Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Crow 1/2:Dragons Rising ❯ Chapter Four: A Hero's Dark Heart ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: darkangel98s 
Ranma begins his mission of vengence. The battle between Ranma and Mousse.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Angst / Drama / Martial Arts / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.22.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
Ranma begins his mission of vengence. The battle between Ranma and Mousse.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Angst / Drama / Martial Arts / Romance / Supernatural | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.22.2001 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
C+C at darkangel98s@yahoo.com . Flames can go to hell. Also, check out my website at www.geocities.com/shadow_angel48s, where all my other fan fictions are kept.
Legal Stuff: I don't own any of the copyrighted materials in these little works of fiction that I produce, and am in no way challenging said copyrights. All I have come up with is the story I have stuck them into.
The Crow 1/2: Dragons Rising
Chapter Four: A Hero's Dark Heart
They moved with a speed and grace that most would not have believed, even had they witnessed it first hand. A crow, large for a bird of it's kind, glided throughout the dark night skies like a shadow. It's body twisted and turned, dodging nimbly around, over, and under obstructions, always heading in the same direction, ever west, deeper into the warehouse district of Nerima.
The young man following was not hindered by the roofs that passed over, nor the speed at which his feathered companion moved. Ponytail blowing in the wind behind him, he leapt from roof to roof, racing at a pace that would have been suicide for even a trained martial artist like himself. But he did not fear death now…
It was sudden that the bird pulled up in it's flight, snapping it's wings forward and bringing itself to a sudden rest atop an air conditioner run off pipe. Surprised, his companion barely managed to stop himself, almost barreling over the edge. Instead, he found himself looking down, into an alley that ran between two buildings. He frowned, and shot the bird a dirty look.
"What the heck did ya do that for? I could have broke my neck!" He looked back down into the alley, and was unhappy to find none of those he sought below him. "And I thought you were supposed to be helping me? What the hell did ya bring me out here for huh? For atmosphere?"
The crow rotated it's head, it's golden colored eyes burned with a fierce light, and despite it's small size, his companion backed away, hands raised in a warding off gesture. It cawed faintly, and dropped from the roof, gliding silently into the darkness, and from view.
"Jeeze. Touchy bird…" He started to follow, when a sensation he had never experienced before, comparable only to falling perhaps. He watched the dark stone walls literally fly past, felt himself bank to the left, and soar above the streets. Black wings beat just at the edges of his vision, and he finally realized what was happening. He was seeing what the bird saw, feeling what it felt.
He was amazed, marveling at the feeling of flight, that he almost missed what the bird was flying towards. It was a small ship, a little small company transport of some type. Dock hands ran back and forth, loading on unmarked wooden crates, and two people stood at the edge of the dock, both staring at the ship, watching the work, and talking softly.
The first one, the taller of the two, was dressed as a stereotypical sea captain, hat, coat and all. He did not concern them. The other one was the one that drew the bird eyes, and through them, it's companions. Both sets, golden and blue, narrowed.
The shorter fellow was dressed in looses gray slacks, and an unusual jacket, covered in Chinese designs and characters, it's sleeves far wider that would have been practical. His jett black hair rolled down his back, long and loose, and when he turned to speak with the captain, glasses so thick that they resembled coke bottle bottoms gleamed dully in the dim light. He knew that man, knew his face, knew what probably was hidden up those sleeves. He growled faintly, and in response to his anger, the crow cawed, its cry making both men turn suddenly and watch its flight.
Then the bird was past, flying back off into the night, back to him, and the vision was over. He was along with his own senses. Before the crow could return, he was moving, taking to the air in a fast leap that carried him to the next building. He had business to take care of with the Chinese youth. And a message to deliver.
*********************************************** ****
The restaurant had been closed for close to an hour now. Since then, she had been waiting silently, watching out the windows of her restaurant, waiting for Ryoga Hibiki to arrive. She was still confused why Ranma wanted the Eternally Lost Boy here, but she had agreed. She did not have the courage to argue with him, the way he had come down, eyes full of murder, face painted like some type of pissed off clown…
*One Hour Ago*
He walked down the stairs one at a time, his feet making not a noise. Not even the loose step shifted as he walked. She stared, a shocked and fearful gasp escaping her lips before she could catch herself.
He had changed cloths, and was now dressed in all black. His shirt was still Chinese in style, but she had never seen it before. Silver dragons twined around his body Rising over his shoulders, or around his sides. The shirt did not worry her though. It was his face that scared her.
It was painted white, with what looked like makeup, and his eyes were painted black, looking dark and sunken. A single black streak, drawn down from his right eye, and Ukyou suddenly had an image of him crying earlier, and a tear rolling down his cheek.
She backed away as he walked down the stairs, wondering if he had gone over the edge, or if he had found out about her secret, but he did not even look at her. Instead, when he reached the stairs base, he headed over to the door, as if to leave. He stopped as he had earlier that day, when he had raced out into the rain, off to see Akane. He again took the red bamboo umbrella out from it's place beside the door, but this time, instead of walking outside, he slowly turned it over and over in his hands, as if trying to remember something about it.
Konatsu picked that moment to enter the room from the kitchen, and he was not looking happy. He had been trying to work off some of his aggressions and pent up feelings by hand scrubbing the floors in the kitchen, and had ruined his makeup and the dress he had been wearing was filthy. They both looked at each other at the same time, Konatsu meeting Ranma's angry eyes, and dropped into a fighting stance. Ukyou did not know what he hoped to do against Ranma, especially if he had gone crazy. She was willing to bet that it had something to do with buying her time to get away. He really did care for her well being a little TOO much sometimes. She would not run off and leave him like that, she just wished that she had her spatula from behind the grill.
Ranma ignored the cross dressers aggressive actions, instead raising the umbrella, and leveling it at Ukyou. "The owner of this umbrella…"
It took her a moment to catch his meaning. "Ryoga?"
He nodded. "Yea. Ryoga. Always getting lost, I think…" He smiled just for a moment, a he seemed to go into himself for a moment, remembering. It was short lived, however, and he snapped back to reality, eyes going back to their hate filled look. "IS their a way to get a hold of him? His parents or something?"
She nodded. "Yea. He left his number a few months ago. He is living with this girl named Akari. She is really kind of nice… Why do you want to talk to Ryoga?"
"Call him then, and tell him it is an emergency. Don't tell him what, just that he has to hurry. Tell him to come here."
"I won't until you tell me why! If you plan on hurting him, you can forget it! He had nothing to do with what happened to you and Akane! You got that!"
"I don't want him for that…" He moved towards the door, not looking at her, umbrella in hand. "I just… I might need his help shortly. His and yours… Once this starts…" His hand closed on the doorknob, and he slid it open, intent on stepping out into the darkness.
"Help? With what? Where are you going?" She rose as if to follow him, to get answers, when out of nowhere, a huge black bird fluttered up from the shadows, and perched on Ranma's shoulder. Both turned to stare at her, the birds eyes glowing eerily, Ranma's fierce ones a little softer, sensing her concern. His face still was emotionless though, and his voice was calm, almost lifeless.
"I have to deliver a message…"
*Present*
She was startled over trying to puzzle out what Ranma was up to by the phone ringing suddenly. It's sharp, rapid fire warble made her fall out her seat at the bar, and sent her heart racing a thousand beats a second. Grumbling, she dragged herself up from the floor, and rubber her rear, where she had landed. The phone had stopped, and she could hear Konatsu upstairs, talking.
It was several minutes before she heard the young ninja come down the stairs. She had heard him shower earlier, and guessed that he had wanted to change cloths before Akari and Ryoga arrived. What she saw when he came down was almost as startling as Ranma's return.
He was dressed in a loose fitting t-shirt and jeans, both men's. He was wearing a pair of sneakers, in place of the slippers he almost always wore, and again, those were men's as well. His hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and for the first time EVER, she had to admit that he was just as handsome as Ranma, maybe even more. But she wondered at why he was dressed like this.
"Konatsu?"
He smiled at her, but she could tell it was forced. "I have to make a good impression for our guests. That was Ryoga on the phone. They are at the train station, and I am going to meet them." He waved to her a little before walking out the door. "Be back in a few, Ukyou."
She just watched, feeling something tearing into her heart. She suspected why he was dressed as he was. He was trying to compete with Ranma, prove that he was a man despite the way he dressed. Show her that he could be normal, and something desirable. She felt new tears try and slip down her cheek, and she scrubbed her eyes with her palms. She had never been good enough to be anything more to Ranma than a friend, but for Konatsu, she had always been too good. He had loved her unconditionally, and she had treated him poorly at every opportunity. Only recently had she begun to feel something for him, that maybe their could be a relationship. And she had thrown all those new budding feelings out the window, when Ranma had returned.
She would have to tell him. Explain that Ranma was now nothing more than a friend, and tell him that she cared for him. She had a bad feeling about what was to come, and she hoped that they could have a few happy moments before all hell broke loose…
******************************************* *******
Carefully adjusting his glasses, Mousse silently cursed this fat bastard of a ship captain for holding him up. The man insisted that he oversee the loading of all the Kunos' product, eighty top of the line Kuno Heavy Industries TK-12 assault rifles, stored inside special containers marking them as highly sensitive biological material, for ease of transport. He kept babbling in poor Chinese about following procedure. Mousse suspected that the man was planning on having his men kill him before they leave, taking their payment and the shipment with them. Obviously he had not heard about the last group of fellow who tried that. He readied several weapons up his sleeve, making sure he was ready for anything. Well, almost anything…
He first noticed something was out of the ordinary, when two of the men aboard ship started pointing, shouting down to the captain in what Mousse believed to be Arabic. The captain, irritated at being interrupted, yelled back, and turned to look behind him. He was quite for some time, staring silently back along the dock. Curious, but still expecting some type of attack, he glanced at the captain. "What is it?"
He raised a hand, face a curious mix of worry and anger. His accent made it almost impossible for the Chinese youth to follow. "Friend of yours?"
Mousse glanced back only briefly, then back to the captain. His mouth was open in a response, when his brain told him what he had just seen. He turned back slowly, eyes wide enough to be seen even behind his thick glasses. "No… It-it-it can't be…"
Yet it was. Striding towards the boat, dressed completely in black, face as pale white as a ghosts, was a man dead for over a year… He tried to move, tried to scream, but nothing came out. He was frozen stiff, helpless before the spirit of a man he helped murder.
************************************************ ***
The captain noticed his change. "I am guessing no." He waved his men down to the dock. "We can't be having witnesses to our business here. Be taking care of him lads…" The captain sat back and smiled. He had hired his men from some of the best mercenary groups in the middle east, to make sure all his gun trade business was safe. While they had left most of their weapons in mainland china, with their contacts there, his men did not need them. They were almost all trained in military hand to hand.
His men came down, several being called down from below decks, and it did not take long for all dozen of them to have arrived, some armed with whatever they could easily get their hands on. He patted the young Chinese youth the Kuno's used as a delivery man on the back, hard enough to make him stumble forward.
"We will be taking care of this crazy white faced guy that be scaring you. We take care of him good." Then we will be taking care of you, my friend. A good day indeed.
************************************************ ****
He moved slowly, watching each of the men coming down from the boat, and was a little concerned. Since his contact with Akane, he had regained more of his fighting skills. She had seen him fight more than anyone, and her memories of him had brought back more than he could have hoped for. Still, their were a lot of these guys, and while he could feel that they were not trained in using their Ki, they were trained to fight. He could see it in every movement, every gesture. The old Ranma would have plowed through them without blinking, but until he got more of his skill back, he would have to play it smart.
He stopped a dozen yards away from them, as they fanned out around him. He decided to try and bluff them, and the umbrella, leveling it at Mousse.
"I only want him. I won't hurt the rest of you. You can go." He made his face go as hard as he could, but he was feeling odd, almost afraid. His moods had been changing rapidly since he had touched Akane. He hoped what ever had passed between them did not get him killed.
The big guy, the one dressed like a sailor from all those movies, waved his hand and spoke in a language Ranma had never heard before. He did not need to understand it though, he had a pretty good idea what was being said from the laughter and the men stepping in.
**************************************************** *
The captain's grin got wider when the painted up youth told them he would not hurt them. He translated to his men, and all of them had a good laugh. He noticed the Kuno's lackey was not joining them however. He was still staring as if the grim reaper had just leveled his bony finger at him.
Shaking his head, he told his men to take care of the oddball, and he got ready to knock this Mousse fellow in the back of the head while he was still staring. It was then that all hell decided to break loose.
************************************************* *****
When Ranma leveled that umbrella at him, and told them that he only wanted him, he nearly collapse in tears, begging for his life. But suddenly, the captain and his men were moving on the spirit of Ranma, and much to his amazement, the spirit began to fight back.
It was amazing to watch. He had never seen Ranma fight like this before. It had always been one on one, against foes who were far from his skill level, or foes that were far to powerful for him to fight in a conventional manner. But here, against men who were obviously trained fighters, and having numbers over him, Ranma's skill began to show through.
He opened with a powerful thrust to the stomach, doubling over the fist of his opponents, the using that man's head as a spring board, back flipped over the man rushing him from behind, and again lashing out with the umbrella as he flew over, to land a nasty shot to that ones head. The fight continued from there, Ranma weaving all around and through his foes, untouchable and in control.
Yet despite the skill of it all, something did not seem right. Mousse's fear soaked mind tried to puzzle it out. Why was a spirit fighting back? Why did it not simply pass through them, and claim him? Perhaps it could not.
That was when the first blow landed against the Ranma spirit thing. One of the sailors managed to slip up behind him, one that Ranma had already thought he had taken down, and returned the hit with the umbrella ten fold, trying to take Ranma's head off with a telescoping baton. As Saotome staggered, another was on him, then another, blows raining down. Ranma staggered, and fell to his knees, all fear left him. It was no spirit, no untouchable foe come to take his soul.
His fear began to leave him at just the right moment, for he felt the captain move behind him. Mousse sprang into motion, pivoting, his hands a barely seeable blur, and in a flash he had spun around completely, facing back towards Ranma. He heard two thumps behind him, one softer, the other much louder, and shook his head. He wiped the sword clean, and slid it back up his sleeve. One less problem to deal with.
The sailors were all watching Ranma, who was still kneeling. He did not know how Saotome had come back, but it was time to end this, once and for all, and claim the prize he had been deprived of by Tatewaki. He slid a knife into his hand, and rushed forward, unconcerned by the men around Ranma. The mistake Ranma had made was that he had been fighting only to take down his foes, not take them out. Mousse had no such problem.
He was on his old enemy in a flash, grabbing him by that silly pony-tail, and lifting him high. He caught sight of Ranma's eyes, surprise, pain, and anger a wash across them.
"This is for ruining my life, you worthless dog. Even in life…"
His sword drove deep into Ranma's chest, into his heart, and released the hair, holding him up by sword alone. He smiled wickedly, a triumph he had never expected having been brought to him, when he noticed. Ranma, despite the wound, was not bleeding.
********************************************** **********
*Blink*
Steel cutting into her cheek, carving flesh from bone. The pain was horrid, endless. Skin and Muscle sliced apart with practiced skill…
*Blink*
Wood impacted with his skull with surprising force; a dull, thunderous pain flared through his skull. He had only time for one last thought as his arms went slack against the bonds they had struggled against, as his lifeblood poured down his body. He apologized to her for having failed to protect her this one last time.
*Blink*
Flesh being carved, cold steel gleaming in the bright light above her…
*Blink*
The wooden practice sword falls. He can see it as if it were moving in slow motion, see the wood grain, see his own face in the highly polished surface…
*Blink*
Cold steel cutting…
*Blink*
Wooden shaft shattering bone…
******************************************** ***********
Ranma screamed, a cry of rage that was matched in volume and pitch by a huge black bird that seemed to drop out of the night upon them. Mousse staggered back as the bird rushed him, and he dropped the sword, and with it Ranma, who fell back to his knees.
The bird did not fly into him, and peck his eyes out, as he had feared, but flew past his head, and landed on one of the unloaded crates. It turned, and stared at all those gathered. It cawed briefly, as if telling them something.
Mousse wondered at the odd behavior, but decided on more pressing matters. He turned his attention back to Ranma, and was shocked to see him not only still moving, but pulling the sword free with one hand. With a growl, he pointed.
"You heard the Captain's orders! Kill him!"
The sword slipped free of Ranma's chest, and Mousse shuddered, fear building again. Ranma was not only not bleeding, but the sword was clean as well. No blood. He could not be human, maybe he was a spirit after all…
The first man moved, the same one with the telescoping baton, and Ranma moved faster that Mousse could follow. He hand shot out, catching his hand, and then twisting with so much force and pressure that the arm snapped like dry twigs. The fellow scream was cut short by the introduction of three feet of steel into his throat, as Ranma took the blade beside him up, and thrust it above him.
Ranma's aura flared, as his body began to draw in Ki, and it flared a dark red, almost bloodlike. As it rose, it took shape, and Mousse cast a quick glance back at the bird, and was no longer surprised to see the similarity. What ever he had become, somehow he and the bird were connected.
But by then, Mousse had no more time to think, because Ranma was coming, moving with speed Mousse had never seen. The sailors tried to slow him down, get payback for their friend, and he cut through them like a scythe. A kick to the face hard enough to shatter bone, blows to the heart and throat, grabs that broke arms, and ended live. He was death walking, and those men only proved to be a mild distraction.
And then they were down, and Mousse had to defend himself. The two squared off, Mousse launching attacks with whatever weapon slid into hand, launching techniques meant to kill or cripple, and Ranma fought as he always did, fists alone. Each hit did damage, yet none of them seemed to slow Ranma, none of them seemed to even hurt him.
Each second of the fight began to tell on Mousse, for he had not prepared for a fight like this, and he had to stay on the defensive constantly. Yet he began to notice something. He could not fight Ranma like this, toe to toe. Ranma had been that much better, yet now Ranma's attacks, for all their impossible speed and durability, he seemed to not have the skill to back it up. Under the right circumstances, Mousse thought he could beat him. Especially if he had allies.
Mousse suddenly flung out a smoke bomb, a last resort picked up from the Kuno's ninja Sansuke, and leapt away and back, meaning to land on the boat, and launch himself into the water. Fly away into the night as a duck. It did not work out though, as Ranma had used this trick in many a fight, and was in the air with him. He felt someone grab his jacket, and someone grabbing his face. For just a brief moment, he suddenly was inside Ranma's mind, and Ranma in his, as if they had joined for just a brief second. Then it was over, and half a dozen blows pounded into his head with such force that it knocked him out of his jacket, and he was falling, hitting the boats edge.
His body ached, his mind a blur, both from pain and his sudden connection to Ranma. He rolled over, just in time to see Ranma's dark form dropping down onto him, leg extended for a kick that would finish him. From out of the shadows a second smoke bomb came, and he felt arms wrap around him, and then everything was wet as he and his savior rolled into the water. He was too grateful at having been saved to be mad at the Kuno's for having their pet ninja follow him.
*************************************************** *
Ranma's kick was driven by strength he had never had before, and the whole boat rocked as he hit it, metal warping under the impact. All he had left of his opponent was the jacket he had taken away from him.
He slid it on, for from that brief contact with Mousse, he had gained an understanding of how he did all those impossible tricks with hiding weapons. He was far from Mousses' skill, but with this specially designed coat, he now had an arsenal with which to get justice.
Walking from the boat slowly, his mind still full of rage. He felt like he had to release it, lest he go mad, and he turned, channeling his rage into confidence, that with his newfound skills and powers, that he was unstoppable, and from his memories came a technique, as if from nowhere, called by his need. His aura flared again, rolling out from him, and he brought his hands up.
"Mouko Takabisha!"
The blast of confidence Ki tore into the boat, blasting through several crates in the process. Things were silent for just a brief second, then their was an explosion, and the air around him turned white, and he was flying.
He rolled to a standing position, just as in the fight with Mousse, feeling no pain. His skin seemed to mend itself as he watched, and within moments, he was good as new, the only sign of him being blown up moments before was his clothing smoking briefly.
He heard sirens, and ran, leaping to the roofs, and heading away into the night, mind a buzz at what had happened to him, what he had become.
************************************************ *****
Mousse sat staring out across the water, even his duck form to beaten to swim properly. Sansuke allowed him to ride atop his back, softly cursing at having to help a duck swim.
Mousse himself was scared. Only he seemed to know what was happening, what was coming for them. He had seen the darkness inside Ranma's heart, and for all his ease at killing, all the Kuno's insanity, all of Cologne's cruelness, none of it compared to the murderous rage that existed inside Saotome. And he would come for them, each and every one, not stopping till they were dead. Not stopping till they had paid for their crimes.
He shuddered softly, wondering how he was going to survive…
***************************************** **************
The crow cawed, looking down from a rooftop, down at the image of itself, burned into the ground by the explosion, and Ranma's Ki. It had begun for real now, and justice would be served. It took flight, and rose into the night, heading off in search of the next in line for Ranma.
Another watcher sat silently. All the events below seemed so familiar. Memories from long ago. The small form hopped away, into the darkness, plans needing to be set in motion…
End of Chapter Four.
Authors Notes: Whew. I had to get away from the character building stuff, and do a little action. As you may have noticed, Ranma is pretty strong for a guy who can't remember all his fighting skills. Well, if you remember from The Crow, Eric Draven was a musician, and we all saw how much ass whooping skill he seemed to have. Ranma has gotten stronger and faster in the bargain. Considering he was already strong and faster than most, you can see how much better he would be now with the crows gifts.
Next, the memory thing. Again, from the Movie, Eric Draven seemed to have a lot of control over his ability to get memories, even dropping them into another person in order to beat the big baddie at the end. Since fighting skills are prime in the Ranma series, in combat, I figured it would be a handy trick to make Ranma more formidable (As if he needs it… Oh wait. He will ;) ).
Into why I am writing this series. I am doing this completely unprepared. No working out the plot ahead of time if I can help it. I just sit down and write. Boom! Out comes this. It is really kind of freeing. And I am using this to bone up my skills for my main two series, EL-Hazard : Ancients Dreams, and Ranma 1/2 : Turning Points. I am so pleased by the reviews of this series, I have been working on it pretty non stop. I hope you enjoy.
Anyway. I really appreciate all of you that have sent me comments. You are doing a wonderful job of building my already huge ego into mammoth proportions. My family and Friends thank you a lot. Keep them coming, and I'll keep writing. Ok? OK!!!
Anyway, in the next chapter, RYOGA!!! Akari!!! How will I bring back the umbrella I forgot to make Ranma pick up? Will the Tendos show up? Wait and see. I can promise a little lime scented scene. WHOO HOO!!!
Legal Stuff: I don't own any of the copyrighted materials in these little works of fiction that I produce, and am in no way challenging said copyrights. All I have come up with is the story I have stuck them into.
The Crow 1/2: Dragons Rising
Chapter Four: A Hero's Dark Heart
They moved with a speed and grace that most would not have believed, even had they witnessed it first hand. A crow, large for a bird of it's kind, glided throughout the dark night skies like a shadow. It's body twisted and turned, dodging nimbly around, over, and under obstructions, always heading in the same direction, ever west, deeper into the warehouse district of Nerima.
The young man following was not hindered by the roofs that passed over, nor the speed at which his feathered companion moved. Ponytail blowing in the wind behind him, he leapt from roof to roof, racing at a pace that would have been suicide for even a trained martial artist like himself. But he did not fear death now…
It was sudden that the bird pulled up in it's flight, snapping it's wings forward and bringing itself to a sudden rest atop an air conditioner run off pipe. Surprised, his companion barely managed to stop himself, almost barreling over the edge. Instead, he found himself looking down, into an alley that ran between two buildings. He frowned, and shot the bird a dirty look.
"What the heck did ya do that for? I could have broke my neck!" He looked back down into the alley, and was unhappy to find none of those he sought below him. "And I thought you were supposed to be helping me? What the hell did ya bring me out here for huh? For atmosphere?"
The crow rotated it's head, it's golden colored eyes burned with a fierce light, and despite it's small size, his companion backed away, hands raised in a warding off gesture. It cawed faintly, and dropped from the roof, gliding silently into the darkness, and from view.
"Jeeze. Touchy bird…" He started to follow, when a sensation he had never experienced before, comparable only to falling perhaps. He watched the dark stone walls literally fly past, felt himself bank to the left, and soar above the streets. Black wings beat just at the edges of his vision, and he finally realized what was happening. He was seeing what the bird saw, feeling what it felt.
He was amazed, marveling at the feeling of flight, that he almost missed what the bird was flying towards. It was a small ship, a little small company transport of some type. Dock hands ran back and forth, loading on unmarked wooden crates, and two people stood at the edge of the dock, both staring at the ship, watching the work, and talking softly.
The first one, the taller of the two, was dressed as a stereotypical sea captain, hat, coat and all. He did not concern them. The other one was the one that drew the bird eyes, and through them, it's companions. Both sets, golden and blue, narrowed.
The shorter fellow was dressed in looses gray slacks, and an unusual jacket, covered in Chinese designs and characters, it's sleeves far wider that would have been practical. His jett black hair rolled down his back, long and loose, and when he turned to speak with the captain, glasses so thick that they resembled coke bottle bottoms gleamed dully in the dim light. He knew that man, knew his face, knew what probably was hidden up those sleeves. He growled faintly, and in response to his anger, the crow cawed, its cry making both men turn suddenly and watch its flight.
Then the bird was past, flying back off into the night, back to him, and the vision was over. He was along with his own senses. Before the crow could return, he was moving, taking to the air in a fast leap that carried him to the next building. He had business to take care of with the Chinese youth. And a message to deliver.
*********************************************** ****
The restaurant had been closed for close to an hour now. Since then, she had been waiting silently, watching out the windows of her restaurant, waiting for Ryoga Hibiki to arrive. She was still confused why Ranma wanted the Eternally Lost Boy here, but she had agreed. She did not have the courage to argue with him, the way he had come down, eyes full of murder, face painted like some type of pissed off clown…
*One Hour Ago*
He walked down the stairs one at a time, his feet making not a noise. Not even the loose step shifted as he walked. She stared, a shocked and fearful gasp escaping her lips before she could catch herself.
He had changed cloths, and was now dressed in all black. His shirt was still Chinese in style, but she had never seen it before. Silver dragons twined around his body Rising over his shoulders, or around his sides. The shirt did not worry her though. It was his face that scared her.
It was painted white, with what looked like makeup, and his eyes were painted black, looking dark and sunken. A single black streak, drawn down from his right eye, and Ukyou suddenly had an image of him crying earlier, and a tear rolling down his cheek.
She backed away as he walked down the stairs, wondering if he had gone over the edge, or if he had found out about her secret, but he did not even look at her. Instead, when he reached the stairs base, he headed over to the door, as if to leave. He stopped as he had earlier that day, when he had raced out into the rain, off to see Akane. He again took the red bamboo umbrella out from it's place beside the door, but this time, instead of walking outside, he slowly turned it over and over in his hands, as if trying to remember something about it.
Konatsu picked that moment to enter the room from the kitchen, and he was not looking happy. He had been trying to work off some of his aggressions and pent up feelings by hand scrubbing the floors in the kitchen, and had ruined his makeup and the dress he had been wearing was filthy. They both looked at each other at the same time, Konatsu meeting Ranma's angry eyes, and dropped into a fighting stance. Ukyou did not know what he hoped to do against Ranma, especially if he had gone crazy. She was willing to bet that it had something to do with buying her time to get away. He really did care for her well being a little TOO much sometimes. She would not run off and leave him like that, she just wished that she had her spatula from behind the grill.
Ranma ignored the cross dressers aggressive actions, instead raising the umbrella, and leveling it at Ukyou. "The owner of this umbrella…"
It took her a moment to catch his meaning. "Ryoga?"
He nodded. "Yea. Ryoga. Always getting lost, I think…" He smiled just for a moment, a he seemed to go into himself for a moment, remembering. It was short lived, however, and he snapped back to reality, eyes going back to their hate filled look. "IS their a way to get a hold of him? His parents or something?"
She nodded. "Yea. He left his number a few months ago. He is living with this girl named Akari. She is really kind of nice… Why do you want to talk to Ryoga?"
"Call him then, and tell him it is an emergency. Don't tell him what, just that he has to hurry. Tell him to come here."
"I won't until you tell me why! If you plan on hurting him, you can forget it! He had nothing to do with what happened to you and Akane! You got that!"
"I don't want him for that…" He moved towards the door, not looking at her, umbrella in hand. "I just… I might need his help shortly. His and yours… Once this starts…" His hand closed on the doorknob, and he slid it open, intent on stepping out into the darkness.
"Help? With what? Where are you going?" She rose as if to follow him, to get answers, when out of nowhere, a huge black bird fluttered up from the shadows, and perched on Ranma's shoulder. Both turned to stare at her, the birds eyes glowing eerily, Ranma's fierce ones a little softer, sensing her concern. His face still was emotionless though, and his voice was calm, almost lifeless.
"I have to deliver a message…"
*Present*
She was startled over trying to puzzle out what Ranma was up to by the phone ringing suddenly. It's sharp, rapid fire warble made her fall out her seat at the bar, and sent her heart racing a thousand beats a second. Grumbling, she dragged herself up from the floor, and rubber her rear, where she had landed. The phone had stopped, and she could hear Konatsu upstairs, talking.
It was several minutes before she heard the young ninja come down the stairs. She had heard him shower earlier, and guessed that he had wanted to change cloths before Akari and Ryoga arrived. What she saw when he came down was almost as startling as Ranma's return.
He was dressed in a loose fitting t-shirt and jeans, both men's. He was wearing a pair of sneakers, in place of the slippers he almost always wore, and again, those were men's as well. His hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and for the first time EVER, she had to admit that he was just as handsome as Ranma, maybe even more. But she wondered at why he was dressed like this.
"Konatsu?"
He smiled at her, but she could tell it was forced. "I have to make a good impression for our guests. That was Ryoga on the phone. They are at the train station, and I am going to meet them." He waved to her a little before walking out the door. "Be back in a few, Ukyou."
She just watched, feeling something tearing into her heart. She suspected why he was dressed as he was. He was trying to compete with Ranma, prove that he was a man despite the way he dressed. Show her that he could be normal, and something desirable. She felt new tears try and slip down her cheek, and she scrubbed her eyes with her palms. She had never been good enough to be anything more to Ranma than a friend, but for Konatsu, she had always been too good. He had loved her unconditionally, and she had treated him poorly at every opportunity. Only recently had she begun to feel something for him, that maybe their could be a relationship. And she had thrown all those new budding feelings out the window, when Ranma had returned.
She would have to tell him. Explain that Ranma was now nothing more than a friend, and tell him that she cared for him. She had a bad feeling about what was to come, and she hoped that they could have a few happy moments before all hell broke loose…
******************************************* *******
Carefully adjusting his glasses, Mousse silently cursed this fat bastard of a ship captain for holding him up. The man insisted that he oversee the loading of all the Kunos' product, eighty top of the line Kuno Heavy Industries TK-12 assault rifles, stored inside special containers marking them as highly sensitive biological material, for ease of transport. He kept babbling in poor Chinese about following procedure. Mousse suspected that the man was planning on having his men kill him before they leave, taking their payment and the shipment with them. Obviously he had not heard about the last group of fellow who tried that. He readied several weapons up his sleeve, making sure he was ready for anything. Well, almost anything…
He first noticed something was out of the ordinary, when two of the men aboard ship started pointing, shouting down to the captain in what Mousse believed to be Arabic. The captain, irritated at being interrupted, yelled back, and turned to look behind him. He was quite for some time, staring silently back along the dock. Curious, but still expecting some type of attack, he glanced at the captain. "What is it?"
He raised a hand, face a curious mix of worry and anger. His accent made it almost impossible for the Chinese youth to follow. "Friend of yours?"
Mousse glanced back only briefly, then back to the captain. His mouth was open in a response, when his brain told him what he had just seen. He turned back slowly, eyes wide enough to be seen even behind his thick glasses. "No… It-it-it can't be…"
Yet it was. Striding towards the boat, dressed completely in black, face as pale white as a ghosts, was a man dead for over a year… He tried to move, tried to scream, but nothing came out. He was frozen stiff, helpless before the spirit of a man he helped murder.
************************************************ ***
The captain noticed his change. "I am guessing no." He waved his men down to the dock. "We can't be having witnesses to our business here. Be taking care of him lads…" The captain sat back and smiled. He had hired his men from some of the best mercenary groups in the middle east, to make sure all his gun trade business was safe. While they had left most of their weapons in mainland china, with their contacts there, his men did not need them. They were almost all trained in military hand to hand.
His men came down, several being called down from below decks, and it did not take long for all dozen of them to have arrived, some armed with whatever they could easily get their hands on. He patted the young Chinese youth the Kuno's used as a delivery man on the back, hard enough to make him stumble forward.
"We will be taking care of this crazy white faced guy that be scaring you. We take care of him good." Then we will be taking care of you, my friend. A good day indeed.
************************************************ ****
He moved slowly, watching each of the men coming down from the boat, and was a little concerned. Since his contact with Akane, he had regained more of his fighting skills. She had seen him fight more than anyone, and her memories of him had brought back more than he could have hoped for. Still, their were a lot of these guys, and while he could feel that they were not trained in using their Ki, they were trained to fight. He could see it in every movement, every gesture. The old Ranma would have plowed through them without blinking, but until he got more of his skill back, he would have to play it smart.
He stopped a dozen yards away from them, as they fanned out around him. He decided to try and bluff them, and the umbrella, leveling it at Mousse.
"I only want him. I won't hurt the rest of you. You can go." He made his face go as hard as he could, but he was feeling odd, almost afraid. His moods had been changing rapidly since he had touched Akane. He hoped what ever had passed between them did not get him killed.
The big guy, the one dressed like a sailor from all those movies, waved his hand and spoke in a language Ranma had never heard before. He did not need to understand it though, he had a pretty good idea what was being said from the laughter and the men stepping in.
**************************************************** *
The captain's grin got wider when the painted up youth told them he would not hurt them. He translated to his men, and all of them had a good laugh. He noticed the Kuno's lackey was not joining them however. He was still staring as if the grim reaper had just leveled his bony finger at him.
Shaking his head, he told his men to take care of the oddball, and he got ready to knock this Mousse fellow in the back of the head while he was still staring. It was then that all hell decided to break loose.
************************************************* *****
When Ranma leveled that umbrella at him, and told them that he only wanted him, he nearly collapse in tears, begging for his life. But suddenly, the captain and his men were moving on the spirit of Ranma, and much to his amazement, the spirit began to fight back.
It was amazing to watch. He had never seen Ranma fight like this before. It had always been one on one, against foes who were far from his skill level, or foes that were far to powerful for him to fight in a conventional manner. But here, against men who were obviously trained fighters, and having numbers over him, Ranma's skill began to show through.
He opened with a powerful thrust to the stomach, doubling over the fist of his opponents, the using that man's head as a spring board, back flipped over the man rushing him from behind, and again lashing out with the umbrella as he flew over, to land a nasty shot to that ones head. The fight continued from there, Ranma weaving all around and through his foes, untouchable and in control.
Yet despite the skill of it all, something did not seem right. Mousse's fear soaked mind tried to puzzle it out. Why was a spirit fighting back? Why did it not simply pass through them, and claim him? Perhaps it could not.
That was when the first blow landed against the Ranma spirit thing. One of the sailors managed to slip up behind him, one that Ranma had already thought he had taken down, and returned the hit with the umbrella ten fold, trying to take Ranma's head off with a telescoping baton. As Saotome staggered, another was on him, then another, blows raining down. Ranma staggered, and fell to his knees, all fear left him. It was no spirit, no untouchable foe come to take his soul.
His fear began to leave him at just the right moment, for he felt the captain move behind him. Mousse sprang into motion, pivoting, his hands a barely seeable blur, and in a flash he had spun around completely, facing back towards Ranma. He heard two thumps behind him, one softer, the other much louder, and shook his head. He wiped the sword clean, and slid it back up his sleeve. One less problem to deal with.
The sailors were all watching Ranma, who was still kneeling. He did not know how Saotome had come back, but it was time to end this, once and for all, and claim the prize he had been deprived of by Tatewaki. He slid a knife into his hand, and rushed forward, unconcerned by the men around Ranma. The mistake Ranma had made was that he had been fighting only to take down his foes, not take them out. Mousse had no such problem.
He was on his old enemy in a flash, grabbing him by that silly pony-tail, and lifting him high. He caught sight of Ranma's eyes, surprise, pain, and anger a wash across them.
"This is for ruining my life, you worthless dog. Even in life…"
His sword drove deep into Ranma's chest, into his heart, and released the hair, holding him up by sword alone. He smiled wickedly, a triumph he had never expected having been brought to him, when he noticed. Ranma, despite the wound, was not bleeding.
********************************************** **********
*Blink*
Steel cutting into her cheek, carving flesh from bone. The pain was horrid, endless. Skin and Muscle sliced apart with practiced skill…
*Blink*
Wood impacted with his skull with surprising force; a dull, thunderous pain flared through his skull. He had only time for one last thought as his arms went slack against the bonds they had struggled against, as his lifeblood poured down his body. He apologized to her for having failed to protect her this one last time.
*Blink*
Flesh being carved, cold steel gleaming in the bright light above her…
*Blink*
The wooden practice sword falls. He can see it as if it were moving in slow motion, see the wood grain, see his own face in the highly polished surface…
*Blink*
Cold steel cutting…
*Blink*
Wooden shaft shattering bone…
******************************************** ***********
Ranma screamed, a cry of rage that was matched in volume and pitch by a huge black bird that seemed to drop out of the night upon them. Mousse staggered back as the bird rushed him, and he dropped the sword, and with it Ranma, who fell back to his knees.
The bird did not fly into him, and peck his eyes out, as he had feared, but flew past his head, and landed on one of the unloaded crates. It turned, and stared at all those gathered. It cawed briefly, as if telling them something.
Mousse wondered at the odd behavior, but decided on more pressing matters. He turned his attention back to Ranma, and was shocked to see him not only still moving, but pulling the sword free with one hand. With a growl, he pointed.
"You heard the Captain's orders! Kill him!"
The sword slipped free of Ranma's chest, and Mousse shuddered, fear building again. Ranma was not only not bleeding, but the sword was clean as well. No blood. He could not be human, maybe he was a spirit after all…
The first man moved, the same one with the telescoping baton, and Ranma moved faster that Mousse could follow. He hand shot out, catching his hand, and then twisting with so much force and pressure that the arm snapped like dry twigs. The fellow scream was cut short by the introduction of three feet of steel into his throat, as Ranma took the blade beside him up, and thrust it above him.
Ranma's aura flared, as his body began to draw in Ki, and it flared a dark red, almost bloodlike. As it rose, it took shape, and Mousse cast a quick glance back at the bird, and was no longer surprised to see the similarity. What ever he had become, somehow he and the bird were connected.
But by then, Mousse had no more time to think, because Ranma was coming, moving with speed Mousse had never seen. The sailors tried to slow him down, get payback for their friend, and he cut through them like a scythe. A kick to the face hard enough to shatter bone, blows to the heart and throat, grabs that broke arms, and ended live. He was death walking, and those men only proved to be a mild distraction.
And then they were down, and Mousse had to defend himself. The two squared off, Mousse launching attacks with whatever weapon slid into hand, launching techniques meant to kill or cripple, and Ranma fought as he always did, fists alone. Each hit did damage, yet none of them seemed to slow Ranma, none of them seemed to even hurt him.
Each second of the fight began to tell on Mousse, for he had not prepared for a fight like this, and he had to stay on the defensive constantly. Yet he began to notice something. He could not fight Ranma like this, toe to toe. Ranma had been that much better, yet now Ranma's attacks, for all their impossible speed and durability, he seemed to not have the skill to back it up. Under the right circumstances, Mousse thought he could beat him. Especially if he had allies.
Mousse suddenly flung out a smoke bomb, a last resort picked up from the Kuno's ninja Sansuke, and leapt away and back, meaning to land on the boat, and launch himself into the water. Fly away into the night as a duck. It did not work out though, as Ranma had used this trick in many a fight, and was in the air with him. He felt someone grab his jacket, and someone grabbing his face. For just a brief moment, he suddenly was inside Ranma's mind, and Ranma in his, as if they had joined for just a brief second. Then it was over, and half a dozen blows pounded into his head with such force that it knocked him out of his jacket, and he was falling, hitting the boats edge.
His body ached, his mind a blur, both from pain and his sudden connection to Ranma. He rolled over, just in time to see Ranma's dark form dropping down onto him, leg extended for a kick that would finish him. From out of the shadows a second smoke bomb came, and he felt arms wrap around him, and then everything was wet as he and his savior rolled into the water. He was too grateful at having been saved to be mad at the Kuno's for having their pet ninja follow him.
*************************************************** *
Ranma's kick was driven by strength he had never had before, and the whole boat rocked as he hit it, metal warping under the impact. All he had left of his opponent was the jacket he had taken away from him.
He slid it on, for from that brief contact with Mousse, he had gained an understanding of how he did all those impossible tricks with hiding weapons. He was far from Mousses' skill, but with this specially designed coat, he now had an arsenal with which to get justice.
Walking from the boat slowly, his mind still full of rage. He felt like he had to release it, lest he go mad, and he turned, channeling his rage into confidence, that with his newfound skills and powers, that he was unstoppable, and from his memories came a technique, as if from nowhere, called by his need. His aura flared again, rolling out from him, and he brought his hands up.
"Mouko Takabisha!"
The blast of confidence Ki tore into the boat, blasting through several crates in the process. Things were silent for just a brief second, then their was an explosion, and the air around him turned white, and he was flying.
He rolled to a standing position, just as in the fight with Mousse, feeling no pain. His skin seemed to mend itself as he watched, and within moments, he was good as new, the only sign of him being blown up moments before was his clothing smoking briefly.
He heard sirens, and ran, leaping to the roofs, and heading away into the night, mind a buzz at what had happened to him, what he had become.
************************************************ *****
Mousse sat staring out across the water, even his duck form to beaten to swim properly. Sansuke allowed him to ride atop his back, softly cursing at having to help a duck swim.
Mousse himself was scared. Only he seemed to know what was happening, what was coming for them. He had seen the darkness inside Ranma's heart, and for all his ease at killing, all the Kuno's insanity, all of Cologne's cruelness, none of it compared to the murderous rage that existed inside Saotome. And he would come for them, each and every one, not stopping till they were dead. Not stopping till they had paid for their crimes.
He shuddered softly, wondering how he was going to survive…
***************************************** **************
The crow cawed, looking down from a rooftop, down at the image of itself, burned into the ground by the explosion, and Ranma's Ki. It had begun for real now, and justice would be served. It took flight, and rose into the night, heading off in search of the next in line for Ranma.
Another watcher sat silently. All the events below seemed so familiar. Memories from long ago. The small form hopped away, into the darkness, plans needing to be set in motion…
End of Chapter Four.
Authors Notes: Whew. I had to get away from the character building stuff, and do a little action. As you may have noticed, Ranma is pretty strong for a guy who can't remember all his fighting skills. Well, if you remember from The Crow, Eric Draven was a musician, and we all saw how much ass whooping skill he seemed to have. Ranma has gotten stronger and faster in the bargain. Considering he was already strong and faster than most, you can see how much better he would be now with the crows gifts.
Next, the memory thing. Again, from the Movie, Eric Draven seemed to have a lot of control over his ability to get memories, even dropping them into another person in order to beat the big baddie at the end. Since fighting skills are prime in the Ranma series, in combat, I figured it would be a handy trick to make Ranma more formidable (As if he needs it… Oh wait. He will ;) ).
Into why I am writing this series. I am doing this completely unprepared. No working out the plot ahead of time if I can help it. I just sit down and write. Boom! Out comes this. It is really kind of freeing. And I am using this to bone up my skills for my main two series, EL-Hazard : Ancients Dreams, and Ranma 1/2 : Turning Points. I am so pleased by the reviews of this series, I have been working on it pretty non stop. I hope you enjoy.
Anyway. I really appreciate all of you that have sent me comments. You are doing a wonderful job of building my already huge ego into mammoth proportions. My family and Friends thank you a lot. Keep them coming, and I'll keep writing. Ok? OK!!!
Anyway, in the next chapter, RYOGA!!! Akari!!! How will I bring back the umbrella I forgot to make Ranma pick up? Will the Tendos show up? Wait and see. I can promise a little lime scented scene. WHOO HOO!!!