It's been a long time. Due to persistent demand for this,
I've managed to push this chapter out several months
overdue (well, a year and a bit). Be warned it really is
a draft (there's even a scene missing - though not an
important one; Ryoga fans might object to that).

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, still, for
most of my fanfics and links to the rest at the following
address:

http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/kagami/

Thanks for not giving up faith in me, Vince.

You can contact me at: kagami@jeack.com.au

---

He ran through the darkness.

Ranma left all obstacles behind, slipping between tightly-
woven trees, hurdling oversized boulders, and dodging
angrily hissing reptiles without a care or a thought. From
a great distance, he could hear the shouts and calls of the
others who had followed him to this black island, but he
paid them no heed.

The only thing that concerned him was a single thought:
Umibouzu had never told him the consequences of his sealing
his mother into the darkness. <Mom, I didn't know...
dammit, what else could I have done? She was gonna kill
you. I didn't have a choice.>

It didn't help, didn't drive away the guilt and despair.
There was always a choice. <Umibouzu, why didn't you tell
me? Why?> The price of release was the life of a human
being, sacrificed by the releaser. A soul sentenced to
darkness to redeem another. <A life, a soul... how can I
pay that price?>

Ranma sent up a spray of broken glass nodules as he
skidded to a sharp halt at the very edge of the cove where
Umibouzu had 'dropped' them off. The beach was ominously
quiet apart from the gentle lapping of waves upon the black
sand.

<Umibouzu, answer me!> He called desperately with his
mind, to no avail. <Damn... what if that other giant snake
hurt or killed him?>

<Umibouzu! Damn you! Answer me!>

The waves surged higher, and Ranma jumped back to avoid
getting wet. Turning female now, with the coating of
protective soap probably washed away by sweat and exertion,
would be ridiculous and highly embarassing.

Again the waves surged, and he quickly backed away.
Something was coming; he could feel it. Was it Umibouzu? Or
was it that seaworm - the Ayakashi - returning for another
round? A dark, serpentine head broke the surface of the
water, rising higher and higher, spraying huge droplets
from shining flukes.

Ranma breathed out in a silent release of tension. It was
Umibouzu.

Then he scrambled back hurriedly as the Great Devourer
spat out the remnants of a blue whale carcass onto the
beach. "Where the hell were you?!" Ranma shouted, both
furious and relieved, needing to verbalise his outrage and
anger.

<What? Can I not enjoy a meal in peace and quiet? Am I to
be at your beck and call every hour of the day? Is my
battle less worthy than yours?>

Umibouzu's mental voice sounded grumpy and dangerous, but
Ranma didn't care. He stalked closer to the towering form
in the cove. "You didn't tell me! You didn't tell me about
the price for releasing my mother! Damn you, why didn't you
tell me that?!"

The tableau held for a brief moment - man, or half-demon,
against monster. Umibouzu rumbled, steam issuing from
gaping maw, whether in anger or annoyance, Ranma did not
know. <You did not ask, Ranma Saotome. You never ask. The
price of your success seems to matter not at all to you -
is that not true?>

"Dammit! It's not!" Guiltily, he wondered. Succeed at any
cost - that was the message drummed into his head from
birth by his father - no, by Genma, that is. <I don't use
everything unless I have to.> That was the way he'd always
fought! "If you believed that, why'd you help me, anyway?"

<Do I believe it? Yes, to an extent. But you can change,
Ranma. You have shown restraint in the past, and you have
shown it again, now. That is rare indeed.> A blast of
heated air shot from Umibouzu's upwardly-pointing jaws,
lancing into the sky like the spume of a great whale.

"Restraint? How d'ya know that?"

<You are still alive.>

---

"Wake up, Ranma! Hmph, you sleep like a log!"

Ranma found himself blinking groggily as Akane shook him
upright. Blurry dream shards mingled with the sight of a
rosy dawn in his half-fogged mind. He nearly slipped on the
semi-wet and high-slippery scales of Umibouzu's neck ridge.
Gasping, he clung to a nearby fluke for support.

"What? What's going on?" Was that Tokyo in the distance?

"See for yourself, dreamer." Akane prodded him until he
was sufficiently awake to peer at the sight confronting
him. "And don't think I've forgotten about you running off
like that last night, Ranma."

Akane's voice promised future punishment, something he
might have savoured, given half-a-chance, but as his eyes
sharpened into clarity everything else dropped away. It was
Tokyo; they'd come home safely. But why was it so white... ?

"Why's it so white?" he asked aloud in unconscious
repetition.

Then he realized.

A thick blanket of snow lay like a white shroud over the
city.

---

An Awakening of Demons
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Kagami

Chapter 12: White Shadows

---

"It's only November; why's it snowing?" Ryoga asked, as he
stepped off the Great Devourer's back onto the abandoned
pier. Umibouzu's seal prevented almost everyone from seeing
them, and Tokyo harbour was unnervingly quiet in the early
morning. "Looks like a shroud. I remember seeing the Turin
shroud when I was in Italy."

His desperate attempt at cool poise disintegrated a moment
later as a warmly, purring bundle attached herself to his
right arm. "Oh, Ryoga-sama, I never realized you were so
polished and urbane. The Turin shroud was always high on my
list of art treasures to see. Sadly, Father would always
insist on Hawaii as the destination for every overseas
holiday."

Kodachi was a surprisingly pleasant burden on his arm. It
made him realize that he was alive, back in Japan, and
Akane was alive, and...

"When did you get lost to Italy, P-chan?"

... and Ranma was also still alive and annoying. "Hey, I
didn't get lost on that trip, Ranma! It was a family
holiday: Dad made it back from an overseas trip, Mom
returned from her shopping trip to the local store, and I
got back from supporting the girls' team at that Rhythmic
Gymnastics Tournament back in junior school. We made to
Italy together."

"Huh, a minor miracle, and Rhythmic Gymnastics
Tournaments? I never knew -- hey!" Ranma's sentence was cut
off as Akane dragged him away. "But, Akane, he'd know
something about Martial Arts Cheerleading..."

Fortunately, the voice cut off into an inaudible mutter.
Feh, as if he'd ever teach Ranma the secrets of Martial
Arts Cheerleading.

"Come on, let's get to Kuno's. I'm worried about Kasumi,
Dad, and Nabiki..." Akane said, hand still wrapped around
Ranma's mouth.

"What about Panda-man?" Shampoo added as she hopped down,
carrying her bonbori, sword, a short spear, and half-a-
dozen other weapons Ryoga couldn't remember seeing her with
on the island. Moeru slid down beside her, shooting a brief
smile up at the towering, silent form of Umibouzu.

"Oh, Uncle Saotome as well..."

Ukyo was the last to descend. Shampoo was surprisingly
unaffected by the sight of Akane clinging to a semi-
reluctant Ranma, but Ryoga caught Ukyo shooting black
glances at both the pairs on the pier. There was an air of
resignation and yet great determination around the
okonomiyaki chef, almost as though she were silently
declaring 'I haven't lost yet, not by a long shot' to the
world.

Ryoga felt a flash of almost pity.

---

Snow continued to fall on their way to the Kuno estate.
Delicate flakes of white descended in supreme majesty to
coat the ground in mounds of wonder; eventually to melt and
become the bane of Ranma's existence.

The current fall seemed too solid to seriously worry him.
Still he kept one hand moving in a blur to ward off as much
snow as possible. Akane was beside him, with Ukyo and Moeru
just behind. Behind them, Ryoga was a bundle of abject
misery, too paranoid to trust the unseasonal weather and
huddled beneath his large umbrella, sharing it with a
grateful Shampoo and an annoyed Kodachi.

It would be a problem if he changed right in front of
Kodachi. Or maybe it would solve one of his problems
instead, the transforming pig having introduced Kodachi to
that notion. There were too many uncertainties to be sure,
and this was a particularly bad time to experiment.

Still, there was an air of almost-happiness about them.
They had made it through yet another dangerous journey.
They all had, Ranma thought with satisfaction, as they
approached the front gates of the Kuno estate.

The merry mood of survival gratitude was unfortunately
broken the moment Ranma crossed the boundary of the Kuno
manse.

A flicker on his danger-sense, and Ranma was already
moving, leaping to the side, cradling Akane in his arms.
Cologne's staff shattered the ground where he'd just been.

"What's this?" he growled, unamused in the slightest. He
set Akane down, sensing no further threat around him.
Cologne merely hopped off her staff and extended it tip-
first toward him. Ranma snatched the letter on its end and
opened it.

"Small welcome, Granny," Ukyo said from the doorpost.
"What was that attack on Ran-chan for?"

Ranma wordlessly handed her the letter. The group crowded
around Ukyo, reading the missive from the sides and over
her shoulder. For a moment, the words failed to make any
sense, then Ukyo gasped. "Tonight?"

"Yeah, well, we better get ready," was all Ranma said as
he walked toward the house.

---

"Please make yourselves at home," Kodachi said politely to
the others, bowing, as courtesy demanded, before quickly
spiriting her prize away.

"Hey!" exclaimed her prize, nervously looking back at the
rapidly dwindling group behind them. "Where are we going?"
demanded Ryoga.

"Why, Ryoga-sama, how can you ask that question? Since
we're safely home, we should bathe, dine, and then retire
to my bedchamber as befitting a new couple." Kodachi smiled
brilliantly, evoking a host of conflicting emotions in
Ryoga's heart, not to mention an upwelling of blood to his
vulnerable nose. "Perhaps Ranma-sama might care to join us?"

The upwelling threatened to turn into a gush. Fortunately,
fate, and the possibility of danger, intervened in the form
of a bokken suddenly poised at the tip of his nose.

"You there! What villain dares touch the sister of the
Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, Tatewaki Kuno? Unhand my
sister at once!" Tatewaki, obviously unamused, held his
bokken high. Lightning crackled across the wintery sky
behind him.

"Wha... ? Wait, it's not what it..." A light touch by
Kodachi halted his faltering sentence.

"Really, brother dear, this is Ryoga Hibiki - a dear
friend of mine." Her delicate finger shifted the tip of the
bokken away. "He is a guest of this house, so please
refrain from threatening him. Remember your photo album in
the hidden compartment of your wardrobe."

The bokken was hurriedly withdrawn. Kodachi hid a smile.

"Really, sister, how can you carry on so with this peasant
when Ranma Saotome is in this very same house?"

And awaiting my seduction, Kodachi completed the unspoken
thought on behalf of her brother. Or perhaps not, given
Tachi's strange ideas in that arena - awaiting an exchange
of diaries might be more in keeping with his style. "Why
should I not have a choice? My love is great enough for two."

"No! That is not acceptable. Ranma Saotome should have
your entire devotion," Tatewaki declared grandeously. "To
split your love in twain is dishonest. It is despicable. It
is--"

"--the pot calling the kettle blue?" Kodachi smiled as her
brother drew himself up, righteous fury filling his veins
and head to the detriment of all good sense. It had been
too long since their last battle of words.

Beside her, Ryoga's piteously desperate "Umm..." was lost
to the wind.

---

Ranma side-stepped the drunken embrace of a plastered
panda. Literally, that is. The old man was still strapped
into three limb casts. The panda fell flat on his face with
a dull thud. Nearby, an equally drunken Tendo patriarch
held a less-than-enthused Akane, covering her with joyful
tears and alcoholic breath.

"A-Akane! You-- you're s-safe! I dream-hic-ed you died! D-
drowned! J-just like your m-mother..." Soun wailed. "We--
we were hic-planning the f-f-funeral."

"Uh, thanks..." Akane choked out, trying to avoid the
insidious fumes. It was nearly as bad as standing in
Umibouzu's maw. Then what her father had said struck her,
and she turned her head to stare suspiciously at his sake-
red face. "Say, didn't you tell me Mom died in a car
accident?"

Empty eyes, still leaking futile tears, stared back at her
uncomprehendingly, and Akane sighed.

Empty bottles littered the floor mats of the room,
bespeaking the incredible amounts the two old fools had put
away - especially considering the efficiency at which
Kasumi must have been cleaning the room. Ranma squated next
to the fallen panda and snorted, mostly in disgust.

"Hey, Pop, why're ya in panda-form anyway?"

A limp paw shakily held up a painstakingly scrawled sign:
<Pandas... heal... faster.>

Uh huh. Ranma grabbed a couple of handfuls of damp fur to
drag his father's face close. "And why aint'cha worrying
about Mom, huh?!"

<Whay... what do you expext me to do... about it, boy?>
The coherency died as Genma's eyes rolled back into his
head, and he sank into blissful unconsciousness.

Ranma dropped him in exasperation. Extracting Akane from a
still-weeping Soun took several more minutes. "Still happy
we came back?"

Akane sighed. "I don't know why I worried."

Ranma shook his head. Pop didn't have all that much, even
in the sneaky tactics department, but hope sprang
eternal... to constantly and bitterly dashed. "Well,
they're no use. Maybe Cologne could help... and Moeru." He
turned around. "Say, where is Moeru anyway?"

---

The kitchen was filled with warmth by an old-style
fireplace. Kasumi Tendo was at home here. Akane had come
round earlier with news of their safe return, which
gladdened her heart. That happiness and joy was soon to be
translated into a more physical medium - food.

If only she could locate the matches for the stove.
Strange how the Kuno household had an abundance of certain
items and a lack of other common utilities. Perhaps it
reflected the spirit of the Kuno family as a whole? The
bustling servants were off bustling elsewhere, and there
were no matches to be found.

Well, she could always use a stick from the fireplace...

"Here, allow me."

Kasumi glanced up to meet the eyes of a dragon. She
blinked in surprise. No, just another woman of around
twenty, dressed in an odd, but elegant, mix of Japanese and
Western clothing.  The eyes were a startling blue,
emphasized by a head of red hair, but still normal. Why had
she... ? She recovered sufficiently to realize she was
staring. "Ah, pardon me, I am Kasumi Tendo."

"Moeru. A friend of Ranma's."

"I see. Would you happen to be another fiancee?" Kasumi
hoped not; Akane had been through enough headaches already.

"Oh no, he's much too young for me. Just a friend." Moeru
flashed a disarming grin. "About the fire..."

"Yes, please." Kasumi blinked as her new companion turned
on the stove and snapped her fingers to light the gas ring.
Unsure of what she'd seen, she ventured, "Thank you. You
know, that was my first reaction when I heard about Ranma.
I thought him more appropriate for Akane."

"And do you regret it?"

"Well..." Fortunately, she was saved from having to reply.
The sound of a throat being delicately cleared interrupted
them. "Oh, Nabiki." Kasumi turned to gratefully notice her
sister. "I was just starting dinner."

"Ranma's--" Nabiki broke off, briefly puzzled, "ah, that
is, we're holding a meeting in the dining room."

---

"This is a sad house," Moeru said, looking at the
portraits of past Kunos lining the quiet hallway they
traversed. "Cold and empty."

"Yes, well, that describes the Kunos to a 'T'. Despite
their bright passions." Nabiki glanced curiously at the
avatar of the Blue Dragon. Such strange dress. The kimono
was ancient but well-preserved; Nabiki mentally assessed
its worth and arrived at a pleasant sum. And yet the blue
beret might have complemented any modern UN peacekeeper. It
was hard to believe someone so peculiar and yet ordinary
was part of a legendary creature. "What tipped you off?
Some mystic sense?"

"Actually, it was the floor traps."

"Heh, same for me." Nabiki chuckled. "Of course, I knew
Kuno better, as well, back then. Is that why you were in
the kitchen? For the warmth?"

Moeru shrugged slightly. "I like fire, and it likes me."

"Hmm, and my sister can be quite a comfort as well."
Nabiki stole a look at the long, delicate fingers that had
stroked a flame from the air, her sense for profit tingling
overtime. "Can you do any other tricks with fire?"

"You saw?" At Nabiki's confirming nod, she went on, "A few
more. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we could make a huge saving on hot water bills."
For a start.

Cologne bounded up on her wooden staff and joined them.
She looked quizzically at Moeru, who returned the look.

"A Matriarch of the Hero Tribe," Moeru mused aloud. "You
must be associated with the other Joketsuzo warrior who
came to the island with Ranma."

"Yes, Shampoo is my great-granddaughter. I am Cologne."

"Well met. I am Moeru, Seiryuu's avatar. Tell me,
Matriarch Cologne, why warriors of the Hero Tribe - who has
sworn not to mingle blood with demons - accompany a half-
demon such as Ranma Saotome?"

"She who stands beside you holds many answers." Cologne
directed a side-wise look at Nabiki who strove to hold a
neutral mask over a hopeful glint for extra information.
"This she knows and may speak of."

Nabiki snorted. "I'm sure we can work something out."

"Let me ask you something, Moeru," Cologne said, a
questioning look on her face. "The Blue Dragon has long
been associated with the element of water in the ancient
legends; I find it curious that you now represent fire
instead."

"Nothing is eternal." Moeru reflected on the powerful,
shifting nature of water - a strong, sometimes vicious
element. Called the giver of life by many, and the bringer
of death by others. Or rather, to be more accurate, the
bringer of change. "So it was once, and so it will be again."

Cologne chuckled. "Nicely put. Utterly vague and
mysterious. I could learn something from you."

"Ah, but I have many years on you, Matriach."

Cologne merely chuckled again as they arrived at the
dining room. Nabiki, beside them, grumbled under her breath
about secretive and annoying elders.

---

The dining room simmered with a quiet tension.

Nabiki chose a seat close to the wall with a perfect view
of the entire room. Ranma was stuck in the strained silence
of three surrounding fiancees. Well, two really. Shampoo
was sitting with them, but her attention was focused on
Cologne and Moeru; Akane and Ukyo more than made up for her
lapse though. Beside Ukyo was the ever faithful Konatsu,
quietly looking around as if wondering at the astronomical
cost of the room.

A number of piles of books had mysteriously migrated from
the library to rest on the long, rectangular dinner table.
Well, not mysteriously, Nabiki thought wryly, rubbing
slightly sore arms. She had managed two loads before
draconianly enlisting the Kuno family servants.

Kuno, himself, was already seated at the head of the
table, peering interestedly at pages of a small book
labelled 'Oni Poetry'. Nabiki shuddered inwardly; that was
one work she should have burned when she'd had the chance.

The drunken fathers were still sleeping off the sake in
their room. But where were... ? Nabiki felt her jaw drop as
Kodachi swept in with Ryoga in tow. Kodachi was dressed in
a provocative black satin evening gown, decorated with
black roses and darkly clinging with one shoulder exposed.
Ryoga, in a matching suit, looked horribly embarassed and
overshadowed.

Nabiki furiously wondered just how she had kept hold of
Ryoga while changing. And where had she gotten the suit for
Ryoga?

Ranma bounded gratefully to his feet as the last two
people arrived. "Let's get started then--"

"Hold, Saotome!" Kuno commanded as he rose from his seat.
"As head of the household, it should be I who governs this
meeting."

"Put a sock in it, Kuno," Ranma shot back in asperity. "We
got things to plan here."

"Really, Ranma-sama," Kodachi slid in smoothly, "do you
all really plan anything? I thought the usual option was
simply a full-frontal assault."

"Remember the shrine, sugar?" Ukyo drawled, smug in the
role of saviour. "You nearly bought it there, and that was
with a plan. Just think what could have happened without
one."

"Shampoo remember shrine. Also know plan fall apart like
Akane's cooking!" Shampoo had a familiar glint in her eyes.
Old grudges were like long-time best friends. "This time we
go in, kill all things. Keep simple, yes?"

"Hey! That was nothing like my cooking!" Akane protested,
jumping to her feet. "I nearly died, not Ran-- um..." She
sat back down, disgruntled.

WHAM!

Nabiki flinched as Cologne's staff slammed into the table.
A resounding silence ensured.

"Children!" Cologne said in a voice full of contempt,
remarkably acid for a three-foot tall troll standing atop a
dinner table. "Is this the group that will assault the
Tokyo Tower tonight? Shukumaru will destroy all of you. Do
you even know why it is snowing?"

"Um, that was a question I had," Ryoga said.

"This is why!" Cologne flung down an open book on the
table. The group jumped up and clustered around,  staring
at the image on the page. It was a well-drawn picture of a
tall, white-haired lady in a pale kimono, standing on a
snow-covered mountainside. "Shimoyake, the Ice Maiden,
sister to the Snow Woman. Shukumaru has bound her powers,
and Tokyo is the victim of those powers.

"She now has hold of two of the four Cardinal Servants of
the East, and what that means--"

"Yes, what?" Ranma asked Cologne eagerly.

"I don't know."

Nabiki shook her head at the multiple resulting thuds.
Really, it was just too obvious sometimes. She wasn't about
to be caught out by the old bat. She took a seat and waited
for the others to pick themselves up.

"Old ghoul, I should--" Ranma choked out as he clawed his
way up.

"Shukumaru is gathering power for some reason." The quiet
voice belonged to Moeru, still seated beside Cologne.
"Neither I nor Matriarch Cologne have been able to
determine why. I need to get closer and see the energy
flows."

"Gathering power? But we know why: she's aiming to become
Demon Lord," Ukyo said.

"I mean gathering power directly for a ritual. Assuming
the position of Demon Lord does not require such methods as
I have detected." Moeru shook her head in emphasis. "No,
this is for some other purpose."

"Well, then we just need to stop her, right, Ranchan?"

"Right." Ranma nodded firmly. "Look, I figure we leave for
Tokyo Tower at eight--"

"Why so late, Ranma-sama?" Kodachi asked, leaning forward
towards her pig-tailed love. "What if Shukumaru completes
her ritual beforehand? She could be more powerful when we
face her."

"No, she said midnight in the challenge letter. I'm
guessing that's when it's gonna finish. We'll get our best
shot near the end." Ranma slammed the palm of his hand on
top of the table. "She'll be distracted then and--urk!"

Kodachi laid her own warm hand over his to the growls of
angry women. "You know you have my complete support, Ranma-
sama. I hope your reasoning is sound."

Akane and Ukyo both grabbed an arm each and yanked Ranma
away. The light of battle sparkled dangerously in the eyes
of three competing girls. Kodachi waved her offending hand
airily, dismissing the challenge, before linking it around
Ryoga's arm.

"Yeah, well..." Ranma attempted to gather his thoughts.
"We go in with two groups. The main group is a diversion to
handle any tricks and demon fodder Shukumaru has available.
The other group goes in the hard way: through the outside."

"What? You ain't serious, Ranchan! Climb Tokyo Tower in
the dark and snow?" Ukyo snorted in disbelief. "That's
three hundred meters! You don't even know where she'll be."

"Yep. That's why it'll be just Ryoga, Moeru, and me,"
Ranma declared. "Moeru can sense where Shukumaru is, and I
can handle her."

"What about me, Ranma?" Ryoga asked from across the table.
"What do you need me for?"

"Well, you'd just get lost going in the normal way, P-
chan. I figured even you can't get lost climbing a piece o'
steel with only one way to go - and that's up."

"Why, you! R-R-Ranma..." Ryoga growled, a red wave of
anger descending on him. He reached out across the table to
grab and rend. Unfortunately, the girls yanked Ranma
further away, and Kodachi held him back.

Ranma felt Akane's hand tighten on his arm.

"Ranma, you're not leaving me behind. I'm coming with you."

"What, no way, Akane! There's no way you'd get up there -
a clumsy tomboy like you."

Akane swung him around, and, for a moment, Ranma thought
she'd hit him and put a stop to the conversation. Instead
she closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, and
said quietly, "I'm coming with you."

"And so am I, Ranchan," Ukyo said just as quietly from
behind him.

---

Ryoga sighed in satisfaction as he stared out at the red
evening sun from his perch beneath the overhanging roof.
The slate shingles were comfortable enough, and he was out
of the snow. And it was blessedly quiet, peaceful without
Ranma, or even Kodachi, around.

Dinner had been the only thing stopping the ensuing
argument and brawl. Kodachi had been right. Planning just
didn't sit well with this group. Straight in and blast
anything in the way was surely the best option. If he were
Ranma... well, that was just it - he wasn't.

And he was letting Akane accompany him. That fool! That
idiot! That--

"Hey, Ryoga!"

"Gyah!" Ryoga jumped as a short, pig-tailed girl swung
down from over the roof, landing neatly into place next to
him. "What the-- ! Oh, it's you, Ranma." His heart stopped
pounding at twice the going rate, and he got to one knee,
fist poised menacingly. "What's the meaning of this?!"

Far from being menaced, Ranma locked his hands together in
a gesture of supplication, eyes huge and pleading. "It's
like this, Ryoga--"

"And why're you in girl-form?" He stared suspiciously at
the pig-tailed girl. The only times Ranma was a girl around
him was when he--

"Huh? Well, it's been some time-- and it's not important.
Look, I need something from ya, Ryoga."

"Ah-hah!" Ryoga pointed triumphantly at his former rival.
"I knew it! The great Ranma Saotome comes around to beg,
and he does it as a girl. What's with you anyway, Ranma?"

"Hey, I'm telling ya it's not important, okay? It's about
tonight, and Akane..."

"I know what you're going to ask, Ranma. And it's 'no'."

"What? No!? It's Akane, man!" Ranma spluttered in
disbelief. "You're refusing ta help--"

Ryoga flung his emergency thermos at the babbling idiot.
"Ask me as a guy, fool."

---

The sun, already dim in the falling snow, sank without a
murmur to plunge the world into darkness.

Ranma slipped out before the moon rose, reaching the wall
without problems; the traps were off tonight. He made it
over the wall with a single bound, then trotted down the
snow-laden alleyway to meet Ryoga and Moeru.

And a third figure dressed in black Devil Hunter's garb.
Ranma gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.
<Ryoga, you idiot. Can't you do anything right?> "Hey,
Kodachi. What'cha doing here?"

Kodachi chortled - softly, fortunately. "You did not think
to leave me out of this, did you, Ranma-sama? You will need
my powers tonight as well as those of your minions."

Ranma winced inwardly. Moeru was less restrained, shaking
slightly, murmuring, "I resent that minion remark, Devil
Hunter."

<Devil Hunters do make for perfect snacks. It has been a
long while since my last one.> The sibilant whisper of the
Devourer arose within.

<No snacking.> Ranma emphasized firmly. <Though...> He
squashed the thought.

Ryoga looked pretty guilty at arriving with extraneous
company. "Um, well... Kodachi... uh, we should get going."
With a muted laugh of embarassment, he charged off.

In the wrong direction. Ranma sighed.

---

Tokyo Tower: a massive lattice of steel girders stretching
to the heavens, standing three hundred and thirty-three
meters tall. Painted a crimson red, it typically stood like
a bloodied sword in the heart of Japan's capital city. In
the dimness of the cloudy night, its scarlet hue faded into
inky blackness, becoming a shadowed blade thrust into the
night.

The Tower mounted two observation decks: the Main
Observatory at one hundred and fifty meters, and the
smaller Special Observatory near the pinnacle. Linking the
platforms was the massive central column holding sets of
elevators and broadcasting studios for various Japanese TV
stations.

At night, the Tower was normally brightly lit by dozens of
high-powered spotlights but not tonight. Instead the
structure was shrouded by darkness and the swirl of
snowflakes. It was ominously quiet.

"A warding." Moeru looked solemn, her face pale in the
shadows, and held a hand forward. She touched a point in
the air two feet in front which flared up in pulsations of
malevolent green, illuminating the shield. "The Tower has
been closed to the attention of normal people. Likely all
the night security guards are already dead."

"How about unusual people?" Ryoga asked.

"They know better than to interrupt something this big."
Moeru brushed away the snow piling upon her shoulders and
sneezed once. She shook her head to clear it. "We should
get moving."

"What's going on in there?" Ranma wondered, looking at the
Tower entrance dubiously.

"I cannot say for certain, but it would appear your
Shukumaru is attempting a full-fledged manifestation,"
Moeru offered. "Though she is a rather young demon to be
trying such."

"A what?" Ranma asked. "And she's not my Shukumaru."

"She means Shukumaru is trying to assume her full demon
form," Kodachi translated just as the avatar of the Blue
Dragon opened her mouth to explain further. Moeru, thunder
stolen, muttered about presumptious mortals. Kodachi merely
looked superior in return.

"Demon form?" Ryoga questioned. "Is she going to turn into
a giant cat or something?"

"Exactly, Ryoga-sama," Kodachi beamed, obviously pleased.
"I knew you were brighter than everyone believed."

"Thanks... I think," Ryoga replied hesitantly.

Ranma, of course, wasn't even listening to the byplay.
Instead his mind had seized upon the one relevant word in
the whole conversation. "A c-c-cat?"

"Well, yes, Ranma-sama," Kodachi affirmed. "After all, she
is the offspring of a Cat Demon, just as you are."

Ranma bashed his head against a nearby concrete pillar in
frustration. "Great. Just great. Three things I absolutely
hate: cold water, cats, and tomboys - and they're all gonna
be-- Wait!" He stopped, then brightened. "No tomboys."

---

Akane was polishing a piece of steel that had been in her
family for generations: her mother's katana. For all that
the Tendos had traditionally been wielders of the spear,
the ancient blade was due a position of respect as the
carrier of the family name.

There were legends about the sword, she knew, but
unfortunately her mother had not passed them down to any of
them. Father was still incapable of facing the blade
without breaking down and weeping, though he did that about
nearly everything these days.

Life had held still for him and, increasingly, it seemed
the same way for her as well. School hadn't been a major
factor in her planning over the past few days. Her father
had written notes for them which might last a few more
days. However, demons attempting to kill my family didn't
really cut it as an excuse with the school examination board.

Akane sighed and slid the polished blade into the
lacquered scabbard. There was nearly an hour to go before
they had to leave. Something nagged at her and she frowned.
What was it? She could hear the wind blowing outside, a
soft shrieking that set her hair on end. The tick of the
clock on the mantelpiece resounded in the room's silence...
that was it!

She leapt up, aghast. It was far too quiet. With Ranma and
the gang around, there was typically as much noise as a
demolition crew. That meant-- Akane slammed out of her room
and pounded up the hallway to Ranma's room. The door was
closed, but a quick kick flung that barrier open.

Akane strode in... to an empty room.

"Don't panic," she whispered to herself. "He could be
somewhere else in the house." But inside she knew it was
too late.

Ranma had gone.

---

"It's a trap!" Ryoga said sharply as they crossed the
barrier.

"Well, jeeze, P-chan, we know that." Ranma snorted
inelegantly. "That's why we're here."

"No, I mean it's a real trap. Over there." He pointed at
the ground before them, near the entrance to the Tower.
"I've seen it before - at Kaminari shrine. It was that
lightning beast, Raiha."

The ground shook in reply to Ryoga's announcement. Chunks
of rock and earth flew in all directions before an almighty
explosion shattered the garden plot. The group jumped back
hastily, wincing as rubble and flowers pelted them. Ryoga
blinked away dirt and tears as an star-bright, electric-
blue mass heaved itself from the crater.

The light from the mass threw shadows all around. Ryoga
squinted into the azure luminance as the figure shimmered
into a familiar form: a massive wolf of crackling
lightning. There was a roar of static in the air, and small
bolts leapt from Raiha to ground themselves in the
tormented earth.

"So, mortals, we meet again." The blue wolf's bass rumble
shivered the air. "Shukumaru has commanded your deaths.
Come forth and perish."

Ranma strode forward, but Ryoga caught his arm. "Wait,
Ranma. This is my fight! You guys go on and leave him to me."

"What, Ryoga? We can take him and then--"

Ryoga shook his head. "Come on, Ranma. All that bull
before about midnight being the end of the ritual. You
haven't the faintest, have you? That's why you came early."

Ranma flashed him a tight grin. "Don't die on me, Ryoga.
Akane'd kill me if you did."

Kodachi drew near and kissed him on his cheek. "Truly you
make a fitting husband for a Devil Hunter, Ryoga-sama. Best
him quickly and join us above."

Ryoga chuckled, a little hollowly, as Ranma and the others
circled warily around the monstrous form of Raiha. The wolf
seemed content to let them pass as Ryoga faced him
squarely. He cracked his knuckles in preparation, sending
explosives echoes into the night. "You hurt Akane at the
Thunder Shrine, demon. I'll make you pay for that."

"Come and die then, mortal."

Ryoga leapt in.

---

"She's further up," Moeru called as they climbed the steel
lattice of Tokyo Tower. The avatar of Seiryu was shivering
heavily in the inclement weather. She sneezed again, then
muttered something inaudibly.

The wind whistled past, howling nameless threats at those
who defied it. Ranma refused to look down at where Ryoga
was no doubt battling for his life. <Stay alive, Ryoga.> He
unlocked his grip on the steel bar beside him and launched
himself up another ten meters. Hands darted and feet
stabbed painfully into the metal to purchase a new balance
amid the shrieking gusts.

Moeru was doing well, finding a steady pace in climbing
the Tower, girder by girder. Her height lent her a
considerable reach which made things relatively easier.
Kodachi was having the easiest time of all of them, her
Soul Lash wrapping around each successive girder to swing
her up and around.

They had nearly reached the Main Observation Deck. This
would have to be navigated by crawling across its base
while fighting the pull of gravity on a perpendicular body.
<Akane'd never have made it.> He reached for the first grip.

---

<Ryoga vs. Raiha scene.>

---

Groaning, Ranma swung himself over the edge of the
Observation Deck and onto the roof. Snow still blanketed
his view, dropping in a chiaroscuro of whirling shadows.
Moeru and Kodachi clambered up beside him to stand blinking
in the darkness. Ranma heaved himself upright, fighting the
pulling wind and trotted forward.

"Wait, Ranma," Moeru warned. "There is a familiar presence
here."

A bolt of ice screamed forth from the darkness to shatter
on the roof as the three of them flung themselves aside.
Moeru staggered up and called a flame to the palm of her
hand. The brightness illuminated a figure in deathly white.

"Shimoyake."

"Well, well, the eternal dragon returns at last. How have
you been, Moeru?" The voice of Kori Otome was brittle as
ice. "Still as arrogant as ever?"

"Still the yapping frost bitch, aren't you?" Moeru
returned. "First, you failed the father, and now you've
been beaten by the daughter. How humiliating for you."

"Silence!" Shimoyake hurled a lance of scintillating ice
forward.

Moeru countered with a bolt of red flames. Inimical forces
met with an explosion that rivaled celestial thunder. She
wove a shield of fire to block frozen daggers, then thrust
forth a blazing tornado that melted her target. A huge hole
yawned in the central column of Tokyo Tower, exposing the
main elevator shaft.

Ranma and Kodachi gaped at her.

Moeru growled, "Go! I'll keep her busy."

She covered their run, circling her adversary with barrier
held in place. She collapsed it as soon as she felt it
drawing on her vital essence. It was just too cold.
Shimoyake had had far too long to set up her battlefield.
All the advantages lay with her opponent.

It was a question of lasting as long as she could. Even as
she recognized the danger facing her, the weather changed
for the worst, falling snow hardening into hailstones.
Moeru dodged as best she could, conserving her energy. She
fueled a shred of flame, then drew the chill air to fan it
into a wave of orange heat.

Moeru forced the flaming wave outward, rolling over the
icy roof to smash into a wall of white ice. The fire clawed
futilely at the uncaring wall, melted ice reforming almost
at once in the cold. The fiery wave ebbed, red-gold tongues
flickering to die in the night.

As the last of the flame died, the wall crumbled away to
reveal Shimoyake, lips curled into a cruel, satisfied
smirk. "They can run, Moeru, but I will catch them."

Moeru set her shoulders. "First, you'll have to get past
me."

---

Ranma and Kodachi leapt from wall to wall, springboarding
off the vertical surfaces to climb the empty elevator
shaft. Kodachi used her Soul Lash as an aid to anchor her
to a point above. Leaping to-and-fro over gaping emptiness,
three hundred meters above a messy demise, was pure madness
without support - or Cat Demon reflexes, like Ranma
possessed.

She might be a trifle exuberant, but that was a far cry
from full-fledged insanity. Nothing triggered her demon
sense, but Kodachi still felt uneasy. Surely Shukumaru
would not leave herself unprotected - or could she be so
confident about the outcome?

Only that uneasiness saved her as a jet of steaming water
spurted past. Kodachi twisted left, hand catching the lip
of a protruding support girder. Across the shaft, she saw
Ranma hurl himself into a corner barely avoiding a rush of
icy water. She cast a desperate glance up into the shadows
and saw nothing. No silhouettes, no motion, nothing at
which to strike.

A cheery, infantile female voice rang out, echoes drowning
the source of the sound. "Look, brother! What a pair of
agile rats we've caught."

"So I see, Oyuhime. Shame about these things, you know."
Someone tapped an insistent tink, tink, tink against the
metallic wall of the shaft. "Only twenty feet across. I'm
guessing I can fill that up completely. What do you think,
sister?"

Kodachi's eyes widened. She clung desperately to her
handhold and the Soul Lash as a torrent of cold water
blasted down the vertical passage. The icy deluge soaked
her to the skin and shocked her system, leaving her gasping.

It was followed two seconds later by a falling wall of
boiling water. Kodachi closed her eyes desperately and
fought back a scream as the heat scalded her exposed skin.
Then it was another icy blast, and then a blistering wave
of heat, and on and on.

Water, merely water, but Kodachi never realized what a
hatred one could develop for something so ordinarily
pleasant and useful. Her eyes snapped open as Ranma
screamed, a tortured cry that held more than a touch of
despair. There! She tracked a hand that was descending all
too rapidly in the freezing waterfall.

She launched herself without even thinking, grabbing the
outstretched hand, and steeling herself as the full weight
nearly ripped her arms out. The Soul Lash held, as she knew
it would, and she reached the peak of her arc and swung
into the backspin with an appalled realization.

The launching pad - a solid metal surface - came up
abruptly. Kodachi and Ranma slammed into the wall with near
bone-breaking force.

"Ahhh!" Kodachi spat blood from a cut lip, and tried to
fight the pain that shot through her body. "R-Ranma, can
you find any purchase?! Ranma?" She looked down--

--and the pig-tailed girl looked back up, dazed, with pain-
filled eyes. Kodachi tightened her grip involuntarily which
was fortunate as her first instinct was to let go. Then the
next wall of falling water burned her back. Kodachi blinked
and found herself holding Ranma. She stared in disbelief
and growing horror.

"What!?" Cold water fell and the pig-tailed girl returned.
Kodachi could feel the change as the hand in her own palm
transformed and the weight in her grasp grew or lessened.
Hot water, cold water, hot, cold, hot, cold. Ranma screamed
again as the changes came rapidly, far, far too rapidly.

"K-Kodachi, I can't take much m-more," the pig-tailed girl
gasped out.

Kodachi shook her head. It wasn't Ranma, it couldn't be
Ranma. She must have lost it completely, just like her
mother. That was it. A giggle escaped her.

"Kodachi!"

The voice echoed commandingly. Kodachi looked down again,
compelled. Ranma was male once more; strange how she'd
missed that last wave of water. She hadn't felt it at all.

"Kodachi, look at me! I'm gonna try something."

She looked. Ranma tried to smile at her, but it came out
as a tired, tormented grimace. It was the eyes that struck
her. So blue, so bright, so like the pig-tailed girl's. Why
had she never noticed? And now a living flame arose in
them, pure and devastating.

"Close your eyes." She did, and her last sight was of his
arm stretching past her. "MOERU!"

Flames rushed past, filling the elevator shaft, rushing up
to eagerly consume anything in its path. Screams resounded
above and a final wave of water struck them. It was
strangely gentle and tepid in temperature, soothing to skin
red and aching.

She couldn't seem to react to anything. Not even when
Ranma clambered past her, not even when he pulled her to a
metal lip in the vertical passage to rest.

"Kodachi, listen to me. Those two, they ain't dead. I just
scared them off." He shook her gently. "Come on, Kodachi.
You saved me, back then. Don't do this no--"

Her hand whipped across to slap his face. "Then go, Ranma!
What are you waiting for? I shall defeat these monsters
when they return."

"Kodachi--"

She raised her hand warningly, and he shook his head.

"--I'm sorry."

Then he was gone, bounding up towards his goal. Kodachi
watched as he disappeared into the darkness and shook her
Soul Lash rigid, the reformed tip of the Spear of Fuma
glinting in the poor light. She spoke soflty to the waiting
night. "Come out, my little water devils. I intend to repay
my pain a thousand-fold."

Her tears fell unnoticed to mingle with the puddle of
dirty water at her feet.

---

The elevator doors were invitingly open.

Ranma flung himself up and through, spinning a full circle
before landing in a low crouch, right hand slapping the
floor to absorb the impact. His eyes darted towards the
figure waiting no more than ten meters in front.

Shukumaru.

A black mist surrounded her pale form on the Special
Observation Deck of Tokyo Tower. Even as Ranma watched,
Shukumaru turned her gaze from the brilliant sight of the
Tokyo nightscape. The mist turned with her. It shifted and
coallesced, drifted and collapsed. A face, vaguely feline,
formed and snarled at him.

Ranma shuddered.

Blue eyes, so like his, stared into his own. Shukumaru's
eyes held... victory? Ranma frowned as the slightest smile
etched lips painted a pale white.

"At last you've arrived, Ranma." Shukumaru licked her
lips, tongue flicking delicately. "I've awaited this moment
ever since I awoke. My spell of manifestation is nearly
complete, save for a single element: the blood of an
Accursed One, touched by the Waters of Transformation -
Jusenkyo!" Shukumaru paused, face aglow with the light of
triumph.

"Your blood, dear brother."

---

Author's Notes:

1) The last scene explains why Ryoga was chased by the
oni, Hiwai Oushi, in the starting scene of Chapter 1 of
Awakening. Only took me about 11 chapters to get around to
providing the reason. :)




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