Draft version.
C&C is most welcome.
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi
and her publishers. I am merely using the characters for
the purpose of profit-free entertainment and make no claim
on them.
Vincent Seifert has kindly provided webspace for most of my
fanfics and links to the rest at the following address:
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/kagami/
You can contact me at: kagami@jeack.com.au
---
Near a small island in the northern Pacific, two ancient
beings clashed in titanic battle. The sea roiled with a
raging turbulence spawned by the primal fury between
Umibouzu and the Ayakashi. A small local seeming twisted
the air and ocean about their sinuous, warring lengths,
cloaking their presence from mortal sight. It was the only
magic used in the bitter and brutal conflict.
The Devourer of Ships knew his opponent to be a creature
of elemental savagery. The Ayakashi was a mindless force,
existing only to slay and engender chaos upon the commands
of the Demon Lord of the South. Umibouzu had learned far
better over the long span of time since their mutual
creation, glimpsing even the ultimate purpose of the
Cardinal Servants, while the Ayakashi clearly had not.
Yet the battle raised the delight for destruction that
remained at the core of his being and also something
greater, besides. Never in his five thousand years of
existence had Umibouzu felt the savage exhilaration that
pulsed through his massive body this very day. Not since
Amaterasu Omikami, Goddess of the Sun, bade the ancient
land of Nippon to arise from the firmament, and so created
the first creatures of Yamato, had he felt so alive, so
vital.
In one sense, the contest between himself and the
monstrous Ayakashi was meaningless, important only in the
ephemeral sense of deciding a victor between claimants to
the Eastern Throne. It mattered not in the end who became
Demon Lord, only that someone did. Why, then, did this
battle with the Cardinal Servant of the South embody so
much of his hopes and fears?
Even as he wrenched his head and jaws around to gain
access to the Ayakashi's vulnerable underside and flung
coil after coil of his serpentine length in a savage bout
of oceanic dominance, some small part of Umibouzu focused
on the two other clashes of power reverberating across his
senses. One was centered on the nearby island, and the
other, much farther away, in the frozen peaks of central
Japan.
Umibouzu touched the closer source and admired the
strength and clarity of purpose he found within the mind of
Ranma Saotome. There, faced with a powerful challenger in
the form of Moeru, the half-demon scion of Yami-no-Tsume
knew no fear, only a deep concern for his friends and
mother, fueling an ironclad determination to win... and
something far darker, joyous, hidden but exultant.
His tenuous contact faded as he achieved the writhing lock
about the Ayakashi he sought. The Cardinal Servant of the
South fought hard, desperate to escape the frozen coils
looped around his length, but Umibouzu remained relentless,
questing for an opportunity to tear into the softer hide of
the underbelly and neck. It soon came, one reckless twist
by the Ayakashi revealing vulnerable flesh.
The Great Devourer bit down hard, savoring the rich blood
pouring from the wound as well as the mournful cry of the
Ayakashi echoing across the water to slowly fade, lost to
the wind. The brief thrill of victory was quickly washed
away as his desperate adversary fastened jagged fangs into
his flesh, letting the weight of his confined body drag
them both beneath the waves.
He only had time to pulse a brief message of warning
before sinking into the furious darkness of the depths.
<Ranma Saotome, be wary!> Then he was gone.
Behind them, the ocean surface bubbled and seethed, then
slowly calmed, until no trace of their passing remained.
---
An Awakening of Demons
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Kagami
Chapter 11: Tenacity
---
In the bowels of the earth beneath the island of Seiryu,
Ranma Saotome heard the voice of Umibouzu echo in his mind
and fade. <Umibouzu?> There was no answer. He threw aside
his concern; the battle with Moeru would require all his
concentration. Carefully he refrained from thinking of the
four girls standing behind him. It wasn't easy.
"Ranma-sama, defeat this unworthy challenge for your
beloved Kodachi!"
"Ranma, you win for Shampoo, okay?"
"Ranchan, I'm counting on you."
"Ranma, don't you dare lose!"
"Hey," he snapped, turning around to face them, "do you
guys mind? I'm trying to concentrate here." The cheering
squad was great for his ego, but there was a time and a
place for it. And this wasn't it. Moeru, he noticed out of
the corner of his eye, looked somewhat nonplused at the
exchange. The girls, on the other hand, were barely
deterred by his objection.
"But, Ranma-sama, I'm merely expressing my concern for
you," Kodachi proclaimed. "After all, you should utilize
every opportunity to announce our love."
"Since when Ranma like Crazy Rose Girl?" Shampoo
interjected. "One that Ranma love is Shampoo!"
"Dream on, sugar. Ranchan loves me," Ukyo said
confidently. "Isn't that right, Ranchan?"
"How did we get on this topic?" Ranma clenched his fists
in annoyance. Fortunately, Ryoga hadn't added anything to
the furor. That was a good thing, but the one person he had
some small interest in hearing remained silent. Then she
spoke.
"Ranma--"
"Akane?"
"--you'd better turn around."
"Wha-- Yikes!" Ranma barely dodged the blast of flame that
narrowly shot past, scorching his shirt. "Hey! Whaddya do
that for?" he asked Moeru who lowered her smoking hand. She
looked annoyed.
"Do you believe this to be a game, Ranma Saotome?" Moeru
asked with a touch of asperity. "I advise you not to think
so; if I can slay you in our following duel - if you prove
unworthy - I will."
"No," he said softly, "it's no game." Ranma caught the
faintest trace of a mental whisper from the Blue Dragon
directed to Moeru, <Calm yourself, daughter.> Daughter? He
shook away his surprise and concentrated on the red-haired
avatar of Seiryu, his senses fully focused and alert.
The tableau was indeed striking: the blue kimono-clad,
tall woman stood before the vast and inert form of the
spirit dragon, her fiery eyes and crimson hair stark
against the shadows. Behind her, Seiryu's great golden eyes
burned like vast lanterns in the dark. Smoke jetted forth
from nostrils on her draconian snout, swirling just above
ground and covering the barren stone in white mist.
"Bring it on, Moeru!" Ranma stared cockily at his
challenger. "I've beaten ya once, I can do it again."
Moeru smiled faintly as she drew back the sleeves of her
blue kimono. "Wrong," she whispered, the low sound carrying
across the cavern. Flames burst from her upheld hands, and
she made sweeping gestures, casting the fire around. The
inferno raced outward, forming a fiery ring that surrounded
both of them. "I haven't shown you the least of my power."
She raised one outstretched arm high above her head,
dancing flames rolling down to veil her body in a pyric
shroud. It expanded outward, a burning nimbus that swirled
and thickened into an incandescent shield. "This is the
holy power of Seiryu: Hono no Kaze - the Wind of Flame!"
Ranma took an involuntary step back upon seeing the
conflagration cover Moeru, and felt the heat from the
encircling ring flickering at his back. There was no place
to go. "Nice show, but it's only defensive. You can't hurt
me with that."
Moeru shook her head in negation. "Wrong," she reiterated,
"I can." She struck her other hand towards him and an arc
of fire burst forth directly at him. Ranma dodged to one
side and the blast that might have crisped him sank
harmlessly into the blazing ring behind. "Fire calls to
fire," Moeru stated, "fire feeds on fire; how long can you
avoid it?"
As further flames speared forth at him, Ranma knew the
answer to that question was pointless. He could easily dodge
flames all day, but that in itself would hardly resolve
anything, and eventually he would tire. Man, he'd bet
anything Shukumaru didn't have these problems.
---
Deep in the mountains above Nagano, Shukumaru had an
entirely different view of her supposedly problem-free
situation.
She hurled herself to one side as the icy blast impacted
on the spot she had been standing. Cat-quick reflexes had
saved her from the first attacks of the Ice Maiden,
Shimoyake. The problem was her inability to close and
utilize her own technique. Her Dokkasou required physically
touching her opponent, and while Kori Otome held her off
with blizzards of razor-sharp ice shards and pale cones of
pure frost, it was totally negated.
There were alternatives she could use, but revealing them
so early in the battle was foolish. Shukumaru had no
intention of using her other powers until forced. A tight
smile etched her face and she shook her pale hair to rid it
of the covering snow that still drifted down out of the
evening sky. The frosty peaks above Nagano were bitterly
cold, like the frozen reaches of Jigoku.
"Had enough, Shukumaru?" Shimoyake mocked, wintry cold.
"Surrender, and I shall add your frozen body to my
collection for all eternity - a quick and merciful death, I
promise you."
"Such a generous offer," she returned, suitably sardonic.
"I fear I must decline. I have no intention of remaining an
ice block for the rest of eternity. Too dull."
The Ice Maiden acknowledged her defiance with a nod, then
snapped her fingers with an explosive report, sending
uneasy rumbles across the snow-covered landscape. "Hiko!
Hime!" Shimoyake called, summoning a pair of blurry
whirlwinds to coalesce into human - or more precisely,
childlike - forms. "Entertain our guest. I tire of this
meaningless conflict."
Shukumaru frowned, attempting to recall any scrap of
information about Kori Otome's servants, but came up blank.
Hiko appeared to be a ten year-old boy, while Hime was
apparently a girl of similar age, both as cute as real
children.
The boy had a shock of light blue hair and the girl had
waist-length hair of a deeper, almost purple, blue, tied
off with a white ribbon. Both had similar high cheekbones
and large, violet-coloured eyes on narrow countenances,
suggesting they were likely siblings from the same birth.
"Hello, Auntie," they said in unison, smiling brightly.
"Would you care to play with us?"
"Auntie?" Shukumaru ground her teeth in anger at the
aspersion on her age. Behind her, still in the sheltering
palanquin, Raiha muffled a series of chuckles that further
irritated her. "Brats...."
"Oh dear," Hime said with consternation. "Auntie is
unhappy, Hiko."
"Then we must cheer her up, Hime," Hiko replied, nodding
his head. They linked fingers and raised their other hands
to point directly at her. A hail of icy shards sprang forth
from Hiko's raised palm, while Hime released a geyser of
steaming water.
"How is this supposed to cheer me up?" Shukumaru snarled
as she dodged the projected hail storm. The scalding blast
of water jetted past as well, a clear miss. The twins
directed their power at her again, parallel clouds of
blistering steam and pointed icicles. Leaping left or right
would still put her within range of the two attacks, so she
leapt back hastily, and promptly sank chest-deep into
melted snow, entrapping her arms.
Hot water from the earlier miss, she realized, furious
with herself for not recognizing the ploy. The two children
approached, hands still linked. Hiko smiled even more
widely, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs. "Simple,
Auntie. Once we kill you, you won't feel unhappy anymore."
Shukumaru roundly cursed the Ice Maiden as she tried to
extricate herself from the trap. Shimoyake still stood
back, smirking, evidently content to permit her servants to
resolve the matter. Damn them all to hell, she thought.
She would bet anything Ranma Saotome was in a much better
situation right now. Her damnable half-brother had proved
more resilient than she'd expected, destroying her plans
with a minimum of losses. At least that girl he had seemed
fond of would undoubtedly be dead from Mizugumo's deadly
poison by now.
It was a beginning.
---
Akane Tendo, very much alive, and likely to eventually
disappoint Shukumaru upon disclosure of her survival, was
not even thinking about the demoness. Instead she shouted
worriedly as the fiery ring sealed Ranma from the rest of
them. "Ranma, watch out!"
Somehow, to her, the other three girls seemed less
concerned about Ranma than pushing forth their own claims
upon him, especially Kodachi.
"Oh, how shall I cheer my Ranma-sama on?" Kodachi wondered
aloud, head cocked and hands clasped tightly together.
"Martial Arts Cheerleading? No, too vulgar. Ah, I know--" A
quick movement extracted a Rhythmic Gymnastics club from
somewhere amidst her yin-yang crested leotard. "The perfect
thing!"
"How is that going to help, sugar?" Ukyo asked, interested
despite herself.
"Is club, no?" Shampoo eyed the item suspiciously. Crazy
Rose Girl was too fond of sneaky tricks to be predictable.
"Maybe help Ranma in battle?" she hazarded.
"Certainly not," Kodachi objected stridently, before
piously adding, "I would never dream of interfering with a
one-on-one duel."
"Oh, really?" Akane blurted, incredulous at the blatantly
self-serving tone and remembering the number of times the
Black Rose had interfered in past challenges.
"No, this is merely a means of encouragement. Note the
cord, if you will." Kodachi fingered the string extending
from the base of the club.
Shampoo had already noticed it, but the other two girls
and Ryoga missed the thin attachment. "What's the string
for?" Ryoga enquired.
"Simple, Ryoga-sama," Kodachi murmured, "pull the cord,
like so, and aim in the direction of your choice, and
voila!" The clubhead disintegrated with a loud bang and
shot bright sparks and dazzling colours into the air, much
like an oversized party cracker.
"'Win for the sake of our love, Ranma-sama!'?" Akane
tersely quoted as the light show resolved itself into a
distinct selection of brazen words. "That's your idea of
encouragement?"
"Of course. It signifies the next great step in our
relationship - acknowledgment!" The Devil Hunter half-
lidded her eyes and cooed satisfaction, sending chills down
everyone's spines.
"Give me a break, Kodachi," Ukyo muttered, peeved. "Your
relationship with Ranma is nothing more than a twisted
illusion." Expecting a snide remark in return, she was
surprised when Kodachi looked soberly at her instead.
"Sometimes illusions can hold great power," the Black Rose
replied softly.
"What do you mean by that?" Ukyo asked uneasily, conscious
of the suddenly somber mood.
Fortunately, Kodachi spoiled the serious tone with a
raised hand and a high laugh. "Ohohohoho, I leave that for
you to find out, lowly preparer of okonomiyaki!"
"Why, you--"
"Hold it!" Ryoga snapped, cutting Ukyo off in mid-sentence.
"What?" Ukyo asked, perplexed. She suddenly became aware
she'd forgotten all about Ranchan. The horrifying thought
was reinforced by Akane's "Oh no, Ranma!"
"Nope," Ryoga said, shaking his head. "We've more problems
than that." He pointed to the entrance of the cavern. The
half-dozen looming figures were obvious despite the shadowy
gloom, glistening white against the dark mouth of the
tunnel. Ryoga fell silent, but he didn't need to say
anything more.
The Saikin had caught up with them.
---
How to win? Ranma wondered desperately. Even as he ducked,
wove, and dodged through the streams of near-liquid flame,
additional fingers of fire sought him out, following his
every move.
"Tell me, Ranma Saotome, why you battle for my power. What
is it you seek?" Moeru asked, distracting him. She seemed
genuinely interested in hearing his answer. "Is it merely
for the position of Demon Lord? Is that your goal? Glory
and power?"
"What if it is?" challenged Ranma in turn. He darted to
the right, letting a tongue of fire pass by, then lunged
back to avoid another, which fell short.
"Because such reasons are not enough for victory, not
against Seiryu." Cloaked by her radiant shell, Moeru shook
her head. "It is not enough by far. Over the centuries, a
hundred would-be Demon Lords have sought my power for those
reasons. None survived. If those are your reasons, you,
too, will fail and meet death at my hands."
"You didn't want to hear me out earlier." Ranma shot the
quicksilver riposte as he hopped over a hungry flame
licking out from the ring at his back. A sudden flare of
heat had been his only warning, and he had reacted purely
on instinct. He stretched his senses to the utmost as the
level of danger rose yet again. "How come you're asking now?"
"Because," Moeru said calmly as the small mandolin Ranma
had seen before reappeared in her lowered hands, "I wish to
make a song of your death."
Ranma snorted, amused despite his situation. "Feh, save
your song, Moeru. I ain't gonna need it. I don't even want
to be Demon Lord."
"Then why are you here?"
His reasons were simple really. He fought for his mother's
love, denied to him for ten long years, newly regained, and
now apparently lost. The thought of her left sealed in a
prison of his own making, despite it saving her from
imminent death, was agonizing. Ranma refused to let that
happen.
Nodoka....
The ghostly whisper arose from the depths of his mind,
ripe with passion, and the sudden distraction nearly cost
him his life. Ranma frantically ducked a scorching blast
that came within a hair's breadth of incinerating his head.
What the heck was that?
He somersaulted over a gushing firespout, and hastily
patted down a series of small fires on his clothes left by
a shower of oily droplets. Dammit, how was he supposed to
think up a winning tactic with all the weird interruptions?
If only the fire would stop following him around-- Wait,
that was it!
Ranma smiled, suddenly confident. "Moeru, I'm only gonna
tell you this once, so listen up. I ain't fighting for this
Demon Lord crap. That's Shukumaru's thing. I'm fighting
'cause she wants to kill me, my family, and my friends. I
ain't gonna let that happen, you hear me?"
Blood surged in his veins, heightening his every sense,
and unknown to him, his eyes began to shine a distinct
yellow. "It ain't gonna happen," Ranma repeated, "because
I'm gonna win this battle, and when Shukumaru comes back to
challenge me, I'm gonna kick her ass!"
Moeru wryly returned his smile. "How fortunate. I've
become rather tired of writing ballads of glory and
stupidity to would-be Demon Lords."
---
Mizuhiko and Oyuhime! Shukumaru blinked as she suddenly
recalled the names of the two cherubic servants of Kori
Otome. The Cold Water Prince and the Hot Water Princess.
Knowing their names did not really help, but she had
already recognized the inherent weakness in their attacks
and quickly resolved the best solution for her situation.
"You know, you've forgotten one thing," Shukumaru offered
as the twins raised their hands once more in her direction.
"What's that, Auntie?" the twins chorused in unison as
they launched their attacks. Mizuhiko unleashed a torrent
of ice shards, and Oyuhime followed it with a stream of
scalding water. If the deadly storm of icicles failed to
finish her, then the second assault would boil her to death.
"Water conducts electricity," Shukumaru stated as her eyes
began to glow white. "RAIHA!"
The crackling bolt of lightning, drawn from the waiting
Thunderbeast, leapt from her open mouth and along a
reciprocal path to the two watery attacks headed her way.
The hail of icy needles melted into cold water as the
electricity passed through, and the jet of steaming water
flashed into pure steam in turn.
The twins jerked and toppled as the lightning blast struck
them, flowing through their linked hands and covering their
twitching bodies with a shower of radiant sparks.
Scattered droplets of cold water - the remnants of
Mizuhiko's blizzard - harmlessly sprinkled over Shukumaru's
exposed head and shoulders. She gave a tight grin as she
watched the cloud of steam from Oyuhime's attack slowly
condense and drift to the snow-covered ground.
She directed her second and third blasts at the ground
near her trapped body and pulled herself free as the earth
shuddered and ripped asunder beneath the powerful
onslaught. Shukumaru delicately flicked the loosened dirt
from her travelling oba and plastered a malevolent smile on
her face as the two children struggled to their feet, still
quivering.
"Waaah! Scary!" Oyuhime cried as she clutched her
brother's hand. Mizuhiko nodded in agreement, and tugged
his sister back. "We should let Mommy handle her!"
They really were Shimoyake's children? Shukumaru wondered
as the twins pelted back towards the waiting Ice Maiden and
hid behind her. "Well, it looks like your brats failed,
Shimoyake."
Mizuhiko peered around the Ice Maiden's legs and stuck out
his tongue. Shimoyake swatted him on the head, and he
winced and clutched the spot. "What was that for?" he
complained.
"Hiko, Hime, wait me below. You'll be punished for your
failure." Kori Otome's voice was abrupt and dismissive, and
the twins let identical miserable expressions cross their
faces before dissolving into small clouds that swiftly
vanished.
"Well, Shukumaru, you've retained your tactical sense,
anyway." The Ice Maiden clapped politely, and continued, "I
deem you worthy of challenging me."
"Oh, please." Shukumaru mock-shuddered. "That arrogant
attitude really annoys me."
"Be as flippant as you want, Shukumaru, but you have no
real idea of what you face here. The very land is my ally."
Shimoyake gestured and a blinding snowstorm sprang up in
moments. As she became lost in the flurry of white snow,
the Ice Maiden added, "I have merely toyed with you up to
this point. Now I will finish it."
The world became a nightmare of cold and wet snow.
Shukumaru could only see to a range of less than two feet,
the blizzard blanketed everything else. She desperately
extended her senses to seek out the Ice Maiden, and
discovered a veil of power covering the storm. It shielded
Shimoyake completely from her perception.
Shukumaru could only stumble forward and hope to emerge
from the tempest. She closed her eyes and walked forward.
One pace, a second, another, a fourth, until she reached a
count of one hundred and sixty-four. Still she remained
within the snowstorm, and the cold began to leach into her
bones, stealing her body warmth like a hungry ghost.
She staggered on, determined to win at all costs. Two
hundred and one, two hundred and two, two hundred and
three... up to nearly five hundred, then she lost count and
merely stumbled on into the unknown, blind and numb.
Her foot struck a small protuberance beneath the snow,
perhaps a rock, and she crumpled, boneless, to the ground.
Within minutes, a layer of snow covered her motionless
body, enveloping her in false warmth. Shukumaru lay there,
knowing she had to continue moving to survive. Even her
demonic strength would eventually fail in these conditions
and she would freeze to death.
An ice block, just like Shimoyake said.
Even that thought held no power to encourage her, and
Shukumaru rested in the snow like one already dead.
---
"Damn!" Kodachi muttered in annoyance as her Spear of Fuma
sank into the foremost Saikin without effect. The pale
humanoid creature made desperate sucking noises as it tried
to ingest the weapon. Kodachi backed away hurriedly,
pulling out the spear with great difficulty. It came free
reluctantly, leaving the Saikin to plod on, unaffected.
"What wrong with demon-slaying weapon? Why no kill demon?"
Shampoo asked in surprise, twin bonbori loosely clasped in
her hands, spherical heads pointed towards the ground. "Is
past used-by date?"
"The Saikin are not demons," Kodachi corrected
impatiently. "As I mentioned before, the Saikin are the
remnants of humans devoured by the Ayakashi; essentially
soulless bodies only vulnerable to fire. And," she pointed
out to Shampoo, irritation written across her face, "that
is why my Soul Weapon did not function in this instance. It
does not have a 'used-by date'."
"Shampoo just ask," the Chinese Amazon replied, conveying
an air of utter innocence.
Ukyo snorted at Shampoo's comment and readied her battle-
spatula. The Saikin might not be affected by the oversized
cooking implement, but she felt better with it in hand.
Even so, she hung back, reluctant to engage in useless
combat. "So why'd you try using the spear if it doesn't
work?"
"There was a small possibility of success; I needed to
attempt it." Kodachi shrugged away the chagrin of her
failed attempt to harm the lumbering monsters and stared
bleakly at their gelatinous forms. The Saikin advanced
inexorably towards them, each slow step suggestive of cold,
deliberate menace. Soft worm-like arms protruded from their
white lumpy bodies and wriggled eagerly at the waiting
martial artists.
Ryoga shuddered with disgust and stepped forward,
determination lighting his eyes. The Saikin posed a
terrible danger unless he did something. Fortunately, he
had a plan. "Akane," he said steadily, "please tell me you
hate me."
"What?" Akane blurted out, surprised by his request. It
took her a brief moment to realize the reason, remembering
the last time he had asked her the same thing. "I'm sorry,
Ryoga-kun, I promised myself I'd never say I hated anyone
if I didn't mean it."
"Oh!" Shampoo exclaimed, gleefully clasping her hands
together. "Then is true? Pervert Girl really hate Ranma?
Shampoo so happy!"
"Hey! I didn't mean it like that!" Akane protested
vehemently, tossing a furious glare at the cheerfully
bouncing Amazon. The group of Saikin stumbled closer,
distracting her anger, and she paused to consider Ryoga's
plan. There was a problem somewhere, she was quite certain.
Wait, Ranma had exploited the flaw in the technique during
their clash, that was it. "Ryoga-kun, you mean to use the
complete Shishi Hokodan, right?"
At his nod, she continued, "Okay, you shoot a pillar of
heavy chi up into the air, and it comes crashing down
again, hitting you and everyone around you. But it won't
work for two reasons: those things" - she pointed to the
Saikin slowly trundling towards them - "are completely
soulless, if what Kodachi said is correct. You're in a
similar state after firing off a Shishi Hokodan blast, and
it doesn't hurt you, so I don't think it'll affect them
either."
Ryoga rubbed his chin and pondered. "I didn't think of
that. You might be right, Akane-san. Er, you mentioned two
reasons?"
Ukyo whapped him over the head with her spatula. "That
one's pretty obvious, sugar."
Akane nodded and pointed up at the roof. "You'd probably
bring that down on us, if you did."
"Oh, right." Ryoga scratched the back of his head in
embarrassment, recognizing the obvious flaws in his plan
now that Akane had pointed them out. "Okay, we can't hit
them, and we can't hurt them, so now what do we do?"
"We only need to slow them down," Kodachi said decisively,
throwing a quick glance towards the burning ring enclosing
her beloved Ranma and his fiery opponent. Resolutely she
turned her head back to the problem at hand. "Once Ranma-
sama wins his battle with Moeru, we shall have all the
flame necessary to crisp them into cinders."
"Then, if I can't aim up, I'll aim down." Ryoga smiled
grimly, satisfied. "Everyone get back! I don't know if
this'll work!" They quickly retreated, encouraged by his
vehemence, and he focused all his depressing thoughts of
defeat and channeled them to his hands. As the chi ball
filled the air before his widespread fingers, Ryoga
searched for the critical point in the earth and quickly
found it. He had always wondered about the possibility of
combining his two special techniques. Now he tried it.
"Bakusai Hokodan!"
The ball of heavy chi compressed air in front of it,
smashing into the ground at the location he had chosen with
the force of a lightning bolt and tunneling along the
faultline, before erupting beneath the leading Saikin. The
monster was flung up into the air, then came crashing down
into the gaping hole that remained.
Ryoga gathered his chi again and again, waiting until each
Saikin reached a particular spot to unleash the pent-up
fury of his depression. He struggled against elation,
knowing the weakness of his technique, and repeated his new
move until every Saikin had been dumped into a deep hole.
Finally he sagged back, sweat beading his forehead, near
exhaustion.
"Ryoga-sama," purred Kodachi, "that was wonderful! How
many times can you perform that maneuver?"
"Ahehehe. I'm not sure," Ryoga admitted. "Why do you ask?"
In reply she pointed to the first hole in the ground,
where the tip of a pale tendril quested along the edge in
search of a way up. Even as he watched, the tendril stabbed
into the rocky floor, anchoring itself, and several others
appeared from the hole to repeat the procedure.
"Damn," he muttered. The Saikin would not be deterred for
long.
---
Ranma felt his mind sing with the certainty of his
strategy. There was a curious overlay of confidence as he
began to circle clockwise from the starting point - almost
as though someone else agreed with his actions. Hot ki rose
from his body as he danced and avoided the increasing
number of flaming jets headed his way.
Come to me, follow me, he thought to the flowing fire,
furious anticipation rising within him. Aura gushed from
him as he held the image of his mother clear in his mind.
His mother who embodied pain and love and loss. Nothing
would keep him from freeing her. Nothing at all.
With his mother's image came another's, shorter in height
and less defined, but with a smile that cut to his heart.
Ranma let every single speck of feeling dissolve into
energy and radiate from his flying form. More hungry flames
sought him out as he tightened the circle, narrowing the
gap to Moeru's inner shield.
He dodged them all, feeling as free as the wind.
Ranma ducked and wove and spun as he began the final
circumference of the circuit around Moeru. Then he heard
her strum the mandolin in her arms - one long mournful
note, slowly dying away - and his eyes leapt to meet her
sorrow-filled gaze.
Moeru was unsure what her half-demon opponent intended
with his circling maneuver, but she wasn't inclined to
indulge it, uneasily remembering the surprise he had
unleashed in their first encounter. She judged the density
of the outer ring and inner shield sufficient for the next
stage of the Wind of Flame and smiled tightly. This would
come as a surprise to Ranma Saotome.
The pyric concentrations within the circles of flame
gradually built up over time as she continually fed the
inferno with her power. Given sufficient time, the Wind of
Flame could melt the very bedrock of the island when
released. The arcs and spurts between ring and shield were
merely the side-effects of the build up.
She strummed a single lamenting note on the mandolin in
her hands in farewell to her challenger. His eyes darted to
her, and she read the questions held within them. Ranma
Saotome. He was strangely different to her usual opponents;
a pity he would not live. Moeru plucked a second, final note.
The heart of a new sun consumed the gap between the
embodiments of Seiryu's holy power.
As the rush of heat and flame deluged the area, Moeru
lowered her mandolin with a small sigh, feeling a touch
disappointed and sorrowful. A waste, really.
Akane, hearing Ranma's words above the crackle and hiss of
sparking flame, turned from the momentarily trapped Saikin
to watch Ranma and Moeru battle. Thus she was the only one
of the waiting quintet to actually witness the surging
inferno engulf him.
"Noooo! Ranma!"
The cry of anguish seemed torn from her very soul. He
couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. The others were just
turning in reaction to her shout when she saw Moeru jerk
and glance up. Akane cast her own desperate gaze above.
<Above you, daughter!>
Heeding the warning, Moeru snapped her eyes to the roof of
the cavern where Ranma hung upside-down, feet planted
against two stalactites. She met his triumphant yellow, cat-
slit eyes, and stifled a gasp of shock. How had he done it?
How had he known? Then the thought was lost as she
recognized the stance he took.
"GYAKURYU SHOTEN HA!"
Hot air rises and so does hot ki. Moeru's attack had
interrupted his completion of the ki spiral, but the aura
at the starting point had already reached the ceiling of
the cavern by the time he had been forced to abort and leap
up to avoid getting toasted.
In fact, he almost hadn't made it. Only his instinctive
reaction to the surge in heat and power, and the brief
warning from her single note, had saved him. Ranma hoped
the already released aura would be enough as he punched his
ice-cold fist into the center of the inverted spiral of his
own ki energy.
The Reverse Dragon Ascending to Heaven Blast was much
weaker than the original at the start, but it strengthened
with the increased hot air nearer the ground and performed
its intended job nearly perfectly. Downward spinning gusts
of wind smashed flat Moeru's sea of flames, causing it to
gutter and flicker out like a candle in the path of a storm.
Ranma kicked free of the supporting stalactites and
launched himself from the roof. Below him he could see
Moeru's eyes widen in shock and her arms dropped the
cradled mandolin before rising in a desperate attempt to
erect a new shield.
"Hono no Kaze!"
"Moko Takabisha!"
The new shield was barely forming as his ki blast smashed
through the shimmering flames, followed by his body. Ranma
cocked his right arm as he fell straight towards Moeru.
This time the deep pools of her red eyes failed to make him
hesitate, and he held nothing back from his final strike.
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
His fist and body slammed her into the ground with the
force of a thunderbolt from heaven, flinging up a cloud of
pulverised stone dust.
Akane felt her eyes mist as the dust hid the two figures
from sight. Fear and hope touched her, but the singing
surge in her blood promised victory and triumph. The cloud
cleared to reveal Ranma standing over his fallen opponent,
yellow eyes locked steadily onto her own.
---
Shukumaru dreamed.
She stood on a frozen plain before a temple of black ice.
Large blacks of the dark, translucent material formed the
walls of the shrine. Near her was a gate of ebon, tightly
closed. Shukumaru felt warm, almost protected, but a cold
wind gusted from the plain, bringing a stench of death.
Hesitantly Shukumaru touched a block and a voice echoed
within her mind. <I want a son.> She jerked her hand away
as though the icy surface was red-hot. The feeling of
safety and protection faded and vanished like it had never
been.
For a moment, she stood still, unwilling to proceed, but
the wind continued to grow and bluster, turning into a
storm of epic proportions. Shukumaru stumbled towards the
gate, striving to avoid touching any of the other blocks.
However, a heavy gust flung her against the wall, and she
reached out to support herself.
<Remember who you are!>
She gasped, staggering, pain flaring in her heart. The
words held virulent venom within their innocence. Her hand
fell on the next block in turn. <How dare one of your
blood....> Shukumaru snatched her hand away, and the voice
cut off in mid-sentence.
The gate finally loomed before her. By now the storm
lashed across the plain in full fury, turning the sky black
with dark clouds. Shukumaru raised a trembling hand to the
ebon gate and touched it.
<You are the daughter of the Demon Lord of the East!>
She rested her forehead on the smooth stone and breathed
deeply. Her heart pumped like a giant furnace, flaring
brightly with forced air. The pain hurt, a thousand needles
forcing their way beneath her skin, but it made her
remember the past....
"No," she whispered. "No, I know who I am. I am Shukumaru.
I am my own self. And I know what you are. You are my
power. You are mine!"
Shukumaru pushed on the gate, and it swung open. She walked
in, and the silence welcomed her. Behind her the gate closed
once more, sealing her in the warm embrace of the temple
named Vengeance.
In the mountains of Nagano, the worst snowstorm of a
decade slowly played itself out. Shimoyake watched as the
winds died down and the snow became a pretty backdrop to a
scenic display rather than a cold killer. She stalked
forward to check the largest mound present on the field of
death.
Brushing away the white shroud, the Ice Maiden revealed an
icy surface beneath and the frozen features of Shukumaru.
Her eyes were closed, almost in repose, and her face held a
curious smile of near satisfaction.
"So in the end you failed, Shukumaru," Shimoyake murmured.
"Your road ends here, to become part of my collection."
A sharp crack resounded, and the Ice Maiden stiffened in
surprise. She lurched back, but far, far too late as a
pale claw pierced the ice and touched her with a chill
grasp. The resultant explosion hurled her away to fall in
an undignified heap.
Shimoyake arched her back and her breath rattled as she
desperately gasped for air. One hand reached up to feel the
gaping hole in her chest. The blow had shattered ribs, torn
through one lung, and ripped apart the heart.
Her disbelieving eyes stayed focused on the frozen tomb
that held Shukumaru. The snow-covered mound detonated in a
shower of broken rocks, loose earth, and clumps of white
powder. Shukumaru arose from the ruins of her crypt, her
countenance pale and with a horrific rictus grin painted
on, but undeniably alive.
"How?" Shimoyake whispered, shunting away the agony
filling her mind.
Shukumaru glided over the snow to approach her. Venom
glittered in her bright eyes and the death rictus
broadened. "Never underestimate the power of vengeance,
Shimoyake. The thirst for revenge warmed me, kept me alive.
Remember I survived eighteen years in a worse place - do
you think a little flurry of snow like that could have
killed me?"
"You... have grown."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I survived; that's all that
matters." Smoking fluid dripped from her hands to fall
hissing on the snow field. "It will take you several hours
to regenerate your heart of ice, Shimoyake. In the meantime
you are mostly powerless. Do you yield?"
"Yes."
---
"Ranma won..." Akane whispered.
"Of course Ranma win," confirmed Shampoo, eyes blinking
furiously. "Bah! Pervert Girl give Shampoo great big scare
with stupid yell."
"Yeah, you almost made my heart stop, sugar," Ukyo
muttered. "Don't do it again."
"Ohohohoho," chortled Kodachi. "Doubting peasants! Know
the notion of defeat never crossed the mind of Kodachi Kuno."
"That because Crazy Rose Girl no sane," Shampoo retorted.
The Black Rose sniffed in disdain and pulled out another
club-shaped party cracker. She fired it into the air,
revealing the words, "With victory comes my love, Ranma-
sama!" Even so, she made no move to rush and embrace the
victorious champion. There was something about his absolute
stillness that unnerved her.
"Ranma, you idiot!"
Ryoga's harsh words made him start and blink, and when his
eyes were revealed again, they were dark once more and clear.
"Eh, what?"
"Moeru's unconscious! So how are we gonna burn up these
damned critters?" Ryoga pointed to the six Saikin still
struggling to extract themselves from the pits. One was
already half-out and the others seemed likely to follow.
"Well, excuse me, P-chan." Ranma snorted. "I was fighting
for my life if you hadn't noticed."
Shampoo struck fist to palm and exclaimed, "Ah, Shampoo
have idea." Suiting action to words, she began tossing the
nearest chunks of rubble at the white beasts. All struck
home, the Saikin not bothering to defend themselves. "You
all do same," she ordered.
"What's this supposed to do?" Ukyo asked as she hurled
more rocks.
"Is simple." Shampoo preened smugly. "Saikin eat rocks,
get fat, get stuck. Like Pervert Girl."
"I am not fat!" stormed Akane, outraged.
"But Ranchan does always say you've thick legs, Akane,"
Ukyo said innocently. "He wouldn't lie, now would he?"
"Raaaanma! How dare you say that about Akane-san?!" Ryoga
raged. He was too late as Akane flung her next piece of
stone with devastating accuracy, clonking Ranma on the
head. He slumped over, unconscious, and Akane dusted her
hands with satisfaction.
<Hmm, the champion seems to have fallen. Should I declare
a mutual defeat?> Seiryu's mental voice was tinged with
humour. White smoke jetted forth from her nostrils to cover
Moeru's slumped form. It swirled, then dissipated, taking
her along.
"Don't you dare, Seiryu!" Akane protested. "Ranma won that
fair and square!"
Seiryu snorted more smoke and rumbled laughter. <So fierce
a creature in his defence. Have mortals lost their sense of
humour over the years?> The Blue Dragon shook her vast
head. <Have no fear, I will grant him part of my power as I
promised.>
"Part of your power?" Kodachi asked with surprise.
<Of course. Surely you do not think I gifted my daughter
with all of my power, did you? If I had, he would be a mere
cinder now.>
"Does Ranchan know that?" Ukyo wondered. "If he doesn't--"
"--he'll be even more insufferable than before," Ryoga
completed. "Gah, what a thought!"
<Awaken, Ranma Saotome!> Seiryu commanded as she blew
smoke across his unconscious form.
"Wha--?" Ranma jerked awake. He touched his forehead.
"Ouch. What was that for, anyway?"
"You insulted me!" Akane snapped at him.
"I didn't say anything!" Ranma protested.
<Peace, young ones. Ranma Saotome, I will grant you the
same measure of power as you faced in your trial.> Blue
smoke issued forth, and Moeru reformed, yawned and
stretched her body, before slipping him a lazy wink. <Moeru
will accompany you on your travels and empower you. Use her
abilities to defeat your rival and free your loved ones, if
you will. Fire will now be your ally.>
Ranma stood up and bowed respectfully, if not gracefully,
surprising everyone present. "Thanks, Seiryu, Moeru. I'll
trounce Shukumaru and free Mom, I guarantee it."
"Oh, your mother is imprisoned?" Moeru asked.
"Er, well, actually I did it to save her from Shukumaru. I
used Umibouzu's seal to protect her."
"Umibouzu's seal, huh?" Moeru mused. "Then you have a
sacrifice ready?"
"A sacrifice?" Akane repeated with growing dread. "What
for?"
"Umibouzu's seal can only be broken with time or through
the sacrifice of a human being. Did you not know that?"
Moeru noticed Ranma growing pale. "You could also search
for the god who granted this power to Umibouzu and ask him
to break it, but that's Susanoo. Finding him is near-
impossible if he doesn't want to be found."
Ranma marshalled his remaining strength and propped
himself upright. What had he done? "How long? How long does
it last?"
"Perhaps a decade, perhaps longer. It depends."
"Come on, I've got to talk to Umibouzu!" Ranma shouted as
he rushed off. Akane and the others gave quick nods to the
Blue Dragon and hastened after him.
Seiryu looked at her daughter with a bemused expression.
<Be careful, Moeru. It would appear Ranma Saotome acts
before thinking.>
<I will, Mother. Be well until my return.> Moeru bowed low
then headed for the cavern exit. She stopped suddenly and
carefully aimed a hand at each of the struggling stuck
Saikin. Fire jetted out to incinerate each form, leaving an
acrid smell and a greasy residue. <Sorry about the mess.>
Seiryu rumbled both amusement and approval and lowered her
head to the ground. Soon her soft growling snores were the
only sounds to echo across the deep cavern, resuming an
earlier peace that had lasted over a century.
---
Far away to the west, darkness slowly settled on Tokyo.
The lights of the city flickered on, brightening the gloom
of late evening. From the illuminated steel of Tokyo Tower
to the glowing street lights in the Nerima district, Tokyo
glittered like a sea of stars, a bastion against the onset
of night.
>From where Cologne sat atop the Kuno family manse, Tokyo
Tower was quite visible, a radiant torch of metal and
light. Her hands held the newly arrived parchment missive,
borne by unseen messenger and delivered to a location just
outside the estate boundaries. She did not have to reread
the message to remember it. The five simple words within
were burned indelibly into her mind.
"Tokyo Tower. Tomorrow night. Come."
The message, though stark and uncompromising, was not the
foremost thing occupying her. Instead Cologne deliberated
on the problem of Ranma. No longer her 'son-in-law', but
still a trial and a portent of the many tribulations to come.
His ascendancy to the Eastern Throne mattered not to her,
but rather his growing personal power as the scion of Yami-
no-Tsume was her primary concern. Ranma might, with his
potent blood, infect them all with seeds of darkness... as
he had Akane. Did he control himself? Or was he a mere pawn
in the red game of demons, gods, and humans? If so, whose
pawn? Shukumaru's? Yami-no-Tsume's?
Questions without answers.
She was not certain, and so she could only wait and watch.
"Ranma," Cologne whispered to the silent, distant stars,
"if you cannot control yourself, if you prove a danger, I
will have to kill you," and, because she was old enough to
be realistic, she added, "if I can."
---
Author's Notes:
1) 'Hono no Kaze' - literally 'wind of flame'.
2) 'Mizuhiko' - as in the chapter, literally 'cold water
prince'.
3) 'Oyuhime' - literally 'hot water princess'.
4) 'Bakusai Hokodan' - a joining of the 'Bakusai Tenketsu'
and the 'Shishi Hokodan'; roughly 'exploding roaring bullet'.
5) 'Gyakuryu Shoten Ha' - literally 'reverse dragon
ascending to heaven blast'.