Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Chained World: The Fall of the House of Kuno ❯ Lighting the Fuse ( Chapter 48 )

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choice. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi, or anyone else's published work.

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Kuno sighed as he read over the report of the latest assault on the auction center, and the destruction of yet another massive, very expensive viewscreen. Considering the cost that was piling up, he was beginning to rethink his decision to let a response wait until things elsewhere had calmed down and he was able to bring home the Neriman contingent of the Kuno Family security forces for their normal duties. He had hoped that wouldn't be necessary, that the attacks would eventually end in Ranma's continuing absence, but it wasn't happening.

So, Ranma's foul taint yet pervades my lording, he thought as he toggled the `viewed' button. I would have thought that with physical absence his evil would abate, but there have been no signs of that happening — the lording roils with discontent, and Akane has yet to shake off his hold on her mind. Though at least I have rescued one of his victims. Truly, Ranko has slipped free of his malign influence and now walks free in the light.

But even there, there was reason for concern, and his melancholy deepened as he considered the fiery-haired center of his life. Since day of the sweep up and execution of the otokodate smuggling slaves and running illegal brothels, there had been something missing from their mutual pleasures. The young woman he had freed from the clutches of the sorcerer Saotome still gave every indication of enjoying their shared explorations of the arts of pleasure, but she seemed ... distant, slightly aloof, unfocused. And after he would fall asleep, she would slip away to spend the night in the arms of her body slave.

Perhaps the time has come to seek the help of the healers of the mind. Doing so will deeply offend her warrior spirit, but the wounds inflicted on her gentle soul by what she did and saw do not seem to be healing.

He was still debating whether it would do more damage to a third of his soul to insist she visit a psychiatrist or ignore her pain and hope the nights sleeping alongside her friend might eventually heal her, when his secretary interrupted to inform him of the Master of Servants' call.

/\

“Pregnant!” Kuno jerked to his feet, hands clenched into fists and face twisted by hatred. “I see it now! This is how that foul blot on humanity has kept the shadow of his influence over the fair Akane even in his absence. With his demonic seed implanted in her womb, he is using a woman's natural love for her child to strengthen his hold, maintain his spell over her! And not just her, the malignant taint must impose his twisted desires on all those around her!”

“But my lord,” came Pyo-sensei's voice from his monitor, “The beauteous Ranko has visited the Tendos twice now, with no evidence of Ranma's influence.”

Kuno shook his head, uncaring that his Master of Servants couldn't see him. “Her exposure was slight, and she has the constant wholesome influence of the young Usagi to wash away any ill effects, along with my own soothing presence in the dojo, dining room and bedroom in the evenings. No, we must act to expunge this cancer from among us.”

“Kuno-dono, would that not violate the oath you swore to Ranma to leave Akane undisturbed so long as he absences himself from Nerima?”

Kuno hesitated, but finally shook his head. “Nay, for in leaving behind this piece of himself to maintain his hold and spread his poison, he has never in good faith held to his oath and we are free to act. Find the glorious Tendo Akane and bring her to my home, that we may rid her of this vile malignancy and offer her the peace and companionship she will need to heal from her ordeal.”

The Master of Servants sighed. “Yes, my lord, it will be done.”

/\

Call long over, Pyo-sensei stared at the cherry tree in bloom pictured on his monitor, feeling the weariness that had been weighing on him pressing down stronger than ever — the conversation with his lord had gone pretty much as expected, but not apparently as he had subconsciously hoped. Finally straightening, he took a deep breath. All right, Jun Si, if it's to be done, it's best done quickly. Time to move.

He reached forward to hit a speed dial button, then leaned back and waited as his monitor divided and subdivided into blank squares. With six blank squares, he said, “Activate.” Five of the squares lit up, the black replaced by the faces of four men and a woman.

Without preamble, he said, “Akane-san has had herself tested, and she is pregnant. I've reported this to Kuno-domo, and he ordered that the pregnancy be terminated and she be held here until she accepts him.”

None of the faces showed any surprise, and Pyo-sensei smiled humorlessly. “Not a great shock to anyone, I see. Very well, Clean Sweep is active. Shuzo-kun, inform the Mentalist that his presence is finally required, and prepare the room where we will be holding the rituals. We will acquire Ranma when the Mentalist has arrived.”

Shuzo-kun wordlessly bowed his head and vanished.

“Mai-kun, have your team deal with Ukyo-san and bring Akane-san here, and activate the replacements for their cell phones.”

The woman nodded with a grimace, before vanishing.

“Rangi-kun, make the call to Konatsu-san for our trap. Activate it unless you hear from me countermanding it.”

A second man bowed and vanished.

“Tagashashi-kun, Kidlat-kun, send out the alert to our people around the Tendos and the Cat Café, but do not send out the strike orders until I give final permission.”

The last two faces bowed and vanished, and Pyo-sensei leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He felt old.

/oOo\

Konatsu frowned slightly as the lovely cross-dressing kunoichi watched Mu Tse and Xian Pu roof-hop away toward the Cat Café, then twitched as he heard the short tune indicating a new job request sounded in his ear piece. Glancing around to verify his sense that he wasn't being observed, he pulled his phone out of its belt pouch and checked the number — a familiar client, always asking for a short run, hours only. I should be able to make the delivery and be home shortly after Ukyo-sama and Akan-san return. Hitting the speed button that would signal Nabiki-san that he was making a courier run, he pocketed the phone and started his own bouncing run across the rooftops toward the edge of the Nerima lording.

/\

Raven pony-tail swinging out over the multi-story drop, Konatsu hurriedly grasped the edge of the fire escape above the railing he'd landed on, barely in time to keep from falling. As he stepped down onto the fire escape landing and knocked on the steel shutter covering the window, the world's greatest male kunoichi mentally berated himself — that had been clumsy, and entirely his fault. But then, he was a bit distracted.

First, he was here, and Ukyo-sama was accompanying Akane-san to Juuban. He understood why, he'd been needed for the latest attack on the slave auction center in case the new security had its act together more than Nabiki-san's hacked plans showed. They hadn't, but they could have. Besides, Ukyo-sama had pointed out that, for this trip, Akane-san would probably be more comfortable if he wasn't along.

Second, there had been something ... off ... about Mu Tse and Xian Pu, during the raid. Nothing he could pin down, they'd certainly been alert (not that the alertness had been needed, the security hadn't made it across to the buildings where the catapults were — he expected a helicopter or two to be in the air next time). But he couldn't escape the feeling that they hadn't really wanted to be there.

Enough, Konatsu, worry about it later, he thought to himself as he heard the shutter unlatching. If you don't concentrate on the job, you aren't going to have any — no one's going to hire a discreet courier who loses her package, after all. And money's tight, even with the classes Genma-sama has started up.

The shutter swung inward, and Konatsu stepped down into the small room behind it. It hadn't changed since the first time he'd entered it months before — tatami mats on the floor, bare walls, and a single desk without a single object sitting on it other than the omnipresent built-in computer monitor in the middle of the room facing the window. His contact, Leoso-san (Konatsu assumed a false name), hadn't changed either, and Konatsu stepped to the side as the heavy-set man finished closing and relatching the shutter — Konatsu thought a Maori from both size and name, though he lacked the tattoos still favored by those of his people that refused to adopt their conquerors' culture.

Task done, Leoso-san walked heavily back to the desk and sat down. Konatsu followed him to stand in front of the desk, suppressing a frown. Something was wrong. He had met this man over a hand of times, and his contact didn't know that the breathtakingly beautiful woman standing in front of him wasn't a woman, and hadn't bother to hide how much he enjoyed the view. But now that enjoyment was gone, Leoso-san's face emotionless.

The contact sat down and stared at Konatsu for a long moment, before his emotionless mask failed, replaced by sorrow. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, and pressed a button on the desk.

Konatsu's dive to one side took him directly into the path of one of the anti-personnel mines built in around the edges of the room's floor and ceiling, not that it would have made a difference. The two men were so badly shredded by the thousands of tiny steel balls that laced the room that a forensics laboratory would be required to identify their sex.

/oOo\

Saotome Ukyo nervously glanced around the dilapidated but clean train car she and Akane were riding in, the first train on their return trip from Juuban to Nerima. The itch between her shoulderblades was back.

Of course it's back, Sugar, what did you expect? Kuno's thugs may not have followed us into the hospital, but you know they followed us all the way there. Of course they picked us up again when we left. Looking discreetly around the car, mostly empty at this time of day, she couldn't see anyone obviously watching the two girls. But then, these would be ninjas — she wouldn't.

She glanced sideways at her friend sitting beside her with a rueful smile. If Akane had felt the eyes following them on the trip out, she certainly wasn't feeling them on the way back. The youngest Tendo's eyes were unfocused, a soft smile on her face. All she'd been able to talk about on the walk back to the train station (with a long break in the middle for a late lunch, now that Akane's relief had given her back her appetite) had been how happy Ranma would be, and how once they finally dealt with Kuno they'd finish their schooling and teach at the dojo along with Genma and raise a family while integrating the schools. But while it was good to see the girl shaken out of her angry depression and Ukyo hoped it lasted, now was not the time to be daydreaming.

The train jolted slightly as it began to slow down, and Ukyo glanced up at the semi-functioning display, finding enough readable letters to recognize the destination, and nudged Akane. “Hey, Sugar, wake up, this is our stop,” she murmured.

Akane jerked, her eyes focusing. “Already?”

“Yeah, `already',” Ukyo replied with a chuckle. “You've been zoned out pretty bad.”

Akane blushed. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, I'm glad you're happy. Just pay more attention.”

The train came to a stop, and the two girls moved to the doors as they slid open. They were just stepping out, when Ukyo stiffened. The platform was empty. Even in mid-afternoon before the workday ended, there should be at least a few people waiting to board.

Even as she grabbed Akane's shoulder with one hand while the other reached for the haft of her battle ax, two women in standard samurai pants and blouses and holding spears arced over the two girls from the roof of the train to land in front of them. The spears leveled, Akane dove to one side, but before Ukyo could move an arm circled her neck and pain arced her back as a blade pierced her side. Then a spear blade slammed into her chest, the other took her in the throat, she was falling backward into the car, and she heard Akane screaming her name as her view of the car's roof slowly faded into night.

/\

Akane rolled to her feet, turning, arms lifted ready to knock aside incoming spear blades — only the were no spears thrusting toward her, and she shrieked her friend's name at the sight of the two women driving their spears through the train car doorway, blood spraying back to meet them. She sprang forward, and one hand hammered into the back of one of their attacker's neck, snapping it with a wet crack.

The other woman whipped around to face Akane, frantically backing up, arms lifting to parry, but Akane charged, her strike blowing through the block to slam into her attacker's throat. Cartilage buckled under her fist, and as the woman stepped back, hands at her throat, trying to suck air into her lungs, ribs crunched as Akane's side kick knocked the woman off her feet.

As the woman convulsed on the ground, aspirating blood thanks to the ribs in her lungs, Akane whirled to step over the body of the first attacker and into the train car. “Uc-chan?” she whispered.

Ukyo lay on her back on top of another dead woman, a knife hilt flush against her side and both spears standing upright in her chest—they must have gone completely through and into the woman behind her. Her sightless eyes stared at the ceiling.

“Oh, Ukyo — may the Saotome ancestors receive you in the next life as Genma and Nodoka did in this one.” Akane dropped to one knee in the pooling blood around her friend's body and reached down to close her eyes, then stood. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked the screen. As expected, no reception — she was being jammed. Grasping the shaft of one of the spears, she steadily pulled, slowly pulling it out without further damaging the body, then the other. Ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks and with a spear in her hands, she turned and stepped through the still open car door. Also as she had expected, a new line of women were on the platform, a half-circle around the doorway, staffs in hand.

Akane's anger had always burned hot, bursting out in brief eruptions. Now, though, she felt icy to the core. “So, which of you murdering bitches dies first?” she asked, voice cold as the frozen north.

None of the women spoke. Instead, they lifted small blowguns to their mouths and suddenly Akane felt the pinpricks of multiple darts piercing her clothing and into her chest and abdomen.

/oOo\

Pyo-sensei kept his face calm as Mai-kun finished her report. “ ... so we have Ukyo and Akane's phones plugged in for voice alteration and on the way to the Funabashi lording. The train's sabotage is ready, so as planned, we'll be able to call the Tendo dojo when the time comes and report that the girls will be late.”

Waiting for a long moment to make certain his subordinate was finished, he nodded. “And the bodies?”

“Our four and Ukyo-san are on their way to the mansion along with Chu-lan-kun,” Mai-kun replied. “They are being treated with all honor.”

“Most excellent. Let me know when the call has been made, and your assessment of Nabiki-san's reaction.”

Mai-kun bowed and signed off, and Pyo-sensei leaned back in his seat and sighed, rubbing his face. Five of my people dead and one possibly crippled so far, and Clean Sweep has barely started. And none of them necessary. The same drugged darts that finally brought down Akane-san could have just as easily been used to bring down Ukyo-san as well, then she could have been executed with no risk to the strike team. But instead Kana-kun, Se Wook-kun and Moe-kun had all volunteered to deal with the adopted Saotome personally and paid with their lives, and then Nani-ali'i-kun had been killed and Chu-lan-kun severely wounded by the spears used to kill Ukyo-san, thrown by Akane-san before she finally collapsed. And Leoso-kun had disabled the trap door underneath his chair before Konatsu-san had arrived. My people are following their orders as honor requires, but they are not happy about it — and demonstrating that unhappiness with their lives. What happens when they actually assault the Tendo compound?

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So, the first casualties on both sides, as the bloodbath begins. The names of the ninja are Japanese, Chinese, Maori, Korean, Philippino, and Hawaiian, reflecting the size of the Empire and the extent of the Kuno Family holdings.