Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ Eye of the Hurricane ( Chapter 37 )

[ 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. We now rejoin our story in progress.]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 37: Eye of the Hurricane

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It seemed as though all of Nerima ward had become engulfed in the cold gray fog, which continued to worm its way through the streets and side alleys like a horde of cockroaches in a sewer. It had started to thin in places the longer it spread, but in spite of slightly improved visibility there remained a palpable dread in the air. Odd laughter continued to ring out at varying intervals, with occasional growls and a baying akin to wolves, which only served to fuel the growing panic of those who still remained in the streets. Some people began darting indoors at the nearest opportunities, others stayed rooted to the spot, waiting for something to happen. A few hooligans attempted to take advantage of the lingering ‘wrongness’ for some quick-and-dirty looting, but their attempts were quickly put down by frantic shopkeepers already on edge from the weather.

The laughter began to grow louder. People grew even more on edge, and in some cases tempers started flaring. Fights began to break out… which was when dozens of shadows began emerging from the mist. Shadows of small creatures with six-fingered hands, their gray skin blending with the fog, rendering them nigh invisible apart from their vibrant green eyes. Other shadows began to emerge just beyond… large snakelike shadows… canine shadows… even a few large humanoid figures grew vaguely visible in the viscous, cold miasma.

The fog continued to roil and undulate, spreading outward like ripples on a pond from a single point- a rather infamous Nerima high school building. Nary a person remained on the school grounds; when the cloud had first descended upon the roof and begun to grow, most of the remaining students had remembered the events of the past few days and had beat a hasty retreat, leaving soccer balls and baseball equipment scattered in their wake. The faculty had soon followed; even Miss Hinako had departed the building, her nerves still on edge from the previous day’s ‘incident’. Hikaru Gosunkugi had very nearly been left behind; he had been so preoccupied with pounding Ranma voodoo dolls that he didn’t notice the fog until it touched his ankles. Once he did notice it, of course, he had promptly lost control of his bladder and suddenly became a prime candidate for the Furinkan track team as he raced home.

A petite female figure on the roof giggled. “Sounds like fun out there, my Lord,” she purred, flicking a lock of hair with her fingernail. “So many humans to play with, so little time… it must be so delicious out there right now.”

“Indeed it is, Yoko,” said Astaroth as he approached her, arms folded. “And you well know, this is only the beginning. It won’t be long before those humans start turning in all directions, like rats in a flood. And our brethren have only just begun to gather in the mists- imagine what it will be like when the Unfinished Gate is unsealed and the final wardings set.”

“Mmm… shall I venture out and stir things up a little, my Lord?” the dark-haired girl asked, licking her lips.

“Patience, child. Let our lesser kin have their fun for now,” he replied, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I of all people know how tempting it is at the moment… but I also know a far greater pleasure awaits us. Besides, there is much to be done.” He turned and paced away from the edge of the school roof. “That contemptible Happosai’s prison kept me from my work far too long… though I must confess, the incomplete glyph did do an admirable job attracting chaos to this ward, even in my absence. Especially when it resonated with those bearing my mark.”

“My Lord,” rumbled the basso voice of Kurowashi, “there is something I have been wondering for a while now. If I may speak freely…” The black Tengu stood near the stairwell shed some distance from the roof’s edge, with two unconscious females wrapped in silver chains at his feet.

“You may ask whatever you wish, Kurowashi.”

The Tengu’s birdlike head nodded as he folded his arms. “I understand your desire to undo the Accursed One’s school; there is no question about that. I only wonder at the necessity of bringing the human females with us. Not only are they excess weight to have around, it seems the Saotome youth would have been provoked into pursuit regardless of whether we had taken them or not. You know full well, Lord Astaroth, how the boy loves a challenge.”

Astaroth smirked. “That I am well aware of, my friend,” he replied, running his fingers along the length of his sword-cane. “But I am also well aware of the deep attachment he and the Tendo girl have to their families. You see those two women as mere bait.” He gestured to the slumped figures of Nodoka and Kasumi. “I see them as a means to incite the two of them into true fury. Surely you didn’t think such a quick victory over Sagara and Saito’s heirs would satisfy me?”

The Tengu nodded slowly. “You plan to bring out the true warriors within them.”

“I plan to do more than that,” Astaroth mused with a sneer. “I intend to make this a night to remember. I know what those two are capable of- remember, I have watched them through Yoko’s eyes for quite some time.” He drew the cane from the sash at his waist. “Perhaps I have not been able to see everything that they have accomplished, but I have seen enough. And I, too, enjoy a challenge.”

“Even though they may pose a threat to you, my Lord?”

The white-haired man’s head snapped back towards Kurowashi. “There is no threat. And I would advise you not to suggest such a thing again, lest you value your existence on this plane.”

The Tengu started, then bowed its head. “Of course. I apologize, Lord Astaroth.” Astaroth narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nodded.

“I will not deny, had the Saotome boy not been angered sufficiently he might have actually made contact with me,” he mused in a low tone. “Though the way he is now… I sincerely doubt the boy could have done anything to permanently wound me.”

“Of course not; as you said yourself, my Lord, no man yet has been able to make you bleed!” Yoko exclaimed, bouncing on her heels with glee. “But you will almost certainly make him bleed, won’t you?”

Astaroth’s face molded into a sadistic sneer. “I fully intend to make him bleed copiously before I put an end to his bloodline, Yoko. Him and his pitiful fiancée, both.” He turned towards her and gave her a long look. “However… I suppose I would be remiss if I were to deny either of you your own pound of flesh. Am I correct?”

The smaller girl’s eyes sparkled in the mist. “I would love nothing more, my Lord, than to deal my fair share of pain and suffering… especially to that girl…” She licked her lips. “After all those months of prodding her to batter Saotome, all the time spent watching them, it would be ecstasy to batter her in return…”

“Spoken like a true Paingiver,” Astaroth chuckled. “Bear in mind, though, you have only just grown into your new body. You may have been able to flay Saotome’s pathetic father, but the girl may be another story.”

“I have watched her a long time, my Lord,” Yoko pleaded. “Perhaps there have been times I did not see everything she was doing, but I know her like the back of my hand. Even with the awakening blood within her, I know what that girl can do. Please…” She sidled up to Astaroth and rubbed against his right side seductively. “Please, Astaroth-sama… let me make her squirm?”

Astaroth began to laugh. “My dear Yoko… you truly are priceless.” He reached over and lifted her chin up with his left hand. “By all means… you may make her squirm. But only when I say you may. No sooner.”

“Thank you, my Lord!” she gushed, taking his hand and kissing it.

“And what of me, Master?” Kurowashi rumbled. “How shall I act?”

The white-haired man furrowed his brow for a moment, then smiled. “Divide and conquer, my friend. I fully expect those Hunter scum to approach en masse, rather than opt for the knife in the back. And they will know I am expecting it. All you need do is what you do best, and eliminate their strength in numbers.” He paused, then smiled. “If you wish, you can take your pick of whichever warrior you choose; deal with them as you will, but the Saotome youth is mine. I want him at least breathing by the time he reaches this place.”

“As you wish, Lord Astaroth,” the Tengu grunted, a birdlike grin on his face. “And what of the Unfinished Gate?”

Astaroth nodded and gripped his sword cane tightly in his right hand. “Best not to let it sleep any longer. This structure has sat atop it long enough.” He lifted the cane over his head, which seemed to pulse steadily with an inner heartbeat all its own. “What has lain dormant these years, your Master has returned. Awaken, that you may achieve completion!”

The butt of the cane slammed down, striking the rooftop with a devastating crack that thundered the entire length and breadth of the school grounds and caused the prone Kasumi and Nodoka to stir and shudder slightly. Cracks exploded outward from the point of impact, both to the left and right and also directly away from Astaroth before shooting down the school walls; in two instances, cracks ran directly down either side of the front door of Furinkan, then shot across the ground, making a beeline for the school gates. The fissures in the walls spawned further secondary cracks, which in turn spawned cracks of their own until, with a great roar, an entire section of the front of the school imploded in on itself with a mighty groan. The walls crumbled in on top of the front doors, which were soon engulfed by the ground beneath it as the very foundation gave way, creating a one-story sinkhole in the midst of the school grounds.

Indigo light began to boil out of the hole as Astaroth swung his cane again, poised on the edge of the broken roof. A faint eldritch pattern flickered once at the bottom of the depression, then grew brighter, forming a broken wheel of runes and sigils that sparked madly and began to secrete deep blue smoke. The white-haired demon’s amethyst eyes narrowed and he thrust his cane forward. The jewel set in his cane blazed violet, and an instant later, crimson light erupted from the edges of the sinkhole and raced through the parallel fissures that led to the front gate. The ground shook violently- and the schoolyard abruptly exploded in a maelstrom of dust and broken rock as jagged black stone pillars erupted from the ground. Each pillar was easily the thickness of a telephone pole and stood at a set distance from one another, forming a row of spires in a manner that seemed to mimic traditional Japanese temple arches- and mock them at the same time. Along the school walls, additional, smaller pillars speared upward, until the entire area seemed to be ringed with black stone talons.

Astaroth surveyed the grounds and nodded as the pattern several stories beneath him throbbed and sent out occasional tendrils of electricity. “Yes… yes, this will do for now. Now to set about finishing the Gate… and prepare for our guests’ arrival.”

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“I was afraid something was going to happen; in all my three hundred years I’ve seldom felt energy of that nature and not seen something disastrous come of it.” A sharp intake of breath brought Cologne’s attention back to the body beneath her. “Take it easy, of course it’s going to sting a little. Stubborn little mule, that’s what you are,” she reprimanded, using a gnarled finger to smear an herbal coagulant on Genma’s belly.

“Too bad you all weren’t here five minutes ago. You missed all the fun,” Nabiki muttered humorlessly from where she sat on the porch, staring at a blackened spot on the ground. The barrier shield around the house had begun to flicker back into existence, but some of the runes had yet to fully recover, leaving the shield thin in places.

“Fun nothing, looks like a tsunami hit this place,” said Ryoga, shaking his head as he surveyed the remains of the stone barricade around the house; most of the pillars had caved in upon themselves following the departure of their creator. “Is this all something to do with that damn fog in the streets? And what’s with the scorch marks, something catch on fire?”

“Take a closer look, Hibiki,” Shingen said as he kneeled next to Taro, focusing a Naosu Kousen on his torso. The wounded part-time minotaur didn’t push him away, due to a pressure point-induced sleep he was in. “Someone caught on fire.” Ryoga blinked, turned to look at the scorched heap more closely- and promptly turned white.

“Wait a sec… is that… is that…”

Cologne shook her head slowly. “That, I’m afraid, was Happosai, young man.” Shampoo, who was holding the medicine jar for Cologne, gasped and turned to look so fast that she nearly dropped the jar.

“Aiya… is that what Great-grandmother mean when mention aura disappear?”

Cologne nodded, then turned to see several sets of questioning eyes. “On our way here, it wasn’t hard for me to feel a tremendous gathering of ki in this area. I could tell something was afoot… when I felt one aura tremble, flicker and vanish, I won’t deny that it chilled my old bones. Especially given whose aura it was; I wasn’t totally certain, but it felt too much like the old goat for it to be coincidence.”

Akari, who was tending to a still-unconscious Soun, was trembling. “But why? Why would all this be happening? What kind of a monster would do such a thing?”

“A twisted one… some jerk so hell-bent on revenge he’d go so far as to wreck dozens of lives just because of one pint-sized old lecher…” Everyone glanced in the direction of the speaker, who sat at the far end of the porch tending to the bruises on Akane’s back. His voice was calm, but with a definite undercurrent of mixed emotions that weren’t hard to recognize. Anger, fear, lingering shock… and, to the heightened senses of at least two people, no small amount of self-loathing.

Akane stirred and turned her head to look her fiancé in the eye. Ranma, settle down, she whispered through the Astral. You couldn’t have known this was going to happen, right? None of us could have known…

Ranma took a deep breath. “All this time… that white-haired bastard was pulling the strings all along…” He sighed and shook his head. “And I broke my own damn rule, too… let him get to me, got myself caught off balance ‘cause I was riled up…”

“Hey, would somebody mind telling ME who or what did all of this?” Ryoga piped up. “Kami’s sake, if there’s something out there tough enough to do this,” he pointed at the charred body beneath him, “to the old man, I’d like to at least know what it is we’re dealing with! I mean, who’s to say it’s not going to start doing this to everybody in sight?”

“Hibiki, will you calm down?” Mousse snapped as he and Ukyo emerged from the kitchen with clean washcloths. “You’re not the only one who’d like to find out; I for one have no desire to sit around and wait for this to happen to anyone else.”

“Be that as it may, this isn’t your fight,” Shingen replied, getting to his feet. “This is something a lot bigger than either one of you. Definitely bigger than what I was expecting…” He shook his head and folded his arms. “This is a Named Spirit. A demon bearing a True Name, meaning either an avatar or, in this case, apparently the heir to the powers and lineage of one of the nobility of Hell itself. And if that wasn’t bad enough, this one has the services of a Fury and a Greater Tengu at its disposal.”

Mousse and Ryoga both stared. “Heir to the nobility of Hell?”

“In other words, a grade-A powerful jackass demon,” Ukyo mused mirthlessly. “I figured as much, given what I just saw…”

“And on top of that, those bastards decided to take Kasumi and Ranma’s mother with them,” Akane spat.

“They did WHAT?”

“They took my mom and Kasumi as hostages, Ryoga,” Ranma growled as he and Akane stood up. “They want us to follow them; it’s just like that time on Toma’s island. ‘Cept Toma didn’t really want us to follow, he just wanted a bride. This guy…” He blew out a long breath and his jaw hardened. “He wants us dead.”

Ryoga shook his head and put his jaw back in place. “Wants you DEAD? What the hell for? What’d you do to piss of someone who could burn up Happosai, of all people?”

“He didn’t do anything, Ryoga, and neither did I!” Akane snapped, giving Ryoga an icy glare. “What makes you think he started anything, huh?”

“Alright, settle down, all of you,” said Shingen in an even, firm tone. “The simple fact of the matter is, because of the matter of this Happosai angering a demon, and because of their latent Hunter blood, this being called Astaroth seems to have been setting events in motion to destroy not only Happosai’s school, but the two bloodlines as well. And given what I know from our libraries, the odds are somewhat in his favor.” He shook his head and looked Ranma in the eye. “Remember I mentioned Saffron? What I was about to tell you, was that Astaroth is rumored in Hunter lore to be a demon with power equal to Saffron… possibly even more so. Judging by what he did, the lore has some truth to it.”

Shampoo stared. “Man more powerful than Phoenix god-king? Great-grandmother, is no possible, is it?”

“I’m afraid it may be possible, child,” the aged Elder replied as she applied the herbal salve to Genma’s leg wounds. “The ki I felt not long ago was most powerful… so much so, I daresay I felt like a frightened youth.” She shuffled further down Genma’s leg, making room as Shingen entered the tearoom and placed his thumbs and index fingers in a triangle pattern, executing the Naosu Kousen on the older Saotome’s wounds.

“And I let that son of a bitch take a free shot at me… gods, I am such an idiot…”

“Ranma, you’re not an idiot,” Akane said in a gentle yet stern tone. “I just about reacted the same way you did when he said what he said…”

“And what did he say?” asked Mousse, an eyebrow raised. Akane started to say something, then faltered. This is not going to be received well, she thought. She cleared her throat.

“That he was responsible for at least Ranma’s cursing at Jusenkyo… as well as several others…”

“He WHAT?” several people shouted at once, very nearly causing the comatose Soun to wake up.

“Would everybody please just SHUT UP?” Nabiki snapped. “Look, you can all talk about how all-powerful this Astaroth freak is and what he may or may not have done till the cows come home, but that’s not going to do a DAMN thing about the fact that right now, he and that little entourage of his are running around Nerima right now with my sister and Auntie Saotome in tow! Okay, so he had some sort of grudge against Happosai; okay, so he’s been pulling strings behind the scenes! I’m not saying the whole thing isn’t a big deal, and I won’t deny it kinda shocked the hell out of me, but what I want to know is WHAT do we do now? Answer me that! Just what the hell are you guys going to do about it?” Her fists were clenched and shaking, and Akane could just barely make out a tear threatening to leak out of Nabiki’s eye.

“Oneechan…” was all Akane could say. Ryoga blinked in surprise, forgetting the rant he had been about to deliver regarding the curses. Mousse stared at the mercenary Tendo, who took a long, shuddering breath and wiped her eyes with her forearm brusquely.

“Sorry,” Nabiki said in a subdued voice. “Got a little carried away for a moment there… guess I wasn’t really expecting everything that just went down, that’s all…”

“It’s okay,” Shingen replied softly. “None of us were; you had every right to say what you did.” His fingers separated and he bent down to examine Genma’s leg wounds. “And you’re right, we do have to do something about this. The only trouble is, I’m not sure where to begin.” He pursed his lips, shifting his perception to get a better look at the Fury’s handiwork before getting up again. “You’d better keep off that leg for a little while, Saotome-san; I’ve done what I can, but those claw wounds went a lot deeper than I expected.” Genma said nothing, but grunted in agreement.

“Didn’t that guy say something about being at an Unfinished Gate?” Ukyo mused.

“Yeah, that’s what he said,” said Ranma as he brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Personally, I don’t think finding him’s gonna be the problem.”

Akane nodded. “He mentioned something about how we have to make him bleed before he can be defeated…”

“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Ryoga protested. “If we can catch this guy off guard, hit him when he’s least expecting it…”

“First off, Hibiki, I told you this isn’t your fight, and secondly, you don’t understand what we’re talking about.” Shingen leaned heavily on the staff of his naginata. “I had a chance to examine Astaroth’s aura, and there’s a definite Contingency embedded in his ki.” He shook his head. “I thought for sure I could overcome it, but…”

“Contingency? What that mean?” Shampoo asked, befuddled.

“Basically, this being has an enchantment on him that means he can’t be injured unless a select set of circumstances are met. That’s probably what he meant by making him bleed before he can be defeated.”

Shingen glanced up in surprise- as did Cologne, Ryoga and Ranma. “That’s exactly what it means,” Shingen said at length. “You’re pretty quick on the uptake, Mousse.”

Ranma blinked. Guess the guy’s not as dim as he looks, huh? Akane rolled her eyes and swatted him lightly on the arm. Hey, I was just jokin’ around a bit, Acchan, he started mentally protesting before catching the faint impish grin on her face.

“In any case,” Shingen continued, “I could tell it would take something unusual to inflict lasting damage to him. And knowing what I do about Omega-Class demonic threats- and this one qualifies, I promise you- I thought for sure my trump card could break through his defense mechanism.” He crossed his arms and stared at a spot on the floor. “Apparently, I was wrong.”

“Trump card?” Ukyo blinked and crossed to him. “You mean that ‘chain blade’ trick you did?”

He nodded. “I haven’t encountered a demonic threat that wasn’t affected by Karasuhebi’s released state. At least till now…”

“Released state? Ya mind explainin’ that a little bit, Shin? And what’s with that name? I never heard ya call your weapon anything before…”

Shingen glanced up in Ranma’s direction. “It never came up, that’s why I never mentioned its name.” He hefted the naginata in one hand. “I was planning to bring it up once I’d had a chance to train you both a bit more in Hunter techniques, but I guess now’s as good a time as any. Especially now that we’re dealing with a threat of this nature.

“You already know Hunter weapons are hardly normal weapons. Everything about them, be it steel, leather or willow wood, is carefully treated and imbued with Hunter magic during their construction- partly to act as a channel for positive ki, partly to make its very touch anathema to demons.” He paused. “Moreover, every Hunter weapon- be it a bow, a spear, dagger, anything- has its own name. A name that comes about from the binding of a summoned shikigami into the weapon as it is being enchanted. This makes Hunter weapons more than tools… it makes them our allies.”

Cologne stared in amazement. “Great heavens… not unlike the weapons of legend that the ancient Joketsuzoku forged so long ago… I’d heard tales that there were other tribes who created such weapons, but most thought that only the Phoenix or Musk had that sort of power.” Though I must say, it’s not really that surprising…

“Wait a second… are you telling me that that spear of yours has some kind of spirit trapped inside of it?” Ryoga piped up.

“Not trapped, Ryoga,” Shingen replied with a cold glare. “They choose to join the fight against demon kind. Their alliance with the Hunters has been a tradition going back many hundreds of years.” He tilted the naginata, letting the light from the ceiling lamp play along the engraved kanji on the staff. “Not only do they give each weapon a distinct name, they give it something more. A power that remains locked within, which can only be unleashed when the Hunter knows his weapon’s name… and when no other recourse is available.”

“So that’s what that was,” Akane breathed. “You were releasing that weapon’s lock.”

The taller Hunter nodded. “I figured Karasuhebi’s Coiled Chain Blade was the best chance to stop that man. And once again, I let my impulses guide my hand instead of proceeding with caution. Damn it…”

For a brief moment, nobody said anything. Shampoo glanced outside, biting her lip at the sight of the fog beginning to darken. Ryoga scratched his head. Mousse nodded to himself, a pensive look on his face. Shingen simply gritted his teeth in disgust.

“So… if that ‘released state’ didn’t do anything, how do we deal with this?” Ranma asked pointedly. “How do we make that guy bleed?”

Shingen looked up. “I don’t know.” He flexed his right hand, then set the naginata down and tightened the straps on his gloves. “I’m not even sure what the Contingency on him is. It might be that his vulnerable spot is consolidated, or maybe he has a threshold that needs to be overcome… or it could be something else entirely.”

“Maybe if ya get him away from his two stooges,” Ukyo murmured. “That petite Yoko bitch sure seemed glued to his side; maybe she’s his weak spot.”

“Well, whatever his damn weak spot is, we’re not gonna figure it out any faster if we keep standing around,” said Ranma grimly as he brushed his bangs back and straightened his shirtsleeves out. “No point mulling over plans that may or may not work; we gotta do something right now.” He blew a sharp breath out through his nose and stepped heavily into the house, making a beeline for the front hall closet.

“What Ranma doing now?” Shampoo asked. The sound of the closet slamming open echoed through the house, and a moment later Ranma had returned, carrying a wakizashi in each hand.

“Look, I ain’t gonna deny that I’m not too thrilled on going up against some jagoff that just knocked the wind outta three of us at once,” Ranma scowled. “But that bastard made it personal- he knows it, I know it, and there ain’t a whole lot of options left right now. Astaroth wants a fight, so we might as well give it to him.” He turned to Akane and lightly tossed the blue Saito sword to her.

“Ranma, are you sure you know what you’re saying?” Akane asked as she caught the sword one-handed. “Don’t get me wrong, I want that guy’s head as much as you do, but if we don’t even know how we’re going to beat him…”

“We’re just gonna have to do like we’ve always done, ‘kane. Play it by ear.” He paused, then smirked. “Improvisation is one of the hallmarks of Anything Goes, right?”

Akane nodded slowly… then smiled and nodded more resolutely as she remembered all the identical circumstances they had been in over the previous year. Challenge upon challenge, each one just a little harsher that the last… and the two of them were still in one piece. She remembered that often there had been some form of planning involved at one point or another- whether it was Ranma’s mulling over the mechanics of the Shishi Hokodan, or the training to master the Hiryu Shoten Ha- but some of his greatest victories, she realized, had been due to improvisation and throwing plans out the window. You’re right, Ranma. This is the Anything Goes school, and we don’t really have any time to plan… She gripped the wakizashi tightly in her left hand. “You sure we can take him?”

Ranma gave her a warm smile in return. “All I know is I ain’t gonna let him get away with this crap. That’s all I need right now.” He turned, shoving the Sagara sword into his belt. “Shingen. What do you say we go beat the tar out of a Named Spirit?”

Shingen chuckled, shaking his head slowly. “I wasn’t expecting you’d be going up against something of this caliber so soon, you two,” he said, his tone growing serious. “It won’t be easy, you know that. He’ll know we’re coming, that fog outside the house is probably full of his minions.”

“In other words, it’s pointless to be sneaky about it,” Ranma replied. “Like it really matters. Let’s just do it.” Akane didn’t say anything, but stepped next to Ranma and nodded, a slight tremble in her lip the only indication of any nervousness.

“Hey, hold on a second!” Ryoga straightened his bandanna and stepped onto the porch and into the house. “You don’t think I’m just gonna sit back and watch you guys charge into Kami knows what, do you? Sorry, Ranma, but this is one fight I’m not planning on sitting out!”

Shingen groaned. “I thought I told you several times already, Hibiki, this isn’t your…”

“Like HELL it isn’t!” Ryoga shot back. “Okay, so maybe I don’t have this ‘blood gift’ and maybe I don’t have the kind of tricks up my sleeve that you do, Shingen, but I do know how to fight! And I’m sure as hell NOT gonna let my friends dive into a mess like this without a little backup!”

“That goes for me, too,” said Mousse quietly from his corner of the room. “I’ve seen my fair share of supernatural fights, and this is one I’d rather not back away from. Especially when it concerns three people who are part of the Joketsuzoku by adoption.” He lifted his right arm, then thrust it down and to the side; with a metallic chink, an ornate double scabbard slid out of the sleeve, containing a matched pair of T’ai Chi swords sheathed side by side. “Yamashira, you and Saotome are, by law, my tribal brothers. And I never abandon a brother, regardless of the circumstance.”

“Mousse speak truth,” Shampoo piped up, springing to her feet. “Shampoo go as well; would be wrong to let Sister Akane go to battle and stay behind.” She turned and looked at Cologne nervously. “Is okay, Great-Grandmother?”

The old Amazon nodded. “I will not deny that I still feel quite uneasy, child,” she murmured. “I fear there may be a great fight ahead for all… but you are right, an Amazon never abandons a fellow warrior.” I only pray that I shall see the lot of you return home safely, young ones…

“Well, if you guys are all gonna go with them, I’m going too!” said Ukyo, her fist set and her eyes steely. “Not like Ran-chan and Akane aren’t my friends as well, right? And you all know I can be pretty handy in a fight myself!”

“Dammit, this isn’t some kind of social outing!” Shingen snapped. “Do you have any idea what’s going to happen out there? Those streets are going to turn into a battle zone the moment we set foot outside the barrier!” His eyes darted severely over everyone in the room, eventually coming to rest on Ryoga- but straying in Ukyo’s direction almost imperceptibly. “This situation is a Hunter issue! I’m not about to let you get caught in the crossfire, I’ve already risked too many civilian lives as it is!”

“Oh, so just because we don’t belong to some Hunter clan, that means we don’t get to do our part?” Ryoga snarled. “Look, fella, I’ve fought Ranma dozens of times, I know what he can do and I saw what he did at Phoenix Mountain! I don’t doubt he can probably do the same again, but I’ll be damned if I don’t do something to help make sure he does it again! And I think I’d kinda like a piece of this Astaroth creep myself!”

“That goes for me too, Yamashira.” “You got that right, sugar.” “Shampoo agree. All fight together.”

Shingen paused, his stony expression faltering as he began to notice the outpouring of ki from each warrior standing in front of him- not to mention the near-identical looks of determination on their faces. Good Lord… they’re really serious. Their mindsets are so solid I don’t think I’m going to be able to talk them out of this! I know they’re all good fighters… phenomenal, actually, judging from the ebb and flow of their auras, but… dammit, it’s against the Code to bring a civilian into battle with demonic forces… Just then he felt another mind Linking with his.

Shin, man… I know ya don’t wanna risk them getting hurt, but for what it’s worth… they’re a good bunch. They may’ve put me through hell, but they’re damn good fighters. I say let ‘em come.

A moment later, Akane’s voice joined Ranma’s in the Link. It’d be a risk, I know, but it feels like they really do want to help. Yeah, they’ve been trouble in the past, but I don’t know anyone else besides Ranma I’d rather have watch my back.

Shingen paused a moment longer, then closed his eyes and sighed. “Alright… if you’re so keen on helping out, I guess I can’t really refuse you,” he said in a tired tone. “But we’ll have to make some additional preparations first; after all, better safe than sorry.” He straightened his lapels and turned towards the hallway, heading for his rented room. “All four of you, come with me. We haven’t much time.”

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

The mist was beginning to grow steadily darker as the afternoon gave way to early evening. It had thinned out only marginally, letting more light from the streetlights shine through, and panic was still growing. Only now, imagined fears were starting to give way to real fears. Ghostly figures were beginning to emerge from the mist at an alarming rate, most of them the mad, cackling imps who were fully enjoying the task of tormenting any human in their midst. Bicycle and motorcycle tires were suddenly perforated by their six-fingered hands; grocery bags sundered, their contents splayed on the ground; frightened schoolgirls suddenly found their jumpers and skirts being flipped open by unseen hands.

It wasn’t until the larger shadows erupted from the fog that things began to turn nasty. Stray cats and dogs suddenly found themselves the unwitting victims of skeleton-headed, snakelike Reavers; their plaintive whines of agony served only to stir the fright in nearby boys and girls. Local businessmen stood in terror as their parked cars were flipped over like playing cards, the handiwork of what appeared to be an eight-foot man of stone. Shop windows were abruptly smashed in by Lesser Oni; several street thugs soon found themselves screaming like babies, pursued by a woman who had at first appeared comely, but had soon bared claws, fangs and extended her neck almost seven feet in length. Deeper in the depths of the fog, the deep rumbling laughter of True Oni and the snickering of a trio of white kitsune could be heard.

There was practically nobody left in the commercial district, with the exception of the Neko Hanten. Only one person remained within, unsure of what to do when the proprietor and the primary wait-staff had left, tearing out into the fog with reckless abandon. The one who remained wanted to go as well once learning of the situation, but the old woman had left clear instructions. ‘Keep watch over the restaurant until we return’.

They said to watch the restaurant, but… it sounds like it’s getting worse every minute out there! The figure paced back and forth. Oh, I should have known this place was a bad idea… I shouldn’t have left, I should’ve stayed where I was! Damn it all, what was I thinking?

A cursory glance out the window revealed little to the eye, but it wasn’t hard to hear the cries of terror and, in some cases, agony. A car siren went off three blocks distant, causing the figure to leap back from the window nimbly. This is ridiculous. There’s no point in me just sitting around here when I could be of more use out there! Oh, why did I have to lose my head and leave like I did? I am such an idiot…

The figure roughly brushed two tears away, then spun on one heel and bounded towards the tiny spare room that had served as temporary living quarters for the past few days. In less than a minute, the frilly Neko Hanten apron and Chinese pantsuit had been shucked, replaced with a plain black ninja blade and red kunoichi garb.

I knew I should have talked to you instead of running off, Ukyo-sama. I thought I needed time to think… oh Kami, please be okay… and please forgive me for working for the ‘enemy’ the past few days!

Two hands snapped together and a moment later, Konatsu had disappeared from the restaurant in a cloud of pink smoke.

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

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Ryoga groused, fingering a familiar-looking hematite pendant around his neck before slipping it under his shirt collar. “You sure these things are gonna keep us in one piece?”

“They kept your curse spirits at bay- at least to a point,” Shingen replied, his right hand deftly scribing a pentagram sigil on the end of Ryoga’s umbrella with white chalk. “That, coupled with the paper wards I’ve given each of you, ought to provide at least some basic defense.”

“It seems a little too simple, if you ask me.” Mousse ran a thumb over his own pendant, his forefinger brushing against the two twisted pieces of paper on either side of said pendant. “Wouldn’t something a little more powerful be in order?”

“Yes, but we haven’t got any time to prepare high-end wardings. We’ve wasted enough already; Kami only knows what’s going on in the fog right now.”

Shampoo wrinkled her nose. “Why you scribble chalk all over Shampoo’s weapon?” she whined, gesturing with her bonbori. “Make too, too childish mess all over tribal designs…”

“It might not be much to look at, but you’ll thank me later if you wind up having to fight something stronger than imps,” Shingen replied; he was already scribing a similar pentagram on Ukyo’s spatula with a charcoal pencil. “Now remember, these are just temporary measures; I can’t guarantee their effectiveness for protracted periods. If you do get into any trouble out there and find your weapons aren’t doing any good, get out of there.” He paused, and Ukyo blinked as his eyes trailed in her direction. “Last thing I want is to see any of you getting hurt.”

Ukyo bit back the flush that suddenly tried to creep onto her cheeks, and nodded. “I hear what you’re saying, sugar. But you’d better be ready to do the same yourself; just cause you’re a Hunter doesn’t mean ya gotta kill yourself tryin’ to fight this guy.”

Shingen smirked and nodded. “I’m just trying to do my job, Ukyo. But… I’ll keep that in mind.” He handed the spatula back to her and turned around. “Now, what’s left… uh, Mousse, I’m not sure how many weapons you’ve got hidden on you right now, but I’m not going to be able to ward every last one of them.”

“That’s okay,” the tall Amazon replied. “Just these will do for now.” He lifted the matched T’ai Chi swords, and Shampoo’s eyes suddenly widened as she caught sight of the intricate gold and silver inlay on the polished cherrywood double scabbard. She hadn’t paid attention in the sitting room, but seeing it up close made her stop and stare.

“Mousse, where you get that?” she gasped. “Those are… beautiful.”

“The Sun and Moon Blades,” he replied proudly. “They’re a family heirloom of mine, passed down to the first-born.” He withdrew the swords several inches from the scabbard, revealing wave patterns etched on the spring steel blades. “My Master of the Hidden Weapons style told me only to bring these out in a time of dire need. Said they were too fine to use in everyday swordplay.”

“Well, I’d say this certainly qualifies. Just hold them steady for a moment,” said Shingen as he approached with the charcoal pencil.

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

“Are they almost ready?” said Ranma impatiently as he and Nabiki helped Genma into a seated position.

“Almost,” said Shingen, running a polishing cloth over the double edge of his naginata blade. “I think Shampoo may still be ogling those fancy swords Mousse brought out, and Ryoga said he needed to use the restroom. Threatened to break Karasuhebi in half if we left without him.” He gave the blade one last sweep before putting the cloth away. “Good thing Ukyo said she’d show him the way, or we’d never get out of here. This is ridiculous.”

“I know what ya mean.” Ranma stood up, his hand resting on the pommel of the sword in his belt. “I’m not even sure why Akane’s taking so long in her room, she can put that gi on in two minutes flat. And while we’re at it, what’re we gonna do about that creep?” He gestured roughly in the direction of a still-sleeping Taro.

“I don’t think he’ll be any real trouble,” Cologne murmured as she took a puff on her pipe. “If he does start making a ruckus when he wakes up, I think I can keep him in line.”

“Yeah, but what if his curse starts makin’ him go bonkers? I’m pretty sure we ain’t got the time to Purge him, so…”

“It wouldn’t work, Ranma,” the taller man interrupted, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I had a chance to examine Taro while I was closing his wound. It’s too late; his ki and that of the curse has already merged. If I tried to Purge him now, I’d probably kill him.”

Ranma froze. “Merged? You mean… are you telling me he’s already gone an’ flipped out, or…”

“Actually it seems to be quite the opposite.” Shingen paused, then snickered. “It would appear that man’s willpower is a lot more potent than meets the eye. He must’ve lived with the curse so long, he made it submit to his will instead him submitting to its will.” At Ranma’s blank stare of cluelessness, he continued. “I scoured his aura as best I could. If there was any demonic influence- and it looks like there were at least two, if not more- then that influence has been quashed. The kid’s actually taken the demonic infection and added it to his own aura.”

Ranma’s jaw threatened to hit the ground. “You mean that freak actually…”

“He’s not demonic, but he’s also not entirely human, either. He practically turned himself into a hanyou… pseudo-demonic power, human consciousness. And that means I can’t Purge him OR hunt him; the Code demands discretion when dealing with half-humans.”

“Half human? Is that really possible?” asked Akari, who was putting a fresh washcloth on Soun’s head.

“Where I come from, Akari-chan, just about anything’s possible,” Shingen replied. Ranma stared at Taro a moment longer, then shook his head and heaved a resigned sigh that seemed to say, fine, I’ll try and figure it out later.

“Ranma…”

“Huh?” Ranma started at the raspy voice calling his name and turned around. “What? What’s the deal now, Pop? Yer leg still bothering you?” He stepped across the room and squatted next to Genma, elbows on his knees. “That was pretty damn stupid of you, jumping in front of those guys like that; what the hell were you thinking?”

“Don’t lecture me right now, boy,” the older man grumbled. “I just felt like it, that’s all…”

“You saw what it did to the old goat an’ the rest of us, and then just felt like standing up to him?”

Genma shook his head. “Just call it… I don’t know… call it making up for all the times I ran away from things, okay? Alright, so I didn’t have a chance against something like that… that doesn’t mean I was just supposed to run away and do nothing.” He coughed lightly a few times. “After all… it’s a martial artist’s duty to protect the weak… you’d have done the same thing in my shoes.”

Ranma blinked. “Uh… yeah, I would have… but… even so, I figured you’d just take off or…”

“I already told you, I’ve done that too many times. So what if I couldn’t defend against that girl… at least I tried.” His shoulders slumped and he looked at the bandages on his belly. “I… I just wanted to do something right for once in my miserable life…”

Ranma looked at him for a long, hard moment. “Even so… that was pretty stupid of you, old man. You realize you could’ve gotten killed?”

Genma nodded. “I know that… and I hope you’ll remember to think of that if it gets too tough for you out there.” He looked up, then paused. “Was… was what that man said really true? About you… and Akane? And…” His eyes fell briefly on the sword in Ranma’s belt. “H-Hunter blood?”

Ranma let out a long sigh. “We were planning on telling you and Mr. Tendo soon… we just hadn’t figured out how to break it to you gently.” He brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, it’s true. Me an’ Akane both. Call it a gift from our mothers’ side of the families. Even Mom didn’t know about it.”

Genma nodded faintly. “And… those swords…”

“Hunter weapons, kept in our clan’s libraries when their ancestors abandoned the path,” Shingen interjected.

“So… that means you two…”

Ranma nodded almost guiltily. “We knew we were gettin’ into some deep weeds when we found out about this, Pop. We talked it over a lot before we decided to accept this, and we accepted it together. We didn’t get pushed into this, and sure, it means we’re gonna wind up dealing with weirdness on a regular basis…” He pushed back up to his feet, then cracked a crooked smile. “But I guess we just got used to the weirdness.”

Genma looked perplexed for a moment, then thoughtful, eventually bringing his eyes back down to stare at the floor. “Well, then…” was all he muttered before lapsing into silence.

“Yeah. Well, now ya know. I’d tell ya more about it, but there ain’t time.” Ranma shifted uncomfortably, then stood back up and turned towards Shingen. “Shin, there’s one more thing I gotta ask you.”

“Ask away.”

His eyes strayed back to the Sagara wakizashi as his hand brushed the tsuba. “You said Hunter weapons each have their own name, right?” At Shingen’s nod, he continued. “And knowing that name’s what allows you to ‘release’ it, right?” Another nod. “Alright, then… if that’s the case, I want to know what the name of this sword is. If it’s supposed to be mine by blood, then I might as well know how to use it.”

The taller man shook his head. “That’s something I can’t tell you, my friend. That weapon has to tell you itself.” He straightened up and shouldered his naginata. “It’s different for every Hunter, and usually only happens once their aura has awakened sufficiently. When the time’s right, you’ll know.”

“Know what?” The sound of Akane’s voice made Ranma and Shingen pause and turn around. For a tiny instant, Ranma’s breath caught in his throat; she was wearing her regular gi pants and socks, but rather than her usual gi top, she sported a sleeveless yellow top with red trim, clearly Chinese in design, with subtle floral patterns sewn into the cloth and a red frog closure at the right shoulder. In fact, it closely resembled some of the fighting tunics Shampoo had sported from time to time, decorative while allowing her arms free range of motion. It also looked a little snug- which was what caused Ranma’s breath to catch.

“Uh… we were just… talkin’ about how to tell what our swords’ names are…” He blinked and shook himself. “Akane, where’d you get that?”

She blushed and scratched her head nervously, shifting the Saito wakizashi which she had slung across her back. “Um… actually I’ve had it for a while now. I saw it at a martial arts supply store, back before… before the last incident in China… I was planning to surprise you with it, but then we kept slipping back into old habits and fighting, so I forgot about it…” She swallowed and tugged at the dark blue wrist guards she’d slipped on. “That’s kinda why it took me so long, I had to dig it out of my closet…”

Nabiki whistled. “Not bad, little sis. Not bad at all. Definitely suits you better than that ratty old gi.”

Akane just shrugged, then looked back up at Ranma, who seemed to be fixated on the embroidery of the shirt. His mouth didn’t move, but his words rang clear as a bell in her mind’s ear. You… you look incredible, Acchan. Her smile quickly broadened as her eyes locked with his.

“Well, now that you’ve gotten yourself organized, we’d better get a move on,” Shingen piped up, silently grumbling about fashion sense superseding preparations for the fight ahead. He reached into his jacket and tossed Akane a warding pendant with additional paper wards, then tossed one to Ranma. “Keep those on at all times, and for Kami’s sake don’t lose them.” Just then there was some shuffling in the hallway, followed by Ryoga being hauled roughly into the room by the others.

“Geez, I said I was sorry! I couldn’t help it, I had to go!”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to take so much time in there, jackass!” Ukyo growled, grinding her knuckles into his head. “Sorry ‘bout making you wait, Shin-kun; Spam-for-brains here decided to do some lavatory loitering.”

“Will you STOP IT?” Ryoga snapped, pulling loose from the others and straightening his shirt, moments before he was abruptly glomped by Akari.

“Sweetie, you’re going to be careful, right? You’ll come back, won’t you?” The sight of her worried eyes caught Ryoga to the quick, causing his temper to evaporate in an instant as he returned her hug- hesitantly at first, then confidently.

“Don’t worry, Akari, everything’s gonna be okay. I’ll be back.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “I promise.”

“Yeah sugar, we’ll get him back if we have to drag him the whole way,” Ukyo chortled, which quickly earned her a dirty look from Ryoga.

“Hey Ranma,” Nabiki called from across the room; she had knelt next to the still-unconscious Soun in Akari’s place and was holding his hand- which in itself raised a few eyebrows. “You better make sure you take care of my kid sister- and bring everyone back in one piece, you hear me?” She shot him her usual icy glare, but at his nod, the glare softened and a hint of a smile formed on her lips. “And… don’t you get hurt either, little bro. Just thrash that guy and come home.”

Ranma smiled. “I’ll be back before the sun’s up, Nabiki. No need to worry.”

She looked away, hastily reassembling her Ice Queen persona. “Just get going already, Saotome.”

“She’s right, you know. We’ve got to move.” Shingen hefted his naginata and headed for the foyer, followed closely by the others. He quickly slipped on his hiking boots and laced them up as everyone else grabbed their own shoes. “Remember- once we get outside, follow me. We’re going to be heading for the heaviest concentration of negative ki in the area- and for heaven’s sake, DON’T split up.” A chorus of nods and a few affirmative grunts was his reply.

Ranma paused and looked at Akane, who was deftly lacing her sneakers. You ready for this, Acchan?

She looked up. Not really. But when were we ever ready for anything? She stood up and tapped her foot once, making sure the shoe was snug. Ranma, you mentioned our swords’ names… did Shingen say how we’re supposed to learn them?

He shook his head. He just said the swords would tell us when the time was right. I’m not really sure what that means… I guess we’ll just have to find out as we go.

Akane nodded. Not like we have much choice now. She looked up and brushed her hair back. “Let’s go kick some butt.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Ranma said with a grin.

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

Genma looked up slowly as the front door slammed shut. Not far from him, he could see Cologne sitting in meditation, methodically etching a protective ward pattern on a nearby tatami mat. To his left, Taro was still out cold, and he could hear Soun mumbling something to his right. It sounded like Akari was in the kitchen looking for something, and Nabiki was nowhere to be seen. He could also faintly see the outline of an enormous sumo pig sitting right outside by the porch, just inside the reawakening barrier.

Soun shifted in his sleep, and Genma could see a faint tear escape his eye. His mumbles began to grow more distinct.

“Uhh… no… no… our children… man… white hair… taken Kasumi… taken our eldest… Akane… going to fight… why… please, not our baby too… please, Akane, don’t go…” He rolled on to his side and his mumbles began to quiet down. “I’m sorry, Michiko… first I lost you… now I’m losing our babies… I’m so sorry… such a weak man… forgive me, Michiko…”

Genma closed his eyes as Soun gradually fell into a deeper sleep. “It’s alright, old friend,” he murmured. “Don’t blame yourself over this… none of us could have expected it. And don’t think she blames you for it, either.” He let out a long breath. “You’re not going to lose them. Akane’s a strong girl… stronger than I gave her credit for. She’ll come back. They’ll all come back, I just know it.”

He let his head sink back against the wall. Ranma… I don’t know if I fully understand how you inherited this… or what you and Akane plan to do with it. I’m not even sure I want to understand. But I do know one thing. A single tear lingered in his eye, which he pushed back. You’re the best fighter alive today… and you’ve always found a way to win, which is more than I ever did.

Watch out for them, and be careful out there… my son.

To Be Continued.

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Author’s Note 3/17/06: Well, I did suffer a brief interlude of writer’s block during the past few weeks, but managed to bumble through in my own way. As I pointed out, all Hell has broken loose in Nerima, and it’s only going to get worse as time goes by. Now, some of you may be wondering why it is Konatsu showed up where he did. Answer- he was more than a little confused by some of the things he noticed of late re: Ukyo and needed time to think, so he needed to go somewhere. He needed a place to stay and a roof over his head, and possibly employment. Now having been trained as a tearoom attendant by his (former) family, not to mention his work at Ucchans, it seems only natural to apply at another restaurant- and the Neko Hanten needed extra help. (Whether Konatsu was aware of Mousse’s condition is another question.)

Why work at Ukyo’s main competitor? The poor guy wasn’t thinking right- as indicated above. He may have just seen a help wanted sign and ducked in, going through the motions like a robot. Or perhaps he had noticed the relative peace between Ukyo and the Amazons, and decided to venture towards friendship with them as well. There’s a hundred reasons why he did what he did, and I can’t fathom them all at the moment. Suffice to say, Konatsu’s done enough thinking.

I had dropped several hints of his presence, as some of you may have noticed.

A shikigami is a servitor spirit popular in Japanese folklore, the equivalent of a wizard’s familiar. Some are constructed with a folded paper doll as their base, others are independent of the mage and are summoned to be of service. They have made appearances in other anime series, notably InuYasha.

The long-necked woman mentioned is another popular staple of folklore, a rokurokubi or long-necked demon. From what I can tell, they can be either male or female. Also of note are the kitsune(fox spirits) and their colors; a white kitsune signals calamity, and a trio of kitsune portends disaster. Black kitsune, on the other hand, supposedly bring good fortune.

Finally, as it has never been revealed what Mrs. Tendo’s canon name was, I decided to give her one myself. Many fanfic authors seem to use the name Kimiko, which I felt was a little tired; so as to differentiate my story from others, I chose Michiko. Translated, it can mean ‘child of beauty’ or ‘the righteous way’. I leave it to you to interpret its meaning in the context of this story.

Thank you for reading, and I welcome your reviews, as always. Until next time.

-Neon Ronin