previous chapters are found at either
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/KasumiandRanma/home.html or
http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/index.html
The former is a better bet, since the latter doesn't get
updated (including chapters 2 and 3) until Thursday.
Thanks go to Mark and Slacker, for putting up with my crazy
ideas (and grammer mistakes) and suggesting a few of thier
own (ideas, not mistakes).
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: rb4.txt
I could almost slap a [dark] tag on this. Then again, that's almost a given when dealing with Nightbane.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, never said I did. Ranma belongs to Takahashi, Nightbane belongs to Palladium. Pay no attention to the man in the black suit with a gun to my head.
Ranma's Bane
Chapter 4: You Can't Go Home Again
The look of rage on Ryoga's face was nothing new to Ranma, who casually dodged the lost boy's blows.
"Okay, Ryoga," Ranma asked, "what is it this time?"
"Was tormenting Akane not enough?" Ryoga all but screamed.
"What are you talking about?"
"You kidnapped Kasumi! What perversions are you attempting?"
"You know, you're beginning to sound like Kuno did."
If anything, Ryoga's rage increased. "I'm nothing like that moron."
Ranma shrugged as yet another blow shattered the wall where he had been standing. "Well, you're acting like that now. And what makes you think I did anything to Kasumi?"
"Akane told me," Ryoga cried, pulling a few bandanas from his head.
"Really?" Ranma commented, twisting his body to avoid the spinning missiles.
"Yes!"
"Then how do you explain that?" Ranma pointed over Ryoga's shoulder.
"I'm not going to fall for that Ran-Urk!"
Ryoga was cut off as a black hand grabbed his throat and threw him to the ground. Looking at his attacker, he was confronted with an image that was both frightening, and strangely familiar. Despite the changes, he could see Kasumi's features, with eyes blazing red.
"Now Ryoga," Kasumi said in a calm voice, "I can't have you attacking my husband, it's rather rude."
"Husband? Ranma? What have you done to Kasumi?"
"He's done nothing, Ryoga." Kasumi placed her index finger to her lips, then turned to Ranma. "I have this sudden hunger for roast pork. Do you feel the same, Ranma?" Ranma shrugged. "Now, where would I get that pork. Do you have any idea, P-chan?"
Ryoga gulped.
"You have twenty-four hours to leave Nerima, or else Akane receives a gift of slow roasted pork." Kasumi continued with a kind smile.
After Ryoga took off running, and Kasumi shifted back to her normal form, Ranma broke out laughing.
"You almost had me fooled there."
Kasumi looked at Ranma with a blank expression. "Who says I was joking?"
Ranma instantly sobered. "How'd you find out?"
"Father told me. He also told Nabiki. He then instructed us not to tell Akane. He wanted to see what you would do to protect her. And he wanted to see what would happen if you got jealous."
"Oh."
They quickly left the area, before people started wondering why two youths were standing around an area that looked like a war zone.
"I'm worried about them," Kasumi said a few minutes later.
"Why?"
"It's obvious that Kodachi is out to kill us. What if she goes after our families?"
"We'd better warn them."
"I would suggest that you warn Ukyo, while I warn our families. I'll meet you at the restaurant in an hour."
Ranma nodded. "Will you be alright?"
"Of course, Ranma. But we also need to tell them."
*******
Ranma was about halfway to Ucchan's when the trouble started. Namely, Kuno blocked his roof hopping.
"My sister is not here," the doppelganger stated, tossing Ranma a sword. "We can continue our earlier battle."
Ranma shrugged. "I really don't want to fight you."
"Too bad," Kuno said. Offering a brief salute, he charged.
Ranma had never liked swords. He regarded weapons as more of a hindrance than anything else, and their deadly potential seemed like cheating. Still, this wasn't the same Kuno he was used to fighting, so augmenting his normal combat routines with the sword might be helpful. Also, attempting to subdue an opponent without killing him should be a challenge with a sword.
A measuring strike was quickly parried. The streets of Nerima echoed with the ring of steel. Ranma used the sword mostly to block his opponent's blade, and struck out with his feet and free hand (the katana is a two-handed weapon, but Ranma always has been unorthodox). Kuno saw this, and forced Ranma to abort his attacks by parrying the body strikes with his sword.
They quickly settled into a routine, neither opponent gaining anything on the other. Ranma quickly saw that Kuno (both of them, for that matter) had been holding back in their earlier battle.
"Not bad," Ranma commented a few minutes into the fight.
"I am one of the best warriors in my Master's army."
"That's nice, but what about when you lose?"
Kuno smiled. "I have planned for every contingency." Behind him, five hounds appeared, with a hound master in the center of the loose formation.
"So if you win, they're witnesses," Ranma commented, "and if I win, they'll kill me."
"Correct. And as we speak, the Nightprince in charge of this area is heading towards the Tendo dojo. Even if you survive this day, your loved ones will not."
"Nice." Ranma immediately shifted forms, and with it shifted mindsets. No longer was her the fair-minded martial artist. Now she was a predator whose mate was threatened. Not giving Kuno time to think, she attacked from all angles. The sheer ferocity was overwhelming, as it was supposed to be. Before, she had been an amateur. Now, in this cat-like form, she became a master of the Neko-ken.
"I will not be defeated," the doppelganger growled.
"Too bad," Ranma said. A quick combination had Kuno on his knees. Before he could recover, Ranma spun around, her outstretched blade beheading the swordsman.
As the body slumped to the ground, the hounds began to close in. Several emotions went through Ranma's head then. Regret and guilt were pushed away, replaced by anger and a clear image of what he had to do.
"I don't have time for this," Ranma said, picking up Kuno's katana. With a blade in each hand, she quickly began slicing through the black armored figures.
*******
Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome were at the shogi board, sipping their morning tea, when the front door was blow open.
Unsurprisingly, the pyromaniac in question was Happosai. By this time, the two at the shogi board were used to such interruptions.
"Good morning, Master." Both said.
"Hello, Soun, Genma. I'm here to kill you."
"What?" Shouts of disbelief echoed through the room.
"Oh yes. You'll have to die, then your families after that."
"Master," Genma pleaded, "listen to what you are saying."
"If only the world was filled with morons like you, my Master would have conquered it long ago. I never really repaid you two for burying me in that cave, did I?"
Genma looked to Soun, then back at Happosai, who was now glowing with dark power. Here was a foe that would be difficult to conquer. It would require Genma's greatest technique. Gathering his strength, Genma stood before the demon master and...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't kill me."
...groveled before the old man.
"Well," Happosai said, "the cave wasn't that bad. But there's still Ranma. With the assassins the Master sent I doubt I'll get a chance to kill the boy. He is a rather large nuisance. I guess you'll do."
Soun watched horrified as Happosai ripped Genma's head from his body. A shocked expression was visible for a moment before black fire consumed the corpse, head and all. As the flames burned down, Soun's expression hardened.
"You shall never touch my daughters!"
Happosai shrugged. "Like you'll have any say in it. Akane is so pretty, maybe I won't kill her after all. I mean, the last time I was really able to have fun, they didn't even have chainsaws."
Soun dropped into a ready stance, years of unused techniques flooding into his mind. Akane and Nabiki appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and quickly stared at the destruction.
"Akane, Nabiki, get out of here. Now!" Soun commanded.
"Oh, no," Happosai whined, "stay. There's going to be such fun."
Neither sister could move. Their eyes were locked on the confrontation.
A feral scream escaped Soun's mouth as he charged Happosai. For his part, the Demon Master just stood in his place, flipping Soun over his shoulder when the man came too close.
"Really, Soun, is it worth the trouble?" There was a crack as Happosai broke one of his opponent's arms.
"You may kill me, demon," Soun growled, "but you will not harm my family."
Soun began to glow as he gathered his power. Depending on who you ask, it could be called life energy, ki, chi, mana, or even The Force, but it all comes down to a persons will to live, the power of the soul drawn through the body. That is what Soun gathered around him. That is what he focused to a single point, hitting Happosai with a force equal to a nuclear weapon.
The bright flash blinded all witnesses for a moment. When Akane and Nabiki could see again, their father was on the ground, his breathing weak. Happosai was a charred lump on the table, which had been split with the blow's force.
"Hotcha!" Happosai picked himself off the floor, a faint glow sorrounding him as his flesh began to regenerate. "Soun, my boy, I am impressed. I haven't been in this much pain in a long time."
"You're about to experience more," a disembodied voice said.
Happosai spun around. "Who's there?"
Akane nearly fainted, and Nabiki simply watched as an ebon hand appeared behind Happosai's head, and tapped on his skull. When he spun around, the hand disappeared.
Happosai crossed his arms, and adopted an annoyed pose. "You know, this isn't much fun."
"I'm sorry," the voice said, "let me correct that."
There was a ripple in the air in front of Happosai. The ripple peeled away at one point to reveal a foot that struck Happosai from the side, knocking him into a wall. The ripple dissolved, revealing Kasumi. Her skirt was split up the sides, allowing her to drop into a ready stance as her opponent picked himself off the floor, a sly smile was on her lips. What was disturbing, though, were her eyes. They were solid black, with hints of silver tears rimming them.
"Kasumi," Happosai smiled, "how nice to see you. This saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
"Oh my, are you still alive? I guess I'll have to fix that." Kasumi's voice was dead, there were no emotions to be heard.
Happosai leaped at the young woman. Kasumi responded with a slash of her hand. The old man dropped to the ground, a cut running across his forehead, black blood dripping down.
Kasumi did not give the demon any time to recover. Rushing in, she continued to pummel the old man. Relative lack of skill was more than made up for with determination, natural reflexes, and sheer rage. Every time Happosai tried to block, Kasumi's kick would plow through his defenses. Whenever the old man attempted to counterstrike, Kasumi's claws were there to meet his charge.
Her sisters could only watch in awe. Neither could move from their perch on the stairs as Kasumi delivered blow after blow to the weakened demon.
Eventually, Happosai collapsed to the floor.
"I must say," his voice was more of a gurgle now, "I wish you could have been on our side. What fun we could have had."
With a final, wet laugh, the Demon Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts dissolved into a puddle of black ooze.
Shifting to her normal form, Kasumi cradled her father's head in her lap. Her sisters slowly moved closer.
"Did I get him?" Soun asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kasumi smiled. "Yes, Father, he is dead."
"I would not let him harm my family. You are all that I have in this world."
"Daddy," Akane cried, "don't leave us."
Soun coughed. "I don't have a choice. Your mother has been waiting for me these past ten years. It is time for me to be with her again. Be strong, my daughters."
Knowing that his family was safe, Soun Tendo passed into the afterlife a content man.
*******
Kasumi wasn't sure how long she sat there, or when Ranma entered the house. All she knew was that after what seemed like an eternity of holding onto her father's corpse, a gentle hand rested on her shoulder.
"It wasn't supposed to be this way," she whispered, knowing the same thoughts were going through Ranma's mind. "We left so that they would be safe."
"I know," Ranma replied.
Of the group, Akane seemed to recover first. "This is all your fault," she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "If you hadn't-"
"Shut up, Akane." The line did not come from Nabiki, nor did it come from Ranma. Kasumi rose and turned toward her youngest sister. "This is not the time for your groundless accusations, nor will it ever be."
"I didn't make it to Ukyo's," Ranma replied before Kasumi could ask. "I had a run-in with Kuno, and he had a group of hounds with him."
Kasumi nodded. "Any sign of Kodachi?"
Ranma shook his head. "None. I don't think she had any part of this."
Both their eyes were clear, neither having any tears left, and it was doubtful they would shed any in the future. The time for grief was past.
*******
"Such is the price for stupidity," Kodachi laughed as he heard the report.
Her army was around her. Though relatively small, it was over half of her Master's elite guard.
"Mistress," the hollow voice of a sub-unit commander asked, "what is your command?"
"There are several kingdoms in the mountains of China that could cause trouble down the line. They are our first targets. It will take some time to bring them down, so we should begin at once."
*******
The police had come and gone. Nabiki had supplied a vague description of Happosai as the attacker. The next morning, the family met at Ucchan's. Both Nabiki and Akane were recovering, but slowly. Ukyo was another matter. While Kasumi ran a few errands, Ranma was given the task of explaining to his old friend the events of the past two weeks. After a demonstration of a Nightbane's transformation, she was more inclined to believe. Well, she would be, once she woke up.
While Nabiki watched over the unconscious Ukyo (for a slight fee, of course), and Akane sulked in a corner, Ranma was by the windows, watching the streets.
Ranma was pacing by the time Kasumi entered the restaurant. Smiling, she headed for the stairs to Ukyo's apartment.
"I need to change," she explained.
"What was that about, anyway?" Nabiki asked a few minutes later.
"We decided that she couldn't wear her dresses as much anymore. Between the possibility of a fight at any time, and her transformation, we'd go through clothes rather fast. She also needs more mobility if I'm going to be able to train her."
"Kasumi changing her style of dress? What's the world coming to."
Ranma's eyes hardened. "Don't go there, Nabiki."
Nabiki laughed a little. "Ranma, you can't take life so seriously, or you'll end up a bitter old fart before you're twenty, like Akane."(1)
Before Nabiki could go any further, or Akane could start screaming a protest, Ukyo spoke up.
"Ranchan," she said, "what's going on? When that stuff happened two weeks ago, I tried to reach you, but your families said that the two of you had left. Even the Amazons wouldn't say what happened."
Ranma sighed, then sat down near his friend. "It's a long story, Ukyo. It started when the sky went black..."
*******
Ranma's narration managed to cover everything up to when he and Kasumi left the Tendo Dojo. A soft cough interrupted the story and turned their attention to the bottom of the stairs. Ukyo nearly lost consciousness again (as did Ranma and Akane) when she saw Kasumi's new attire.
It was black. Military style boots, leather pants, and a tank top that left her back bare. Nabiki was slightly startled. She hadn't known that Kasumi had seen that movie, or that she remembered what the female lead wore towards the end. (2)
"No trench coat?" Nabiki asked. *If she says 'dodge this,' I'm out of here.*
Kasumi laughed. "No, it would be destroyed if I was ever forced to shift quickly."
Ranma picked up the bundle Kasumi had left on the counter before she went upstairs. Opening it, he found a copy of his typical Chinese clothing, except this set was also black.
"Just so we match," Kasumi explained.
Ranma left to change. As he came back, he was instantly thankful that the shades on the windows were closed, since a transformed Kasumi was filing her nails/claws while Ukyo stared.
"Kasumi, I don't think Ukyo is quite ready for some of this."
"She has to come to terms with all that has happened," Kasumi replied in a business-like tone, though there were hints of something that Ranma couldn't identify.
"Why tell me?" Ukyo asked.
"Because you deserve to know what's going on," Ranma replied.
The next surprise came when Akane quietly asked, "What now?"
There was a long pause before answering, during which Kasumi shifted forms and helped Ukyo set up for the lunch opening, which would happen in less than an hour.
"Kasumi and I are leaving," Ranma finally stated. "Not just leaving the dojo, or Nerima, but leaving Japan."
"Maybe even further than that," Kasumi commented.
"You feel it too?" Ranma asked, received a nod in return.
"What are you talking about?" Ukyo asked.
"A little trick," Ranma explained, "came with the territory. Are you three going to be alright?"
The reply was all nods. He and Kasumi gathered up their packs, and stood in the center of the room.
"Until next time," Kasumi said as she and Ranma shifted forms once more. Leaning over, she whispered something into Akane's ear. Before Akane could do more than look shocked, Ranma and Kasumi began to dissolve. Not like the ripple of Kasumi's concealment ability, this was more like the two of them were slowly replaced by white smoke, which then dissipated into the air.
*******
"What did you tell her?" Ranma asked.
Ranma had been watching the mist covered plains for hours. She had done nothing but hold the other girl ever since they arrived, right after which Kasumi burst into tears.
"I told her about Ryoga," Kasumi said as her sobs faded.
"I thought you were giving him twenty four hours?"
Kasumi shrugged. "Twenty is close enough. If he's smart-"
"Think about what you just said."
Kasumi ignored the interruption. "He will be out of Tokyo by now."
Ranma sighed. "So where do we go from here?"
"Wherever the winds of time take us." (3)
"Is that like saying you don't know?"
Kasumi seemed to slump a little at that. "Yes, Ranma, that's precisely what I mean."
"Oh, then shall we go?"
"Yes, Ranma," Kasumi smiled, "let's go."
End Chapter 4
Notes:
1: Words of wisdom from a college instructor. "I'm not one to take the world too seriously, because I know I'm not getting off alive." If anyone in Ranma 1/2 has that attitude, it's Nabs.
2: Start drooling, fanboys.
3: I know, it's usually the wings of either "fate" or "destiny." Frankly, I try to avoid using those terms.
Is this the end? Of course not (the ending wasn't evil enough for that). I still have a lot to do with this story (like what happens to Phoenix Crater... I mean, Mountain).
And as for killing the old farts. I was tempted for Kasumi to just find them dead, but I got a message from a reader saying "Let Soun go down fighting to protect his family. His devotion to his family is the one redeeming factor I see in him."