[Ranma][FanFic] Curse of Jusenkyo - Chapter 1

[Kyo Kusanagi]

Ranma Nibunnoichi
Jusenkyo's Curse

Chapter 1: The Awakening

Night had fallen over the Jusenkyo springs. Through the waning
light, one could clearly seen the soft breeze gently rippling the
surface of the pools. Above the springs, long bamboo poles, some worn
and broken by the power of the elements and the passing of time, stand
proudly. The skies above the tranquil scene do not do justice to the
beauty of the surrounding area, lush green vegetation almost completely
obscuring the little training ground from view. Near the edge of the
grounds, a small thatched roof hut can be seen, a soft glowing light
emanating from within as a long, tired sigh issued from the hut.
"Those fool tourists, I damn well told them *NOT* to stray too
close to the springs, I told them over and over, and what do I get?
*PSSSHHH* First idiot that wanders too close falls in."
Another sigh, this time one that was longer and with a touch of
annoyance in it.
"Pity, that guy looked quite a businessman really, all that suit,
coat and tie crap. Never really understood why people go in for such
silly things when simple..." he gestures to his well-worn threadbare
robes "...stuff like this will do. Ah well, his fault, wonder which pool
he fell into, have to check up on that sometime." The guide mumbles as
he recollects the day's events. Showing some rich bastard around was bad
enough, what was worse when he decided to jump into one of the pools.

The guide, also the guide for anyone visiting the springs, has been
here for longer than anyone can remember, probably the only living
person to know almost every detail about the Jusenkyo springs, but even
then there are things that he doesn't know.
"Ahhhhh, time to turn it in I guess." He says as he blows out the
candle and drifts off to sleep, a final, fleeting thought entering his
mind.
<Hmm, I wonder what that glow was AFTER that fool fell into the
pool. First time I've ever seen the waters light up like that. Ah well,
I'll find out soon enough. Hmm, I wonder how many people actually know
that the curse actually infuses your spirit with that of the one who
originally drowned? Hah, with the number of fools out there these days,
not many I'd wager.>

Outside the hut, the pool near the middle that the rich tourist
fell in this morning, unknown to the guide, was emitting a soft blue
glow. Borne on the wind came an extremely faint, but definite, sound of
laughter. An evil-sounding laugh...

***************

Morning has broken above Nerima, the warm glow of the morning sun
turning everything a rich, golden hue. Around town people were already
showing signs of activity. Outside the Nekohanten came sounds of the
early morning crowd that usually stopped by for a bite before going off
to work. Ranma and Akane were on their way to school, Ranma taking his
usual pace along the top of the fence while Akane, ignoring Ranma as
usual, chats to Sayuri and Yuka about common, everyday stuff. Then the
all-too familiar 'chrrriiinnngggg' of a certain bicycle bell, piloted by
a certain lavender-haired cutie...Followed by an all-too familiar crash
of the bicycle on Ranma.

"Shampoo!!! Get off me!!! What do you think you were doing anyway,
riding your bike on the fence?!? Uhffff, get off me, you're making me
late again!!!" an extremely ticked-off Ranma yelled.
Shampoo was on top of Ranma, hugging him like some sort of teddy
bear.
"Ranma happy to see Shampoo hmm?" Shampoo asked, still smiling and
playfully pulling at the sides of Ranma's mouth into a semblance of a
smile, if you can call it that. Her bike lies nearby, along with the
container of ramen that she has totally forgotten about. The passers-by
pay no attention to the scene, after all it happens *ALMOST* every day.

"Ranma no go school, Ranma take Shampoo to date!!?" Shampoo blurted
out, more of a statement than a question.
"You have GOT to be kidding!" Ranma frantically looked around,
hoping Akane had gone on to school with her friends and forgotten about
him. Yeah right, fat chance of that, as if on cue, Ranma's face suddenly
appeared to grow a footprint, that's with the foot still attached to it.
Shampoo looks up and sees a slightly ticked-off Akane standing on
Ranma's face for a moment longer before stepping off with a 'Hmmph'.
Shampoo looks up at an angry-looking Akane.
"Akane always such a violent girl..." Shampoo says as Akane,
standing on Ranma's face, grinds her heel for a moment before walking
off.
"Ranma! I'm going on ahead, PLEASE enjoy yourself!"
"Uhhhhh...Ak.....Akane, wh....what didja do that for!?!? Wouldja
just listen to MY side for once damnit?!" Ranma groans from being used
as a doormat.
"YOUR side?! Oh ok, so I'm going to listen to you carry on about
why you've got Shampoo in your arms like some kind of overstuffed teddy
bear!?"
"It isn't MY fault, she just jumped onto me first! I was just going
about minding my own business when I get floored!"
"Yeah right, sure, and I bet you really enjoyed getting 'floored'
huh?!"
"Well anything would be more enjoyable than being with you, come
on, just look, I mean, who would go out with someone as uncute as you?!"
"What was that!?!?! Would you care to repeat that Ranma!?!?"
"You're uncute, unsexy, built like a brick, violent as a gorilla
and..."

That was as far as Ranma could get before Akane magically conjured
her trademark mallet out of thin air and began chasing him around Nerima
yelling and trying to turn his head into something resembling roadkill.
Shampoo, left behind simply sighs and picks up her bike before leaving.
"Shampoo never understand why Ranma like Akane, always so violent
girl." Shampoo mumbles to herself.

**************

Below on the streets of Nerima, Ryoga is on his way to the Tendo
Dojo (he actually passed it 4 blocks back) when a small commotion made
him look up and see the 2 figures chasing each other across the
rooftops.
"That was Akane and Ranma. He must have done something to her, that
cad! I'll show him! The coward will finally have to face the might of
Ryoga Hibiki!" Ryoga belts out, striking a 'hero' pose as a passing
truck accidentally splashes a puddle over Ryoga, where he was last
standing now stands a little black pig.

P-Chan 'Bweees' in anger at his moment of grandeur (?) being
interrupted and at the fact that he was practically helpless in this
state.
Ryoga/P-Chan runs off toward the Tendo Dojo in the hopes of finding
some hot water and about 2 hours later winds up at the exact same place
that he started from...

******************

The guide awoke with a start, something was definitely wrong. He
could feel it in the air, a stirring in the ki surrounding the pools.
Like there was another presence there. He tried to ignore it, but try as
he might he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss. The
disturbances in the etheric waves surrounding the pools were much too
great to ignore. He throws on his cloak while sweating heavily
"Uhhh, Shimata!! What can it be? Why do I feel this stirring all of
a sudden?"

Knowing that he would never be able to get to sleep again tonight,
he got up and wandered outside to sit by the pools. The moment he
stepped outside however, he was greeted with a shocking scene. The pools
were glowing brightly with an aqua light, each one stirred into a
swirling vortex that was slowly sucking the etheric barrier surrounding
the pools into itself. The middle pool, the one that was originally
glowing, was now pulsing with a bright white light. The entire area was
now encased in an invisible vortex of pure energy.
"Uhh? Nani?? Oh no, It can't be, not so soon, NO No no no no no,
that fool, curse that fool!!! Why of all pools to fall in WHY THIS
ONE???!?!?!?!" he yelled.

His fears are well founded, the pool now pulsing with pure white
energy was the one in which Kasunama Seijiiku, the warrior-demon who was
killed when he was drowned by a human who managed to use his power
against him. Given the nature of the curse, which causes the spirit of
the victim to 'fuse' with the spirit of the person who drowned in the
pool, the victim also inherits, to a certain degree and depending on
certain conditions, the abilities and powers that the drowned spirit may
possess. The person who fell into a pool this morning had to pick this
one, of all pools.

Even now as the guide watches on in fright, the swirling vortex of
energy around the area begins to increase in tempo, drawing more energy
as it starts to suck in the essences of the lost souls drowned in the
other pools. The guide huddles into a frightened ball and clamps his
hands over his ears as the wailing of the lost souls, drawn from their
resting places within the pools, are forcibly torn from their earthly
constraint and assimilated into the now-blinding column of light that
has erupted from the main pool. Visibly shaking from fear, the guide
whispers "Oh no, this can't be happening, that fool, his idiotic
accident will doom us all...Curse him!" as he silently curses the
tourist who fell into the pool as the column of light begins to change
color, from white, to red, to blue, to yellow, then purple. The light
then begins to fade slightly, as a horrifying visage of Kasunama
Seijiiku appears in the middle of the column, sneering.

"Muahahahaha!!! I am free!! I am FREE!!! Now the world will feel
the unholy vengeance of Kasunama Seijiiku!!! The darkness lives
on...NONE CAN STOP ME!!!" The spirit bellows, then stops as if waiting
for applause. Getting none, it continues "You old fool" he sneers as he
points a clawed finger at the frightened guide "did you truly think you
could keep me from being free did you!? NO ONE, stops a GOD!!!" The
terrifying visage of Kasunama Seijiiku appears to grow as the guide
shrinks back further.
"S...someone w...w...will stop you....Y...you'll see. Y...you
w...will be defeated like last time." The guide stammers out, silently
cursing himself at his pathetic show of fear.

"Muahahaha!!! You fool! What pathetic mortal can you name with even
the slightest hope...of stopping a GOD!?" The spirit then goes on to
blab about his most evil deeds over time, the souls he has stolen etc.
"Someone will, you'll see, someone will stop you!! Your evil will
be put to an end like that last time!" The guide snaps back, regaining
some semblance of confidence.

The spirit of Seijiiku howls with rage at the defiance of the guide
before him. The guide shakes with fright as Seijiiku shakes the ground
with an uncontrollable laughter that causes the light from the pools to
flare up.

"You fool! You FOOL!!! I will have NO MORE of your foolish banter.
I shall begin my unholy quest for vengeance with YOU!!" The spirit
bellows as tendrils of pure energy snake toward the guide who jumps in
fright and attempts to run. However, an unseen force slams him to the
ground and he is snared by the tendrils which drag him slowly toward the
sneering visage of Seijiiku. Now babbling in utter fear, the guide is
barely coherent and is having trouble stringing two words together. His
babble is abruptly ended as Seijiiku forcefully rips his soul from his
body and assimilates it to be a part of his own. The howling spirit
slowly fades from existence as Seijiiku's evil laughter once more rings
out. "Pathetic mortals! How can they ever hope to beat ME!? The entire
world shall feel my awesome power once more! *pauses for a moment*
Wait!! I sense there are few who hold the essence of the pools, MY
essence and MY powers!! I cannot allow this!! I WILL NOT allow these
mere mortals to !!hinder my rebirth!! This sacrilege must end!!" It
pauses to consider this, whoever has fallen into the pools before
possess a portion of the essence which hover around the area. As long as
the victims of the pools have a portion of the essence, the spirit
cannot be reborn.

As it ponders, the glowing purple light seems to fade slightly,
tendrils of pure energy snake out, coiling around the shrivelled corpse
of the guide and lifting it bodily into the air. It then proceeds to rip
it apart, wringing it like a wet dishcloth, as blood sprays and the
insides of the corpse fall with a sickening splat onto the rocky ground,
breaking open on impact, spilling blood and viscera which begin to soak
into the rocks, staining them.

"Wait!! Why didn't I think of this sooner?! Mortals are extremely
warlike, maybe I can turn these aggressive feelings to my advantage."
Dropping the mangled corpse, the spirit suddenly exclaims to no one in
particular. As a formless spirit, it cannot recover any essence within a
mortal unless it is killed. That may sound simple but the catch is that
the spirit will not be able to retrieve it's power if it kills the
mortal directly. Seijiiku stops as if to think about what to do, then it
is as if the light itself appears to elongate and lengthen. It breaks
free from the pool that seemingly bound it and streaks upward into the
night sky. As it escapes the magical restraints that were weakened when
the tourist fell into the pool, it laughs maniacally at the thought of
how it is going to recover the essence. The spirit's essence glows
brightly for a moment then shoots off in the direction of Japan...

Down below, the pools are still once more, the only remaining
evidence of the frightful events that have occurred this night are the
gristly remains of the former guide, quietly staining the rocks

****************

It was your average day at the Tendo Dojo, Soun and Genma(in panda
form) are sitting on the porch playing shogi, Kasumi is drying the
laundry on the line and Happosai is off on his usual panty raid.
"Ahh, such a peaceful day, eh Saotome?" Soun muses, putting a shogi
piece on the board. Genma, moving the pieces around as Soun stares out
into space, holds up a sign saying "Yep, a peaceful day".

Nabiki, quietly reading a manga nearby, looks at her watch and
counts off on her fingers as she walks to a possibly 'safe' area of the
dojo.
"Hmm, ok, 5...4...3...2...1...." she states as right on cue, the
wall behind Soun and Genma explodes and Ranma comes flying out, knocking
Genma into the pond. Moments later a spluttering Ranma-chan and a very
annoyed-looking panda emerge from the pond. Akane steps out onto the
porch through the Ranma-shaped hole in the wall holding a huge mallet.
"Blah, hey, what didja do that for??! I told you it isn't my damn
fault that Shampoo makes it a hobby to hug me to death every time she
sees me!" Ranma-chan yells from the pool to Akane who is still holding
her mallet. On the side is written the words '100 Tons: Do Not Drop'.

"Oh yeah!?! Well the least you could do is the quit encouraging
her! Sheesh, really." Akane says in a ticked-off voice as she turns on
her heel and walks back into the dojo, leaving an irate panda and Soun
to berate the hapless Ranma-chan.

"Ranma!! What have you done to Akane this time?!?". Soun proceeds
to admonish Ranma with tears flowing down his face. Genma always
thinking Ranma is the one to pick on Akane, holds up a sign saying "When
are you ever going to learn to treat her right? She IS your fiancee
after all!".

"ME!?! HEY! She just happened to walk by when Shampoo was trying to
squeeze me half to death! That isn't MY fault now is it!?" Ranma-chan
yells in exasperation.
A crying Soun and red-faced panda reply "Yes it is!" (Panda holding
up another sign). "WHAT WAS THAT!!!!?!!!?!" Ranma-chan yells, shaking
her head.
"You have a responsibility to Akane, how could you just blatantly
in her face go off chasing other women?!?!? Are you a man or aren't
you?!" Soun, still crying, yells back at Ranma-chan. Kind of a silly
statement really, considering Ranma's current form.
"NOW WAIT A MOMENT HERE!!! I SAID IT WASN'T MY FAU...." Before
Ranma-chan could finish, an extremely red-faced panda smacks her out of
the pond into a nearby wall with his sign that says "Don't yell at your
father!!"
Ranma-chan turns to face the two parents, now glowing with a blue
battle-aura. Soun and Genma note this and shrink back slightly.
"That's IT!! I've had all I can take from you two jerks!!" she
intones in a low, dangerous voice as she strides forward slowly, fists
clenched, Soun hastily backs off while Genma tries to hold him back,
displaying a sign saying "Don't leave me here."

****************

Later we hear Nabiki moaning about more repairs that need to be
done and what it's going to cost her. Kasumi, as usual with that
innocent look on her face, hasn't got a clue about what her sister is on
about.
"Take a look at that why dontcha?" she whines as she gestures to
the new Soun and panda shaped holes in the garden wall.
"Those look kind of cute" Kasumi smiles and says innocently to
Nabiki, who face-faults as a large sweatdrop trickles down the back of
her head. In the meantime, upstairs in the bath, Akane, while silently
cursing Ranma is relaxing, or trying to in a hot bath. Reaching over,
she takes the soap off its holder and begins to soap herself, delicately
tracing lines with the soap over her body. As she does so, her mind
begins to wander. As the hot water and steam slowly relax her tense
muscles, images from her memory begin to spring forth. Images, from a
certain time on the island on Togenkyo...

***********

"Akane! Is that the spring?!?" Ranma asks as they fall toward a
pool shining with lights that look like stars. "Now you can be cured,
Ranma!" Akane says back, almost feeling happy for Ranma that he can
finally become a normal guy again.

"No way Akane, I gotta blow it up!!"
"WHAT!?! But then..."
Hey, didn't you say you liked me the way I am?"
"I do...B"
"Well the way *YOU* are is...I ..I gotta destroy it!!"

Akane sighs as she hears Ranma almost admit his feelings for her,
she stops arguing and simply buries her face into his back as they fall
further toward the spring.
"This is it Akane, all my remaining strength into one
all-or-nothing blast!!" Ranma, sensing that time was running out
concentrates and a glowing yellow aura encompasses him as he
concentrates his remaining ki, then focuses it into his hands to power a
ki blast.
"MOKOU-TAKIBISHA!!!!!"
An immense blast of energy erupts from Ranma's cupped hands into
the spring and burrowing through the bottom into the sea beyond. The
spring drains out like water emptying from a bathtub with the plug
pulled. Then suddenly a geyser of sea water explodes upwards, sending
them both back upward and through the top of the mountain which erupts
like a volcano, spewing forth sea water.

*************

Later, along the beach of Togenkyo, Toma and his followers
apologise to the group for the trouble they put the group through the
past few days. Ranma, now back in his boy-form, is standing next to
Akane as the early morning sunrise bathes the area in a rich, golden
glow.
"I-I'm sorry Akane, I've learned something this time, you can't
have a relationship if only one person wants it right? Next time, I-I'll
do it right!" Toma says to Akane, something he never thought he ever had
to say.
"So does this mean you're givin' up on marryin' Akane?" Ranma says,
butting in. Toma smiles at him.
"Absolutely, I've no chance against someone like you." At this
Ranma crosses his arms behind his head.
"Ahh, you're better off without her anyway, she's more like a boy
than a girl anyway, she's go no figure and OOF!!" Ranma says in his
usual annoying tone before his sentence is cut short by an elbow to the
stomach by Akane, who then steps up and holds Toma's hands. "Toma,
you're still young. You'll find a bride..."
"T-Thank you..." Toma blushes at Akane's kind attitude toward him.
Akane then draws his head in and kisses him on the forehead, to
Toma's surprise who blushes and emits a soft "Ohhh", the color of his
cheeks matching the color of the sunrise. Ranma meanwhile is standing
with both hands behind his head and a jealous look on his face.
"Hmmph, what's his problem anyway? Getting a crush on Akane like
that?!" he mutters under his breath as he tries to ignore the scene in
front of him.

*************

A sudden commotion outside snaps Akane to reality. She wonders why
she began thinking of Toma in the first place. But as she recalls the
events, a smile appears on her face as she remembers what Ranma said to
her when they were falling into the spring. She thinks "I wonder if he
really meant what he said back then" as she quickly dresses and exits
the bath to see what is making all the noise.

Outside, Ranma and Ryoga were locked in a violent fight that had
begun in the kitchen and due to an accident with a pot of soup, Ryoga
had managed to change back into his normal form and was out for Ranma's
blood for treating him like dirt when he found a hopelessly lost P-Chan
wandering the streets of Nerima as he was on his way to Ucchan's
Okonomiyaki-Ya for his usual free snack.
"Man...will you *duck* quit it already?" Ranma managed to get out
while dodging a flurry of blows from an enraged Ryoga who appeared deaf
to his pleas to stop as there were 'women and children nearby'.
"RANMAAAAA! I'm going to teach you a lesson once and for all!!!"
Ryoga, his face red with anger yells, as he aims a roundhouse kick that
smashed into a wall where Ranma was standing a few moments ago.
"...Today you shall face me!"
"Look you idiot!!!" Ranma yelled back as he caught Ryoga's extended
leg. "If you really do want to kill me, then damn you, let's take this
outside, you may hurt someone in here!!!". Ryoga, pausing to think about
Ranma's words (well more of thinking about the fact that Akane might be
hurt), made a fatal mistake as Ranma, seizing the opportunity, broke
Ryoga's guard and smashed him through the roof with an uppercut.
"Damn, this time he's serious, he isn't going to let this go,
considering I used him as a football back there" Ranma mused as he
dropped his guard for a moment too long. Long enough for Akane to
deliver one hell of a bitch slap.
"RANMA!!! What do you think you were doing!? Beating up on poor
Ryoga like that?"
"Hey!! *HE* attacked me first!" Ranma retorted, not noticing that
Akane was half-naked with only a flimsy towel around her.
"It doesn't matter, you shouldn't have fought back like that!!"
"WHAT! He was going to kill me if you don't mind!!"
"Hmmph, in this case he'd be doing us all a favor!...Be nice to get
rid of..." Akane stopped, the gravity of her statement sinking in. Even
she'd never gone that far before as to imply that Ranma would be better
off dead. Nabiki, who was inside her room, heard the statement and
gasped. Ranma winced at that last retort, it had hurt, a LOT!
<Did she really mean that!?!> Ranma thought as he turned a pained
gaze toward Akane before gritting his teeth and leaping out through the
Ryoga-shaped hole in the roof. For a moment, Akane was taken aback at
the look he just gave her.
<Oh no, I must have really hurt him.> She thought as she slowly
walked back to her room. Along the way, Nabiki who had been listening to
the heated exchange a few moments ago from her room, looked up from her
homework.
"Ummm Akane...What you said back there, it wasn't a good thing"
Akane looked at her older sister.
"I know, I shouldn't have said it. But what should I do now?"
Nabiki thought for a moment, as if considering the possible ways to
blackmail/bribe/con etc Akane in this situation.
"*sigh* I know it's unlike you but I think you should go apologise.
What you said back there was a bit much, even for the two of you..."
Nabiki says, sighing. Akane nodded, she knew she overstepped the
boundary with that last crack but at the time she couldn't think of
anything better to say, it had just slipped out.
"Ok Nabiki, I'll do it" she sighed as she walked off to find Ranma.
Kasumi walked past Akane and, noticing the look on her younger sister's
face, asked Nabiki as she passed her room.
"Nabiki, what's wrong with Akane?"
"Oh nothing, she just had another argument with Ranma, though this
time it kinda went too far".
"Oh my! I hope it wasn't anything serious!" Kasumi says, a hand on
her mouth. Nabiki turned around to look at her older sister.
"Nah, they'll make up soon enough" However, the look on Nabiki's
face did not agree with what she'd just said.

*************

"RANMA!!! Now I'll prove once and for all who's the stronger! This
has been a long time coming, Saotome!!" Ryoga, recovering from the
uppercut just in time to see Ranma jump out of the hole into roof to
land just a few feet away from him. Ranma nodded solemnly, he heard what
Ryoga said but wasn't really paying attention. He HAD wanted to beat
Ryoga for a while now, but his mind was reeling with what Akane has
yelled in his face a few moments ago.
<What if she really didn't like me? What if she really did think of
me that way?...Could it be that all I've done these past years were all
for nothing?> Ranma's mind was throwing out these possibilities and he
wasn't paying attention when Ryoga's kick connected with awful force and
he was sent flying into a nearby wall, leaving a nice imprint.
"What's wrong Saotome?! Too scared to fight? Now that you don't
have anyone to stop the fight when you need it, you're scared huh? Admit
it! What would Akane think if she saw you in this state, you make me
sick!" Ryoga taunted as Ranma slowly prised himself from the wall, not
looking at Ryoga.

"DIE RANMA!!" Ryoga yelled as he launched himself at Ranma, not
fully alert, Ranma took the brunt of the attack Ryoga dished out and was
getting pounded against the wall, feebly trying to stave off the brutal
fists that were threatening to rip him apart.
<What's wrong with him? Why doesn't he fight back?> Ryoga thought
as he prepared to deliver the final blow. Ranma meanwhile, battered and
bleeding badly from dozens of small cuts and from his nose and mouth,
was still thinking.
<If Akane really hates me, if that's it...Then there's no damn way
Ryoga's going to get her, even if she does hate me...> His eyes suddenly
shot open, in time to see Ryoga draw his fist back for the final blow.

************

"Mr. Shimada, Mr. Shimada, what about the 1001 shares of...."
"Mr. Shimada, the newspapers are asking for comment on the proposal
for the upcoming Tenkai-Ichi Bodukai...."
"Mr. Shimada, these documents require your immediate attention..."
"Mr. Shimada, Mr. Shimada, a Mr. Atsuko is on Line 6, he wants to
talk about the..."

"HOLD IT!!!" everyone froze from Jyusei Shimada's sudden outburst.
The hectic scene around the office in which everyone was bustling about
trying to get Shimada's attention for a moment appeared to simply freeze
on the spot, like time standing still. "Now let's all take a deep breath
and relax shall we?" Shimada said evenly, catching a breather as he
surveyed the expectant faces of his staff assembled before him, waiting
to see which pressing problem he would handle first. Everyone nodded and
as ordered, took a deep breath and relaxed...For about 10 seconds.
Jyusei Shimada turned on his heel and walked into his office, ignoring
the pleas and gibbering of the staff behind him, all begging for a
moment of his time. He locked the door and crashed onto the couch,
exhausted. Outside, the noise became louder as his staff attempt to
attract his attention to the matters at hand.
"Mr. Shimada, the shares..." an employee yelled through the door.
"Mr. Shimada, the reporters are becoming impatient..." another
employee yelled.
"Mr. Shimada, these documents..." yet another employee bellowed as
he knocked loudly on the door, trying to entice Jyusei Shimada out.
"I really need to give myself a raise..." Jyusei sighed to himself
as he closed his eyes and attempted to relax from another 'usual day at
the office'.

Outside, the noise level remained constant, Jyusei was used to his
employee's ways of trying to get his attention by making a problem seem
more important than it really is. <Hmmph, those reporters can go fuck
themselves> he thought as he recalled the recent proposal made by one of
his Directors at the latest board meeting. <There is no fucking way I'm
sponsoring no insane Martial Arts Tournament>.

***************

"...Of course, you do know that the possibilities are endless..."
Jyusei was dropping off as he listened to one of his Directors drone on
about possible ways to increase revenue etc. Thinking back, he realised
that to date, not one of these morons have been able to offer a useful
suggestion. "...Then again, another possibility is to hold a
'Tenkai-Ichi Bodukai'" Jyusei perked up at this as the rest of his Board
of Directors gaped at the suggestion.
"What!? No way, do you realise..."
"Come ON, a tournament like that would only..."
"Like he says"
"Give me a break, do you have any idea how much Shimada Industries
stands to lose..."
"Hold it! I'd like to hear him out..."

The Board fell silent as Jyusei spoke up, the Director who made the
suggestion brightened at Jyusei's words and continued his speech.
"Mr. Shimada, I seriously suggest that the company sponsor the
upcoming Tenkai-Ichi Bodukai that is to be held here in Nerima next
month. In doing so we gain valuable advertising benefits for the company
as well as..."
"Yeah, but do you also realise the possibilities for loss and..."
the Director was cut short as another piped up
"...also, what if..." another jumped in. The meeting continued
regardless. However now Jyusei wasn't paying the least bit of attention,
his mind was considering the possibility of his Director's suggestion.
<Sponsor the Tenkai-Ichi Bodukai, hmm, it has possibilities. It
isn't the first such Tournament to be held here, last year's was
reasonably successful, even though the so-called 'Anything Goes Martial
Arts' school won it again> he thought...

**************

Now as he lay on the couch going over the week's events in his
mind, he regrets ever mentioning it to the newspapers. Over the week the
suggestion had seemed more absurd with each passing day, and with the
reporters hounding him every single day for details, he'd grown to
reject the idea.
<What was I thinking anyway? a silly Tournament like that is a dead
loss from the get-go, sheesh!> he nodded to himself. Eventually the
clamour outside died down and he was able to drift off into sleep. As
his eyelids closed, he didn't notice a small glowing sphere of light
that had stopped outside his window...

**************

"RYOGA!! STOP!!!!!" Ryoga froze at the sound of Akane's yell, he
turned in her direction to see the entire dojo out on the porch,
watching the fight. Kasumi, Nabiki, Soun and Genma were gaping at the
scene before them while Akane was watching with both fists clenched
tight to her chest, trying to get Ryoga's attention. Ryoga powered down
and withdrew his fist, mere centimeters away from Ranma's face, the blow
that would have killed him.
"Akane!?..Why?...I'm about to beat Ranma once and for all! Why are
you stopping me?!" Ryoga started as he saw Akane's eyes, brimming over
with tears.
"Ryoga, stop it, don't fight anymore. I...I..." Ryoga saw Akane's
tearful gaze and slowly nodded. He had waited for, dreamed of this
moment, the day he would finally surpass Ranma, for months now. Yet he
was denied his victory at the instant of the kill.
"Thank your lucky stars Akane saved you in time, Saotome. At least
now we know who's stronger, don't we?...You are no man! You are not
worthy of a great fiancee like Akane!" That last comment was said with a
hint of mockery as Ryoga, knowing that he would have won, was rubbing
salt into the wound.

"Oh my! I hope poor Ranma's all right!" Kasumi exclaimed in a
worried tone as she saw the blood-stained Ranma. Genma(in his panda
form) was waving signs about saying "How could you lose, Boy!? You're a
disgrace to the Saotome name etc etc" Soun was still frozen in a
slack-jawed pose as Nabiki waved a hand in front of her father's face
before coming to the conclusion that there was nothing there.
"Looks like Daddy's 'gone' again" Nabiki said evenly with her arms
folded. "I wonder what Kuno-baby would pay to know that Ranma isn't 'Mr.
Invincible' after all?" she added with a sly grin, the dollar-signs
already floating above her head.
"Nabiki!!! How could you?!?!" Akane snapped at her older sister.
"I'm joking ok?! Sheesh, u need to relax a little Akane." Nabiki
coolly said back, ignoring Akane's pained look.

<Grrr, first Akane, now Ryoga, that's IT!! I've had all I can take!
Akane hates me anyway, so it's as if I give a damn about what happens to
her beloved 'P-Chan'!!!...If anything, this I am going to enjoy!> Ranma,
still entrenched in the wall, was oblivious to the conversation around
him as his mind was working overtime trying to sort out the situation.
As he resigned himself to that conclusion, his eyes suddenly shot open
and a blue ki-aura began to glow around him. Everyone stopped talking
for a moment to look in stunned silence at Ranma, who was now
practically 'on fire'. With a blood-curdling yell, Ranma exploded from
the wall with both fists clenched at his side, his power level burning
to a new level. Ryoga flinched as he saw the blue flame around Ranma
flare up to an almost blinding intensity.
"Ryoga......." Ranma said slowly in a low, dangerous tone. "...This
battle....Is not yet finished!..." Ryoga took an involuntary backstep at
Ranma's sudden power up. He hastily powered back up, a bluish-green
flame surrounding him momentarily. He was uncertain now, and a little
afraid. He'd never seen Ranma in such a state before, Ranma was never
so...so vicious! He usually fights with a carefree abandon, not with the
savagery of a demon.

The two fighters faced off once more, Ranma still flaring with his
blue battle aura, while Ryoga's had faded, the ki-flame usually does not
last into a fight, Ryoga was extremely apprehensive that Ranma was still
flaring up. Akane, in the meantime, was getting extremely worried,
without a final thought, she ran up to Ranma and began shaking him, much
to the worry of everyone else who yelled "Akane!!! NO!!!". Ryoga,
noticing Akane had stepped between them, was even more reluctant to
fight.
"Ranma! RANMA!!! Snap out of it will you!?" Akane yelled while
shaking Ranma who took no notice. Noticing this, Akane pulled out her
trademark mallet and raised it to smash Ranma over the head. Never
encountering resistance before, she, and everyone else watching, was
shocked to the core when Ranma punched at the wooden shaft of the
mallet, snapping it like a twig. Akane stood with a gaping expression on
her face, looking at the broken shaft of wood in her hands.
"Ranma..." she said softly. She took a backstep and fell onto her
butt when she saw the piercing gaze Ranma shot her, for the first time
ever there was nothing in those eyes, which were usually filled with
care, worry or even smugness. This time, they were empty, Akane had
never felt so...so...cold in her life, it was as if Ranma didn't care
anymore. "Akane! Get...the...hell...out...of...my...way!" Ranma said, in
that low dangerous tone. Akane started, tears filling her eyes as she
stepped out of 'the line of fire'.
"R..Ranma...I..." Akane sobbed as Ranma turned back to Ryoga.

Ryoga, seeing Ranma's cold treatment of Akane, was angered and
driven to fight once more.
"Ranma!! You'll pay for treating Akane like that!!" he yelled, his
battle aura flaring for a moment then fading. Ranma merely sneered.
"Heh, then come get some, Pig Boy!" At that, Ryoga lost control and
dashed toward Ranma, intending to finish it with one blow.
"Yaaaahhhhhh, Saotome, prepare to DIE!!!" Ryoga aimed a flying kick
at Ranma's head, under any normal circumstances it would have knocked
him out and back into the nearest wall, ending the fight. Ryoga was
shocked beyond belief when his kick connected, it was like striking a
brick wall, Ranma didn't even flinch at the blow.
<What the?!?> He thought.
"Is THAT the best you can do, P-Chan?!?" Ranma sneered again.
Ryoga, now extremely pissed-off, threw a flurry of punches and kicks,
all of which were dodged with startling ease by the maxed-out Ranma.
With a final attempt, Ryoga powered up and, drawing his fist back,
decided to try the Bakusai-Tenketsu again.
"Ranma! Take this!! KYAAAAAAA!!!!!" He yelled as he punched at
Ranma's face. Everyone watching the fight was basically dumbstruck up to
that point, when they regained their wits and yelled for Ranma to get
out of the way. Kasumi covered her eyes and didn't look. Soun's jaw hit
the floor and a large panda was waving a sign about "Get out of the way,
Boy!". Nabiki for the first time probably had nothing to say. Akane on
the other hand was crying and yelling for both of them to stop it.
However, everyone, Ryoga most of all gasped in shock when the
Bakusai-Tenketsu struck home, with little effect. Ranma was knocked
slightly back at the force of the blow, but not much else.
<Uhh!! N..Nani!??> Ryoga, in a state of shock thought.

"Its my turn now, Pig Boy!" Ranma said evenly before he grabbed
Ryoga's extended fist and with a deft twist sent him flying into the
wall. He then followed up with a series of punches and kicks on the
hapless Ryoga, each blow connecting with awful force.
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!!!!" Ranma yelled as blow after blow
smashed into Ryoga. Akane was now sobbing and was begging for the two of
them to stop it. Everyone now agreed that this had gotten WAY out of
hand.
"Ranma!!! Stop it please! You've won ok!?" a crying Soun said as a
large panda held up a sign "Like he says!".
"Uhh, Ranma, I think you can stop now...". Nabiki said rather
uncertainly as Kasumi simply refused to look. All of them were shocked
though when Ranma turned to look at them, the same icy-cold look he shot
Akane, before turning back to the battered and broken Ryoga.
"Uhhhh, Ran...ma..Arrgh!" Ryoga managed to get out, barely able to
move. Ranma grabbed him by the remains of his shirt and lifted him
bodily into the air.
"Heh, did you really think I was so easy to beat? I'll have you
know you couldn't beat me on your best day, I'd kick your ass anytime.
Think about that while on your way to hell!" Ranma spat in Ryoga's face
before he flared up once more, his battle aura burning a bright blue
while waves of energy surrounded him as he powered up for one final
move.

"This is it Ryoga, DIE!" Ranma yelled as he drew his fist back.
"Hiryuu-Shoten..." Ranma uppercutted Ryoga, sending him into the air
with the aid of the cyclone generated by the Hiryuu-Shoten-Ha. Then to
everyone's utter shock, he rode the cyclone up as Ryoga crashed to the
ground. Ranma looked down at the battered Ryoga before diving off the
cyclone "..Kuurin-Dan!!" Ranma dove toward Ryoga at terrific speed, his
outstretched fist burning with a bright yellow flame. Everyone knew that
if this connected Ryoga would be dead, like REALLY dead. Soun, Genma,
Kasumi and Nabiki covered their faces, not wanting to look. Akane,
acting on an impulse, ran forward and pulled Ryoga out of the way a
split-second before Ranma's fist struck the spot where Ryoga was lying a
moment ago. The ground cracked under the force of the blow and everyone
fell over as a mini-earthquake shook Nerima for a few seconds.

"Ranma!! What do you think you were doing?!? You were going to kill
him!?" a sobbing Akane yelled at Ranma, who was standing over them, his
right fist still flaming yellow. "Bah, what do you care?, You couldn't
care less what happens to me, right?!" Ranma snapped back at Akane, who
was cradling the unconscious Ryoga.
"Ranma...I...I..."
"You what?!? You admit it right?!?"
"Ranma..." Akane said softly, "If you're talking about what I said
back outside the bathroom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. It..It
just slipped out..."
"Yeah, like a whole lot of other things that just 'slip out' huh?"
Ranma said back, not wanting to believe Akane.
"Ranma, I'm sorry ok? Let me make it up to you..." Akane smiled
through her tears. Ranma paused, not knowing what to say, as if he was
thinking about the situation at hand. Everyone else had recovered from
the little earthquake and had run to Akane. Kasumi was tending to
Ryoga's wounds while Nabiki was on her mobile phone to Dr. Tofu. Soun
was still in shock over the whole episode and didn't say a word while a
large panda held up a sign saying "I bet that really did Hurt!".
Akane looked hopefully at Ranma, who was still silent.
"Akane...I'm sorry, but I can't...Not this time..."
"WHAT!?!" Everyone exclaimed with a shocked look on their faces.
Akane was sobbing again "R...Ranma...W...Why N...Not?"
"I need time to think this over. If I say yes, you'd be nice for a
while then go back to being your old self again. I've had enough of
being taken for granted. Until I decide for sure what I really want to
do here, I don't know you." That last statement caused Akane to gasp in
utter shock, as with everyone else. Genma held up a sign "What?! Are you
mad boy?!?"
"Ranma, don't do this, please don't!" Soun blurted out, sobbing
Ranma looked at Soun then to his father, in his panda form and slowly
shook his head.
"I...I'm sorry Pop, Mr. Tendo. But it's going to be this way until
things cool down a bit and I'm myself again." Ranma then looked at
Akane, who was sobbing more with grief now. Ranma knelt beside her and
pushed her hair out of her eyes "Akane, I'm sorry...But it's best for
the both of us, you'll see." With that he drew her sobbing face in and
kissed her gently on the mouth, her eyes widened in shock for a moment
then closed, tears running down her cheeks. Ranma gently brushed them
away with his thumb and pushed her hair out of her eyes again.
"Goodbye..." he whispered gently into her ear before standing and facing
the gate.
"R..Ranma...don't go, please don't" Akane tried one last time. Her
sentiments echoed by Soun and Genma (with another sign). Ranma cast
another look back at the group before. walking slowly out the gate,
leaving behind a sobbing Akane and Soun and a dumbstruck Genma, Kasumi
and Nabiki.

***************

<Uhh, YIKES!!>. Jyusei Shimada awoke with a start, sweating
profusely over the nightmare he had just had, one in which he was
fending off an unseen attacker, trying to prevent it from corrupting his
mind and soul.
"Strange, why did I suddenly dream of a spiritual attack?" he
muttered to himself. "Could it be that spring I fell into this morning?"
He thought for a moment, the old guide had been extremely forceful in
telling him to back the fuck away from the pools, *especially* the one
near the middle, the one that was covered with some kind of spiritual
seal and of course, the one he fell into because of his curiosity in
what mysteries the pools held. <Damn that old bastard, what was the big
deal with those fucking pools anyway? It wasn't like they were cursed or
anything!> Jyusei eventually rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and
pondered the old man's attitude this morning, when he decided to, at one
of his Director's insistence, take a look at the so-called Jusenkyo
training ground. The whole trip was going quite well too, until he
decided to 'take a closer look' at one of the pools. Wonder what
'marketability' there was in that damned place anyway.
<Remind me to fire the guy who suggested I go to Jusenkyo. The
bastard had me going all the way to China for nothing but a free swim!
Ah well, I guess it was kind of funny> he mused as he straightened his
tie and walked over to the doors leading into the main office. As he was
about to open the door, he took a quick glance back at the window.
<Hmm, nah, I'm getting paranoid> he laughed to himself as he exited
his office and was immediately swarmed by the same employees who were
trying to get his attention earlier on. None of them noticed the fact
that Jyusei's black eyes were now a strange shade of emerald green...

**************

That night at the Tendo Dojo, no one was speaking, dinner was a
quiet affair, everyone eating their meal in silence. Dr.Tofu had, upon
Kasumi's insistance, stayed for dinner after patching up Ryoga, who
suprisingly was still alive, though just barely. Dr.Tofu had commented
on the extent of Ryoga's injuries, asking how the hell he could have
been injured to such a degree. However, given the nature of the
situation, and Akane's current unstable state of mind, no one said
anything, offsetting the doctor with a fabricated story on how Ryoga had
gotten run over by a panda, to which Genma scowled).

Ryoga, who was lying upstairs, heard every word. He was ashamed at
Akane having to save him from defeat, but that shame was nothing
compared to the fact that he lost when he should have had the situation
well in hand, lost to Ranma even.
<Shimatta *UGH* How could I lose? How could I...*ACK*> Ryoga winces
from the pain of his injuries, though he was too proud to admit it, the
painful truth was still there, Ranma had beaten him...badly. "Damn, I'm
still not strong enough...*ARGH*" Ryoga lets out an involuntary yelp,
wincing from pain, which promptly brings most of everyone downstairs
running.
"Hey Ryoga, you all right?" a worried-looking Akane asked while
Dr.Tofu checked his bandages and changed the ones that were soiled from
excessive bleeding. Ryoga felt deeply ashamed, in all his life he had
never felt so...so helpless as he does now.
<Curse you Ranma, I'll make you pay for this...I swear it!>
Outside, storm clouds were gathering, a solemn testament to the mood
inside the Dojo. However, no one noticed the dark shape lurking outside
the window, which vanished soon after the first droplets of rain began
to fall.

***************

Ranma, walking down the streets of Nerima in a dejected mood,
failed to notice the brewing storm until it was on the verge of
breaking. Hearing the thunder rumble high above him, he began to look
for shelter.
<Uhhh *argg* Damn Ryoga sure can hit! *Hnngg*> He winced from the
pain of his injuries that had only recently begun to bother him.
"I suppose I better get moving, don't really want a free shower..."
Ranma mused as he quickened his pace slightly. As the first few droplets
of rain began to fall, Ranma quickly ran under the nearest awning for
shelter, in time to avoid the full force of the storm with quickly
followed. "Heh, guess I just made it" he smirked quietly to himself.
<Hmm, where am I now?> Looking around, he saw the sign to the
place, it read: 'Nekohanten'. <Shrug, since I'm here, may as well go in
for a bite, I'm starving> his stomach reminded him through the pain.

The inside of the Nekohanten was deserted, as it was quite late and
the restaurant had closed quite a while ago. Ranma took a chair off one
of the tables nearby and collapsed into it, his exhausted body finally
giving out on him.
"Sorry, we closed". Shampoo said from behind the closed window of
the counter. However, sensing the person was still there, Shampoo sighed
and walked out to see who it was.
"Sorry, we closed, Shampoo afraid you have to...AIYA!! Ranma!! What
happen?!?" Shampoo gasped in shock at the sight of a bloodstained Ranma
draped across one of the tables. Upon hearing her voice, Ranma looked up
weakly.
"*Uhhhh* S...Sham...Shampoo...I ..Hhh...*uhh*" Ranma managed to get
out before fainting. Shampoo ran to catch him as he fell off the chair.
"Great-grandmother!! Come quick!!" she yelled "Ranma need help!!"
"What is it child?" Cologne said as she pogoed out from behind the
curtain. "Good lord! Who could have done this?! Quick, get him inside
and prepare the medicine" Cologne too was surprised at the state Ranma
was in, she knew that while not quite the master she was, Ranma is one
of the hardest opponents to beat on his best day, so whoever could have
done this to Ranma, had to be someone damn good.
"Yes Great-grandmother. Come Ranma, Shampoo carry you..." Shampoo
draped the unconscious Ranma over her shoulder and gently carried him
into the back, giggling all the while, leaving Cologne to ponder the
exact facts of what happened.
<This is most interesting, maybe my future son-in-law ran into an
old adversary? No, that's not it...> the old prune thought as she hopped
into the back room on her staff after locking up the Nekohanten.

************

"This miserable rain! The audacity of it to keep one such as I,
Kuno Tatewaki, 17 years old, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, indoors
at a time like this, when I could be out rescuing my pigtailed goddess
and the virtuous Akane Tendo from the vile clutches of that demon
Saotome!" Kuno said to no one in particular as he cursed the raging
storm outside his window. "Who would have thought that I, the high and
awesome...Ahh Sasuke, you have returned, tell me, what news there be of
my pigtailed goddess and of the noble and virtuous Akane Tendo?"
Sasuke, dripping wet all over the expensive carpeting due to his
exposure to the rain, drew a disdainful gaze from Kuno as he made his
report.
"There is no news of the pigtailed one, Master Kuno, however it
appears that there has been some trouble at the dojo recently involving
Tendo Akane and..." Sasuke was cut short as Kuno grabbed the soaking-wet
ninja and shook him violently, demanding more.
"WHAT!? What could possibly trouble the noble Akane Tendo?! Speak,
speak I say!"
"W...W...W...ell...llll. It...it appears that...that..." Sasuke
managed to get out as Kuno continued shaking until he realised that
Sasuke couldn't speak until he stopped. This being so, Kuno dropped the
soaking lump and folded his arms, a look of disdain on his face.
"Now speak, tell me of these 'troubles' that plague the noble and
virtuous Akane Tendo!" Kuno commanded, looking out the window at the
driving rain.
"Y...yes Master Kuno" Sasuke, visibly shaken, literally, continued
his report. "Well it appears that Saotome Ranma and Hibiki Ryoga were
involved in a fight recently. As we speak, Ryoga is recovering at the
Dojo, there is no sign of Ranma."
Kuno pondered this, Ranma and Ryoga fight almost every day, but
this is the first time which there has been any kind of real damage
actually been done on one of their fights.
"Tell me, my good Sasuke, what condition was the one called Ryoga
in?"
"He appeared to be badly beaten, from what I could see from where I
was located above the window, it appears that the damage sustained in
the fight were extremely severe."
Kuno started slightly in shock for a moment before realising that
Sasuke was nearby and regained his composure.
"...And what of my lovely Akane Tendo?" Kuno asked, not wanting to
think about what the fight was like.
"She appeared extremely distraught, Master Kuno, I overheard one of
the..." Sasuke was cut short by Kuno's sudden outburst.
"Hark! This simply cannot be! Fear not my love, I, Kuno Tatewaki,
17 years old, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, shall be by your side
in your time of need!" With that, Kuno, forgetting it was raining,
dashed outside and was promptly struck by a bolt of lightning. A few
seconds later, a car ran over a Kuno-shaped lump on the road, leaving
tyre-tracks on what appeared to be it's back...

***********

The scene at the Tendo Dojo was a sad one. Since Ranma's departure,
Akane had refused to leave her room and was crying most of the time,
blaming herself for Ranma's leaving. Kasumi and Dr. Tofu tried endlessly
to cheer her up, to little or no avail. Soun mostly was wandering around
the dojo seemingly lost, sobbing all the time while Genma was silently
cursing Ranma under his breath for causing them such trouble. Happosai
had tried on more than one occasion to 'cheer up' Akane, only to get
punted into orbit by everyone. Nabiki was staring up at the new
Happosai-shaped hole in the roof and sighing.
"Akane, come out, you have to eat something or you'll get sick" Dr.
Tofu said through the door.
"No! I don't want to, just go away and leave me alone!" Akane
yelled back through the door, soon after sobbing was heard, along with
occasional cries of 'Ranma'. Dr.Tofu sighed and turned to Kasumi.
"K...Kasumi, Y...you have to c..convince her to stop being like
this, she'll only do herself harm at this r...rate." Dr.Tofu said to
Kasumi, before his glasses started fogging up and he began looking
around for a skeleton. Kasumi, for once wasn't smiling and had a serious
look on her face, she knew how stubborn Akane could be at times and this
was one of those times. They were about to give up and leave when there
was a knock on the door.
"Hello, is there anyone home?" a female voice said "The front door
wasn't closed so I thought I'd ...Oh my goodness! What's wrong?" Nodoka
Saotome looked around and instantly sensed something was wrong, if the
gloomy atmosphere around the dojo wasn't enough of a hint. Nabiki heard
a voice and went to the door.
"Oh hi, it's been a while" she said as she forced a smile.
"Yes, what's wrong around here, did something happen?" Nodoka
asked, to which Nabiki quickly responded negatively, saying that
everything was just fine. Nodoka didn't buy it.
Soun heard her voice and went to greet her while there was a splash
in the backyard. Nodoka noted Soun was crying (actually quite normal)
and that Ran-ko and Panda wasn't around. Well ok, Ran-ko wasn't around,
Nodoka came across a soaking wet Panda in the carp pond, holding up a
sign "Hello there, _someone else's_ wife" Nodoka smiled at Panda and
asked him where Ran-ko was. Panda held up a sign saying "Umm, err..."
when Nodoka heard crying coming from Akane's room.
"Oh dear, what's wrong with Akane?" she asked Soun who was stuck
for a reply. Seeing this, she walked upstairs and came across Kasumi and
Dr.Tofu standing outside Akane's door. Dr.Tofu was blundering about, his
glasses fogged and he was holding a skeleton's hand and calling it
'Kasumi' while Kasumi was talking, or trying to, Akane through her
bedroom door, with no response.
"Oh, hello there" Kasumi said with a smile.
"Hello Kasumi dear, what's wrong with Akane" Nodoka asked, Kasumi
was stuck for a reply.
"Um, well, you see, she's..." Kasumi stopped when Akane threw the
door open and walked out. Nodoka saw she looked terrible, she was rather
pale and her eyes were red from crying a lot. Nodoka started in surprise
when Akane threw herself into Nodoka's arms and began sobbing again.
Nodoka held Akane in her arms, gently rocking her back and forth all the
while asking Kasumi what is going on.
"Let's all go to the dining room, we'll fill you in on what
happened..." Nabiki coming up the stairs said before walking back down,
Kasumi nodded quickly and left. Pulling Dr.Tofu after her leaving a
distressed Akane to cry quietly into Nodoka's arms.

"What was that you say? My Ranma got into a fight?! Oh dear, how
did it go? Where is he now?!?" Nodoka asked, the others couldn't answer.
"Well, he...he...he kind of, ran away after the fight" Nabiki said,
wincing at Nodoka's pained expression.
"Oh, my dear boy, I hope he's all right." Nodoka said with an
extremely worried look on her face. "By the way, if Ranma was here,
where's my husband?" Genma(in panda form) began to sweat extremely
profusely at this.
"He, err, he went off looking for Ranma...". Nabiki quickly
replied. Panda held up a sign while vigorously nodding "Yep, yep, like
she says!." Nodoka sighed, she had so looked forward to seeing her son
and husband again, as usual they weren't around.
"By the way, where's Ran-ko? It's not like her to leave her panda
behind now is it?" Everyone began to sweat at this, except Akane who was
still in Nodoka's arms.
"Auntie...Ran...Ran-ko's..." Akane, still sniffling, began before
looking at Panda who was sweating madly holding up a sign saying
"**PLEASE** don't tell her!!" in addition to making cutting motions
across its throat with a paw.
"Ran-ko's gone...l...looking for R...Ranma...t...too *sniff*" Akane
lied, she had wanted to come out and finally say it, considering the
current state of things. Nodoka sensed that Akane was holding something
back, and in the back of her mind an old fear surfaced itself, but she
refused to show it and since Akane was so upset, she decided not to
press her until she'd calmed down a bit. Across the table, Panda was
nearly having a heart attack, Kasumi was quietly wiping the excess sweat
that had dripped off Panda onto the floor with a towel.
"Well..." Nodoka began "If that's all there is to say, I'd like to
see the boy who fought with Ranma, if that's ok. Maybe he can tell me
something." Nabiki nodded and stood up, everyone else followed, except
for Panda who was still frozen to the spot, sweating enough to fill a
swimming pool.
"It's ok, just don't pressure him too much, he's still in a pretty
bad shape, considering what Ranma did to him its a miracle he survived
actually..." Nodoka looked shocked at what Nabiki said, it had never
occurred to her that Ranma could be so brutal. But then again it hadn't
occurred to anyone else too until they saw the fight.

Nabiki led Nodoka upstairs to the room where Ryoga was resting.
"Ok, try to keep it down, he may be sleeping". Nabiki reminded
Nodoka who nodded and Nabiki opened the door, to everyone's utter shock.
"What the?!? He's gone!!!!" Nabiki gasped.
"What!?!?!? How can he, he could barely move the way he was!!"
Panda held out a sign.
"Oh my! I hope poor Ryoga is all right" Kasumi said, holding a hand
to her mouth. Akane simply looked into the empty room in shock, all that
remained of Ryoga was some bloodstained bandages that were used to dress
his wounds...

*************

Outside, in the driving rain, a figure was perched on the tree
above the window, observing the scene inside. It smiled for a moment
then was encapsulated in a purple sphere of light before flying off,
leaving behind one perfect peach. on it's back was dangled a limp figure
wearing a telltale yellow bandanna...

To Be Continued.....

*************

Author's Note: Well, this is my first attempt at writing a fanfic, some
people my disapprove of the violence portrayed in the Ranma vs Ryoga
fight, but hey, I'm one of those people who find it hard to write 'soft'
combat scenes. This chapter is mainly a build-up of what is to follow,
later chapters will contain lemon scenes and more excessive violence.
Also later, Ran-ko will make an appearance to fight alongside Ranma in
the upcoming tournament, which will be similar to the King Of Fighters.
Indeed its their base plot that this story is revolving around, however
the incidents and any original characters within are completely my own.
I know for those expecting a lemon, you are probably disappointed in
this chapter, but don't worry, much more will follow. As I said, this is
merely a build-up to the plot which begins to unfold in the next
chapter, titled: 'I Feel My Tears'

Here is a list of the chapters to follow:

Chapter 1: The Awakening *done*
Chapter 2: I Feel My Tears *30% complete*
Chapter 3: The Other Side of the Coin
Chapter 4: Days of Thunder, Nights of Pain
Chapter 5: Seijiiku's Dark Haze
Chapter 6: Who Do You Love?
Chapter 7: The Final Battle: Death or Subservience.

Chapters 2-6 will have lemon scenes and Ran-ko makes her appearance in
Chapter 3.

Plz email me at -k...@ois.net.au- with any comments, suggestions etc. Any
flames will be, as usual, extinguished :)

Copyright (c) 1997 Ex.Kyo Kusanagi

WORK IN PROGRESS: Chapter 2.

K u s a n a g i K y o
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"Kusanagi Flames, Yagami Tears, Orochi Blood"