Note: I don't own the characters, I just fool around with them.
Ranma-Cyclopean Structure
Vol. 1-Destiny Lost
---
"Not more unutterable could have been the chaos of hellish sound if the pit
itself had opened to release the agony of the damned, for in one inconceivable
cacophony was centered all the supernatural terror and unnatural despair of
animate nature. Human it could not have been-it is not in man to make such
sounds..." (H.P. Lovecraft, 1922. Herbert West-Reanimator)
---
"W-who are you?" The girl, barely sixteen was brusquely shoved against the
jagged walls of the inner caverns. She whimpered in fright as an immense shadow
floated into view. Crushed against the stone, her amber wings were forced apart,
spread around her.
"I am The One, the one that you most fear. And I've come for you, you my
precious, only your blood can free me." Jet black claws scratched grooves in the
stone floor as the attacker dragged them towards the ledge.
"No! I-I'm just a simple noble really! I have nothing to offer you! No!
Don't-!" A short scream, drowning in fluid, then a sinister silence. All that
remained of his quarry was a shredded sack of flesh smeared on the wall as his
laughter echoed off the cavernous depths of Jusendo.
---Phoenix Mountain, China---
"What!? Another murder!?" Zentaro Choiler had been the librarian of Phoenix
Mountain for many long decades, but never in his time had he seen such grisly
work. He was seated at the soapstone table of death, where bodies of the
recently deceased received beautification before being cremated. Lady Merac of
the House of Saffron lay mangled in the center, her limbs bent at twisted angles,
he paid careful attention to the rupture wound in her stomach; it was almost as
if something had ripped her chest open from the inside. "And Lady Merac of all
people, such a kind young girl." He covered the remains. "I will tell Lord
Saffron myself, out of all living in this mountain I have known him the
longest...I must go now. Take good care of her." His speckled wings folded out
from his tunic, their feathers turning a sallow gray with age. Yojo, the chief
surgeon was given the take of making her body presentable to the nobles.
The flight across the wind rifts was rather calm today he thought as the updrafts
pushed him forwards towards the foreboding chamber of their lord-god Saffron.
Lady Merac, the sixth virgin maiden of the House of Saffron, the family granted
the blood of the god himself; too many had died already and Saffron's depression
grew. A fluttering of wings and Kima, Saffron's lieutenant, flew overhead.
"Lady Kima, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Cut the crap Shaman Choiler, this isn't for my enjoyment. What did Yojo have to
say?" Her snow-white tunic flittered in the air, her sword hung dangerously by
her hip. "What was the cause of death?"
He alighted upon a cornice and folded his marble wings, Kima following suite.
"Yojo told me that Merac was killed by an explosive weapon, one that entered her
back and blew out the other side." He crinkled his nose. "A most distasteful
way to perish."
"Indeed. Lord Saffron has already heard of his lady's death and wishes to mourn
in private. I am charged with keeping all away from his mount." Her neck craned
to follow a flock of birds across the orange horizon. "Truth be told, old man, I
think something's wrong with our lord...he seems distracted."
"Distracted? In what way?" The Phoenix Tribe would suffer greatly if their
leader was in poor mental health.
"He's become preoccupied with defeating that foreigner boy that killed him." She
shuddered at the image of Ranma blowing the mountaintop off Jusendo. "He
quickened his regeneration for this purpose."
"Could the increased regeneration have made him mentally imbalanced? Kima, this
is very important! Can Saffron lead us?"
"What!?! Of course! Lord Saffron can crush gods with his bare hands, lay waste
to the oceans making them deserts of salt, our lord is invincible!" She drew her
blade. "Anyone who dares doubt our lord is susceptible to treason!"
"Wait. It was merely a question, quite stupid really. But then again I sense
that you too are having doubts...aren't you my lady?" He withdrew a gimmer stick
from his sleeve, sitting on a cliff-face while Kima stayed aloft. "I know that
Saffron keeps the mountains warm and lit with his power, but he can't really be
_all_ that powerful, can he? The boy, Ranma Saotome, he is barely of age and yet
we see the evidence of Saffron's defeat at his hands," he gestured to the
shattered rocks around them, "proof that he isn't as divine as he'd like us to
believe. Here, just one last thing my lady, then I'll leave you to your duties.
Perhaps Saffron was begotten to the Mountain as just a heat and light source, but
over the thousands of years he perceived his role as far grander than it truly
is. Just something to think on..." The gimmer stick disappeared up his sleeve
again.
Kima watched him ascend, her eyes wide as saucers, for someone, anyone, to doubt
the word of Saffron? Impossible! His very word was law! "Tell me old man, why
do you fill my head with this foolishness? To stir up revolution?"
"Heavens no! I've lived my life under his rule and prospered, I just wanted to
insert a bit of independent thought into that mind of yours. I think that we
should question everything and everybody, nothing excluded, because through that
we become better creatures." Choiler took his leave then, leaving Kima in a
stunned silence.
--- Ranma 1/2: Destiny Lost-Prologue The Re-Animation of the Gods A
Ranma/Lovecraft crossover By Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton ---
"Good evening Lady Kima, Lord Saffron wishes his privacy for today. No
visitors." The guard took a moment to openly leer at her breasts then snapped
back to attention.
"What? I just talked to him a few moments ago! He was accepting me then."
Frowning she rolled the pommel of her sword. <I grow worried every day, our lord
is just not right...> "Alright. Just call me if something comes up." She
clashed the silver carapaces enfolding her wings in salutation then departed.
The walls in the mount were usually warm to the touch, especially in the main
hall, but for the past few months the heat had dissipated. Her hand came away
slightly cool. <What is happening to our lord?> Hauntingly, a story told by her
mother came echoing back from the confines of her subconscious.
"Someday the Phoenix will be humbled, it's light giving path for darkness. It's
heat a breeding for evil. The cornices in the mount will shatter and the blood
of the god will spill unto a new life.
"Someday a warrior carrying the weight of legends will overcome our power and the
Phoenix will be humbled. The guardian will fall, christened in the blood of love
and he too will become like a god to us. When the summer gives way to winter the
Phoenix will raise again for the final battle.
"Someday the gods and devils of legend will once more birth this earth in death,
devouring those of ill blood. The Guardian and the Phoenix will raise up and
walk between the worlds, spinning timeless tales of dream and reality."
Awakened by a sudden chill, Kima leapt out the window and set wing to wind for
the forgotten library.
---Japan, Nerima Ward-six months later---
"You Jerk!!! I HATE you Ranma!!!!!!" Window panes snapped under the force of
impact and rained out on the courtyard of Furinkan High School. Ranma Saotome
pulled himself from the wreckage of an aluminum frame and gazed forlornly up at
his fuming fianc�e. "Stay out of my goddamn life already! I never want to see
you again!" She turned away.
The wedding had been a failure to say the least, the effects of which were still
felt to that day. Shampoo and Ukyo had apologized and taken full blame for the
incident, their apologies had done nothing to lessen the strained relationship he
and Akane now shared however. They had kept away for a maximum of ten days
before starting the madness up all over again but this time Akane wouldn't stand
for it.
The youngest Tendo had grown considerably short-tempered, she flew off the handle
at the slightest glance, yet alone insult. It was time for Ranma to realize that
things would never return to the way they had been before, that blitzed wedding
served as a valid portent of things to come. Soun and Genma had eased off their
backs thankfully, they considered the failure of the marriage as an ill omen.
The union would not take place.
Ranma trudged home from school, an ordinary occurrence lately. Akane's
destructive tendencies had begun to frighten her friends, something else Ranma
couldn't hope to cope with. In his mind, Akane still remained that sad portrait
of a sweet girl, and deep down inside he truly felt it was so. There was no
hideous transmogrification on her part, it was merely a slow descent into
madness. He greeted the old woman at the corner then shuffled into the
homestead, closing the gates behind him.
"Is that you Ranma?" Kasumi's worried voice carried from the kitchen. Since the
wedding she had begun to have doubt as to Akane's mental health a well, a
sentiment shared by most people that knew her. Something was wrong. "Home so
early again?"
"Yeah. Do you have anything to eat Kasumi-chan?" A stupid question, Kasumi
always had something to eat. She motioned him in then set a plate of cookies and
a porcelain cup filled with tea on the table. Indescribable, the gritty texture
of the morsels of dough ground out to a thin sweet consistency as he chewed,
almost as sweet as the dimples on her face when she smiled. <Whoa! Where did
that come from?>
"How was school today?" She sat with her elbows on the table, her arms crossed.
The frills on her apron just barely brushed the glossy surface of the table, her
ample bosom spilling over her slim wrists. "Did you and Akane have a fight
again?"
"You can say that again." Her face dropped briefly. "I think something's
seriously wrong, she's just not acting normal." He dropped his gaze. "I think
she should get some real help. It's not that I don't like her, I mean I love her
an'all but..." The words he said sounded lacking,, "she'd just not the same girl
now."
>From the corner, Soun and Genma were listening, their faces serious, their
thoughts grave. What Ranma was saying rang true, but Soun just couldn't seem to
do it. He wouldn't do that to one of his daughters. Genma caught a watery glint
off his son's eyes, saw Kasumi reach out and comfort him, felt the waves of
negative ki waft off his boy. At that moment, the father's thoughts were
synchronized. This did not bode well.
---Phoenix Mountain---
"It's gone now. There's nothing." Kima ran a smooth hand across the stone wall
of her quarters. The walls had cooled, so much so that the Phoenix needed fires
and blankets to keep the warmth in. Choiler sat on an aged stool in the corner of
her room, an embroidered red cloak draped around his body.
"Kima, have you considered what I told you?" He leaned against his gnarled cane,
the fragrant wood giving off a scent of jasmine near the fire. "The prophecy
will ring true, it has been said since time immemorial and will be said until it
is so. You know what I say do you not?"
"I...I understand. Saffron has refused any guards, he keeps himself looked in
his main audience chamber. No one's seen him." She looked off the window, at
the blue sky and bright sun whose warmth would never reach the mount. Saffron
grieved piteously for his family, but slowly all twelve virgins of the House of
Saffron were killed. No weapon was found, no trace of the victim's missing body
parts. It sent chills up her spine thinking of the cold stare in all those
faces.
"It will be coming, and you must be ready. Divus will not heed your commands,
you will truly be on your own. Saffron must be stopped." Even now the thought
of disobeying Saffron was alien to her, all her life she was taught to respect
the wishes of the God and follow his orders unconditionally. Life had changed
now. Lord Divus, the second lieutenant was an arrogant, spiteful creature.
Remorseless, he hunted the warriors of the Musk and Amazons for sport, bringing
their eviscerated carcasses as trophies of his prowess.
"I know. I am prepared."
"Are you really? Fighting against the teachings of life cannot be so easy. But
I trust you. Now soon you will have to retrieve the Guardian from his land."
Choiler rose with the creaking of aged bones. "Only he can save us now."
"How can you be so sure that he is the Guardian?" She helped him to the door,
his talons scraping against the stone floor. Both pairs of eyes darted to the
school identification card propped on her mantel. It was of a young man, one of
Kima's age (1) , with black hair and a short pigtail. He was wearing a red silk
Chinese shirt instead of the typical school uniform. The card read: 'Saotome,
Ranma. Class 22-E. Student # 001020.'
"He 'humbled the Phoenix.' There can be no doubt."
---Japan, Nerima Ward-two months later---
Ranma sprinted down the street with a cheerful smile, his spirits high for the
first time in a very long while. The old widow on the corner waved to him as he
passed on his way to the Tendo Dojo. Soun was outside pruning his bonsai as
Genma sat lazily on the porch in panda-form with a paper fan. The elder Tendo
waved as he came in, accidentally clipping a precious branch. Curses followed
thereafter.
Akane had been quiet that day, a rare occurrence lately, which meant that she was
making progress. He reminded himself to thank Nabiki for the money for a
psychologist. Kasumi was humming to herself at the sink, cutting vegetables for
dinner, a perfect target.
With the swiftness of the wind, and the grace of a dancer, Ranma rushed behind
her and swept her off the floor. One hand supported her knees as the other
turned her body towards him, with a cry she lurched in his arms before the shock
wore off. As Ranma's face came into view she calmed quickly and giggled.
"Don't do that Ranma! You scared me!" She placed the knife in the sink before
facing him.
"Far be it from me to place any undo stress upon the fair maiden of the kitchen!"
He posed dramatically then came in close, wedging her between his body and the
kitchen sink. "I hope a didn't," he reached around and gave a light squeeze to
her shapely ass, "_startle_ you Kasumi." He smiled, showing bright teeth as he
moved in for a kiss.
One which was interrupted by Nabiki.
"^Cough! Cough!^ Ranma? Kasumi? Daddy wants you in the livingroom." She
smirked as Kasumi looked away with a bright blush, while Ranma looked like half
the blood in his body rushed to his cheeks.
Ranma walked out briskly, Kasumi however, was stopped by her sister. "Having
fun? Is he a good kisser?" She playfully teased.
She nodded. "The best!" She literally glowed at Nabiki, who facefaulted at her
oblivious sister's response.
"Well then, I'll have to try him out."
---
Soun and Genma along with Nodoka and Akane were seated at the kotatsu, Nabiki,
Kasumi and Ranma were seated opposite. The parents wore grim expressions.
"Son, when you first came here I was worried about the honor of the Tendo school,
not about my own daughter's feelings. For awhile I resented you and your father
and the tragedies that followed you. After you saved us from the Dojo Destroyer
however, my attitude changed. A far cry from a nuisance, you have upheld the
honor of the school beautifully and have resurrected the Saotome name." Soun sat
sternly, he gave no hint of weakness. "I truly thought that someday a love would
grow between you and one of my daughters, I was a bit pre-emptive in my ideas,
and for that I apologize.
"I have forced you into numerous situations and denounced you many times, for
that I apologize as well. We are here now to ask you whether you wish to carry
out the agreement between our schools." He gestured to Genma.
"Ranma m'boy, you have far surpassed my own abilities in the Art, your defeat of
Saffron in China was the proof. I say that you have more morals and moral
courage than I ever had, I regret dragging you away for that trip for so long. I
too must apologize." He nodded at his wife.
"My son, I have not been there for a good part of your life and I know I can
never reclaim that lost time, but I wish for you to be happy. For all your
shortcomings you are truly a man among men, a man worthy of carrying the Saotome
name and our sword." She placed said weapon on the table. "If you wish to
dissolve the agreement between the two schools I will make no qualm. I only wish
for your happiness and your forgiveness." She bowed, tears in her eyes. "I love
you Ranma my son."
The room lay silent, the scene ended, the act finished now the actors awaited the
final curtain. Ranma sat with tears in his eyes, tears of joy for a destiny he
never wished and a life he was thrown into, for the responsibilities left undone
and the praise of those he respected. Akane was speechless, her face an
unreadable mask. Nabiki sat as if she were waiting for this a long time in
coming, she too cried. Finally, Kasumi gripped his hand and gave a reassuring
smile hidden behind tears of joy. Soft skin brushed his heated own, their cool
texture washing over him in a rush, and in that briefest of moments he understood
that his life had built up to this moment, a moment of choice. He knew what had
to be done.
He stood up, helping Kasumi as he did so. "Mr. Tendo, Pops, Mom, I can't thank
you enough, your words have meant the world to me. I have been a victim of honor
all my life and from it I have learned valuable lessons. I do not wish the
agreement broken, although I thank you for risking family honor, I will marry
Kasumi after I graduate. Through it all she has stood for the reason in my life
and provided a safe motherly figure to confide in. I loved Akane for many months
and probably still will for many years to come but it is Kasumi I wish to be with
until I grown old and die. I hope you will understand my decision, Akane,
Nabiki, Mother, Mr. Tendo." He gave her hand a light squeeze, just a silent
reassurance of their bond.
---Phoenix Mountain---
A cry, a scream, and a fire. These three minor events threw the populace of
Phoenix Mountain into an uproar as Saffron finally left his chamber. Kima was
walking with Choiler in the underground library when they both were brought to
their knees by a deafening scream that seemed a conglomerate of all things in the
mount. For one excruciating moment all movement ceased as the Phoenix god
exploded from his chambers, wiping the entire mountain off the face of the
planet. As the ungodly sound died, the people panicked as debris rained down
from the heavens. And through it all came Saffron's insane laughter.
"MY LOYAL SUBJECTS!!!!! I AM NOW MORE THAN I WAS BEFORE AND TO THOSE THAT SERVE
ME WITHOUT QUESTION I SHALL GRANT TO THEE IMMORTALITY!" His blazing specter fell
across the valley of Jusenkyo, a dangerous sun that threatened to burn the region
off the earth. Saffron had gone mad. He was laughing now as he destroyed three
mountains of the Musk and two villages of the Amazons. "LET MY PEOPLE FEAR NO
MORE!!!! I AM NOW INVINCIBLE!!!! LET RANMA SAOTOME FEAR MY WRATH!!!"
"Oh by the gods!" Choiler fell back to the floor. His eyes wide, his mouth
agape. In all his wildest imaginings he never believed Saffron would have fallen
so far from the sweet breath of sanity. "He's been doing it! We never
suspected! It's always been him!"
"Lord Choiler, father, what can we do?!?" Kima helped the old man up, squinted
as the rays of Saffron's aura singed her feathers. She saw it as well, the proof
of his insanity, she cried as her loyalty for Saffron crumbled in an instant.
Fire was now spreading through the civilian quarters, set ablaze by Lord Divus
and the other sadistic bastards still loyal to the Phoenix god.
"Run girl! Get to Japan! Only the Guardian can save us." He readjusted his
glasses. "Saffron will have to secure his power base here and take care of Musk
and Amazon threats, that gives you about thirty days. Go! He'll kill you
first!"
Kima looked at her father with tear stained eyes, she looked back at the
multi-winged monstrosity Saffron now was and took to the sky. Choiler gave her a
reassuring smile then turned away. By the time Divus realized she was gone, the
tears had dried, leaving red stains on her white plumage. She cried blood. At
the beach facing Taiwan she looked back and saw the hideous bloated form of a red
sun cresting over the mountains.
She didn't look back again.
---"?"---
It seems like our boy has finally achieved what he wanted.
Yes. Saffron's power will draw out the guardian, when he is identified
Nyralathotep will strike. It has been planned.
Good. The gods of Eld cannot be allowed to interfere again. We suffered
grievously last time.
Are we agreed? The guardian must die.
Yes. The Haunter in the Darkness has awakened and will soon awaken the Wind
Walker. The unspeakable one will soon arise.
The stars will come right again, after all they ruled this planet, they would
have made sure that they could be reawakened.
It will begin with the Phoenix.
---Japan, Nerima Ward---
It began with a blast of heat, one that blew the shingles off the roof of the
dojo. The heat felt like a wind of sulfuric acid that stung the flesh and sought
the bones, to make them gleaming white, to make them dead. Somewhere halfway
around the hemisphere a being called out to evils unimaginable in the times of
man. Something that gazed out with foreign eyes through the dense forests,
across the deep oceans, through the majestic mountains and right at Ranma.
Targeting, analyzing, the thing screamed with a rage unbelievable to the ears of
man, a cloak of blackest secrecy enveloping him in the powder white snow.
Akane had hid under the table as the onslaught began, the wood burning as wave
after silent wave of heat blasted the ancestral home of the Tendos. Ranma
shielded Kasumi and ducked the walls with Nabiki, a quick feel confirmed that the
wind was blowing from an easterly direction. The winds whipped the pedestrians
off the sidewalk and blew them against the surrounding walls, leaving imprinted
ashes melted into the concrete. Some thought another atomic bomb, others knew
the truth. Ranma knew what it was.
A ki storm.
The blasts faded after a moment, the shock of the attack settling into the minds
of those present, leaving only the whispers of heat and the wisps of smoke to
tell the tale. The floor still smoldered beneath their feet as the Tendo
compound struggled to its feet.
---To be continued---
I know I didn't put much Lovecraft in yet, but I wanted to explain the situation
first. Saffron's gone insane, Ranma's in love with Kasumi, Akane is mental and
Kima is in love??? A bit weird huh? Next chapter is:
Ranma 1/2: Cyclopean Structure Vol. 1-Destiny Lost Chapter One: The Hound
Questions? Comments? Kaiton@banet.net
By the way, if anyone out there reading this happens to like my stories (big
'if') and maintains a fanfiction web site, I'm in dire need. I own a MAC, so I
can't post on the RAAC, but I do have several interesting Ranma 1/2 stories.
Many of these offer different beginnings or alternate fianc�es, for instance
Kima, Hinako, Nabiki, or Kasumi. If anyone is interested I'd really appreciate
it!