Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ Demons and Dummies ( Chapter 26 )

[ 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. I’d like to reiterate something I said once at the beginning of this story. I’m no expert on the canon, I’m just here to have a little fun with a plot that formed in my head one day. If parts of it are too cliché or don’t mesh perfectly with the canon, I’m sorry. I only hope what I write is enjoyable to read. That said, on with the show.]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 26: Demons and Dummies

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The old man shuffled through the cramped confines of the curio shop, grumbling all the way with his customer hot on his heels. It was early morning and he had hardly expected to be roused from his bed at this hour- on a weekend no less- but the customer had been most insistent and had promised just compensation for his time, and in the end, after much arguing, he had begrudgingly given in. “Young man, this is preposterous,” he was saying, threading his way back towards a set of long shelves. “I fail to see why you should want something from my store that could backfire upon you. You went through it once before when I sold you that egg; must we go through such pain once again? Besides, surely there must be another store that would furnish something suitable.”

The tall young man in kendo clothes shook his head. “Nay, verily I doubt any other store might have what I need,” he replied in a cold tone. “I have already sent my loyal minion Sasuke to scour the ward, and all efforts have been for naught. I know, too, the risks of seeking aid from the unknown, but for honor to be well and truly satisfied I shall do what I must. Surely you would not turn away the request of one who has suffered greatly at the hands of a most unrighteous creature?”

The old man shook his head and sighed, boggling at his customer’s speech patterns. “Very well, young sir… I will show you what I have, but I fear there is not much to my stock.”

“I will take what I can,” Kuno replied, folding his arms. Among all these ancient treasures must surely reside what I need. Yea, the Phoenix Egg was a trifling error in judgment; I should have known to seek out power in the Soul of the Samurai proper, rather than such a trinket. I shalt not make the same mistake twofold. Not at a time like this… not when that vile, accursed beast Saotome must be dealt with for his most heinous crimes.

Is it not enough that he wrests the heart of the fair Akane from my grasp? Nay, he goes further still… toying with the heart of mine sister… and worse still… he… that fiend… that unholy fiend, to make ME, Tatewaki Kuno, QUESTION MINE OWN MASCULINITY!!!

Kuno shivered in his inner rant and clenched his fist. Of all things- to pervert the common order of things, waltzing from one gender to the next, toying with the hearts and minds of man and woman alike! A cold rage began to build in his eyes, unnoticed by the shopkeeper. To think that all this time I have been pining over NOT a red-headed woman, but a… a MAN! I shall never forgive him for this… this DISGUSTING affront to my own manhood… nor shall he be forgiven the condition of my most twisted sister. Days now, she has laid abed, no words save the occasional bout of laughter or the fiend’s name. They say she may never fully recover from such a shock as this… twisted though she may be, she did not deserve such a shock…

“Young master? Here is what I have, though I must refrain from letting you have one or two of these… young master?”

Kuno blinked and shook himself out of his reverie. “Forgive me, humble vendor, I was lost in thought.” He looked up and found they had arrived at the back of the store, near a long rack adorned with a series of ancient-looking, mostly ornamental weapons. Several katanas were set in decorative stands alongside a series of wakizashi and no less than five tantos.

“These are what I have,” said the old man, “but I must confess that I don’t see why you would want such an item in this day and age. These are curios only. Not killing tools. I won’t have my shop caught up in such matters.”

Kuno shook his head. “Old man… this is a matter of honor between houses. There are those still who hold deeply to the tenets of the samurai, and House Kuno is one such household. Honor must be satisfied, and I needs must obtain a weapon befitting an honor duel.” I dare not sully the family blade with Saotome’s blood… not when there may be one within these walls that will serve my purpose far better, if Sasuke’s information was right.

The old man just sighed and gave Kuno a pitying look. Poor young fellow, caught up in delusions of grandeur. Honor duels? In these times? Probably off in a dream world of his own, like most of that family; he’ll spend the day ‘killing’ straw dummies in his backyard, most likely. Oh well… so long as the money’s good, I suppose it’s really none of my business… Just then Kuno stepped forward and picked up a katana on the far end of the rack, holding it up to the light. The old man’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute there, young fellow…”

Kuno’s eyes brightened at the sight before him. The katana was old, to be sure, but had been kept so well it looked almost new. Light danced off the polished steel of the tsuba and pommel, throwing sharp relief on ancient words carved into the metal. The royal blue of the sheath matched the cord wrappings of the hilt, marred only by the elegant figures cut into the sheath, depicting a noble warrior leading several brutish warriors into battle. Kuno’s fingers brushed along the hilt and he shivered, feeling a sudden rush of power.

“This blade likes me well,” he murmured, eyes taking in the runes and kanji engraved on the tsuba and sheath. He traced a set of characters with his thumb and smiled grimly. “The Sword of Ogres…”

“Young sir, you do not want this,” the old man admonished. “This sword is here for display only; it’s not for sale.”

“Not for sale?” Kuno looked up with steel in his eyes. “I do not want this? How dare you dictate what the firstborn of House Kuno does or does not desire?” He gripped the sheathed sword and lifted it up. “This sword calls out to me like none other that I have wielded; had I known you had such a masterpiece before, I might have foregone the purchase of that accursed Phoenix Egg! Tell me now, peasant- what is this, this ‘Sword of Ogres’?”

The old man sighed. “Sir, I promise you, you must not mix yourself in things you do not understand. There are tales behind that sword… tales of it passing down through the hands of great warriors, fine men to be sure, but ultimately doomed because they failed to control it. They say the sword is a tool of great destruction and power, that it brought about much trouble long ago in the time of Nobunaga.” He paused, then shook his head. “Of course, they are all rumors and tall tales, but that sword has remained in my shop for many a year, and it will stay in my shop. I trust not its reputation- especially not after the Egg Incident.”

Neither man noticed a smallish green-eyed figure creeping along the ceiling, just behind Kuno’s head, translucent and silent as night. Nor did they notice it drop down, hovering in midair behind the tall kendoist, and whisper something in his ear before disappearing completely with a faint whisper of a giggle. Kuno’s brow knitted and he gazed at the katana once more.

“I have faced many a trial in my life for the sake of honor,” Kuno said sternly. “I am well aware of potential consequences. But I shall not rest until the one who has wronged me has paid the price- and for that, only such a weapon as this will suffice.” His grip on the sheath tightened. “Against the infidel’s sorcerous ways, I needs must fight fire with fire. I will have this sword.”

“I appreciate your conviction, young man,” said the shopkeeper, holding his hands up, “but I repeat, that sword is not for sale! Not even if you hit me in the face with a bundle of money! I learned my lesson last time when I sold you that egg, the same method won’t work twice on me!”

A moment later, the shopkeeper reeled back, having been hit in the face with two bundles of money. “Sold.”

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That same morning found Akane slowly stirring awake, eyelids fluttering as she reluctantly left her dreams behind. She didn’t want to wake up yet; the warmth of her pajamas and her bunk sheets was far too comforting to leave so soon. Gradually, though, she grew more and more awake- and more aware of the comforting embrace she was in, much nicer than one might expect from a thin set of sheets. Her eyes opened in mild surprise as she looked up. “Oh… yeah,” she whispered to herself as a smile and a blush grew on her face. “So it wasn’t just a dream.”

She reached up and brushed her fingers along Ranma’s left forearm, which was draped almost protectively over her shoulder. I remember now… falling asleep in the same bunk, she thought. For a moment, old memories prodded at the back of her mind, memories of all the times they’d found themselves in similar circumstances, each one ending with him eating one of her knuckle sandwiches. She shuddered at the thought and rested her hand on his chest, cursing her temper for all the wounds she’d inflicted on him over the past year- wounds she’d glimpsed through some of their practices with the Astral Link, wounds that until now she had no idea had gone so deep.

Akane shook the thought out of her head and gazed up at his sleeping face tenderly. Ranma… you really are something, you know? I just wish I’d seen it sooner… all the little signs that showed you cared, even if you got them mixed up with your idiot dad’s manners training… gods, we really are a pair, aren’t we? She snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes. All that wasted time… oh Kami, if I’d only known… we might have gotten around to last night so much sooner…

She blushed again at the memories, then let herself sink further into his chest. Her fingers lightly brushed along his arm one last time, tracing over muscles that had broken stone and slain beings of great power- but still had the capacity for gentleness- and all for her sake. Mmm… I could really get used to this.

A moment or two later, Ranma’s eyes cracked open. He blinked once or twice, then settled on the sleeping girl on his chest. “Uh… wha…” he started to say before his own memory decided to give him a nudge. “Oh, yeah. Uh… wow…” Now it was his turn to blush as he settled back down onto the pillow, not wanting to disturb Akane. He let his head sink back and a smile crossed his lips. So it wasn’t all a dream… thank the Kami, he thought. Man… I could get used to waking up like this…

A moment later both their eyes snapped open; their subconscious minds began screaming of an impending danger. INCOMING! Instinct flared, muscles coiled and the two teens sprang apart in opposite directions, rolling backwards out of the bed just as a large glassful of cold water was emptied over the mattress.

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads; I think you’ve had enough rest this morning.”

Ranma scrambled up into a defensive crouch and glared at the source of the offending deluge. “Dammit, Shingen! Whadja do that for?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” Akane spat, flipping her bangs out of her eyes. “What’re you trying to do, drown us or something?”

“First off,” Shingen replied, balancing the glass on one finger, “I was testing your subconscious reaction time, gauging how fast you two could react in a semi-wakened state. Secondly,” he added, tossing the glass aside, “you can’t spend the whole morning asleep; it’s 8 AM already and we’ve got work to do.”

Ranma groaned. “You could’ve just set an alarm clock or something.”

“Tried those. Don’t like ‘em,” Shingen replied. He crossed over to the kitchenette and grabbed a few breakfast bars out of the upper cabinet. “You two might as well get cleaned up, then join me out on the training floor when you’ve changed and had a bite. We’ve got a lot to cover before we head back to the dojo,” he said, tossing the breakfast bars to them.

“Geez, give us a chance to wake up at least; it’s not like we’re in that big of a hurry, is it?” Akane mumbled, looking at the cereal bar glumly. Though I have missed Kasumi’s cooking; this instant garbage is getting a little old.

“I told you both going into this that this was a crash course, didn’t I? Besides, you two ought to be rested enough; you were sound asleep by the time I came back last night.” Shingen shot them a sly look. “Got some extra training in while I was out, did you?”

Both teens turned beet red. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?!?” they shot back simultaneously.

“Nothing,” Shingen replied with an innocent look. “Nothing at all. Now go get cleaned and changed; I’m not going easy on you today.”

Ranma was the first one to shake off his shock. “Heh, wouldn’t want you to go easy on us anyway, man; how else you expect us to learn all this Hunter junk if ya don’t test us a bit?”

Shingen nodded. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” He turned on his heel and headed out to the training floor. “Don’t take too long,” he added, closing the door behind him.

A moment of silence passed.

Akane slowly stood up, picked up her backpack and found a clean gi and some underwear. “So…”

Ranma scratched the back of his head and did likewise, taking a moment to straighten out his tank top. “Yeah… so.”

Akane flushed slightly and looked up. “You think he knows about… you know.”

Ranma shrugged. “Beats me… but we were kinda sharin’ the same bunk, so… I dunno.”

Yeah… same here, Akane replied, opening up a Link with him and stepping closer. I just hope to Kami that if he does know, he at least keeps his damn mouth shut… Her thoughts fell silent through the Link and she looked at the floor.

Part of her was becoming more than a bit nervous- she wasn’t sure what Ranma’s feelings were going to be now that they were fully awake, and it was scaring her. Even with what they had admitted to each other over the past week, and the barriers they had begun to break down between them, she was still scared of some form of rejection or regret, despite everything she had felt from him via the Astral Link the previous night. It wasn’t a mistake, I know it… but did I… did I push things too fast? What if… what if he doesn’t… She almost failed to notice a look of concern pass Ranma’s face, only catching it when he stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

Acchan… if I know Shingen, he’ll understand that whatever happens between us is our own business. Not his, not anyone else’s. He reached up with his other hand and brushed her hair to the side. And as for what did happen… I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Akane blinked. You… you mean that? she replied. I… I thought you might think I’d pushed things last night, that maybe I went too far. I didn’t want to catch you off guard, Ranma, I just… I don’t know… I just wanted to show you how much I…

I know, Acchan. It’s okay; I was a little thrown at first… but I’d be lyin’ if I said I hadn’t had thoughts about it for some time. He smiled slightly, prompting a giggle from her before turning serious again. That was our time. For you and me, not for anyone else’s sake. Maybe a little sooner than I expected… but I already told you. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Akane stood silent for a moment, then smiled and nodded, brushing a tear out of her eye before giving Ranma a quick hug and a kiss. “I wouldn’t change it either, you sweet baka.”

“Kawaii tomboy,” he replied, mussing her hair up slightly. “C’mon, let’s go get cleaned up; we’ve got a big day ahead of us.” Akane giggled and the two of them ducked into the washroom.

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“So you managed to talk to yer old man about that stuff I mentioned yesterday?” Ranma asked, hitting a neighboring rooftop with ease and pulling into a crouch.

“Yeah, we were finishing up just before you guys and Shampoo busted the door open,” Shingen replied from the other side of the same roof. “Fact is, it was a valid concern given our lack of presence in that area.”

“So what happens now?” called Akane from a third corner of the roof, adjusting the training weight on her right ankle and catching her breath. “Do we just leave well enough alone, or is it more urgent than that?”

A momentary break in the clouds let the sun out for a moment, highlighting the sheen of sweat on both Akane’s and Ranma’s forehead. They had been training for nearly three hours straight- an hour-long Astral Link session which had been little more than a lecture on recognizing demonic auras, then aura manifestation exercises, followed by a sparring session which gave both teens a chance to attempt a series of coordinated attacks. This was in turn followed by weight training- more intense than normal due to the extra weight on their extremities- and had finally culminated in their current exercise, rooftop and airborne sparring. To Ranma, this seemed just a more intense and focused version of what he and his dad did on a regular basis, while Akane was thrilled to be expanding her range beyond the Tendo school of ground-based fighting.

Shingen drew himself into a ready position, holding his naginata forward with the blade still sheathed. “From what I understand, for the most part there should be little risk of incidents like Ranma’s or Shampoo’s occurring; Father said the scrolls indicate the majority of infections rarely advance beyond odd behavioral quirks. That Jusenkyo swordsman with dual personalities, for example; I told you about him when I first got here.” Suddenly his knees tensed and he became a blur. Akane grabbed the pole of the weapon as it came towards her and used it as a springboard, flipping herself into the air and lashing out with a back kick at his head. Shingen spun, deflected with his left forearm and the two traded punches and kicks for four seconds before separating, landing on opposite corners.

“Yeah, but what about some of the other freaks that came stompin’ this way?” Ranma asked, jumping into the fray himself. He struck out with a side kick followed by a reverse roundhouse; Shingen countered with his weapon both times and thrust at Ranma’s feet. Ranma jumped over the naginata and aimed an elbow at Shingen’s head, which was countered by one of his gloves’ ki shields. Shingen slung his weapon over his back and his fists began to fly, only to be blocked every single time by a palm block from Ranma. “Fact is, if there’s a chance that moron Taro could go bonkers, I think I’d rather play safe than sorry,” he added as they sprang apart.

“I understand that, and if we’d had a stronger presence in China ages back the whole thing might’ve been a moot point,” Shingen replied, adjusting his bandanna. “We were just too tied up in our own affairs here in Japan to be able to investigate properly- affairs a hell of a lot worse than Jusenkyo, I might add. As is, Father did manage to contact the closest clan to China, and they might be able to investigate and help us out.”

“One of the other clans here in Japan?” Akane asked, stretching out her arms and adjusting the wrapped bundle on her back; Shingen had mentioned weapon practice later in the day, and both she and Ranma were carrying certain wakizashi on their backs.

“Not exactly; the other clans had more pressing matters to tend to- more serious even than the chaos stream in this ward, actually,” the taller man said. “That’s just the way it is sometimes- the more serious issues usually take priority when it comes to our targets.”

“So who’d he find, then?”

“An old Hunter clan from Russia… Siberia, to be exact.”

Akane blinked. “Siberia? That’s the closest they could get?”

“I told you, we can’t be everywhere at once and our numbers are few enough as it is,” said Shingen in a hard tone. “In fact, Father was lucky to find them at all; their clan went into hiding many decades ago when one of its Hunters abandoned the Code and began using his bloodline power for personal gain. Practically ruined their family’s reputation- not to mention that of the Romanov Dynasty…” He paused. “Wait a moment.”

Ranma blinked and was about to ask what the deal was, when suddenly something caught the corner of his eye. “Ah…”

“You felt it too,” Akane murmured, following something with her eyes as she dropped into a ready stance.

“This is nothing. Just our usual pests,” said Shingen, cracking his knuckles. The air near each of them shimmered ever so slightly- then flared briefly as six imps popped out of thin air, two to each of them, cackling inanely and flapping their wings in each fighter’s face.

Five seconds later they were all powder. Shingen had grabbed two by their heads and slammed them into each other so hard it sounded like a shotgun went off. Ranma had blazed through both his attackers with an almost bored-looking Amaguriken barrage, while Akane took out the last stragglers with one lightning swing of her ubiquitous mallet.

“Heh. That was almost too easy,” Ranma quipped, dusting his hands off.

“That’s because you’re coming into more of your power, most likely,” said Shingen as he straightened his jacket. “You felt their presence before they did anything, right?”

“Yeah,” said Akane. “It wasn’t like this the first time, when the training hall was getting trashed.”

“You can say that again.” Ranma let out a breath and turned back to face Shingen again. “So… this clan you were mentioning, they’re gonna look into things over there?”

“They’ll do what they can; from what I understand they’ve handled more serious incidents in the past, so they shouldn’t have too much trouble if they encounter anything of note.” Shingen took two quick steps and leaped to the next house, picking up the pace as he landed.

“Well, that’s good to know,” said Akane, following suit; she landed somewhat roughly but recovered and began sprinting just behind him with Ranma right next to her. “So how’d things check out with Shampoo last night?”

“Just fine; her aura stabilized after a while and I think she’ll recover quickly.”

“Ya sure were out late, pal; you didn’t have to spend that much time checkin’ her out, didja?”

Shingen raised an eyebrow and looked back over his shoulder. “No, I didn’t have to spend that much time on that, Ranma; I had to stop and ask the Elder a few questions, plus I put a call in to the dojo to check up on things back there.” He sighed and shook his head. “You’re not going to believe this- your father’s still stuck with his panda body.”

“HUH? Ya mean he wound up the same way as me?”

“No, apparently he can’t control the shift like you. All that thrashing he did on the casting circle botched the job; pulled the spirit out, left the curse.”

Ranma slowed for a moment in shock, then shook his head and picked up the pace as the three jumped from one rooftop to another in quick succession. “Geez, old man… can’t get anything done right, can you…” he muttered to himself. Though I gotta admit, it sorta serves him right. An’ it’s not like he really hated that damn panda body anyway…

Akane chuckled silently to herself as a similar thought entered her mind, followed by another thought that made her slow down and blink. “Still… you were gone an awful long time for just a few questions and a phone call; did something come up?”

“Nothing major. Stopped for dinner at Miss Kuonji’s on the way back.”

Akane blinked. “You stopped over at Ukyo’s?”

“Oh yeah, she almost got caught in some o’ that mess, too,” Ranma mused. He blinked once, surprised at himself. Hey… why the hell didn’t I remember that? She coulda been really hurt if she’d gotten pulled into that mess! “So how was she? She didn’t get too rattled or nothin’ by that fight, did she?”

“From what I could tell, she seemed fine.” Shingen shrugged as he slowed down and came to stop on top of a two-story house. “We didn’t really talk about it all that much. Just had something to eat, that’s all.” He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and gazed out over the skyline. “I think she figured she owed me or something.”

“Owed you?” Akane asked. She frowned for a moment, then shook it off as she remembered the events of the previous evening. That’s right, I think he kept a ki blast from hitting her during that fight. And he already fought off something else… I think he said it was a Reaver… so that’s twice he saved her… A moment or two passed before an odd thought entered her mind, prompting a silly smirk as well. “Well, I guess Ukyo may be getting her wish after all.”

Ranma gave Akane an odd look. “What’re you talking about, ‘kane?”

“Oh, nothing… just that she’s probably wanted a ‘knight in shining armor’ to come to her aid and save her in a time of need,” she replied in a slightly teasing tone. “Though she probably was hoping it’d be you, Ranma…”

“Knock it off, Akane,” Ranma retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, lighten up! I’m just having some fun here!”

“I don’t suppose we could save that sort of fun for some other time, then?” Shingen interjected, a slight edge to his voice. “It was dinner, and it went on a little late, that’s all. Nothing more to it, so could we just get back to what we were doing? You don’t see me prying into your personal affairs, do you?” Akane immediately flushed and shook her head no; Ranma did likewise. “Alright then. There should be a vacant lot a few blocks from here; we’ll be able to go through some weapon katas without much trouble. Then we…”

He trailed off, eyes snapping to attention at a point just beyond the next three buildings. “Hold it.”

“Huh? What’s the big deal now…” Ranma began before a sudden chill washed over him. His eyes widened, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Akane was reacting much the same way. A pulse of energy echoed around him, a vicious throb of energy that chilled him much the same way the yamaneko’s presence had chilled him the previous day. It wasn’t nearly as strong, but the unmistakable taint of darkness was all around them. Ranma focused for a moment, extending his juvenile aura senses before recoiling a step; the sudden rush of sensory perception threatened to make him gag.

“Good gods, what is that?” said Akane in a small voice. “It’s not the same as that curse demon… but it still feels pretty bad…”

“It’s coming from that vacant lot, whatever it is,” muttered Shingen as he yanked his naginata off his back. “Looks like we get to have some hands-on training… and not just an imp, either.”

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The young kendoist held the polished steel blade aloft in one hand, smiling as he tested its balance and heft. “Yes… most perfect indeed,” he murmured as he swung the katana twice, then brought it back up in a warrior’s salute. A barely perceptible violet aura trickled along the length of the blade, making it throb in time to Kuno’s pulse. Gripping the sword in both hands, he turned and swung once through the air. A rush of energy thrilled through his arms as countless blades of grass fell apart several feet from where he stood.

“Verily, I may have found my finest blade yet,” he declared haughtily. He lifted the sword and sheathed it dramatically, then turned and stared face-first into the wind. Now should the warlike Kuno, like himself, assume the port of Mars… and at his heels, leash’d in like hounds, should Famine, Sword, and Fire crouch for employment!!! He began to chuckle, eventually turning towards a full-fledged nigh-psychotic laugh.

“M-master Kuno, are you sure you wish to pursue this path once more? I’m not terribly fond of the way that new sword makes me feel… n-not that it’s not a magnificent addition to your collection, of course… but I’d still feel better if you used something less… creepy,” Sasuke piped up, cringing near an outcropping of rocks.

“Had I wanted your opinion, wretch, I would have asked,” Kuno retorted, drawing the sword in salute once more. “I feel the hunger of this sword… it matches mine own hunger for vengeance, and soon I shall whet my appetite upon the cretinous Saotome once and for all!”

“Still spoutin’ off at the mouth, are ya, Blue Blunder?”

Kuno’s eyes narrowed and he spun around in a ready stance. Ranma was approaching him from the near side of the vacant lot, with Akane beside him and Shingen a few steps behind. Ranma straightened his red shirt and brushed an errant hair out of his eye. “Didn’t expect to find ya out and about today; what’s going on?”

“YOU!!!” Kuno growled, his grip on the sword tightening. “You miserable excuse for a human being, how dare you show your face before me!”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted ta ‘whet your appetite for vengeance’ on me; thought you’d want me to make the job easier.” Kuno took a deep breath at Ranma’s remark, reining his temper in bit by bit as he tried to recollect all the runes he had read on the katana’s scabbard. “Whatsamatter, you still sore over the whole ‘pig-tailed girl’ thing?”

“Ranma, you don’t have to rub it in,” Akane said, giving Ranma a look that attempted to convey a scolding. Unfortunately, the smirk she was sporting ruined the effect and only caused Kuno’s eyes to flare with anger again. Shingen said nothing, but his eyes scoured the blade in Kuno’s hand thoroughly from tip to pommel.

“Thou hast no idea the dreams I have endured these past few days, you degenerate,” Kuno said in a soft, menacing tone. “What manner of beast art thou, to trade thine gender as one might trade a school lunch! And worse, to use it to deceive and beguile any person you set your wicked sights upon!”

“Hey, it’s not like I could help it before, moron! And what the hell’re you talkin’ about, ‘deceiving and beguiling’? I was trying hard as hell to get away from people like you and your crazy sister!”

“And I’m not so sure I like the idea of you calling my fiancé wicked, Kuno!” Akane snapped, hands on her hips. “Sure, he can be thoughtless sometimes, or rude, or a lot more blunt than you might want him to be, but at least he doesn’t have the damn stalker’s mentality that you do! And he’s a lot more honorable than you seem to think or give him credit for, too!”

Hey! I’m tryin’ to cut down on the rude stuff, Acchan, you know it and I know it!

Oops, Akane ‘thought’ back to Ranma. Sorry, I was just trying to drive the point home with him.

“Believe what you wish, my fair Akane Tendo,” said Kuno with a condescending smile. “But I shall not rest until this… MONGREL has paid in full for his effrontery to the Kuno clan as a whole and to myself and mine sister in particular!” He dropped into a battle stance, sword thrust forward resolutely. “From the depths of my pain and anguish, I shall SMITE THEE!”

“Heh. Just try and pull it off, but after this I’m not playin’ with you anymore,” Ranma shot back coolly, settling into a loose stance. “This is the absolute last time you and I rumble, Kuno.”

“Better watch that sword of his, my friend,” Shingen piped up suddenly. “You know there’s much more to it than meets the eye.”

Ranma glanced back and gave Shingen a serious nod. I know, man. I felt it too… that katana’s got some kinda life of its own. Gotta be what we felt a second ago. Just gotta make sure he doesn’t get a chance to use it.

Akane sighed and stepped away from the imminent duel. Just like Kuno to get his hands on another damned magic sword. She paused a moment, then smirked. Still, he won’t know what he and I have been up to the past few days. I almost pity the moron; Ranma’s gonna pound him so fast he won’t…

“NOW!” Kuno bellowed, springing forward at the exact second Ranma did. The katana blazed through the air with speed unprecedented by anything Ranma had seen him do before. Ranma’s eyes widened and he ducked an instant before the blade connected with his neck. A quick shift in his grip and Kuno slashed in the opposite direction, aiming for Ranma’s stomach. Ranma executed a back handspring and flipped away, but upon landing noticed his shirt had been cut cleanly across the grain, leaving a gaping hole in the cloth. Akane gasped.

“What the hell… ah geez, you wrecked my favorite shirt,” Ranma groaned, gritting his teeth and glaring at Kuno with a critical eye. I don’t like this… that was fast, even for him…

“You seem surprised, fiend,” Kuno spat. “But I have not yet expended a fraction of the power at my disposal. Rest assured, I will settle things between us, here and now!” The two warriors lunged at each other once again; Akane unconsciously clenched her fists while Shingen kept his focus on Kuno’s sword. Kuno slashed madly at Ranma’s face, chest and knees several times; each strike was only narrowly evaded, and in two instances came dangerously close, leaving shallow cuts and a few lines of blood in their wake. Ranma dropped and executed a spinning ground kick, smacking into the back of Kuno’s ankle and sending him to the ground. Kuno rolled as he fell, staggering to his feet just as Ranma sprang at him and began punching rapidly at his knuckles. Kuno snapped the katana to attention just in time, blocking Ranma’s punches with the tsubo or the flat of the blade.

“I must say, you are giving me good sport, miserable cur,” he sneered, lashing out in a diagonal slash that Ranma leaped away from at the last second.

“You ain’t so bad yourself, now that yer relyin’ on some stupid magic katana to fight your battles,” Ranma retorted, snapping his right leg out at Kuno’s hands again only to be blocked once more. “Are you really so lousy that you gotta cheat to win? Is that all that matters, Blue Bonehead?”

“STOP IT!” Kuno raged, executing his pattern strike at a speed easily doubling his highest pace to date. Ranma blanched and began dodging like a madman, discovering rapidly that Kuno’s strikes weren’t as easy to dodge as they had been before. Biting his lower lip, Ranma extended his battle aura outward, focusing it for one brief instant into his hands, just long enough for him to reach into the pattern strike and slap his palms together, trapping the blade.

“Ranma!” Akane shouted. “Stop fooling around with him and just knock him out already!” I don’t think you can afford to toy with him, not the way he’s moving with that sword in his hands!

You don’t think I know that already? Ranma replied through the Link. I’ve been trying to knock the damn thing out of his grip, but the jerk won’t give it up! His grip on the blade tightened slightly, and he could feel a burning sensation as the violet miasma along the blade began to sear at his flesh. With a grunt, he shoved the sword away violently. Kuno staggered back, but did not drop the blade. “That does it. Time to kick it into high gear!” Ranma murmured, ripping the training weights off his ankles and wrists.

Kuno barely had enough time to re-assume battle stance before Ranma burst forward again. He sneered at first, but the expression was quickly replaced by astonishment and fear as Ranma began an all-out assault on the kendoist’s arms, hands and feet. Fist and foot cracked against flesh, bone and steel for several long moments as the two warriors exchanged blow upon blow. By the time the two separated to catch their breath, Ranma’s clothing had been sheared in a few more places and Kuno was sporting a massive shiner over his left eye.

“It would seem… you have improved some… since last we fought,” Kuno gasped.

“Heh. I’m just getting warmed up,” Ranma shot back with a cocky smile. “C’mon, you know this is pointless, man, just give it up already!”

“NEVER!” Kuno drew himself up to his full height and held the sword up high. “I shall never concede defeat to a common vermin such as yourself! Not while there is breath in my body… and the appropriate tools of warfare at my disposal!” He snapped his head around, looking behind him to his left. “SASUKE!”

The ninja’s head popped up from behind the pile of rocks. “Y-yes, Master Kuno? You wish something of me?”

“Indeed… I want you as witness to the awesome power contained within this blade. The power that has put me on equal footing with this fiend, if not more so!” He swung the blade so that it faced point downward, towards the ground. “Truly, let us see if the Sword of Ogres lives up to its name! Now, grant me thine power!” With a grin on his face, he plunged the tip of the blade into the earth before him.

A violent screech ripped through the air, making Akane and Sasuke wince as green light boiled up from the spot where the blade pierced the ground. Gusts of wind kicked up at random, blowing grit into Ranma’s eyes and flipping his torn shirt around and about. Kuno grinned as a black, bulbous shape bubbled up within the green light, finally bursting upward and coming to rest beside the sword. A second black blob followed suit, and a third as well before Kuno withdrew the katana from the ground and held it aloft dramatically. Quickly the winds died down and the green light vanished. Slowly eyes reopened- and stared.

Standing next to Kuno were three great beast-like beings. Standing eight feet tall, they looked roughly humanoid, with reddish skin that was rippling with muscle from head to toe. Each of the beast-men sported a mane of shaggy black hair, bulbous yellow eyes, and horns that just barely peeked out from beneath their black locks. All three wore identical tiger-skin loincloths, and each one was wielding a club the size of Sasuke, who had suddenly disappeared.

Kuno stared at them momentarily in shock- then grinned wickedly. “I see… so this is what the scabbard script entailed.” He gazed upon the blade of the katana proudly. “Truly you are a tool of great power, to summon forth allies such as this.”

Akane stared in horror. “What the… what did he just do?”

“Dammit,” Shingen growled. “That’s not just some enchanted sword; it must be acting as a Gate Key.”

“Gate Key?”

“Something- a weapon, jewel, piece of cloth, whatever- that can open a portal between this world and another,” he continued. “Very rare, and very hard to find, even for a Hunter. And it looks like this key’s brought us a few Oni to play with.”

“Lovely,” Ranma said, wiping his brow. “That’s pretty damn low even for you, Kuno. Makin’ a deal with the Dark Side, are we?”

“If it takes the forces of hell to defeat thee, then so be it,” said Kuno emotionlessly. He turned and looked up at the ogre to his left. “Forward, minions, and punish yon vile charlatan immediately!”

Ranma pulled back into a defensive stance. Akane pulled up her sleeves and clenched her fists. If Kuno’s not fighting alone, then neither is Ranma, she thought to herself.

The ogre looked at Kuno and scratched his head. He looked at the second ogre, then the third. Both of them looked back at him but said nothing. He looked at Kuno again.

“Uhh… punish what?”

Kuno’s eyes widened. “I said, punish the charlatan at once!” he snapped, wagging his head in Ranma’s general direction. Ranma and Akane promptly sweatdropped.

“Charli-what?” “Whuzzat?” “Don’ lookit me…” The three ogres began babbling at once, their eyes dull and confused. One would point at another, who would point at the third, who would in turn point at the first two; none of them seemed to know what the word meant. Nor did they notice the effect their inane discussion was having on their surprised summoner.

“What is the meaning of this?” said a very agitated Kuno. “I invoke the power of the sword… and are promptly rewarded with a group of incompetent APES?!?” His grip on the sword tightened until his knuckles began to turn white, and for a moment he stood and silently ranted and raged- not noticing that the ogres had stopped talking and were looking right at him.

“He call us apes…” “Puny human uses lotta big words…” “Don’t like him…”

Kuno spun on his heel and faced the trio, his face livid. “Now LISTEN to me! I’ll put it in terms even an incompetent ignoramus can understand!” He pointed at one of the ogre’s clubs. “USE!” He pointed at his brow. “HEAD!” He spun around and pointed at Ranma. “NOW!!!”

The three ogres nodded in unison and proceeded to follow his directions- to the letter. Kuno found himself on the receiving end of three clubs to the top of his head, one after another. He wobbled unsteadily and staggered forward, sporting a basketball-sized lump on his melon and visions of Akane and girl-type Ranma dancing around his eyes.

Shingen smirked. “The one thing about Oni- they’re tough, but they’re dumb as rocks.” Ranma burst out laughing, while Akane stared for a second before joining him as Kuno wheeled and stumbled around on the grass like a circus clown. Eventually, the call of gravity became too great and he flopped, rather ingloriously, onto a patch of earth right in the midst of the three ogres. As he did, his grip on the sword failed and it dropped, point-first, into a grassy patch beside one ogre’s foot.

All at once, the violent screeching sound returned, cutting everyone’s laughter short. Akane’s head shot up and her eyes widened at the sight of the green light bursting out of the grass once again. This time, the light was brighter, the screech more intense, and Akane’s surprise quickly turned to shock as another black blob emerged from the ground to stand beside the ogres. Another followed… and another.

“Oh gods,” she gasped. “What the hell’s going on? A-another Gating? Kuno didn’t invoke that sword’s power again, why’s it doing it now?”

“I don’t think that moron’s psychobabble had anything to do with this!” said Ranma as he took two steps back. “I think that stupid sword’s doing it all by itself!”

“You’re not too far off, my friend,” said Shingen in a low voice. “Gate Keys sometimes have only one step required to activate. And judging from the looks of things, it activates when the tip pierces earth.” He stared at the sword, which was gradually becoming surrounded by a veritable squad of ogres… ogres who were starting to develop a keen interest in the three warriors before them.

Akane took a step back, cringing slightly as one ogre looked her in the eyes and licked his lips. “What’re we going to do now?”

Shingen sighed and pulled the sheath off the blade of his naginata. Ranma cracked his knuckles and ripped the ragged remnants of his sleeves off of his shirt, then turned to Akane and gave her a confident smile.

“We do what we always do, ‘kane. We fight.”

Shingen nodded. “Looks like training camp is over.”

To Be Continued.

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Author’s Note 9/2/05: First I’d like to wish everyone a Happy Labor Day weekend. Second, I apologize for the delay in posting, but what with the summer heat, general craziness at work and with the world in general, my incentive got shaved back a few notches. I still intend to finish the story at some point, and I will try to increase my update speed. Third- yes, I did indicate in this chapter that something happened between Ranma and Akane- but I did not indicate whether or not they actually went ‘all the way’, as it were. That, my dear readers, I leave to your own feverish imaginations.

The monologue Kuno chants to himself is ripped from the prologue of Shakespeare’s “Henry V”. I felt it suited his pomposity.

The ogres emerging from the cleft caused by the sword are, indeed, oni- the Japanese ogres who were thought to inhabit hell and inflict tortures upon the damned- and their appearance is hopefully kept in line with their traditional image. Of course, that image may have been ruined due to the first three having the mentality of the Three Stooges…

In any event, thank you for perusing this little diversion of mine. If you have a moment to send a review, please do so; I could use the encouragement. I’m not a perfect writer by any means, I just act like I know what I’m doing. Until next time.

-Neon Ronin