Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Retribution for the Damned ❯ Retribution for the Damned ( Chapter 2 )

Retribution for the Damned

by DigiSim

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Chapter 2

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With a startled gasp, Kasumi awoke.

'Oh, what an odd dream,' she thought to herself. Stretching her arms above her head and arching her back, Kasumi worked out the kinks that had accumulated during her down time. Bringing her arms back down, she looked to her left and squinted a little as the sun shone off the ocean and reflected into her eyes through the airplane window.

'Hmm, just how far away are we?' She wondered if the ocean she was flying over could still be called the Sea of Japan since the plane had taken off from Narita International an hour and a half ago. Checking her watch confirmed how long they had been in the air, despite the delay from taking off. Exhaling through her nose, Kasumi looked to her right and saw Ranma sitting in the seat right next to hers.

'Oh, he looks so handsome sleeping like that. I love his hair in that braid.' Said braid was hanging over Ranma's left shoulder at the moment. Kasumi had toyed with the idea to do hers the same way the day Ranma started wearing his as it is now. She decided to put off the decision for a while and actually forgot about it till just that moment. As her eyes roved over her secret lover's frame, Kasumi felt a small smile touch her lips.

'I'm so lucky. I love Ranma so much and he loves me. I just wish we didn't have to hide from Uncle Genma and Auntie Nodoka how we feel.' Kasumi's eyes kept wandering, taking in the sight of Ranma wearing his standard red Chinese shirt with wooden frog ties, black kung-fu pants and slippers. 'Wait a minute. Ranma doesn't dress like this. He likes T-shirts and jeans like I do. Why is he dressed this way? It looks good on him though so why am I complaining?'

Shrugging off the thought as insignificant at the moment, Kasumi looked across the aisle to see her aunt and uncle asleep in their seats as well. Kasumi and the Saotomes had to rush to Narita that day to catch an early flight to America. Thanks to unseasonably bad weather, if they had missed their plane, they would have had to wait for almost forty-eight hours to try again. The rain was so bad that there were hardly any departures or arrivals at the airport. Sleep had overtaken the four of them during the delay on the ground and she was the first to awake.

Looking over her aunt and uncle, Kasumi was puzzled about the strange way they were dressed too. Genma was wearing a dirty white gi that was several sizes too large for his muscular frame, a cloth on his head that vain bald men wore even though he had a full head of hair and ridiculous looking glasses held on his face by what looked like strings going around his ears. Nodoka was wearing a kimono and had her hair up in a bun. As long as Kasumi could remember, she had never seen her aunt wear a kimono except during the Sakura Festival every year as well as whenever they all went out to visit a traveling fair.

'Maybe they were all dressed this way and I just didn't notice it till now. It doesn't matter anyway.' Kasumi was about to drift off to sleep again when the sound of children laughing could be heard near the front of the plane. A young girl of seven appeared in her view of the aisle, wearing emerald green shorts that looked too small on her young body, a lemon yellow sleeveless top and a pageboy-style haircut that framed her face nicely. The girl turned and faced the way she had come so all Kasumi could see was her profile. She felt the girl looked familiar.

"Nya nya, can't catch me sis!"

The girl then stuck her tongue out at whoever she just taunted, turned to her left which gave Kasumi a good look at her face, winked at her and then fled down the aisle laughing. Kasumi felt she had seen the girl somewhere before once her face was revealed full-on. For the life of her, where that was refused to make itself known in her mind. The next figure to appear was a girl of six wearing a sleeveless, pale yellow sundress and had black, almost dark blue hair styled short which Kasumi felt didn't suit her.

"C'mon Biki, my legs aren't as fast as yours!"

The girl then looked at Kasumi and gave her a smile that would have rivaled the sun for brightness. Right after that, she took off after her sister. This was another girl that seemed memorable to her but she didn't know why. Who were those girls?

"Kane-chan, Biki-chan, behave yourselves!"

A third figure put in an appearance. She figured this girl, who looked to be nine, was the other two's eldest sister. She was wearing a peach colored skirt that hung down to just below her knees and a powder pink blouse. Her hair was in a ponytail and rested on her right shoulder, just like Kasumi wore hers. The girl then looked at her and snarled viciously. This utterly startled Kasumi. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought the girl had growled like a dog or wolf as well. What had she done to deserve such a reaction anyway?

With an 'Hmph,' the girl turned and followed her two siblings, to try and wrangle them back to their seats. 'What the hell was her problem?' Shaking her head, Kasumi decided it wasn't worth worrying about and settled back in her seat.

A few minutes later, hunger made itself known in Kasumi's gut. As she was about to ring for the stewardess, a cart pushed by one of the airplane staff arrived. "Hey there sugar, you hungry?"

'What is with all this déjà vu today?' Kasumi just let her eyes slightly roam over the stew as she stood there. She was wearing the standard uniform for the airline of blouse and skirt and had her hair tied-up in a high ponytail with a big white bow. What didn't seem to be standard attire was the huge spatula strapped to the girls back as well as the bandolier of smaller spatulas slung across her chest.

"Hey, you awake in there? I asked if you were hungry." Blinking a couple times, Kasumi replied, "Sorry, it's just that you look a little familiar but I can't figure out why. So what's for breakfast?" Giving a slightly smug grin, the stewardess set up a portable grill in the blink of an eye and had three okonomiyaki grilling right away. "Hope you like this, it's my family's secret recipe. You want any special toppings?"

As the two bantered back and forth, the smell of the Japanese pancakes caused a slight rumble in the Tendo girl's currently empty stomach. The two laughed at her reaction to the smell of the food as it was served. Kasumi set to right away while the stewardess pushed her cart down the aisle to find more hungry passengers.

After she had finished her meal, Kasumi sat back and let breakfast digest. The okonomiyaki had been good, no question, but there was something off about them that she just couldn't put her finger on. Also, the fact that Ranma hadn't woken up to the smell of food made Kasumi a little unsettled. Even in deep sleep, it would take very little if food was used to rouse him from slumber. Ever since she had woken up, everything had just seemed flawed.

Then there was the smell. It had been teasing her ever since she opened her eyes. It seemed so recognizable like almost everything else except it felt wrong too. For some odd reason, she just shook off the feeling even though something deep down told her that was a big mistake. Kasumi was starting to get an itchy feeling in the back of her mind, her danger sense warning her that something nasty was going to occur soon. The peace of her surroundings however, made her doubt.

The next déjà vu experience happened almost immediately. A man in a dark brown gi with long black hair stood up from the seat in front of her and turned to move into the aisle. Once she saw his profile, Kasumi's heart nearly stopped. This was no déjà vu feeling, this was actual recognition. 'Daddy?' Her father, Soun Tendo, had just appeared before her as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was impossible; there was no way he could be on this flight. Wasn't her father supposed to be dead?

"What the HELL is going on here!?!" Kasumi shouted yet startled no one. Ever since she had regained consciousness, things were not as they should be. There just had to be an explanation, right? "Don't you get it yet stupid? You're dead."

"Huh?" Whipping her head to the right, Kasumi saw Keiko standing in the aisle with a look of murder in her eyes. She was wearing the standard school uniform for Japanese girls except the sailor fuku looked to be rotting and stained with dried blood, one spot in the chest had been ripped open and fully exposed her budding left B-cup sized breast, the skin of which appeared bruised from rough handling, the nipple itself was swollen and stiff. Her skin had a waxy pallor, almost funereal in appearance. Her auburn hair that she had inherited from her mother and tied in a pigtail in an unconscious copying of the brother she had never met was matted with blood and dirt. The area above her left temple looked to be caved in and gray matter shone dully in the exposed region, a small stream of congealing blood running slowly from the wound. Kasumi finally recognized the smell that had been haunting her ever since she opened her eyes. It was the smell of death.

"Keiko, my God, what happened to you?" The young girl gave a snort of derision and just glared a little longer at the older one. "What do you think happened you dumb bitch? I'm dead, that's what happened. Oh, by the way, thanks for getting me killed." "What?" Kasumi couldn't believe her ears. Keiko was dead because of her? How the hell did that happen?

"Don't bother asking, I'll just tell you. Because you died, you weren't there to save me and mom when those Umbrella assholes got to us. Daddy died trying to save us but as you can see, he didn't succeed." Looking across the aisle, Kasumi started to notice the pale complexion that it seemed all four Saotomes shared. Genma, Nodoka and Ranma hadn't moved one bit this whole time and she doubted they would anytime in the near future. Her gaze moving back to Keiko, Kasumi asked, "What about Ranma? How did he die?"

Giving another snort, Keiko answered, "Umbrella again. They sent some assassin to take him out. He survived that but didn't survive the virus he was infected with. He ended up as just another carrier." Tears started to shine in the young girl's eyes as she looked on her older brother. With a hitch in her voice, Keiko continued. "He didn't even know he had been infected. One minute he's feeling fine, the next, itchy tasty ruled his mind. God, what a waste."

"Keiko I'm so sorry. If only I could have been there."

"Well you WEREN'T so SHUT UP!" Keiko shrieked in anger. "I DON'T want to hear how sorry you are! I! DON'T! CARE! So just SHUT UP!"

Kasumi tried to stand from her seat so she could comfort Keiko but found the seatbelt held her firmly. She was unable to unlatch it; it seemed to be rusted shut. As Kasumi tried to yank the belt out of the lead, a moaning sound reached her ears. Panic started to fill her chest as she yanked harder. The belt refused to budge.

"Keiko, help me. I'm stuck."

Looking to the dead girl, Kasumi gave a gasp of horror. Everywhere she looked, there were zombies. She had been wrong though, Genma and Nodoka would move again. There they were standing right behind their daughter, each with a protective and rotting hand on her shoulders. Her father, those three girls, the stewardess, even Chris and Brad; all were zombies. Trying to swallow her fear, Kasumi asked weakly, "Wh-what are you going to do to me?"

"Oh don't worry Kasumi; you're just going to get a makeover. You see, you need to look right to get into Hell. And right now, you're looking a little too healthy. Consider this payback bitch. Now fucking take your medicine like a good little whore."

As those final words left what remained of the decomposing girl's lips, Ranma lunged at Kasumi and latched onto her throat with a vice-like grip, cutting off her startled scream before it could be voiced. His cataract whitened eyes held no emotion other than hunger and hatred. All she heard him say before he sank his sharp and jagged teeth into her cheek was a hoarse "Tasty" and then Kasumi knew only pain before blacking out.

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With a startled gasp, Kasumi awoke.

'Shit, what was that?' Shaking her sleep muddled head, Kasumi yawned and stretched. The nightmares had been getting steadily worse lately. And it was all thanks to Umbrella and their damn creatures. Being chased by bloodthirsty monsters and surviving would give anyone nightmares for the rest of their days, no matter how strong of mind they are. As Kasumi rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she looked around the room she had crashed in.

The S.T.A.R.S. office had been deserted for a while. A lot of member's personal effects still littered the desks in here except for the one by the far wall. That one was reserved for a rookie that would never show now. Kasumi had barely gotten away from that damn Tyrant earlier and in the process of exploring, fatigue caught up to her. The only safe place she could think of to catch some 'Z's was the office. She had gotten in just in time to hear someone on the communications array calling for help. She was unable to respond to the call because the radio transmitter looked to be trashed.

By that point, Kasumi really didn't give a damn anymore. All she wanted to do was to recharge her batteries. She just sat at her desk, put her head down and zoned out right away. Within minutes, Miss Tendo was dead to the world. Within a few more, the nightmare started. It was still fresh in her mind at the moment but was thankfully fading, slowly but surely. With a slight grunt, Kasumi stood and continued to stretch. It wouldn't do to get a muscle cramp while she might need to run for her life again. Knowing what she did of the monstrosities in the town, that was a very real possibility.

'Well, since I'm here, I might as well scrounge around and see what I can get.' Kasumi decided that her best bet was to check Captain Wesker's desk first. It couldn't hurt to look and maybe there would be some sort of clue to who he answered to while he had been alive and stabbing the S.T.A.R.S. team in the back. She knew that Chief Brian Irons answered to him but Wesker had to have a superior, didn't he?

After picking up a couple of boxes of rounds she found behind the desk and storing them in her 'pocket,' she started opening drawers and rifling through the contents. Other than standard report forms, both filled out and blank, Kasumi discovered a roll of film. 'I wonder what's on this.' Dismissing it as unimportant, she put it back in the drawer she found it in and continued her scavenger hunt throughout the rest of the office. She didn't even notice when her hands briefly gained a life of their own and braided her hair into a pigtail like Ranma's.

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'Finally, I'm here.'

Slamming the gate shut and sliding the lock home, Claire breathed a sigh of relief. Those rotting bastards wouldn't be able to get her now. Ever since she had found herself in the basketball court near the gun shop, Claire knew she was on the right track again. Going back in there wasn't an option of course. No doubt the place was overrun by the zombies that had killed the owner earlier if not different ones. She felt she would need every bullet she could get so she didn't take the risk. The crossbow hadn't been very effective after all either. It took up to four arrows to put down one 'shuffler' as she called them and that was if she wasn't too far away. She wasn't about to just get rid of the weapon though. That would be suicide, not to mention just plain stupid.

There seemed to be two ways to get to the front doors and one seemed to be blocked off, but it could just be an illusion. 'Looks like I go downstairs.' Descending down the stone flight, Claire noticed a figure not too far off once she reached the bottom. He, and Claire could tell that he was a he from this distance, was wearing camouflage pants, combat boots that looked to have seen better days and a bright orange vest. 'All this guy needs is a glow-in-the-dark target painted on his back and his outfit will be complete. What kind of idiot wears orange when they're trying to hide? Dumbass.' His back was to her at the moment and she was wary of him.

His slight swaying motion suggested to her that he might be one of them. As she got closer, the figure turned around and reached out for her. She was nowhere near him so didn't need to jump back. Looking at his face and getting a whiff of his rancid scent told her that he was another shuffler. There were two ways she could play this, she could just run by and hope he wouldn't be fast enough to grab her, or she could blow his brains out and raid his clothes for whatever might help her survive.

*Krak-krak!*

Two quick shots barked out, slamming home in the shufflers forehead, dropping him instantly. There was no way she wanted that thing to even touch her with its slimy hands, let alone risk it. The body twitched a little then remained still while a pool of blood from seemingly nowhere spread out underneath. As she walked closer, Claire was forced to dive for the ground as a huge explosion went off right overhead followed closely by another and the sound of metal rending while a wave of heat washed over her back.

"Holy Fuck, what's going on?!?"

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The explosion off in the distance roused Leon from his forced nap. His nose hurt from having it slam into the unyielding floor. Placing both hands on the floor and pushing up, Leon groaned as he tried to move. It was apparent that his body hadn't fully caught up to his mind. He could feel every pound of his weight at his repeated attempts at a vertical state. The best he could do after a few minutes was to rise to all fours and look around. He was in what looked to be a somewhat tastefully decorated waiting room. The naked twelve-year-old girl standing by the door gave him a strange look.

'Wait a minute, naked girl?' Looking again, Leon found he was mistaken. It was actually a very realistic statue. 'A little too realistic if you ask me.' The eyes were especially disturbing, shining with life or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Her skin had the presence of silk to his eye. It couldn't be painted marble, the color was too real. Crawling over to the statue itself, Leon reached out a hand and gently caressed the still forms bare mound. He pulled his hand away almost immediately at the heat he felt radiating from the girls crotch.

"Oh, no need to stop on my account handsome. I liked that. You've got nice hands." Gulping slightly, Leon's eyes wandered up from his straight on view of her reddening vulva to lock onto the girls eyes smiling right back at him. "Um, hi?"

Stifling a laugh with a hand, the girl smiled at him. "Hi yourself. So tell me, what's a stud like you doing in a hellhole like this? And more importantly, wanna screw?" Leon could not believe his ears. There was no way in hell she had just said that. "Uh, aren't you a little young to be talking like that?"

Laughing out loud this time, the girl answered his question with a question. "Have you ever heard of Gary Coleman or Emanuel Lewis?" Realization dawned immediately. "You mean you…" Nodding, the girl replied, "Yep, just like them. I'm actually twenty-two. So, my offer still stands even if you can't right now. You interested?" Blinking dumbly and finally having feeling returning to his body, Leon said, "But I don't even know your name."

Giving him a radiant grin, the girl placed a dainty foot on his left shoulder and shoved him onto his back. "The name's Naomi. Now shut up and fuck me." From the time he hit the floor to the time he found Naomi straddling his chest sucking on his tongue, Leon didn't care about much. He didn't care where his clothes had gone, he didn't care that a nude beauty was practically ravaging him, he didn't even care that he didn't have any condoms with him. All he cared about was getting off with this young-looking goddess.

Her tongue was like fire as it traced wet trails down his neck, over his chest, circled his nipples, roamed over his abs, dipped into his navel, parted through his pubes and finally yet achingly slowly caressed his cock. As Naomi's pert mouth kissed the head, she looked into his eyes with an evil gleam and continued her tongue torture down his left leg, reaching his foot to slurp his big toe into her mouth and gently suckle it. Leon's groan of delight and misery spurred Naomi on to even more exquisite torture. While still sucking on his toe, her delicate hands took his foot and massaged it. With a gentle nip, Naomi then moved onto his other foot and continued.

After what seemed like days, she trailed her tongue back up his right leg, paying special attention to the area behind his knee as she passed it, and started to bathe his scrotum in her saliva. Leon spread his legs to give this demon-girl-woman easier access. Taking the initiative, Naomi sucked one teste then the other into her mouth, bathing the sac more fully. Nibbling softly up the now engorged vein on the underside of his penis, her tongue flicked at the sensitive area where the head met the shaft. "Are you ready?"

Panting by now, Leon begged, "If you keep this up, I'm gonna blow my load soon. Please quit teasing me like this." Stifling a giggle by kissing the head again, Naomi crinkled her eyes at him. "I just want you to get ready. You don't want to disappoint me, do you?" Giving an "Uh Uhh" in response, the quivering mass of jelly that was Leon Kennedy swallowed to wet his now parched throat. "Do whatever you want, I won't argue."

"Good." Naomi then rose and hovered over his throbbing prick. While grasping it in her hand, she aimed it at her dripping wet cunt and then slowly slid onto his hot shaft. Grunting at her tightness, Leon looked at her face to see it scrunched up in concentration and what he would deem to be anticipation. "Are you alright?" Panting herself now, she replied without opening her eyes, "Yeah, but I've got a confession to make. I'm a virgin. I'm just hoping this won't hurt too much."

Before he could stop her, Naomi then slammed herself down the rest of his length and let out an ear piercing shriek of pain. Leon felt as well as heard her hymen tear as his penis slid all the way into her and the head banged into her cervix. The tightness was a little painful for him too but her well being was foremost on his mind at the moment.

Sitting up, he took her into his arms and started to tenderly rock her. The ridiculousness of the situation would have made him break out laughing at any other time but right now wasn't appropriate. Letting a quiet sob escape, Naomi whimpered, "It hurt a hell of a lot more than I thought it would." Leon's slow back and forth movement made Naomi's clit rub through his pubic hair.

The mild rocking motion combined with the stimulation of her nub made the pain pass quickly and she started to move back and forth with him. Pretty soon, they were moving together in a dance as old as time. Leon lay back on the floor while Naomi rode him, bringing them both to a thrilling climax. Before he could shoot off, Naomi dropped one last bombshell. "I've got another confession to make. I lied to you earlier. I'm twelve, not twenty-two. I'm sorry." With tears in her eyes and a soul rending cry, Naomi came for the first time in her young life. As Leon's seed coated the inner recesses of her prepubescent vagina, the statement of her true age and his own orgasm became too much for him and he blacked out.

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"All right, first order of business; get the hell out of this town."

Kasumi had finally finished her raid of the S.T.A.R.S. office, leaving behind a few items in case somebody showed up after her, and decided now was a good a time as any to go. With the clip in her Berretta fully loaded and one round chambered, she felt a little better. Heading down the stairs, Kasumi paused as she thought she had heard something. Thinking it nothing, she continued. At the bottom of the stairs, the window right behind her exploded in a hail of masonry and glass.

"DAMN!"

She didn't need to turn around and see what it was. She knew instinctively. As if the destruction of the wall wasn't clue enough. Kasumi's run for her life was halted by a voice however.

"WHERE IN THE HELL AM I NOW?!"

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Waking up, Leon found he was face down on the floor. Again. His nose hurt and his shorts were soaked in cum. "That was one weird dream." Groaning as he stood, Leon stretched and popped his spine to realign it. Looking around the room, it was as he remembered it from his dream except for Naomi, the girl he had mistaken for a statue wasn't there. The absence of an actual statue passed beneath his notice. Taking a step forward made him gasp in pain. His dick felt like he had actually been balls deep in her not a few minutes ago. "I don't think I've ever had a more realistic dream in my life. I kind of wish it hadn't been one though." Leon sighed as Naomi's beautiful smile floated through his mind. "I've really got to get laid soon. And I need to find a clean pair of shorts too. Damn, what did I do? Shoot a gallon?"

As he walked through the door on the other side of the room and closed it behind him, Leon missed seeing Naomi appear out of thin air near where he had been standing. Her monologue to him was also missed. "I'm so sorry for the deception Leon. I felt you were the only guy I could trust and I wanted to experience love making at least once before I head to the other side. Always know that you made the dreams and wishes of a lonely spirit come true this evening. May the gods of good fortune smile on you from now on until your dying day. I will always love you Leon Kennedy."

Once she finished her heartfelt speech, Naomi Greene, one of the first victims of the zombie attacks in Raccoon City shed tears of joy and sorrow as the spectral Lolita faded from this plane of existence, never to return again. Eternal rest was now hers. Down the hall, Leon felt an ache in his heart that he just couldn't explain and didn't think he ever would.

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'I know the Tyrant can talk but I don't think it's thatarticulate.'

Turning slowly around, Kasumi beheld the oddest sight she had ever, well, seen. There was a man standing where most of the wall used to be. He was wearing a mustard yellow tunic, dirty green breeches, sandals that laced up most of the way up his calves and was holding a red bamboo umbrella. His black shaggy hair was held back by a yellow bandanna with black spots, or were those stripes. He also seemed to be wearing a traveler's pack. What had made Kasumi stop was the fact that he had shouted in Japanese.

Clearing her throat and stepping closer, Kasumi decided to take a chance. "Excuse me, can I help you?" 'What the hell am I saying?!? Can I help you?I sound like an idiot.' The young man turned to her as if he hadn't noticed she was there to begin with. His mud-brown eyes shone with embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head with a hand; incidentally it was the one holding the umbrella.

"Oh, sorry about that. Could you tell me how to get to Umbrella headquarters?"

'Maybe talking to this guy is a mistake.' "Uh, why do you want to go there if you don't mind my asking?" If this guy was an operative and after her too, Kasumi didn't know how she would survive. He had just smashed through a three-foot thick wall. She didn't think bullets would do much damage. Judging by the look on his face, he didn't seem to be the brightest bulb in the chandelier actually.

"Because of Umbrella, I have seen Hell!" 'Okay, this guy needs a one-way ticket to the looney bin. Express route at that.' "It's because of them that I'm a freak!" Kasumi was getting more confused by the minute. She didn't think this nut was working for them, he had an obvious grudge. What he meant by freak looked to be up for interpretation. He looked to be okay to her, clinically speaking of course. Mentally healthy however was another issue altogether. "Now I'll never see Ranma ever again thanks to those monsters!" Hold the phone, did he just say Ranma?

"Ranma, as in Saotome? You know Ranma?" Broken out of his rant, the weirdo remembered he wasn't alone at the moment. "Yes, that Ranma. You mean you know Ranma too?" Well, maybe talking to this guy wasn't such a mistake after all. "Of course I know Ranma, we grew up together almost. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Kasumi. Kasumi Tendo." Sketching an obviously rusty bow, Kasumi waited for the return greeting.

"Ryoga. Ryoga Hibiki. It's nice to meet you. Ranma's told me about you." Their conversation would have continued except a deep animalistic growl broke in. Standing behind Ryoga was the Tyrant. "Come on Ryoga! This way!" Not giving him time to answer, Kasumi grabbed his shirt front and dragged him down the hall behind her. She had barely gotten the heavy steel door to the evidence room shut when the door bent in to meet her almost. Not giving Ryoga time to think, Kasumi kept dragging him like a ragged kite through the door into the main office, which got reduced to splinters a few seconds later as the Tyrant smashed through.

'Christ, what does it take to slow this jerk down? At least when we get outside, we can roof-hop away. I just hope he can't follow.' Exiting into the main lobby, Kasumi and Ryoga saw the front doors and felt they were home free. Just past the dried-up fountain, the sound of a whoosh along with the nearly simultaneous explosion and blast of fire at their backs made Kasumi reevaluate her plans somewhat.

'Oh SHIT, IT'S ARMED!'

Closer to the door, the Tyrant shot off another round from it's bazooka, going a little past the two fleeing targets and destroying the door. A third blast followed soon after, turning the makeshift blockade someone had constructed in the front yard into scrap. Jumping over the gate, Kasumi got it into her head that the shotgun would be useful right about now. Taking the time that would have been better spent running, she pulled the old double-barrel out of her 'pocket' and jammed it into the handles. Turning around again, she grabbed Ryoga's wrist and they both hauled ass out of the area as fast as they could. The howls of rage that followed them told Kasumi that the shotgun really had been useful after all.

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It was many hours later when there was any sort of lull in the action. Leon and Claire had found each other again and shared their experiences, leaving out some details. Leon had complimented Claire on her new outfit that she had found in a locker somewhere. The jeans would be better for running around in than the shorts she had been sporting and the sleeveless vest was stylish too. Leon told of meeting a woman named Ada Wong and when asked to describe her, Claire related her own brief almost encounter with her.

Ada herself was lost again. This time not physically but emotionally. The cop she had teamed up with for a short time had left an impression on her. She couldn't risk running into him again. The way he wouldn't leave her mind made her worry that she wouldn't be able to do her job. Now was no time for emotional attachments. It wasn't her fault that being an assassin trashed her social life. She was a woman, of course she had needs. It was obvious they weren't being met but she wouldn't let that get her down. Too much.

Sherry Birkin, the only daughter of William and Annette Birkin was terrified. The scary fat man in the office full of dead animals was talking to himself again. Her mommy had told her that if something bad happened to go to the police station. Too bad the police station was just as bad if not worse off than the rest of the town. She had seen the scary man kill that pretty girl in the white dress. He kept mumbling about how it was the only way to protect her; Sherry was glad he wasn't protecting her. As a tear escaped from the corner of her eye, young Miss Birkin fingered the pendant her mommy had given her and hoped that help would come soon.

As for Kasumi and Ryoga, the two of them were taking a well deserved break. There had been a close call earlier when the Tyrant had reappeared but it seemed to ignore them. It took the pair a while to realize that the Tyrant they saw had actually very little resemblance to the one they had run from in the station. This one's coat was dark green and it had a face without missing skin. One Tyrant was bad enough but having to deal with two was worse. She pitied whoever that one was after.

From their hiding place in an abandoned parking garage, they were able to relax somewhat and even share stories, mainly of how Umbrella had ruined their lives. Kasumi gave Ryoga a shortened version of events in her life that lead her to the present and once she finished, Ryoga took a deep breath before he began his tale.

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"This could take a while. I'll try not to bore you."

"That's okay Ryoga, I'll survive. Could I have some more beef jerky?"

"Sure, here you go. Before I start, tell me again why you called that thing Nemesis."

"Thank you. Well, it's actually a creation called Tyrant but this one was specifically made to kill the members of S.T.A.R.S. that survived the events at the Spencer Estate. It killed Brad and now it's after me. I feel as if it's my own personal nemesis, that's why I call it that. I sure hope Uncle Genma got out of town in time."

"Genma, that's Ranma's father right?"

"Yes that's right. So what's your story mystery man?"

"Well…"

------FlashBack------

Years ago, when I was still going to school, I was a lot less cool-headed than I am nowadays. Most of my problems stem from my families curse. We Hibikis have the worst sense of direction imaginable and sometimes even worse tempers because of it. Not all of us are hotheads though. When we do lose our tempers however, watch out. The getting lost thing also varies. Anyway, like I said, I wasn't always that calm back then. I went to an all-boys school and lunch was always a battle. No matter what was being served, it was insanity trying to get something to eat.

Because I was lost a lot, I would be very hungry whenever I showed up. Being a martial artist and very determined always netted me what I wanted if I could find where the lunch counter was. It was rumored that the lunch ladies were paid to rile up the students so they would be tired during the rest of their classes. I guess that makes some sense now. One day, I had just gotten the last loaf of curry bread when I realized something. Getting the bread had been too easy. There was no challenge in it, even though I had been starving.

As a martial artist, I felt I needed to go and find an actual challenge. I wanted to improve, not wither away. So with my last meal for some time resting in my stomach, I left school. My dramatic exit was blown when I realized I had walked into a janitor's closet.

During my wanderings, I met quite a few strange people. I'm not afraid to tell you that those midgets with the high squeaky voices I discovered really disturbed me. That Dorothy girl was nice though. She had a cute dog too.

One day, I found myself in this ancient village in the countryside. There didn't seem to be anybody around until I heard cheering in the distance. After some searching, I found all the villagers watching two people fighting on a suspended log. I had walked in on the tail end of a tournament. A sign over by these heaps of food told me not only was the food the prize for winning, but that I was in China. That and the fact that everybody was speaking Chinese kind of tipped me off.

The purple-haired girl seemed to be very skilled. She was using those bonbori like a pro against an opponent that made that Nemesis look like a fashion model. I hadn't had anything to eat since the curry bread and would have gone for the food but I didn't want to offend anyone. Once purple hair sent her opponent flying, the tournament was over. As she went over to the food a lizard on a stick hopped up to me.

Well, at the time I thought it was a lizard. Turns out she was a village elder and the great-grandmother of the winner. I learned that the hard way. I still wince everytime I think of that damn stick of hers. Well the old woman, who told me her name was Cologne, asked me in Japanese what I was doing in the village. I told her I was passing through and was hoping I could get some supplies. Just then, my stomach gave away the secret that I wanted food more than anything at the moment.

She cackled and teased me a little about that. I tried to resist turning her into a pasty smear. I almost didn't succeed. Don't get me wrong, she was a tough old bird. It turns out that the whole village was full of martial artists. Cologne was like a Grandmaster, or Mistress if you will, in the school most taught there. Amazonian Wu Shu.

Kasumi, if you don't stop laughing, I'm not going to continue. Thank you. Would you at least stop snickering? Jeez.

Anyway, as I was saying, Cologne was pretty tough. In Chinese, she called over her great-granddaughter and told her I was challenging her for the food. Yes, I know it was a lie. Purple hair just stared at me like I was some sort of bug and snorted. I think I even heard her mumble "Too easy" under her breath. What threw me for a loop was what Cologne said next. Still talking to her granddaughter, she told her that I might bring strong blood into the tribe so try not to lose too badly if she wanted me for a husband.

What's that? Oh sorry, I didn't notice. Her name was Shampoo. The husband thing? Well, the tribe was kind of isolationist and running under the misconception that males were the weaker species. They allowed that there were a few out there that were worth consideration and had their rules set up around the concept of acquiring new blood for the tribe. Should a male outsider challenge a female and win, they were supposed to receive the Kiss of Marriage.

Hey, quit laughing! It's not that funny.

Now this whole time I'm just standing there pretending to not know what the two of them are saying. After they finished arguing, Shampoo led me to the suspended log and we both jumped up. Before we fought, I told her in Chinese that I wasn't interested in marrying her and only wanted the food. I know it was a stupid mistake. I was hungry and not thinking too clearly anyway. Shampoo got all mad and started attacking me with the intent to kill. From that first missed bonbori swing, I felt I was in love. No, not with her. With the skill she had. This little village in the middle of nowhere was able to produce someone as talented as Shampoo and I wanted in on it.

I had found a place that I could improve in pretty much anything I could think of, a place that would allow me to hone my skills. How to get to stay there and remain single was almost beyond me. Then it hit me. I would challenge and try to defeat Cologne, stating my intentions ahead of time. As soon as I had knocked Shampoo out, I jumped off the log and landed in front of Cologne and in a voice as loud as possible, I issued my terms. I don't know what surprised her more, the fact that I had just done so in her native language or that I had every intention to kick her wrinkled ass all over the landscape.

The battle itself, and it was a battle, took a long time. It felt like days had passed and instead it was just over an hour. I threw every trick I could think of at her. Near the end I thought I had either blacked out or had been knocked out because when I next opened my eyes, I was lying on my back in a hut. Cologne came in right then and was happy to see I was awake. She told me that I had beaten her but had collapsed from hunger. I had been out for three days and had been adopted into the tribe, my prize for winning. I had just gained a grandmother.

As time went by, I became acclimated to village life. My win against Cologne had impressed some of the Elders and pissed off others. Some of them wanted me to marry into their families and the others wanted me dead. There had even been a couple attempts on my life while I was out cold. Of course, Colognetold me that later. Mostly, I was welcomed as a new member. For a time, Shampoo hated my guts because I had defeated her so easily. We came to an understanding though and she eventually became friendlier towards me. This pissed off this guy who had been obsessed with her for years.

Mousse, that's his name, had done everything in his power to make all guys in the village leave Shampoo alone. He would always attack them even if he thought they were looking at her too long. For him, one second was way too long. It drove her mad everytime he did that. They had been friends' way back when they were little kids but his feelings for her and his screwed up attempts to express them drove a wedge between them.

What's that? Oh, well he had terrible eyesight. Those glasses of his could start a forest fire from just a glint of sunlight, they were so thick. He always mistook her for different things. A bush, a rock, a cow, you name it and he hugged it thinking it was her. He was also the Master of Hidden Weapons and was throwing anything and everything at any guy that got too close to Shampoo. With his bad eyesight, he missed a lot. It still scared off guys but he didn't care. His intentions were clear because he used a lot of bladed and sharp objects in his attacks. He ruined a few of my shirts in the process.

Despite the nearly constant attacks from the half blind idiot, I felt as if I had finally found a normal life. I had saved the lives of a few villagers during a flood and that just made me even more welcomed there. There was one time during the spring that this young girl ran into the village. She was panicked and crying. One of the elders, Lavender I think her name was, was nearby and stopped the girl to find out what was wrong. She told her that some men had come, attacked her father and were draining the springs. The springs were in this training ground a ways away called Jusenkyo. I had never been there but Cologne had told me of it.

To put it bluntly, I was pissed. I didn't know who these jerks were or even who the girl was. All I knew was that they had attacked an innocent and made his daughter cry. They were going to pay. As quickly as I could, I made my way there after I had her, Plum was her name, tell me the general direction to the springs. My direction sense had been strengthening thanks to meditation of all things. I was so mad I felt I would get lost three steps out the gate. I actually made it to Jusenkyo faster than I thought I would, which astounded me.

Like I said, I had never been there but from her descriptions, Cologne gave me a pretty good idea of what the place looked like. In a valley surrounded by tall mountains is a field with over a hundred springs. Almost every spring holds a curse. Yes, I said curse. Whoever falls into a spring, their body or mind changes into whatever drowned there last. Cold water activates the curse and hot water reverses it until the next splash of cold. When I got there, I saw a bunch of men dressed in biohazard suits and a lot of hoses resting in the springs. The hoses lead to the back of a truck where there were lots of containers.

I couldn't believe these creeps would hurt someone over water, no matter how dangerous it was. I just saw red and started attacking. They were pretty amazed that I had shown up but I was more so when somebody started shooting at me. The hoses must have had a higher setting because the springs got drained quickly while I was trying to not get shot. I hadn't noticed but I had taken one in the hip early on and all my hopping around wasn't helping my wound. The last thing I remember seeing before blacking out was a red and white corporate logo on the back of the truck with the word 'Umbrella' underneath it. When I came to, they were long gone and I was back in the village.

Plum's father survived, he had only been given a nasty bump to the head. I almost died from blood loss. Luckily I was found in time. I swore vengeance on Umbrella then, vowing that I would not rest until they would pay for what they had done. I had no idea why they had wanted the spring water but I felt it had to be bad. As soon as I had recovered, I got ready to set out. Shampoo tried her hardest to convince me to stay. You name it and she tried it. The thing she tried that seemed mostly out of desperation ended up with us both losing our virginity to each other. She told me she had fallen in love with me and didn't want me to leave. I was torn then. I needed to get revenge for the guide and his daughter but I also wanted to explore the feelings that had been awakened from what had happened with Shampoo.

Cologne knew I was feeling at odds and made the suggestion that Shampoo go with me. My direction sense had improved but it wasn't foolproof and having her around would be a big help. Of course Shampoo jumped at the chance. She had never been outside of the village except to go to nearby training areas. I kind of had my doubts about the whole thing. I didn't voice them though because I felt it was a good idea too.

We set out a couple months later. As our search went on over time, Shampoo started acting strange. She would either cry over the littlest things or snap at me for something I didn't even know had offended her and then bawl her eyes out for yelling at me, apologizing profusely. It wasn't until we had visited a doctor in Hong Kong when we found out what was going on. Shampoo was pregnant.

There's a saying I heard once, 'You could have knocked me over with a feather.' It applied just then. The girl I had come to realize that I loved as much as she loved me was going to be the mother of my child. Of course I was scared shitless and ecstatically happy at the same time. What guy that finds out he's going to be a dad isn't? Shampoo had pretty much the same reaction I did. It's like they say, 'Life is what happens when you make other plans.'

We were able to get a pretty decent apartment in the city and I was also able to get a job. I won't bore you with the day to day stuff but we spent quite a long time in Hong Kong. A few months after we had gotten there, Shampoo gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She named her Lilly, after her mother. A couple months before that though, Shampoo and I became husband and wife in a simple ceremony. It may have been all we could afford at the time but we didn't care. It was good enough for us because we had each other and that is all that mattered.

It was a few more months before Lilly was strong enough to travel and we continued our journey. We followed every lead we could, trying to find Umbrella. A few times we had come close. Then one day, while in Cleveland following another rumor, we hit paydirt. There was an old abandoned army base there that had been bought by Umbrella and word from the underground was that they were experimenting with some strange water. That is what sealed it for us. We had finally gotten our chance.

------Pause FlashBack------

"Sorry for stopping so suddenly but I just realized something."

"What's that Ryoga?"

"Well, I've been talking for a while and I REALLY need to go to the bathroom. Do you know where one is?"

"There's one over there by the stairwell."

"Thanks, I'll be right back. Oh, before I forget, here are some pictures you might like to see. They're of me and my family."

"Thank you, I'll look them over while you're gone."

As Ryoga headed off to the men's room and relief, Kasumi started looking through the photos. The first one was of an obviously younger Ryoga standing next to a very pregnant young woman in a Chinese dress. Both looked nervous but happy. Ryoga had his arm around her shoulder and she had her head resting against his chest. 'This must be Shampoo. She's very pretty.' The next photo had been taken the same day because this time they were kissing in it 'I guess this is their wedding.'

Picture after picture revealed nuances to the story Ryoga had been telling her. Lilly looked like an angel. She had gotten most of her looks from her mother but had little fangs like her father in the pictures where she was older. Then there were some shots that were a little confusing. In them, sometimes with Ryoga, Shampoo or even Lilly was a redheaded girl. Kasumi didn't know her but felt as if she should. There was just something about her eyes.

The ones with the redhead had been taken over a weekend it looked like. There were very few changes between the people shown except for clothes. Whoever she was, she was obviously a friend to the Hibikis. The expressions on their faces were evidence of that. There was also an aspect of tiredness in the adults' eyes. All three of them looked like they had just gone through the wringer a few times. 'Maybe she fights against Umbrella too. I know I've had that look lately.'

Once Kasumi got to the last picture, Ryoga came back. "So, what do you think?" Looking at him, she replied, "Your wife is very beautiful and your daughter is too. You must feel very lucky." Sitting down and taking the pictures back, he said, "Yeah, I do. Shampoo is my heart and soul. Lilly is my angel. I don't know what I would do without them in my life."

"I thought you would get lost or something. How come you didn't this time?"

"Like I said, meditation. I still can get lost now and again but that's if I'm really irritated or upset like when we met earlier. So where was I in my story?"

"Cleveland."

"Oh right. Well then…"

------Resume FlashBack------

Thanks to a man named Trent, we had gained maps of the base. What we didn't have was a babysitter. Lilly knew of our self-imposed mission and didn't want either of us to go. We've never held anything back from her because we feel it's better to be honest. She's also pretty good at manipulating us. It was decided that Shampoo would stay behind and take care of Lilly while I checked out the base itself.

I was able to sneak onto the base easily since most of it wasn't even being used. It was a clear night with a full moon but rain had been predicted to start falling around midnight. Checking the barracks first had been a mistake. The smell of rot and the buzzing of flies nearly made me lose my dinner. In almost every building were corpses in various states of decay. The men and women I found had been gunned down. All the inner walls of the buildings had bullet holes and lots of them except for by the door. My next stop was the motor pool.

I found nearly the same thing there. I also found a few trucks and jeeps in various states of disrepair. There were only two vehicles that were fully functional. I made a note to come back here in case I needed to make a quick getaway. Almost every building on the base, from the P.X. to the offices was filled with the dead. I was starting to believe I was either going around in circles or there wasn't all that much here. Boy was I wrong.

In the medical center, I found a secret elevator that took me five stories down. Once the doors opened, I stepped out into what I thought was a hospital corridor. At first I thought my direction problem had flared up until I heard the footsteps. Down the hall to my left was a sort of shuffling and moaning. There was also a smell that I first encountered in those barracks up top.

When I got closer, the footsteps changed to wet splashes and chewing sounds. The moans got louder too. There were about seven of them, eating someone or something. All I know was there was a lab coat stained with blood under the pile. A gasp made me look up. Standing across from me with the buffet from Hell between us was a redheaded girl. I guess my sudden appearance startled her because she ran off as soon as we made eye contact.

I called out to her to stop but that just made the diners notice me. My umbrella had never gotten so much of a workout. Once I finished beating them all down so they wouldn't get up again, I set off to find the girl. The keycard I stepped on before heading off gave me a good idea of where to check first. It said 'Lab 3.'

According to the map, Lab 3 was in the same general direction where the girl ran off to. I got turned around a couple of times but soon found my way again with little trouble. Lab 3 looked to be some sort of clean room. There were six huge tubes full of what looked like water and were big enough to hold a full grown man that stretched to the ceiling along the back wall, a long metal top table with sinks and gas leads installed, glass-faced cabinets full of bottles and jars of liquids and pills of different colors, a desk with papers strewn all over and around it, more beakers than I could count and a huge dark stain by the door.

The papers told me that some of the resident eggheads had discovered a naturally occurring virus living right in the water Umbrella had stolen. Also according to the notes was proof the virus was almost a complete match to the T-Virus as they called it, except the properties were different and they didn't know why the decomposition didn't occur. What they didn't know and something I had discovered on my own was the T-Virus was a lab mutated version of the Ebola Virus, worked on by some guys named Wesker and Birkin back during the 70's and 80's.

I even found a diary by one of the workers that had been running experiments on animals with the water. It described how monkeys were given injections of partial samples of different springs to see what would happen. One test was a complete success when they mixed the Nyanniichuan, that's the spring of Drowned Girl, and the spring of Drowned Pervert. Yes, I said pervert. It's a mind changing spring.

The scientist had named her Jenny and the two of them were going to run away together but not before he tried to trash the whole facility. He failed of course. While I was reading the diary, I heard a noise behind me and thought it was the girl. It wasn't, not even close. It was the biggest damn spider I had even seen in my life. I didn't even get a chance to shout out in fright when the thing smacked me into one of the tubes all the way across the room. The glass cracked but didn't break just then. Then the spider leapt at me and knocked me into the tube again and this time the glass shattered.

All I noticed was a tingling sensation all over my body and an increase in my strength as the water washed over me. That and my temper was about to get the best of me but I maintained calm as best I could and beat that damn arachnid to death. When I finished, I looked up and saw a black-haired guy giving me a measuring look, like he didn't know what to make of me. I snarled at him, "You want some of this too?!" and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. I guess he didn't expect me to say anything and that's when I noticed my voice.

"Wha-what the hell happened to my voice?" I murmured quietly. The guy just said, "I think you should be more concerned about your looks right now." I was confused and it showed in my face I'm sure. When I looked at him again, he just pointed to my left and I saw in a mirror a thing out of a nightmare. It was too much for me and I just fainted right then and there.

When I came to, I was on a hospital bed and the guy and girl were hovering over me. When they saw I was awake, the girl smiled and the guy let out a relieved sigh. I asked them what was happening and they filled me in. It turns out that the facility was going to be destroyed until the discovery of the water was made and it was earmarked as the testing area. The military applications of the T-Virus as I'm sure you know are to not only destroy the enemy but to also make them into an unstoppable army for whoever unleashes it to begin with. This virus, that I got infected with, was made for infiltration purposes.

With just a slight application of cold water, an operative has a perfect disguise. The only problem is that there are so few springs that change someone into a human. That's why some of them had been mixed or spliced with other strains of genetic code. The girl, who turned out to be Jenny, was going to run away with her boyfriend but there was an accident and the T-Virus ended up taking over most of the staff. He was the one being feasted upon earlier.

The guy, who told me his name was Ranma, had been abducted and taken to the underground lab as a test subject. He also had been infected with what had been dubbed the J-Virus. I'll jump ahead a little because some things have no real impact on what I'm telling you right now. Jenny, Ranma and I decided that we needed to get out of there but we also needed to destroy the place first. Any and all forms of notes or letters or whatever that had the appearance of being even vaguely important were also collected.

It took a while but we had made it. As we drove off in one of the jeeps I had found, while Jenny was asleep in the back Ranma told me that he couldn't stick around and had to find you to warn you. Some higher-up in Umbrella knew of you and your teammates and was planning some sort of attack, what was named 'Poetic Justice.' When the three of us got back to my home, Ranma used my computer scanner to input a hardcopy file into it and told me that I should keep my own version of it on me in case I ever ran into you.

He left two days later headed to Raccoon City. That was the last I heard from him. Jenny stayed with Shampoo, Lilly and me for some time before she also headed off, in her case to Vegas and anonymity. We haven't heard from her since and hope she is safe.

------End FlashBack------

"So, you're infected? What do you turn into?"

Giving a sigh and running his fingers through his hair, Ryoga asked, "You promise not to scream?" Getting a nod in confirmation, Ryoga lifted a blue thermos out of his pack and tilted it over his head. "Um, shouldn't you open that first?" Kasumi asked while trying to suppress her mirth.

"Oops." Ryoga blushed and then opened the thermos and poured the contents over his head. The change was so sudden, Kasumi felt she had blinked as Ryoga's form shifted and grew before her. Where a young man sitting before her used to be, there was now a creature that could only be described as a mix of human and boar. Dark short black fur covered every exposed area she could see. His face was now more animalistic than man except for the eyes and still slightly normal shaped head. Two thick tusks thrust out of his lower jaw and his upper fangs were also thicker and longer.

"Cool!"

"Huh?" Ryoga was puzzled. Had she just shouted the word 'Cool?' Oh well, it was better than screaming. At least his family felt the same as Kasumi seemed to. His daughter Lilly had said exactly the same thing the first time she had seen him transform. Shampoo's reaction had been more subdued until they went to bed that night. Because of her later reaction in their bedroom, Ryoga came to terms with the curse as he called it easier than if he had been alone in the world. He stilled owed Umbrella for it though and they were going to suffer, make no mistake.

Pouring water from a red thermos on his head, he changed back and gave Kasumi a serious look. "Thanks for not screaming. Like I promised Ranma, here is the file he found. I think you should read it now before we do anything else. I'll go patrol while you do." Handing her a sheaf of papers from his pack, Ryoga then stood and headed off in a random direction while resting his umbrella on his shoulder. Kasumi watched him walk off then started to read.

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

To: Umbrella HQ

From: Ozwell Spencer III

Re: Kobe Mistake

Gentlemen, as you know, over 20 years ago one of our earlier experiments with variations of the T-Virus were stumbled upon by three nosy individuals. Unfortunately, only one of them had been found years later. Steps had been taken and petty though they may have been, all but one of the family members was dealt with. This was discovered by Albert Wesker, an operative in the data/information section when he made the connection to a new recruit to the S.T.A.R.S. team he headed in Raccoon City and one of the individuals in question.

Thanks again to the recruit, one Kasumi Tendo, my grandfather's estate and more importantly the lab, was demolished because of her meddling. I need not remind you that the loss of Wesker was nothing to really worry about but his no longer having control over that psychopath police chief Brian Irons hurt us greatly. I have been thinking on this matter a great deal lately. What can be done to quiet Miss Tendo and the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members permanently?

Like a bolt out of the blue, it hit me. The Tyrant program. Currently, the creation of a Tyrant still requires a "volunteer" as a base for the body. Our old friend Emilio Sharpe discovered this only too well. It's a shame he was destroyed during the incident at the Arklay lab but such is science. We learned from our mistakes and moved on.

I have been toying with the notion that the old 'Nemesis Plan' be reinstated for the task I'm proposing. With the proper subject, it could finally become a success. I will be sending my full proposal shortly after this memo finds its way to you. With your approval, I shall continue my research.

Signed,

Ozwell Spencer III

***

'Nemesis Plan? My God, if they had something like that already in the works there's no telling what else they might have. And who's this Ozwell Spencer the Third?'

***

Private Journal of Ozwell Spencer III

July 20th

Damn them all!!!

How dare they do this to me! ME!!! My grandfather was one of the founding members of this company and this is how they treat me? Sticking me in some damnable underground hell where my nearest neighbors are the FUCKING WORMS!!!

I've contributed more to research and development than my father and grandfather combined and they store me away like some common lackey! There's absolutely no strategic value here and all we're doing is busy work. If they don't need me anymore, why don't they just put a bullet in my brain and be done with it.

Those old men on the board are getting too fat and complacent. If they're not careful, one day they may find themselves in more trouble than they ever thought to be. I guarantee it.

***

'Wow. This guy has some issues.'

***

Private Journal of Ozwell Spencer III

July 28th

Those fat fools almost bought their own deaths. A few days ago, I was told that this facility may be shut down. I'm here barely a week and they wanted to shut it down? What the fuck are they using for brains, cow manure? Thanks to a discovery in China, this damned place has been issued a reprieve.

Water, of all things, is being sent here for testing. This water is supposed to have so-called transformative properties. I'll believe it when I see it.

Addendum-

I've seen it and I still don't believe it. An accident occurred during transport and one of the containers broke open, splashing three men in the process. Fortunately the water was saved but if any of those men had wives, well, let's hope they're bi is all I'll say. The transformation is supposed to be temporary but nobody knows how to reverse it. Yet.

Second Addendum-

Hot water seems to be the key to reversing the process. An accident in the employee snack room with a faulty coffee urn proved this. Luckily, no one was scalded. This water from some unknown little nowhere called Jusenkyo is more interesting than I first believed it to be. Cold water is the activator. The three unfortunates are going through a complete physical as I write this to determine how extensive the change is. When they realized the physical included their new bodies, their panicked screaming was actually hilarious.

I don't envy them one bit. Even if I had been born female, I would hate the idea of having to get a gynecological exam. I shudder just thinking of it. Believe me when I say, I have a new respect for women right now.

***

July 30th

What the hell is going on? I've just received word from headquarters that there was some sort of accident at my grandfather's estate. I know they've been trying to improve on the mortality rate of the T-Virus there. From what I heard, there was some sort of outbreak and a few "subjects" escaped in the confusion. Hopefully this was all blown out of proportion once I heard about it but I doubt that highly.

To think, I don't even open this journal for years and something like this happens. I know I should write the year when I date these entries but I don't really care. All that matters now is that the outbreak is contained and the missing virus carriers are recovered. I doubt I could do anything even if I was there. Right now I'm glad I'm not.

***

August 8th

As I suspected, things got worse.

Some of the escapees, altered Dobermans I believe, attacked some hikers in the mountains. That's not the worst part. The worst part is that it actually made the local paper. The puppet police chief, Irons, is trying to placate the citizens of Raccoon but I doubt they will stay calm for long. Some might even try to find answers to questions they have no right to ask.

This, as my father would have put it, is a 'major cock-up.' If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was allowed to happen.

***

August 27th

Ever since the discovery of a naturally occurring virus in the Jusenkyo water a few years ago, experiments have been run nonstop to figure out why it was there to begin with. Altering its base structure seems to alter the waters properties as well. An individual will still be affected by the water but what they change into can sometimes vary depending on what happened to the virus.

Something else was discovered some time ago. Should an individual be doused with the cursed water, the change can be reversed with the appropriate counter. If forcefully introduced to the bloodstream, the change is permanent. This doesn't apply if a cut, healing or otherwise is already present or one is created at the time of the first dousing.

The unpredictable nature of the spring waters makes it nearly impossible to be used as planned. Also, the fact that there are so few springs that change a person but keep them human is no help either. More experimentation is needed.

***

For what seemed like hours, Kasumi read through the journal. Page after page described what to most would seem to be a fairy tale but she knew better. She knew the odd things that Umbrella could unleash all too well. Kasumi felt her blood run cold when reading the descriptions of some particularly brutal "experiments." She just hoped that wherever Ranma was, he would have enough sense to stay the hell away from Raccoon City. There was no doubt in her mind that things were about to heat up.

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

Author's Notes:

Well, I've finally updated. There are actually a couple reasons why it took so long. First off, I lost inspiration and interest in the story and couldn't bring myself to make the attempt of writing. That's one of the reasons a lot of writers just don't finish stories.

The other reason is because my health took a major nosedive after I released the last chapter. I ended up with a bad case of pneumonia and was laid up for some time. After that, on the 22nd of December, my appendix burst and I didn't realize it till I was admitted into a hospital on the 23rd. It was taken out the next day and I was released on the 28th. What's worse is that it had been gangrenous for months. I wonder if this is how Celeste Byrd died. It's a shame a talented writer like her passed on.

Anyway, I'm still around and I have some of my inspiration back. Too bad I'm still lazy so chapters will be few and far between. I've already got ideas for the next one though. Unfortunately, I don't own any of the characters used, except for Keiko and the brief appearance of Naomi Greene. I can promise you this much, Ranma will show up in the next chapter and that's all I'm saying about that.

Thanks to kami-of-chaos for the uplifting review on fanfiction.net and thanks go to DogbertCarol, hope I spelled that right, for the recent glut of reviews as well. I'm glad you like my stuff. As always, remember my motto, "My fic, my rules." See you in the funny papers.