Based on comments and my general feeling about the ending of chapter 6, I've
made a few changes to tighten it up a bit. The Kuno parts will be in chapter
7.
Anyway, please let me know what you think about the revised ending (thanks):
-A- -M- -D-
"Akane, where are Yohachi and Daiji? They missed their lesson
today," Ranma asked as he poked his head into the family room where she
was knitting a... something for... something with five... or maybe six
arms.
"Have you checked to see if they're with Yukiko's kids?"
Ranma shook his head. "Yukiko and her husband have their hands full
with the Six-pack."
Akane frowned and reached for the phone. Pressing one of the quick
dial buttons, she held the receiver to her ear and waited. "Nipplering?"
she asked when the phone was answered. "Have you seen any of the kids?"
Ranma's gut tightened as he saw the worried look that passed over
his wife's face.
-A- -M- -D-
After walking for an hour in the hills to the west of Nerima, Daiji
stopped and looked all around her. "Um... shouldn't we be out of the
woods by now?"
Yohachi nodded. "Yeah... um... which way is it back to our house?"
Daiji, Shashiki, Lather, and Floss all pointed. Unfortunately, they
each pointed in a different direction.
Yohachi sighed and looked into the sky. He could see a faint light
along the horizon. "That has to be where the sun set... and we've been
mostly walking towards the sun, so let's go-" He turned around and point
away from the light. "That way."
Shashiki nodded. "Yes, that is very logical. You would make a
worthy Amazon warrior."
"If he wasn't a boy, you mean," Floss added.
"Of course."
Yohachi blazed the trail through the forest; not realizing the
light he was walking away from was the Tokyo city lights. The others all
followed close behind him, holding hands so they wouldn't get separated
in the darkness. Daiji brought up the rear.
-A- -M- -D-
A figure wearing a large cloak climbed out of an open manhole on
top of a tall hill and then looked down on western Nerima. His black
eyes scanned the city below, among other senses that reached out to find
his prey in the dark city below. "Darkness falls again. Ah... finally,
they move..." a hoarse male voice said slowly. "Several... no all of the
collectors are headed away from their fortress." He tilted his head.
"And most of the bitches are outside the walls as well." He took a step
forward. "Their fortress will be virtually unguarded now." A low
rumbling sound emanated from his mouth as strode forward towards the
compound. It wasn't quite a laugh or a cackle, but if anyone had heard
it they would have run in terror from the inhuman sound. "My wait is
over."
After taking several steps, the figure flinched and stopped
suddenly. "What? " He turned around slowly, reaching further out with
his senses that were not of human origin. "Another collector..." He
closed his eyes and concentrated. "A pure one. And several other rich
energy sources."
The figure stood up straight and tossed off the hood covering his
face, revealing the split male and female sides that was its face. "So
far from the other collectors and the bitches... this should be even
easier than devouring the energy from those within the fortress."
Shuma started walking silently towards a forested hill with a
shrine at the top of it.
When he reached the forested hill, Shuma had put the hood on hiss
black cloak up over his head and had forced his skin and eyes to turn
completely black. As such, he was nearly invisible as he walked silently
through the dark forest in the direction from where he had sensed the
collector's energy. Hearing voices coming from the darkness, he stopped
in his tracks and listened.
"I think we're lost, Daiji."
"Yeah, me too, Yoyo."
<Daiji? That is the name of the infant collector that was denied to
us.> A large grin spread across Shuma's face. <Denied no longer, it
would seem.>
"It's so dark!!"
"It's cold!!"
"Don't worry, Ayami, I'll protect you."
"Thanks, Moyashi..."
Shuma moved through the thick bushes, making barely a sound.
Reaching a small clearing he could just make out a number of small
children crouched together, shivering from the night breeze that blew
through the forest. <Ah, how nice. The collectors and bitches have been
breeding. I will have to thank them for the energy once I reopen the
portals.> He reached out to the nearest child. <First, the collector.>
[End - Chapter 6]
Coming soon: Chapter 7: For the Sake of the Children; Past, Present, and
Future
=======================================================================
--
Jim Lazar
Animeprime -
http://www.animeprime.com
(No Editing Zone/Fanfiction/Anime Top Ten/DVD Case Covers)
-=-
What do you do after you save the world? Save it again...and again...and...
Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty