Insertion
Part 78
Jusendo
+++++++++
Carrot stood with his companions
with his arms crossed in front of his
chest and a smirk on his face. "Well,
there it is." They were hiding behind a
large set of boulders, looking up at the
mountain in front of them.
"Jusendo," growled Herb as he
lowered his head slightly. "Saffron will
be inside."
"Yes, and so will Dan," agreed
Carrot.
"Why would he do such a terrible
thing? I thought he was your friend,"
said Usagi as she looked at her parents
for a moment.
"Dan was hardly a friend, but in any
case, he's doing this over a woman,"
replied Carrot.
"I thought you said something about
brainwashing eggs," snorted Yohiko
irritably.
"I did, but if you remember, Dan has
a safeguard against something like that.
He's on his own, and Kiima doesn't
control him," replied Carrot calmly.
"Are you sure?" asked Plum in
confusion.
"Yeah, I don't think he'd be acting
the way he was if he'd been caught by
one of those eggs," said Carrot.
"He's dangerous," said Yohiko as she
turned to look at the others for a
moment. Focusing more on Usagi than
anyone else.
"He won't hurt her, or us. Not yet
anyway," said Carrot. "He's mine, and
he's waiting for me. I doubt if he'll
seriously try to stop us, he wants this
fight as bad as I do."
"Waiting on you?" asked Herb.
Carrot nodded. "That doesn't mean
he's not dangerous, possibly more than
Saffron even. I'm sure I can win, but
he's got some nasty surprises waiting
for us I'm sure."
"He's been hanging around you too
long," said Yohiko with a rough snort.
"You're absolutely right," said
Xellos as he appeared next to them.
"Hey Pop," said Phibrizzo
cheerfully.
"I was starting to wonder when you
two would show up," commented Carrot as
he turned to face the pair.
"You again?" asked Ukyo.
Ryoga frowned, but didn't move from
his place behind Plum.
"Yes, us again," said Xellos
cheerfully. "In any case, they're
waiting on you inside. It won't be easy
to get where you're going."
"I know, Dan is smarter than I
usually give him credit for, plus I'm
not sure how he operates on his own.
I've got a pretty good feeling that
there won't be much of Jusendo left
after we're through with it." Carrot
scowled and turned to face the others.
"He's mine, don't try to fight him. You
worry about getting me in there, I'll
handle Dan and Saffron."
Yohiko frowned at this. "Both of
them?"
"Fool, you'll get yourself killed!"
snapped Herb.
"Maybe so," agreed Carrot as he
nodded in agreement.
Yohiko frowned at this and stared at
him. "That's the whole idea isn't it?"
"What? Dying?" said Carrot with a
small chuckle. "Don't be absurd. I
already know how to beat Saffron. Dan is
too much for anyone but me to handle.
I'm your only choice."
"What do you mean?" snapped Herb
angrily. "Defeating Saffron on your own?
Don't be absurd!"
"Actually, I agree with him. He's
the only one who should face Saffron.
Dan however...is another matter
entirely." Xellos turned to face Carrot
again and chuckled. "If you fight Dan,
you won't be in any condition for
Saffron. The same goes for if you take
on the God first. Either way, if you try
to do everything, you'll die. Face it,
you can't protect them this time
Carrot."
The man stared at Xellos and scowled
angrily. His jaw went hard and he
growled irritably.
"Protect us?" asked Yohiko as she
stared at Xellos for a moment.
"Yes, protect you. Especially you,
Miss Yohiko," replied Phibrizzo as he
smirked at her.
"Heh. I wonder how much he knows?"
replied Xellos calmly.
"She can take care of herself,"
snapped Carrot as he turned away
angrily.
"Yes she can, but that's not what
you're worried about is it?" asked
Xellos as his maddening grin challenged
Carrot's angry frown.
"Shut your hole Xellos," growled the
man.
"What is he talking about?" said
Usagi in confusion. "Dad?"
"It's nothing," grumbled Carrot as
he turned away.
Yohiko was standing in silence
staring at Carrot with an unreadable
expression on her face. Finally she
snorted and turned away. "I don't need
your help. I can take any one of you!
You know that!"
Carrot didn't look at her and
growled under his breath. "It's not you
I'm worried about Yohiko, it's them."
"We knew what we were getting into
when we came here," said Herb firmly. "I
for one do not appreciate being treated
as a weak fool."
"Think what you want, Saffron is
mine," said Carrot as he returned Herb's
glare. "You can have him, but only if we
find him before he transforms.
Understood?" His voice was commanding
and firm.
Herb frowned at this and grit his
teeth in irritation. "You..."
"Give me your word, or I'll make
sure you can't get in my way Herb. If
he's transformed, you back off and let
me handle it."
It was a clear-cut threat. Herb
looked at Ryoga and Ukyo, both of them
were in shock and appeared to back him
up rather than Carrot. "It is my duty to
face him."
"Even if it means you'd have to
leave your Queen in charge of your
people? Do you really trust Ranma that
much?" asked Xellos calmly as he stepped
between them.
"He is my mate!" snarled Herb in
defiance.
"She is inexperienced as a ruler,
and her temper will get the best of her.
Do you really think she will obey you if
you die? Or will she try to avenge your
death, possibly dragging her people to
their doom along with her?" said
Phibrizzo coolly as he smirked at Herb
and stood beside Xellos. "She'll follow
her heart, and that is exactly what it
will tell her to do."
Herb stood firmly glaring at them.
"Very well. You have my word." He bowed
his head and turned away.
Ukyo was silent and stood back with
Ryoga and Plum. None of the teens knew
what was happening. Usagi was next to
her mother and didn't know what to think
or do.
"Good, don't forget it," said Carrot
as he stood up and stepped out into the
open. "Xellos, are you just here to play
referee, or are you going to be useful
for once?"
Plum rushed over and grabbed the leg
of Carrot's pants. "We don't know which
entrance it is! We could be killed!"
"I know that, but Xellos knows the
right entrance," said Carrot as he
turned his gaze towards the pair of
Mazoku.
"Very well, I suppose I can help
this time," said Xellos with a small
sigh. "Don't expect much more from me
though."
"Right," said Carrot with a smug
looking grin on his face. "Now, to the
plan."
"What plan?" asked Yohiko irritably.
"What? Charge in and beat them up,
right?" asked Usagi dumbly.
"No, you're going to handle Kiima
Usagi. Don't kill her though, Dan won't
be any easier to deal with if we piss
him off that way. Just keep her out of
the way."
"Me?" asked Yohiko with a frown on
her face.
"You and Herb are both going to keep
Dan busy while I deal with Saffron,"
replied Carrot coolly.
"What about us?" snorted Ukyo
irritably.
"You and Ryoga are going to take
care of any guards we find on the way,
you're here to clear the way. Stay out
of the big fights, they're beyond your
power levels."
"What am I doing?" muttered Plum.
"You're going home, when we find
your father, we'll send him after you.
You'll just get in the way at this
point. We can't waste time protecting
you. Sorry."
Plum actually looked relieved.
"Okay, come back to Jusenkyo when
finished then."
"Don't worry kid, we won't leave you
hanging," said Ryoga cheerfully.
"Why should we do what you tell us
too?" snorted Yohiko.
"Because it's a good plan actually,"
replied Xellos with a small shrug.
"Who asked you!?" snapped the woman
angrily.
"Saffron is mine if he's not
transformed," said Herb coldly. "Don't
forget that."
"Fine, have it your way," replied
Carrot. "In any case, no matter what
happens, Ryoga stays with Ukyo. Keep him
from getting lost. He won't do us any
good if he wanders off in the fight."
The chef nodded firmly and turned to
glare at the boy irritably.
"I have to fight the bird lady?"
muttered Usagi fearfully.
"She's no match for you if you
remember your training," replied Carrot
calmly. "Besides, I just want you to
make sure she stays out of the way more
than anything else. Don't forget, you
can't let her die. Dan will not be
pleased if she's dead, and I'm not sure
if any of us can survive that maniac if
he becomes suicidal."
"You underestimate my power,"
growled Herb.
"Whatever," growled Yohiko.
"Enough of this!" growled Herb.
"Stop bickering and shut up. We
don't have time for arguments," said
Carrot.
"I can handle Dan on my own if I
need too! I don't need his help!" said
Yohiko irritably.
"Come on, let's just go," growled
Carrot as he started walking towards the
entrance. "Which one is it anyway?"
Xellos chuckled and merely pointed
at a door with the words 'Employees
Only' written on it.
"Oh. Right," said Carrot with a
small shrug.
+++++++++++
The caverns and passageways of
Jusendo were quiet, and empty. Darkness
surrounded them, and the sound of
dripping water could occasionally be
heard as the group entered the mountain
through the doorway.
Herb frowned slightly and closed his
eyes with his palm held in front of him.
"I shall light our way." A ball of
energy appeared in his hand and the room
lit up. "Come."
"Stop showing off," said Carrot as
he smacked the man in the back of his
head as he passed by. He turned on a
flashlight he'd pulled from his backpack
and pulled something off of the bottom,
turning it into a small electric
lantern.
"You didn't tell me you had one of
those," grumbled Herb irritably as he
followed and dissipated the ki ball.
"Sure is quiet," commented Usagi.
"Yeah, too quiet," agreed Carrot as
he narrowed his eyes and led the group
through the tunnel.
After several minutes of wandering
in silence, the group came upon a deep
cavern. It extended in either direction,
but above and below them. Various
tunnels and passageways were visible
through holes in the wall, along with
several natural bridges.
"There's no one here," commented
Carrot irritably as he looked up and
down. "We should have run into someone
by now. Something is wrong."
"Perhaps they are all in the central
chamber?" muttered Herb out loud.
"No, they would have guards
patrolling, something. This isn't
something they want interrupted,"
replied Carrot with a frown on his face.
"This isn't right. I've got a bad
feeling about this."
"You said it," agreed Ryoga. Ukyo
tugged on his arm and prevented him from
stepping off the side of the natural
bridge they were walking across.
"Well, we can only go forward," said
Yohiko with a small shrug. Carrot was
bothering her, she knew about his past
life. He should know what they should
expect in this place. He looked nervous
and confused, that bothered her more
than anything else.
Finally, the tunnel ended. They
walked into a room and everyone but
Carrot looked on in awe at the statues
that loomed in the center of the room
over a pool. A dragon and a phoenix,
both with their mouths opened. The two
great statues were joined at the base,
forming a single pipe near the bottom of
the cavern.
"This is it," said Carrot. "They
should be here."
"We are here," said a familiar
voice.
The group looked up at the ceiling
and gasped. Hanging upside-down on the
ceiling above them were no less than a
hundred of the birdmen. All of them had
automatic weapons in their hands pointed
down at them.
"Hello Carrot," said Dan. He was in
the center of the group and his wings
spread wide as he flipped off with his
comrades. They floated down around them,
keeping the weapons trained on them.
"I should have expected something
like this from you," said Carrot with a
small sigh.
"Yeah, you should have," agreed Dan
casually as he chuckled to himself.
"What the hell?" cried Ryoga.
"Damn," growled Herb as he realized
there was no way even he could survive
such an onslaught. He relaxed his stance
and stood upright. "It seems you have
us."
"Excellent," chuckled Kiima as she
appeared out of the group and walked up
next to Dan.
"Really, they should know better
than to bring their fists to a
gunfight," commented Dan.
Masara and Koruma stood beside their
Captain, both holding their firearms
lazily and carelessly.
"Kill them," said Kiima.
"No, I've got a better idea," said
Dan.
The woman looked at him in shock.
"If they start firing their weapons
now, they'll kill their comrades,"
commented Carrot. "You've got us
surrounded."
"He's right," said Dan. "However, I
want him, and we can give Herb to
Saffron as a gift after his
transformation is complete. A fitting
way to start his rule, by killing the
Musk King himself."
"You're right," said Kiima with a
sly looking grin on her face. "We'll
detain them for now."
Dan smirked at her and looked at
Carrot. "He stays here. Him and the
little girl." He pointed to Usagi and
then smirked with an evil looking grin.
"Why?"
"I've got some personal business to
settle with this one," said Dan coldly.
"Very well. Do not let them escape,"
said the woman with a slightly angry
tone to her voice.
"Escape is not his plan," said Dan
as he smirked at Carrot.
The man nodded and grabbed Usagi's
shoulder. He pulled her up to his side
and stepped over beside his
doppelganger. Kiima started ordering her
troops to move the others away.
"Well, you managed to take me by
surprise. I'm impressed Dan," said
Carrot as he smirked at his enemy
coolly.
"I figured you would be, I'm
surprised you wouldn't think I'd raid a
nearby military base for weapons."
"Seems a bit risky," commented
Carrot. "Loose many men?"
"Not one, it was just a supply
building. I doubt if the Chinese
Government even realizes these weapons
are gone yet."
"What's going on?" asked Usagi
nervously.
"I'm taking you to Saffron, you'll
join him in his rebirth, and Carrot will
face me in combat," said Dan with a cold
looking frown on his face suddenly.
"You're making stupid villain
mistakes, but you're doing it on purpose
aren't you?" said Carrot.
"Eh?"
"Saving someone for the enjoyment of
some super being, taking prisoners
rather than killing us when you have the
advantage, telling me about your plot,
that sort of thing."
"That easy to read am I?" chuckled
Dan. "I've got no interest in Saffron,
and I'm perfectly happy with Kiima. I
doubt that will change after you beat
him. Still, I want to settle our score,
and I think this is as good a place as
any to do it."
"The bad guy always loses," replied
Carrot.
"Who says I'm bad?" asked Dan. "I'm
helping you."
"You call this help?" snarled Usagi.
"Yes, those guns won't kill either
of us," said Carrot with a smirk on hi
face. "Ryoga, Herb, and Ukyo are a
different story. He's conveniently
getting them out of our hair. Very
thoughtful."
"Thanks," said Dan with another
chuckle. "In any case, Yohiko doesn't
need to be getting in our way either.
She might do something stupid, like stop
us before it's over, just to save her
own hide."
Carrot nodded.
"What are you talking about?"
grumbled Usagi.
"It's nothing," replied Carrot.
"We're here," said Dan as he pointed
to the pool in front of them. It was
empty still, but Saffron was standing in
the center of it with a smirk on his
face.
"What's going on?" grumbled Usagi.
"You're being fed to Saffron, as
nourishment for his transformation,"
replied Dan as he stared down at her.
"Don't worry, it only hurts for the
first hour or so."
"WHAT!!" cried the girl in shock.
"You know I can't let you do this
Dan," replied Carrot calmly.
"I'm counting on it," chuckled Dan
quietly. "Up top, the staff is on the
dragon's head. You know what to do.
Don't let me down."
"Don't worry about that, you and
Kiima make sure you raise him to be a
little better behaved next time,"
replied Carrot as he strolled out into a
ring of guards.
"So, this one?" said Saffron as he
looked at the frightened girl who was
being led to him. "She should do fine."
"Wait for my signal," said Carrot to
his daughter as she was pulled from his
side. The girl's power dropped a bit and
her clothing stopped it's subtle
shifting.
+++++++++++++++
"Where are they taking us?" asked
Ukyo as she glared at the men
surrounding her. Most of them had their
weapons sitting lazily at their sides.
Unfortunately, if they moved to attack,
the others would react before they could
take them all down. It was a no win
situation.
Ten guards were moving them through
a passageway towards where they would
probably be held.
"Deeper into the mountain," said
Yohiko with a sort of lazy calm in her
tone. She didn't seem very worried.
"What bothers me more, is that Carrot is
alone with Dan, and my daughter."
"Why does that bother you?" asked
Herb as he watched his captors
cautiously. A few of them were rather
lax, but there was enough of them alert
that it kept him restrained.
"You don't know Carrot like I do,"
said Yohiko. "He and Dan have been at
each other's throats for as long as I've
known them. They won't restrain from
fighting long."
"Where does that leave us?" asked
Ryoga.
"On our own," said Yohiko as she
spun around and snagged one of the
weapons. The cavern exploded with
flashes of light and sound as she fired.
After several seconds of confusion,
there was silence.
"You killed them!" cried Ryoga as he
staggered to his feet. Yohiko was
standing in the middle of the only
remaining clean spot on the floor for as
far as the light let them see. A lantern
lay on the ground, half covered in a red
splatter. Her wings were opened, and
wrapped around the trio protectively
behind her. She snorted and brushed a
few bits of metal off her chest and
pulled the weapon upright.
"You're damn right I did," she
replied coldly. "Come on, grab one of
those rifles."
"What?" said Herb dumbly.
"This isn't a martial arts fight,"
she replied as she shoved one into his
chest. Ukyo was looking at hers in
confusion, she didn't need to be
prompted to pick one up though.
Ryoga growled angrily. "I can't use
this."
"Take it, or you'll die. Follow my
lead, and do as I say and we'll make it
out of here. We've got to find a way out
of here."
"What about Carrot and Usagi?" said
Ukyo as she frowned at the woman.
"They're like me, these weapons
won't hurt them," replied Yohiko calmly.
"Stay close to me, I should be able to
protect you from bullets if I have too."
"What kind of martial artist..."
grumbled Ryoga as he looked at the
weapon dumbly.
"One who's just found himself in the
middle of a war zone. Cock this back,
point and shoot. Make sure your safety
is off, like this, pull this down and
load another clip like this." The woman
demonstrated the simple operation of the
weapons to them and frowned. "We're
going outside for now. I think Dan and
Carrot will join us shortly."
"What? Dan is still..."
"I know that, but neither of them is
stupid enough to fight inside here.
They'll bring the whole place down on
top of them, and not even one of us can
survive that."
Herb frowned and nodded. "How did
you know how too..."
"Dan is an old training partner of
mine, this is his preferred way of
fighting," said the woman as she hefted
her weapon onto her shoulder and started
walking.
+++++++++++++
Hot water poured around Saffron from
the Phoenix tap. He grinned and spread
his arms wide. Fibers started to form
around his body slowly and surround him.
Unfortunately, Usagi was tied up at his
feet. "You'll fuel my transformation
girl. Soon I'll be complete!"
Kiima stood just outside the water
with Dan at her side. Carrot watched
calmly for a long moment. The bird
people were backing away.
"Usagi, now," he said firmly as he
grabbed one of the passing men by his
shoulder. The birdman's eyes went wide
with shock.
Dan turned to look at him and did
nothing as the unfortunate man flew
though the air and slammed into Saffron.
The boy growled angrily as the man
started to struggle against the fibers
that snagged him. He didn't move though,
and allowed it to happen. "Fine, I'll
just destroy you later then."
The boy gasped in shock and was
thrown into the water on his back. Usagi
jumped to her feet, tearing free of the
rope that bound her as her clothing
suddenly became a mass of sharp spikes.
She rolled away as the fiber reached for
her and engulfed the unfortunate
servant.
"No!" screamed Kiima as she started
to move forward. Masara and Koruma were
in too much shock to speak, after a
moment they shook out of their stupor
and turned their weapons on Carrot.
"No," said Dan as he knocked them
away with a casual swat of his wings.
The pair fell on their backs, firing
blindly into the air as the screams of
the trapped man started to grow quieter
as the shell began to harden around
Saffron's body.
Usagi was standing at the edge of
the pool staring at it in horrified
shock. "What? What just happened?"
Carrot chuckled. "Saffron has
started his rebirth, now that all the
Phoenix people have left, I can wait for
him to hatch."
"What?" said his daughter in shock.
Kiima was staring at him with her
jaw hanging down. "What is the meaning
of this?"
"Heh. That fool Saffron, he doesn't
realize who he's dealing with," replied
Carrot calmly.
Dan merely stood in silence.
"What's going on?" cried Masara.
"Captain! We have to leave!" The room
was already uncomfortably hot. "We'll be
burnt if we stay!"
Koruma pulled on his shoulder and
forced him out of the cavern.
"Usagi, are you all right?" asked
Carrot.
"What the hell took you so long?!"
cried the girl angrily. "I thought that
thing was gonna..."
"I wouldn't have let that happen,"
said Dan calmly.
Kiima hissed angrily and stared at
Dan. "You tricked me!"
"Come on honey, don't be angry,"
said the man as he frowned at her. "As
much as I like you, I'm not going to
feed my friend's daughter to the Phoenix
King."
"What?" said Usagi dumbly.
She backed away slowly and stared at
them. "What is going on here?"
"I'm going to fight Saffron," said
Carrot as he stared at her. "Just not
till he's finished. He's far to weak to
face me now."
Dan chuckled at this and smirked.
"Be my guest."
"You're a fool then, Saffron will
destroy you!" snarled Kiima. She was
starting to sweat, and Usagi was looking
uncomfortable as well.
"We have to get you out of here
Kiima. We'll talk about this later,"
said Dan as he started to pull on her
arm. "He's stupid enough to just stand
there."
"He'll be killed!" growled the
woman.
"Take Usagi with you," replied
Carrot as he continued to stare at the
egg. His wings were now spread wide
behind his back and he had a cold
looking smirk on his face. "I'm sure the
others have escaped by now."
"I wouldn't doubt it," agreed Dan.
"What's going on?" asked Usagi as
she stared at the adults in confusion.
"That's what I'd like to know!"
cried Kiima angrily as she slapped Dan.
"I'm going to fight Saffron, we
already told you," said Carrot calmly.
"You don't stand a chance against
him!" snarled Kiima.
"Then what are you worried about?"
replied Carrot. "Go on, get out of here.
I'll be fine."
"Yeah, right," said Dan with a
chuckle. He grabbed Usagi's arm roughly
and pulled her.
"Leggo!" cried the girl as her
costume started to form again.
"Go with him, he won't hurt you,"
said Carrot as he continued to stare at
the egg.
"But..." started the girl.
"You have a lot of explaining to
do!" snarled Kiima as she pulled on
Dan's ear and started to drag him off.
"Ouch! Hey!" said the man as he was
pulled into the caverns.
Carrot smirked as the egg started to
glow. He looked up at the dragon statue
and then back at the egg and jumped into
the air. Almost casually he landed on
the dragon tap and stared at the staff
in front of him for a long moment.
Reaching out he took it in his hand,
despite the heat from the pool below it
was cold to the touch, and a comforting
wave of cold power surged over his body.
"Heh. I've got the Gekkaja. Now all I
have to do is wait."
+++++++++++
"Where the hell are we?" oddly
enough, it wasn't Ryoga uttering his
trademark phrase. Yohiko glanced around
the hallway in frustration as she turned
another corner with the well-armed group
of martial artists. Oddly enough, they
had met with no opposition thus far.
"It's that pit!" cried Ryoga as he
looked down below. Yohiko snorted as she
did the same and stared into the abyss.
"We're going the right way then,
come on. We're going to jump down," she
turned to look at Herb and nodded at
him.
The dragon man shook his head. "We
have to go back and stop Saffron."
"It's too late," replied Yohiko as
she pointed up.
The group gave a collective gasp as
they noticed the birdmen flying above
them. They started pouring out of the
mountain's caverns, all moving up and
away from the scene.
"Shit!" cried Ukyo as she aimed her
weapon.
Yohiko put up her hand and stopped
her. "No. They aren't bothering with
us." She frowned and watched them ignore
the group in favor of escaping with
their lives. Turning slowly, she noticed
a red glow starting to form in the
hallway behind them. "We should follow
their example, but I doubt if Herb will
make it up there with his powers
carrying one of you."
Ryoga and Ukyo stared at each other
for a moment. "What about Usagi?"
"Carrot's taking care of that, I
doubt if she'll be hurt," said the woman
as she stared at Herb again. "We have to
leave, there's no choice. We failed to
stop Saffron's transformation. It's too
late."
The Dragon man hung his head and
growled. "Fine, we'll see what we can do
from outside."
"Right," agreed Yohiko. "Be ready to
fight, our objective is to escape this
mountain. There may be some resistance
outside still." She cocked her weapon
and started forward.
"She's scary with that thing,"
commented Ryoga nervously.
"Actually, I'd prefer a sidearm,"
replied Yohiko as she turned to look at
him and paused her forward motion. "I'm
used to firing one, this is pretty new
to me."
"Yes, but it's definitely more
effective against a group."
Yohiko gasped and turned around
fluidly, aiming her weapon ahead of her.
Dan was standing with Kiima and
Usagi. "Hello."
"You!" growled Ukyo.
"Don't bother," snorted Dan. "That
weapon isn't strong enough to hurt me."
Kiima looked at him for a moment and
frowned. "We should kill them." She
leveled her own weapon at the group. He
stopped her by shoving the barrel down.
"Don't bother, it's not time for that
just yet."
"What? You'll do as I say!" snapped
the woman angrily.
"You don't control me, and you never
did," replied Dan calmly. "I chose to go
with you Kiima, I like you. Still, this
group is more trouble than it's worth.
Saffron will deal with them after he
fights Carrot, if he manages to survive
at all."
Kiima whirled around and pointed the
gun at his chest, her eyes wide with
shock. "What? That's impossible you
were..."
"Was I?" he asked her with a smug
looking grin on his face. "Come on,
don't be that way..." His smirk turned
somewhat gentle and he chuckled. "You
know I'll help you."
The woman's face contorted, conflict
clear in her mind. "I..."
"Saffron and Carrot is out of my
hands, isn't that right Xellos?"
The mage appeared out of the fiery
depths of the cavern. It was growing
uncomfortably warm now. "Yes Dan, I
would have stopped you if you'd tried to
kill him just yet. There's more riding
on this than you realize."
"I doubt that, you've got plans for
her. I've figured that much out," he
replied as he motioned his weapon
towards Yohiko. "What it is, I don't
know just yet."
"No, not her. She's involved in it.
We want the twins that are gestating
inside her belly. Quite important
really. More than any of you realize. I
think Carrot knows though, but probably
because it was his idea to begin with."
"Twins?" gasped Yohiko in shock. She
dropped the weapon to the ground and
stared at him.
"Yes, You and Carrot have conceived
a new life, two of them in fact. You'll
understand what I mean soon enough, but
not just yet."
The woman stared at him for a long
moment and then looked down at her
belly. "I'm...going to be a mother? A
real mother?"
"Hey!" cried Usagi irritably.
"Yes, in a manner of speaking,"
replied Xellos calmly.
"What does that mean?" she snarled
hatefully at him.
"You should leave now, it's time,"
said the Mazoku as he looked up at the
ceiling for a moment. "Oh, what the
heck? Why not?" he said as he waved his
hand. The group was standing in the
forest outside the mountain within the
blink of an eye.
"Xellos! Answer me!" snarled Yohiko
as she whirled around angrily. The
monster was gone. "Damn you!"
"I'm gonna have, brothers, or
sisters?" asked Usagi dumbly as she
stared at her mother for a moment.
The woman punched a nearby tree, and
it fell to the ground after being
uprooted by the force of the blow.
Kiima stared at her for a moment
with her jaw hanging down. "What?"
"Put that away," said Dan as he took
the weapon from her grip and tossed it
into the forest. "We've got other
concerns."
Usagi looked up at him and frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"That," said Ukyo as she pointed to
the summit of the mountain. Flames were
erupting from the top of the mountain,
and the sky was becoming dark with ashes
and smoke.
"What the?" muttered Dan as he
stared at it. "What's going on?"
"It's Saffron's transformation,"
replied Kiima. "In about an hour, he
will emerge, the Phoenix King has arisen
again."
"Daddy!" cried Usagi fearfully.
"He's fine," replied Yohiko.
"No one can survive that!" snapped
Kiima. "Our master is reborn, and we
rule all!"
Herb growled and stared at her
angrily. He was outmatched and he knew
it. "All hope is gone. I must prepare to
die."
"I doubt that," said Yohiko calmly.
"Carrot knows what he's doing."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that,"
replied Dan calmly as he looked away
from the woman. He stared at the
mountaintop and scowled. He remembered
what Saffron's rebirth was like in the
manga story, and this was nothing like
it. He had always assumed that Saffron's
form was completed, but he didn't have
control of his power. It even said that
in the story, now, he wasn't so sure.
"There's no Super Saiyan transformation
to help him this time either."
"What are you talking about?" asked
Kiima.
"Nothing, it looks like we're going
to win. It's a shame, I wanted to fight
him myself."
The woman blinked at him and turned
away. "Come on, we'll deal with these
weaklings later."
"Right," agreed Dan as he smirked at
the others. "I'll see you around."
Yohiko scowled at them and turned
her back. She looked at her companions
and sighed. "We'd best find a place to
lay low until this is over. Carrot's on
his own, we won't be able to help him.
None of you is strong enough, and I have
more than me to think about now."
Ryoga nodded in agreement. "If he's
not dead already." He looked up at the
mountain and scowled. "Good luck."
++++++++++++++
Fire, a torrent of flames surrounded
him. He stood firmly against it, the
Gekkaja firmly in his grasp as he stared
at the glowing egg. It protected him
from the heat, but it was growing
uncomfortable. Without his clothing to
protect him, he'd have been nothing but
ash, and he knew it. "Something's not
right." It was something of an
understatement.
He opened his wings, it was all he
really needed to do. The heat carried
him up and through the new hole in the
ceiling of the cavern. Within a few
seconds he was floating high above Mt.
Phoenix and staring down the glowing
crater below him. The updraft was more
than enough to hold him there. "What the
hell did I do?"
"What's wrong? I thought you said
you knew what you were doing?" said
Ranma angrily.
"I thought I did. Without us, you
would have fought Saffron's incomplete
form. I always assumed the
transformation was almost completed, and
only lacked a little. It even said
something along those lines. This is way
different than I thought it'd be."
"So now what?" cried Ranma
irritably. "What the hell did you do
Carrot?"
"I just fucked up majorly Ranma, and
now we've got to deal with it," replied
the voice with a small sigh. "This isn't
going to be as easy as I thought it
would."
The mountain below them exploded,
two gigantic wings of flame burst
through the solid rock, and sent showers
of stones in every direction.
"No shit," replied Ranma coolly.
"So, ready for a real fight Ranma?"
said Carrot with a smirk forming on his
face.
"You sound like you're enjoying
this," replied Ranma irritably.
"Well, we're the devil after all,
now we get to fight a real god," said
Carrot as he chuckled a little. "I say
we kick his ass."
"He just blew up a mountain by
waking up," replied Ranma.
"So? He's a little cranky?" quipped
Carrot. "Let's hope he's not a morning
person."
"Right," grumbled Ranma.
"Get ready, it's coming," warned
Carrot as he steeled himself.
A huge bird-like cry echoed through
the valley. Saffron's gigantic fiery
wings flapped once and a huge flaming
bird rose from the center of the
mountain. It had a five hundred-foot
wingspan, and was easily as long. The
bird seemed to be completely made out of
flames as it rose into the air and moved
up beside them.
Ranma and Carrot growled as
something became clear in the center of
the fire. A man was seemingly sleeping
inside the thing, his own wings folded
on his back and his hands in a
meditative position in front of his
chest. Slowly, he started to smile and
opened his eyes. "Hello."
"Don't demons usually lose?"
grumbled Ranma.
"Yeah, but oddly enough, we have
right on our side this time," replied
Carrot. He nodded at Saffron with his
smirk never leaving his face. "It's
about time you woke up. Did you have a
nice nap?"
"I like you," said Saffron as the
bird was sucked into his body in a few
seconds time. He opened his own wings
and stared at the figure floating in
front of him. "It's a shame I have to
kill you."
"Well, I wish I could say the same,
but I'm going to enjoy tearing you
apart."
"Even if you could, it wouldn't
really hurt me," said Saffron with a
small chuckle.
"Don't be so sure of that bird boy,
it might not kill you, but it'll
definitely hurt," replied Carrot.
"So you realize that I cannot be
destroyed?" said Saffron. "Why bother
fighting? It's futile."
"Killed? No, you can't be killed,
but I can turn you back into that brat
again if I work at it enough."
"Maybe so, but you do know what
happened to the last one who did that?
I'm still here, and he has been dead for
some time."
"You're confident," replied Carrot
with a small chuckle.
"You're weak," responded Saffron.
"Humph, I'm a lot of bad things,
weak isn't one of them," snorted Carrot
as he finally started to show annoyance.
"Still, I'm sure we'll have loads of fun
blowing up the area around here before
you figure that out."
"Sounds like fun, shall we start?"
said Saffron as he pointed his finger at
his opposition.
Carrot took up a fighting stance and
smirked. "Sure thing."
+++++++++++++
"They're going to fight?" muttered
Usagi dumbly. "No! Daddy!"
"That idiot! He'll be incinerated!"
snarled Herb.
"What's he holding?" grumbled Kiima.
"The Gekkaja," replied Dan casually.
"Carrot probably knows what it is."
"What?" gasped the woman as she
stared at him.
"My father's staff?" said Herb in
shock.
"What the heck is that thing?"
grumbled Ukyo.
"I'm not sure," admitted Yohiko.
"It's the counter to the Kinjakan, a
cold weapon," replied Dan. "He can use
it to protect himself from Saffron's
power."
"Only to a limited extent," said
Kiima. "It's power alone isn't enough.
He could have used it to survive that
inferno in the mountain though. It
explains how he's still around."
Dan merely chuckled and looked back
up at the sky again. "This should be
very interesting at any rate."
++++++++++++++
The Musk Village...
Ranma Saotome stood looking out over
his village with a scowl on his face.
His eyes moved over to the horizon and a
shiver ran down his spine. "Something is
wrong."
A black cloud formed in the sky in
the distance. His frown deepened and he
turned to look at the village again.
"Herb...I..." Finally, he hung his head
and simply stood there. "Come back all
right, ya stupid jerk."
+++++++++++
Carrot laughed, it was cold and
cruel sounding. He floated in the air
staring at his opponent fearlessly.
"You're nothing but a bird that's caught
himself on fire. I'll show you what real
power is!"
Saffron snorted in disgust. "I
didn't come here to trade insults with
you."
"Oh?" The man blinked and looked his
opponent up and down. Saffron was still
clothed surprisingly enough. He was
wearing the same clothes he'd
transformed in, but they hung off of his
body in rags. His frame was lithe, with
very little muscle definition. His hair
had grown longer, and his features
sharpened, otherwise he looked much as
he did as a child. With the exception of
the huge wings that protruded from his
back, and the claw like hands that now
replaced his more human like appendages.
"Well, what did you come here for then?"
Carrot actually looked somewhat
surprised.
"I came here to kill you," replied
Saffron.
"Why?" said Carrot as he blinked
again.
"What?" said Saffron as he stared at
the man.
"I mean, I haven't really done
anything to you," replied Carrot with a
small shrug.
"You!" snarled Saffron angrily. "You
humiliated me at the hot springs."
"Yeah, but we had fun beating up all
those people," countered Carrot.
"Those were my people!" snapped the
godling irritably.
"So?" retorted Carrot.
"I see your point," muttered Saffron
as he seemed to think about it.
"Okay, but we should still fight,"
replied Carrot cheerfully.
"What? You just said..."
"I said you didn't have any reason
to attack me, I have plenty to attack
you!" replied Carrot.
"What do you mean?"
"You're going to take over the
world!"
"So?" snapped Saffron.
"Oh, right...good point..." agreed
Carrot as he mulled over that for a
moment. "What the hell!" he finally said
as he shot forward and punched at the
godling. "It'll be fun beating each
other to death!"
"Ha! You can't lay a finger on me!"
snarled Saffron as his aura blasted to
life around him again. This time forming
a huge ball of fire to protect himself
from the assault.
Carrot held the staff in his hands
forward. The half-moon shaped edge on
the top pointed forward. It was much
simpler in design than the Kinjakan.
Saffron's eyes went wide as he tried
to twist out of the way as it penetrated
his aura. Carrot shifted at the last
moment and hooked his fist across the
god's jaw. Saffron was thrown back
several feet by the force of the blow
and righted himself.
"Damn you! That hurt!" snarled the
birdman angrily.
"That was just a tap!" countered
Carrot as he smirked at Saffron and
backed away from him. "You can't take a
hit it seems, all that soft living is
working against you!"
"I'll show you who can't take a
hit!" screamed Saffron in rage. A huge
ball of fire formed in his hands and he
blasted it forward.
Carrot twisted in mid air, but it
wasn't enough. The fireball exploded
across his back and he screamed in pain
as it burned around him. He faltered in
flight, falling for a few hundred feet
before he caught himself. "Damn. That
sucked," he muttered to himself
painfully as he slowly turned to face
the god again. "I think I'm in more
trouble than I thought. I won't be able
to take many of those." He twirled the
Gekkaja around in his palm and pointed
it at Saffron in an offensive posture.
"We're gonna have to take him down
fast."
"Who are you talking to?" snorted
Saffron.
Carrot ignored him and cupped his
palms together at his side. "No one,
Kamehameha!"
"Pathetic!" snarled Saffron as his
shield of flames held strong against the
attack. "You're too weak to beat me!"
"Who said that was supposed to
hurt?" said Carrot from behind him.
Saffron gasped as he tried to turn.
It was too late though, and a sharp pain
exploded across his back. He felt
himself tumbling to the ground below.
"Damn!"
Carrot chuckled, his opponent had
been so preoccupied by his chi blast,
that he hadn't even taken it into
account that he had gone elsewhere. He
had used the blade on the Gekkaja to
slice off his wings. "He's powerful, but
an idiot. No tactics at all, We can use
that."
Saffron growled as he landed on the
ground and created a crater. The blow
shattered his entire body, and he stared
up at Ranma. He couldn't even scream at
the moment despite the fact that his
body was completely broken. He felt the
bones reforming, and his wings coming
back. "I'll burn him to dust! Along with
anything else that gets in the way!"
"Ranma, remember what I told you
about?" said Carrot as he glared down at
the fallen god.
"Really tight, a Hiryuu Shoten Ha
that will penetrate him?" asked the
other voice.
"Right, we've got to be fast. He'll
regenerate if we take too much time." He
readied himself and drew his arm back.
Saffron was slowly rising to his
feet when he felt something in the air
above him. "What?" His eyes stared up
and his jaw fell open. The super
compressed tornado ripped through his
chest and he screamed in agony. The fire
around him burned brighter and he fell
to his knees. "Damn!"
"Got him!" screamed Carrot in
triumph. The dust cleared on the ground
below and Saffron was simply kneeling on
the ground clutching what was left of
his chest. His face was contorted in
pain as he tried to breathe without his
lungs. "He's still there?"
Saffron glared up at him, the hole
in his body closing visibly. He tried to
speak, but no words escaped his lips.
Finally, he roared in anger and pain,
ripping his wings off of his back.
Rearing his arms back he threw them at
Carrot.
The martial artist dropped like a
rock, his wings folding in front of him.
"Damn!" The impact of the razor sharp
weapons slammed into them and they
slammed into the ground a moment later.
Slowly, the black cocoon opened up,
revealing a heavily breathing Carrot.
Saffron was able to speak again and
he narrowed his eyes at his opponent.
"You're as strong as you said you'd be.
I'm impressed." His eyes were serious,
and he scowled hatefully at the man.
"You're stronger than I'd thought
too. I was certain that attack would
destroy you."
"If I had less control, it might
have," replied Saffron coolly.
"What the hell are we gonna do now?"
said Carrot to himself as he stared at
the ground for a moment. Saffron was
still too badly injured to attack, but
the shield of flames was enough to keep
them back. The Gekkaja was starting to
grow warm in his grip, telling him that
it might not be a good idea to charge
into it and rely on the staff to protect
them. "We're in a shit load of trouble
Ranma."
"I've got an idea."
Carrot blinked and simply nodded.
"It's your show."
Saffron narrowed his eyes as his
opponent's face changed suddenly. "You
can't reach me, and I'm too hurt to
attack just yet. It seems we have a
stalemate at the moment. I will recover
quickly though." His chest was almost
healed as he said this. "Then, your life
will end."
"Jusendo is a spring Saffron," said
Carrot calmly as he lifted the staff in
his hand over his head. "I'm betting I
know your real weakness. Not the cold,
but an environment where fire cannot
survive!"
"What are you doing?" growled
Saffron hatefully. The man was walking
with his eyes just behind where he was
standing.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" screamed Carrot
as he slammed the staff into the ground.
He jumped back away from the explosion
and smirked. A huge column of water
exploded from the ground. "Found it on
my first try!" cried Ranma as he
smirked. He put out his hands and they
started to glow. A shield of power
formed over the water and Saffron's eyes
went wide.
The water was redirected and blasted
into the flaming barrier. It hissed
angrily and Saffron tried to move, he
couldn't move around very fast, and
Ranma adjusted to keep it on him,
stepping slightly around the hole.
Finally, the water broke through.
Saffron screamed as his body was
assaulted by the water. It was boiling
hot, but it was enough. He put up his
arms in defense and snarled angrily as
best he could through the torrent.
He never saw Ranma dive into the
water, holding the Gekkaja tightly in
his grip. All he saw was the fist appear
out of the water as the force of the
geyser shot a blurry figure into him. It
passed through the hole in his chest, or
rather the small-unhealed portion.
Saffron's back exploded in a shower
of gore, the winds of the Hiryuu Shoten
Ha tearing through his back as if it
wasn't there. The last thing the god
remembered seeing was the smirk on the
boy's face as he was shot back by the
force of his own attack, overpowering
the force of the geyser. Just before
Carrot flew into the source of the
torrent of water, the shield redirecting
it dissipated, allowing it to shoot
straight up again. "Hiryuu Shoten Ha
revised! Expanding horizontal wave!"
The god screamed as the tight winds
slowly moved outward, tearing his body
to shreds as it did so, literally eating
it's way inside out. Pieces of him flew
in every direction, finally tossing his
limbs and head away as they no longer
had anything to hold them together.
Carrot and Ranma jumped forward into
the geyser once again. They clung to the
Gekkaja and used its power, creating a
tower of ice that loomed in the valley.
>From within the winds of the attack
a light formed, and finally, it
exploded. A huge sphere of flame shot in
every direction, consuming hundreds of
meters of land before it stopped and
dissipated to nothing. When it was over,
there was nothing but a small child
lying in the middle of the battlefield.
The child, and Carrot.
Slowly, the man rose to his feet and
groaned. "Ranma, that really sucked.
Don't ever do that again."
"Hey, we're alive aren't we?"
responded the voice through his pain.
"What the? What's that?"
"Saffron, we won," replied Carrot as
he walked over and lifted the baby into
his arms. It was crying softly, but
stopped once it had contact with
someone. He tossed the Gekkaja aside
carelessly and chuckled. "So, it's
over."
"What have you done?" cried a
feminine voice from behind them.
Carrot turned and smirked as Kiima
landed behind him. "I beat him, you can
have him back now."
She fell to her knees and stared at
Carrot in horror. "You...touched him!
Fool!"
This caused Ranma to blink. "Huh?"
"He's bonded to you now!" replied
the woman as she glared at him
hatefully.
Carrot looked down at the laughing
child and blinked. "What?"
"Without you, Saffron will die,"
said Kiima as she stared at him with a
saddened look forming on her face.
"What?" growled Dan as he stared at
her.
"We can't...kill him," said Kiima as
she stared at him.
"You can't?" said Carrot cheerfully.
"The hell I can't!" cried Dan
angrily.
"That's enough," said Xellos as he
appeared in front of Carrot and smirked.
"You're not going to have your big fight
now I'm afraid."
"It's over?" asked Ryoga.
"Finally!" agreed Usagi as she
jumped up and down. Ryoga turned away
from the display and blushed.
"You pervert, that's your cousin,"
said Ukyo as she bopped him on the back
of his head.
"She isn't!" snapped Ryoga angrily.
"..." He stopped and looked at Yohiko
for a moment. "Well, she is, but we
aren't really related..."
"Huh?" said the Usagi as she looked
at him.
"It's nothing. We should go back,
Akari is probably worried..." he
muttered to himself as he turned away
from her.
"Um. Okay," said the girl as she
looked at her mother.
Yohiko smiled lovingly at her lover
as she walked up to Carrot and promptly
kicked him square in the balls.
The man keeled over, but managed to
hold on to the child in his arms.
"You asshole!" snarled the woman
angrily. "I'm pregnant!"
"Oro?" said Carrot as he stared at
her dumbly.
"I'll kill you!" she screamed.
"No! He cannot die!" cried Kiima.
Dan grabbed her arm and shook his
head. "Just let it be."
Xellos smirked at her and turned his
head slowly. He turned his back to her
and chuckled. "I'm sorry Yohiko, but I'm
afraid it's out of my hands."
"What?" said the woman as she turned
to stare at him.
"You won't see me again after this,"
said the mage calmly as he looked at
her. "Phibrizzo, it's time."
"Right," said the boy as he appeared
at Yohiko's side. He lashed out at her
and a purple ball of power slammed into
her body. She screamed in pain and fell
forward, clutching her belly in agony.
Blood began to seep through her fingers
and she simply lay face first on the
ground, in too much shock to even
scream.
Xellos had his hand open, with his
palm facing up. A small blue ball of
power could be seen in his hand and he
frowned. "I'm sorry, you won't be able
to have any children here. In time, you
will understand why." He faded away and
Phibrizzo did the same, holding a small
red energy ball in his own hand.
No one moved, all of them in too
much shock to do anything. They simply
stared at the scene in shock. Finally,
Dan rushed forward. "No! What the hell
did they do to her?"
Carrot merely stared at her, his
entire body was numb and his jaw hung
open. "What the?" He wasn't sure what he
was feeling at the moment. Finally, he
clutched Saffron to his chest and fell
to his knees.
"Mother!" cried Usagi, it barely
registered with him as he stared at the
woman on the ground. Slowly she looked
up at him, hatred clear in her eyes as
she glared at him.
"You...I know it was you! It had to
be you," she said coldly. Within a
minute's time, she was on her feet,
tears flowing from her eyes. "Damn you."
Carrot couldn't think of anything to
say. She was probably right, however
indirectly she meant it. He simply
nodded his head and stood up as well. He
looked her up and down and frowned
again. She wasn't hurt. Whatever they
had done to her, it was already gone.
The only sign she was ever injured was
the tear in the front of her dress along
the belly, and the bloodstains that
matted the cloth and her hands.
Finally, he stood up and started
walking.
"Wait!" called Herb as he rushed
after him. "Saffron!"
"Sorry Herb, I can't let you hurt
him. I'm certainly not going to let
these bastards corrupt him again," he
turned to look at the Phoenix people and
scowled at them. "You'll have your god
back one day."
"No!" screamed Kiima.
"What are you doing?" cried Usagi.
"Take care of your mother kid, she's
going to need it," said Carrot as he
vanished from sight.
"Damn," grumbled Dan as he leveled a
stare at the place where the man had
disappeared. He knew it would be
pointless to follow him. Convincing
Kiima of that might take a little time,
but he had all the time in the world.
It was over.
++++++++++++++
Xellos kneeled before L-sama and
held the small energy ball in his hand
up towards his master.
"You can take off that guise now
Jadeite, you don't need it," said the
supreme being as he chuckled to himself.
It was obvious that some of him didn't
completely agree with what he had been
sent to do though.
"What do you mean?" asked the man as
his true form appeared again.
"You don't have to pretend to be a
Mazoku anymore. Phibrizzo has
Shabranigdo in hell, and now Seiphied
will join the heavens. The first of
their kind."
"The gods will not like having their
jobs taken over," replied Jadeite calmly
as he nodded and peered at the fetus in
his palm for a moment. It was almost
reptilian.
"I'm simply going to remove them of
their obligations to this world. It will
take some time, the children have to
grow, and become what they need to be
for that to happen. They will remain in
their stations in the new world, and the
one I am about to recreate."
Jadeite nodded at this and looked at
Seiphied again. "I see."
"I do wish she'd quit complaining
though," grumbled L-sama. "You rotten
bitch! This is what you get for making
us sleep with a man!" It was almost as
if he didn't realize he'd said that out
loud. "Who the hell cares if it was
funny! You got what you deserved!
Besides, it's not like you don't get to
raise them. It's just that you had to
wait a while first..."
"I shall deliver him," said Jadeite
with a small sigh. He turned away. L-
sama was in the process of beating
himself up again as he closed the door
behind him.
+++++++++++++++
L-sama sighed as he finally managed
to calm himself down. It had taken the
better part of three days to do it. Now
he could concentrate on other things.
The world he had created would move on
as it had. The parts of them living
there would probably enjoy the rest of
their stay there. Well, most of them at
any rate. Now however, it was time to
put a stop to their procrastination. It
was time to fix the screw ups that had
started the mess they called eternal
life. Not that it would effect them
much, but they would feel better after
getting it done.
Another copy of them was lying on
the table in front of them, just off to
the pool that showed scenes of the
Universe to them.
"All right, let's get this right
this time," said Carrot cheerfully.
"I bet you had all that planned from
the beginning!" snarled Xianfu
irritably.
"Let's not get into that," muttered
Carrot as he narrowed his eyes and
sighed. "In any case, we're not all
going back this time."
"Huh?" said Ranma dumbly.
"We're going back to fix things
dolt, we need to have us pretty much the
same as we were before," grumbled
Carrot. "The bitch stays here."
"But, won't all the knowledge we've
picked up..." started Pissant.
"You stay out of this!" snapped Dan
angrily. "I see your point Carrot. She
should stay here this time."
"Dolts," grumbled Xianfu irritably.
"I don't want to go! After what you
pulled the last time, you couldn't drag
me!"
"Okay, then it's settled!" said
Carrot cheerfully.
"What about Pissant? Can he stay
behind too?" asked Dan hopefully.
"Yeah!" agreed Ranma.
"I thought you guys weren't going to
change anything," said Xianfu as she
narrowed their eyes. "That was the whole
point of me not coming."
"Um...he was annoying too though,"
said Carrot.
"I wanna see Usagi!" said the
irritating voice firmly.
"Look you weenie, we've got
enough..."
"I'm going and that's final! You
guy's can't stop me anymore!" snapped
the voice irritably.
"Yeah, but we have to kill people,
and blow stuff up!" said Dan in a
somewhat patronizing tone.
"Who the hell do you think is gonna
stop you from blowing up too much?"
retorted the voice. "We're supposed to
be saving the planet, not messing it up
again!"
Dan sighed, Ranma's eye was
twitching, consequently so was everyone
else's, and Carrot threw their arms into
the air. "All right, fine."
"Wheee!" cried Pissant in triumph.
"Can we just get this over with?"
grumbled Ranma.
"I guess so," replied Carrot.
++++++++++++++++
Ranma Saotome was lying dead in an
alley. A large hole was burned into his
chest and he was now simply lying in the
middle of a drying pool of his own
blood.
Without warning, his eyes snapped
open and he gingerly touched his
forehead as he groaned in pain. "We did
it?"
Slowly, he rose to his feet and
staggered. His hand went to his chest
and he fingered the hole in his shirt,
only to find unbroken skin.
A smile formed, it was not a
pleasant sight to anyone who might have
witnessed the resurrection. It was a
smile that promised pain. "We did it."
"Go on Carrot, say it," said Dan
with an evil sounding chuckle.
A light burst to life around their
body, and their hair changed into a
golden sheen. Ranma hovered above the
ground and stared at his fist as he
closed it in front of his face. "At
last, I am the Prince of all Saiyans
once again!"
Laughter echoed through the streets
in the night.
+++++++++++++
TBC...
Well, here we go! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!
 

--- Carrotglace

--- carrotglace@mindspring.com 

--- EarthLink: It's your Internet.


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