04 is finally completed and proofread. Enjoy!

_______________________________________________________



Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma in any way, shape, or
form. 

IMPORTANT: Read Author's Notes at the end for
important information.




File 04: King of Blades


Chaos.

That's the best and only way to describe the
situation. There was gunfire 
blazing everywhere, bullets flying every which way you
could imagine. One 
misplaced ricochet and your brains would vacate your
head.

"If you surrender now, I'll give you the honor of a
quick and painless death."

The heroine of my little story was pretty high up. She
had gone up there to take 
some of the heat off of her sister who was down below
in thick of it. She had 
succeeded and several dozen of them had followed her,
each intent on giving her 
a few 
dozen blowholes.

"No matter what, you will not leave here alive."

She was tired, her lungs were burning, her limbs felt
like lead. She had 
probably been fighting for close to an hour straight
and yet they wouldn't stop 
coming.

"I'm impressed, your tenacity is quite admirable, but
it ends here."

She could only wonder how her sister did it. She was
all over the place down 
there, 10 to 1 odds at LEAST and they had assault
weapons, but she was her only 
weapon and the only one she needed

"You've been in a thorn in our side for far too long.
In order for us to move 
forward, certain restricting components must be
eliminated."

She had been in battles before. She had survived her
share of major fights, but 
nothing like this. It had been a trap from the
beginning; a plan orchestrated by 
god knows how many sides just to eliminate two people.
She...had never been 
targeted before...she had never been hunted before.

"DIE!!!"

He charged. She wasn't near ready to take on this guy.
He was the best Silver 
Sword had. He had killed more people than she could
count. There were horror 
stories about how efficient and ruthless he was with
his katana. She was still 
green. This was only her second run in the field.

"AN AMATEUR LIKE YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME!!"

She was...scared... and she knew it went against
everything she had been taught, 
but fear had a way of disregarding small things like
training. He had long since 
drawn first blood and it had only gone on to second,
third...fourth. She was 
trying her best...she really was, but it just wasn't
enough. 
It...just...wasn't...enough.

"I'll take great pleasure in evi..."

An explosion, it went off directly beneath them. She
didn't know what had 
happened, she didn't know what had caused it, she
didn't know what had happened 
to her sister.

"PAY ATTENTION!!"

She was distracted. She kept her eyes averted for one
second too long. By 
the time she realized her mistake, there was a sword
going through her shoulder. 
Her arm went dead...she wanted to scream...but at that
point it seemed 
pointless.

"Pathetic. Perhaps I overestimated Heaven's Star. This
wasn't even worth my 
time."

She couldn't stop him. She was helpless. He was going
to kill her and there 
wasn't a damn thing I......she......could do to stop
him. She just stood there 
like a pathetic, scared, little child when he brought
the sword down on her. 
There was blood everywhere; he seemed to enjoy the
sight of it I think. She 
thought that getting sliced open would hurt, she only
felt a tingling, maybe the 
pain came later.

"I should leave you here to bleed to death, but there
is a little experiment 
I have always wanted to try."

He hoisted her up by the throat and could've snapped
her neck right there just as easily. All the while he
had this sick, demented grin on his face that would
stay burned in her memory for as long as she lived. He
tangled her over the edge, she couldn't breath, she
couldn't think, she just couldn't fight anymore.

"Have you ever heard the saying 'to fly without
wings'? Do you think that is 
possible?"

Have you ever seen your life flash before your eyes?
Do you know what that does 
to a person? To see everything, all the tragedy, all
the pain, and all the 
mistakes you've ever made in the span of a second? She
did, and it was an 
experience she would never forget.

"Why don't we find out? If it works, then truly the
wiseman who said it was 
astute beyond his years. If not, well...I'm sure you
could care less by then."

He let go. She though it was almost funny, it kinda
did feel like she was flying for a second. But as they
say; it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden
stop. Which was about the time she woke up...


***


"AAH!!" She woke up with a start. Her eyes were wide
and frantically 
searched the room. She breathed rapidly, and a cold
sweat drenched her 
face. "Not again. Goddamnit"

She looked at the digital clock that was to her left,
it read 5:17 in the 
morning. She sat up in her bed and wiped the sweat off
her face. Her hand moved 
to her shoulder as she felt a tingling running across
her chest.

"I thought I was over this..." 

She rolled off and walked over to the mirror on top of
her dresser. She stared 
at the face looking back. Her finger traced over the
long jagged scar that 
began at her right collarbone and ended at the left of
her stomach.

"I'm not...like that anymore."

She had spent all this time trying to convince herself
of that. To get the 
person she was staring at to believe her.

"I've changed...I've grown."

The first few times, it was sadness. She had to cry
herself back to sleep. It 
then became depression. She dozed off with thoughts of
how much she despised 
herself. Now, it was something purer, now it was
something she could use, now it 
was something she could focus on.

"I...am...not...weak."

Hate. For the person who made her bleed, for the
person who nearly ended her 
life, for the person who's face would always be in her
memory for as long as she 
lived.

"Never...again."

A pale red aura over came her entire body. She was
seeing his face even now, his 
sick, twisted, manic grin was plastered on it. It
vanished as soon as her fist 
rammed into the glass, the cracks starred off and
pieces fell and shattered 
against the table.

"I...need some air."



It was pitch dark in the Tendo household. The only
illumination was the pale 
light of the moon pouring in through the windows. She
slowly strolled down the 
stairs; her movements totally devoid of sound. As she
approached the living room 
she could make out a figure; the door to the back was
open, and the person 
seemed to be staring out into space.

"Ranma?"

The errie green glow that emanated from his left eye
made him seem surreal to 
her. The Cyclops implant usually only did that when it
was active, but it seemed 
almost natural when seen this early in the morning.

"Nabiki. What are you doing up?" His voice was low and
soft. She never expected 
him to sound like that.

"I...couldn't sleep. What are you doing?"

Ranma turned his head and nodded to something outside.

"She's been at it since 5."

When Nabiki approached and sat down next to him, the
sight immediately 
captivated her. It was Kasumi, she was bathed in some
unearthly blue-white 
energy; she looked angelic.

"Does she always do this?"

"Only....sometimes. I've only seen her do it two or
three times."

Her movements were so controlled and precise it seemed
as though she were 
dancing. The style had to be Tai Chi Quan or Wu-Shu,
most likely it was a mix of 
both.

"It's...beautiful..." They were the only words Ranma
could come up with.

Nabiki was entranced by it all. Everything chained
together so smoothly and 
perfectly it hardly seemed possible. It was like she
was moving through water. 
Trails of light were following her limbs; the swirling
mist-like force she was 
giving off seemed to fluctuate in tandem with her
breathing. The entire effect 
was hypnotic and it was no surprise she became
enthralled so easily.

"Nabiki?" Her voice broke her out of her trance.
Kasumi was kneeling in front of 
her with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." When she looked to her right, Ranma was
gone. She had no idea how long 
her mind had been wandering.

"What are you doing down here so late?"

"Kas...I...wanna ask you something." Nabiki's voice
was unusually meek and small, and her question almost
went unnoticed by Kasumi.

"What is it?" She sat down next to her.

"I...I...had...that dream...again..."

She already knew what she was talking about. The
incident two years ago that 
left her in a coma for three weeks. It was only her
second mission out, and she 
nearly lost her life. She hasn't forgotten it since.

"It's in the past...you should let that go." 

"I know that... It's harder than I thought it would
be..." She sighed, her face 
had a forlorn expression on it.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"I wanted to know...why you did it."

"Did what?"

"I know how much you...dislike...using weapons.
And...you probably know...that after I was thrown
off...I...came to a couple of times."

Kasumi wondered what she was trying so desperately to
ask. She knew that she had initially slipped in and
out of consciousness after she was thrown nearly two
stories; she was amazed she had survived the fall.

"One of the times I came to...I saw you...you had
taken the rifle from one the assault team members. You
kept telling me...how relying on a weapon is a 
weakness...so why did you use it?"

Their eyes met for a moment. The question was indeed
genuine, and it seemed it 
had been on her mind for quite some time.

"You were hurt, I had to get you out as quickly as
possible."

"Why...would you do that for me? You always stick to
your principles, so why did 
you drop them for me?"

Kasumi gave her sister a look that asked whether she
truly meant what she 
was asking. By what she could see on Nabiki's face it
looked as if she needed 
the answer more than anything.

"Because. Father, Akane, you. You're everything to me,
and I would do anything 
to protect you."

There was another moment of silence between them.
Kasumi turned her eyes to the 
stars, they seemed to be unusually bright that night,
it was one of the 
reasons she was outside in the first place. Her
attention returned when she 
all of a sudden felt her sister's head come to rest on
her shoulder.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For...everything..."


~**~

"Central. This is post #001, is Mr. Sankichi scheduled
to have visitors?" One of 
three guards stationed inside the gates of an all too
massive secluded estate 
spoke into his earpiece.

"Not that I can see on the schedule. What's going on?"
The controller responded.

"Some limo just pulled up. No one�s come out yet." 

Said vehicle was currently parked across the street,
just across from the entrance. It was a rather long
stretch limo and whoever sat inside had to be very
much endowed with the green stuff. It was 7:30 in tthe
morning and visitors were rarely seen at this time.

"Think we should check it out?" Another one of three
whispered to the first.

"So far no one has come out. We'll wait a couple of
minutes before..."

Two car doors finally opening interrupted his words.
Three individuals stepped 
out from the vehicle, one is a young man dressed in a
white and black casual 
business suit. His two shorter companions however were
not clad so typically, 
they seemed to be wearing some sort of skintight
silver suit that looked like 
one large weave of circuitry. There were strange
metallic devices that looked 
like pads attached to their elbows and knees, from
these devices a wire ran to 
another small device that looked like an external
Cybercom collared to the back 
of there necks. The two were in actuality twins, and
they both seemed to be at 
partially Chinese in ethnicity.

"Excuse me gentlemen, I have an appointment with one
Hung Sankichi. Would he 
happen to be in at the moment?" The young man asked.

"Sorry pal, but Mr. Sankichi is not expecting anyone
today. Right now your trespassing on private property
and you will vacate immediately." The leader of the
three then noticed the sheathed katana in the person's
hand. "Central, we may have a problem. Requesting
immediate assistance at checkpoint #001." He and his
two comrades reached slowly into their jackets.

"Please forgive the intrusion, but my meeting with the
good Mr. Sankichi cannot 
be abated by trivial legalities such as an
appointment." The man smiled 
wickedly.

"YOU MOVE, WE SHOOT!" All three drew 9mm machine
pistols from their holsters. At 
that same moment the young man's companions suddenly
vanished from sight.

"What the hell. Where did they..." One of the sentries
muttered.

"UP THERE!!" The third yelled to the both of them. As
they aimed to fire the 
twins dropped from out of the sky and landed feet
first on the faces of the 
guards. The hard collision seemed to knock the both of
them out instantly, as 
neither attempted to rise from the attack.

"Damnit!" The leader whirled to fire, but then he
discovered the barrel 
of the pistol of one of his partners pointed in his
direction. The bullet had no 
trouble entering his brain through the bridge of his
nose.

"Open the gate." The seventeen-year-old swordsman
ordered. One of the twins 
complied via a remote from one of the fallen guards. 

"Central...intruders...enteri..." The only live and
conscious sentry managed to croak out. His words were
interrupted by a foot slamming into his throat, a
twist of the other twin's heel produced a sickening
snapping sound that forever silenced any attempts at
summoning aid.

The path leading to the four-story mansion was not
long. The problem was the 
fact that the inside was not only heavily guarded, but
the building itself was 
quite well fortified. A problem that was easily
remedied...

"Daihokuse, Daikokuse." He wordlessly commanded.

The twins stood side by side. Their teeth and fists
were clenched, as they both concentrated immensely.
The heat began to increase steadily as thin auras of
black and white respectively began to shift in and out
of existence around them. The two opposing colors
intermixed and swirled until a column of gray energy
that formed between them.

"TWIN FLARE!!!" They both screamed in unison. There
hands shot forward and a beam of pure concentrated
energy tore through the air. The horizontal column of
power ripped a swathe through reality itself as it
careened headlong toward its target. The resulting
explosion at impact eclipsed everything else in the
area; the blast of superheated air forced all three to
cover their faces for protection. Any part of the
front of the mansion that wasn't instantly vaporized
was now engulfed in smoke and flame.

"Sweep the area. No one is to leave here alive."
Tatewaki Kuno unsheathed his blade. The handle had
several grip-like grooves embedded into it and the
metal was a strange light blue color, even stranger
was the fact that after it was fully drawn it began to
glow an eerie white. Then like a man possessed, he
charged into the flames of hell...



"WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN ON HERE!!" A miniature army of
men, each armed with sub-machine weapons, swarmed into
what was left northern end of the building. Most were
on the first floor while the remaining occupied the
balcony area at the height of the stairs leading to
the second floor.

"Jesus are we being invaded or something?!" Another
near frantic man yelled.

A sudden rush of cold wind exploded from the inferno.
At that moment an entire line of men were quite
literally blasted in half at the waist. Their bisected
corpses were shot backward and slammed into the
terrified arms of the remaining men.

A figure shot through the fire and his first act as
their collective killer was to drive his blade through
the throat of the first man he saw. By the time
everyone realized he was even there he had severed the
head with a simple twist of the blade and proceeded
with the wholesale slaughter of every living thing on
the first floor.  He continued the charge, coming in
low and dividing another victim lengthwise with little
to no effort. Hurtling through the split pieces he
veered left and let his blade slice cleanly through a
row of opposition one by one. For some reason his
sword was meeting no resistance, even as it cleaved
through the bone itself. To compare the act to a hot
knife through butter would not be a far off comparison
and would in fact be morbidly appropriate.

The men who had already occupied higher ground had
since opened fire on the fast-moving living scythe. A
combination of 9mm and a smaller amount of 7.62mm
ammunition poured down like rain but every round was
missing its target, his speed and the fact that each
kill came as swiftly as the time it took to stomp an
ant, assured that he was never in the same place as
the bullets when they struck. 

Then the inevitable occurred. There was a collective
sound of clicking as triggers were pulled with no
ammunition to eject. The men spat multiple curses as
they rushed to load a fresh clip. Kuno then took his
time as he drove his blade into the ground, went down
to one knee, retrieved an unused Uzi from a body that
didn't have time to fire it, cocked it, and strafed
the entire upper level. The entire front line was
perforated as others sought cover behind the makeshift
human shields. With their number significantly
reduced, Kuno threw away the firearm and retrieved his
blade. Hefting the cadaver of the very same victim he
charged up the stairs as the survivors once again
attempted a counter-offensive. Bullets slammed into
and shook the barrier as blood and flesh erupted with
each impact.

As soon as he reached the top he hurled the corpse to
his left, sending it toppling into and disorienting
his opposition on that side. He moved right and sent
the katana shearing through four more of his combined
adversaries. He then brought his sword up and in the
final move brought it down diagonally. A second burst
of wind generated from the charged katana cut down the
last remaining defense just as they were regaining
their bearings. 

A sudden deathly silence, save for the savage
crackling of the flames, wafted through the area. Kuno
sneered as he surveyed the inhuman carnage he had left
in his wake.

"Pathetic." He spat finally.


"Squad 1! Squad 2! Central! SOMEBODY ANSWER ME
DAMNIT!!" One of two bodyguards yelled into his
earpiece. They were the last line of defense for the
54-year-old 
Hung Sankichi, one of the most powerful and
well-respected Yakuza dons in the country.

"You are supposed to protect me and you allow THIS to
happen! What the hell do I pay you people for?!" He
ranted as he paced back and forth in the reading room
they were holed up in.

"Not to worry sir, they won't find us in here." They
then both noticed that the gunfire had finally ceased.
"Maybe they got him finally..."

"We'll check it out." His partner took a step toward
the door just before it exploded open in a shower of
splintered wood. An invisible blast cut through the
room and ripped his arm clean off leaving a
hemorrhaging stump behind. He screamed in both terror
and pain as the assassin stepped inside with a look
that would put the most hardened murderer to shame.

"Mr. Sankichi I presume?" He asked the proverbial
question as he bent down and retrieved a large
splinter.

"S...Stop right there!" The bodyguard who still had
all his appendages shakily pointed a pistol at him. Of
course he knew if several dozen men with assault
weapons could not stop him, he would have little to no
chance as well. "Stop or 
I'll...*"

He was silenced as the wooden shard flicked by Kuno
buried itself into his heart. He fell over with a thud
and Kuno almost expected him to explode into a pile of
ash.

"W...What do you want with me?" The crime lord backed
away slowly.

"You have been quite the irritant little flea, do you
know that Mr. Sankichi?" 
Tatewaki stalked slowly toward his prey.

"I...I'll give you anything you want! Money, jewels,
anything!" He pleaded.

"You and your pathetic Yakuza brethren attempting to
assert yourselves within a war you have no place in."
Kuno shook his head in pity. "We have seen your many
attempts to place spies and saboteurs within the ranks
of both Heaven's Star and Silver Sword. Trying to make
yourselves into a power worth glancing upon."

"You...you don't know what your doing. They won't let
my death go unavenged."

"Vengeance is only possible in those you have the
strength to carry it out. 
Insolent little worms such as you have no chance in
the realm of vengeance, old man. Not with the
opposition you have seen fit to give yourselves."

"Y...you...I know who you are..."

"Do try to remember in the afterlife that this was not
personal on my part." 
Kuno raised the glowing blade.

"You�re that...that assassin...no one has ever seen
your face and lived to tell 
about it..."

"On behalf of Heaven's Star. I end your dismal
existence." Kuno grinned. He 
looked back at the barely alive, and one-armed
bodyguard. "Can you remember all 
that?"

"The K..."

In a single smooth swipe Hung Sankichi�s head was
separated from his shoulders. His body fell into a
useless heap while his head rolled aimlessly on the
floor.

"I am known as the King of Blades. But to you..." He
watched the head come to a 
stop, a look of sheer horror forever etched into the
face. "I am Death."



The scene outside was similar to the inside. Bodies
lay strewn across the land, some horribly mangled,
others were simply lying in a tepid pool of there own
life-fluid. Daihokuse stood with his arms crossed,
looking rather bored. Daikokuse finished off the last
of the enemy; a swift turn of the man's head at an
awkward angle ended his existence just as quickly.

"Mission completed. Sankichi is dead and all hostiles
have been neutralized." 
Tatewaki kept a hand to his ear while he spoke.

"Excellent work Tatewaki. I take it they offered you
no trouble?" The voice of 
his father, Hideo Kuno, spoke to him through the
earpiece.

"Feh. Such pitiable opposition is not worth my time."
He walked over to the 
scabbard he had temporarily discarded at the start of
the slaughter. The blade 
ceased its illumination as he resheathed the weapon.

"Tatewaki, I have already explained, we can no longer
afford to keep you as an 
elite operative. As unfortunate as it may be we will
be utilizing you for more 
mundane assignments." Hideo explained. "Did you keep
one man alive?"

"Yes, though if the proper authorities do not arrive
in time he will not be 
alive in time to deliver the message that Heaven's
Star is seeking to destroy 
the Yakuza." Tatewaki grinned. "Though simply saying
they are responsible may 
not be enough."

"You would be very amazed how belligerent the Yakuza
can be. What is your rating of the sword?"

"Perfection. The balance is superb and it is near
weightless." Kuno looked over 
the scabbard. "Daimonji's department outdid
themselves."

"Indeed. While the metal was not their creation, the
forging of it into a blade 
was." Hideo went silent for a moment. "Tetsuo wishes
to speak with you."

"I left someone alive inside. Get him out, and then
level everything." Tatewaki 
ordered the twins while he waited. They both dashed
off into the still burning 
structure immediately.

"How did the twins fare?" The new voice of Tetsuo
Gosunkugi asked.

"Well enough. That attack of theirs...it has its share
of uses." As if speaking 
of the devil, the two twins in question appeared from
the devastation carrying 
the one-armed bodyguard. He was still breathing, but
barely. The two then 
adopted a familiar position as they gathered their
power once again. Just like 
last time, the hairs on Kuno's neck stood on end.

"Excellent. Standby while I initiate the data feed to
the cyber-tran suits."

A second more powerful, if that is possible, blast
erupted from behind him. 
Another wave of heat slammed into him and this time he
had to fight to keep his 
balance. The sounds of the entire multi-million dollar
mansion collapsing on 
itself echoed throughout the area.

"Receiving statistics... All of you return to
headquarters." Tetsuo cut off the 
transmission.

"Daikokuse. Daihokuse. We're leaving." Kuno announced
as they proceeded back to 
the waiting limousine.

They left nothing more than a smoldering hell behind
them. Whatever bodies were left behind were either
incinerated or soon would be. The corpses that lay
strewn across the outside were thrown to the wind by
the blast and were now even more manhandled than they
were before. The thick smoke that rose into the air
blocked the morning sun and the sound of sirens could
be heard approaching as the limousine drove off into
the distance...


***


"As you can clearly see there physical statistics are
quite remarkable. In terms of speed, agility, and
reflexes their numbers exceed that of an N3 Cyborg by
a margin of 89." Tetsuo was currently in the executive
office of Hideo explaining the Intelligence
Department's most recent findings to both him and
Tatewaki, who was currently staring out the window
onto the cityscape and seemed to care less about the
briefing. "Their ability to so perfectly synchronize
such a large number of their movements, especially in
mid-combat, suggests that they may also possess a
latent and very likely rudimentary telepathic
ability."

Two wire frame images floated in the air. Areas were
highlighted as he continued recanting everything they
had gleaned from the brothers during combat.

"And to think they were discovered as the bodyguards
of a prince of a third-world island nation..." Hideo
murmured to himself.

"The most intriguing aspect of the two is their
apparent ability to generate a massive burst of highly
charged electrons." Tetsuo tapped his nose in thought
as he stared at the wire frames. "To produce such a
large output of electrical energy without an external
generating source is a feat in itself. However the
ability to direct such a blast would designate the
presence of a powerful magnetic field, again all
without the use of a visible energy source. This would
in turn dictate that it is being generated
naturally...fascinating..."

"Indeed. The ability seems similar to what Tatewaki is
capable of is it not?"

"Yes it is. However the power boasted by your son
seems attuned to the aspect of enhancing his natural
ability. It would seem that the same energy wielded by
the twins is also capable of bolstering a human muscle
structure, a natural adrenaline derivative only ten
times more potent and longer lasting. We do not yet
fully understand this phenomenon..." You could almost
hear the gears grinding in Tetsuo's head.

"They will both make a fine addition to the project.
However their work for the day is not yet completed."
Hideo reminded him. "Tatewaki, I have one more
assignment for you."

"Tch. What can your most talented errand boy do for
you now?" He rolled his eyes in disgust.

The floating image changed from two wire-frames, to
that of a teenager wearing suspenders, a backwards
cap, and wielding a camera.

"This man is Kenneth Li. He is known to many more,
however, as 'Copycat Ken'." 
Tetsuo explained. "An expert in infiltration and
disguise. It is said he can look like anyone simply by
taking their picture once."

"He was seen entering the country two weeks ago. Most
recently he was spotted in the area of Osaka. I want
you to find him and bring him to me Tatewaki," Hideo
turned to his son.

"What is this? First you have me running around like
some low-rank peasant, then you involve me in some
petty deception with the Yakuza..." Kuno began
ranting.

"I have explained already Tatewaki. In the midst of
our restructuring we must throw our foremost rival
into a state of distraction until we our once again at
full strength. The Yakuza will serve as the perfect
cannon fodder to that end," 
Hideo explained. 

"I prefer a direct confrontation to all of this
trivial pretext. And what of my mission to terminate
Saotome and Hibiki? Has that been thrown to the wind
as well?" He turned toward his father, his face
showing his growing annoyance and rage.

A tense silence overcame the room. Tatewaki huffed and
returned his gaze to the outside. Tetsuo was not
exactly sure if he should interject or not,
fortunately for him he did not need to as Hideo
himself rose from his chair.

"My boy, you know that there is one thing I have
always tried to instill in you since the moment you
were capable of comprehending my words." He began as
he stood next to his son. "I have taught you that
power is everything in this world. To have power,
unlimited power, is the only goal you should be
striving to attain. At any cost."

His son, while he did not look it, was listening quite
intently to his words.

"You have taken to this lesson well. Your name is
already one to be feared throughout the world. It is a
common fact that the King of Blades is a name that
instills terror in whoever is unfortunate enough to
hear it." Hideo indicated the metropolis they were
gazing upon. "But I expect more. Soon, everything you
see before you will be yours. Silver Sword has
ascended to monumental proportions and soon enough all
of it will be in your hands." 

Hideo then placed his son's shoulder.

"Soun and myself have been enemies for as long as I
wish to remember. However there is one sentiment he
and I share in common." Hideo recalled. "And that is
the acknowledgement that your generation is far more
powerful than anyone could hope to imagine. Boy, do
not think that everything I am making you do now is
because I believe you are unworthy..."

Their eyes met at that moment, two generations, one
old and one new.

"You are the finest example of our bloodline as I have
ever seen, you AND your sister." He chuckled slightly.
"My time is passing, this is a new age we live in now
and soon I and my entire generation will have no place
in it. Daihokuse, 
Daikokuse, Saotome, Hibiki, Tendo's daughters,
Kodachi, and you; you all seem to possess powers far
greater than all of humanity before you. When the time
is right and you claim this world for your own I know
you will make our entire family, both past and future,
very proud. Kuno will be a name to be feared by even
God himself."

Tatewaki's ever-present scowl seemed to soften, only
ever so slightly. Only his father would notice such a
difference.

"Feh, you are far too sentimental old man." Tatewaki
chuckled as turned away from the window and passed by
the image of Ken. He gave the hologram a scrutinizing
look before retrieving his sword and jacket at the
door. "Kenneth 
Li was his name, you said?" He stopped himself just as
he was leaving.

"Yes." Hideo returned to his desk.

"Expect him by the end of the day..." he said quickly
before slamming the door behind him.

"Well said sir." Tetsuo approved as he blinked.

"He can be fiery at times, but his loyalty is
unquestioned." Hideo smiled. 
"However it does not lie with this company, or me for
that matter."

"Then what?"

"His loyalty to his family, his blood, and his name.
Kuno, that is what he is devoted to." Hideo eyes
narrowed. "And I expect nothing less."


***


The streets of Osaka were alive with activity. One of
Japan's most active commercial districts was
constantly moved with the presence of tourists,
locals, and daily passerby. However, few were there
for the reason of one Tatewaki Kuno. At the moment he
was on the hunt for a certain individual who could
look any one of the people who had just passed him by,
a needle in a haystack would be a good allusion. 

"24% Match."

"13% Match."

"43% Match."

"8% Match."

The words scrolled by in front of his eyes. The
sunglasses he wore were based on Cyclops technology.
He was told that no matter what form "Copycat Ken"
took, his base statistics such as height, weight, and
build would remain the same. The techs had assured him
that the glasses would be able to pinpoint the closest
match based on his stats by 10% margin of error, and
given his chosen lack of a Cybercom, he would have no
choice but to use them.

"One hour left..." He muttered as he reached into his
pocket and read off the timer on the small device he
pulled out. A wire ran from the glasses to that
device, actually s battery powering the glasses.
"Daikokuse, Daihokuse, report." Kuno reached to his
ear and spoke into his ever-present earpiece.

"I have just received a percentage match of 64%.
Moving to investigate."

"Nothing on this end."

The twins were currently running across the rooftops.
It was thought best, since 
the suits they were forced to wear were not typical
clothing by any means, they 
stay out of sight so as not to bring undo attention.
Daihokuse was also carrying 
Kuno's sword, to walk around in public with such a
weapon would also not be the 
most discrete action.

"Perhaps I should think twice before I allow sheer
idiocy to cloud my common 
sense." Kuno grumbled as he continued to walk through
the crowd. He eventually 
came to rest at a table outside a coffee shop. 

"Sir. I have just picked up some suspicious activity.
Several vehicles have just 
parked across the street from your position."
Daihokuse's voice appeared through 
the comm.

His eyes scanned the given location. As described
three town cars had come to a stop directly across
from him. From two of the vehicles stepped four rather
normal looking gentleman, but the occupants of the
third vehicle caught Kuno�s attention. Two extremely
large men, each about seven foot tall each and made of
nothing but solid muscle, stepped out. The car they
stepped out of literally bounced under the release of
the massive weight being put on it.

"My, they do work fast do they not?" Kuno murmured to
himself. "Care to take a 
guess as to who they are looking for?"

"I do not believe they have spotted you sir, at least
not yet."

"Perhaps I should..." Kuno started, but was
interrupted by something most 
important.

"94% Match."

The message flashed across the lenses and Kuno's eyes
widened instantly. He 
immediately bolted upright from his chair and quickly
scanned his surroundings.

"Where are you...?" He whispered through clenched
teeth.

The targeting reticle that locked onto the individuals
to scan them was now 
rapidly searching through the crowd. Kuno knew that
whoever it was that had 
sparked such a high match could not have gotten that
far. His efforts were 
rewarded when the target fell upon the back of a
crimson haired woman who looked 
to be in her early twenties.

"94% Match."

"Daihokuse, Daikokuse; return to me. I have spotted
our man...or...woman."

"THEY HAVE GUNS!!!" A civilian suddenly yelled at the
top of there lungs. 

Kuno's attention immediately shifted back to that of
the men he had spotted only seconds ago. They had now
spotted him and were currently pointing machine
pistols in his direction. Kuno uttered a not often
used, at least for him, curse before kicking the table
he was occupying over and using it as a shield when
the bullets started flying.

"Guns are supposed to be outlawed in Japan I thought!"
Kuno snarled. He of course knew that certain factions
like the Yakuza and the large conglomerate
organizations had ways of bending the rules when it
came to enforcement of that well-known law.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING!!" Another unfortunate
bystander yelled. 

The bullets were tearing not only through the air, but
also the bodies of anything else that happened to be
in their path. They were shooting indiscriminately
through the crowd, all of which to get straight to
there target. 

"Where are those twins?" Kuno flinched as another
round ricocheted off the table, creating another
indention.

>From what little he could discern from the chances he
received to look past his barricade; he saw that the
two larger men were approaching him and the four
remaining normal henchmen were holding back and using
the cars as cover while trying to pick him off from a
distance. That's when he noticed two distinct shapes
dropping down behind the shooters, totaally unnoticed
by them in the process.

"Finally."

The shooting ended abruptly as two of the four had
their necks snapped out from under them. The remaining
two suffered just as swift a fate; their deaths were
slower and more painful however as it was the result
of several quickly ruptured internal organs.

"What the hell..." One of the two lumbering brutes
noticed what had just happened to their back-up.

"You take the two little shits. Pretty boy is all
mine." The second giant smiled 
evily.  

Kuno had since emerged from behind his shield and
smirked at the compliment 
given to him by the monster. He had to be a cyborg,
most likely N3 or at the 
very least a high-class N2. Anything else and he would
have to feel insulted.

"So you're the puke from Heaven's Star that wasted our
boss." The giant sneered. 
"Hard to think a tiny snot-nosed piece of crap like
you got by his security."

"If you�re so unsure then why don't you allow me to
show you what I did to his so-called security?"

"Bring it punk!" He yelled and charged.

Kuno was not totally inept at hand-to-hand combat; it
just was not his forte. At first one would not think
this was the case as Kuno launched himself into the
air. He gained some impressive altitude before he
dropped down feet-first, slamming down onto the
goliath's face. Using it also as a springboard he
pushed himself off into a very agile back flip and
landed effortlessly. Such a move would have floored
any other opponent, but the laugh emanating from the
brute however showed that he was no ordinary opponent.

"What..." Kuno eyes widened.

"You think a love-tap like that is enough?" He smiled
wide, showing his teeth. 
Dual footmarks were imprinted onto his face but other
than that there was no indication that he even felt
anything. "TRY AGAIN BASTARD!!"

A massive fist came sailing toward him. Kuno moved to
intercept the blow but the sheer force behind it was
too much even for him. The impact knocked him clear
off of his feet and sent him flying through the glass
window the coffee shop behind him. The sudden
shattering of glass and the crashing of a man into so
many tables and chairs succeeded in destroying what
little composure the denizens hiding inside had,
multiple screams of terror broke out as Kuno forced
himself to stay lucid.

"What a monster. This is why I detest cyborgs." Kuno
groaned. "Daihokuse. I 
require my sword." Kuno spoke through the
communicator.

"Yes, sir. However we are currently occupied with the
other." He twin replied 
back. Sounds of combat could be made out in the
background.

"Just throw it when I give the word." 

"Throw it sir?" 

"Yes." Kuno rose to his feet again. The giant seemed
to be biding his time, 
waiting for his prey to come and meet his death.
"Well, it seems this was not a 
complete waste of my effort after all." A thin veil of
white encompassed his form as he said so. Everyone
present looked on in awe at the phenomenon, the cyborg
massive lost his smirk and it was replaced with slight
confusion.

"What the hell is that shit doing?" He whispered to
himself.

Tatewaki launched himself like a human torpedo; an
explosion of dust and glass went off behind him as he
shot forward. He slammed shoulder first into the
cyborg wall and much to his enemy's surprise he was
actually being pushed back! 

"You...have...UNDERESTIMATED ME!!" Kuno yelled as he
sent his fist crashing into his opponent's face. The
blow succeeded in sending the brute reeling, a look of
complete shock was plastered on the cyborg's face.
Using the giant's forearm as leverage he jumped up
onto his shoulder where he then took off to the air
again. 
"DAIHOKUSE! MY SWORD!!"

The twins had been engaged with the second Yakuza
enforcer. He yelled as he sent his fist flying in a
hammer strike toward the car the twins were currently
standing on, they quite nimbly leapt to two sides and
the blow was sent crashing into the vehicle itself.
The power was enough to completely split the car in
two, but before he could regain his bearings two feet
slammed into either side of his head. He was knocked
off kilter giving both his opponents the opportunity
to send their combined fists into his stomach; he
keeled over and invited them to knock him onto his
back with a synchronized uppercut.

"DAIHOSUKE! MY SWORD!!"

Kuno's call roused the attention of the respective
twin, and as he was instructed he hurled the blade
that was strapped to his back toward its owner. 

"YOU FRIGGIN ASSHOLE!!" The man-machine yelled from
under him.

Kuno twisted in mid-air, catching the blade. His next
movements came with such swiftness it was hard to
determine exactly what actions he took. He landed
perfectly from the high leap, facing his opponent who
was just beginning to turn around. In a single fluid
motion he drew his sword and sound of the metal
cutting through the air could be heard. 

"Peasant scum...." Kuno muttered.

The cyborg was frozen stock-still. His eyes were wide
open and his mouth looked ready to hit the floor. A
simple tap from Kuno's scabbard sent the top half of
the brute crashing to the ground in a geyser of
white-blood, the distinguishing characteristic of all
full-body cyborgs.

"That's one..." Daihosuke did not finish the sentence
as the back of a fist slammed into him. He had
actually been standing on the fallen giant's chest
after he had thrown the blade. Now he was the one
being thrown as the force of the blow knocked him
several feet away.

"BROTHER!" Daikokuse yelled as the monster slowly
returned to his feet and lumbered toward his second
target.

"Now, you little bastard flea, you're next." The
cyborg snarled as his massive frame shadowed over his
diminutive adversary. "DIE!!"

The blade of a katana exploded out of the side of his
head. The weapon was buried all the way to the hilt
and the glowing sword itself was covered in his
grey matter. The giant fell over, the sword embedding
itself in the ground first and the head sliding down
along the length until it came to a stop at the
concrete.

"The target has taken the disguise of a red-headed
woman. She must have headed north along the street."
Kuno lowered his arm from throwing the weapon. "Stop
her." 

Daihosuke got up and was rubbing his jaw; overall, he
seemed to be in one piece considering the inhuman
strength that had knocked him flying. Together the
twins took to the rooftops again and dashed down the
street at terrific speed. Kuno approached the corpse
and gripped the handle of his blade.

"As for you dear boy, I will leave you and your
partner a bit of advice using the expletives you both
seem so fond of." 

There was a wet sound as he withdrew the sword from
the cyborg's skull; the white and gray of his blood
and brain covered the now non-glowing metal.

"Do not fuck with a Kuno."


She had been running for close to ten minutes now. She
had just been walking, minding her own business, when
all hell suddenly broke loose. She as well as many
others had hightailed it to the hills as soon as they
could to avoid being killed.

"And here I thought Osaka was known only for its
shopping centers." She panted as she came to a stop on
the now deserted avenue. She turned and looked back
down to finally notice that there was an eerie silence
in the air. "Finally over. Jeez, what the hell was
that all about anyway?"

"Copycat Ken?"

She whirled around immediately at the mention of her
name. She came face to face, so to speak, with two
Chinese twins. 

"W...who are you?" She began backing away slowly.

"You will accompany us back to Silver Sword
headquarters immediately." Daikokuse said tactlessly. 

Instead of stating that she was not going to go with
them anywhere, she decided to skip that line and make
an immediate run for it. She got a whole two steps as
she turned to run, only to almost run into the tip of
a katana pointed at her face.

"Mr. Li. Please forgive my associates, it seems they
are as tired of this game as I am," Kuno's face has a
slightly irritated look to it.

"W...where did you come from? How do you know who I
am?"

"If you would be so kind as to alleviate yourself of
your current disguise..." It sounded like a request,
but everyone there made it quite clear by their glares
that it wasn't. 

Ken warily complied. Her face shifted and congealed,
as well as the rest of her body though it could not be
seen. The long red hair slowly began to shorten and
turn the shade of black, her green eyes slowly morphed
to a shade of brown, her bust began to slowly
decompress, and even her skin color shifted.
Fortunately she always made it a habit to wear
clothing that would be suitable for either sex, her
earlier experience had forced that trait onto her.

"A metamorph? Interesting..." Kuno murmured.

The figure standing before them now was the Japanese
male known as Copycat Ken. 
He nervously eyed all three individuals who were
surrounding him.

"S...so, what do you want with me?"

"We are representatives of Silver Sword Enterprises.
The president of which has 
taken a great interest in your talents." Kuno sheathed
his blade.

"He...wants me?" Ken knew the name of Silver Sword.
One of the most powerful 
companies in the world, and they wanted him.
Opportunity was slapping him in the 
face stronger than it ever had.

"Yes. Now do try not to dawdle, the day has been long
and I wish for it to end 
as quickly as possible..."


***


It was past midnight, another night of the stars
shining brightly in the velvet 
sky, another night of the serene silence overcoming
the whole of Nerima, and 
another night in which the restful bliss of sleep was
denied her.

"This had better not become a habit again..." Nabiki
muttered to herself. She was 
laid down upon the grass and was staring aimlessly at
the studded night sky. It 
had been quite some time since she had the same
nightmare twice in a row; she 
hoped it would be the last.

She sat up slowly and brought her hand involuntarily
to her shoulder. It had 
been two years already, and yet she found she was
unable to shake to memory. No 
matter how hard she tried, no matter how she trained,
there was still that 
unshakable fear. That constant feeling deep inside,
that she would never be able 
to beat him. That he would always be there in her
dreams...killing her over and 
over...

"What is wrong with me...?" She groaned. Thinking the
way she was would not help 
matters in the least. 

She felt a tingling through her system. Someone was
now in the area with her, 
she had not heard anyone come out so whoever it was
had to have been there for 
quite some time.

"It's me." The sound of her voice and the hand on her
shoulder prompted any 
tension that was building to drain away completely.
Her footsteps had been non-
existent when she approached her, she could only
'feel' who it was. 

They both sat in silence next to each other for some
time. Sounds of crickets 
and the occasional splashing of a fish at the koi pond
were the only sounds with 
them.

"You have gotten so much stronger since then. I can
feel it." Kasumi whispered. 
"You...don't have to be afraid anymore."

"I...I'm not afraid...I...just...the memory of it...I
just can't get rid of it." Nabiki murmured. "And...I
don't want to..."

Kasumi gave her an understanding look, as bizarre as
the statement sounded she did understand what she
meant.

"There's a reason I keep the scar. An artificial skin
graft would get rid of it easily, but...I need to keep
reminding myself of what I was." Nabiki sighed. "I was
na�ve, green, and thought I could take on anybody. My
ego was running out of control."

"You were also young. You couldn't have known better."

"It took me almost getting killed to knock me to my
senses. To realize that I am not the best, and that if
I want to be I'm gonna have to work for it." Nabiki
eyes moved forward. "Whenever I think I'm getting too
high up there. I use it to remind myself of just how
weak I really am..." Her last words were laced with
venom.

Kasumi put an arm around her before she started.

"Nabiki, we've been partners for how many years?"

"Close to three years now..."

"Every time we go out, we risk...losing our lives."
She knew it was a harsh truth, but it had to be said.
"Every time we go out, we have to put our lives in
each other's hands. Do you think I would give that
responsibility to someone who was weak?"

Nabiki was silent. The question and the obvious answer
made more than sense.

"I didn't think so. I understand that things like this
can take time. You just 
have to remember that you are not the same as you used
to be. You have changed, 
and for the better."

"Thanks..."

"It's the truth."
 
Nabiki sighed, and Kasumi could feel her depression
being released along with it.

"What...exactly was it you were doing last night?"

"It's...something I made up. Whenever I feel that my
mind is becoming too 
cluttered, it helps me clear it. Do you want me to
show you?"

"Yeah...sure."




To Be Continued.........










Author's Notes:

1). Yet another chapter that went through so many
revisions that I've long since 
lost count. But then again I've been told that
something like that is normal, 
its when the revisions start reaching into the
hundreds is when you should start 
worrying......

2). There were several objectives I wanted to reach in
this chapter. One, to 
make Kuno a more credible threat then he is in the
manga. Two, to give a prelude 
of things to come, more precisely in terms of what
level of power I've given to 
everyone. Third, was quite simply character
development. I hope I succeeded in 
all these areas.

3). A lot of people ask if this series fuses with
Shadowrun. I really don't know 
as I have never played or read Shadowrun before. Maybe
it does and I just don't 
know it.

4). Daihosuke and Daikokuse, for those who have not
yet deduced this fact, are the twin Go players from
the first Ranma � movie; Big Trouble in Nekonron
China.

5). As always C&C is highly valued and archived for
later reference.






































 













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