Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ The Dark Side of a Pig ( Chapter 16 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[Author’s note: The characters and setting herein- with the exception of one or two O.C.’s of my own design- are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. Only the story is semi-original. And now, with the disclaimer out of the way, on with the show.]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 16: The Dark Side of a Pig

--------------------

“No… please, no… not a monster… don’t wanna hurt anymore… make it stop… please…”

“He’s been like this almost since I found him,” Akari said softly, wringing the hem of her tartan skirt. “He hasn’t opened his eyes once, and sometimes he’d thrash from side to side so violently that Katsunishiki had to hold him down…” She looked up, a tear running down her cheek. “What’s wrong with him?”

Ryoga lay delirious on the floor in the training hall, his hands bound to his sides with what appeared to be nylon rope dyed gold. Cologne sat at his feet, Akari to his right, near his head. Shingen knelt on the other side of his head and ran his hand over the lost boy’s temple, pressing several tsubo points as he did so. A large sumo pig looked on intensely from the side, casting the occasional glance at the panda next to him with an odd hematite pendant around its neck. Nodoka and Soun sat on the other side of the panda, both looking on as the others continued their examination. Ranma stood behind Shingen wearing one of his red shirts and black pants, arms folded. Akane was beside him in a yellow t-shirt and jean shorts, looking at Ryoga with a strange mix of concern, anger and depression that did not go unnoticed by Akari.

“When I found these two,” Cologne was saying, “he was flipping between muttering quietly to himself and flailing about the room, screaming at the top of his lungs. He broke a table in the midst of one rant and might have done more if I hadn’t used a series of pressure points to put him to sleep.”

“It’s a good thing you did, Elder,” Shingen murmured. “Looks like that may have helped him stabilize himself slightly… but he’s far from being out of the woods yet.” He shifted his perception, grimacing as he pored over Ryoga’s aura patterns. “His own disruption’s been spiking like mad, and from what I can tell he’s been trying to fight the urgings, but it’s turning into a losing battle.”

“Buwurrrll?” Genma-panda asked, producing a sign that read LOSING BATTLE?

“Geez, Pops, just change back already, will ya?” Ranma sighed, tossing a nearby kettle into Genma’s paws. “Talk about embarrassing…”

“Does this mean Ryoga’s going to get sicker?” Akari asked plaintively. “Why?”

“It’s a bit of a long story, child,” Cologne sighed. “Essentially, the curse he bears… you do know of his curse, do you?” At Akari’s nod, the elder continued. “The curse affects not only his body, but eventually his mind and spirit- something even I was hardly aware of until recently. It may be trying to make him do something he wants to do, but in a manner he despises… or it could be pushing him to try and do something he finds repulsive and would not want to do.”

“Yeah… that happened to me, too,” Ranma chimed in. “I started gettin’ these weird thoughts, tellin’ me to do something I didn’t wanna…”

“And depending on the will of such a curse victim, the urgings could be fought off quite easily… or they may attempt to consume the mind of the cursed party, driving them further into darkness,” Shingen finished. He placed a hand on Ryoga’s forehead. “He’s been trying to fight, but it feels like his will is crumbling pretty fast, and that’s causing his body to react in kind. His temperature must be about 103 degrees now.”

“Oh, Ryoga…” Akari whimpered, taking his hand in hers.

“Truly a sad state of affairs,” Soun murmured from behind her, a solemn look in his eyes.

“Indeed,” added a freshly doused Genma, wiping a few drops of hot water off his brow. “Seldom have I seen a martial artist laid out in such a state as his…” He glanced up. “So what happens now?”

“Well, Saotome-san, I think it’s pretty obvious what needs to be done,” Shingen replied, producing a hematite warding pendant from his jacket and placing it around Ryoga’s neck. “Once my newest ward is fully dry, he’ll have to be Purged as soon as possible. I’ve manipulated a few pressure points to alleviate some of the urges, but even with those and a protective pendant, he might still be in a lot of danger.” He stood up, snapping his hands forward and arranging his thumbs and index fingers in a triangle pattern. “Naosu Kousen!” he intoned, producing a soft ray of golden light that enveloped Ryoga’s body. He gasped and twitched once before settling back on the floor and relaxing slowly.

Cologne looked on appraisingly. “Hmm. Very interesting, young man. I’ve seen several healing techniques in my time, but not one quite the same as that.”

“I thought ya only used that trick on battle wounds, Shingen,” said Ranma.

“Typically, yes, but the Healing Light is much more than just first aid, Ranma. I’m not expecting it to do much, but it should at least help bring his fever down a little,” the taller man replied. “He won’t be completely out of the woods until we get that curse demon out of his body.”

“When can it be done?” asked Nodoka.

Shingen looked up at the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the dojo doors. “I’d say maybe another hour or so. By then the ward should be dry and attuned.”

Genma coughed. “If I may be so bold…”

“Yes, Saotome-san?”

“Well, looking at it from this perspective… young Ryoga does appear to be in a great deal of pain at the moment. So much that if the Purge is executed in his current condition, it is quite conceivable that it could overwhelm him, is it not? I may not have seen what happened when my son’s curse was purged, but I’m not deaf, you know. I heard what was happening, and that was happening to someone not nearly as far gone; what would young Ryoga’s reaction be, in his current state?”

Akari paled. “You’re not saying… this… this whatever-it-is you’re talking about could kill my sweetie, could it?”

“I hadn’t even thought about that,” Soun gasped, wide-eyed. Genma shut his eyes and continued; Nodoka gave him an odd look as he did so, raising an eyebrow.

“Now, far be it for me to dictate how you go about your business, Shingen, but it would seem to me the proper and safe way to treat Ryoga would be to ensure his stability. Get his strength back up, possibly even find some further means to keep the spirit at bay.” He nodded to himself with a smirk.

“In addition, you did say you prepared this ward personally, correct? Now, I don’t mean to doubt you, but there is always the possibility of human error, even in the most perfectly planned technique. There may be something amiss with it, and it would not be right to subject a youth with his entire future before him until you were sure your technique was right. No, it would behoove you to execute its- and forgive me for saying so- untested power on another, one whose life has already reached its pinnacle and…”

He was abruptly cut off by a galvanized pail smashing him in the forehead, drenching him with cold water.

“Nice going, old man!!!” Ranma spat. “A whole lotta flowery words and a few twists to scare some of us, an’ what it really boils down to is this- you’d rather let the poor sap stew in his aura for a while longer while YOU get yer own curse taken care of at his expense! Oh, sure, it’s perfectly fine ta sit back and hover over Ryoga like a freakin’ nursing staff while you’re sittin’ around an’ ain’t even so much as flinched from yer own infection, isn’t it? Is that all ya ever think about? What am I talkin’ about, of COURSE that’s all ya ever think about, yer own damn well-being at the expense of others! And don’t try an’ tell me I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about, I’ve got my own damn list of incidents to prove it!!!”

“Genma! How could you?” Nodoka snapped, gripping the saya of her katana a bit tighter. “That boy is lying right there in plain sight, obviously suffering, and you have the gall to think of yourself before him? I thought you were more of a man than that!”

Genma-panda’s eyes went as large as dinner plates as a huge sweatdrop ran down his cheek. IT WAS ONLY A THOUGHT, he said via signboard, looking rather sheepish.

“Well, it was a damn selfish thought, Saotome-san,” Shingen growled dangerously. “And I don’t appreciate being questioned on my own ability; I know what the Spirit Purge can and cannot do and I DAMN well know enough so as not to kill a fellow human being in the process! The fact is, he needs this treatment desperately and I WILL provide it. You and the Amazons have all been warded for over a day, he hasn’t been. You can afford to wait until fresh supplies arrive, which hopefully won’t be long from now. He can’t wait. He needs to be helped. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, do you understand, husband?” asked Nodoka icily. The panda glanced around and nodded frantically.

“Good. I’m glad that’s settled,” Shingen sighed. The dojo doors opened and Kasumi stepped inside.

“How is Ryoga doing? Do you think we need to call Dr. Tofu?” she asked.

“Thanks for the offer, Kasumi-san,” Shingen replied, “but I think we’ve got it under control, more or less. All we need to do now is keep him comfortable until my preparations are complete.”

“Well, that’s certainly good to hear,” said Kasumi with a smile. “Would anyone care for some tea before dinner?”

--------------------

“Akane? Are you alright?”

Akane stirred, glancing up from where she sat on the back porch. “Oh, Akari. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come out,” she said softly. Behind her, she could hear the voices of the others gathered around the table, talking quietly amongst themselves. Dinner had moved into full swing, but she had only lasted a short time before asking to be excused. Several people had given her questioning looks, especially Ranma, to which she had mentioned a need for some fresh air and had stepped out of the shoji doors.

“You seemed a bit troubled in there,” Akari pressed, playing with one of her pink-streaked locks of hair as she sat down.

“It’s nothing, Akari-chan. I’m okay; I just needed a little space, that’s all.” Akane looked at the koi pond and heaved a sigh. Who am I kidding, I’m not okay… I just don’t know what to feel, is all.

For a few moments, neither girl said nothing. Akane idly straightened her yellow t-shirt, then rested her elbows on her knees. Akari brushed her skirt with her hands, smoothing out the odd crease here or there.

“Akane… Ryoga told me about what happened.”

Akane’s expression darkened slightly. She leaned forward, hiding her eyes behind her bangs.

“So… you know, then.”

Akari nodded. “About the promise Ranma made not to tell anyone outright… and about what happened when you first found him in his other body.”

“And how about the fact he never told me about it, or what he did afterward?” Akane replied, a tad hotly.

“Yes… he told me everything…” She sighed. “And I won’t deny, a part of me is upset with him… but after I saw him break down the way he did, and heard the tone in his voice… I can’t be mad at him. I just can’t… especially not now, when he’s sick and beating himself up in his sleep.” A lone tear ran down Akari’s face.

Akane blinked, the flush leaving her face. “Beating himself up?”

Akari nodded. “Some of what he was saying in there, about making it stop… he was saying it over and over to himself, all day long. Sometimes he was crying, sometimes screaming… I swear, until Granny showed up I was afraid he was going to seriously hurt himself…” She sniffled. “When he told me about what had happened between you and him, long before he and I first met, he wouldn’t even look at me. I think… I think he was afraid that I’d lose my temper with him… or push him away…”

“Like I did,” Akane murmured. “But… but he never said anything to me, never mentioned the fact that the pig I called ‘P-chan’ just happened to be him in disguise… he just let the charade continue, let me take him into my…” She paused, looking up at Akari. “I just wish I knew if it was his own mind that told him not to tell me, or the curse. If he’d only told me in the first place, so much garbage might not have happened… but now, I just don’t know what to think.”

Akari scooted a little closer. “I’m still not sure I understand much about what Granny and Shingen-kun were saying about his condition, or what it has to do with spirits and such. I just know that at heart, he really is a kind man… but he’s been alone for so long, he gets confused and doesn’t really know how to express his feelings. You know he’s lucky if he sees his parents even once a year?”

Akane nodded slowly. That had to be hard, she thought. I never thought about it- practically growing up as an orphan in his own family… “Seems like his whole family keeps getting lost.”

“Especially when it comes to the heart,” Akari replied. She shifted her position, resting her hands in her lap. “Maybe he didn’t tell you about his condition because he was afraid…”

“Afraid of getting beaten up?” said Akane with a humorless laugh.

“No… afraid of being abandoned… afraid of being alone again, of not even having a friend. And then…” She looked into Akane’s eyes. “I think he thought that I’d react the way you did once he finished telling me… so instead of waiting for me to throw him out, he ran away himself…” Another sniffle. “I wish I knew of a way to stop him from hurting, Akane-chan. It may not mean much coming from me, but I don’t think he intentionally meant to hurt you. I’m not sure he really wants to hurt anyone, not with the way he’s been acting all day…”

Akane nodded slowly. You really are a kind soul, Akari. A lot kinder than I was when I found out… of course, you weren’t the one who got lied to so much… but still… She sighed, resting her chin on her hands. Maybe this really is all the curse’s fault, or at least partially. He really did look bad in there… and I can’t have helped any when I called him a twisted son of a bitch…

“Akane-chan?”

Akane blinked, looking up. “Oh… sorry, Akari. I just got lost in thought for a moment.” She wrung her hands and drew her feet up so that she was sitting cross-legged. Just then the shoji doors slid open.

“Hey, ‘kane, ya doing ok?” Ranma asked as he stepped outside with Kasumi hot on his heels.

“I’m fine, Ranma. Akari and I were just talking.”

“Are you sure everything’s okay, Akane?” Kasumi asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet all through dinner, and you didn’t say much when Cologne and Shingen brought Ryoga into the dojo.” She knelt down beside her. “Are you still mad at him?”

Akane sighed. “I don’t know… I just don’t know right now, oneechan. I thought I was, but then when I saw him bound up and feverish like that… I can’t tell yet if I should be mad at him or the curse demon; I mean, I just wish I knew how much was really his own doing. I can’t tell anymore…”

“Well, we might be able to find out in a while,” said Ranma. “Shingen’s getting some of his gear together, said he was going to try and calm Ryoga’s aura some more before prepping a new casting circle. Once that’s taken care of, then…”

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the early evening air, causing everyone to wince and their eyes to widen. Seconds later the backyard doors of the dojo burst off their mountings and smashed into the outer estate wall. Akari gasped, leaping to her feet as the unmistakable form of Ryoga staggered out of the dojo, his entire body glowing a sickly shade of green. His breathing was harsh, hissing through his clenched teeth as his arms strained at his sides. With a howl, he jerked his head back and pulled, snapping the gold cords restraining him; the sound of the rope breaking was reminiscent of glass shattering, prompting everyone on the back porch to wince again and cover their ears. Ryoga hunched forward, clutching his temples and groaning softly. The pendant tied around his neck slipped loose, falling to the ground.

“Kami, make it stop… stop it, please, I don’t want to hear it… not a monster… don’t wanna hurt…”

“Ryoga?” said Akari in a shaking voice. “Ryoga, please, it’s going to be okay… just calm down…”

The back doors slammed open as wide as they could as just about everyone else in the Tendo household burst onto the back porch, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. Ryoga’s head snapped up, glancing in their direction, and both Akari and Akane gasped as they saw the overwhelming fear in his eyes. Faint streaks of red energy were swirling in his pupils and his hands were starting to tremble.

Akari took a hesitant step forward. “Ryoga, sweetie… it’s alright… nobody’s going to hurt you, we just want to help you…”

Ranma swallowed. “Yeah, man, just calm down an’ we’ll getcha fixed up in no time. I promise ya.”

Ryoga shook his head viciously. “No… get away… please, just get away from me!” He staggered to one side, still clutching his temples. “I… I don’t know what’s going on… the voice… the pain… I don’t even know what I want anymore… can’t trust… can’t trust me… all I do is wreck things, again and again and again…” He drew in a long, shuddering breath, then looked up; Akane’s eyes widened at the sight of tears rolling down his face, almost rivaling one of her father’s own sobbing fits. “JUST LEAVE ME BE!!!” he screamed, charging headlong at the estate wall… and breaking through it without even using the Bakusai Tenketsu, just as Shingen sprang through the crowd and into the backyard.

“What in the Nine Hells just happened?” the Hunter shouted, casting his eyes over the others.

“He broke free of my bindings…” Cologne gasped, glancing at the broken ropes. “Those were Amazon binding cords, capable of restraining a wild tiger without so much as a stretch, and he snapped them like ribbons!”

“Oh, my…” Kasumi murmured. “I hope he isn’t planning on doing something drastic…”

“What’re we going to do?” Akari whimpered. “We can’t just let him run away again, not in his condition!”

“We’re not going to let him run away,” said Shingen, hefting his naginata over one shoulder. “That infection might be trying to spike, and the longer he fights it, the worse he’ll fall when he does succumb. He can’t wait any longer; we’ve got to get that thing out of him NOW.” He spun around. “I’m not going to be able to do this solo, not if he’s going out of control. Ranma, Akane, you two know about the Purge firsthand. I’ll need you both to come with me… and Elder Cologne, too. We may need you to help at a crucial moment, and you did say you wanted to know more in case the others begin to suffer.”

“You got it,” Ranma replied, cracking his knuckles.

“What he said,” Akane added, standing up and brushing off her shorts.

“Alright, then. Let’s go!!!” Shingen spun on one heel and propelled himself into the air, landing easily on the dojo wall and jumping immediately to the rooftops beyond. Ranma and Akane followed suit; Akane wobbled slightly upon landing on the top of the wall, but she quickly recovered and leapt to the next roof like a gazelle. Cologne was right behind them, pogo-sticking over the skyline at an incredible pace.

“Wait!” Akari cried. “I’m going with you, too!” She promptly turned and jumped onto Katsunishiki’s back, who had sidled up to her almost as if he had read her thoughts. “Follow them as fast as you can, boy; we’re going to go help Ryoga!” The great sumo pig grunted in agreement and charged out of the dojo at breakneck speed… by means of the hole Ryoga had created. Everyone winced as the sound of breaking bricks echoed through the evening air.

Soun stared at the estate wall, but did not cry. Instead, he fainted. Genma collapsed to his knees; Nodoka shook her head in amazement.

“Maybe we should’ve made Shingen-kun pay a damage deposit,” Nabiki sighed.

“When did Akane learn to jump so well?” Kasumi mused, prompting a mass face-fault.

--------------------

The chase led them through several residential blocks, with the lost boy choosing to barrel through six more walls in the process- shocking in most cities, but not so to the residents of Nerima who had slowly become used to the random chaos in their ward. His pursuers gained ground on him rapidly, both on the rooftops and the side streets, until they were all practically on top of him. A quick change in direction, coupled by three random turns, and suddenly Ryoga found himself in the abandoned lot where he and Ranma had faced off more than once before. Two broken fridges and a bicycle now made their home there. Ryoga drummed his feet to a halt, gasping for breath and holding the sides of his head. His eyes snapped open at the sound of more feet behind him; the red streaks in his pupils were beginning to spread and his face was twisted with rage.

“Why did you follow me?” he growled before staggering to one side and grappling one of the fridges, lifting it over his head. “I said GET AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” He took a quick step and flung the massive white box at the person nearest him, which happened to be Shingen; the next seciond, his naginata blade flashed through the air and cleaved the flying fridge into two pieces, landing on either side of him. Ryoga stared, then cried out angrily as Ranma grappled him from behind, wrenching his left arm behind his back while locking an arm around his neck.

“Forget it, pork butt, you’re not gettin’ off the hook that easily!” Ranma shouted. “Look, just settle down and get a grip on yourself, we’re tryin’ to help you out, buddy!”

“BUDDY? YOU?” Ryoga shot back with a humorless laugh before twisting in Ranma’s arms and yanking himself free. “That’s a laugh, especially coming from you, you son of a bitch! After everything you and I have been through, you have the gall to call me a BUDDY?” Ryoga’s fists began flying, prompting Ranma to quickly tumble away and fall into the dodge-block pattern he’d perfected in many of his sparring sessions with Akane.

“You never did anything for me, Ranma! And when you did do something, it was always with your own damn interest in mind, wasn’t it? You goddamned glory hound!!! Always you that had to be the best, and who cares about dumb ol’ lost Ryoga anyway!” His eyes flashed pure red as he ducked in for a punch-backfist combo. “Time for me to take my fair share!!!” His fist shot forward… but before it could connect, Ranma’s own fist buried itself in his solar plexus, followed by a cross fist to the face. Ryoga staggered back, his knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

“Sorry, man,” Ranma scowled, “but we can’t help ya if you don’t shut up and keep still.”

“Oh, Ryoga!” Akari lamented. “Ranma-kun, did you really have to hit him so hard?”

“Hey, I wasn’t too keen on letting him rant and possibly bean someone with another fridge!”

“Did you see that light in his eyes?” said Akane, darting over and rolling Ryoga onto his back; his eyes had returned to their normal shade but were rolling around in their sockets. “They were bright red, just like yours were when you lost control, Ranma…”

“Yeah, I saw,” he murmured. “Poor guy…”

Ryoga began tossing and turning, arms flailing out on either side. “We’ll have to keep his strength in check, otherwise the boy will cause no end of trouble,” said Cologne sharply as she hopped over to his side and quickly pressed a point high on his sternum, followed by a tap to the side of his head. He stopped twitching and lay back, closing his eyes. “That should help for a short while,” the ancient Amazon muttered.

“What was that you just did?” Akane asked.

“The first point reduces strength temporarily. Not quite the same as that old goat Happosai’s moxibustion; I can release it once I’m sure he’s out of danger. The other point triggers a sleep response, so for the next few minutes, he’ll be no more dangerous than a kitten.”

Ranma tensed up instantly on hearing the ‘k’ word. “HEY! D-don‘t say that w-word, old g-ghoul!”

“Could we focus on the matter at hand here?” Shingen interjected harshly, grabbing six paper wards out of his jacket pockets and flinging them in all directions. Four shot through the air and embedded themselves at each corner of the rectangular lot, while the remaining two affixed themselves midway along the two longer boundaries of the lot. “Even with his strength reduced, we haven’t got a whole lot of time; we’ve got to work fast. I’ve got to prepare a casting circle first.” His hand shot into his jacket and retrieved his tanto. “Ranma, I need you and Akane to scout the area, make sure we aren’t going to get surprised, then come back and get ready to help when I ask. The wards I placed may keep things from getting out, but there’s no guarantee things aren’t going to come in. Elder, if you’ve got any more binding cord, now might be the time to use it.”

“What can I do?” asked Akari as Ranma and Akane darted off to either side of the lot.

“Once the Spirit Purge begins, you can keep low and out of range,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I really wish you hadn’t tagged along, Miss Unryuu; we’re dealing with demonic forces here, and I don’t want you caught in the crossfire if you can’t fight back.”

“We’re dealing with my fiancé here,” Akari replied, a determined look in her eyes. “I’m not going to just run away at a time when he needs me the most!” Just then, Ryoga started twitching again and groaning in his sleep.

“Looks like there might not be much time left to quibble,” Cologne murmured as she produced a second length of gold cord from somewhere on her robe.

“You’re right about that,” Shingen replied, drawing his tanto out of its sheath and jamming the blade into the ground. “Miss Unryuu, if you want to make yourself useful, get his shirt off.” With a quick tug, he drew the edge of the blade in a complete circle, then made five consecutive cuts, scoring a perfect pentagram within the circle.

“Al- alright,” Akari stammered. Ryoga began tossing back and forth even harder; she quickly knelt at his side and pushed his shoulders down. His weakened state made it surprisingly easy for her, but he continued to rock his shoulders from one side to the next, and she fumbled with the ties near his shirt collar. “I… I can’t get him to stay still, Shingen-kun! The ties won’t open!”

“Forget decorum, just rip the damn thing off!” Shingen snapped.

Akari flinched, then swallowed hard and gripped Ryoga’s shirt collar tightly. She blushed madly and yanked as hard as she could, tearing his front off completely and exposing his bare chest. Ryoga gasped and tried to push himself up, but Cologne pushed him back down again and began wrapping cord around each of his wrists. Slowly his movement became less violent, almost halting completely just as Ranma completed his tour of the lot and came to a halt next to him. Seconds later, Akane had rejoined the group and Shingen had finished carving six sigils into the casting circle.

“You two see anything?” Shingen asked as he put the tanto away.

Akane shook her head no. “Didn’t see or hear a thing,” Ranma replied. “Afraid someone’s gonna interrupt us or somethin’?”

“Someone or something,” the Hunter replied as he, Ranma and Akane picked up Ryoga’s limp body and carried him over to the casting circle. “After that imp incident in the dojo, there’s no guarantee another one won’t visit us while we‘re busy.“ Placing him directly over the circle, they quickly arranged his arms and legs in a spreadeagle position; Cologne produced four large nail-like objects and attached two to the cords on his wrists. The other two were quickly tied to his ankles, and within seconds all four nails were driven into the ground by the ancient Amazon. Shingen glanced over each binding and, satisfied that they were secure, produced the purging scroll from inside his jacket. His voice became low and serious as he spoke the preparatory incantation. “Miss Akari, now would be a good time for you to move away,” he said as he pressed the ward across Ryoga’s chest and struck the appropriate pressure points. Akari nodded nervously, standing up and crossing to the far side of the lot where Katsunishiki sat waiting.

“Wait a minute…”

Ranma’s head snapped up. “Huh? What’s up, Akane?”

Akane glanced from one side of the lot to the other, her eyes narrowing. “I can hear something… something laughing.” She shivered. “And I don’t like the way it sounds, either.”

Ranma was about to brush it off as part of her imagination, but suddenly froze. His eyes widened. “Hey, you’re right… I can hear it, too.” An errant gust of wind blew across the lot, rustling some of the taller weeds. “Sounds like it’s moving towards us… and there’s more than one.”

Akane nodded, clenching her fists. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” Cologne simply stared, a blank look on her face.

“Whatever’s out there, we can’t let it butt in while I’m doing this,” Shingen said in a low voice. “Once I start, I’m not gonna be able to stop or else I could very well kill this guy.” The wind began to blow a little faster, the rustling a bit louder… but this time, the rustling had a set pattern to it. A gentle thumping began to echo across the lot, not unlike the padding of feet. Ranma settled into a loose stance, Akane doing the same. The padding was getting nearer by the second, and faint laughter was starting to join in as well. A bead of sweat ran down Ranma’s temple; behind him, he could hear the thud of Shingen’s throwing knives as they sank into the ground around Ryoga, setting the marks for the hexagram focus point. Just then, three voices piped up at the edge of the lot.

“Hunters, Hunters come to play! At the closing of the day!” “Shall we leave or shall we stay?” “Let us stay and make them pray!!!”

Akane stared as three grotesque giggling imps sprang up from the shadows and leered at them, their green eyes glinting with mischief. “More of those things?” she asked to no one in particular. “That one this morning was bad enough, now there’s three of them?”

Ranma cracked his knuckles. “Just means we gotta move three times faster to deal with ‘em.” He glanced over at Akane. “Can’t let them mess with what we’re doin’, right? Just call it a little more speed training.”

Akane nodded, looking back at the new arrivals and smirking. “Might as well make them pay for what the first one did to me.”

Several things happened simultaneously. The trio of imps sprung into the lot, darting off in multiple directions. Akane and Ranma lunged forward to face them. Cologne swung her staff in a wide arc and jammed it into the ground, propelling herself high into the air. Shingen’s hexagram formed underneath Ryoga and ignited the runes on the purge ward, prompting Ryoga to cry out in pain as ki started to pour into his body. Akari gasped and cringed against Katsunishiki’s side. Then the fun began.

“By the spirits of this world and the power bound in my blood, I invoke the Circle of Purity! Light to darkness, darkness to light, order and chaos in balance…” Shingen said, brows knitted in concentration. Ryoga groaned even louder while not more than a few yards away, the three imps cackled and screamed, trying to get past the two teen martial artists before them. Claws and fists flew as both sides traded blows at a hectic pace.

“Interrupt a delicate situation, will you?” Cologne murmured dangerously. “Begone, beast!” She shot to the ground like an arrow, very nearly impaling one of the imps before swinging her cane in a wide arc, catching it across the forehead. It skimmed across the ground, screeched at the old Amazon and scrambled back towards her, trying to claw her face off and bite her at the same time. It quickly decided this was a bad idea when Cologne shoved her bony hand down the imp’s throat, then released a bolt of blue energy that blew the back of its head wide open.

“That which is soiled shall be cleansed, that which is sealed shall be released! In accordance with our bloodline contract, I banish thee and cast thee out!”

Ranma was dancing with a second cackling imp that was proceeding to swipe at him with the speed of a blender, but while it was fast, Ranma was faster. He grabbed it by the arm and bounced its head off a rock before yanking it back up into the air again. He smirked and tensed his right hand up. Hope ya don’t mind me borrowing yer moves without asking, Shingen, but I know how good this one is, especially since ya hit me with it! “JINRAI TEKKEN!!!” he bellowed, slamming his ki-coated knuckles into the imp’s stomach; a low-grade sonic boom echoed through the lot, temporarily drowning out Ryoga’s cries as the imp exploded into white light. The wind near the casting circle was beginning to pick up incredibly fast.

“In the name of the elements and the clan Yamashira, I command you…”

With a maniacal squeal, the remaining imp launched itself repeatedly at Akane, apparently attempting to rip her flesh and grope her at the same time. Far from attacking head-on, however, Akane was doing something much different; she was bobbing and weaving from side to side, blocking one moment and jumping away the next. In short, she was doing with the imp what Ranma had done with her in the past, and seemed to be enjoying it. “Come on, scale-face, what’s the matter, can’t even get close enough to cop a feel?” She blinked and chuckled to herself. I guess it is kind of fun to taunt a foe; no wonder Ranma does it all the time! Her thought was quickly interrupted as the frustrated imp dove at her full force; rather than duck away, however, she lunged in and snapped her left knee into the beast’s waiting jaw. There was a sickening crack and the imp staggered backwards, and then it was Akane’s turn to go on the offensive. The small gray creature’s eyes widened and it raised its arms to defend itself, but couldn’t move fast enough to escape her flying fists. Two body blows were followed by a punch to the forearm that produced another crack; Akane spun like a mad dervish and whipped her left leg out in a reverse roundhouse kick that sent the imp flying.

She saw it arc towards Ranma, and an odd thought struck her… followed by a wicked grin as she retrieved her favorite weapon. “Hey, Ranma! Pop fly heading your way!”

“Daichi… Tenkuu… Mizu… Kaji… Kurayami… Hikari…”

Ranma spun around just in time to catch the broken and battered mischief demon in his arms. He caught sight of his fiancée hefting her mallet in both hands, and almost immediately matched her grin with one of his own. “Heads up, ‘kane, cause here comes a knuckleball!” Winding back, he ‘pitched’ the imp back at her. Seconds later, with a thwack and a screech, the imp proceeded to take a tour of the upper stratosphere courtesy of Air Akane.

She heaved a massive sigh before tossing the mallet aside. “That oughta teach ‘em a thing or two,” she chuckled, then glanced up. “Ranma, how did you pull off that punch, I thought that was one of Shingen’s moves!”

Ranma flashed his usual cocky smile. “I’ll tell ya if you tell me where the hell you were hiding that mallet of yours.” Akane smirked and was about to reply…

…and then everything exploded in blue-white light. “TSUIHOU!!!” Shingen bellowed, accompanied by Ryoga’s loudest cry of pain yet. Even Cologne winced as the energy cyclone tore through Ryoga’s body, pulling every muscle in his arms and legs taut; the bindings on his extremities strained, but held fast as the lost boy was almost lifted off the ground. A cloud of purple-black mist erupted from the glowing ward on his chest, growing larger every second until it was bigger than the nearby sumo pig, whose mistress was rapidly inching her way to the edge of the lot. Suddenly the pressure was released and the great blob of energy tore free from Ryoga, flying through the air until it impacted against the barrier around the lot, tumbling to the ground. Akari’s eyes widened and she took another step back; her shoe suddenly lost traction and she tumbled backwards onto her butt.

Akane stared at the pulsing violet mist as it began to rise up. A low rumble seemed to echo from deep within as it rose to new heights, nearly eight feet high if it was an inch. Tendrils snaked out from the middle of the miasma, quickly assuming the form of massive arms and legs. The rumbling continued, and suddenly became quite recognizable. It was laughter… deep, rich baritone laughter that would put a lifetime smoker’s voice to shame. Shingen turned to face the new arrival, retrieving his naginata in the process. Ranma sidled up next to Akane, eyes narrowing on the rapidly solidifying purple smoke… and at that moment, it spoke.

“Ahhhh… FINALLY!!!” The voice was incredibly basso, with wicked mirth echoing in every word. “Boy, does it feel good to be out of that whelp… an amusing toy, but irritatingly adept at getting lost. But now… now I’m free to do as I want, without having to lug him around. And I know what I want…” The vapor roiled a few seconds longer before congealing and taking form. Everybody except Shingen stared at what had finally emerged… an eight-foot tall, vaguely humanoid beast with charcoal skin and a physique that would put Pantyhose Taro’s beast form to shame. His muscular arms ended in four-fingered hands, which he clenched into fists as his cloven hooves embedded themselves in the ground with an impressive crunch. The beast wore loose beige trousers that ended just below the knee, and an ancient-style breastplate that was almost straining to keep his massive pectorals contained. No one really noticed this at first, however, as their attention was drawn to the red-eyed boar’s head that sat atop the beast’s shoulders, replete with a pair of tusks that looked capable of taking a hefty bite out of a steel I-beam.

The demon cast a lingering eye over the humans before him, and grinned. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this…”

To Be Continued.

--------------------

Author’s note 3/22/05: Yes, a little cliffhanger for you. This chapter would have gotten way too long if I included the details of their impending confrontation with Ryoga’s demon; no fear, the showdown commences next chapter, and another revelation unearths itself.

Thanks again to everyone who’s read my work and reviewed. I will be taking a short hiatus since Easter is coming up, but I’ve already got certain key points of my next chapter brewing. I’ll probably update sometime within the next two weeks. Until next time.

-Neon Ronin
Converting /tmp/phpHJWUne to /dev/stdout