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-- File: sod1.txt
Son of the Demon:
By Son Ranma
Chapter 1:
Birthrights, Heritage, and a Mother's Love
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Ranma or Gargoyles. They belong to Viz and
Disney respectively. Don't sue me because you'll just get lint for your
troubles.
Thoughts- <>
Telepathy- ~~
Panda Signs- //
Chinese- {}
English/Japanese- []
A.N.- Unless otherwise noted the language spoken in the "" depends on the
country. If they are in America they will speak English. If they are in
Japan, they will speak Japanese. So Japanese and English will be denoted by
the same marks but it will just depend on where they are. Also unless
otherwise noted this story takes place in the year 1997.
@@Manhattan@@
On the roof of Nightstone, a lone figure howled for all Manhattan to hear.
Demona, the outcast gargoyle, was on her knees with her head thrown back and
tears running down her face. She had just relived the memories of her life
with Genma Saotome and her angel, her joy, her light, her Son, Ranma. They
had overwhelmed her with their intensity and clarity. <Not again. First
Angela and now Ranma. I lost yet another child.> She began to pound the
rooftop as her cries echoed once again.
Elisa Maza was driving by the Nightstone building when she heard the loud
roar of a gargoyle. And seeing as she knew only one gargoyle that would be
in the area of Nightstone Unlimited, she pulled over and check her .44
before getting out and heading for the entrance. She pulled out the radio
she habitually wore and started trying to raise Goliath and Clan Manhattan.
"Hey Goliath," she began. "Come in. I need you down at the Nightstone
building." She awaited a response but got nothing but static in return.
"Great time for the radio to go out." She sighed before heading into the
building. She bypassed the security desk in the lobby and headed straight
for the elevators. "If Demona's got any of the guys on the roof, she's gonna
answer to me." She hopped onto the elevator and rode it to the roof access
staircase. Another loud roar resounded from the roof as she rushed up the
stairs. She kicked open the door and peeked out onto the roof. All she saw
was Demona kneeling on the roof with her head tossed back. Elisa's eyes
widened as she walked over to Demona. <What's with her? She doesn't even
seem to notice me.> She heard Demona mention a name. <Who's Ranma? And what
he did to her to get this reaction from her?>
"Ranma," Demona began. "Why? Why must another of my children be taken from
me? First Angela is taken by that damn, Goliath, and now, some weird woman
takes Ranma, away from me! I want my children back!" She hit the rooftop a
few more times before she heard a crunching sound from immediately behind
her. She whipped around in time to spot Elisa stopping a few feet from her
position. "YOU! WHY MUST I SEE YOU NOW!" Her eyes blazed blood red as she
rose to her feet and began to advance on Elisa.
Elisa backtracked and whipped her gun into a steady position as Demona
began to advance on her. "If you weren't roaring so loud," she replied.
"Maybe I wouldn't be here. Half of Manhattan could hear you screaming." Her
gun never wavered in the slightest as Demona kept advancing on her. "Don't
make me do this Demona." She tensed on the trigger slightly and prepared for
the worst.
Demona stopped walking as she looked at Elisa with her new memories rapidly
playing through her mind. <I want to kill her. I want to rip her apart limb
from limb but something's stopping me. What can it be?> "So is that all you
are here for Detective?" Demona asked. "Because if it is, I want you off
this roof and out of my building. This is still private property and I have
no desire to see you on it."
Elisa took a quick look around before dropping her gun to her side. "Fine,
Demona," she replied. "I'll leave. Just try to keep the noise down before I
take you down for disturbing the peace." She started backing away when she
caught sight of the small hand mirror on the roof. Elisa blinked as the
world around her went gray. "What happened? Where am I?" Instead of the
familiar Manhattan skyline, she saw Japanese style houses. She looked around
and her eyes widened in disbelief. A black haired young man was hopping from
roof to roof as easily as she walked down the street. He was wearing a red
Chinese shirt with rolled up sleeves and black pants. His black hair was
done in a pigtail and with the smile he had on his face he looked like he
was experiencing true freedom. It reminded her of a smile she had seen
somewhere before. Another black haired young man with a yellow bandanna was
following him, waving around a red bamboo umbrella, and yelling something
she couldn't make out. A purple haired young woman was behind the umbrella
carrier. She was carrying what looked like beach balls on sticks and was
extremely healthy in certain 'assets'. Elisa turned just in time to see a
woman wearing a yellow gi rush straight at her. The young woman, with short
bluish black hair, was carrying a huge wooden mallet. Elisa prepared to move
out of the way but her body refused to move an inch. She closed her eyes and
braced herself as the young woman ran straight into her. She heard a cry of
'RANMA NO BAKA!' then nothing.
Demona watched as Elisa froze then collapsed onto the roof. Before she even
considered what she was doing, she had rushed over to Elisa and checked her
pulse. She let out a sigh of relief when she found it was strong and steady.
<I can't believe it. Elisa Maza fainted. Unbelievable.> Then she noticed
what she was doing and shook her head. <Why am I so concerned about this
human? I hate all humans. All humans...except Ranma. My angel.> She picked
up the hand mirror Titania left her and walked to the edge of the roof. She
heard Elisa groan as she regained consciousness.
"Jalepno," Elisa stated. "Who was the lady in yellow that hit me? And what's
Ranma no baka mean?"
Demona turned and looked at Elisa hard. "What did you just say?" she asked.
"What was that name you just said?" She rushed over to Elisa and snatched
her from the ground by an arm. She began to apply pressure as her eyes
blazed red. "Tell me what you just said, detective. Before I do something
you'll regret."
Elisa struggled for a second before looking Demona in the face. She saw an
image she had seen many times since the start of her police career. The look
of a hysterical mother that was desperate for reassurances that their child
was alive and well. It was a look she had seen on Demona's face few times.
"I said what does Ranma no baka mean," she replied. She watched as Demona
stopped completely. <Wait a minute. Ranma no baka? Wasn't Demona mentioning
this Ranma name earlier? Something's going on here.> "And who's Ranma
anyway? He sure seems important to you." She watched as Demona came back to
her senses to snarl at her.
"That detective is none of your...," Demona began. She stopped as she heard
the familiar whoosh caused by a gargoyle gliding. She turned just in time to
get hit with a huge purple fist. She fell back while still maintaining her
grip on Elisa, while dropping the hand mirror. "Goliath!"
The huge purple leader of Clan Manhattan advanced forward with his eyes
glowing white. "Release Elisa now, Demona," he stated in his deep voice.
More whooshing was heard behind him as two more members of Clan Manhattan
landed on the roof prepared to do battle for their human companion. "I will
not allow you to hurt Elisa this night."
A brick red colored gargoyle with white hair crouched down and snarled
lightly. "Demona," he stated. Brooklyn was still disgusted with Demona from
the time she had tricked him. He lead Goliath to a garden, where Demona had
let loose a spell that turned Goliath into a slave to whoever had the
Archmage's spell book. She then ran off with the book and the counter spell.
Luckily for Clan Manhattan, Brooklyn was able to recover the page with the
spell and Elisa was able to break the spell with quick thinking. It was a
credit to Goliath's forgiving nature that he was able to see past that
incident and make Brooklyn his second in command.
"Mother," a young female light purple skinned gargoyle stated. "Will you
never change your ways? Why must you always hate the humans so?"
Demona looked at the female gargoyle and her body seemed to convey her
sadness. "Angela," she stated. She looked between Elisa, Angela, and Goliath
before coming to a simple decision. "You want your precious detective? Fine!
Take her!" Demona lifted Elisa enough so she could toss her directly at
Goliath. "But before you blame me for anything, you might want to ask your
'precious' detective if she was here against her will." With those words she
ran to the roof's edge and leapt from it. Her wings caught a wind current
and she glided off. "And do not let me catch your presence on my roof when I
return Goliath."
Goliath cradled Elisa in his arms as he and the rest of the clan watched
Demona fly off. "Are you all right?" he asked gently. "Did Demona do
anything to you before we arrived?"
"No I'm alright, Goliath," she replied. "But something was affecting Demona.
She was crying for someone named Ranma when I got here." Elisa gestured to
be set down on her feet. <I got to get a closer look at that mirror.> The
sounds of a helicopter suddenly resounded through the air and Elisa looked
up in time to spot a NYPD patrol chopper bearing down onto the Nightstone
building. "Looks like we got company guys. You guys go ahead and take off.
I'll deal with this."
Goliath nodded and led the way to the roof's edge. "Will we see you again,
Elisa?" he asked. He got his answer when Elisa rushed into his arms and
planted a deep kiss on him. With a fond smile for the woman that had
captured his heart, he opened his wings and leapt off the building followed
by his daughter and second in command.
Elisa watched them fly off for a few seconds before rushing back to the
hand mirror and picking it up. "Now what are you exactly?" she mused aloud.
"I know Demona didn't do whatever it was that happened to me." She tucked
the mirror into the back of her pants as she turned and waved as the
spotlight from the chopper trained on her. <I just hope I can figure out how
this thing works.> She left the rooftop and headed for her car. So intent
was she on her thoughts that she missed seeing the mirror glow momentarily.
@@Nerima, Japan@@
It was the start of another typical day in Nerima. An two foot tall,
shriveled, old man, clad in a purple ninja outfit and carrying a huge bag
three times his size, was stealing women's underwear and molesting the women
themselves. His loud cries of 'Sweeto' and 'Panties' resounded loudly
throughout the district. As usual, Happosai, the grandmaster of the Anything
Goes School of Martial Arts, was exercising and practicing his favorite
pastime. Panty snatching and female molestation. He was followed by a horde
of women wielding weapons of pervert destruction. His flight carried him by
the Nekohaten, the local Chinese restaurant. A purple haired woman stuck her
head out of her bedroom window and glared at the old man. She muttered
something about perverts and mornings before going back into her room. Down
the street from the Nekohaten, Ucchan's, the local okonomiyaki shop, opened
its doors. The owner, clad in her usual purple top and black tights with her
long chestnut hair in a ponytail held by a white ribbon, stepped outside and
watched as the old man ran by cackling. She shook her head and went back
inside for a few minutes. Her loud scream preceded her running out of her
store holding a giant spatula. She yelled something about pervert
okonomiyaki and joined the chase.
A young man clad in a red Chinese shirt and black pants watched the
procession as it continued down the street. The fact he was currently
standing on a rooftop didn't seem to matter to people walking down the
street. His black pigtail flapped gently in the wind as his blue eyes
narrowed slightly. He raised his arms so his hands were in front of his
chest. Each hand cupped slightly and blue streams of light flickered from
hand to hand like contained lightning. The blue glow became stronger and
raced up his arms until his forearms were covered by the glow as well. He
thrust his hands out and roared as a beam of blue energy flew from his
hands. The blast hit the ground right in front of the old man and erupted.
The huge burst of energy knocked the old man back while concrete chunks flew
from the impact area to collide against his body. The women chasing him ran
up and waved to the man on the rooftop. He smiled as they commenced to beat
the snot out of the old man.
The woman from Ucchan's looked up at the man and smiled. "Morning, Ranchan,"
she called out as she waved. "Nice aim with that ki blast. Thanks for the
help stopping him." She sheathed her giant spatula, rummaged through the old
man's bag quickly for her bra, and then leaped onto the roof where her
friend was. "How are you doing today?" She gave him a quick hug before
turning to look at where the old pervert continued to get his beating. Ukyo
Kunoji had resided in Nerima for five years and each day there seemed to be
something different and new happening. Of course, most of this could be
attributed to the young man by her side.
"Fine, Ucchan," he replied. "Nice to see you." The man, better known to the
Nerima community and the martial arts world as Ranma Saotome, master and
heir to the Saotome School of Martial Arts, as well as the man cursed to
turn into a red haired woman due to Jusenkyou, snorted as the old man yelled
something about his revenge. "Damn Happosai. Always up to no good." He
walked to the edge of the roof and hopped off as easily as one hops off a
cinder block. He waited for his friend Ucchan and started to walk towards
her restaurant. He watched her out of the corner of his eye and smiled
lightly. <I'm glad, Ucchan, took my advice to heart. I'm also glad to have
my best friend back instead of trying to marry me all the time.> Ranma
remembered when Ukyo used to dress as a guy all the time. Nowadays, she
still had the tendency to dress in a fashion similar to a guy but she
overrode the image by choosing clothes that made her feminity very apparent.
And her body had filled out making her even more devastatingly cute. Ranma
also made sure she knew it by telling her often. She was his best friend and
he only wished for the best for her. Even though he wasn't going to be an
active part of her life by marrying her, he still made sure she was well
aware she was appreciated and loved. His mind wandered as she was talking
and he only restarted to pay attention when she popped him on his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Gee, Ranchan," she began. "Guess I don't have to ask if you were paying
attention." She took a closer look at his face and frowned slightly. "What's
wrong, Ranchan? You look like something the dog dragged in."
Ranma looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a few weeks. Bags
were under his eyes and his face was kind of haggard. "I've been havin' some
weird dreams," Ranma replied. "Not ta mention that tomboy's been gettin' on
my case again." He breathed out heavily as he noticed his speech reverting
back to his pattern from his high school days. Ranma had worked long and
hard in college to overcome his rough speech patterns and he hated to see
himself revert to it at anytime. <I always seem to do this when I am either
worried about something or severely stressed about something. Mom's bugging
me to marry Akane. Pop's bugging me to marry Akane, take care of him so he
can retire and live off my sweat and hard work, and clean up all his damn
mistakes. Soun's bugging me to marry Akane and take care of his damn dojo
and his daughter. Akane's bugging me to marry her. That is when she isn't
clobbering me with that fucking mallet. Shit! My life truly sucks.> He
looked at Ukyo in time to see her stop and snort.
"Dammit, Ranchan!" she hollered. "When will you stop letting Akane take
advantage of you?" Ukyo may have lost the chance to have Ranma for a husband
but she still cared enough about her friend that anything that hurt him was
definitely going to pay her in full. That especially included the youngest
Tendo daughter, Akane Tendo.
"Ucchan," he began. "Let's not have this discussion right now okay? It's too
early and I'm too tired. Not to mention every time we do talk about Akane,
you get so worked up that you attack her the very next time you see her."
The last time Akane had shown up after she had belted Ranma with her
infamous mallet, Ukyo had yanked her giant spatula off the wall behind her
grill and charged at Akane. Akane never had the chance to raise a fist in
her defense before Ukyo had simply belted her through her restaurant's roof
with a cry of 'AKANE NO BAKA!'. That was the first time Ranma had ever seen
someone else pull off Akane's usual method of attack. Of course the next
time Akane had spotted him, she blamed him for the attack and demanded to
know why he didn't do anything about it. Ranma shook his head as he
remembered Ukyo's expression and words afterwards when she saw Akane next.
She had practically started foaming at the mouth as she told Akane where she
could put her mallet, attitude, and treatment of Ranma. Then she banned
Akane from stepping foot inside her restaurant and told her in no uncertain
terms that if she hit Ranma because he was there, her best option was to be
on the next train out of town when Ukyo came looking for her. Of course,
Akane being Akane, wasn't going to allow anyone to tell her what to do as
far as Ranma was concerned, Ranma himself included. She attacked Ranma twice
in Ukyo's presence and those were the last two times she had ever did that
again. Ukyo had waited until she knocked Ranma out or away from the area
before administering beatings on Akane that nearly rivaled anything the
pigtailed man had ever unleashed upon any of his vast enemies himself. She
then booted Akane into LEO and proceeded to care for Ranma.
"Sorry, Ranchan," she replied. "But I can't stand how she treats you. I
didn't like it then and I don't like it now. I'm just better prepared to
deal with it now. Besides, it's her own fault for not training harder while
she was at university." <That and the fact I got the best sensei in all of
Nerima to teach me when we both wound up at the same university ourselves.>
Ranma and Ukyo had attended university together and had some of the same
classes together. While Ukyo had majored in business classes, Ranma had
majored in physical education and education with a minor in business. Akane
on the other hand had opted to study theater with a minor in physical
education. And her time apart from Ranma saw that she used her martial arts
less and less as the years went by, while Ranma, and Ukyo by default, got
into fight after fight and battle after battle. Ranma had even defeated
Ukyo's father when he had come looking for revenge. The conditions he had
asked for where met and Ukyo was now registered on her clan's roster as a
female. Everytime she thought about what Ranma had done for her she smiled.
*****Flashback*****
Ranma and Ukyo were walking across campus talking about the day they had
both had when four spatulas flew at Ranma's head. Ranma pushed Ukyo away
while he leaped high in the air to avoid the projectiles. Ukyo rolled and
retook her feet while whipping out some of her own spatulas and looking for
the attacker. Ranma, however, had already spotted the person and charged a
small ki ball before releasing it at the attacker's position. "Mouko
Takabisha!" he cried out as the ball shot away from him quickly. The
attacker leapt away from the ki ball but that put him in the position of
being caught off guard by Ukyo's thrown spatulas. The attacker quickly
raised a huge object in his hands and deflected three spatulas but the
fourth spatula whizzed by his head and cut some cloth. He landed in the
light and smiled grimly.
"Dad!" Ukyo cried out. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed slightly
as she took in his appearance. "And what's with attacking me and Ranchan
like that?" She watched her dad carefully as Ranma walked up behind her. He
seemed to be restraining himself from attacking Ranma with her in the way.
Akira Kunoji looked at Ranma and growled. "I'm here ta make him pay for
what he did ta ya Ukyo," he replied. "Now move outta da way." He lifted his
giant spatula up and crouched down slightly. "Prepare ta pay for what ya
hav' done, boy."
Ukyo stood in front of Ranma and spread her arms open. "No," she stated.
"If you want Ranchan so bad you're going to have to go through me, you
jackass." She felt hands on her shoulders and looked up in surprise as Ranma
gently but firmly moved her out of the way. "Ranchan?"
"It's all right Ucchan," he said. "I've been waiting for this." He smiled at
her before turning back to Akira and frowning. "You're after the wrong
person. I'm not the one who made the agreement with ya. Ya should be looking
for my old man."
"I did, boy," Akira replied. "He told me ya chose ta ignore yer obligations
and run off with my cart."
Ranma snorted and narrowed his eyes slightly. "You mean to tell me you
believe a six year old knew something about marriages and fiancees?" he
asked with a snort. "There's no way I believe anyone but Pop is that damn
dumb." He crossed his arms and glared at Akira. "Don't try that with me. But
I have a real problem with what you did to Ucchan after we left. What father
in his right mind is going to make his daughter dress as a guy? You should
have been looking for us instead of blaming Ucchan for what happened." Ranma
uncrossed his arms and gestured to Akira. "I challenge ya, old man. I win,
ya reinstate Ucchan's womanhood and drop this grudge ya have with me. Ya win
and I'll marry Ucchan this very day. First one to admit defeat or unable to
fight anymore loses."
Ukyo let out a gasp when she heard Ranma's demands. <I knew he was angry
about the whole dressing and acting like a boy thing, but I didn't know he
was this angry. I hope he leaves my dad alive.> She watched as Ranma's
battle aura became visible and expanded outwards before being sucked back
into Ranma. <Ranchan isn't kidding around. He hardly ever flares his battle
aura anymore.> She turned to look at her dad and shook her head slightly.
<Poor dad. He just doesn't have a clue what he's getting into.> She heard
him as he agreed to the terms and prepared to battle. She then watched as
Ranma blurred, for lack of a better word, and reappeared behind her dad and
unleashed his improved amaguriken on him. She winced as the sounds of the
punches filled the air and her dad went flying across the field. <Man,
everytime I see that move it makes me sore. Ranchan really has improved.> As
she turned back to the fight she watched as Ranma rushed towards Akira and
kneed him twice before lifting him onto his feet and unleashing a vicious
four punch combination to Akira's body and face followed by a roundhouse
kick to the head, which knocked Akira up and back. He turned his head to
look at Ukyo and gestured for her to come over to him.
"He's done, Ucchan," he stated. He pointed to Akira, who was groaning
lightly, and had bruises on his face. "Sorry 'bout doing that to him." He
was scratching behind his head and grinning weakly. "Guess we better take
him to my place, huh?"
Ukyo looked at Ranma and shook her head. "Ranchan, you are a horrible
liar," she stated. "You are not sorry about beating him like that and you
know it." She sighed as Ranma dropped his eyes to the ground before stooping
to lift her dad up. "Help me get this jackass to your place will ya?" She
turned her head slightly and looked at Ranma. "Oh and Ranchan?" She waited
till he lifted his eyes to her and she smiled. "Thanks for doing that for
me. It was great the way you kicked his ass like that."
*****End Flashback*****
When Akira had reawakened, Ranma demanded that he honor the terms of their
duel. Akira looked at Ranma and Ukyo and asked for one favor. When Ranma
asked what he wanted, Akira simply stated that he wanted Ranma to always
take of his daughter Ukyo as he had that day. Ranma nodded and replied that
wasn't something he had to even ask. But to settle some of Akira's problems,
Ranma agreed to undergo the training for the Kunoji style as long as Ukyo
agreed to undergo the training for his school's style as well. She had never
regretted her choice that day.
With Ranma as her sensei, she had become an even better fighter. Instead of
dismissing her weapon skills as lowly, Ranma had began to incorporate what
she already knew with his school's abilities. Her hand to hand fighting
experience shot up higher as did her speed, agility, and adaptability. She
could finally get her battle aura to become visible and she was also finally
able to emulate Ranma's first chi attack, the Mouko Takabisha. She wasn't
able to do his new ki version of it but the fact she could gather her
confidence and use it as an offensive weapon made her happy. Her leaping
increased until she could easily leap onto the roof of a three story house
and her midair combat skill was increased to the point she could hang in the
air for forty seconds and exchange punches and kicks from the apex of her
leap until she landed. Soon, she became stronger until she surpassed Akane's
raw strength. Then finally one day, she reached the level Ranma himself had
been when he had beat a Chinese prince named Herb. Ranma made sure she knew
he was proud of every achievement she made as he trained her. And she
enjoyed the praise he heaped upon her, as well as the pride he took when he
told people he had trained her. Ukyo was Ranma's first student and she did
everything in her power to make sure people knew Ranma Saotome was one hell
of a martial artist and sensei.
And when she taught Ranma her art not only was she impressed she was
absolutely amazed. Ranma picked up on movements and patterns within her
style so quickly that she had a hard time believing he had never practiced
it before. He did admit that the main reason he had an easy time with it was
he had watched her practice it enough. As time progressed, Ranma was able to
whip out okonomiyaki as easily as water flowing down a stream. His throwing
accuracy with the handheld spatulas was nothing less than phenomenal. And
when he wielded a giant spatula, Ukyo had no question that he could use it
as easily as he used his arms and feet. He had even developed a technique
that allowed the spatula to become surrounded with a ki field as he hurled
it at a target. All in all, Ranma became a prime example of the devastating
power of the Kunoji School.
<There have been so many changes around here.> Ukyo looked at Ranma from the
corner of her eye and had a hard time seeing the six year old boy she had
played with or the sixteen year old boy she had fallen in love with when she
came to Nerima for her vengeance. Like Ukyo, Ranma had filled out. His
shoulders were broader now and his face lost all the baby fat it ever had on
it. And his cursed form had grown as well. Instead of being a short,
voluptuous red haired girl, Ranma-chan had filled out fully. Her assets had
gotten bigger while she had grown a good six to seven inches in height. Her
body had filled out so instead of looking like a super powered martial
artist, she looked like a supermodel. <And here's yet another change from
the old days.> She watched as Cologne bounced up to Ranma with her
great-granddaughter, Shampoo, in tow. "Hey Elder," she said with a wave to
Cologne. "Heya, cheap Xena knock-off." This was tossed to Shampoo with a
wide grin.
Shampoo returned the grin and waved back. "Nihao, Ranma," she stated.
"Hello, you wannabe Gabrielle." She shook her head at Ukyo and snorted. "No
matter what Ranma and I teach you, you are still a pitiful excuse for an
amazon." The voluptuous purple haired amazon princess grinned as she leapt
towards Ranma with her arms wide open. "How are you this morning, brother?"
As she expected Ranma avoided the hug altogether.
"Hey Shamchan," he replied. "It's been one of those weeks." He turned to
Cologne and smiled lightly. "Hey old grandghoul. Still alive and kicking are
we? Absolutely amazing that you still seem to age even more. Are those new
wrinkles on your forehead or what?" He started laughing as he dodged
Cologne's staff as it lashed out at him rapidly.
Cologne snorted and shook her head at her adopted grandson's antics.
"Whatever am I to do with such an unruly grandson?" she asked aloud. "Why
has fate given me such a curse I wonder?" She turned to face Ukyo and
Shampoo as they began to giggle at her statements. "How are you today, young
amazon?"
"Just fine elder," Ukyo replied. "Are we still having a training session
tonight?" <Never thought me or Ranchan would ever be considered part of the
Amazon nation. Or that Shampoo would ever speak with pronouns.> She mentally
chuckled as she remembered the past antics of her 'family' in the past.
*****Flashback*****
It was a rainy night in Nerima and Ranma and Ukyo were practicing in the
Tendo Dojo as they usually did when they came home on break from university.
Kasumi was also in the dojo reading one of her medical books and taking
notes. Nabiki was back to her favorite pastime of photography and was
watching the sparring with keen interest.
"So now you hit girls, Saotome?" Nabiki asked. Her brown hair was still
short but instead of being in its usual helmet style, Nabiki had it tucked
into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She was currently wearing a pair
of tight cutoff shorts and a t-shirt that exposed her stomach. Her hands
were holding a state of the art camcorder as she recorded what she could of
the match. "Ooh, nice kick, Saotome. Nice to see you still have it." She
placed the camcorder down and used the camera hanging from her neck to snap
a picture of Ukyo draped over a rafter. Then she kicked her camcorder into
her hands just in time to catch Ukyo crashing into the floor. "That looked
like it really hurt." Nabiki had her usual 'I got one over on you' smirk as
she began to replay the image of Ukyo falling from the rafter.
Kasumi looked up at Ukyo and smiled. "Why thank you, Ranma-kun," she began.
"I really wanted to try these new techniques I've learned this past
semester." She stood up and fixed her long skirt before flipping her long
brown hair back over her shoulder. Instead of her usual ponytail, Kasumi had
let it all hang loose. She walked over to the Ukyo and jabbed a few places
in her stomach area before gently massaging it for a few minutes. "How do
you feel now Ukyo-chan?"
"Just fine Kasumi," Ukyo replied. "I doubt anyone could have done that any
better." She smiled at Kasumi right before she was booted across the dojo
and imbedded into a wall. "Dammit, Ranchan! That hurt!" She leaped at Ranma
and the two began to exchange punches again. A flash burst into existence
and Ukyo was sent flying into a wall again. She dropped to the ground and
prepared to rush at Ranma when she heard some shouting coming towards the
dojo. "What's that?" She caught sight of Ranma heading for the door and
caught a sign from him that meant, 'Stay here. Protect dojo and
inhabitants.'
Ranma rushed out into the rain and looked around for the source of the
shouting. Her red pigtail bounced as she leaped onto the dojo's roof. She
soon spotted an old woman with white hair bouncing on a cane towards the
dojo. Unforunately said woman was also attempting to fight off ten women
armed with weapons while holding a white and pink furred cat in one hand.
<Cologne's being slowed down cause she has to watch out for Shampoo. But
those look like Amazons chasing her. Must be another one of their damn laws
in effect.> She leapt into the air and whipped out a bag of specially
prepared flour. "FLOUR BOMB!" The big bag of flour exploded and covered the
armed women head to toe in super sticky flour. "That should slow them down."
Ranma hopped over the wall surrounding the Tendo property at the same time
Cologne did and rushed to the house for a kettle of hot water, while Cologne
pogoed her way to the dojo.
Ukyo watched as Cologne hopped in and gasped as she caught sight of the
ancient amazon. Her green robe had been cut in several places and her staff
was chipped and cracked. Cologne's long white hair contained spots of blood
in it, her right hand holding her staff had blood on it, and a thin trickle
of blood was running from her mouth. "What happened to you, Cologne?" Ukyo
asked. She gasped again as Shampoo was set down and a puddle of blood began
to form under the girl turned cat. "What the hell happened to Shampoo?!
What's going on?!"
As soon as Kasumi saw the elder she was moving for the first aid kit but
when she got sight of the bleeding cat, she rushed from the dojo and headed
straight for the telephone. She dialed the number for Dr. Tofu's clinic and
told him the situation. She hung up once he agreed to come over and rushed
to the kitchen. She ran right into Ranma, who handed her the kettle and the
first aid kit, and asked for towels. She headed back into the dojo mentally
preparing herself for the task before her. <Ranma hurry back. I don't think
I can do this without you.> Unknown to anybody, Ranma was the one who
pressured and forced Kasumi to go back to school. He had threatened to
demolish the entire Tendo home and dojo unless she went to school. At first
she didn't believe him, but the fact he started to fight inside the house
made her rethink his demands. Then when he began firing ki blasts at his
father and her father as well as Happosai causing them to fly through walls
and various objects around the house, she finally surrendered. Kasumi was
worried about how she would pay for university but between Ranma's
impressive fighting skills and Nabiki's unrelenting ability to make money
the two had somehow turned enough profit between the two of them to send the
three Tendo daughters and Ranma to whatever university they got accepted to
as well as pay for private housing. She had made a point of there being no
one to take care of the house. Her father agreed with her point and told
Ranma that someone was needed to care for it. Ranma, however, had countered
with 'If I blow the whole house down, no one needs to take care of it, ne,
Tendo-san?' Kasumi had taken one look at his face and readily agreed to go
to university to study whatever she desired. The look on Ranma's face had
convinced her, he would happily toss loose a Hiryuu Shouten Ha and then
pound whoever tried to make him pay for the house, her included. She settled
on a university that was affiliated with the one Ranma decided to attend.
Every weekend, Ranma would drop by her apartment and resign himself to being
her 'patient', or as he put it her 'victim'. The first time she had
practiced some of the more advanced pressure point techniques, she was so
nervous she accidentally hit a pressure point that caused Ranma to lose the
use of his legs. Ranma had sat on the floor and patiently helped her work
through her fear so she could undo the pressure point. <He's always ready to
help me and lend his strength. I hope he's willing to do it again.>
She rushed back into the dojo and looked at Cologne. "Elder can I change
her back to normal?" she asked. Getting a confirming nod from Cologne,
Kasumi poured enough hot water to change Shampoo back to normal. She quickly
assessed the injuries Shampoo had sustained and breathed a sigh of relief.
"The wounds are numerous but they don't seem that severe or deep." She took
some antiseptic from the first aid kit and began to gently clean the wounds
will hitting a few pressure points to numb the pain slightly. She gave
Cologne a smile of thanks as the elder began to gently instruct her in
pressure points that opened ki flows in the body to help accelerate healing.
<Ranma was right. I can do this if I believe I can.> Kasumi took a look at a
particular wound as she heard Shampoo's breathing begin to turn ragged and
her skin paled and winced. "Elder Cologne look at this." She pointed at the
piece of metal that was buried deeply in Shampoo's side. Kasumi shook her
head and frowned. "I don't think I'm going to be able to treat this elder.
Perhaps you should take over from here."
"I wish I could Kasumi-san," Cologne began. "Unforunately, I am unable to
fully utilize my right arm at this moment. And I do not think I will have
the time to heal it and deal with Shampoo's injuries before that Amazon hunt
party attacks again." She sighed heavily. "I fear I have failed my
granddaughter this night." She looked at Kasumi and bowed deeply. "I beseech
you Kasumi Tendo. Do what you can to help my great granddaughter. If I do
not deal with that hunt pack she will must certainly die. But if you attempt
to treat the wound with my guidance, there is a slight chance she will
survive the night."
Kasumi looked fearfully at Cologne for a few minutes before she shook her
head. "I don't think I can do it," she replied. "This is beyond what I have
studied or read. I might make a serious mistake."
"Kasumi Tendo, that sliver of metal must come out of my great
granddaughter," Cologne stated. "If it is left there SHE WILL DIE! Help her.
Please." Cologne's eyes began to tear up slightly.
Kasumi looked at Cologne then Shampoo before lowering her eyes to the
floor. <What should I do? Can I do this?> She felt strong hands on her
shoulders and lifted her head to look into a pair of glacial blue eyes. She
gulped lightly before nodding her head slightly. "I'll do my best to follow
your every instruction elder."
Cologne wiped her eyes before bowing to Kasumi again. <I can not allow them
to find out about my family's vulnerability to iron.> She sat next to Kasumi
and pointed out the pressure points that she needed to strike to make sure
Shampoo remained sleeping through the whole operation. As Kasumi struck the
spots, Cologne's left hand glowed for a brief second then a cloud of green
smoke went into Shampoo's mouth virtually undetected. <That should keep her
out for a while. I don't anyone to get suspicious when she wakes up after
Kasumi hit the proper points for induced sleep. I just hope she doesn't
fight the effects off like she did last time.> She nodded as the magic
seemed to take effect. <But how did that hunt party know to strike Shampoo
or me with cold iron?> She watched as Ranma sent Nabiki off to get a bucket
of hot water and her eyes narrowed slightly as something occurred to her.
<Of course. That bitch Nodoka. She's probably been waiting for this time so
she can screw up Mother's plans. I'll deal with her when the time comes. But
for now I must save my daughter.> She watched as Ranma helped Kasumi with
the removal of the iron shard in her side and smiled for a brief second. <I
know Mother is proud of him. But I wonder if his own mother would be as
proud of him as we are. He is a credit to gargoyles everywhere. His sense of
justice and protective nature hold true to his race even though he does not
have the form of a gargoyle.> She watched as Kasumi made a slight incision
around the shard's entry point after cleaning a knife with the hot water
Nabiki brought back. "You are doing quite well Kasumi. A little more and the
shard should be easy to remove. Cut very carefully now. Remember, a steady
hand along with keen eyesight makes a great doctor." <He has inherited so
much from his mother. Her love for family, her strength, her tenacity, and
her love of battle.> She grimaced as she began to channel her ki to start
the healing of her wounds. <Damn cold iron. I am glad I learned an
alternative to healing those wounds. Using my magic would have exhausted me
and I'll need to be at full strength to deal with that hunt pack.>
Kasumi grunted as she tried to get the shard out. She gestured for Nabiki
and Ukyo to restrain Shampoo. "It's in too deep for me to get, Cologne-san,"
she stated. She gripped it tighter and pulled as hard as she could. The
shard refused to move at all. <NO! I WILL NOT FAIL!> Kasumi put every ounce
of power she could into pulling the shard out but it still refused to budge.
As she started to tire, another pair of hands joined her and began to pull
the shard gently but steadily out of Shampoo. <Thank you, Ranma-kun. You
always refuse to let anyone accept defeat.> She breathed a huge sigh of
relief when the shard was taken out of Shampoo. "Thank you, Ranma-kun. I
didn't think I was going to get that out." With speed that almost rivaled
anything Dr. Tofu could do, Kasumi struck a few pressure points that forced
the heart to slow its beats down slightly so Shampoo wouldn't bleed to
death. She quickly cleaned the wound and sterilized it before turning to
Cologne.
"Now, young healer," Cologne began. "You must stitch the wound close." Her
senses registered the hunt pack heading to the dojo and she growled
slightly. "This you must do on your own. I fear the hunt pack has gotten
free of son-in-law's trap and they head this way now." She gripped her staff
and hopped to the door of the dojo.
"Wait old ghoul," Ranma stated. "Why would they chase you like this? Why are
they hunting ya?" Ranma walked to Cologne's side and knelt to her eye level.
"Simple son-in-law," she replied. "You." She looked at Ranma as his eyes
widened slightly. "You and Shampoo have not married and that fact is why
they are here. Not to mention you use Amazon techniques that were never
supposed to be taught to any male, regardless of his skills or ability." She
patted Ranma's hand and smiled. "But I do not blame you. I was happy to
teach you. I just wish I could call you my own grandson."
Ranma looked up at Cologne and he blinked. "What if ya could call me
grandson?" he asked. "Would that get this hunt pack of yer asses?"
"Quite possibly son-in-law," came the response. "But I doubt they will
listen. This pack is made of families that hate mine with passions that
dwarf the rivalry between you and Hibiki." She looked at his crestfallen
face and smiled. "But if that is your wish, then so be it." She turned to
Nabiki and gestured at the camcorder. "Let's see if my assumptions about
your ability are correct." Quickly taking out a knife and a piece of paper
she pricked her finger and spread her blood on the paper. "Now you
son-in-law. Or should I say great grandson?" She watched as Ranma pricked
his finger, then she took it and spread his blood on top of hers. "I, Ku
Lon, Head Elder of the Amazons accept this outsider male as my great
grandson. Being that he has a dual nature due to his exposure to Jusenkyou,
I also take his alternate female form as a member of my family. This
entitles him to full warrior status in either form as well as Matriarch
status in his female form. If he accepts this honor then the agreement is
accepted and understood." She waited for his nod and smiled. "So have I
spoken, so shall it be." She rolled the paper up and hold one end out to
Ranma. "Ignite it, grandson." She flared her ki at the same time Ranma did
so their auras intertwined as the paper burst into a huge flame before
disappearing in a cloud of smoke. No ashes remained of the paper and the
smoke dispersed quickly. "Now grandson, let's go deal with this hunt pack.
Kasumi, please take care of my granddaughter." She hopped out into the rain
and awaited the hunt pack.
"Ukyo, watch Kasumi and Nabiki," Ranma stated. "Nabiki, help Kasumi in
anyway she needs." He waited for her nod along with her outstretched hand.
He tossed 1500 yen into it and walked towards the door. "Kasumi do yer best
and don't accept defeat." He walked outside and changed into his curse form
as the rain beat down on him. "Let's go, granny." <I've gotten deal with
this. It's mostly my fault this is happening.> He looked around and narrowed
his eyes slightly. <And I wish I would stop reverting to the rough speech.
Kasumi's spent too much time helping me with my grammar.>
The hunt pack charged at the two, but was caught off guard as numerous
handheld sharpened spatulas flew from within the dojo at them. Two members
were too slow to dodge them and were forced to retreat from their wounds.
Another member was hit twice in the left leg and fell to the ground
clutching her leg. The rest dodged the projectiles but they were soon forced
to leap into the air as a huge blob of batter flew out of the dojo as well.
That however left them open to Ranma's own toss of rubber cement batter.
Ukyo's tossed batter instantly stuck to the member of the hunt pack that had
fallen to the ground. Ranma's batter caught three members of the hunt pack
and they fell to the ground trying to break their way free of the batter.
The other five members dodged well enough and soon began to attack Cologne
and Ranma. Three members attacked Cologne but were no match for her as her
arms were unburdened and healed enough for her to fight with. Her staff
blurred as she defended and counterattacked. One amazon was knocked back by
a thrust from her staff while another flew back from a jab. Ranma dodged and
blocked the other two amazons' attacks as he unleashed rapid punches and
kicks. He leaped into the air and the two amazons followed him hoping to
overwhelm him. Unforunately for them, the Saotome School of Anything Goes
Martial Arts specialty was mid-air combat and he proved why. He dodged
between kicks and weapon strikes as if he had solid ground under his feet.
He caught a staff in his right hand, went into a handstand, and kneed the
amazon holding the staff in her head before bouncing off and unleashing a
kick to the back of her head. Using the momentum he generated from the kick
he hit the wall of the house and bounced higher into the air. Quickly
gathering his ki, he formed a small ki ball in each hand and tossed one at
the amazons getting free of the batter and the other at his opponent. The
first ki ball struck with pinpoint accuracy and exploded on the three
members knocking them out instantly. The second ball missed, but Ranma never
planned on hitting her anyway.
He grinned as he used the force generated by the explosion as a springboard
and flipped over to where Cologne was battling her opponents. <If she was
smart or any good, she would have seen that coming. Some of these amazons
are too set in their ways for their own good.> He landed behind one of
Cologne's opponents and struck out with his fingertips rapidly. "Serpent's
Strike!" He had combined the amaguriken with some pressure points that Dr.
Tofu, Kasumi, and Cologne had taught him and came up with the serpent's
strike. Since the amazon had her back to him, he was able to hit more points
and cause more damage. She finally fell in a mass of jerking muscles, crying
out in pain. <One more down. And here comes my other playmate.> He ducked
under a wicked sword thrust, placed his hands on the ground, and kicked out
hard backwards. He was rewarded with the sound of the air being forced out a
stomach. Quickly bringing his legs back to where his hands were, he pushed
off the ground and brought his elbow down on her head. "Good night." He
turned in time to see a bonbori come flying from the dojo to hit one of
Cologne's dance partners. <Guess Shampoo's feeling a little better.> He
looked up in time to spot a tiny form blur its way to the dojo. <Damn. I
should have known they would bring an elder with them.> The gray haired
elder was sweeping up her staff as Shampoo began to move backwards to avoid
the blow. <I gotta stop her.> He started heading for the dojo when he was
forced to dodge a thrown spear. The amazon rushed at him and he presented
his left profile to her as the momentum of her swing left her open. <Just
like Akane. Too much force, not enough skill behind it.> He grabbed her
shoulder with his right hand applying pressure to it before he hit her with
two quick left hooks to her kidneys. As she arched up in pain, he released
her shoulder and connected a knee into her stomach before cracking her in
the nose with a bottom fist strike. An open handed slap to the back of her
head and a palm heel strike lifted her into the air before a crescent kick
with his right leg followed by a roundhouse kick with his left knocked her
out.
Shampoo started leaning back to dodge the staff but everything seemed to
move slowly to her. <I don't think I'm going to make it. Sorry Airen.>
(A.N.- You don't really think she thinks in pidgin do ya?) She saw a flash
of silver out of the corner of her eyes and heard a long clang followed by
the sound of metal ripping as she fell to the floor. <What in the name of
the All Mother happened?> She looked up from her sprawled position on the
ground and blinked rapidly. She saw Ukyo standing if front of her with her
giant spatula in a guard position. <That must have been the sound of ripping
metal I heard. Never expected Spatula Girl to save my life.> Shampoo noticed
something drop from the bottom of Ukyo's purple shirt and gasped. A small
puddle of blood began to collect at her feet. <She took the blow meant for
me.> Her eyes narrowed and she struggled to her feet. She grabbed Ukyo by
the shoulders and gently laid her on the ground. "Spatula Girl lay here and
rest," she stated. "Shampoo thank greatly for protection Spatula Girl give."
<I owe her more than I can ever repay. I will avenge her death and make sure
she is honored.> She looked at Ukyo's shirt and hissed. She barely noticed
Kasumi dropping by Ukyo's side starting to examine the wound and Nabiki
rushing over with the first aid kit. {I, Xian Pu of the Amazons, claim this
warrior as my blood sister and extend the rights of an Amazon to her. She
has defended me as well as any born member of the Amazon tribe. Her blood
has mixed with mine and her breath and mine are now shared as one. She will
be trained in the manner befitting an Amazon and is now officially my heir.
So have I spoken, so shall it be.} She kissed Ukyo's forehead, cheeks, and
lips gently before standing up and facing the elder. <Should have guessed it
would be that damned Par Fum leading this hunt party. Well now she will pay
for what she has done.> She got into an offensive stance and faced the
elder.
Par Fum looked at Shampoo and smirked. {What exactly are you planning to do
girl? There is no way you can defeat me.} She smiled wickedly at Shampoo
before gesturing at Kasumi and Nabiki. {How do you plan to fight me when
there are two non-combatants here? You let your pride cloud your judgment,
but that's always been a problem with your family.} Par Fum leaped into the
air and turned to face the new presence in the dojo. {Ahhh, Matriarch Ku
Lon. Have you come to surrender to me and this hunt pack? Or have you come
to plead for mercy for your great granddaughter.} She awaited an answer from
Cologne for a few minutes but received nothing but a sneer in response. {I
know your weakness Ku Lon. Make it easy on yourself and surrender now.} She
was so busy focusing on Cologne that she never noticed Ranma slip into the
dojo. {Well Ku Lon, say something.}
{Go to hell and rot, you old hag.} It was spoken as calmly as if discussing
the weather or what meal she wanted to cook the next day. {I will not have
you come here and threaten either my great granddaughter or grandson.} She
smirked at Par Fum's confused expression. {You always were more praising of
your own pitiful skills. Feel the ki in the air and tell me what has
happened.} <If she was as good as she believed herself to be, she would have
felt the aftereffects of that ki bonding the moment she got within three
feet of this dojo.>
Par Fum stretched out her senses and gasped. {You have ki bonded. Who have
you accepted into your family?} She thought for a second and snorted. {It
must have been that weak child that I injured.}
{Actually it was the Godslayer. My new grandson.} She pointed at Ranma and
grinned. {Be a nice old ghoul and say hello.} Cologne heard Shampoo's gasp
and winced lightly. <She won't take that very well. But I doubt he would
have married her anyway. Better to have him like this so Shampoo can retain
her honor and so I can watch him better. Damned Nodoka and Par Fum.>
{You have accepted the boy into your family?} She shook in fear for a second
before collecting herself and probing Ranma's ki. {Ha! This boy can not have
defeated Saffron. His ki is too weak. Just admit that you're granddaughter
failed and I'll be lenient, my old rival.} She pulled out an iron dagger and
waved it around. {I have it on good authority that this can kill you and
your granddaughter. Now why is that?} Par Fum's smile turned evil as she
pretended to think the matter over. {Could it be you have fairy blood in
you? That's the only reason I can think of that cold iron would be so lethal
to you.} She leaped towards Cologne and cackled loudly. {Time to die my
ancient foe.}
Cologne snorted as she bounced above Par Fum. {Ancient foe? Hardly. You
think yourself in my league, but you so far below me it's not even funny.}
She noticed Ranma moving stealthily towards Par Fum and smiled tightly.
<She's about to find out how he earned the name Godslayer.> {And you just
managed to anger someone I wouldn't dare to take lightly. Enjoy the rest of
your meager existence. It won't last long.} She landed by Shampoo and waved
her back. "Get back granddaughter," she stated. "It's about to get rough in
here."
Par Fum turned around and prepared to go after Cologne when a red and black
blur appeared in front of her and took her iron dagger away. {What was that?
What trickery are you trying to pull Ku Lon?} She turned to look at the blur
and her eyes widened slightly. "So boy," she began. "You choose to die at
the hands of a true Amazon." She looked at Ranma and gestured. "Then come
and die at the hands of Par Fum, the true and rightful matriarch of the
Amazon nation, 'Godslayer'." The sarcasm was evident in her voice as she
cackled loudly and tightened her grip on her staff.
"Perfume, is it?" Ranma asked. "Well lady, I'm only going to say this once.
Get out of this dojo and out of my country before I'm forced to hurt you
severely." His eyes narrowed slightly as he prepared himself to fight.
"Kasumi, get everyone out of here. I feel that Dr. Tofu is almost here. He
should be able to help you with Ukyo." He cracked his knuckles and dropped
into a casual stance. His arms were held loosely by his sides, his knees
were bent slightly, and his entire body seemed to scream, 'I'm so relaxed, I
couldn't dodge a boulder'.
Par Fum was not one of the smartest elders in the village. Nor was she one
of the more powerful ones. She also had the common amazon misconception that
women were always the better fighters and any outsider was less than a
worthy challenge. Only a few outsiders forced her to reconsider this outlook
and Ranma wasn't currently one of those on her list, regardless of the fact
he had killed Saffron in battle. So she honestly believed that Ranma wasn't
going to be much of a challenge. "Boy, you have just signed your death
warrant," she stated. "To dare speak to an elder of the Amazon village is to
court death. Prepare yourself." She leaped at Ranma and jabbed at him
rapidly with her staff.
Ranma dodged the staff jabs and began channeling his ki through his 'soul
of ice', a side of effect of his training in the Hiryuu Shouten Ha, and
touched the staff's edge with a hand glowing translucent blue. The sound of
something freezing quickly then shattering filled the air as he hopped back
and smiled lightly.
Par Fum looked at her shortened staff and blinked twice. "What have you
done to my staff, boy!" she growled out. The staff had shattered from the
extreme cold and now her reach was lessened without her staff. "It seems you
have more skills than I believed possible. Let's see how well you do with
this." She tossed her staff away and leaped forward with her hands pulled
back. "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Her hands began to blur rapidly as she
unleashed punch after punch at Ranma.
Ranma smirked as he leapt back then shot his leg forward and kicked Par Fum
straight in the chest knocking her back. "I hope that was your weakest
version of that move," he began. "'Cause if that was ya at full speed, ya
should just give up now." He leaped back and began to lead her into the
spiral for the Hiryuu Shouten Ha. <I want to see how far she'll follow me
before she leaps out the spiral. Then I'll surprise her with the variations
I made to the move.>
Par Fum followed Ranma into the spiral then leaped out before he got
halfway into it. "Did you honestly think I would fall for such a move, boy?"
she asked. "That's an amazon technique and you quite pitiful with it. Any
true amazon would have seen that coming a mile away." She snorted as she
shook her head. "What a waste teaching you that move was."
Ranma smiled as he pulled back his arm and twisted it slightly. "Glad you
agreed that move was pitiful as it was," he stated calmly. He waited for her
to look at him with narrowed eyes. "My version seems to be so much better."
He thrust his arm out and corkscrewed the jab. "Horizontal Hiryuu Shouten
Ha!!" A huge energy dragon burst into existence and blasted its way straight
into Par Fum and carried her out of the dojo, through the wall around the
Tendo compound, and into a pole on the street. He charged a ki blast and
hurled it in the direction of Par Fum's aura. "Mouko Takabisha!" The blast
flew straight out of the dojo and hit Par Fum just as she was trying to get
free of the pole she was imbedded in.
"Good job grandson," Cologne stated. She turned to watch as Dr. Tofu came
through the gates of the compound. "Now go help the good doctor while I deal
with Par Fum. She and I have much to discuss this night." Cologne waited
until Ranma had rushed to the house and heard the sounds of Shampoo yelling
at him for denying her his love. <I knew she wouldn't be happy about this.>
She shook her head as the arguing grew louder as Ranma yelled back at her.
<Now to deal with Par Fum for attempting to kill my daughter.> She hopped to
where Par Fum was lying and without a hesitation grabbed Par Fum by the
neck. {You should have never made it personal. I could have forgiven taking
my position but threatening my family was too much.} She struck a few dozen
pressure points before charging her magic and placing her glowing hand on
Par Fum's chest. {Now tell me how you learned of my true nature.} She
listened as Par Fum described the person that told her about using iron to
defeat Cologne and gave her the iron dagger. <Seems to be a new player in
the game. I best inform Mother of this as soon as possible.> She caught Par
Fum's hand as it tried to hit her and crushed it casually before striking
her repeatedly with a moderate version of the amaguriken. <But first things
first.> {Goodbye you heartless bitch.} She crushed Par Fum's neck before
using her ki to completely destroy her body.
As time had passed, Shampoo had accepted that Ranma was not destined for
her. She also dealt with Mousse and his infatuation with her. Instead of
pounding the blind boy, she had grabbed and hit Kodachi Kuno with a sleeping
potion, dressed her so she looked like Shampoo, and then dragged her to the
Nekohaten for a 'special' dinner with Mousse. Mousse was so blind that he
thought Kodachi really was Shampoo. Then when he heard the words she spoke,
he rushed over and grabbed her in a back-crushing hug. Shampoo, who was
seated under the table, smirked as she continued to throw her voice so
Mousse thought it really was her he was cuddling with. Finally, she got him
to consume some of the love potion that was in his food and shoveled some
down Kodachi's throat as the sleeping potion wore off. The two had taken one
good look at each other before beginning to make out heavily on the
tabletop. Shampoo had carted the table up to Mousse's room, tossed it in,
and locked the door. She then got Nabiki to tape the whole evening's
activities and used the tape to make sure Mousse did his duty and married
the Kuno girl. After she was free from the duck, she started studying in
Japan and training her heir.
*****End Flashback*****
Cologne nodded as she began to hop towards the Ucchan. "Yes, child," she
began. "But first, I want to know what is wrong with grandson here." She
looked at Ranma and shook her head. "I can tell something is bothering him
because his aura is radiating weirdly."
Ranma looked at Cologne and snorted. "I have no idea wha'cha talking 'bout
old ghoul," he replied as casually as he could. He ducked as Shampoo and
Ukyo both tried to hit him. "Wha'cha do that fer?!"
"Ranchan, you know you are a horrible liar," Ukyo stated with a cross look.
"Something's bothering you and it's probably those dreams you've been
having." She crossed her arms and gave him a glaring look.
Shampoo walked up to his face and grabbed his collar dragging him down so
she could look directly into his eyes. "Besides, we both have the same
problem, brother," she stated. "Whenever we are trying to avoid something we
get nervous and our speech patterns revert to our previous bad patterns. Is
that no right Airen?" She stated the last line with a wicked grin as his
eyes widen fractionally. "Now will you talk or do we make you talk?"
"Yeah, Ranchan," Ukyo added. "We have ways of making you talk." She grabbed
one of his arms and waited for Shampoo to grab the other one. "Let's get him
to the restaurant where we can interrogate him at leisure Shampoo-chan."
"I see you are learning quite well my heir," Shampoo replied. "Men must be
taught their place in society." She laughed along with Ukyo and Cologne as
they all headed to the Ucchan.
"What?!?" Ranma bellowed. "Must be taught my place in society? I'll get you
two back for this!" He started to struggle but Cologne struck a few pressure
points that immobilized his body but not his mouth. "This sucks! Let me go!
You can't do this to me!" His cries continued all the way to the Ucchan. <I
should have just told them. But no I had to be stubborn.> His eyes glowed
bright red for a split second as he continued to berate himself mentally.
@@Manhattan@@
Demona had headed back to her manor after the incident on the Nightstone
roof. <Damn Goliath and his damn pet human detective.> She lashed out with a
fist and destroyed a vase. <Damn Elisa Maza and damn Brooklyn.> Her tail
whipped out and smashed through a wooden table. <Damn whoever stole my angel
from me and damn Goliath from stealing my daughter from me.> She booted a
chair across the room where it smashed into a wall. <Damn Titania and her
damn hand mirror.> She grabbed a statue and hurled it into a wall. <I should
just go get my son back with that accursed hand mirror.> She was preparing
to smash through the wall when her thoughts caught up with her. <Hand
mirror? Where exactly is the hand mirror?> She checked herself for the
mirror before she came the realization she had left it on the roof of her
building. <NOOO! I need that mirror to find my son!> She rushed to the
window and leaped out. She spread her wings and floated across the street
where she climbed a building. With another leap she caught a wind current
and glided in the direction of the Nightstone building. <I have to hurry.
Sunrise is not long away. I just hope that the mirror is still there.> Soon
her destination came into sight and breathed a sigh of relief. <Made it. Now
to find that hand mirror and then find my angel. I just hope he can accept
having a gargoyle for a mother.> She started to search the rooftop but her
search turned up nothing. "Where is that damn hand mirror?!" she growled
out. Demona blinked as she remembered the night. She started to rush for the
roof's edge when the sun began to rise in the sky. "NOT NOW!!" Her
transformation started and her body was racked with pain as her skin paled
to pink, her body shrunk in size, her wings disappeared, her hands and feet
shortened and grew extra fingers and toes, and her tail retracted into her
body. She struggled to her feet and breathed out heavily. "Damn Puck, damn
transformation, and damn Titania's mirror." She turned and ran back to the
roof access stairway. <I better get to my office and change. I have a lot to
do today. Most especially getting that mirror back.>
@@Japan@@
Ranma, Cologne, and Shampoo were all seated at the counter in the Ucchan's,
while the owner herself was standing behind her grill making okonomiyaki for
her 'family'. Shampoo was currently tossing chopsticks at Ukyo, forcing her
to cook the food and defend herself. Cologne was reading an ancient scroll
and making some notes. Ranma was siting on his stool resting his head in his
left hand and the elbow on the counter as he bounced a ki ball up and down
in his right hand. He sighed then shook his head.
"Lately," he began. "I've been having these really weird dreams at night."
He looked at the three women and noticed they were waiting for him to
continue. "I'm walking down the street in these dreams and I notice it's
getting close to sunset. For some reason this draws my attention to a stone
statue on the roof of a building. It's some kinda winged statue and it seems
to draw me into it. As the sun goes farther down I'm somehow placed right in
front of the statue. I circle around it when I begin to notice something
happening to it. The statue starts developing cracks and chips start to
break off." He stopped and took a sip of water and nodded his thanks to
Ukyo. "Then the statue breaks apart and the shards go flying all over the
place. I deflect all the ones that are headed for me, but it blinds me for a
few seconds. When I can see again, there is a red haired winged female demon
or something standing in place of the statue. She turns to look at me and
her eyes glow bright red. Then the glow dies out and she says something to
me as she walks toward me. I prepare to fight her off when I notice her
face. She looks at me as if I've hurt her severely." He shakes his head and
snorts. "But as time goes by I feel a connection to her, as if she is
someone from my past. I step towards her and then I'm hit by the most
horrendous pain I've ever felt in my life." He shivers slightly and smiles
weakly at Cologne when she puts one of her aged hands on his shoulder and
squeezes it briefly.
"You don't have to continue with this story grandson," she stated. "Not if
it causes you pain like this." <But why would this cause you such pain I
don't know. If everything went according to Mother's plans it was supposed
to be a gradual, smooth inheritance of your heritage.> Her eyes widen
slightly as she gets her answer. <Damn that bitch Nodoka! I knew she never
should have had a hand in this project of Mother's. She's always been a
suck-up to that damn Oberon. Now I have to find a way to correct this and
fast.>
"Ranchan, are you okay?" Ukyo asked him as he continued shivering. She had
never seen Ranma like this except when it came to cats.
"Yeah, Ucchan," he replied. "It's just how the demon looked at me. It's the
same type of look I see mothers give to their kids." He shook his head
sadly. "I just don't know what else is going to happen to my life." He
reached into his shirt and brought out a pendant. It was a blue skinned, red
haired, winged figure with wings flared out and crouched down. The figure's
eyes were rubies and they seemed to glow as the light hit them. The figure
was captivating and beautiful. "I found this in Pop's bag. It called to me
for some reason. I just can't explain it." He handed it to Cologne as she
gestured for it and shook his head sadly. "If I only knew what it all
meant."
Cologne looked at the pendant and smiled slightly. <It's perfect. It looks
just like Demona.> She looked at Ranma and nodded slightly. <This could be
just the thing I was looking for to solve the problems caused by that
bitch.> "Grandson," she began. "Would you mind letting me take this with me?
As you know, I have a great many books that contain 3000 years of Amazon
knowledge and wisdom. This resembles something I have seen once before." She
held up a hand to forestall his questions and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"I'll need time for this grandson so you might have to help Shampoo at the
restaurant for a while."
"You got yourself a deal, granny," Ranma replied with a huge smile. <Now
maybe I can find out what this all means.>
@@Manhattan@@
Elisa was just crawling into her bed as the daily hustle and bustle of the
average New York day started. She had been released from her shift at 6 am
and then she had headed home to examine the hand mirror that had shown her
those kids. <I still don't know what that was all about. And which one was
Ranma anyway?> She had turned the mirror over and under and nothing had
happened at all. She heaved out a huge sigh and placed the mirror on a table
by her bed as she laid down on her bed. Her pet cat, Cagney, leaped onto her
bed and walked onto her stomach. "Hey Cagney," she began. "What do you think
it all means? Demona, some guy named Ranma, and a funky mirror." She smiled
as the cat gave her a simple meow for an answer. "That's what I thought. No
sense whatsoever." Her attention was diverted to her front door as someone
began to pound heavily on it. "Now what?" She got out of bed and walked to
the front door. "Hold your horses! Whatever you want can want." She opened
the door and let out a gasp as a laser rifle was pointed directly at her
face.
"Actually detective," Demona snarled out. "My son can't wait and neither can
me retrieving a certain hand mirror. So we'll just have to wait till tonight
and have Goliath return it to me." Her smile became demonic as she gestured
for Elisa to let her into the apartment. "I guess that gives us time to get
better acquainted."
Elisa walked to her couch and sat down. "Gee, Demona," she stated with a
tight smile. "I didn't think you cared about me at all." She looked at
Demona and blinked. The red head was currently dressed in a pair of tight
black jeans with a red tank top on. The black trenchcoat she had been
wearing was tossed onto the floor as she shut the door and locked it. Her
red hair, which was normally in a bun or kept loose, was done in a single
braid that stopped in the middle of her back. <What happened to Demona? Is
this really her dressed like this?> Elisa's eyes widened slightly as she
remembered the figure from her vision. <She's dressed just like that guy.>
"Ummm Demona?"
"Ummm detective."
"Exactly why are you dressed like that?" Elisa asked. Her mind was trying to
come to grips with the fact that Demona of all beings had on a pair of
jeans.
"Is this really important to know, detective?" Demona shot back. "I would
have figured your first question would be about this." She gestured to the
laser rifle she currently had resting on her lap as she sat in a chair
across from Elisa. <Something is definitely wrong with this picture. I would
have expected a 'You'll never get away with this Demona.' at the very
least.> "Now if you are not going to ask any intelligent questions, please
be quiet. It's been a very rough night and the day doesn't look to get any
better. I just want my mirror back and then this whole mess can be
forgotten."
Elisa looked at Demona and shook her head. "Okay," she replied. "But you
look like someone I've seen before. And that's the really weird part. He was
wearing an outfit similar to that in color scheme." She looked at Demona as
her eyes narrowed slightly. "And if you really want the mirror that badly,
then you can just wait for it. But as for me I'm going to bed." She got up
and went to her room. "Good night."
Demona followed after her and looked at her room in amazement. "What a
dump!" she exclaimed. "It's a wonder you stop any of my plans if you live
like this." She booted a stray shirt across the room and grimaced. "How can
you live like this detective? I know humans are dirty, low bred creatures
but this is a bit much." Her eyes widened as she spotted the mirror and she
turned to Elisa with a snarl on her face. "Why you..." the rest was muffled
as she was hit in the face with a pillow.
Elisa leaped onto Demona after hitting her with the pillow and grabbed for
the rifle. She wasn't expecting the punch to the gut or the headbutt in
retaliation. The two women began to roll around on the floor as they
grappled for the rifle. Their activities finally caused the mirror to fall
to the floor. It hit the floor and began to glow. The glow built until the
two noticed it. "NOO!!" Demona screamed. "I will not lose this chance to get
my son back!" Demona leaped for the mirror just as it exploded into a bright
light.
People outside the apartment building were forced to run as a bright light
appeared and a huge explosion was heard. Smoke began to stream out of the
apartment and a huge flame rose into the air. A secondary explosion sounded
and people began to watch as the fire grew higher. The common thought on
everyone's mind was that no one could have survived the blast. News crews
appeared on the scene and began to do the usual reports on the incident as
firefighters appeared and began to fight the blaze.
David Xanatos was watching the news with his wife, Fox, and son, Alex, when
the newscaster mentioned the incident. His eyes widened as the cameraman
showed a familiar building. "Fox, dear isn't that where Elisa lives?" he
asked quietly. He looked at his wife in time to catch her horrified look as
the firefighters herded the crowd back as another explosion occurred. "One
can only hope Detective Maza wasn't there when this occurred or else
Goliath's going to be very upset."
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