No, not Bankruptcy.
Once again, many, many, many thanks go to Slacker and Mark
Engelbert for pre-reading.
Previous chapters are avalible at
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/KasumiandRanma/ and
http://tannim.anifics.com/
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: rbane11.txt
Disclaimer: hmmm... I can't think of a funny way to say this. Oh, well, they're not mine, I'm not making any money. Is everybody happy?
Ranma's Bane
By Andrew Wilson
Chapter 11: A Walk Though the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Time froze as Setsuna dropped to the ground like a puppet without strings. Zelgadis rushed over, hands glowing with healing energy. Ranma's eyes shot from place to place, searching for more attackers.
There were no more. Around Ryoga's bandanas, the air rippled, revealing a blank-eyed man who quickly dropped to the ground, large gashes on his chest and face. Making sure the man was dead, Ranma and Kasumi rushed over to Zelgadis.
Zelgadis cradled Setsuna's head with one hand, a soft white light streaming from the other to envelop her body.
"Hold on," he growled. "Don't you dare die on me!"
"No," Setsuna voice was a faint whisper. "Let me go."
"Do it, Zelgadis," Kasumi's voice was cracking, but she managed to force the words out, "don't turn her into a puppet."
The light coming from Zelgadis shifted slightly. Setsuna gave a slight smile as her body finally relaxed.
"What did you do?" Ranma asked.
"I don't have enough power to heal something like this," Zelgadis whispered. "I could keep her alive for a time, and keep her from feeling any pain, but I couldn't heal her."
"That was enough, Zel," Ranma said.
The glow shifted one more time before fading. "And a short-term preservation spell," he said, gently picking up the body. "I won't have her body polluted by being buried here."
Ranma place a hand on Kasumi's shoulder. "We have to go."
Kasumi nodded, her own tears causing silver streaks from her blue-glowing eyes to her chin.
Ranma ran a finger along Kasumi cheek, wiping away some of the tears. "Not now. The tearrrs can wait, we have to get out of herrre firrrst."
Kasumi nodded, allowing Ranma to take care of Ryoga. The lost boy was in the same place he was when he threw the bandannas.
Ranma was about to shake Ryoga's shoulder when the lost boy whispered. "I wasn't fast enough."
"None of us werrre. We need to go. Now."
"I'll make them pay!" A sickly green aura around Ryoga caused Ranma to jump back.
"No, no, no! Not herrre, not now. Rrrevenge can wait. Surrrvival comes firrrst."
The aura slowly faded. The look in Ryoga's eyes when he regarded Ranma was enough to make her want to run.
"Alright," Ryoga finally said.
*******
The grim procession hurried away from the wreckage dominating the center of the city, finally finding refuge in one of many abandoned buildings that dominated cities in the Nightlands.
"How long beforrre you can make a porrrtal?" Ranma asked.
"Assuming you allow me to draw on your dormant energy," Zelgadis replied, "about an hour."
"Dorrrmant-"
"I'll explain later," Zelgadis interrupted.
"Is there any other way?" Kasumi asked.
"We can't mirror shift with him," Zelgadis indicated Ryoga. "So unless some friend decides to open a dimensional portal right here, right now, there is nothing else. And the chances of that happening are... astronomical..."
Zelgadis trailed off and began to stare off into space. Kasumi and Ranma turned to look, and saw a patch of the air take of a blue shine as it began to swirl, eventually revealing a vortex.
"Did any of you do that?" Zelgadis asked.
Three heads were violently shaken.
"Do we jump thrrrough?" Ranma asked.
"Don't be stupid. We don't know where it leads, or what could be waiting on the other side."
As though reacting to Zelgadis' comment, the gate paused in its swirling. Ranma's mouth dropped open as the gate grew arms and grabbed her, then Kasumi, Ryoga, and finally Zelgadis and dragged them into the vortex.
*******
"It's so nice to see you again," a particularly annoying voice was saying on the other side of the portal. "Good thing I was watching your little scuffle, wasn't it?"
Ranma, Kasumi, and Zelgadis glared at Xelloss. The avatar had brought them to a small clearing in a very thick redwood forest.
"Who's he?" Ryoga asked.
"You don't want to know," Ranma replied.
Xelloss proceeded to poke Setsuna's body with his staff. "Oh, dear, this is not good. I must have missed that part. What happened?"
That hit one of Zelgadis' nerves. "Some [342 characters deleted for the purposes of good taste] Nightlord lackey killed her," he ground out. "Maybe a friend of yours?"
Poke. Poke. "Oh, no. You don't have to worry. She's only mostly dead."
"Mostly?" Ranma deadpanned as she and Kasumi shifted back to their normal forms.
"Yes. There may be a way to bring her back."
"What?" Zelgadis screamed.
"First, you need a lock of her hair. The next step..."
"Yes?"
"Is a secret." Xelloss teleported away before an energy blast, a very powerful magical spell, and numerous sharp, pointy objects could be directed his way.
*******
"You know, old friend, there are easier ways to manipulate them."
"Of course, but those aren't as fun."
*******
After putting out the forest fire they had inadvertently caused when trying to blast Xelloss, Ranma, Kasumi, Zelgadis and Ryoga sat down to consider their options.
*First things first,* Ranma thought, turning to Ryoga. "Ryoga, scram."
"What?" Disbelief was heavy in the lost boy's voice.
"This isn't your fight," Kasumi said.
"You are way out of your league here," Ranma continued. "You did a good job in Typhoon, but do you really want to deal with that every day of your life?"
Ryoga shook his head.
"Then go," Zelgadis ordered, "leave the war to those who have to fight it. Don't draw yourself in."
"What about her?" Ryoga asked. There was no doubt in anyone's mind who 'her' referred to.
"It's our responsibility," Zelgadis explained, "and not something you need to worry about."
"But-"
"Ryoga," Kasumi said, "go home. You have family and friends waiting for you and looking forward to your return. We have neither. Enjoy what you have."
Ryoga's protests died with Kasumi's gentle voice. "Alright," he finally said, shouldering his pack. Without a long backward glance he began walking into the woods. Ranma and Kasumi were watching his path long after Ryoga had disappeared into the forest.
Zelgadis looked to Ranma, and the latter gave a slight nod. Sighing, Zelgadis once again gently picked up Setsuna's body, and walked a distance away.
Kasumi was staring off into space, her legs drawn up and her chin resting on her knees. Ranma slowly put his arm around her shoulders, and she responded by leaning on him. Contact between her face and his shirt was like a trigger, and soon her tears were soaking the black material.
The quiet sobs went on for a long time, but Ranma never relaxed his grip, nor did he shed a single tear himself.
*******
Zelgadis reverently lay Setsuna's body on the forest floor. Once his hands were free, he punched a convenient boulder, shattering it.
"Why?" he cried into the air. "Why her? And why now?"
The stones that had once been a boulder were further ground into gravel before Zelgadis calmed down.
"Damn." His own reaction wasn't making any sense. He had lost people to the Nightlords before, some were even friends, but the anger he was feeling was different. In fact, he had felt it only once before, when-
*No! Not again!* He still hadn't repaid Xelloss for that, even though over a century had passed. *Was he lying, trying to give us false hope? Or was he telling the truth? And if he was, why did he tell us?*
Either way, it wouldn't hurt to be safe. Taking out his pocketknife, Zelgadis sliced off a bundle of hair, as close to the scalp as he could manage. Tying the bundle into an intricate (and large, given the length) knot, he slipped it into his jacket pocket.
They didn't have time for a proper burial, so cremation would have to do. Performing a visual search, Zelgadis found nothing in the way of jewelry, except for the pen-sized artifact that he had to pry out of her hands.
*What is to become of this?* he mused. *Will it seek out a new owner?*
*...Zel...*
The mental plead was very faint, but Zelgadis would have sworn that he heard Setsuna's voice. With a shrug, he dismissed the voice as nerves.
*Not the first time I've heard ghosts.*
*...not...ghost...yet...*
Knowing the futility of jumping to his feet and spinning around (and knowing how stupid that action looks), Zelgadis slowly turned his head, searching the surrounding area. Nothing was visible except the forest.
*What the hell is going on?*
*...down...here...dummy...*
Zelgadis' gaze dropped to the gem-tipped key in his hands. "You have got to be kidding me."
A small shock caused him to drop the artifact to the ground, and left his hand numb. Gently picking it up with his other hand, Zelgadis chuckled. "Okay," he whispered, "you've made your point, now talk to me."
*...talk...hard...listen...*
"Listening is easier?"
*...yes...*
Zelgadis reviewed the information in his head. Devices to trap a soul were not unheard of, but they were extremely rare. The fact that Setsuna could communicate, however little, was something he had never heard of. *Roger would have a field day with this.*
*...no...tell...*
"You can hear my thoughts?"
*...psychic...not...stupid..."
Zelgadis barked a laugh as he slid the miniaturized staff into his jacket pocket, resting it on the knotted hair. "Alright, I won't tell anyone. At least until we figure out what Xelloss was talking about. What about your body?"
*...no...use...destroy...*
With a sigh, Zelgadis prepared a special spell sequence. Uttering the incantation, he caused a faint dome to appear over the body. A moment later, the inside of the dome was immolated by blue-white flames. When the flames died down, there was nothing under the dome but blackened soil.
*******
Xelloss found his master admiring his collection. Ancient artifacts were stored in transparent cases lining the walls of the long room. There were no labels, or anything similar, since both Xelloss and Ahriman knew the collection intimately.
Ahriman was standing before the only empty case in the entire room, against the back wall. The case was configured, including a wooden rod and carved-bone supports, to hold a staff upright. The trio of displays against the rear wall was reserved for the most powerful artifacts in Ahriman's collection. The one opposite the staff case was a silvery sword hilt with several blue and red stones set around the pommel and cross-guard. In the center of the display was the most powerful of all the artifacts (easily topping everything in the room by about three orders of magnitude), a large, ornate golden chest with two angel-like figures crowning it.
"Any progress?"
Xelloss nodded. "She is dead. As is the assassin."
"Did you recover the devices?"
"The null-aura amulet you gave the assassin was recovered. However, the staff is still in their possession."
"Unacceptable."
"I realize that, Master, but perhaps more firepower is needed to correct our problem. Tofu has used the Sword-"
"I am well aware of Tofu's abilities concerning the Sword of Gorn Nova. However, I would rather not let any of the more valuable pieces out of the palace until we have recovered the staff."
"Perhaps a lesser item from your sword collection, then?"
"I doubt that," Ahriman walked over to another case, one of many filled with various weapons. In this one were two normal-seeming katanas, one seven foot long katana, a broadsword, and an odd, twisted staff with a large blade at each end. "You should always consider the price of failure, Xelloss. Imagine Saotome getting his hands on even one of these blades. He's going to be enough trouble when the time comes, we don't need to add to that."
"What are your orders, Master?"
Ahriman's eyes glazed over for a moment. Xelloss knew the look, it was one the Nightlord often acquired when analyzing plans and possible outcomes.
"No," he finally said. "They still have possession of the staff. We can't afford to lose anything else to them until it is recovered. Continue with your operations. But remember to stay discreet."
Xelloss gave a short bow. "As you command."
*******
Close to an hour had passed before Zelgadis returned. Ranma spent the time holding Kasumi, giving her a shoulder to cry on, and an emotional anchor to keep her from cracking. Like it or not, Ranma knew that his wife had become attached to Setsuna, treating the green-haired woman like a younger sister.
It took close to half an hour for the tears to stop. When they did, Kasumi made no move to rise. Instead she held on to Ranma, sniffling as he rubbed his hand along her spine.
"What now?" she finally asked.
"I don't know," Ranma replied. "I guess we have to see whether or not Xelloss was lying."
"Should we bring her back? What right to we have to do that?"
Ranma shrugged. "Remember what Xelloss said, about her being mostly dead? What do you think he meant by that?"
Kasumi pondered the question for a moment. "That her body was dead, but her spirit was still alive?"
"How much you want to bet Xelloss did the same thing to her that Ahriman did to that bird-boy?"
"That's a rather odd theory, Ranma," Zelgadis said as he walked up.
"It's the only one we have to go on."
Zelgadis nodded. "True. But we'd better get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this place."
"Why, just because Xelloss picked it?"
"Yes."
"You're being paranoid, Zelgadis," Kasumi commented.
"OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"
All three cringed at the laugh.
"It's not paranoia," Zelgadis explained, "when the world *is* out to get you."
"True," Ranma groaned, turning toward the offending laugh. As expected, Kodachi was standing several yards away. She was accompanied by over a score of Hound Masters with assorted weapons, and protected by a quartet of Greater Hounds, each wielding a pair of darkmetal swords as large as Ranma.
"Well," Ranma dragged out the word as he surveyed the enemies, "if it isn't the 'Bondage Queen of Darkness.' We've been looking for you." Which was true. Ranma and Kasumi still owed the leather-clad general a painful death for her role in several murders four years before.
"Such a petty title," Kodachi laughed, "for one as powerful as me. OOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO."
Ranma ignored the laugh (a very difficult act) and turned to Zelgadis.
"Zel, do you have any big spells ready?"
Zelgadis examined the opposition. "How big?"
"Big enough to take out the Hounds."
"No. And I won't be able to cast anything that powerful for several hours."
"Damn. In that case, get ready to follow my lead."
"Right."
Kodachi was still laughing, as Ranma turned to Kasumi. *How much lung capacity does she have?* He immediately turned away, recognizing the look in Kasumi's eyes. It was a look that said she wanted to see Kodachi's innards on her sai's. It was also now a look Ranma enjoyed seeing.
"Okay, Kodachi, what do you want?"
The laughing stopped. "Why, to kill you, of course. What did you expect? Now, are you going to die quietly, or do you intend to resist?"
"Don't be stupid," Kasumi growled, "of course we intend to resist."
Kodachi smiled. "Good. I like it when my prey puts up a fight."
"Bring it on, bitch," Zelgadis spat.
"I thought you'd never ask," Kodachi smiled, then raised her hand. In response, Hounds spread out, forming a thick semicircle as they approached the group.
"Run!" Ranma shouted before the Kodachi could signal an attack. Grabbing Kasumi, Ranma ran as fast as he dared through the forest. Zelgadis trailed closely behind, enacting a simple flight spell to keep up with the pig-tailed martial artist.
Kasumi glared at Ranma for a moment, then her gaze relaxed. "Thank you."
"No way I was sticking around for that. We still haven't recovered from that little scuffle with Magog." Indeed they had not. Kasumi showed bruises around her neck, and Ranma was sure that more than a couple of his ribs were cracked. He ignored the pain, however, and concentrated on getting as far away as possible from Kodachi and her band of goons.
"Any idea where we are?" Ranma asked between breaths.
Zelgadis pulled out a plain pocket watch and checked the time against the position of the sun. "American west coast, that's all I can say."
"How do you figure that?"
"Look around, this is a redwood forest. Also, the sun is in about the same position it was when we left Chicago. So unless Xelloss' little doorway transported us a significant distance to the north or south-"
"We get the point," Kasumi interrupted.
"What now?" Zelgadis asked.
Ranma ducked to avoid a low branch before answering. "We find a hotel, then figure our a way to get the information we need out of Xelloss."
"And if he doesn't tell us when we ask?" Kasumi asked.
Ranma smiled while Zelgadis cracked his knuckles.
"I thought so. Don't do it in a hotel room, blood stains are very difficult to remove."
"Does he even have blood?" Ranma asked.
"We're going to find out," Zelgadis muttered.
End chapter 11