Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Exchange ❯ Spoils ( Chapter 1 )

"It's a shame, a damn shame," Ayatori flipped a lock of dark black hair out of his face, his deep amber eyes sparkling with mirth. "Ah, Misora, when are you going to learn to stop guarding those lowly humans?" He leaned forward in the gilded throne, smiling thinly at the goddess his black portal withheld. "Humans are not to be protected, they are to be controlled." Does she actually think that she can keep this up? 'I will guard the pure world against the rein of evil and injustice.' Pure world, indeed, it has already been corrupted by their own kind. . My rule would be seen as a blessing. Just give up, Misora, guardian of the amulet used by the magics to pierce the vale between the two worlds, ruler of the weak. . Your powers are fading, and I will soon overcome you. .

"My lord?" Diaki's green eyes held a glimmer of fear as they faced their master.

"Did you do as I asked?" The amber eyes had not lifted from the black ring of smoke hanging motionless.

"Y-yes, that I did. . but. . something's h-happened. . to Karasu. . "

"What did you say?" The ring disappeared. "What," he rose to tower above the quivering young man, "happened?"

"S-s-she's. . well. . she's. ." he mumbled something under his breath.

"Care to repeat?" Ayatori gently gripped Diaki by the collar.

"Been captured. . and healed."

"Captured and healed?" The fist that held him clenched tighter.

"Y-yes, my lord, by the Mistress Misora herself."

"Well, isn't that just wonderful," he let go of the boy, launching him against the wall. Diaki slowly slid to the ground, moaning quietly. "She was the strongest. Find me another one, one who is more powerful than Karasu, one who has the strength to defeat that infernal witch and to sustain my power."

"B-But, Lord, the people of Earth have stopped using-"

"You dare question me?" Ayatori stepped over to the fearful heap. "I don't care how you do it, just find me one, now. If you don't," he turned, his frame slowly fading into a pure black mist, "you will suffer greatly for it." Not until his master had disappeared fully did Diaki come to his feet.

"How am I going to find another Earthling stupid enough to have been trained in the Neko-ken?"

* * * *

Misora pulled the blanket up and around the exhausted form lying on the pallet. Damn that Ayatori, damn him and his Neko-ken. .This poor girl, almost totally drained, forced to fight as an animal, having no control over herself. I'm lucky that I was able to stun her when she was distracted by the explosion, and rid her of the curse. She will still have the fear, but at least now it will not be able to overpower her. She straightened and yanked the cord from her hair, allowing the fiery sheen to cascade about her head. Giving a nod to the healer at the bedside, she pulled aside the tent flap and walked outside.

The sky in the forest was a dark, somber gray, as it had been ever since the battles began. Constant elemental explosions kept it that way; the clouds of smoke never had enough time to clear, for when one was finished, another one had already began. As she made her daily climb to the shrine for the innocents, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. This world used to be so beautiful, Father. . this world, the magical counterpart of Earth. And then he came, that manipulative man who came out of his hiding, our home, and destroyed everything: the land, the people, you. . all to control, all for power. She came to a stop and looked down sadly at the carefully placed flowers. It isn't fair. . why did this have to happen. . . She felt two arms wrap snuggly around her waist.

"Please don't look like that, Misora, I can't stand it when you're not smiling."

"Hogosha. . I just, I just can't take this anymore!" She turned, her sea-green eyes meeting dark blue. His arms grasped her tighter as she began to let out her despair. "Why did this have to happen, Hogosha? How could such evil get into our world? . And Seiren, poor innocent Seiren. . "

**"Misora! Misora!!" The young water sprite shot across the courtyard toward the garden. Misora pushed a sweaty hand through her auburn hair, looking up from the marigolds just in time to catch the flowing being that flew into her arms. "I have to tell you something!"

"What is it Seiren?" The girl swooned dramatically as she fell back into the grass next to the bed of flowers.

"I'm in love," she sighed deeply. The sigh was soon transformed into a bubbly giggle, overflowing into a laugh.

"Oh really, and who is the lucky fellow? Is it Akito?"

"Akito? No, no, no, no, NO! All he does is tease me, Misora! It would never be him!"

"Are you sure? I've heard that young men tend to tease the ones they care for. . " She smiled fondly at the faint wistful glimmer in the girl's china blue eyes. Seiren frowned and shook her head violently in denial.

"That's not true! Besides, even if it was, and it's not, I don't feel that way about him, I don't! I don't need him. I have. . Ayatori," the named slipped from her lips in another deep sigh.

"Ayatori?"

"Uh huh. Oh, Misora, he's so handsome, and charming, and intelligent, and. . " she looked down shyly, her hands twisting in her lap, "he told me I was beautiful. No one's ever called me beautiful before. ." Seiren lifted her face with a small giggle as her smile brightened suddenly. " And the things he says to me. . "

"What things?" Misora leaned forward to catch Seiren's tiny whisper. "He said that?" She eyed the mischievous water sprite with a bit of dismay. "Aren't you a little too young to hear that kind of talk?"

"Misora!" Seiren flipped her hand in Misora's face, sending a small shower of raindrops that clung to the eyelashes of her companion. "I'm seventeen years old!"

"Okay, okay, no need to start a tsunami," she put her hands up in mock surrender. Seiren burst into laughter once more.

"Misora, you're so weird."

"And you're not? Anyway, so tell me more about this Ayatori."

"Well, he's tall and. . "**

Oh Seiren, why did you have to meet him? He corrupted you, poisoned you, spoiled that clean mind of yours with murder and distrust. But what hurts the most is that you chose to believe him over me, your cousin and best friend. You knew me for a lifetime, and him for a year, one year. . and you chose him.

"Hogosha, I miss her, I miss her so much. . " He rubbed a soothing hand down her back, the tremors in it sending small vibrations through his palms.

"I know you do, my love, I know you do. ." We'll get her back someday. . I promise. . And as he closed his own despairing eyes, a single tear rolled down to splash on the fallen petal of a dying rose.

* * * *

He screamed in fear as he felt the claws sink into his arms, back, legs. . They were everywhere, their hot breath engulfed his nostrils, their yowls filled his ears. He looked up to see the trap door still shut tightly, his terrified cries had fallen upon deaf ears. He had to get away, he had to, away, away from them. With a strangled grunt, he ripped from their grasp, their stinging blades, to run to the walls, attempting to scramble up the sides. They tore at his heels, latched onto his shoulder. His nails came away in bloodly strips from his own frantic clawing at the stone barriers. It was no use, he would slip and they would be on top of him again, biting, scraping, scratching, cutting. .

"Daddy. . please. . " His weak pleas collided into heavy sobs. "Please. . let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out, let me out. . "

"Ranma. . " One of the monsters was speaking to him. He could see the silver saliva cling to its smooth white fangs, dripping onto the floor as the jaws came open.

"N-n-no! Get away from me!"

"Ranma. . " Gaping jaws, saliva glistening from the light that crept through the small crack of the still closed trap door. . Another deep scratch, the smell of his own blood. .

"No. . no. . no . . " He couldn't breath, he couldn't breath anything but them, only them, their breath, their stench, only them, only them. . "No. . "

"Ranma." The monster was getting louder, angrier. Its amber eyes flashed with menace as it neared closer to his pounding heart.

"N-No! Get away! Get away from me!!" He threw out his arms, attempting to push the advancing terror away.

"Ranma! Stop it!"

"No! NO! NOOOOOO!!!"

"Ranma! Wake UP!!" The cat's fist surged forward to collide with his cheek.