[FFML] [Ranma]Hengeyokai 10

"What do you mean it's complicated?" Nabiki asked.
"How old are you?"
"It really isn't polite to ask such a personal
question like that," Kagome said.
"No, I don't suppose it is," Nabiki said. "It
isn't really polite to parade the person that turned
over my life and say 'don't hurt him' either."
"It ain't like I want to do this," Ranma said,
sitting up. He looked around and blinked. "Where am
I?"
"This is my family shrine, young-fox," Kagome said.
"Now lay down and stay there!" Kagome's voice was
definitely charged with power as Ranma could attest by
the fact that he was suddenly lying down on the futon.
"Hey!" Ranma said, glaring up at the smiling woman.
"How did you do that?" Nabiki asked, staring at
Ranma.
"It's an old trick," Kagome said, not mentioning
that her original uses of it had been through the
power of an enchanted necklace rather than her own
ability. "And he needs to rest." Kagome said
insistently, while looking through the cupboard for
something.
"I can heal fine with a couple hours of rest,"
Ranma muttered. That was a trick he hadn't acquired
from his transformation. It was something that Ranma
had required to actually survive up until Jusenkyo.
"You can rest here," Kagome said. "I swear, all
you idiot spirits are the same. Shouting about how
you're fine and you don't need help." She was still
rooting around in the cupboard.
"Whatever," Ranma said.
"Ahh, here it is," Kagome said. "I knew it was in
here somewhere. Never go adventuring without it."
She turned around to produce a spray can of
disinfectant and proceeded to spray Ranma's various
injuries.
"Now," Kagome said. "I'm going to call your
father, Tendo-san. Please attend to Ranma while I'm
gone."
"I'd love to," Nabiki said, smiling darkly.
"I wonder what's taking Inu-Yasha so long," Kagome
asked. "They're just a bunch of kids."

*******

"Look," the white-haired man said. "We can
continue doing this the hard way, or you all can get
up off your asses and come with me nice and calmly."
He sat there, elbow leaning on his knee and fingers
tapping the side of his face.
The three fighters of the group panted as they
stood up and faced across the vacant lot at their
opponent. Kasumi, at Akane's insistance was staying
in the back and watching as they tried to throw
themselves against the dog-demon.
And Kasumi could feel that he was a demon, not a,
shapechanger like her and her sisters. He practically
radiated dark power and aggression. Kasumi just
wished that Nabiki was there to say if this is what
she had felt from Yuka.
"Dry up and die!" Akane roared charging forward.
"We never give up!" Shampoo added along.
"You'll never beat us all demon," Mousse shouted.
Inu-Yasha sighed and buried his face in his hand,
shaking his head.
"These kids need to get stronger," he said as they
charged toward him. "Badly." Then he looked up and
cracked his knuckles. "Hard way it is then."

*******

"Ohhh," the fox-boy said as he sat up. Then
remembered why he'd fained. "AHHH!! Where's the
youkai!?! Where's the demon?"
Sayuri blinked and looked up at the fox-boy
clinging from the ceiling and glancing around
frantically.
"That was just Mr. Tendo's demon head attack,"
Sayuri said. The fox jumped down and rushed the Tendo
patriarch.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK!!!" he
demanded.
"I'm sorry young...sir," Soun said. "But a fox
spirit recently assaulted my daughters, and I thought
perhaps that you were him."
"Well, I'm NOT!!!" he protested.
"Excuse me," Sayuri asked. "What ARE you here
for?" The fox-boy turned around to look at her and
blinked.
"Errr...Kagome told me to come and protect you
while she talks to everybody else at her shrine," he
said.
"Uhh...who?" Sayuri asked.
"Higurashi Kagome," he said. Sayuri and Soun
flinched. "We were heading this way when we saw that
fox playing games with three other hengeyokai. Kagome
went back to the shrine, Inu-Yasha went to talk to the
chasers, and I came here."
Sayuri tried to consider that thought for a moment,
Higurashi Kagome was a rather obscure mythical figure,
but one she tended to take a bit of interest in.
After all, supposedly her family was descended from
the woman, assuming she had ever existed that is.
Anyway, she had something more important to consider.
"AHHHH!!!" she shouted. "There's a demon stealing
the underwater from Kasumi's laundry basket!!!"
Suddenly Soun and the fox-boy were both huddled behind
her.
"WHERE?!" the fox-boy asked in a terrified voice.
"Oh no!" Soun wailed. "The master's escaped, Genma
why have you abandoned me!"
Sayuri blinked and sweated nervously.
"Ummm, where's this shrine then?" she asked, as the
phone rang.

*******

"So, Saotome," Nabiki said, sitting next to him and
lounging. She cracked her knuckles. "What are you
going to tell me that'll make me forgive....this?"
She waved at herself demonstratively.
"No choice," Ranma said. "I already told you
that."
"You didn't even ask," Nabiki pointed out, she
glanced at her claws and played at filing them. Ranma
mumbled something unintelligible. "I didn't quite
catch that Saotome."
"I had planned to," Ranma said. "Ain't like I had
to do it and get out like at the village."
"So why didn't you?" Nabiki asked.
"Why do you think?" Ranma asked. He shifted around
to stare at her and decided that Kagome's spell must
have been wearing off. "Kuno was in your class!
You're strong, the news would probably call you and
yer older sister world class martial artists, they
don't know 'bout fighters like me an' Akane after all.
You're smart. And you've got a devious an' greedy
streak a mile wide. You're perfect for 'em."
"And your answer was to do the same thing they
did?" Nabiki asked. "Take away any choice I had?"
"I've seen what'll happen if they get over here,"
Ranma muttered. "She got a glimpse of their mind
before they left her for dead."
Nabiki ignored the comment about someone dying for
the moment.
"And what'll happen, Saotome?" Nabiki asked.
"There used to be another planet with life around
this sun," Ranma said. "An that's where they went
first. Next one out from us."
"You mean, Mars?" Nabiki asked. "You're saying
we're being attacked by aliens from outer space?"
"I don't know what they are," Ranma said. "But
when we're done I 'spect at least some people ta still
be up and around afterwards." Ranma laid back and
stared up at the ceiling.
"So you don't care if, say," Nabiki said.
"Civilization falls because of you?"
"The end justifies the means," Ranma said glumly.
Nabiki flinched back at hearing one of her own
rationalizations hurled back at her, even if he didn't
know it.
"By the way," Nabiki said after a moment to change
the subject. "The engagement is ended." Ranma
nodded, he'd expected that.
"If I survive," Ranma said. "One of you can choose
to be my second." Nabiki flinched at the reference to
seppuku, wondering just how serious a comment that
was.
"Well," Kagome said. "It seems your father and
this other girl will be coming here. She didn't seem
to trust that Shippou would be able to protect her for
some reason.

*******

"Are you going to come with us?" Inu-Yasha asked a
shocked looking Kasumi. "Or do I have to carry you
too?"
Kasumi just stared at Akane, Mousse and Shampoo
wrapped nearly head to toe in bent pipes collected
from around the vacant lot. All three of them looked
practically indignant.
In theory, Kasumi could easily run, or in this
case, fly away. However, one of the three people
being dragged around by him was one of her sisters,
and there was no way she could leave Akane behind.
"I think I'll carry myself," Kasumi said in calm
voice, despite not feeling at all calm.
"Good," Inu-Yasha said. "At least one of you has
sense." Of course, had Kagome been there, she would
have been saying the same thing while including
Inu-Yasha in the comment.

*******

It was only a few minutes later that everybody had
more or less been gathered at Kagome's shrine. This
was followed by a free floor show for the younger
generation.
"INU-YASHA!!!" Kagome shouted as she glanced around
the pipe-wrapped hengeyokai.
"What?" the half-demon asked, confused. "You said
bring them, I brought them."
"I said," Kagome drawled out. "Invite them!!! Not
hog tie them with pieces of metal and drag them here
like some sort of strange fish you caught in the
river!!!"
"They didn't exactly respond in a friendly manner
to the invitation," Inu-Yasha said. "So I 'invited'
them another way."
"SIT!!!" Kagome shouted in a frustrated voice.
It irked Inu-Yasha to no end that, no matter how
powerful he got, no matter the fact that the necklace
wasn't much more than a momento any longer. No matter
all of that, he STILL couldn't stop her from plowing
his face into the ground with that word.
"And you!" Kagome said rounding on Shippou. The
fox-boy gave a timid eep and jumped back. "I sent you
to protect them! Not faint at first sign of trouble.
Especially not when there isn't any trouble!! You'r
over four hundred years old, Shippou!! You aren't a
little kid any more."
"Uhhh," Shippou had almost forgotten in the long
period between the era of battles and the modern day
time that Kagome's temper was so intimidating. He
kind of wished that he could go back and forth through
the well to, then he WOULD have had an excuse. He
slammed himself into the floor before Kagome could say
"sit" or something similar.
Kagome sighed, shook her head frustratedly and
turned to meet the new comers.
"Sorry for the trouble," she said. "My husband
will be apologizing later, and then I'll explain why
you were brought here."
After Shampoo was ungagged, Kagome began to
seriously reconsider at least that one guest.
"Great Grandmother be missing us soon," Shampoo
said. "When she come, you outsider and demon be very
wet smear on the ground."
"Your granny could take one of 'em on," Ranma said
grimmly. "Maybe win, maybe not. But no way she's
takin' both."
Virtually all the hengeyokai turned to glare at
Ranma angrily. Even Kasumi leveled a harsh stare at
the heavily bandaged fox. Nabiki ignored the comment,
however, not wanting to think of anyone else being
that powerful. She suspected Ranma might be able to
give them a run, though.
Sayuri was busy staring at Kagome trying to decide
if this was the Kagome, or just someone that looked
like her.
"Can we get to the point of why you dragged all of
us here?" Nabiki asked.
"Literally," Mousse noted with a grudge.
"You said you had information for us," Nabiki
continued, ignoring the peanut gallery. "What is it?"

"That story begins around four hundred years ago,"
Kagome said. She continued the sentence in her own
thoughts. ~Or a month, depending on what your
relationship to the time stream is.~
"Long ago," Kagome said. "A girl appeared wearing
strange garments in a village that used to sit here
where Tokyo sprawls now. Within a few days time she
had accidentally shattered something called the Shikon
Jewel, sending it's shards all across Japan."
"I know the story of Kagome," Nabiki said.
"As do I," Sayuri said. "She's supposed to be my
ancestor." Kagome and Inu-Yasha blinked and looked to
Sayuri for a moment, curious.
"You can't imagine how glad I am to here that,"
Kagome said, hand almost darting to her stomach.
Inu-Yasha nodded and looked over the girl that had
just claimed to be his descendant.
Nabiki noted the exchange and considered how
Kagome's age could be "complicated." She thought
about the well in shrine's yard and the curious
warping it gave her senses.
"Get back on track," Shampoo commanded irritably.
Kagome and Inu-Yasha glared at her.
"Okay," Kagome said finally, glancing furitively at
Sayuri. "Anyway, and this part isn't in the myths I
think, one of these shards eventually came into the
possession of a young man on the road to become a
martial artist.
"However," Kagome said. "He was quite lazy and
wanted an easier route to power. He became a
sorcerer, but found that this too required a great
deal of discipline. He hadn't the...moral quality
necessary to be a monk, not even a perverted one with
a thing for hitting on and groping every pretty girl
he saw."
"Isn't that Sango's problem now?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Not when I'm the pretty girl," Kagome said.
"WHAT?!!" Inu-Yasha growled. "I'll kill him,
I'll..."
"Oh, I remember that," Shippou said. "Sango got
mad at Miroku for some sarcastic comment and she hit
him a little harder than she thought. So him being
punch drunk sort of mistook Kagome for her.
Ahh...those were the days."
He sighed revelling in the memories of the two
humans that could have been considered his adoptive
parents. Now he really wished he could travel back
through the well like Kagome or Inu-Yasha.
"So that's what he was mumbling to himself," Kagome
said.
"What about the damn demons the pervert over there
says we're supposed to be fighting!" Akane demanded
angrily.
"Yeah, yeah," Inu-Yasha said. "Whatever."
"Okay," Kagome said. "Well, to make a long story
short."
"Too late," Shampoo and Sayuri said at once.
"You see that movie too?" Shampoo asked the school
girl.
"Oh I own a copy!" Sayuri said. "I especially like
the part where Tim Curry is going and you were there
and you were there and you were there."
"And then whole bunch of people all yell," Shampoo
said.
"GET ON WITH IT!!!" came the chorus of shouts.
Shampoo and Sayuri exchanged sheepish looks. Well
Sayuri was sheepish.
"Oh my," Kasumi said. "That was quite loud."
"Is good movie," Shampoo said, folding her arms and
pouting in a very cat-like manner.
"Anyway!" Kagome shouted. "At this point he got
the shard..."
"He who?" Mousse asked.
"The sorcerer," Kagome said.
"I heard martial artist," Ranma said.
"Wasn't he a pervert?" Akane said.
"You think every villain is a pervert, Akane,"
Nabiki added. Kagome was about to give up and just
proceed to "sit" everyone, when she was saved.
"Couldn't we please cease the interruptions,"
Kasumi asked a little harshly. There was just
something about the tone of voice that calmed everyone
down.
"OKAY!!!" Kagome said. She took a deep breath.
"The perverted martial arts sorcerer got a hold of a
shikon shard and then crafted a spell to summon a
demon from beyond our known universe to bind with him
and give him power!" She took another breath, and
sent a glare threatening death to any that would try
to interrupt her.
"He summoned the demon and made his deal with it,"
Kagome continued, talking quickly. "However, due to
his possession of the shard he overcame it and with
it's power quickly became the greatest martial artist
and sorcerer of his and several other generations. At
least, he said so."
"Kagome," Shippou muttered. "You're turning
purple."
"I could finish the story," Inu-Yasha offered.
Both received icy cold glares of death.
"She's still good at those," Shippou comment as he
cowered against the wall.
"She's gotten better," Inu-Yasha said, having
weathered the storm slightly better. A silly,
half-panicked smile was plastered to his face until
Kagome started to tell the story again. At which
point he breathed, as quietly as possible, a sigh of
relief.
"He needed to leave the gate open so that he would
continually have power and the demon chi he absorbed
would continue to be refreshed." Kagome said. "So he
left a lock on the gate so that most sorcerers would
not be able to affect it. This let a host of these
alien demons in. The only thing worse are the spirits
of the restless dead," though, then again, she had
special reason to be biased against those. "We fought
them and managed to shut the gate to an open crack,
but this took a great toll."
"He killed twelve hengeyokai to do it, resting the
key to shutting the gate in the hands of that type of
spirit. Which is why there needs to be twelve of you.
One living aura to cancel out and free each of the
sealed dead souls. One cat, one dog, one raven, one
bat, one tanuki, one sparrow, one fox, one pig, one
badger, one rabbit, one rat, one crane. It is also
why they need twelve demons to open the gate to it's
full width again. They need twelve demons to take in
each of the twelve sealed souls and unleash the lock.
This has to happen all on the same day, or else the
spirits return to their seals and everything remains
the way it is. This is difficult because while the
focus of the gate is the Tendo dojo, and that's where
the hengeyokai were killed on that land, that is not
where they were bound."
"So that's..." Ranma said.
"I'm NOT FINISHED!!!" Kagome shouted.
"Sorry," Ranma eeped. "What else is there?"
"Uhhh...." Kagome paused. "Ooops, that was it."
There was another mass facefault.
"So we got seven hengeyokai now," Nabiki said,
noting Inu-Yasha shaking his head. "All we need is
the remaining five and then the locations of where
these souls are bound."
"You still need six," Inu-Yasha said.
"But isn't Shippou..." Akane asked, pointing at the
other fox-boy, the one she didn't hate.
"Another fox," Nabiki said, smacking her head.
"Damn it, we can't catch a break." Shippou grumbled
about being labled "another fox" and dismissed like
that. But then again, he was the one fainting at a
mortal's scare tactic.
"So how we gonna learn where these souls are?"
Ranma asked, he wasn't worried too much about the
other hengeyokai. He somehow suspected that they'd
come to him eventually.
"Well, for that," Kagome said. "We'll have to ask
the sorcerer himself. He has no desire to see the
world overrun by these things either, but he doesn't
want the gate closed. So we'll probably have to fight
or trick him, the good news is that the same is true
of the demons. The bad news is that he vanished about
ten years ago."
Soun paled.
"This sorcerer wouldn't happen to be named,
Happosai," the older martial artist asked. "Would
he?"
"That's him," Kagome said. "Perverted little
freak, got made a worse pervert after he absorbed that
demon. Do you know him?"
Soun fainted.

*******

"Ungrateful boy," Genma muttered. "How dare he
ruin all my plans like this." He paled as he
considered that he'd have to relate this information
to Nodoka.
"There's nothing for it by to find him and beat
some sense into him," Genma declared. "If he doesn't
take my head off first, that is." He glanced around
nervously for any animal that seemed to be acting
suspiciously.
"I think I can help you here," a voice said.
"Who is that?" Genma demanded, getting into stance.
"Someone that can help you," was the answer as a
young boy stepped into view. Genma looked him over
for a moment.
"And how could I young pantyhose freak like you be
able to help me?" Genma asked. The young "man's" eyes
twitched for a moment.
"Trust me," he said irritably. "I can give you all
the power you need to bring your boy into submission."
"What, is this some new martial art technique?"
Genma asked.
"You could say that," Pantyhose-demon said. "And
the training is very easy." He didn't know just how
ironic that particular sentence in reference to Genma Saotome.

=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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