on par with Shampoo."
Shampoo gasped as she saw the girl. Her faced had been bruised a fair
amount, but the rest of her body was far worse. On her leg, there was a
slash that almost ran the entire length of it. Her torso had taken the
worst of it. Parallel gashes ran down from her chest to her stomach, and
the blood was still coming.
But it was easy to recognize her. She shared most of her childhood
with this girl. It was nearly impossible for her to even consider
something like this happening...
...to her best friend.
"Mousse," Cologne called back. "Bring me the first aid kit, and my
medical herbs!"
Mousse wasted no time in bringing either. He may not have seen the
danger, but the emotion showing in Cologne's voice was all he needed.
Cologne took out a small wooden bowl and put some herbs and water into
it. She looked towards Akane and spoke, "Make yourself useful child, strip
off her clothing and place pressure upon the biggest wounds. She has
already lost a great deal of blood. You as well, Ranma."
"Shampoo help too?" Shampoo asked, her voice cracking.
"Yes, child. Prepare the gauze to dress the wounds after I've applied
the balm. Mousse, don't do that."
Mousse looked over from the telephone and blinked. "Why?"
"If you call the hospital, chances are she'll be deported before we
can find out what happened to her. No, she shall stay here for the time
being."
Mousse nodded and put the receiver down, then pulled a moist towel
from nearby, and proceeded to wipe up the blood.
"What is that stuff?" Ranma asked as Cologne continued to grind the
herbs.
"It helps the blood to clot," she said. "It works quickly, but must be
washed out as soon as possible, to prevent infection."
"Works quickly? Like cement?" Ranma asked.
"You could say that."
The now naked woman suddenly began to shudder and scream out in
Chinese, her eyes wide open. Ranma and Akane quickly tried to hold her
down.
"Keep her down!" Cologne exclaimed, then began to apply the balm to
her wounds.
"Well, DUH!" Ranma shot back.
"What's she saying?" Akane asked, trying to shout over the girls
frantic yelling.
Shampoo placed the gauze on a nearby table and helped to hold her
down. "She say... dark birds."
"Dark birds?"
Unbeknownst to the four teenagers, Cologne plucked something from a
wound and dropped it into a small bucket of water.
"Do not worry about that," Cologne exclaimed. "Mousse, you know what
to do."
Mousse nodded and gripped an artery at her neck and temple, stopping
the flow of blood to the brain for a moment. She lost consciousness
immediately.
Ranma and Akane calmed a bit as Cologne applied the balm to the last
few wounds, and Shampoo wrapped them up in gauze.
"There," Cologne said. "She should be allowed to sleep for a few
hours. Mousse, bring her upstairs and put her in to my bed. I will be up
soon to clean out her wounds."
"Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo asked.
"Shampoo, you should stay with her. I have a feeling that whatever did
this will return to finish the job," she said. Looking over at Ranma and
Akane, she sighed. "She was fortunate that you came along when you did.
You may have scared away her attacker."
"We never saw anyone around her. The block was empty," Akane said.
Cologne nodded, then looked at Ranma. "But you saw something, didn't
you?"
Ranma jumped back. "How... uh... could you tell?"
"The expression on your face, boy."
"Oh," Ranma said. "Well, yeah.. I saw... something."
"It flew, did it not?"
Ranma jumped back again. "How--?"
Cologne reached into the small bucket of water and pulled out the
object she had tossed in only minutes before. "This," she said, handing it
to Ranma.
Ranma examined it for a few seconds before he recognized it. It was a
black, elongated talon. Not unlike what the members of the Phoenix tribe
had. "A talon?" he asked.
Akane gasped. "The Phoenix did this?"
Cologne sighed. "It is hard to say," she said. "The Phoenix are
amazing fighters, but do not kill unless it suits them. Revenge isn't a
motivation for them, and we only hear from them whenever they cause
trouble with Jusendo. We usually ignore them."
"But why would they attack that girl?" Akane asked.
Cologne put her hand to her chin. "It is hard to say, child," she
said. "Perhaps it was not the Phoenix at all."
Ranma jabbed the talon up in the air. "You know any BIRDS with claws
this big?"
"No birds, but--" Cologne narrowed her eyes. "We shall wait."
"Wait?"
Cologne nodded. "Later," she said. "Go home for now. I shall contact
you when you are needed."
Ranma looked at the blood-soaked counter and nodded. "Yeah, let us
know," he said.
Akane didn't say another word, and just followed Ranma out of the
restaurant.
****
Herb ran through the woods, weaving in and out of trees, as fast as he
could. He had to split up from Lime and Mint in order to do things the
right way-- after all, he was the one they were after.
The first attack had come just after dawn. Herb had dispatched of his
pursuer with unrelenting ease, as he had with the second, third, and
fourth. But when the fifth had come for him, he found himself becoming
spent. His ki mastery had gone unchallenged and undefeated for many
years-- but even a master could become tired easily.
The Joketsuzoku women should already be in Japan by now, warning
Cologne of the coming danger... if they hadn't gotten to her first.
Herb instinctively ducked his head as he felt the creatures presence.
It was just in time, as he felt the air itself become displaced in a place
where his head had been only moments before.
The creature had yet to actually make physical contact with him, but
this was the eighth since the morning before. Herb was operating on no
sleep, and after having fought for nearly thirty-six hours straight--
there was most likely none in sight.
While he was in China, they would keep coming.
Finally, Herb's run came to an abrupt stop. He had come to a dead end
in his run, and there were still trees all around. The rock face in front
of him was far too slippery and steep for him to climb. If he had been
stronger, he may have been able to jump it, or even use his ki to create
handholds.
But he was far too weak. He spun around to face the coming danger.
All seemed quite for a few moments. He knew it was there, though. He
could sense it.
And then it came at him. Herb barely had time to react as it came
down, clawed feet in front of it, pushing him back into the rock face. He
winced in pain as the talons dug into his flesh and ripped the cloth.
He pushed the creature away, sending it to the ground before it
flapped its wings and raised its body back into the air. Herb sneered.
"So, you're finally able to get to me," he said.
With a screech, the creature came back on him. Herb was able to grab
hold of one of the legs before it could strike him, but the other one
managed to scratch him above his hairline, sending hair and blood down
into Herb's eyes.
Herb let go as the monster continued the assault, ripping at his
clothing and biting at his flesh with its jagged beak--
Blinded and injured, Herb struck out with his fist. Someone was
smiling upon him, because he felt the satisfying screech as his fist
connected. He wiped the blood from his eyes and saw the creature fly back
to the ground under some brush and scramble to get back to its feet.
Herb scowled. This thing was tough. He may not even survive this one--
and if he did, there was no guarantee he would the next.
"NOW, MINT!" he heard from the brush.
A small boy dressed in furs shot out from the bush and struck the
creature back down to its back, then planted a foot in its beak,
shattering it. The creature didn't seem to notice however, and stood back
up, giving a labored screech.
That was when Lime struck. He pushed his way through the trees,
knocking several of them over in the process, and planted his fist in the
creatures face.
Herb was able to see the thing fall over dead before the blood once
again fell into his eyes, causing excruciating pain.
Lime continued to punch the creature until he was sure it was dead.
"Come on," Mint said, running over to Herb. "We're almost to Shanghai,
it'll be harder for them to find us there!"
Lime looked up and nodded, running over to his friend. "Herb?" he
asked. "You all right?"
"I'm fine," Herb replied. "Come on, another couple of hours and we can
rest."
"Wait!" Mint exclaimed. The wolf boy pulled out some medical supplies
from a kit and applied it to Herb's head. "We need to dress your wounds."
Herb stayed still long enough for Mint to apply the bandages and then
got up. "Come on," he said, walking along. "We can rest when we get there.
They'll send another one any time now."
Without any further argument, they continued to make their way to
Shanghai.
****
Author's Notes:
Hello, people of the FFML! As you can tell, I'm a relative newcomer,
but I've been reading fics for quite some time. It just wasn't until now
that I decided I wanted to WRITE them. :)
Anyway, this is the prologue of a fic idea I've had for quite some
time, but never did anything about it until now. It's actually going to be
quite long, but hopefully it'll be well received.
Also, pre-readers would be a nice addition.
I'm also going to be writing a Slayers fic, so keep your eyes peeled
for that one!
Talk to you later!
Chuck...