Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Lord of the Flames... ( Chapter 101 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

Cologne stared morosely at the city skyline and wondered how life could have taken such a drastically wrong turn for the worse, and with such unexpected forcefulness, all because of a whim of fate that had caused a decision of her past to tragically come back to haunt her. Now she was faced with the consequences of that decision, and-quite frankly-she was not overly enamored of her given choice of options.

A faint sound caused her to lift her ancient head as she sensed another presence on the rooftop. Not even needing to turn around to determine who it was, she said aloud, "So…have you come to find me, Daughter-in-law…or to taunt me for my errors?"

"You know me better than that, Elder," Nabiki replied, "I'm taking a big chance coming here, you know. Shampoo would be furious with me if she knew we were having this meeting."

"True enough," Cologne sighed, "And for which I am most apologetic. It seems that I did not reckon with how badly my great-granddaughter would react to the revelation. I suppose you feel-as she does-that I betrayed a trust and took advantage of her innocence for selfish reasons."

"I'm not sure if selfish is the word that I'd use," Nabiki said, "But I'd be less than candid if I didn't tell you outright that I find the whole thing more than a little shocking."

"Indeed," Cologne sighed, "But two years ago it was a different story…then I managed to convince myself that I was acting in the best interest of both of my great-granddaughters…"

"By letting them believe that the girl they both were in love with was dead?" Nabiki asked, "Surely you weren't that foolish."

"No, but when it comes to issues such as this, we are all a bit foolish," Cologne answered, "But as an Elder of my tribe…I have no such excuse for my conduct…"

"You won't hear any argument out of me," Nabiki said, "For you it was enormously stupid. Surely you knew that they would find out the truth sooner or later?"

"I had thought…later…" Cologne sighed, "Understand, at the time I had thought that I was making the best decision that I could under the circumstances. An intolerable situation had emerged with both of my great-granddaughters coming at loggerheads over a girl that each one coveted for her own. Lotion the younger was a bright, inquisitive child when first the three of them met, and yet it was her very vulnerability that seemed to draw a protective, motherly instinct in my two fearsome protégés. She was weak and clumsy as a fighter, but she proved to have some ability as a healer, and my granddaughter consented to teach her the arts after Perfume made us Elders aware of a certain set of circumstances regarding the abusive nature of Balm, the girl's mother."

"That's what Shampoo and Perfume told me," Nabiki hesitated before continuing, "This Lotion…she was very close to Sham-chan, wasn't she?"

"They were lovers," Cologne replied, "But then…you already knew this."

"Ah…yeah…" Nabiki looked away, "Shampoo told me she was her first love…I just wanted to know for sure how intense they were. I know Shampoo was pretty shaken up by her death…and that was two years before I met her in your village."

"Then you also know that Perfume also had an interest in their mutual friend," Cologne replied, "And that a rivalry broke out that almost resulted in violence between friends. That was why I elected to send the girl to another village, to remove the object of contention from their lives so that Lotion could train with another healer. I did not anticipate that rivals of Shampoo would band together to strike at her through a weak and almost defenseless girl, and that Lotion would nearly pay for this with her life, but for the intercession of another, also a rival but of a far more honorable nature."

"And you found out about this after the fact," Nabiki said, "And decided not to inform Shampoo and Perfume about her survival."

"Indeed," Cologne sighed again, "Yet how was I to know that the child would return to our village on the invitation of an Elder, against my own word on the matter no less. Lotion arrived at Joketsuzoku and discovered Shampoo and Perfume were missing, made a few polite inquiries and somehow obtained your address, no doubt from her mentor, Shampoo's mother."

"And now she's coming to Japan to pay her respects," Nabiki said, "Assuming she can get an exit visa from the Communists, as part of a larger fact-finding mission being funded by the Council of Elders that you allegedly head. You ask me, this smells of a coup d'etat in the making, which means somebody back home must want your job a whole lot."

"I have my suspicions about that," Cologne replied with a sigh, "The price of politics, a leader often must watch her back, and nothing of the past is ever truly dead and buried."

"So, what are we going to do, Great-Grandmother," Nabiki asked, "You know that Shampoo won't even let your name be whispered around our house, and Perfume…I thought for a while there that she was going to attack you."

"They are young, they will get over their…disappointment," Cologne sighed, "But I doubt that they will be all that forgiving towards me in the short run. This is a dilemma, I will admit it, and unfortunately one of my own creation. I can hardly expect you to stick your neck out for me and risk the wrath of your wife and the mother of your daughter…"

"I can deal with Shampoo," Nabiki replied, "Not that I don't understand her feelings, but you are my trainer, and I still have a lot more to learn from you. Besides…you're the godmother of my child. I can't exactly cut you out of our lives no matter what mistakes you've done. But at the same time, Elder, you're going to have to make restitution for the mess you made in the past. You may be smart and you're pretty damned clever, even by my standards, but you've been rubbing my nose in some of the mistakes I've made of late, now that the sandal's on the other foot, I think I'm entitled to so good old fashioned gloating."

"Heavens," Cologne rolled her eyes, "Whatever spirits have I offended to deserve this?"

"I'm sure they'll prepare a full list for you the next time you get online with your spiritual broker," Nabiki said, "In the meantime, I'm thinking about taking Shampoo out somewhere and treating her to a nice movie and some dinner…anything to get her mind off wanting to stake you like a vampire from some cheesy movie…"

"You two do deserve a night out," Cologne mused, "Whereas I have been effectively banned from the restaurant for the duration…or at least until my other Daughter-in-law can make peace on this subject with Perfume…"

"Well, you can hardly blame Ukyo for that," Nabiki pointed out, "She has to choose between a wife and a business partner…you're lucky if Perfume doesn't make you sell out your share of the restaurant."

"Might I make a suggestion?" Cologne noted, "Since we are off the subject of your training, and it is a few more days before Ranma returns to issue his official challenge…I was thinking you might care to take advantage of a certain carnival that I discovered is in town. In point of fact, I obtained some tickets that you can have for a performance at the Cherry Blossom Circus…"

"The Cherry Blossom Circus?" Nabiki blinked, "Are you kidding me? Kami! It's been years since I saw that troupe perform. I wonder if Aunt Sakura is still running the place? It's been…whoah! Five years? I wonder if my old buddy Kaoih has grown up any since I last saw her? Wow…does that ever bring back memories…"

"You have been there before?" Cologne asked.

"I used to perform for them in a high wire act…that was mid-way during my training trip with Uncle Genma," Nabiki smiled, "Aunt Sakura had the oddest crush on the guy, but he didn't seem to have a clue about that. I guess that's one thing he and Ranma have in common…Ranma…" she sighed, "I wish I knew where he was so I could ask him to go with us…"

"Well, you never know," Cologne hid an smile that was most enigmatic, "You might run into him sometime when you least expect him."

"Oh yeah," Nabiki grinned, "That's be just like Uncle Genma to want to run off to the circus and drag Ranma with him…" she paused, "That was a joke, right?"

"Whatever you say, Child," Cologne resumed her somber vigil, "At the very least it should-as you say-take my great-granddaughter's minds off of their collective problems."

"Er…right," Nabiki said, "Well…gotta go now before I'm missed. I'll get those tickets from you later."

"Be well, Daughter-in-law," Cologne replied, and once she was certain that her chosen heir had vanished the way she had come she smiled to herself and said, "There's more than one way to seek restitution. If I cannot earn my great-granddaughter's forgiveness in this form, then there is another way to earn her trust, though it means revealing my other deeply held secret."

That thought in mind, she slowly concentrated, seeking to undo a spell that she had placed upon herself a long time ago, beyond the memory of several generations. The dull wooden staff in her hand suddenly began to sparkle, mere moments later planes of energy passed over her hand and up her arm until it reached her shoulder and divided into two separate planes that traveled up and down her body, and then she straightened out, more than doubling in height.

"Now we'll try this another way," said a younger looking vision, one whose voice was noticeably different from the dry, arid tones of the Joketsuzoku matriarch, "Forgive my deceptions, daughters of my heart, but there are some things an Elder must do, and to win back your trust I must needs resort to some admittedly desperate measures. The circus of Lady Sakura will be but the first stage of my plan, but the rest will be up to young Saotome. Such an irony to rely upon the services of a man, but these are strange times we live in, as surely you already know."

And with that little soliloquy, the woman known as Kho-Lon of the Joketsuzoku dropped to the street below, prepared to carry out her mission…

"Uh oh…" Kaoih said as she started to edge away from the fiery creature, "Uh…friend of yours, little Brother?'

"Not very likely," Ranma replied as he slowly rose to his feet, taking stock of the thirty-foot high Salamander, which was presently seen in the form of a translucent fire dragon.

"STAND YOUR GROUND AND PREPARE TO BE EVISCERATED, MORTAL!" the draconic fire elemental roared as it reared back like a serpent intent on striking.

"I think she means incinerated," Kaoih murmured faintly, her eyes so wide that they made her look like a character from a manga.

"Ah…Sis," Ranma asked, "Did you ever learn about the Saotome Ultimate Defense Maneuver?"

"Does it involve running for our lives?" Kaoih asked.

"So you already know it," Ranma said, "RUN!"

The pair began to turn to leave, but no sooner had they gotten five paces when a wall of flames sprang up to block their path. Said wall spread around them in a circle to form a ring roughly ten paces in diameter. Kaoih shuddered and moved as close to the center as she could while Ranma attempted to shield her on one side, aware that the creature still looming above them presented the real danger.

"NO ESCAPE FOR YOU TWO," the Salamander roared, "YOU WILL SUCCUMB TO MY FLAMES AND BE DEVOURED FOR THE EFFRONTARY THAT YOU PERPETRATED AGAINST MY PERSON! I WILL MELT YOUR FLESH AND BOIL THE FAT IN YOUR BODIES, BURST FORTH THE MARROW OF YOUR BONES AND REDUCE YOU TO A PILE OF WITHERING ASHES…"

"No thanks!" Ranma called out, keeping himself interposed between Kaoih and the Elemental.

"YOU CANNOT SHIELD HER!" the fiery being declared, "I WILL OVERWHELM AND CONTAIN YOU, AND THEN CONSUME YOU IN MY EMBRACE!"

"Yeah, right," Ranma said, thinking fast as he considered a list of options, then smiled as inspiration came to his rescue. His experience as a firefighter told him that the Elemental needed fuel to burn and was putting out a lot of heat. He and Kaoih were the obvious targets of its enmity, so therefore he had to get the creature to act in a way that was consistent with its own nature.

"Play along and follow my lead, Sis," Ranma called over his shoulder, then raised his voice again and said, "You think you're hot? You think you can scare us? I don't believe you can carry it off!"

"What are you doing?" Kaoih hissed into his ear, "Are you trying to make her angry?"

"Exactly," Ranma responded even as he prepared to make his maneuver.

"YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME, THE QUEEN OF MY KIND???" the creature cried, "DIE!!!"

The creature attacked, its huge body moving with great fluidity to strike the spot where Ranma had been standing…but much to its annoyance, Ranma moved out of the way and to one side, bringing Kaoih with him.

"You missed!" Ranma taunted.

In response to this the creature turned its massive head and snapped at the two humans, but again Ranma was too fast in moving out of the way, causing the creature to chase after him as Ranma moved to its rear, avoiding its tail in passage.

Kaoih gasped as she found herself being handled like the proverbial sack of potatoes as her half-brother, staying only a meter or two out of reach of a creature whose body was composed entirely of flame, continued to keep them both only meters away from a fiery consumption. Kaoih wondering how she could even withstand being so near to such a being…and why was it that Ranma felt so cool to the touch, as though he was as placid as a marble statue?

Ranma did not dare to slacken as he continued to run in spiraling rings with the creature attempting to close the gap even as he brought the spiral closer to the center. Obviously this dragon had never heard of the maneuver coined for one of its own kind, and so when at last he came to the middle of the ring of fire and turned to face the creature, it seemed quite confident that it was about to end the chase and was caught by surprise when the elusive mortal turned and threw a seemingly harmless upward punch in its direction.

The result was quite spectacular, as Kaoih instantly discovered. One moment the huge muzzle of the creature was closing about them, the next thing she knew a hurricane-force wind gushed up and blew in all directions, picking up the dragon and carrying it skyward.

"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!!!" Ranma cried, his voice clear and audible even above the roar of the wind that tossed the dragon about as though it were a leaf in a cyclone.

Unseen by the pair, several figures came rushing up to the scene, Genma arriving first with Ryu and Ryoga just a few paces behind them. The sudden appearance of the cyclone caught all of them by surprise, yet they were far enough away from the funnel so as not to be caught within the periphery of the gale winds.

"Oho!" cried Happosai as he came bounding into view, "Looks like Ranma's bagged himself a live one this time!"

"What the heck is that?" Ryoga asked as he shielded his eyes and tired to make sense of the swirling crimson shape currently trapped up by the rising vortex.

"Kaoih!" Ryu cried, showing where his priorities lay as he demanded, "What's she doing with Saotome?"

"Easy Boy," Genma cautioned, "It's not over yet…better keep back and leave things to Ranma."

"Oboy," Ranma said as his exultation turned to dismay with a realization, "It's not dissipating!"

"What?" Kaoih tried to cup her ears over the intensifying roar of the wind.

"It's getting stronger-HANG ON!" he cried just as the vortex seemed to reach down and grab them up in its embrace.

"KAOIH!" Ryu cried, again starting to move forward when he found Happosai blocking his path.

"Are you insane, Boy?" the little man said, "That twister can tear you apart with the force of those winds! That a Salamander powering that vortex, it could eat you alive and burn you to a crisp. Better by far to leave this up to Ranma…he's the only one equipped to deal with this monster!"

Dealing with said monster was currently a problem that Ranma found that he himself had created. The vortex might have at least temporarily contained the creature, but it now also had both him and Kaoih trapped within its embrace, and his half-sister did not know how to combat such an entity. If anything she was the vulnerable key to a struggle between himself and the Fire Elemental, and he and the self-described Queen Salamander both knew it.

"HANG ON!" Ranma cried as he tried in vain to swim against the tug of the wind, now fully cognizant of what Nabiki had gone through with the old man when she had been trapped in another such vortex.

"TO WHAT?" Kaoih cried, which was a reasonable question under the given circumstances, yet oddly enough she seemed to be coping with the wind with far more grace than himself.

"FOOLS!" the Queen Salamander snarled at the top middle of the vortex, "I WILL YET DEVOUR YOU! YOU MAY HAVE DELAYED THE INEVITABLE, BUT STILL I WILL CONSUME YOUR WORTHLESS HIDES!"

"GET STUFFED!" Ranma cried out, changing tactics, deciding to ride the winds instead of fighting them, taking a hint from Kaoih own graceful form to apply his own body to the task of catching the wind and angling to bring himself ever closer to his sister.

The situation was definitely not good, the dragon was coping with the winds far better than he could, and now that it had taken the measure of the vortex itself it could apply its own heat to direct itself as it angled towards Kaoih. The rate at which it could move was greater than what he could manage, and it looked as though he was about to lose this race when something new entered the equation…a form that streaked past him and caught up with the girl before the Elemental could reach her.

"RYU???" Ranma cried as the boy grasped hold of the girl then covered her with his body, decreasing her aerodynamic value so that the two of them began to drop down into the center of the vortex, leaving Ranma to face the Elemental by himself as he struggled to cope with the diminishing power of the vortex.

"Oboy," he murmured to himself, right before the dragon's head began to close upon his position.

"SAOTOME, DEAL WITH THAT THING!" Ryu called up over the winds of the vortex.

"Easy for him to say," Ranma grumbled as he summoned up his Chi, drawing strength from the elemental winds themselves before channeling his force outward through his arms to create a hasty Mako Takabishi.

The blast did not have enough force to truly hurt the dragon, but the rush of energy halted its forward progress, even as the strength of the vortex continued to diminish, allowing Ryu to drop to the ground, catching Kaoih up in his arms and breaking her fall in a most effective manner. Seeing that they were safe, Ranma decided to try again the trick he had used in the burning warehouse and converged more Chi energy into creating a force bubble that could protect him against the flame creature.

"FOOLISH MORTAL-I WILL NOT BE TAKEN TWICE BY THE SAME TRICK!" the creature cried, and poured on more effort to create a wave of heat to overwhelm the bubble, frying the surrounding molecules of air and further lowering the oxygen level around the struggling Ranma, who barely had enough air in the globe to sustain himself, especially as the heat threatened to sear his lungs when he attempted breathing.

"Ranma!" Ryoga called out, torn with a desire to help and an inability to determine in what manner he could be of any assistance.

This was not availing Ranma anything, he realized, so again he changed the course of his tactics, making use of his knowledge of fire to work against the Elemental. No air meant only heat and fuel were present to create two parts of the deadly equation, but if he collapsed his shield now it would cause a rush of air to fill the void, and he would combust immediately and be incinerated. Therefore the only chance he had was to do the exact opposite and direct his remaining energy forward as he punched his fist towards the creature. His very motion caused him to shoot forward until he found himself within the very jaws of the creature, about to be swallowed.

All at once, the twin powers of his Chi and the creature's elemental might met and collided, his Chi backed by the power of his will as another kind of triangle came into mind…that which was forged of the Mind, Emotion and Spirit. With all of his concentration driven forward into his thrust, the colliding force of Elemental Fire and Will caused an immediate detonation that tore the air asunder in all directions.

An explosion rocked the hill and knocked the witnesses off their feet as a wave of concussive energy caused heads to turn for miles in all direction. Genma was among the first to recover, his eyes partly shielded from the heat by his glasses as he struggled to make sense of the vision that greeted his eyes, though as close as he was to understanding what had just happened, it was Happosai who declared, "The boy has done it! He defeated a full fledged Fire Elemental!"

"Yeow," Kaoih said as she and Ryu recovered, "What has he done, and how did he do it?'

"I don't know," Ryoga said, "I can hardly even look into the light…"

"What is that thing?" Ryu said, shielding his own eyes from a blue swirling column that filled the space formerly occupied by Ranma.

"There…there he is!" Genma declared as the light diminished to where eyes could focus upon the center of the column, and as the flames died down even more they saw Ranma standing in the midst of the bluish light, and then the fires subsided, and with them the last lingering traces of the vortex.

Ranma slowly opened his eyes and took notice of his surroundings. He seemed relatively undamaged, though his clothing did appear singed around the edges. His eyes, however…had something radically different about them…and they seemed to glow from within for several long seconds before they too faded back to their normal tone and color.

It was several moments more before Genma dared to approach his son, then in a surprisingly calm voice he asked, "How are you feeling, Boy? You all right in there?"

"Yah…" Ranma said, wondering why he did not blow smoke with that answer, "Yeah…I'm fine…I won…what else did you think would happen?"

"Don't get cheeky with me, Son," Genma said gruffly, then smiled, "I'm proud of you…whatever it was you did up there. I just hope there won't be any unpleasant side-effects…will there?"

"I…don't know just yet," Ranma flexed a hand and studied it, then smiled and added, "Sure was a wild ride, though…wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Are you kidding me?" Kaoih stormed up to him, "What the hell did you think you were doing? And what was it with you and that Elemental?"

"Nothing," Ranma raised his hands in what he hoped was a calming manner, "I just worked something out with her is all. It all happened in a second, but I…"

"Worked something out?" Happosai interrupted, "My boy…do you mean to say you made a pact with that Elemental?"

"A pact?" Ranma blinked, "Uh…I don't think so…at least…I'm not sure how to describe it…"

"Just take a moment and sort it out, Boy," his father urged, "No rush in trying to explain it."

"Explain what?" Ryu demanded, "What did you do, Saotome, and what the hell became of that creature?"

"That's…kind of the part that might be hard to explain," Ranma replied as he reached for one sleeve and began to roll it down to expose his right arm, the one that had been driven at the creature, and once he held this up to view all could see the marks that had been left there, engraved on his flesh like a black scarred tattoo in curious rune-like lettering that was barely discernable as kanji.

"W-What is that?" Kaoih asked in dread and amazement, noticing that the marks seemed to flow across her brother's arm, changing from minute to minute yet essentially retaining the same character and unearthly nature.

"It left its mark on you," Happosai whistled, "Guess you do have a pact with that fire lady after all, my boy. Did anything happen there just now? Any time loss? Did you have a vision?"

"Um…something like that," Ranma said as he rolled back down his sleeve, "I'd…rather not talk about it right now if you don't mind very much…"

"I see," Genma replied grimly, "Then you are ready."

"Ready?" Ryoga asked.

"You've mastered the Honosenken," Genma nodded, "You three boys are done with this phase of your training. Now we have that match to determine which of you is the true Senken master."

The three young men exchanged looks together and the Ryu turned and said, "When do we start, Old Man? I was born ready."

"We'll see about that," Happosai mused as he cackled softly to himself, looking forward to the match as he already had a pretty fair idea of its eventual outcome…

A short time later found them all gathered about at the open field area where they had originally begun their training, at which point Sakura wandered into their camp and was brought up to speed by Kaoih, who related the surprising news that she was to be a part of the match, in point of fact be a key player.

"The rules are simple," Happosai announced to all and sundry, "Kaoih will have a blue kerchief wrapped up in her hair and the object for you boys is to try and take it from her. Ranma and Ryoga, you both will be the aggressors…Ryu here will be the defensive player, and he won't be allowed to touch that kerchief unless he defeats the two of you first. His job will be to keep you both away from Kaoih until that happens, so you'll have to both go up against his Morisenken, either individually or by teaming up together, your choice. Is this acceptable to all parties?"

"I guess," Ryoga said.

"Bring it on," Ranma sniffed.

"Let's get on with it," Ryu said indifferently, nodding to Kaoih, who smiled back at him and took a bright light blue handkerchief from somewhere between her bosoms and bound it up in her curly brown locks, then took two steps towards the brooding young man and gave a leap that planted one foot in the boy's cupped hands as Ryu heaved her upward and propelled her up to treetop level.

Like the Mistress of Acrobatic lore that she was, Kaoih expertly tumbled and somersaulted until she reached the purchase of a high-placed tree branch, whereupon she sat down and composed herself forty feet above the ground with a placid look that was openly inviting.

At once Ryu moved nearer to the base of this tree and assumed a relaxed posture of readiness, his expression unreadable as he watched the other two boys with a wary disposition. The attitude he radiated, however, was an open challenge as if defying the other two men to try and get past him and towards Kaoih. It was a challenge neither Ranma nor Ryoga could refuse, and yet they both seemed to sense that there was more to Ryu's stance that could be easily defined upon the surface.

Both boys slowly began to circle around Ryu, but the other young man somehow contrived to again put himself in their path, forcing them to confront him once again, so Ranma exchanged a quiet look with Ryoga, who smiled back in understanding, and as one they both launched punches in Ryu's direction.

The double-attack was swift as it was certain, yet Ryu seemed to have anticipated this and brought his hands into play, his right hand intercepting Ryoga's punch on the left, his left hand catching Ranma's fist on his right, and them Ryu stepped back and yanked with both hands, drawing the other two boys together in a collision that bounced Ranma off of Ryoga before letting them go and allowing them to collapse in a heap.

As he did this Ryu cried, "MORISENKEN SPECIAL MANEUVER: GATES SWING SHUT ON ADVERSARIES RYU!!!"

"Ow," Ranma groaned from where he had fallen face-forward, having just been sharply reminded of what a hard head Ryoga possessed, even as he belatedly realized the error of their impulsive joint attack. He was on the ground and momentarily vulnerable as Ryu prepared to go on the offensive.

"BEAM FALL DOWN TO EARTH PIN!" the older boy cried as he flipped over in the air and came down with both legs aiming to double-scissors land on his nominal rivals, but at the last second Ranma and Ryoga got out of the way, each one using their own distinctive defense styles.

"CRAB FALLS TO EARTH SCRAMBLE!" Ranma cried.

"DUCK AND ROLL BEAM AVOIDANCE SAFETY MANEUVER!" Ryoga cried likewise.

Ryu flipped back to his feet and resumed a defensive stance as Ranma and Ryoga straightened out and began their tense stand-off as they took new stock of their opponent, realizing now the formidable nature of his essentially defensive maneuvers.

"Well now," Sakura remarked, "It seems Master Kumon has perfected a style that actually works to ward off an opponent."

"I thought as much," Genma nodded, "The boy's always had strong attacks but weak defenses. It took some doing to convince him that defense can be as important as any offensive."

Ranma sensed what Ryu was doing and immediately grasped the significance of his stance. The boy was drawing strength from the solidity of his posture, like a house built upon a strong foundation. It made him tense up when Ryoga moved forward, and almost he shouted a warning before belatedly remembering that the two of them were supposed to be nominal adversaries.

"LAYING THE FOUNDATION SPREAD GROUND ATTACK!" Ryoga cried as he fell forward and began moving rapidly with his hands and feet to attack Ryu's legs, only the other boy read this attack and vaulted into the air above Ryoga.

"HIGH CEILING PROTECT GUARD!" and all at once Ryu began to shoot a series of hammer-blows that pounded the ground and forced Ryoga to move to avoid him.

Ryoga managed to get out from under the other boy by pin-wheeling from a horizontal angle, only to right himself and cry, "SCREWDRIVER ATTACK!" with his hand shooting out rapidly in a cork-screwing series of punches that sought to take the other boy out as though driving home a series of rivets.

Ryu evaded him and somersaulted back to his feet, but now Ryoga was prepared to launch a new attack, his hand becoming a blur as tiny objects shot from between his fingers while the perpetually Lost Boy cried out, "HAMMER NAILS INTO WOOD!"

Ryu countered the onslaught as a dozen nails tried to pepper him by crying out, "RAISED WALL DEFLECTION!" and instantly his hands became a blur that caught and deflected every one of the objects hurled against him.

"AXE HAND DIVIDES BOARDS!" Ryoga next called out, and without warning attacked the nearest tree (and not the one upon which Kaoih sat perched), chopping it down and rapidly carving out a series of two-by-fours and sanded panels which he tossed into the air to surround a surprised Ryu, and then the Lost Boy became a blur as he set about to gather up the freshly carved wood and assembled the pieces into a makeshift box-like structure.

"RAISED FRAME CONTAINMENT!" Ryoga declared as he finished off securing all the nails into Ryu's makeshift prison.

"Ahh-no fair!" Ryu cried as he tried to free his arms, which were effectively pinned at his sides.

"Don't complain to me if you got outclassed," Ryoga grinned, only to lose his smile as Ryu seemed to vanish from his containment, "Hey…what…?"

"WALLS CONTAIN MANY SHADOWS!" Ryu cried as he suddenly emerged outside of his prison and struck at Ryoga when the lost boy was not looking. His attack was most unexpected and thus effective, and Ryoga was stunned as he fell to the ground, momentarily out of the fighting.

"RANMA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BOY?" Genma called out, "You just going to stand there and watch? Get in there and help Ryoga!"

"Help him?" Ranma asked with an arched eyebrow, then shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever."

"You think you're going to do any better than him, Saotome?" Ryu asked, barely winded by his effort of fending off Ryoga.

"Maybe," Ranma assumed a ready crouch, "Not too shabby for an essentially defensive fighting system…you're reversing the Yamasenken and Umisenken to repel attacks to a house."

"You got it," Ryu replied, "So, what have you got to offer?"

"Just this," Ranma smiled, "FIRE SURROUNDS AND ENGULFS!"

As he said this it seemed as if Ranma split into a series of different images that fanned out on both sides to form a circle around Ryu. The taller boy was suddenly dismayed to find himself facing off against what looked like a dozen Ranmas, but then he belatedly realized that it had to be some kind of illusory trick and steadied himself to meet a single attack from every corner…only to find-to his dismay-that all Ranmas converged upon him and attacked at once with a series of punches that seemed to come at him from all directions.

Ranma halted this attack as he sensed Ryu was staggering under the offensive, then he shifted into a tackle that bodily picked up the older boy and threw him across his shoulder.

"FIREMAN CARRY HURL TO EARTH!" he cried as he slung Ryu at a full-out run and then leaped into the air in an attempt to throw him hard at the ground. Ryu recovered from his surprise, however, and gripped Ranma by the forearms, somehow contriving to flip around in mid air and reverse the maneuver.

"RAINFALL REPEL OFF BUILDING!" Ryu cried as he effectively slam-dunked his rival. To his consternation, however, Ranma just absorbed his landing and retained full possession of his wits as he kicked up at Ryu's face to force the boy to release him, then flipped around and regained his footing.

"FIRE LEAPS FROM POINT TO POINT!" Ranma cried as he suddenly disappeared and reappeared at a point directly behind Ryu, at which point he kicked backwards and cried, "BREAKDOWN BARRIERS CREATE PATH ATTACK!"

It was the very maneuver that Ranma had created in the midst of a raging inferno some days prior to this, where all exits had been cut off and he was carrying an injured man across his back, thus unable to straighten out in any conventional sense and with only walls and a burning hallway all about him. The spinning kick delivered at a wall had created a new opening by which to escape from that fire, thus sparing his life and demonstrating to him a new means of attack in enclosed situations. Just now it worked effectively against Ryu's unprotected back, knocking him off his feet and stunning him with force enough to demolish the side of a building.

As Ryu fell to the earth, however, Ryoga was just beginning to recover his wits, and-seeing that Ranma was now the dominant player in the game-determined to switch targets for his renewed offensive.

"That was too easy," Ranma started to say as he turned his attention towards the tree bearing Kaoih, and thus did not initially see Ryoga rise up to his feet and ready a leg in a raised position.

"LEVEL GROUND JACKHAMMER STAMP!" Ryoga cried as he brought his foot down hard, hitting the soil several times with such force that it caused the ground itself to shake and vibrate, then explode as if plied by the Bakusai Tenketsu.

Ranma fought to regain his footing as a huge rent split the ground between himself and Ryoga, while Kaoih yelped and grabbed hold of the tree to keep from being shaken loose from her perch. The rent did cause a number of boulders to shake loose from the soil, and Ryoga wasted no time seizing one up with both hands before tossing it lightly into the air and shattering it with a single hand punch.

"CRUSHED ROCK CONVERT TO CEMENT!" he cried as he rapidly gathered up the dust with fast-moving hands that shaped the debris like clay being squeezed between his fingers. All at once he surged forward and whirled around a surprised Ranma, doing a variation of what he had done against Ryu, only now laying out bricks that were peppered with smaller rocks and mortared together with fused concrete. Within seconds he had effectively walled in Ranma within a very narrow chimney-shaped container, fusing it solid with a burst of Chi that flowed across his fingers.

"There we go," Ryoga said with a broad grin as he stepped back to survey his handiwork, "Let's see you get out of this one, Ranma!"

"CONTAIN AND REPEL HEAT COMPRESS RISING!" came the muffled cry from within the makeshift prison.

"Wha-?" Ryoga started to say when cracks appeared along the edges of his handiwork, and all at once the Chimney-shaped object began to explode in all directions.

Ranma stepped out from the remains with his aura glowing a bright pinkish-red coloration, his eyes almost luminous with an inner light as he regarded Ryoga soberly then cried, "DENY FUEL CUT OFF OXYGEN ATTACK!"

Ranma surged towards Ryoga, who instinctively held his ground and stood ready, but rather than attack him directly, Ranma instead attacked the space around Ryoga, his hands a blur even though he never so much as touched his adversary.

"What are you…?" Ryoga stared to gasp, then his hands went up to his throat as he discovered that he could not breathe the air around him. What air he had was sucked out from his lungs, and without warning he dropped to his knees, having an instant understanding of what it would feel like to be temporarily exposed to a near-vacuum.

"Sorry Pal," Ranma said in an apologetic manner, "But that scarf belongs to me now."

He gathered up his legs and prepared to leap into the branches, but before he could even get part way another voice cried out, "ULTIMATE RAISED WALL DEFLECTION!" and suddenly Ryu appeared in his way ready to deal punishment out to a much-surprised Ranma.

"Hey, what…?" Ranma gasped as he dropped back to the ground in a defensive crouch.

"Didn't think I'd be that easy to take down, did you?" Ryu smirked, "You still have to get by me if you want that scarf, and it belongs to me anyway. You can't have her, Saotome."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "What do you mean, 'I can't have her?'"

"Just what I said," Ryu snarled, "She belongs to me! ALL WALLS CLOSE IN AND CONTAIN INTRUSION!"

"Wha-?" Ranma gasped as he saw Ryu raise his arms and part them as if tearing a phone book in half, when all at once it felt as if walls literally were closing in on Ranma from all sides, crushing in on him and inducing claustrophobia while literally putting on the squeeze as Ryu brought his hands back together and cupped them as though trying to squeeze a coal into a diamond.

"Uh oh," Happosai remarked, "Now that's certainly a new one in my book."

"An effective technique to be certain, Master," Genma nodded, "But it's not good enough to overcome Ranma."

Ranma instinctively knew once again what was happening…that his foe was adapting the original Yamasenken Deep Sea Chasm into a combination of physical and psychological attack, and had he less understanding of the process than he actually possessed it might have proven most effective in crushing the life out of him, but instead all it served to do was make Ranma angry.

To everyone's amazement, his battle aura flared to life and took on a rosy cast once again, only now it surrounded him like a visible force shield that repelled Ryu's attack like water being shed off a duck's back. Ranma straightened up as his eyes blazed from within, then he raised his right fist around which an even more intense radiance appeared and cried out in a loud and decisive voice, "ULTIMATE BUBBLE-BURST ATTACK!"

All at once the field expanded around him, then collapsed rapidly with a popping noise that was as loud as a gunshot. Ryu was staggered backwards by the shockwave as Ranma continued to hold up his fist and cry, "CONTAIN AND ABSORB ULTIMATE MANEUVER-BACKDRAFT!"

All at once a wall of heat flared up around the astonished Ryu and converged upon him, not touching him with the heat but stealing out the oxygen around his body and forcing him to his knees, the same as with Ryoga.

"RYU!" Kaoih cried out from where she was, seeing the young man fall to his knees, unable to get his wind back. Without a word she dropped from her seat among the branches and was at Ryu's side in a matter of seconds, at which point Ranma withdrew the flames that had raged around him.

"Are you all right?" Kaoih asked as Ryu began to get fresh air back into his lungs.

"Sure…I'm fine…" he gasped, "Get back up in the tree…this fight isn't over yet."

"I'm afraid it is," Ranma said, holding up the scarf in his hand, "Not that it would have mattered if she had stayed in the tree because you were in no shape to stop me from getting this, right, Ryoga?"

"Ah…" Ryoga gasped as he got unsteadily back to his feet, "Just another minute…and I'd have had you, Ranma…"

"It's not over yet," Ryu straightened out, "I don't know what that was you hit me with…but it's not a normal technique…you did something to me with power you stole from that fire lady…didn't you?"

"Maybe I did," Ranma replied, "But it's still a legitimate part of the Honosenken."

"Like hell!" Ryu growled, only to find an angry Kaoih was suddenly in his face.

"Stop it, you two!" she snapped, "No more fighting! Ranma won, there's no point in continuing this…"

"Why are you taking his side all of a sudden?" Ryu demanded, "Are you suddenly tired of me, is that it?"

"Huh?" Kaoih blinked her eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Aw, he's just jealous of what he thinks you're doing hanging around with me, Sis," Ranma snorted, "He thinks there might be something there, the baka."

"You think I'm some kind of a fool that I'll believe…" Ryu's heated tones faded to a dull whisper, "Sis?"

"Ah…guess the cat's out of the bag on that one," Kaoih sighed, turning a bland look on the taller man, "Do you mean you honestly thought that I was thinking about sleeping with my own half-brother?"

"Brother?" Ryu looked so stunned that he could have been knocked over with the proverbial feather.

"Brother?" Ryoga turned a disbelieving look Ranma's way, then turned an identical look towards Kaoih, "You mean…she's your…?"

"My big Sis, yep," Ranma nodded, "Came as much as of a surprise to me, but we figured it out from the clues our folks kept dropping."

Questioning and/or accusing looks were turned on Genma and Sakura, who had the good graces to look somewhere else at the moment.

"You mean…" Ryoga turned around to confront his nominal sensei, "You cheated on your own wife?"

"Not…exactly, Boy," Genma shrugged, "It happened before I was married…"

"Don't blame your father," Sakura urged, "The fault is with me for not telling him before he married Nodoka."

"Don't you go pointing any fingers, Hibiki," Kaoih rounded on the other boy, "You're not exactly in any shape to be pulling that 'Holier-than-thou' crap with our Dad. If you've got any doubt of that, ask Aunt Atsuko, your mother, the next time you see her."

"Uh…what?" Ryoga blinked, looking as if someone had just hit him with a two-by-four, though if someone had he might barely have noticed.

"That's right, Bro," Ranma clapped him on the shoulder, "Don't look now, but you're a Saotome."

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Ryu raised his hands as he turned to the younger trio, "Are you telling me that you three are related? That these two fools are your…?"

"Brothers?" Kaoih replied, "I'm afraid so…what can you do? It's genetics."

"And you never told me this?" Ryu exclaimed, "I can't believe you never told me!"

"Hey, it was a family secret," Kaoih shrugged her shoulders, "You do know what a secret is, don't you, Mister 'Mysterious Past,' you?"

"Hey," Ryu protested, "I haven't been keeping anything from you…"

"Oh no?" Kaoih countered, "What about your military-style training? Are you still telling me you weren't in the Self Defense Force?"

"I…I can't talk about that…" Ryu hesitated.

"You see?" Kaoih crowed triumphantly, "That all but screams that you have Special Forces training! Or are you telling me you've spent the entire last fifteen years living like a vagabond and training in a single martial art?"

"Hey, it's not that I don't want to tell you," Ryu protested, "It's just that…"

"So why are you on my case for holding back the secret of who my father is?" Kaoih countered, "You're such a hypocrite, and I thought you knew me better…"

"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to keep secrets…um…" Ryu blinked as he started to think that one over.

"Geez, would you guys put a lid on it already?" Ranma asked, "You'd think you two were already married."

"SHUT UP, SAOTOME," both Kaoih and Ryu snapped together.

"I-I don't get it…" Ryoga said, his expression unchanged from a moment before, "He can't be my father…I already have a father…don't I?"

Sakura sighed, "Perhaps I should not have said anything about it. I was violating a trust by your mother, but…Son, I'm afraid your mom hid a big, dark secret from you and gave you false memories about having a father. She didn't want you to feel weird or unusual about having a single parent in the household, but you have to admit that the strongest influence in your life had to come from your mother, who taught you most of everything you know, right?"

"Ah…well…" Ryoga hesitated.

"Not that it probably took her all that long to explain it," Sakura added as if in afterthought.

Ryoga blinked his eyes, "Hey!"

"I'm going to have to have a few words with your mother the next time I see Atsuko," Genma sighed, "That's assuming, of course, that my wife doesn't kill me first, or make me commit Seppuku."

"Mom might have to get in line," Ranma sniff, "You're first gonna have to explain it again to me, and that's not even counting what Nabiki might do to you if she finds out."

"Well, that can all wait until later," Happosai clapped his hands together, "Congratulations, Ranma my boy…you've come out on top of some pretty fierce competition. That means you've won the right to go on to the next level…mastering the Arashisenken."

"Maybe later," Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "I still have a few loose ends to tie up with the Honosenken. Maybe if you give me an hour I'll be ready."

"Take all the time that you want," Happosai replied with a twinkle in his eye, "After all, you only have three days to go before your match with Nabiki."

Ranma thought it over and said, "Okay…maybe in fifteen minutes, all right?"

"Swell," Sakura answered, "In the meantime…I came here because I wanted to ask you boys a little favor."

"A little favor?" Ryoga asked, still not quite fully adjusted to the newest revelation.

"Oh yes," the circus Ringmistress replied, "A little while ago two of my people got injured in an accident while practicing for tonight's performance…our human cannonball accidentally plowed into one of our trapeze artists while rehearsing their acts…"

"Arashi-san got hurt?" Kaoih replied with a stunned expression, "Oh…how awful! And who was the other one?"

"Taro-san," Sakura replied, "On the whole they were lucky that they were both traveling in the same direction and hit the net together, or their injuries might have been more severe, but I fear they won't be in any shape to perform any time soon, and we only have two more days before we pack up our tents and leave town. That's four straight paying performances and nothing to fill in the gap that the accident has created."

"And you want my boys to fill in for your injured people?" Genma asked.

"If it really isn't any trouble," she turned back to Ranma, "You have more than enough agility to be a great high wire act…so have you ever considered performing in a circus, Ranma-kun? I'm sure Kaoih will be more than happy to help you and Ryu-kun learn all you need about the basics. And you, Ryoga-kun…I'm sure you'd do wonderful as a human cannonball. There's really nothing to it, you just sit in the barrel and let them shoot you out into a net."

"A human cannonball?" Ryoga repeated, "I can do that?"

"You kidding me?" Kaoih smiled, "I'd say you're more than qualified to play a hurtling object, Bro."

"After you finish up here, report back to the make-up trailer and we'll get you two suited up for the show tonight," the Ringmistress smiled, "First act begins at six PM, so don't be late. Oh…and I haven't forgotten about you, Genma-chan…you can help out by making use of your own special talents."

"My…talents?" Genma began to look more than slightly uneasy.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Ranma protested, "I didn't agree to…"

"Oh, go along with it, my boy," Happosai said cheerfully, "It'll be great for training in the Arashisenken. It's an aerial act, after all, and with any luck it may help teach you the special technique that you can use for flying."

There was a slight hesitation before Ranma said, "Flying?"

"You've got to be putting us on," Kaoih remarked, "The Arashisenken is about flying?"

"It's the Aerial school," the little old pervert replied, "It's mainly about learning Chi techniques and new ways of moving the body outside the boundaries of gravity, but one interesting side effect is teaching an apprentice how to momentarily stay airborne for more than the time it takes to fall on his fool head."

"Is that really possible, Master?" Genma asked.

"Sure, nothing complicated about it," Happosai replied, "It's just falling at the ground and missing, even you could do it if you didn't pack on so much tonnage."

"Wonderful!" Sakura clapped her hands together, "If you learn how to do that, then you can add it to the act! It will bring the house down!"

"Maybe literally," Kaoih added.

"But why learn how to fly?" Ryoga asked, "How is that going to help Ranma overcome Nabiki?"

"There are lots of ways it could give him the advantage," Happosai replied, "The Saotome Ryu specializes in aerial maneuvers, this is just taking it up to the next level. Besides…he's my apprentice, whether he admits it or not, AND I WON'T HAVE AN APPRENTICE WHO DOESN'TKNOW SQUAT ABOUT FLYING!!!"

Ranma blinked, "Your apprentice?" but then he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well…what the heck…I can give it a shot. Shouldn't be too much more complicated than battling with the fire dragon lady…"

Unseen but felt along his arm, Ranma felt the marks begin to move and shift about slightly, only to subside at last into a new and even more interesting pattern, but he did his level best to ignore it, knowing full well that there would be an eventual accounting…

Continued

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