Short Summary:

More crap happens. Part 3/4, and yes, the pain will go away.



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--Razorclaw X (http://www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/index.html)


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-- File: ranffss8.txt

     Wheel of Fire Special #8: Hunter's Moon

  Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com)
  www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/ranma/ranff.html

  Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko
Takahashi. Proper licenses belong to respective
properties and characters.  All other material herein
belongs to the author, and plagiarism of this concept,
in part or in whole or borrowing, in part or in whole,
will not only get you my ire but the priceless sight
of seeing you behind bars. No part of this document
may be reproduced, retransmitted, or altered, in part
or in whole, for monetary gain, incidental,
consequential, directly, or not at all, without
express permission from the author (if you are unable
to contact me then that does not grant you these
rights). Such condition applies to all my works, and
your ignorance is no excuse, as I reserve the right to
update this disclaimer, and it stands in whatever
shape or form it manifests in any work, appearing
there or not.

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Day 2 of Stage Two-- Early Evening

  "You sure this is the right place?" Akane asked,
looking down the stone steps toward Miranda.

  Having climbed up half the mountainside up the stone
stairs to the shrine, Miranda, carrying the heavier of
the two packs the girls carried, was taking a break,
sitting on the steps, facing the downward path.
Breathing heavily, leaning backward against her pack,
the martial artist was clearly out of shape.

  "What the hell did you put in this, anyway?" she
asked finally, wanting the answer to the question that
plagued her back at the train station.  "It feels like
you packed a fridge in here."

  "It's just a week's supplies," Akane said.  "You want
me to carry the heavy stuff?"

  "No!" Miranda cried quickly.  "I can handle it.
Just let me catch my breath."

  "This is the third break in a row," the other pointed
out impatiently.

  "YOU carry fifty pounds up."

  "I thought you wanted to do it."

  "Of COURSE I do!  Just remember that the next time
you pack all this crap.  Don't you know how to pack
light?"

  "I might need something!"

  "If you need something you go buy it at the store!"

  Akane's temper flared.  She took deliberate steps
down to the step where Miranda's pack was resting
against the stair, and considered knocking it over.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have been so lazy to let me
handle it!"

  Pulling her head all the way back, Miranda stared up
at Akane.  "And don't you THINK of pushing me over.  I
manage to live off the clothes on my back for two weeks
in straight training.  I don't know about you, but I
can do without any of your conveniences."

  Akane stopped herself, realizing that Miranda was
probably right; Miranda was just as hardy as Ranma, and
likely could live like a vagabond if she wanted to.
On the other hand, Ranma hated living like that.  "If
that's the case then why are you carrying that stuff in
the first place?"

  Satisfaction settled in when Miranda did not respond
immediately.  The martial artist squinted back at her
disdainfully, tne pulled her head back up.  "Shut up."

  Silence settled on the two as they heard a wild howl
echo in the distance.  Akane could not tell what it
came from, but part of it sounded human, and the other
of a creature not of this Earth.  She felt a shiver
down her spine, suddenly realizing they were in the
middle of nowhere.

  "What the hell was that?" Miranda asked, her voice
betraying a hint of fear.

  "I don't know," she replied, "but I think we'd better
get up to the shrine before it decides to come
looking for us."

  The suggestion seemed to pump adrenaline into
Miranda's exhausted body, as she got up in an instant
and set about running up the rest of the distance.
Akane tried her best to keep up with the martial
artist, looking up at the canopied sky, seeing that
the sun was setting rapidly.

  Her heart raced, matching each step she took in her
flight.  Despite her rapid pace Akane could not keep
up with Miranda, who disappeared over the top of the
steps when Akane estimated she was at the three-
quarters point.

  The howling creature bellowed again, and this time
it sounded a lot closer.

  "Miranda!" she shouted, silently cursing her
cowardice, "wait for me!"

  The air around Akane seemed to still around her,
and her training allowed her to feel the presence of
an entity behind her.  Somehow she found the energy
that Miranda found, and Akane was running at a greater
pace than before, fear overcoming her.  She dared not
look back, imagining whatever the creature was, it was
going to be at her heels at any moment now.

  Tripping over the last step Akane fell at the foot of
the arch that marked the entrance of the shrine.  Only
meters ahead of her Miranda collapsed in exhaustion,
having used up all her remaining energy to get into
the courtyard of the ill-traveled shrine.  No lights
or candles were illuminating the area, marking the
squat structure ahead quite vacant at the moment.

  Akane wondered if the creature behind her scared them
away, but it was the moment she knew it was on top of
her.

  Turning onto her side, Akane barely caught a glimpse
of white wisps of energy, quickly replaced by a large
spectral, bony claw threatening to claw her eyes.

  She had no time to flinch, which gave her the
opportunity to realize she was being saved.

  "It's got to be fate," she heard her rescuer say.

  Sitting up, Akane recognized the owner of the voice.
"Ryoga!" she cried in recognition.

  The latest arrival to the vacant shrine held two
spectral claws up and away with his brute strength.
"Akane, are you okay?"

  "Pay attention to your adversary!" cried the spectral
beast, its unearthly voice definitely matching the
howl from earlier.  Akane tried to decipher the
sensation, picking out a strong, deep, male voice,
along with an equally strong female voice.

  Ryoga heaved the monster backward, allowing Akane
the chance to see the attacker for the first time.
The beast was surrounded by an ethereal, white wisp of
energy, outlining it fully.  It stood on human legs,
wearing hakama tied at the ankles over socks and
sandals.  Akane made out human-form arms behind the
bone claws, watching their movement match that of the
claws.  Bone wings spread from the creature's back,
bound by nothing.  Her eyes flared a deep blood red,
absent of pupils.

  Although she had never seen such a beast first-hand,
Akane knew who it was, matching Ranma's description.
"You're...."

  "Deathclaw," Shizuka/Deathclaw finished, smacking
her lips together like a feral beast.  Yet, their full
attention was on Ryoga.  "Come, Lost One; show me how
powerful you really are!"

  "If that's what you want, then you're going to get
it!" he promised.

  "Stop!"

  Both Ryoga and Shizuka froze in place, looking toward
the entrance arch, where Kanna Rajura stood, her
arms folded.  Her death scythe shouldered over her
back, Kanna looked no less imposing against the frame
than did the possessed priestess.

  "You," Ryoga recognized.

  "Kanna?" Akane said, surprised.  "What're you doing
here?"

  "Understand what you're getting into before you fight
them," Kanna warned.  "You aren't simply fighting
Shizuka.  You're fighting both of them at once.  They
are more than willing to kill you, but are you?"

  "I'll do whatever it takes," Ryoga answered, raising
a clenched fist.  "Nobody's going to hurt Akane!"

  "Show me your killer instinct," Shizuka/Deathclaw
beckoned.  Her expression darkened.  "Show me this
fighting spirit you pathetic humans call 'heart!'"

  Akane watched as Ryoga and Shizuka both threw their
own fists, and she felt the urge to help him.  But
Kanna shook her head.

  "What's going on?"

  "Deathclaw is the creature that possesses Shizuka,"
Kanna explained.  "However, since Shizuka is strong,
she retains control over her body until she loses
consciousness.  It's painful for the both of them to
try and control the same body at the same time, you
see.  Shizuka purposefully chose to awaken Deathclaw
before by knocking herself out, but this time she
purposefully remained conscious in order to utilize
both their abilities at once."

  "They don't look like they're struggling for
control," Akane noted, watching as Ryoga expertly
dodged each of Deathclaw's wild slashes.  "It looks
like they're acting in unison."

  "They're having a difficult time trying to control
themselves," Kanna added.  "Their base instincts are
taking over, because it's the only thing they have in
sync under such stress and pain."

* * *

  "Show me your 'heart!'" Shizuka/Deathclaw demanded
furiously, catching Ryoga's left fist in her right
claw.  "Show me your power of love and friendship you
fragile creatures treasure so much!"

  "Shut up!" Ryoga seethed, grasping the claw holding
his arm with his free hand.  He heaved the monster over
his shoulder.  "What's with all this nonsense?!"

  The dual creature's wings extended, giving her
control over her fall.  Shizuka/Deathclaw landed on
her feet, quickly folded her wings, and turned again
to face Ryoga.  "What your 'enlightened' society is
trying to teach you!  Your damn anime symbolism!"

  "What's that got to do with anything?!"

  "Generation after generation of people, poisoned with
the mentality spawned from such fantasy," the two
continued.  "Girls striving for love and strong men.
Boys striving for hot women.  Fuckin' angel wings.  I
hate angels!"

  "None of it makes sense!" Ryoga cried.  "What the
hell are you talking about?"

  "Humanity's priorities are screwed-up!  I will
destroy its poisons, and cleanse this Earth of all that
is black and white in a universe of grays!"

  At that point Ryoga could not stand it anymore.
Wishing to shut the monster's mouth, he vaulted forth,
ready to finish the battle in one blow.

  Shizuka/Deathclaw was caught off-guard, still in the
middle of her rant, but they recovered in time to
intercept Ryoga's punch for the gut.  Both spectral
claws clamped down on the martial artist's arms,
trying frantically to hold back the furious power.

  "Fear me, anime whore!" they cried.

  "Just shut up!!" Ryoga cried, throwing his remaining
energy in his free, second fist.

  This time his blow hit home, smacking Shizuka on
the jaw, and sending her flying back.  The spectral
claws holding his other arm dissipated into
nothingness as both Shizuka and Deathclaw lost
consciousness simultaneously.

* * *

Guest Quarters, Shrine of the Four Gods

  For long moments Ukyo watched Ranma stare out the
window of the Genbu tower's northmost, and bottommost,
room, staring out at the stars, seemingly looking for
something.  Whether he was thinking of Akane, or
trying to devise some way for his Moko Takabisha to
penetrate an energy barrier, Ukyo didn't know, nor did
she ask.  Not one word passed between the two ever
since Ukyo entered Ranma's temporary room, seemingly
lost herself.

  "Why did I come out here?" she often asked herself.
Certainly, it was good to see an old friend, but Ukyo
realized that simply wasn't the reason she went out of
her way to come to the Shrine of the Four Gods.

  "How can I help?" Ukyo asked aloud.

  "If you can figure out how to beat Ziel, I'm all
ears," Ranma answered, refusing to pull himself away
from the window.

  The truth was, Ukyo did know the answer, but Mizuki's
words held her back.  She lowered her eyes, finally
understanding that the reason she came was also what
she should not do for Ranma.  She wanted to help him,
for all the times he helped her in the past.  It was
something Ukyo never did herself, nor did she ever
thank Ranma.

  "Ranma," she said, "I'm getting in your way."

  The martial artist glanced over his shoulder,
genuinely surprised.  "What?"

  "I'm not the right person to help you; Akane is,"
she explained.  "You've done so much for me in the
past, that the least I could do was repay the favor.
But I can't; I don't know how.  Mizuki said the best
way for us to help is to not help, and for that, I may
as well go home."

  "But you came out here," Ranma said, turning his back
to the window.  "That's got to mean something."

  "I'm just capitalizing on opportunities that aren't
there," the okonomiyaki chef said with a nervous
laugh.  "People are worried about you... Ranchan.  I
mean, the first thing I wanted to do when I found you
was tell everybody where you were.  But I realized you
came out here because you don't want to see them.  You
didn't want to see me come out here."

  "That's not true...."

  "You're sulking like a big baby!" Ukyo cried, unsure
where her sudden burst came from.  "You got beat up
by someone stronger than you, and all you can do is
run off and make everybody worry.  Maybe I'm not the
only one who needs to go home.  Does it really matter
that much that you'd isolate yourself from your
friends and family just to prove that you're hot
stuff?  We already know that.  But that's not why we're
your friends."

  Ranma said nothing, finding himself at a loss for
words.  Ukyo looked away, realizing she was crying,
and tried to wipe off her tears with her fingers.  It
was no good saying anything without getting so
emotional....

  "Ucchan," he said finally, "I don't like training
blind like this.  I don't know how... but... I need
your help."

  Those last four words caught Ukyo by surprise.  She
forced herself to look at Ranma, and saw that he was
being serious.

  "I'm not going to stop trying to beat Ziel," he
continued, "but... you're right... I think.  I think...
I, well...."

  "You don't have to say it," the okonomiyaki chef
assured him, feeling relieved.

  "You can find help here," another voice said.

  Both Ranma and Ukyo saw Mizuki standing in the
doorway, a folded slip of paper in her hand.  She held
it out for Ukyo to take.  "Shizuka's staying at my
retreat out here.  Just follow the directions."

  "Mizuki...."  Ukyo accepted the paper, unsure what
to think of this.

  Ranma's eyes passed from the folded note back to the
high priestess.  "Why?"

  "You have many friends waiting for you there," she
explained.  "They have been searching for you for
quite some time now.  And besides... I can't help you.
You possess a spirit which is far beyond my
understanding, and I would only hold you back."  She
chuckled to herself, uneasy.  "I can't teach anybody
anything."

  Ukyo wondered silently if the high priestess was
referring to Shizuka with those words.

  "Nah," Ranma scoffed, "you helped a lot.  Thanks...
for everything."  Walking up to the high priestess the
martial artist extended an open hand.  "These people
should be lucky having you around."

  Returning the handshake, Mizuki cracked a smile.  "I
sometimes think that myself."

* * *

Mishima Estate, Guest Room

  Two chairs were set up in the guest room which
Nekurow occupied-- one taken up by Nekurow himself,
and the other by his own guest, Ayame.  It took little
effort for the dark hunter to get out of bed, yet, as
he stared out the window, into the darkness, which his
chair faced, he could not help but wonder what was out
there.

  The girl sitting beside him, Ayame, always came to
visit whenever she had the time.  Often she said
nothing important, speaking of trivialities as to what
happened in school that day, or perhaps local gossip.
In any case, she never stopped talking, as if her
relayed news were of some import.

  "I'm going to take leave of this place tomorrow
evening," he announced.

  "That soon?" Ayame asked, perplexed.  "Shouldn't you
heal first?"

  "The more I lie around in bed, the more out of
practice I will become," the hunter explained.  "I
need to remain in shape, as you do."

  "It's not THAT bad to miss a day or two."

  "Your task is not as prudent; I must still find those
two demons, and demolish them, before they wreak more
havoc."

  "Well, if they've been around this long," the girl
said, "and lived among us like that in peace, why
should they leave?"

  "Because they represent a threat to humans."

  "But what if they wanted to live in peace?" Ayame
wondered.  "Demons live longer than humans, don't
they?"

  "Most do," Nekurow affirmed.

  "I don't think the ones you're hunting, if they've
been living in Tokyo for so long... well, I don't
think they're causing problems because they want to.
Maybe it's because they're afraid of you."

  "Demons know no fear as we know it."

  "That's still fear, isn't it?"

  "Perhaps.  They do not scare easily."

  "But you said so yourself, that demons fear you.
It's just that these two are so afraid they'll fight
you for it."

  "For that, I respect their strength, but nothing
more."

  "It's like I said before," she continued.  "I told
you about Miranda, right?  I never seriously got into
this martial arts stuff until after she attacked me.  I
got tired of getting beat-up."

  "I expect that they will try just as hard as you."

  "But isn't there a better way?  Something where you
don't give them some ultimatum?"

  "I know of no other way," Nekurow admitted.  "The
Gate of Heaven, which leads to the Kami Plane, is
blocked-off, and guarded jealously by the priests of
the Four Gods.  Only my kami sponsors can grant me
access to their accursed plane, but not regularly.  The
only way is to exterminate their physical forms, so
that their spirits return to their world."

  "Dead," Ayame added cynically.

  "Some manage to get around that, if they are
clever.  I have fought and killed several demons more
than once.  Exorcists are weak; only the strongest
know how to banish demons to their plane, while most
I've met know only how to seal a demon.  Sealing is
counterproductive, as only time will tell until the
same demon releases itself."

  "Why don't you ask those priest people to open the
Gate for you?"

  "The priests shun my kind," Nekurow explained.  "They
claim the Gate is too dangerous to open and close so
recklessly.  They are too fearful to use their powerful
Banishing Rite that will expel all demons from this
world, in fear of harming their demonic allies.  You
see, those priests are in collusion with demons and
rogue kami, such as the Star Crusher."

  "'Star Crusher,' huh?  The name sounds familiar."

  "She is a renegade celestial dragon banished to Earth
after failing her Emperor," the hunter elaborated
quickly.  "That creature is responsible for much of
the damage to this world, and, with the cooperation of
the priests of the Four Gods, has returned to the Kami
Plane a stronger sorcerer than ever."

  "Oh."

  Nekurow eyed the girl, curious at her sudden
silence.  He wondered for a moment if she knew of the
one he spoke of, but discarded the notion; Nekurow
hardly believed such an insignificant girl would have
any encounter with ones such as Zhou Tian-long.

* * *

  "I just wanted a peek at our 'new friend,'" Chika
said, as Kodachi lead her through the quiet hallway
leading to the guest room.  "I mean, after Ayame made
a big deal about it at school."

  "I cannot fathom what that girl is thinking,"
Kodachi said neutrally.  "She guards this fellow
jealously, as if she were her own!  As if I would
deign to settle with a man twenty years older than I
am!"

  "That old?"  Chika whistled.  "Dang, she's really
aiming high this time, huh?"

  "She's with him now, 'talking,'" the other explained,
her arrogant airs preventing her from sinking into a
state of petty jealousy.

  It wasn't as if Kodachi was seriously jealous, Chika
knew, but rather, she was concerned that Ayame was
falling for the poor guy.  Ayame talked as if he was
some kind of kindred spirit at school....

  Both girls reached the door to Nekurow's guest room,
and they heard the two occupants going back and forth
over some indecipherable topic.  Chika moved to open
the door, but Kodachi barred her with her arm.

  "What?" she asked.

  "Why are you so eager?" asked Kodachi.

  "I'm not," came her reply.  "I'm just wondering why
she'd go through all this trouble to take care of some
old geezer.  He might be cute."

  Kodachi said nothing, fixating her eyes away from
Chika and toward the closed door.

  "I cannot stand to see someone broken in such a
despicable manner," she answered quietly.  "The human
body is one's own shrine, which must be taken care of
as best as possible.  There is nothing more beautiful,
nor fragile, than that which we are.  To mar such a
shrine would be a travesty to Heaven and Earth!"

  "Ever thought of going into anesthesiology?" Chika
asked, knowing that resorting to chemical warfare often
left the 'shrine' intact.

  "I have no such designs at this time," Kodachi
admitted.  "My attentions have been spent elsewhere
these days."

  "You know it's not bad being a doctor," the lackey
persisted.  "I mean, you've got the smarts and
attitude to do it; why don't you?  We're looking toward
college anytime soon, you know.  I know what I want to
do, but you don't."

  Although it was hardly circulated, Kodachi's closest
friends knew that the younger Kuno sibling had no real
plans for college.  There wasn't anything that
interested her more than rhythmic gymnastics, but even
she recognized that there was no long-term future in
it.  Chika firmly believed that Kodachi already knew
what she wanted to do, but had yet to realize it.  It
was a matter of finding which glove fit best, so to
speak.

  Ayame, on the other hand, was a year younger than
both Kodachi and Chika, and thus didn't have to worry
about it as much.  The younger rhythmic gymnast had no
designs to go to college, fully knowing that she wasn't
really bright or gifted.  Perhaps it was her self-
downplay that drove her to look after people, or even
a possible guaranteed position in her family business's
hierarchy.  She already worked for them part-time, and
was probably being groomed to take over the company
someday, so college wasn't as big a deal for her.

  Yet, despite coming from a weapons-development firm
Ayame had an unexpectedly large heart, and perhaps it
bled for this Nekurow fellow.  Chika once again reached
to open the door, but stopped herself this time in
hesitation.  Looking toward Kodachi she realized that
she wasn't paying attention anymore, and was about to
walk off.

  Chika lowered her arm, cracking the door open
slightly to view within.  Shaking her head, the sister
of Shion turned and walked back the way she came,
wondering why she bothered to come in the first place.

* * *

Day 3 of Stage Two-- Abandoned Shrine

  Kanna slid the door shut, but it did little to
drown out the mad cackling of Shizuka within.  Her
eyes passed from Akane, to Miranda, and to Ryoga, who
stood in the hall expectantly.  She shook her head.

  "She's still nuts," Kanna announced, remembering how
difficult it was to put her in restraints after Ryoga's
fight.  Although Shizuka was out for quite some time
nobody thought that she would wake up off-balance
still, so Ryoga and Miranda had to hold her down while
Kanna tied her up.  The entire time Shizuka was
ranting and babbling about some random topic she was
disgruntled over, and Kanna long since stopped trying
to figure out what she was talking about.

  The others stopped a lot sooner than she did, and
somehow, that made them much wiser for it.

  Kanna shrugged.  "Sometimes she's ranting about
anime.  Then about clich�s.  Then sometimes things
about her parents.  I can't make any sense of it."

  "So now what'll we do with her?" asked Miranda.  "I
mean, well...?"

  "Let me see her," Akane volunteered.  "Even now
Shizuka shouldn't be alone."

  "It might be dangerous," Kanna warned.

  "I trust you," she replied.  "I think I can take
care of myself."

  "I'll go with you," Ryoga said.  "If that girl tries
something...."

  "No, really," Akane insisted, stepping past Kanna
and placing her hand on the door, "I'll be fine."

  Silently, Kanna watched Akane slide open the door
out of the corner of her eye, and instantly her ears
were assailed by the babbling torment contained
within.  No one spoke a word as Akane stepped inside,
then gently slid the door shut.  Kanna realized she
was holding her breath, and forced herself to exhale.

  "You think it's okay?" wondered Miranda.

  "Well, if she thinks I did such a good job locking
her down," Kanna replied, "then who's to think
otherwise?"

* * *

  It seemed quite odd to Akane that Shizuka, who was
tied to a heavy post moved into the side room by
Ryoga, calmed down and quieted.  Her arms were tied
around the back of the post, and her feet and legs
by strong chords of their own.  Although a thick rope
held her neck back Shizuka's head was leaning forward,
as if the priestess were staring at the floor, or
thoroughly exhausted from yelling and screaming all
night.

  It was far more disturbing in that she stopped the
moment Akane slid the door shut.

  "Shizuka?"

  The bound priestess said nothing, only breathing
with quick breaths.

  Akane's eyes surveyed the room, taking in the
emptyness, save for the post.  Uprooting it from
the courtyard Ryoga plunged the large, half-meter
diameter post through the roof, and securely embedded
it through the floor, and into the ground below.
Although Shizuka's raving certainly moved it a bit, it
was not enough to make anything larger than a slowly-
growing hole in the ceiling and floor.

  "A... kaaaa... ne...?"

  She jumped in surprise, having expected Deathclaw's
hellish slur to come along with the drawl.  Akane took
two careful steps in Shizuka's direction, bending over
slightly to get a sight of the priestess' eyes.

  "Are you okay?" she asked.

  Shizuka took a deep breath.  "My arms are asleep."

  Okay.  "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

  "Untie me," the priestess whispered.  "My legs are
sore from standing for hours."

  "So you remember what you did?  You attacked me."

  "Oh.  Yes... that.  Sorry."

  "'Sorry?'  Is that all you've got to say?"

  "Sorry."

  Akane groaned.  Closing the distance between herself
and the post she stopped in front of Shizuka's
hanging head.  Putting one hand on each side of her
head, Akane thrust it back against the post, forcing
Shizuka to pay attention.  "Now listen, you...."

  The deranged priestess' expression caught her off-
guard.  Shizuka's eyes lazily stared back at her,
and her mouth hung open, with still-moist streams of
tears rolling down her cheeks.  Akane stared intently
into her eyes, and knew that Shizuka wasn't seeing her
at all.  No, her eyes were fixated on some point past
her, as if she could see through Akane, or Akane were
not there at all.

  "Do you know how you people look to the dead?"
Shizuka asked.  "For that time, I could see what
Deathclaw could see.  I saw your soul.  It was a strong
and healthy soul.  I wanted it.  I hungered for it.  I
wanted to make it my own.  I wanted your body."

  "Is this what Deathclaw wants?" Akane guessed.

  "I saw why I shouldn't be conscious while he is in
active control," the priestess continued.  "I knew it
would hurt, but not that much.  We fought over each
other for control over the same body.  He wants to do
one thing.  I want to do something else.  We found a
common ground, and we attacked you.  Sorry; you looked
strong."

  "Stupid," Akane muttered, "are you trying to
apologize, or insult me?"

  "What do you think?"

  "I don't know what to think," she replied honestly.
"For one thing, I don't know why you like hurting
yourself so much."

  "Someone has to.  Pain tells you you're alive... or,
at least, that's what they always say.  Damn clich�."

  "Huh?"

  "Kanna was right; our common ground was Hate.  She
did say that, right?  Or did I make it up?  No matter;
hate makes me strong.  Deathclaw is jealous of, and
hates, the living.  I hate clich�s."

  Shizuka forced a weak smile.  "Sure, you're telling
yourself, 'Love is the most grand emotion.'  You ever
watch anime?  No?  Well, I'll tell you what they're
poisoning young minds with.  They're sending a message
that says 'love conquers all.'  Stupid, stupid.  They
would have those people think hate is a bad thing.  But
what they don't tell you is that hate is a form of
love."

  Akane released her hold on Shizuka, and allowed her
to keep her head up under her own power.  "I don't
understand...."

  "Akane, I'm a villain," she continued in her cryptic
speech.  "Villains do terrible things in order to
accomplish their goals.  Villains are people that have
feelings, too.  Villains don't ever win.  Such is the
way they are portrayed, so that people won't go out
into the world and do terrible things.  Yet, there has
to be such people out there, because some of those
things have to be done."

  "Good guys don't kill people; villains kill
themselves with their own greed and hate.  That's just
plain silly.  Such stories have morals that look down
on such things as greed, ambition, pride, and hate.
They would have you think that humanity would do well
without such petty, despicable emotions and feelings.
I don't believe one word of it, because, if you strip
those away, we are no longer human."

  "I've met kami.  I've met Celestials who could be
just as cruel as Infernals.  They're worse because they
hide it under lofty pretenses.  The reason I supported
Sypha was because she knew the truth, and wished to
challenge the Celestial authority holding sway over the
Kami Plane over the millennia.  Such would help to
change humanity's outlook forever on such things as
good and evil.  Evil is not necessarily as black as
it really is, and good is not necessarily as white as
it really is."

  "Shizuka... who cares?" Akane replied.  "Don't think
about it so much; nobody does this except you.  You're
too concerned about everybody else that you forget
about yourself; that's your problem.  From what you
said you think you're the most selfish person out
there, but I think that's not true.  It's just that
you're not selfish ENOUGH."

  "Now you're not making sense," Shizuka said in turn.

  "You say you hunt demons.  Do you get any pleasure
out of doing it?  Do you enjoy it?"

  "Yes."

  "You're not saying 'yes' because you personally gain
from it; you're saying 'yes' because you're helping
others.  I don't know how you don't recognize that."

  "Listen," Akane said, forcing Shizuka to look at
her.  "You've got to stop beating yourself up like
this.  You're not hurting just yourself, but the
people around you, too.  People who care about you,
and are concerned for your well-being.  People you care
about.  There's nothing philosophical or subliminal
about it.  It's NOT okay to purposefully hurt yourself,
no matter what.  I don't care if it's because you got
beaten up by some guy in a black coat, or if you can't
beat Kuno; no one wants you to hurt yourself over it.
Do you understand?"

  Slowly, Shizuka nodded her head.

  Moving around to the other side of the post, Akane
began working at Kanna's knots.  "You're worse than
Ranma, you know?  At least he has the sense not to go
to the lengths you're going."

  Akane worked silently, and Shizuka said not a word
as she finished undoing the tough bonds Kanna created.
In no time Akane had the thick ropes undone, leaving
Shizuka to stand freely with her back against the post.
Akane turned to the front, noting that Shizuka had
quietly cried herself to sleep, standing up.

  Shaking her head Akane gently pulled her away from
against the post, and slowly lowered her down flat on
her back to the ground, careful not to make any sudden
noises.  Sitting down on her knees, she rest Shizuka's
head on her lap, and stroked her hair back away from
her face.

  She looks so tired, Akane thought.  It's like she
grew up without having grown-up.  If she were awake
right now she'd detest sympathy... but... maybe that's
just what she needs.  It really must be terrible to
think you're standing alone for so long....

  "Don't get too comfortable," a dark, grating voice
intoned.

  Akane was instantly alerted, her head darting about.
"Who's there?"

  "You can't see me," the voice replied.  "Look down."

  Instantly, she realized who it was.  Deathclaw was
speaking to her directly, into her mind; it made
sense, considering that Shizuka was out.  Yet, as far
as Akane could tell, Deathclaw doesn't ever speak to
anyone like this; always through Shizuka, when she let
him use her voice on those occasions.  "You.  What do
you want?"

  "Nothing, for the moment," Deathclaw replied, his
voice making itself comfortable in Akane's mind.  "What
is it to you that you would relax your guard to one of
your most dangerous enemies?"

  "She's not my enemy," Akane answered sincerely.  "The
question is, are you?"

  She imagined the skull dragon smiling in her mind's
eye, amused.  "I am the Yang to her Yin.  I am that
which makes her whole.  You would take her in that
fashion, or not at all.  So tell me, am I your enemy?"

  Akane closed her eyes, clearing her thoughts of
quick remarks.  If Deathclaw wasn't lying through his
teeth, then maybe Shizuka had a reason to purposefully
get possessed by such an evil being.  Yet, even though
she was possessed, Deathclaw almost never manifest
save for when Shizuka wished.

  What was it that would bring Shizuka and Deathclaw
together?  Were they really that different?

  "No, I guess not," she answered finally.

* * *

  "I'm going back up to the cabin," Kanna announced,
stretching her arms out into the air.  "It's up in
the mountains a ways; I'm expecting guests."

  "More guests?" Miranda said bleakly.

  Kanna raised a finger.  "If something goes wrong
with Shizuka, let me know as soon as possible.  I'm
sure that between you two they'll be safe."

  "Akane will, that's for sure," Ryoga corrected.  "I
can't say the same about Shizuka, if she decides to
attack her again."

* * *

High Priestess' Quarters, North Tower

  "'Too late?'" Hokuto repeated in disbelief.

  "You just missed them," Mizuki told the Shadow
Weaver.  "Ranma and Ukyo left this morning to meet-up
with Shizuka at my retreat."

  Hokuto paced in a circle, running her hand through
the length of her traveling cloak.  "I don't know where
it is, so I can't travel there.  You're going to have
to give me directions."

  Silently, the Shadow Weaver cursed her luck.  Had she
thought to come to the Shrine of the Four Gods sooner
she could have at least gotten Ranma's attention.  The
problem with catching him now was a matter of real-time
encounters, as Hokuto could only achieve her shadow
travel to places she's been to before, and could
remember precisely with her mind.  It seemed a stupid
limitation to her power, but shadow transit wouldn't
work otherwise.

  Sometimes, it was possible to get somewhere through
use of a photograph, but there was a larger chance of
ending up someplace where you didn't want to be.  On
top of that, Mizuki never thought it prudent to take
pictures of her little cabin, so the point was moot
anyway.

  "I'll see about getting you that," the high priestess
said.  "But what's going on?  I might be able to call
Kanna."

  "A phone message won't guarantee they'll come,"
Hokuto insisted.  "I can take them back to Tokyo
faster if I go myself."

  "Fine, but what's wrong?"

  "Ziel's been captured by a man with a bone flute,"
the Shadow Weaver explained.  "If we don't do
something soon the flute will take over his mind, and
our enemy will have one of the strongest weapons at
his disposal."

* * *

Mountain Retreat

  Kanna hardly waited long before the summoning
circle, a circle of ash left over from the first
summoning, erupted in flame.  The cloaked salamander
Cinder emerged from the midst of the flames, holding
a wrapped length in his left claw.

  The salamander's mechanical eye zoomed in, and he
held the wrapped sword and scabbard for Kanna to take.
"Where is the girl?"

  Accepting the package, the tactician replied, "She's
having some... problems."

  "I see."

  "So, I see you fixed the sword, after all."

  "I fixed it myself," Cinder said neutrally.  "In the
past days I taught myself how to do so, and it was a
simple matter to fuse the blade back together."

  "You control the flame, after all," Kanna said.

  "However," the salamander said in warning, "advise
that girl this sword is not fit to be used in combat
any longer.  The structural harmony of the blade
cannot be repaired; if it is used in the same manner
as before it will simply break again.  As you know, a
blade is forged from one piece of metal.  Fusing the
broken blade was as if making a blade of two different
pieces.  Reforging the blade and restoring it in that
manner is beyond my ken; it would require the human
that forged it, or someone knowledged in its forging.
The key point is that this sword was forged by a
human, and we only know how to forge a salamander
weapon."

  "I understand," Kanna said, nodding.  "So it's
nothing more than a ceremonial blade now."

  "She will know what to do with it, I trust," Cinder
added confidently.  "I understand that girl would not
have left the sword in my care had she not known what
the consequence would be."

  "I don't mean disrespect, Master Cinder, but why
don't you ever refer to Shizuka by her name?"

  "Why do you insist on referring me as 'Master
Cinder?'" he countered with a question of his own.

  "Because it's your name, and I'm trying to show you
respect."

  "I owe no such respect for that girl," answered
Cinder, folding his polished steel arms.  "Nor does
she, nor you, respect me enough to refer to my full
name and title.  You are not privileged enough to know
my full name and title, just as I am not privileged to
refer to her by her full name and title.  Such honor
is bestowed only on our finest peoples, such as my lord
and master, Lord Kolvar na Strakhil.  One as great as
he is beyond such pettiness befitting his subjects and
retainers-- unlike the cowardly Celestial Emperor, who
continues to hide behind his common name."

  "So names are part of your political climate, too?"
Kanna concluded, nodding sagely.  She realized that,
in his own way, the salamander was making out himself
to be a humble servant by flaunting his lord's power
so.  This Kolvar must be so powerful it doesn't matter
if people know his true name, she reasoned.  "'Cinder'
is your common name, then?  It's just that most of us
humans don't have such names."

  "Most do not," he agreed.  "Yet, I sense you do.  It
seems that human society has it in reverse than it is
in the Kami Plane; your so-called 'nick-names' are more
special than your true names."

  Kanna smiled.  "Yeah, I guess you could say that.
They call me the 'Crystal Spider.'"  She held up her
necklace, a violet-hued crystal containing a preserved
silk-spinning spider.  "Mainly because of this... and
because some of the girls back in grade school thought
I was creepy.  Most girls are afraid of spiders, you
know?"  She shook her head.  "Of course you don't
know... who am I kidding?"

  Cinder nodded, lowering his arms.  "Your lineage is
so honored for that relic."  Bowing respectfully, he
added,  "I will take my leave of you."

  The flames of the circle erupted around the fire
master once again, consuming his form in a brilliant,
violent flare.  Kanna only had time to blink once
before it vanished as quickly as it came, leaving no
trace of the summoning circle this time, now that the
terms of the pact have been fulfilled.

  She looked down at the bundle in her hands,
skeptical.  "What in the world is she going to do with
this worthless thing?"

* * *

  "I'd like to think I've grown-up," Ukyo said,
trailing behind Ranma as the two trekked up the
pathless mountainside, her hands on the straps of her
backpack.  "But I'm still chasing stupid dreams."

  "It can't be that stupid," Ranma replied, without
looking over his shoulder.

  "You're one silly guy," the okonomiyaki chef said,
smiling to herself.  "Even after you got married I
still think about you a lot.  Things that could've
been, and the way things weren't.  Things like that.
Things like how one event can cause a whole series of
events down the line."

  "Strangely enough," she added, "in hindsight, I can't
think how anything would be like if your pop didn't
steal my dad's cart.  I wouldn't have met Akane,
Konatsu, or the others.  Everything did work out in
it's own way, don't you think?"

  "Maybe," the other granted, "but it could've been
less painful along the way."

  "Okay... so I wouldn't need to get better direction
for the same event," Ukyo admitted, waving her arms
about.  "But still, it's great that i can talk to you
like this, now."

  "I'm not sure about that," Ranma said, thinking to
himself.

  Ranma stopped in his tracks, holding his arm out to
bar Ukyo's path.  Getting the hint, she paused as
well, straining her ears to detect whatever it was that
forced Ranma to stop.

  "I wasn't expecting more visitors this soon," they
heard a third voice say.

  "I know that voice," Ranma said under his breath.

  Both Ranma and Ukyo jumped in surprise as Kanna
dropped in from the tree above, landing with a loud
clomp.  Standing straight up the elder girl had one
hand over her shoulder, on her strange scythe weapon,
which rest along with a wrapped bundle that was barely
visible.

  "Kanna," Ukyo remembered.  "What're you doing here?"

  "I see you two are hitting it on," Kanna noted,
smiling mischievously.  "Boy, wouldn't Akane like to
hear the gossip mill on this one!"

  "What about Akane?" demanded Ranma.

  The tactician waved a finger.  "Lots of people have
been looking for you, silly boy.  They've been helpful
of late, but I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

  "Akane's here?" he guessed, unsurprised.

  "Maybe I should leave," Ukyo suggested.

  "Everybody's over at a shrine down that way," Kanna
said, ignoring Ukyo's comment.  "It's not that far.
Of course... are you sure you want to deal with all of
it?"

  "All of what?"

  "Ryoga, Miranda, and Shizuka are there, too," she
added.  "Shizuka in particular's been a handful."

  "I can imagine," Ukyo murmured.

* * *

Courtyard, Abandoned Shrine

  Boredom settled in as Miranda suppressed a yawn,
leaning against the wall to the left of the main
entrance as Ryoga stood on the wall to the right.
Kanna was only gone for a few hours already, but
nothing was happening-- and that bothered Miranda.

  "So you're Ryoga Hibiki," she said, opening a
conversation based on boredom.  "I heard you fought
against Ranma."

  "Yeah," he replied.  "That was a long time ago."

  "Was he always that bad?"

  "'That bad?'" Ryoga echoed, turning his head and
giving Miranda a surprised look.  "He's the best there
is."

  "I beat him, you know," she boasted.

  "I heard that, too."  He turned away, leaning his
head back against the wall.  "I think it was luck."

  "'Luck?'  What about skill?"

  "'Luck,' because Ranma hadn't decided to train hard
to beat you back.  It's probably because you're a
girl."

  Miranda's expression became sullen.  "You're shitting
me, right?"

  Again, Ryoga gave her the look.  "I've fought him
many times.  You fought him... once?"

  "Twice," she corrected.

  "So you beat him once out of two matches; that
doesn't mean you're good.  That means you got lucky."

  "Stop saying it was luck!" Miranda cried, beaming.
"You wanna fight?  I'll make you eat those words!"

  She threw one gloved punch, which Ryoga caught
easily, without turning.

  No way, Miranda thought.  That loser Ranma did the
exact same thing that time....  I HAVE to be faster
than that....

  "Feh," he scoffed.  "Fighting you proves nothing.
No wonder Ranma doesn't want a rematch; you're all
talk and no skill."

  "You better watch it, pal," Miranda seethed, her
blood boiling.  "Or I'll make you eat those words!"

  "Oh yeah?" Ryoga said.  "I'd like to see you try!"

* * *

  "Where're my weapons?" Shizuka asked, lying on the
floor on her side, resting her head on her arms, facing
away from Akane.

  "It's just a precaution," Akane explained, sitting
only a meter away.  "We can't tell when you're stable."

  The priestess smiled to herself.  "You know, my old
Aikido sensei said that, too."

  "You studied Aikido?" Akane asked, surprised.

  "Yeah; I got kicked out of the dojo, though.  All the
time I kept asking questions, and sensei didn't like
it.  Of course, he really lost it after he introduced
the weapons training...."

  "What did you do?"

  "After I shut-up and learned the finer-points of
using a bokken," the priestess recalled, rolling over
onto her back, "I went ahead and nearly killed one of
the other students with it.  I mean, I must've done
something right, because I turned a 'harmless'
exercise into a death-dealer.  Kid's lucky."

  "Oh, I see," Akane said, sounding nervous.

  "After that Mizuki had to train me personally,"
Shizuka finished.  "They at least taught me enough to
know how to swing it... sort of."  She shook her head.
"Didn't last at all."  Turning over to face Akane, she
added, "You did notice my suckage at hand-to-hand,
yes?"

  Akane nodded.  "I heard you were going after Kuno
many times over the past week or two.  He's kind of
like that, but he's extremely skilled with his sword.
I don't think it's a good idea for a beginner like you,
not to mention a drop-out, to take him on.  Kuno's on
his way to the top in competition."

  "That's why I went after him," Shizuka replied.  "And
why I go after Ranma.  It's faster-- even if painful--
to learn how to beat a master, because, even if they
hold back on me, I know what to do in a real fight."

  "Don't you think that's a little dangerous?  It takes
years of practice to get to the level they're at.  Even
I can't catch-up to them."

  "My intention is not to 'catch-up,'" Shizuka
corrected, "but rather, to determine my own style.  The
only thing that works for me is what I experience
works.  Mizuki's been bullshitting this 'style thing'
to me for years; I think her style is full of it, and
if it works for her, that's fine; it just didn't work
for me.  So I'm inventing my own style that befits me.
If there's something I've learned from Aikido is that
martial arts is a philosophy."

  "That's one way you could look at it," Akane said.
Changing the subject, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

  At the mention of food, Shizuka sat up, perked.  "I
haven't eaten since lunch yesterday; of COURSE I'm
hungry!"

  Reaching into her pocket, Akane produced a power
bar.  "I'll split this one."

  "Isn't that mine anyway?" Shizuka asked, narrowing
her eyes suspiciously.

  "Yeah," she replied, "unless you want to cook up
something from the supplies."

  The priestess shrugged.  "Well, why not?"  Jumping
back to her feet, she asked, "I don't promise anything
fancy, though."

  "If you're willing to eat it, I guess it can't be
all bad," Akane said, finding some amusement in the
matter which Shizuka didn't understand.

* * *

Darkness

  Ziel's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the blinding
single light overhead.

  He tried to move his arms, but found them restrained.
He lay flat on his back, against some kind of table,
probably for torture purposes.  The Wind-User could not
recall how he turned up in such a dismal location,
recalling only the terrible noise in his head when the
cloaked man appeared with his bone flute.

  The flute... yes, that was the key....

  "I see you are awake," the unseen enemy said.

  Ziel zipped his lips, unwilling to give his captor
any sense of satisfaction.

  "Ziel Kagura," he continued, "of a lineage tracing
back to a demoness during the Warring States period.
Since then your bloodline inherited a special power--
more specifically, the ability to control the wind.
Your line uses a special fan to achieve this, yet the
fan itself is not important; each member of your line
has used their own fan.  So it's merely a focus to
your talent."

  The Wind-User shut his eyes, but the light seemed
to shine through his eyelids.

  "Yet, along with such power comes a certain...
drawback.  Since you're not fully-blooded, your power
over the wind is not as strong as your ancestor.  Your
human blood makes you weak, and unable to control the
wind without discipline.  You are held back by fear."

  Again, he remained silent.

  "The secret is so obvious: each member of your line
has never become a soldier, nor have they become a
public servant by any means.  They fear they will lash
out and draw blood.  Your line has instilled into you
a fear of murder.  You fear such extreme violence that
you would avoid it at all costs.  You fear the sight
of blood, in fear of awakening your primal urges."

  "Yes, that's correct," continued the dark one.  "The
Kagura family works hardest to discipline against an
instinct shared by humanity and demons alike.  You are
truly not human, nor are you demon.  You're an
abomination."

  "I am Ziel Kagura," the Wind-User seethed, unable to
hold himself back.  "I surpass you weak creatures."

  "Your true nature lies sealed within you!  Why fight
it?  Your family will carry the curse forever.  Use it
to dispose of the weak, and bring about a new age
without humans or demons."

  He felt his blood boiling.  "I am not your pawn!"

  "Remember how they ridiculed you!" encouraged the
enemy.  "Remember how those humans shunned you, and
beat you up on the way to school every morning.
Remember your frustration when your parents forbid you
from using your power to protect yourself!  Remember
breaking that command, and truly instilling fear in
your tormentors!"

  "Those worms of humans," Ziel seethed, "they knew
nothing of fear...."

  The tone of the bone flute played once more, and Ziel
screamed in pain as the notes flooded his ears.  The
infernal noise... noise... NOISE!!

  "I'll kill you!" Ziel promised, screaming at the top
of his lungs.  "Come out here and fight me, coward!"

  But the music played on, infuriating Ziel further.
He flexed his arms, feeling blood pulsating through
his veins, and the rush that followed consumed him.

  A swirl of air erupted in the dark chamber, and the
light hanging overhead exploded into a shower of
glass.  Yet not one shard would touch Ziel as a
violent spiral formed over and around him, tearing up
into the sky like a great drill.

  "Frail human!" he roared, the wind shattering his
bonds with the precision of a surgeon.  "Your kind will
taste my wrath!"

* * *

Nerima

  "What the hell...?!" Mousse cried, holding his
glasses over his eyes when the explosion erupted from
the mountains north of the city.

  Shampoo stood up from her seat at the cafe table to
see, along with the other customers, her eyes fixed
on the great fireball beyond the city limits.  She
raised a hand as a visor for her eyes, and squinted.

  "Let's see what it is," she decided.

  Mousse looked back at her, peeling his eyes away
from the spectacle.  "Are you crazy?  That's not just
an explosion!  It's a fire!"

  "Not just fire, either," the other martial artist
corrected.  "Someone strong is there.  Maybe we know
him."

* * *

  Ayame felt Nekurow standing beside her as she
stared out in the fireball's direction, standing in
the courtyard of the Mishima estate.  Moments before
she watched silently as the dark hunter practiced
swings, planning to get back into shape as soon as
possible.

  "It's him," Nekurow knew, sheathing the Orochi
Sword.  "The Wind-User is challenging us."

  "But you haven't recovered your strength yet!" Ayame
said.  "And besides, if he can make big explosions
like that...."

  "His province is the wind, not fire," he pointed out
simply.  "The explosion is only a consequence; his
attack is invisible to the naked eye."  Adjusting his
sunglasses, Nekurow added, "Yet my vision enhancement
can detect the patterns in the air, so I may have an
edge."

  "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

  "This one is one of the stronger demons," Nekurow
explained.  "If left unchecked more people will be
hurt.  I will kill him."

* * *

  "I just got off the phone with Mizuki," Nabiki read
on her computer screen, the message coming from Shion.
"Kanna is indeed back in Japan, and she's wherever
Shizuka is, training."

  "Did you feel that explosion a little while ago?"
she messaged back, typing frantically onto her
keyboard.  The shock of the blast still rattled her
bones, and Nabiki could feel the waves just thinking
about it.

  "Who couldn't?  But what do you want me to do about
it?"

  "Well, shouldn't it be that Nekurow guy?"

  "Nekurow's accounted for.  Chika says he's over at
Ayame's place, recovering."

  Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  "Oh really?" she typed in
response.

  "Ayame's fooling around with him, or something like
that.  I'll call Kodachi and see if she's still
there."

  "What about Ziel?"

  "How should I know?  He's probably hiding somewhere,
because he didn't check in yesterday."

  "Times like this you wish Ranma was around."

  "Oh yeah.  Mizuki said he was hiding out with him
the last couple of days.  He ain't there anymore,
though."

  "Really?  So where is he now, because Akane wasn't
going that way."

  "Who knows."

  Nabiki sighed, leaning back in her seat.  Her
brother-in-law seemed to like raising hell while he
was in town, but when something happens Ranma is
nowhere to be found.  For that matter, knowing that
anyone beside Kuno was in town to protect them from any
sort of danger wasn't encouraging.

  Whoever it was that was doing it, Nabiki hoped he or
she would just go away.

* * *

Courtyard, Abandoned Shrine

  "Everything was all fun and games," Shizuka said
impassively, walking with uneven steps, her eyes
studying the darkening clouds of the morning sky above.
"It didn't last.  It never lasts."

  Not far away, Akane, with Ryoga and Miranda to
either side, watched from the shade of the roof's
overhang, the latter sporting a number of bruises for
some reason.  While Akane remained relaxed the other
two remained alert, just waiting for the priestess to
flip-out.

  "It's like it was all a dream," Akane said.  "I never
noticed how much of a kid she was at heart."

  "I don't buy it," Miranda voiced coldly.  "It's all
a clever facade to lower our guard."

  "Yeah," agreed Ryoga.  "You can't judge a person by
their appearance alone; that gets you in trouble."

  He tapped the taped cardboard box at his right with
the heel of his right foot, the contents which were
the whole of Shizuka's ridiculous array of weapons and
theoretical weapons.  Although the box reached as high
as Ryoga's waist the only things that weren't resting
on the bottom were a single snake-pommel sword,
peace-knotted into its sheath, and an unloaded single-
barrel shotgun.

  "So what do we do with her?" Miranda wondered.

  "Maybe she'll forget about fighting," Ryoga hoped.

  "Hey, guys, I'm back!"

  Attention turned toward the stairs as Kanna entered
into view, waving with one hand.  Shizuka saw her
friend coming, rushing off to greet her.

  She stopped in her tracks when she saw who was behind
Kanna.

  "YOU!!" Shizuka screamed, reaching to her left waist
for the sword that wasn't there.

  "Um, nice to see you, too," Ranma said, annoyed.

  "Ranma!" Akane cried, running out to greet him.

  But Ryoga was three steps ahead of her, and Ryoga was
already throwing Ranma around with his lightning
fists.  "Ranma, you jerk!" he cried angrily.  "How
DARE you make Akane worry about you!"

  In turn Ryoga's head met the flat of a giant
spatula.

  "I know that spatula anywhere..." he murmured, face
throbbing in pain.

  "Geez, Ryoga," Ukyo said, shaking her head, "you're
as stubborn as ever."

  "Full house, huh?" Miranda said, taking her time in
her approach.  She looked down at Ranma on the ground,
having been given a good one by Ryoga, and was being
kicked in the side with Shizuka's weak kicks.  She
rubbed her gloved hands together in delight.  "This
is getting better every minute...."

* * *

  "So that's the story," Akane said, and Ranma nodded.

  Although it took some time calming everybody down
Akane, with some help from Kanna and Ukyo, managed to
get each of the others to stop tearing each other
apart long enough to listen to each others' tales.  In
some respects, as she sat in the middle of the bare
temple room with the others, it felt as if the picture
was coming together all at once.

  "Well," Miranda said, "it sounds as if you need an
expert's opinion."

  "Like what?" Ranma said, eyes narrowing in disgust.

  "I bet I could waste this Ziel guy easy," she
answered.  "Point me in the right direction, and I'll
take care of him for you."

  "Even if you could compete, I'm still going to do it
myself!"

  "Lots of luck, loser-boy!" the loser replied, cocky.
"If you got beat by me, how do you stand a chance?"

  "You don't!" Ranma countered.  "You'll just run away
because you're afraid of losing to anybody."

  "Hey!" Akane shouted.  "Can't you guys just stop
fighting for once?"

  "What'd you expect?" Shizuka muttered, eyeing Akane.
"Ranma's a blockhead, and Miranda's full of it."

  "Don't you ever say anything positive?" Ukyo
criticized the priestess.  "Every word that comes out
of your mouth is putting somebody down."

  "Oh, like you're all gold and sunshine!" the
priestess shot back, smiling, accepting the challenge.
"Praise and support are double-edged as well!"

  "It goes for you guys, too," Kanna said, verbally
stepping in between the two girls.

  "Friendly types we've got here," Ryoga noted
sarcastically, folding his arms.  "So now that we're
here... now what?"

  "I plan on completing my training," Shizuka answered.
"I'm not going to beat that jerk Nekurow if I sit on
my hands."

  "Of course, that might produce the same results,"
Ranma said under his breath.

  "What did you just say?!"

  "You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag."

  Had it been possible smoke would have poured out
of Shizuka's ears.  "You wanna bet, girly-man?!  Let's
go outside and I'll make you eat those words!"

  "Fine!" Ranma agreed.  "I'll just have to scrub that
mouth of yours!"

  "Ranma!" Akane beamed.  "What're you doing?"

  "Don't worry," he assured her.  "I can't possibly
lose to a nobody like Shizuka!"

  "Well, you never know," Miranda considered,
scratching her chin thoughtfully.  "I mean, really...."

  "Um, Ranma," Ryoga voiced, concerned, "I don't think
you want to try that...."

  "What's the worse that could possibly happen?" Ranma
declared boastfully.  "I can handle anything Shizuka
throws at me."

* * *

  Standing across from each other in the courtyard
Ranma stretched his arms and legs out, and stifled a
yawn.  Behind him, Akane, Ukyo, and Ryoga waited from
a fair distance, not knowing what Ranma would do in
the coming battle.

  At the other end of the courtyard Shizuka busied
herself with replacing all the weaponry that was
stripped from her earlier, with Miranda standing by
the opened box and handing the priestess one article at
a time.  Shizuka never tore her eyes away from Ranma,
and replaced each weapon automatically-- shouldering
her shotgun, sheathing her sword, hiding her steel
cards and wards in her inner sleeve pockets.

  Behind her Kanna made herself known.  "Shizuka, I
hope you know what you're doing."

  "That's fine," Shizuka replied, taking her string of
summoning beads, having only three beads remaining
after using most of them to summon Cinder previously.
"I don't know what I'm going to do specifically, but I
have a good idea."  Raising her left arm, she tied the
string to the end of her sleeve.

  "You're just going to get yourself hurt over this,"
Kanna persisted.  "When was the last time you beat
Ranma?  Never."

  "There's a first time for everything."

  "And a last," Miranda said under her breath.

  "So it's going to be a little different minus one
sword," Shizuka said, feeling confident as she slipped
on her harpoon gun onto her right leg, quickly
adjusting the trigger.  "I don't need it; I've figured
out something that I should've seen a long time ago."

  "And that is...?" Kanna wanted to know.

  "You'll see," the priestess promised.

  The tactician sighed.  "Well, just remember that
anything you use against Ranma, he'll be able to
counter it easily.  Even the shotgun.  So after your
magic I don't see how you could possibly win."

  Shizuka smiled to herself, fanning three wards in
her left hand.  "He's never fought me when I was
REALLY motivated!"

* * *

  "I hope Ranma knows what he's doing," Ryoga said,
critical of the martial artist.  "If he saw what that
girl did last night he wouldn't be so cocky."

  "Do what?" Ukyo wondered.

  "She won't," Akane assured them.  "I trust her."

  "Well," Ryoga decided, "if you've got that much
confidence in her, then I guess I should, too."

  "Whatever," Ukyo said, shaking her head.



-----------------------------------------------

Author's Rant

  Although the two have fought many times over the
course of the series Ranma and Shizuka never had a
formal battle whereby Shizuka wasn't seriously
disadvantaged (at least, from her usual standard).  No
doubt even now she's handicapped, missing one sword,
but this promises to be better than any of the previous
fights.  Training is over.

  It's a semi-gag that Shizuka never gets to summon
anything, and when she does, something goes wrong.

  The Kami Plane is made up primarily of three 'tiers'
that somewhat dictate alignments: the Celestials are
basically the 'good' races (celestial dragons,
archons), the Surfacers are the 'neutral' races (ranges
from werebeasts to fey-folk), and the Infernals are the
'evil' races (ghosts, nightmares, salamanders... and
includes Orochi).  Sypha herself is quite evil for a
celestial dragon, and has appropriately held 'Heaven'
hostage by allying with 'Hell,' so to speak.  The inner
workings of Sypha's plans are effectively laid-out
throughout the story, as she left a lasting impression
on those around her.  So much characterization, and
Sypha hasn't even appeared at all.

  Stay tuned for more.


-- Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com)
www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/ranma/ranff.html

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