Disclaimer: Ranma and any characters depicted in this
story do not belong to me. I am not making a single
cent off this story. 


***= Change in setting or POV. Tread carefully.

IMPORTANT: 
Please read Author's Notes at the end of the chapter
for important information. 

This story has been submitted WITHOUT enduring the
scrutiny of a pre-reader. You have been
warned.........


Summary: 
The time is now, but the world is not. This is a land
consumed by eternal night. A realm where the golden
rays of the sun have not been seen for the last 287
years. This is an existence where the darkness deep in
the souls of man has finally been given form.
Creatures of the night exist, dark powers and black
magic are wielded by those who would seek to hunt the
innocent. But in this melding of modern-day and
fantasy, there exist those whose sole purpose is to
protect those who cannot protect themselves. Warriors
who use the powers granted to them by the Arts to
defend against the dark that has dominated the land.

These are the tales of them and they world they live
in. The chronicles of the Silent Knights...










Chapter 0: The Black Sun




Darkness.

It has been a long-established constant within the
world. It is all encompassing, all encroaching, and it
has been an element with which man has to adapt
throughout the ages. The philosophies of yin and yang,
good and evil, and black and white have been mixed to
a gray. It was long believed that night was pure
black, a place where only evil could exist and
perpetuate. 

But here is a world where good can exist within the
dark. This is a world where the absolute borders of
conscience have been broken in places. To truly
understand this new-age philosophy, one must see with
their eyes instead of heeding the words of mouth. Such
an opportunity has arisen, watch closely...and
learn...





The soft sound of clacking penetrated the night of
day. Shoes against the concrete of an empty sidewalk
brought a monotonous rhythm to the silence all around.
Illumination was not of existence in this area lined
with shops, bakeries, and cafes. However a seemingly
prosperous hub of commerce and social interaction was
void of life, as we know it.
 
The only semblance of existence was that of the
soundless fluttering of small orbs of light, the soft
glow being the size of a small marble. These peaceful
creatures gently rode the air on transparent wings,
their light a yielding gold that gave contrast to the
obscurity surrounding them. 

The creatures known as Espers were the only
illumination granted to the woman who walked down the
now barren street. She was of middle age, and in her
arms was that of a small child of tender age. He slept
quietly in her motherly embrace, the child being a
sweet symbol of innocence in this time of impurity and
corruption. Her footsteps carried themselves amidst
the dark allies between the establishments. Echoes
bounced off the dinged brick and stonewall, mixing
together to form a repetitive jingle of movement.

Then a sound is entrapped in an ear. Her feet halt and
her auditory sensors perk at a sound that might only
be her imagination. Her head moves from one to
another, eyes attempting to force their way through
the thick soup of darkness that is patches by dots of
light.

She is met with nothing more than silence and absence
of life. She attributes the noise to nothing more than
the paranoia beginning to creep into the recesses of
her mind. She continues onward with an increased pace.
A sound that was once constant and fluid was now rapid
and forced, but despite her boosted fervor to be in
the safe confines of her home, danger still loomed
under her senses.

Predators lurked the streets with her. Dark beings
seeking the rich blood of the unassuming, evils that
feed off the night to make themselves that much
stronger than they already are. These beings have
found their new prey, and they begin to move in for
the savored kill. Each one shrouded within the black,
their eyes burning the red that is the color of all
life-fluid they so eagerly crave.

The woman's pace heightened to a near run. She could
feel a chill running down her spine. A cold sweat was
beginning to form on her brow and the beating of her
heart quickened with the onset of adrenaline. Her
rasped breathing was the only thing that she could
hear, and the intensity of her drive to get away being
the only thing she could feel. She could sense the
darkness beginning to close in around her. No matter
how fast she ran, they moved faster. No matter how
much she prayed to be spared, they would show no
mercy. They fed off fear, and to them she was nothing
more than a wounded animal waiting to picked apart by
the vultures.

The sounds of her flight were halted by the horrific
presence of twin eyes in the darkness before her. One
could see the twisted malice and mania amidst the
depths of rusted red. She stumbled backward several
steps, only to run into yet another inescapable
barricade. She whirled around only to face the
presence of a second nightmare, but the horror did not
end there. For in the middle of the street to her
left, a third hellish creation did make its presence
known.

All three had a devil's grin that bared fangs that
could only be of a vicious use. Each one exuded an
aura of the evil intent and murderous carnage that was
synonymous with the rank of vampire. These 21st
century bloodsuckers enclosed their target as the
woman could only search frantically for someway,
anyway, to escape the inevitable.

"P...please...d...don't kill me. I...I have a
family......" She hoped to entertain some semblance of
non-existent sympathy. "S...spare my child at least.
Please..."

"Talon, Blade, Crimson! Halt." A detached and
commanding presence bade them to cease their advance. 

Each name was called respectively. One was tall and
thin and had hair wild in all directions possible, the
second was of a burly stature whose hair was spiked
and cascaded down his back, and the third was the
average of the three with locks of a purple-black
variety that parted down the center of his head.

"Give us the child, sweetmeat, and we will spare your
worthless life," The same voice offered.

The mother's eyes widened in horror at such an unholy
proposal. To think such monster's existed, that they
would be content to subsist on the most innocent of
human life. Her expression, a mix of shock, disgust,
and pure terror, prompted the three to resume their
hungered advance. It was quite the obvious the woman
would not surrender her child to the hellspawn that
were poised to suck her dry and then take the child
for their own twisted purposes anyway. The number of
feet separating the oncoming massacre lessened, and
the woman began a short prayer to deity she worshipped
that at least her child be spared a slow and painful
death. 

Then there movement ceased suddenly. Their collective
eyes narrowed, and the sensation of a new presence
crawled through their skin. The woman slowly opened
her eyes, the pain associated with being eviscerated
being non-existent prompted her to see why she was
still alive. The trio's sights were on everything but
their prey, their eyes scouring the area around them
for the source of this sudden and formless
disturbance.

The luminous flight of the Espers suddenly came to a
stop. They floated inert in the air as if lounging on
the calm waves of a sea. Blade looked up, and his eyes
fell upon the darkened silhouette of a figure standing
atop the same building the woman was huddled against.
Details were minimal within the black, the outline of
her form suggested a female, and possibly a
short-haired one at that.

All three laughed inwardly at this singular threat to
their superiority, no one human could stand against
them. That is when another anomaly caught Talon's
notice. He turned his gaze to his right, and found
another form in the darkness; it was some distance
away and even more difficult to formulate some
semblance of identification. He raised an eyebrow in
slight bewilderment but his attention was averted from
this by a grunt of slight surprise from Blade.

A purple light began to emit from the creature upon
the roof. It glowed brightly like a star in the
infinite void of space. This beacon of light then
subsided to give rise to flame. A violet fire
encompassed the hand of the being before them; its
illumination allowed them a better view of whoever the
foolish wench who opposed them was. Indeed her hair
was short, and it stopped at the base of her neck, the
features of her face told them she was of young age,
possibly in the realm of sixteen to eighteen.  

Her hand closed into a fist that was then aimed at
Blade, of which Talon and Crimson were on the right
and left of. His eyes only had time to widen slightly
before a tendril of energy shot forth from the top of
the hand. Its speed was like a bullet fired from a
gun, and indeed slight recoil could be made out from
the arm of the girl. The tendril coiled and maneuvered
down the side of the building before curving yet again
and slamming full-force into the vampire's chest. The
impact buried the wisp partially into its chest before
blowing him clear off his feet and carrying him across
the street. He slammed violently into a store window
and onward, blasting straight through shelves and
stands before coming to a skidding stop.

On the outside, the tendril began to slither and
retract as if it were alive. It retreated back to its
point origin, and when it did the flame that spawned
disappeared in a flicker. As soon as it did the
unknown female launched herself into the air in a leap
that seemingly defied gravity. The remaining duo
watched as she sailed over their heads and landed just
in front of the building the largest of the three
hellions had been buried in. Her back was to them, but
they could see that the girl was clad in some sort of
skin-tight black suit. Her attention was not on them,
as she appeared to be waiting for something to happen
within the destruction the flying brute had caused.

Talon gave a snarl of rage. Not at the fact that his
comrade had just been blown off his feet as if he
weighed nothing, but at the fact that the impudent
woman would dare ignore him. He took a single step,
before he was struck with a burst of remembrance. He
gaze shifted back to the unknown visage he had seen
down the street. Indeed the form was of better
clarity, as it appeared to be approaching them at a
casual pace. However, that pace was broken by sounds
of the footsteps increasing to a maddening tempo.

In equivalent, the figure began approaching at a
feverish speed. Talon turned to face the newcomer. At
that same time the unknown person leaped forward and
once he again he followed her with his eyes...until he
realized she had leapt straight at him. Before he
could move to place his position out of the line of
fire, the figures foot found its mark on his face. The
inhuman impact of the blow was like nothing he had
felt before. He flew backward and away, slamming hard
into the ground and rolling to a stop. 

The figure landed in a crouch, and Crimson fetched a
look at the being that had felled another of his kin.
She too was female and was dressed in same way as the
other, and she too had hair cut short, but this one
did not possess the precise cut at the end like the
other had. Much like the previous assailant, this one
chose to ignore all others outside her primary target,
of which was getting back to his feet and whose face
was enraptured with total rage and contempt for the
female. This sight caught her notice as well, but
instead of fleeing at the danger of incurring a
vampire's wrath, she charged forward.

Instead of seeing such an act as an insult, Crimson
simply saw it as an opportunity. He murderous gleam
twinkled in his blood red eyes as his sights fell upon
the shaking woman again. She thought she had been
saved, she should have taken the opportunity to run
for dear life, but her accursed legs would not move.
Now the last of the standing vampires had his vile
intentions back on her and her helpless child. He once
again brought his fangs to bear, and chortled a
vicious laughter that brought images of her own
gruesome slaughter running through her mind.

His forward motion was stopped; a hand gave firm and
almost painful grasp to his shoulder. He cringed and
snarled as he looked to his rear and finding a third
interloper. His annoyance at the constant distractions
was prevalent, but this one did not seem to care. He
shrugged off the offensive hand and attacked in the
same breath, a backfist hurtling toward her face at a
speed only a vampyre could produce. He expected to see
her head knocked clear off her shoulders; instead his
blow was stopped cold in its path, and by a single
hand. His face was invaded by sudden and complete
surprise as he found himself being lifted into air and
then sent traveling through it. His arm had been
captured and used as the source with which to send him
traveling, courtesy of a shoulder throw.

He instantly ascertained his situation after
retrieving his wits in mid-air. The demon righted
himself and came to a landing on both feet a good
distance away from the human. He sneered as he took
sight of his opponent. This one was the tallest of the
three, this gave him the indication that her possible
age may put her in the eldest standing between them.
Her hair was in contrast to the others, as it was long
and tied off so that it ran down her back. 

His sneer turned to amusement in a flash. A sinister
laugh filled the area; it was thick with arrogance and
pity for his hapless enemy. Surely these pathetic
members of the weaker sex had no idea as the power he
and his comrades possessed. If they did, they would
not walked into this suicidal course they had set for
themselves. His smirk vanished as he noticed that
woman in front of him bore no fear at his presence, it
was clear he would have to teach her her proper place
in the scheme of nature. As such he clenched his
fists, and a cloak of black fire that could only be
ignited within the pits of hell overcame him. He
thought this night would be boring, nothing more than
a helpless kill to satisfy his hunger. But now it
seemed he would have some entertainment with his meal,
and he so loved to play with his food.




She stood in silent wait for the monster to re-emerge,
knowing full well the initial attack was not enough to
finish it. People who cared knew this girl's name to
be Nabiki, but unfortunately the enemy before her
could care much less as to what the name of his prey
was. His eyes began to emerge from the darkness of the
building he had been sent through. One could almost
feel the earth shake from each footstep of the heavily
muscled of the three known as Blade. 

His foot touched the outside once again, crushing the
already shattered glass into so much fine powder as he
did. He stared at his diminutive opponent, and he
could almost hurl at the fact that this
small...thing...had caused him pain. He would take far
too much joy in tearing IT limb from limb and feed the
rotting corpse to the worms. But first...he would have
to catch her...

In the blink of an eye, or perhaps even less time, his
fist was already cutting through the air on a course
of sure, crushing death toward his enemy. The wrecking
ball of a fist buried itself in the pavement of the
street, his unnatural strength being one of the
greatest of his kind. He had expected to a bloody,
pulpy substance upon his knuckles when he withdrew,
instead he found pieces of rock crumbling off his
hand. He looked up toward the sky, just in time see
her descending upon him feet first. 

The impact did not hurt much; she seemed to lack the
raw strength necessary to physically harm him.
However, just as contact was made she launched off in
a back flip. Her push off caused him to lose balance
temporarily and stumble backward several steps. He
growled quite audibly as he caught himself and a hand
became enveloped in a dark fire. He thrust the palm
forward and a jet of demonic flame lanced forward
seeking to consume its target in its infinite
flesh-devouring hunger. A might explosion lit the air
on impact. Chunks of rock and tar were thrown to the
wind as a result, but his target still remained among
the living. 

His sights moved to the right to find her unsinged,
having apparently avoided the blast by vaulting left
upon landing. This time, both her hand were enshrouded
by the same lavender inferno that she produced
earlier. Once again they were both closed tightly into
fists, and one tendrils of the same type before shot
from each one. With the same marvelous speed they
cleared the distance between Nabiki and Blade and
coiled themselves around the killer's forearms. He
suddenly felt himself pitch forward as the snake like
vines of purple energy tugged both his arms viciously.
He slowly began forcing his arms back in a display of
impressive strength; the girl's planted feet begin to
skid forward against the resistance.

He laughed at the utter ineptitude of the girl. Was
she mad enough to try and test her minute strength
against his? Obviously he had given far too much
credit; as little as it was to begin with. 

The tug-of-war continued unabated. Any passerby could
clearly see that Blade would be the victor, but it
seems that looks are all too deceiving in this case.
Her eyes began to glow with unearthly force of a same
color as the tendrils themselves. Blade took notice of
this and gave a grunt of question as to what this
could mean in the outcome of their battle. He suddenly
felt another violent pull, this one far stronger than
before. His arms were nearly wrenched from their
sockets, and he was ill prepared to resist. He fought
with all his strength but for some reason he could no
longer rival that of his enemy who was two times his
lesser in height and build.

She suddenly threw her arms out to her sides, and in a
violent display of gore the vampire's arms were torn
from their host body in geysers of black hued blood. A
near deafening roar escaped the lips of the giant as
pain became all he could feel. The tendrils threw the
severed limbs away as they retracted back into the
hands that wielded them with so much proficiency. Her
eyes still burned with the same psionic energy that
did energize her hands. His physical strength may have
been more than she could ever match, but it was
nothing compared to the strength of her mind. It was
sharper and keener than any her age, and it showed by
the intensity of the flames she commanded.

Her eyes narrowed as she aimed at the monster's head.
For the final time a tendril of psionic energy was
formed and sped through air at a frightening rate. It
pierced the brute's skull and continued a path into
his brain. It buried itself into his nerve center,
causing already irreversible damage. With but a
flicker of thought, Nabiki sent a pulse surging
through the tendril. His eyes shot open as his brain
exploded in its shell.

The tendril created a wet sound as it retracted from
the hole followed by a gray and red ooze that ran down
the vampire's face. He collapsed to his knees before
falling aimlessly onto his face in a near
earth-shaking impact. The fires around her hands and
eyes subsided, and she let out a breath of relief.

"Bigger they come..." 




Talon rolled to his feet after being kicked for who
knows how far. He rubbed his chin that burned in
intense agony. How could a human girl possess such
strength? And the speed with which she was upon him
was amazing. However, if she wanted to see fast, he
would show her fast.

His eyes fell upon the girl charging him. Once again
her rate of movement was far past normal but this time
he was prepared. When he was within range she let
loose a barrage of fists that all seemed to come at
once. The creature of the night kept pace with the
torrent as each punch whizzed harmlessly by his face
and body. In a sudden burst of velocity he literally
blurred from sight.

He grinned with pompous egotism as he reappeared at
her rear. She was obviously far too slow to be any
kind of challenge for the 'Speed Demon' himself. As
soon as he rephased a leg was already reared back and
aimed for her temple. His tall stature compared to her
relatively short size made it an easy target. His leg
flew, but it struck air and nothing more. 

His soon to be killed opponent had ducked under the
blow. It was impossible...she could not have that fast
a reaction. Not enough to know where he had reappeared
and still have enough time to avoid the attack. She
then fell forward on to her hands and sent both her
feet crashing into his stomach with obscene force.
Once again he was sent flying backward and he crashed
unpoetically a respectable number of feet away.

He picked himself up quickly and immediately
formulated a new course of action. Hand-to-hand would
not work, so he needed to give himself a noticeable
advantage. With that thought in mind, the same shadow
blaze that his partners possessed came to life around
his body. He threw both palms forward and twin balls
of the hellish energy launched themselves to rend his
enemy to sunders. Twin bursts of fire and light
erupted as the struck the ground where she stood. The
blasts blew her backward and she skidded to a painful
halt along the asphalt road.

Talon took this opportunity to strike. He straightened
the fingers of one hand and by force of will formed a
single blade around them, composed of the same power
that all vampires could wield. He charged toward his
helpless prey, who was just beginning to regain
herself. He aimed furious slashes in her direction,
the black energy sword cutting swathes through the air
with ridiculous ease. Her precarious position made
dodging the lethal strikes a trial in itself.

He grinned as he saw the tide turn so quickly into his
favor. The girl would tire eventually; she could not
keep up with him forever. His theory was sound, for he
struck in a diagonal slash and he could the brief
surface tension of blade against skin. To her it was
only a flash of black before her eyes, but before she
could contemplate what had happened a fierce backfist
that rocked across her mouth sent her sprawling again.

He chuckled as he looked over his handiwork. A rather
malicious gash ran diagonally across her face, forever
marring her features. Blood began trickling down the
corner of her mouth as he had most like knocked some
teeth loose. He raised the blade high, a single swipe
would decapitate the nuisance before him and then he
would celebrate with a well-deserved drink. He brought
it down, but instead of it severing vocal chord and
artery, it was stopped flight by the girl's hand that
had shot up to intercept his wrist. He instinctively
brought his other hand into play, generating a second
blade and letting it fly horizontally on a collision
course with her neck.

Other hand moving at great speed to halt its deadly
course stopped the same result, his wrist. It turned
into a struggle of supremacy, with the winner walking
away with their life and the loser seeing the infinity
that was the afterlife. Talon was forced to look upon
the face of his enemy, it was overcome with a rage
that rivaled even Blade, but that was not what was
causing his eyes to bulge in astonishment. It was her
face; the same horrendous wound that he had caused was
now sealing itself before his very eyes! In the span
of seconds the injury was non-existent, the only
evidence of it ever being there was the blood left
behind, and he could take a guess the same had
happened to her mouth as well.

His distraction was her chance. She lunged forward
headfirst, sending her forehead crashing into his in a
very disruptive head butt. He disengaged the grapple
and reeled backward, clutching his throbbing brow and
dispersing the blades on each hand. The girl brought
her fist back, it shook as she channeled all the
resentment and fury she associated with him. Small
arcs of electricity bounced around before a bright red
liquid fire exploded around it.

She launched her fist forward, sending it careening
toward the vampire's chest. It buried itself deep into
his upper body, tearing past his lungs as well as vein
and artery combined. Then it found its prey, his
lifeless heart. Talon gasped in voiceless agony as she
gripped the organ in her hand. In a minute surge of
strength she squeezed and his center of existence
exploded in her hand. 

His face was void of emotion as she withdrew her hand
from the depths of his body. He fell backward in a
lifeless heap as she shook her hand, causing large
drops of black ooze to spill on the asphalt. The girl
known to her family as Akane breathed heavily as the
rush of the fight began to leave her and rage fueled
power she had gathered began to subside.

"Stupid vampires......"




The final standoff was still commencing. Crimson could
feel his vampiric power growing, and by what he could
sense, the girl before him was pathetically lacking in
that aspect. He was almost insulted by this front of
courage she was putting up. She obviously had not been
taught to recognize her superiors, and he was going to
be the teacher for that particular lesson.

He finally reached his peak and he gave a toothy grin,
just so show her what lay ahead when he was finished
slapping the proper sense into her. He reached an arm
out to his side, in a flash a sword composed of the
same material that strengthened him out of thin air.
The girl was still seeking to oppose him, and he would
take great sadistic perversity in slowly peeling her
delicate skin from her bones. 

His lewd fantasies came to an end when he noticed
unusual activity occurring from the Espers surrounding
them. They were gathering around her, encircling her
as electrons do an atom. Their combined golden light
radiating outward and forcing the blood demon to cover
his face and eyes.  

The surrounding flight pattern ceased abruptly as the
Espers then chose to float a small distance away, as
if giving themselves space. Then in a breathtaking
display, small bolts of continuous lightning erupted
from each creature. They all struck the girl at once,
arcing and forking as they danced the surface of her
body. Crimson stepped backward as his tolerance for
the accursed light was low. His mind was nearly rush
into his overload as he all of a sudden began to feel
her power rise.

What was once empty and nothing was slowly filling to
capacity. An aura of golden fire coalesced around her
form. Even her eyes began to feel the surge of the
power as they begin to slowly tint an emerald green as
lightning moved across them. In a burst, the fuel line
was cut and the Espers slowly floated on sightless
currents of air, their task completed. Her batteries
were fully charged and it was quite a sight to behold.
In the same fashion as Crimson she reached an arm out.
Small ball of golden energy formed at the open palm.
The ball then began to convulse and elongate until it
form into a sword of pure power similar to the
vampire's.

Much to his disappointment, it looked like it was
going to be a fair fight. Though it mattered not to
him, despite the overwhelming increase in her power,
he still believed himself to be superior. To prove
that point, he would cut this girl down to size and
prove that her so-called power was nothing more than
an overdone light show.

His thoughts proved to take too long to run through
for the girl. For after several seconds of
intimidating staring, she decided that action would be
a far more effective judge of strength. She charged
forward, her sword already bared and ready to cleave
the demon in two. The dark one countered with his
blade in a hastened defense, and the two energy
weapons collided in a violent and spectacular clash of
powers. 

Arcs of gold and black energy spilled forth from the
encounter. Both were equal and neither one would
flinch in the face of the other. The girl's face was
of total calm and obliviousness to the severity of the
conflict before her very eyes. This enraged the
vampire even more, and he fought with redoubled effort
to show her why he should be feared and not
underestimated. 

The two broke off in a rush, each one vaporizing their
weapons as soon as they did. Crimson proved himself to
be the most powerful and skilled of the three in the
use of their power. He brought both his palms
together, his power gathering to a single point,
causing its effectiveness to skyrocket. From this
point fired a thin beam of a laser's quality that
sizzled the air and was capable of cutting through
solid stone like so much butter attempting to resist a
hot knife. The tore through toward its target at
light-speed, its firing and impact being one and the
same at such a dizzying swiftness.

What it did NOT strike and burn through was the flesh
of the girl. Its path was halted by something that
could not be seen by the naked eye. An invisible
barrier that had at some point domed around the human
female. Crimson pressed harder, but all the beam could
accomplish was generating a bright orange spot giving
respect to its intense heat. Without warning, this
non-corporeal shield to expand, pushing the beam back
toward its producer who tried in vain to halt the
advance.

Before he knew what was happened, his beam had been
negated and the wall slammed into at full force. He
looked like a fly on the windshield, as he was spread
eagle while being carried off his feet. In seconds
time he was pressed violently against the brick and
mortar of a hardware store. He cringed as the
unbearable pressure forced a crater to form in his
impression, but relief came sooner than he expected. 

The shield dissipated with a motionless command by the
girl. In a blur she moved into action once again.
Without nearly the same fan-fare, the energy sword
reappeared in her grasp and she came upon the demonic
villain at great speed. Just as his pain-wracked body
was falling, it was carried back up as the weapon was
rammed deep into his chest. He was now impaled against
the wall as the sound of flesh sizzling against a
temperature reaching into the high hundreds. She
grimaced only slightly, but that was all the
contemplation needed before a wave of amperage
conducted through the blade and infusing itself into
his body.

His screech seemed not of this world as thousands of
amps of electricity ran through his blackening corpse.
His form spasmed all too violently as it sounded as if
his darkened soul was being rended asunder. Just as
quickly as the onslaught came, it ended. His sizzling,
charred remains lay limp and unrecognizable while
spitted upon the translucent blade. She released her
grip on the weapon, and as soon as she did it vanished
into nothingness. The near skeletal remains of the
hell monster fell to the ground in a crunch of flaking
flesh. Cinders and ash wafted through the air as a
gentle breeze came.

Kasumi Tendo stared at the remains of the thing that
had renounced its humanity in order to attain great
power quickly, but at the cost of its soul. She did
not kill this monster, for it was already dead. Its
spirit already in the hands of the sire that gave it
the black fire that empowered it.

"Rest in peace.........whoever you once were........."




The woman could only stare in awe as all three of her
potential killers were dispatched. Her prayers must
have been answered, surely this proved that a God
truly did exist, for he had sent his archangels to
banish the hellions from the face of the planet. Of
course, her baby then chooses that moment to wail its
displeasure.

All three of the Tendo sisters congregated at the
woman's front. The oldest approaching the righteous
frightened woman and speaking a soft tone that
paralleled her features.

"It's not safe outside in the afternoon," She told
her. "You should get home quickly, we will make sure
you're not followed."

"T...thank you. I owe you my life and the life of my
child," She said frantic joy. 

"You owe us nothing," Kasumi smiled. "Just go home and
be safe."

She nodded fervently before regaining her footing and
setting off at a fast pace. All three sisters watched
as she disappeared into the night, the tension slowly
releasing from all of them.

It was instantly renewed however by the sound of a
slow clapping piercing the silence of the night. Their
faces turned stern as they brought their eyes to the
opposite direction. Within the cloak of darkness a
single figure could be seen giving his feelings a
sound. He was young man that looked to be somewhere in
the range of 16 to 18. His skin was brown, and his
hair was a mop of pure white. He was clothed in a dark
purple leather jacket that was zipped halfway, as well
as pants of the same material and color. One hand was
covered in a finger black glove, while the other was
completely housed within a solid red glove.

"Impressive dear Tendos," He snickered as he removed
the sunglasses from over his eyes. His eyes were of a
demonic red that symbolized the power he held within
his grasp. "They were three of my most powerful
followers. You seem to be getting stronger each day."

"Yeah, and one day we're gonna be comin' right after
you," Nabiki sneered. "So get ready, your days are
almost numbered."

"I look forward to the amusement," He grinned. "You
three have been quite the irritation to me as of late,
denying my followers refreshment at every turn is
causing quite some restlessness."

"Serves those monsters right!" Akane yelled back.
"We're not gonna let them kill anymore innocent
people! You tell them that!"

"Spirited as ever," He murmured as he brought his gaze
over the oldest of the three. Her eyes of calm
serenity met his gaze of reserved and violent power.
"To you Miss Tendo. I leave my most deepest hopes that
we two shall meet again very soon."

She gave no response, save the narrowing of her eyes
at the demon lord.

"Until next time," He bowed and was consumed in an
explosion of black and red flame and electricity. The
miasma of power overcame him and in with as much
swiftness it dissipated, leaving nothing behind. 

"And there will be a next time," She finally
whispered.




***




As you have just witnessed, good can come within the
depths of the shadows to defend the weak and helpless.
To lose hope in such a hopeless need not be a last
resort. To lose faith in the kindness of strangers
need not take grasp in the land of endless midnight.
Such concepts still have meaning in a world where one
might think hope is dead, where the light of miracles
no longer shines, and where the greatest star of the
sky is nothing then a twinkling dot in the infinity of
the void.

The next portion of this tale of introduction to the
new world you face not in the form of another grand
display of heroics. This one is merely a portrayal of
a thing called survival. A concept that dictates one
man's will to live in the face of seemingly impossible
odds. This is the story of a traveling band of once
strangers, people who have come together for the
common goal of growing stronger in a realm of vicious
and inhumanly strong beings of the night. Watch
closely.........and learn.........




The rural outskirts of Japan. 

Deep in the forests of evergreen and bushel, even
Mother Nature has found the means to survive in a land
where its once glorious giver of nourishment existed.
Life cannot be so easily subverted by the simple
disappearance of such critical elements. Life will
adapt, life will evolve, and life will move on. In
such simple organisms such as plants to complex forms
of life like humans, this concept has repeated itself.

Within the depths of the night, five individuals trek
through the wood, a great river to one side and the
deep and mysterious majesty of the forest on another.
They walk in a simply but effective formation. Leaves
crackle and branches snap under their footsteps. The
sky above is alive with the twinkle of ten million
fireflies in space and the ever-present Espers float
lazily by upon the winds of an ocean of air. 

At the head of this pack is a pigtailed boy, probably
sixteen or seventeen years old. His dress seems of a
foreign influence. He bears a long sleeved Chinese
oriented shirt of a green texture in color, as well as
blackened pants. 

To his rear and right walks a boy of heartier stock
and also of the same relative age. A yellow sleeveless
muscle shirt tucked into black pants is his choice of
clothing. He wears black wristbands as well as yellow
and black bandanna about his forehead for reasons
which he prefers to keep to himself. 

To the leader's left walks a young man of a modern
fashion. He is sheathed in a black sleeveless shirt,
but upon his feet he wears black combat boots that are
complimented by military camouflage pants. Black
gloves surround his hands and a white headband
protects his brow.

Taking up the rear of the diamond is the largest of
the group, in waist size anyway. He is clearly the
eldest of all of them, his looks telling of a man in
his mid to late forties. He is clothed in a worn in
white gi, a bandanna that conceals his bald cranium,
and sports a pair of glasses that frame a face forged
by experience.

In the center of the pack walks the youngest of the
group. A redheaded girl of about thirteen to fifteen
years of age, whose visage gives a familiar feeling
when compared to the boy in front of her. She also
possesses a pigtail and her style of clothing is very
similar to that of the pack's head, save the color of
red instead of green. Her eyes are closed as she walks
yet she is more than sure of her path.

Four of the five each carried medium sized backpacks,
but it was the man taking the right side the boar the
largest load. He carried he pack that easily dwarfed
him in size by at least three times, but his labor
appeared minimal as visible effort could not be made
out. There travels had been peaceful as of late. They
had been allowed to enter Japanese territory without
too much trouble, and they hoped it would stay that
way. Their destination was still some days away and
the last thing they wanted was unnecessary
roughhousing, they knew it to be inevitable. 

As if to jinx them quickly, the girl at the center
stops in her tracks. The lead had been listening
intently at the sound of her footsteps, and at the
sound's pause he too ceased his forward motion. The
remaining three, who all turned their attention to her
in question of this new development, soon followed
them. Her eyes opened slowly, they were a bright blue
that seemed to glow in the dark as they warily scanned
their surroundings. They moved from right to left,
taking in the darkness around them as if trying to
find something in the thick soup. They came to fall
upon the tree line to their left, and it moved about
the treetops as well as everything in between.

Her gaze shifted to her brother's back. He raised his
left hand, a simple gesture that succeeded in
garnering the attention of the men guarding his left
and rear. With index and middle finger together he
aimed toward the darkness between the trees. With
silent recognition the military aficionado and the
large martial artist each began to suddenly fade from
sight in an action that seemed to warp reality
slightly. Within the seconds, all traces of their
presence no longer existed, as if nothing more than
ghosts leaving this plane of existence.

Moving on automatic, the pigtailed boy and the
bandanna muscleman each moved to flank to red-headed
young girl who sank to one knee. 

"Wolves..." The built young man known Ryoga Hibiki
spoke as he dropped his all too big backpack. His
well-developed canines could be made out as he spoke.

"Mmmhmmm," His partner simply nodded in sound
agreement. His name was Ranma Saotome, and the girl
they protected, Ranko Saotome.

That same girl seemed to be meditating from her new
position. Her brow furrowed slightly as her she
clasped her hands together. After a moment of silent
deliberation, her eyes reopened, but this time they
shined an unearthly white. The same effect overtook
the retinas of her bodyguards. To them, the dark world
around that surrounded lit up as new unknown sources
of light appeared before their eyes only. Every
possible center of illumination, be it wandering
Espers or the reflection of the stars above in the
clear blue river, was augmented to a high degree.

Hearing was the also a recipient of this miraculous
treatment. They could hear every leaf rustle, every
branch sway, and every step the monster's that
surrounded took. In the background they could hear the
fevered panting of beasts hidden within the shadows.
These pack hunters delighted in the flavor of hunter
flesh, and would do anything to secure such a prized
feast. These are the warrior beasts known as
Werewolves; powerful berserkers and even greater
huntsmen. No man has ever set foot within their
territory and lived to recount the nightmare that
descended upon them like the wrath of the seven hells.

"They're coming..." She whispered quietly.

Deep in the wooded glade, eyes began to emerge from
the black of night. Filled with frenzy and a
cannibalistic tinge born of intense hunger, they
slowly began their advance, all of them hidden within
the darkness. Each one possessed the strength of ten
men, and the speed and agility of twenty. Alone they
were powerful, but in packs they were invincible.
Normal humans were nothing to them, just easy prey
that existed for the sole purpose of being their food.


Well this time, as the saying goes, the hunter is
about to be the hunted...




"They're here..." Ranma whispered. 

All at once, six of the beasts exploded from out of
the bush. Each one was roughly twice the size of man,
capable of standing on their hind legs but preferred
four, and had the muscle capacity of Greek demi-god.
They moved as one fluid machine, each knowing what the
other was thinking. They surrounded the trio in a
perfect, constantly moving circle. Each one sniffing
the air to get the taste into their mouths before the
feast began.

"I got the three on the left," Ryoga informed his
partner.

"Right side is mine...," Ranma concurred.

With those last words the pigtailed boy crouched
slightly before launching himself into the air in an
impossibly high-leap. Three of the beasts took notice,
snorted, and pushed off on their powerful hind legs in
a jump after him. The remaining three eyed the two
left on the ground and licked their lips as they
assumed their ally had betrayed them to save his own
skin.

The remaining boy placed himself in front of the still
kneeling girl. The remaining three wolves chortled in
their own guttural manner at the singular obstacle
that dared try to oppose his destiny as their dinner.
His face was straight and collected, even in the
menacing presence of the furred man-killers. 

With that noted, two of the three launched themselves
at inhuman speed toward the boy. A bestial roar
escaped the lips of the two as their claws came to
bear, each one capable of rending steel to mere
fibers. The mere movement of the ingrown weapons sent
streaks of blue ripping through the air. Their legs
pounded the ground like organic pistons as their
velocity brought them upon their hapless target in
half a second's time.

The first one gained altitude with a powerful leap. He
sent himself flying like a torpedo, mouth opened
revealing row after row of sharpened fangs that could
tear the hide off the most toughened elephant. He was
fully intent on biting the fool boy's head off his
neck and feed on his esophagus, but the boy proved to
be not so easy a kill. The wolf slammed into him
full-force, sending the both of them tumbling to the
ground.

Ryoga could feel the burning hot breath of the beast
bearing down on his face. The organic razors were mere
inches from ripping his skin from his flesh. The only
things keeping him intact were his very own hands
against either jaw, forcing the creature's mouth open
and keeping his teeth at bay. The wolf attempted to
resist, he bit down with all the strength his jaws
possessed but they would not budge. It felt as if
someone had jammed a crowbar in his mouth, nothing he
tried would budge the hands of the boy under him.

He grimaced slightly as he felt that too much time had
passed already with this one assailant. Instead of
simply resisting the maw of death before him, he
started pushing against it. The werewolf's eyes
snapped to attention as he realized that he was not
willingly opening his mouth wider. The beast could
feel the burning agony as the skin of his mouth was
stretched far beyond its limits. Popping sounds the
bone dislocating followed, and in one final, savage
heave, a wet cracking sound echoed in-between them.

The creature went limp, and it the total of its weight
came falling down upon Ryoga. He pushed off with his
legs and sent the carcass of the beast flying into his
partner. The wolf showed as much care for the dead as
it did for the living, it simply the cadaver to one
side and made his bid for the meal on legs. Ryoga
kicked to his feet and met the manimal head-on. They
charged each other this time and when they collided it
was in a near thunderous impact. They both grasped
hands and the battle fell down to a test of strength.

The two dug their respective feet into the ground.
Veins began popping into the arms of the werewolf as
he boasted his superior strength, knowing this would
not last long. All werewolves were superior to humans
in every physical respect. Ryoga simply grinned as he
saw the gleam appear in the monster's eyes. He
probably thought he could win, quite an error, or so
he would soon learn.

The beast was now becoming surprised. Somehow the
human was actually managing to match him. He was
exerting all his monstrous strength and yet he was not
gaining sufficient ground in this struggle. The wolf
was feeling a growing pressure in his arm, but he did
not, all he could think of was overpowering this
human. The match would continue for a precious amount
of seconds, neither one budging from the other's grasp
for any reason.

"It's over." 

The wolf raised an eyebrow at what the boy could
possibly mean by that. It was then it took enough time
to notice that the pressure in its arms had built to
near unbearable levels. Flesh tearing as bone buckled
and bent under the unholy stress followed a sharp
sound of snapping. The wolf howled in murderous agony
as the hellish torture seemed to only increase. 

Ryoga withdrew his hands and drew back one fist. The
collision of fist to stomach actually picked the beast
off its feet for a brief moment. Right before the
teen's fist exploded out of the monster's back. His
fist was covered in the wet insides of the animal as
it too slunk against him, its body no longer capable
of functioning correctly.



The third watched all this with a minimum of interest.
The thing that caught his eyes was the girl the two
boys had been protecting. She was now vulnerable, as
her protectors were busy with other matters of a
life-threatening variety. She was simply kneeling
their, her eyes distant and unaware of what was going
on around her. It would be an easy kill by far, and
likely rattle the cages of the rebellious enemy they
faced.

He surged forward on all fours, making a beeline
straight for his immobile prey. He flew off his feet
as he came within range and his fist came up with a
hammer strike that would quite literally reduce her to
a spot on the ground. The blow came down, but just as
it came within centimeters of connecting the still
detached girl suddenly became alive with movement. She
launched herself backward as the blow struck home,
plowing through the dirt and rock as if it were
fragile glass.

The wolf grunted in confusion as the redhead landed
all too nimbly at quite a distance away. Her eyes were
still vacant and yet she had somehow kept herself
alive. Needless to say he was having slight problems
connecting the dots, so he simply threw logic out the
window and with a flick of his wrist popped his claws
from their sheaths. He came forward with renewed
purpose and sent his death talons raking through the
air toward the thought to be defenseless Ranko.

His claws only sliced defenseless space as his
continued attacks were effortlessly avoided. Her
entire body appeared to have gone limp, but her minute
movements always brought her clear out of the beasts
killing range. All the while it looked as if nobody
was home. Everything about her was moving on
automatic, reflexes that had been bred so deeply that
the simple act of them did not require thinking on her
part.

She had once again landed in a crouch when the beast
took that moment of positional indecisiveness to
strike. He had to move fast before she had the time to
regain her bearings, and he did so with frightening
effect. He tore through the air with unimaginable
speed and was upon her in no time at all. One set of
claws was already brought back and ready to
eviscerate...when his motion came to a violent and
sudden stop.

He turned to see the boy in the bandanna clutching his
wrist with savage force. It was a vice that the wolf
could not escape from no matter how hard he tugged.
This resistance was silenced by a fist impacting hard
across its face, sending him flying off his feet and
skidding into the dirt far past the girl. Ryoga was on
his feels as he leapt after the retreating figure.

He crash-landed on it as it stopped. His foot dropping
all its force into his upper body generating a
cracking sound signifying that the bone had just
collapsed on itself. The wolf's eyes were bulging as
Ryoga's hand shot out and took firm grasp of the
beast's throat. In a flexing of strength, the windpipe
gave under his ihnhuman strength, crushing the pathway
and ceasing the flow of oxygen.



All the while, a battle in mid-air was occurring.
Ranma and the three sanctioned to go after him and
each made a gravity defying bound that brought them
untold feet above Mother Earth. They each made the
peak of their jumps, and found themselves weightless
for a few precious seconds. It was at this point the
beasts attacked, each one trying to gain some form of
physical contact before gravity reclaimed them.

The maneuverability the pigtailed boy showed in the
air was uncanny. The first wolf was coming up directly
under him, just as he was beginning his drop. As such
he used the his shoulder's as a springboard to give
himself extra hang time while at the same making the
beast's trip down that much faster. He launched him
forward and up, putting on a collision course with the
area he deduced the second wolf would appear. Somehow,
in a move should not have been humanly possible, he
reversed his position so that he was flying forward
feet first. 

Just as he had predicted his feet slammed into the
face of the man-beast just as it reached its peak. He
was also used as a catalyst as he pushed off hard,
knocking the animal off kilter and making its drop
that much more difficult to recover from. This time he
threw himself into a back flip, only to twist in
mid-air, turning it into a vicious axe-kick that
collided with the third and final enemy. The blow hit
square on the top of its head.

The first two landed with an earth shaking impact, but
were still capable of fighting. The third, however,
had met with an unfortunate twist of luck and landed
on his neck. His entire throat bent at an awkward
angle in respect to his body, making it quite clear
that he was permanently out of the fight.

Ranma landed silently in-between the two remaining
hunters, who snarled their displeasure at being so
rudely assisted back to Earth. The boy casually eyed
the both of them before flexing his fingers. A hazy
blue surrounded his body as small sparks popped in and
out of existence around his hands. Slowly, ki-claws
began to form from the fingertips. They grew in
vaporous length until they were each an inch in span.

One could hear the beastly laughter escapes the
wolves' lips. At that same moment a mist of red
envelop their bodies. They each released a
blood-curdling roar that split the air. The sound of a
beast unleashing its fury 
upon the world would instantly send anyone into a
shaking cower. Their fangs elongated, their claws grew
that much sharper as intense heat began radiating from
them, and their mass began to bulge and increase in
certain areas amplifying their already nightmarish
speed and strength.

"Let's hurry this up, I don't have all day..." Ranma
said simply.

The two beasts circled their prey, trying to ascertain
the best point to score an instant kill. Ranma was
unmoving, allowing them to create whatever plans they
feel were necessary to win. Soon there position placed
them at his back and front, and it was then they chose
that time to strike. They each charged in for the
slaughter, knowing he could not defend in both
directions at once.

The beast to his rear speared his claws forward;
intent on driving them clear through his bodily
structure. The one coming at the front did the same,
and it looked as if the boy would be skewered two
ways. It almost looked like they had succeeded, if it
weren't for the fact that his body began to fade away
after the fact.

One of the wolves felt a slight tapping on his
forehead. It was the heel of the boy, standing on his
head. The beast's claw instantly shot up to intercept
the annoying pest. The boy moved fast, and drove the
ki-claws that accented each finger into the top of the
man-eater's skull. Without waiting to view the effects
he withdrew the weapons and flipped forward, sending
himself over the second beast. 

Said animal whirled around in an attempt to retaliate,
but could not do so as he found the same claws driven
straight through his throat.

"Took you long enough," Ryoga's voice came from
behind. "We're kinda on the clock here, don't you
remember?"

"Yeah, yeah I know," He rolled his eyes as he removed
the energy claws from the unloving beast's throat. 

The weapons dissipated, and he shook his fingers to
remove the horrid tingling sensation from them. He had
yet to perfect the skill, but at its current level
they made quite effective weapons against larger
opponents.

"RYUU! POP! HURRY AND WRAP THINGS UP IN THERE!!!"
Ranma aimed the yell at the forest.

At that same moment, an unknown object dropped out of
the trees. It was followed by another...and
another...and another. The severed body parts of so
many werewolves began littering the forest floor like
raindrops. Each cut was a perfect incision, with not a
single jagged edge to be seen.

Two figures dropped down from the treeline, the only
indication they existed was the slight distortion they
created in the atmosphere when they moved.

"The threat has been neutralized for now," Ryuu Kumon
reported as the affects of the ki-based cloaking
technique faded away. "But...if I know wolf hunting
patterns correctly, the friends of these guys are
gonna be coming around to see why dinner is taking so
long."

"Indeed. We had best not be here when that happens,"
Genma agreed as he too reemerged into their field of
vision. "At that point their number will far surpass
ours."

"I can't hear anything anymore," Ranko said quietly as
she approached. Her mind returned to her body and the
effects of the enhanced vision and hearing she had
granted her protectors having worn off. "So we should
have enough time to get out of their territory."

Ryoga retrieved his enormous backpack while Ranma took
to staring at the sky. Taking particular attention to
the position of the stars above.

"If we keep going this way, we should reach Nerima in
three days time," Genma informed his son. 

"Alright, we better get moving then," Ranma then
turned to his father. "You know you still haven't said
who the heck this Soun Tendo guy is."

"He is a very good friend of mine and an old training
partner from my younger days," He remembered. "He has
three daughters which I think you, Ryuu, and Ryoga
will get along very well with."

"And...how you can be so sure of that, old man?" Ryuu
raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"HAHAHAHA!" He laughed heartily. "I just have a good
feeling, that's all!"

EVERYONE was now giving him glares. If they had
learned anything from the man, it was that everything
he did had a double meaning.

"We should get moving," He said quickly as he pressed
ahead of everyone.

"Why do I suddenly have a very queasy feeling in my
stomach..." Ryoga whispered.

"Just let it go man," Ranma sighed and rubbed the
bridge of his nose. "Just go with the flow..."

"It'll be alright," Ranko said cheerily as she patted
her brother on the arm. "If he does try anything, we
can always feed him to the wolf men."

"Huh..." He seemed to perk up slightly. "Good point.
Let's go."








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



Chapter Inspirations:
"Keep Hope Alive" by Crystal Method
"When Worlds Collide" by Powerman 5000




Author's Notes:

1). First off, I would like to thank Image Comics and
its WildStorm Universe label. This is NOT a fusion or
a crossover, I'm simply stating that inspiration for
certain abilities that will be portrayed in this story
was inspired by them. Given that, can anyone take a
guess as to whose powers Nabiki's abilities reflect?

2). Fans of the game will most likely recognize the
head honcho that the Tendos encountered at the end of
their segment. And if you don't, his identity will be
revealed next chapter anyway. So it really doesn't
matter.

3). Even though it is NOT obvious AT ALL in this
chapter, music will play a certain role in this story.
It is what inspired this story in the first place and
I will try to make clear what those inspirations are
at the end of each chapter. I'll let you determine
what elements they influenced. 

4). I WILL be working on this and Shadowlands at the
same time, but chapters for Silent Knights will come
out at nowhere near the same rate as Shadowlands. This
is because I will be working on this story in between
chapters of the first. However, if response to this is
that much greater, then the two will switch in
priority.

5). Since this story has not been pre-read (as is my
custom for the first chapter of a new story), C&C is
highly valued now more than ever. Of course, it is
archived for later reference.








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