[Ranma][FanFic] Permanent, Parts 30-33

[Ryoga P Hibiki]

Permanent

Part 30

Darkness within...

Keiko stood with the help of her sword as the demon stood over
her. Her dress was torn and tattered as the huge green thing laughed at
her horribly.

"Foolish little girl, you can not stand against me!"

"Damn!" she muttered as she swayed on her feet and held the sword
in a defensive position. Her power was dwindling rapidly for reasons she
could not explain as she stared the thing down angrily. "I'll fight you to
the end monster!" she cried at the thing as she stood defiantly before it.

The creature merely stepped forward and found she was unable to
move much, a perfect target. "Little fool, your energy is spent! Now you
belong to me. I never thought it would be so simple to defeat the mighty
Keiko; the most powerful of all demon hunters on this world."

"Just a little closer," thought the girl with an angry snarl
appearing on her face. As the thing moved forward she jumped up and came
down slashing at its face. The thing caught the blade easily and tossed
the sword away behind it before grabbing her by the neck and squeezing.

Keiko stared the thing straight in its eyes and smiled darkly. "Go
ahead and kill me then."

The monster showed its fangs in what could have been a smile.
"Foolish girl, you know it won't be that easy for you."

Her eyes went wide as she felt things start to wrap themselves
around her legs and arms. Something moved up her chest under her shirt and
grabbed her breast roughly as another one moved towards her face in the
same manner. "No!" She closed her eyes and struggled weakly.

The creature howled in pain suddenly and the tentacles pulled back
away from her dropping her to the ground. Keiko never hit the ground. She
found herself cupped protectively in someone's arms and opened her eyes.
In front of her the demon screamed in agony as a glowing white paper
burned the middle of its back. The boy holding her gently placed her on
the ground and turned to smile at the thing.

"You should be more careful Keiko," he chuckled slightly and faced
the thing again. "Aku ryo tai san."

The light from the paper suddenly became a pillar of light and the
creature screamed in rage and agony as it seemed to disintegrate into the
burning light that surrounded it.

Keiko stared at the boy and blushed. He was dressed in a dark blue
school uniform and had a long ponytail that almost met the center of his
back. His features where soft and handsome. He looked at her for a moment
and started to walk away wordlessly. "Wait!"

He turned to face her and smirked. "What is it?"

"Um, thank you for saving me...again," she looked at the ground
and played with the dirt with her toes.

"You should be more careful, your powers are growing weaker by the
day. You need to find out why," he turned away from her again and was
about to jump away.

She nodded and reached her hand out tentatively. "At least tell me
your name!"

The boy turned and smiled at her again. "Ukyo." With that he
vanished into the shadows again.

Keiko simply watched the shadow for a long moment before falling
to her knees. "Wai!" Two large hearts seemed to appear in her eyes as she
said this. She paused and looked down at her, the torn dress didn't leave
anything to the imagination. "Ohmygod! He's seen me naked!" She blushed
profusely and sighed. "Not that I mind."

Elsewhere in Tokyo, a girl sat listening in to the entire
conversation over a set of headphones with a sick look on her face. "That
idiot, she almost got herself killed and worse and she's dreaming about a
boy."

"Auska! I can still hear you ya know!" scolded an angry voice over the
other end of the line.

"Maybe that will teach you not to throw expensive equipment off
the side of a roof!" retorted the girl smartly.

"I said I was sorry didn't I?" snapped the girl on the other end.

"That guy is right though, this thing with your powers has to be
addressed."

Keiko nodded grimly. "I'll bet anything that Akane demon has
something to do with it."

Akane Tendo stood on the roof of the Tendo home and sighed.
Gosunkugi had given her a charm to help disguise her demonic blood and if
anything the attacks had gotten worse. "This is getting out of hand." She
sat down to watch the sunrise and sighed. "What am I gonna do?" A light
sound on the other side of the roof caught her attention and she smiled.

"Hello Kuno, how are things?"

"Akane, I just came by to see how the charm was working," replied
the boy gently. She could hear him ruffling his wings nervously behind
her.

"It doesn't work very well. In fact, I think the attacks have
gotten worse," replied the girl simply.

"How unfortunate," said the boy as he sat down next to her and
stared at the sky as it changed colors slowly.

"You're telling me? I'm afraid I might be forced to kill one of
them soon. I'm doing all right now, but..." she trailed off and remembered
the battle with Keiko only a week before.

"If things keep escalating this way..." finished Kuno with a nod.
"Do not worry Akane, things should go our way soon."

"I hope you're right," agreed the girl nervously.

Ryoga Hibiki stood at the door to the Cat Cafe with Mousse sitting
next to him on the steps. The cat was currently licking himself clean and
Ryoga simply watched with mild interest.

"I don't see how you can do that. It's gross," he commented after
a moment as Mousse paid attention to his more personal areas.

The cat looked up at him and pushed its tiny glasses up its nose.
"Niyou"

"Whatever," replied the former lost boy as he glanced up the
street and blinked.

Hikaru Gosunkugi was walking down the street with a book under his
arm. Ryoga lifted his arm and waved to him. "Hey, what's up! I haven't
seen you in a while."

The boy turned to look at him and smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah.
I've been kind of busy."

"Really? I guess I have too. How have you..." Ryoga trailed off
and looked at the ground in surprise. "What's with the weird shadow?"

Gosunkugi blinked and stared at him in shock. "Uh, I messed up a
spell. Still haven't figured out how to make it go away."

The other boy nodded and looked him up and down. "Really? You
look... different."

"Really? How so?" laughed the sorcerer nervously.

"I'm not sure, you just do," Ryoga could tell something was
strange about the boy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it
was.

"Umm, thanks I guess..." said the boy as he lifted his arm to wave
goodbye and dropped the books he was carrying in the process. "Damn, I
forgot I've only got the one arm..."

This caught Ryoga by surprise as well. "How could he forget
something like that?" He kept his thoughts to himself as the boy wandered
off.

Once Gosunkugi was out of sight he turned to walk into the
restaurant. A soft mew stopped him. Ryoga looked down at the cat and
smirked. "I'm not sure, but something is up."

Gosunkugi shook of the strange nervousness that had come over him
while talking to Ryoga; "What was that about? I wonder why he's the only
one who's noticed this strange shadow so far? I'll have to be careful
around him." He blinked and stopped walking for a moment. "Why would I
need to be careful around him?" He couldn't think of a single reason.
"Still, it might be a good idea anyway..."

Genma Saotome sat peacefully in a field of bamboo shoots. He
raised his arm and plucked down another one of the plants and began to
chew lazily. He had been this way for almost two weeks now, hiding out
from his son. Now he had only to wait a short while longer while the boy
forgot about whatever it was that made him so angry recently. He froze
when a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Hello Pop."

Genma Saotome started to scream desperately as he charged forward
away from the voice. He froze when he ran directly into the path of a very
familiar redhead.

"You don't really think you can hide from me do you?" the girl
gave him a small smile and the animal fell back onto its seat.

"Growf."

Cologne sat across from Ranma and her father as the girl
interrogated him mercilessly. The animal howled in pain from time to time
from the shocks she kept giving him. It had started out civil enough, but
deteriorated rapidly when Genma refused to give a satisfactory answer on
why the girl had been so angry with him.

"Her own father, it's inhuman!" gasped Ko li in horror as she sat
down next to the woman.

Talcum smiled to herself as she her seat opposite her. "Stupid man
get what deserve. Is lazy male anyway."

"I'm quite proud of her," agreed Cologne.

About a half-hour later Ranma glared at the smoking form of her
father as he lay passed out on the ground. She cursed in frustration and
turned away. This was more than her father just not wanting to tell her,
he would have broken down long before this occurred if it was that simple.
She couldn't even take the memory from his mind, it was a dangerous
procedure to try; but she was getting desperate. Something was hiding Ukyo
Kuonji's past from her, something powerful. She wanted to know who and
why.
She balled her hands up into fists as she realized that she had
the opportunity to ask, and didn't. Somehow she had forgotten about the
question. She could feel the magical pull trying to make her forget about
even being curious about her. "Ucchan... what's going on here?"

Outside the Cat Cafe a cloaked figure stood on the rooftop of the
opposite building. Long golden locks of hair flowed from his hood as he
stared at the building in front of him coolly. "Ranma Saotome, you could
interfere with my plans. I think I need to distract you." He chuckled to
himself as he turned away. "I think I have just the thing..."

The next day Ranma stood at the gates of Furinkan as she did
everyday. Beside her Akane stood relatively quietly as the walked
together into the crowd of students. Not much had happened on school
grounds since those first days when Ranma had shown up. Kuno was under his
tree, and Ryoga was walking a short distance behind the two girls.

"How are things going Akane?" said Ranma as they converged with
Kuno under the tree.

"Well enough at home. I'm having some rough nights though,"
commented the girl with a heavy sigh.

Ranma raised her eyebrow and frowned. "Rough nights? Those magical
girls are still giving you trouble?"

"It's getting worse," commented Ryoga darkly. Akane nodded and
moved closer to the boy's side.

"I'm getting worried," she said quietly.

"And no one thought to tell me about this?" snorted Ranma
indignantly. "Don't worry Akane, I think I can get you some help."

The girl blinked and stared at her in shock. "Uh, thanks?"

"Ryoga, you're going out with her tonight," said Ranma coolly.

The former lost boy hung his head and groaned. "Yes ma'am."

Ranma furrowed her brow slightly at this, but let it pass. She
blinked and looked around. "Has anyone seen Gosunkugi around? I haven't
seen him in weeks. He must be done with those books I gave him now." She
blushed slightly, she had been so busy lately that she had almost
forgotten about the boy and his progress.

She paused when Ryoga looked surprised and shook his head.
"Hazy...I remember something..." he muttered to himself.

Ranma reached out her hand and frowned deeply at what she found.
"Another protection spell? On who? This is a big one too..."

"Hey armpit girl!" said a cheerful looking girl in a high school
uniform as she ran up to Kara. She was currently waiting on her companions
inside a secret underground base that rested under a pizza parlor.

"Stop calling me that Umi! It's Sailor Betelgeuse!" snapped the
girl angrily.

"Whatever, I've got better things to do than sit around talking
about brain dead youma," snorted the shorthaired girl in reply.

The longhaired blonde who entered behind her frowned. "But, Stella
said it was important!"

"Well, it had better be miss no name," agreed the girl with long
dark hair who followed in behind the other girls.

"Waaahhhh! You're so mean Tsuki! It's not my fault no one named my
star!" the girl promptly fell into a fit of tears there on the ground.

"Hurry up and apologize so we can get this over with, there's a
cute guy upstairs," said the voice of the final team member who had just
entered at that moment. She had long blonde hair done up in ponytails.

"Sorry, Rei," snorted the girl indifferently.

"Ok!" chimed the blonde cheerfully.

"That's enough, this is serious work tonight girls," said the
small pink rodent who appeared in the room suddenly.

"Hey Stella, what's up?" asked the lead girl.

"Hikari, pay close attention. Our target tonight is very
dangerous," the animal clicked a few buttons on a keypad and frowned. An
image of Akane Tendo holding Keiko over the edge of a roof appeared on
screen.

"Hey! It's that girl!" gasped Hikari in shock.

"Yes. Her name is Akane Tendo; she's a powerful demon. Strong
enough to defeat the demon hunter known as Keiko." The animal nodded to
itself solemnly.

"Defeat Keiko?" gasped Umi in shock.

"She survived, another demon hunter managed to pull her out in
time. Her powers are slowly deteriorating though. We believe this demon
has something to do with it. That's why she must be destroyed." The animal
sighed and hung its head down low.

"Kami! A demon that can drain a magical girl? That's impossible!"
snapped Hikari.

"Apparently not, and she's not regaining her powers according to
the report I was given. They are slowly fading away." The animal gave the
girls a hard glare and turned to face them. "You absolutely must be
prepared, this is not something we take lightly."

The girls in the room filed out the door slowly and went about
their day. That night they would converge at the usual spot and begin the
hunt.

Keiko glared at herself in the mirror. The sword was in her hand
and she glared deeply into her own eyes. "I must destroy her." Her hatred
boiled up inside her; she could see it in the deep glassy pools of blue
staring back at her. She felt the power drain from her body again and
almost fell forward.
Terror crossed her features as she stabilized herself with the
blade and stared into the mirror again. "I've got to hurry. I can still
beat her, but soon..."

Outside the window a familiar golden haired figure stood shrouded
in the shadows. He gave a heavy sigh and shook his head gently as a look
of mournful sorrow crossed his features. "My child, you still do not
understand."

Far, far away...

The polar ice caps shifted and groaned as the ocean beat on them
mercilessly. Chunks of ice fell away into the sea floating away from the
violent edge of the frozen walls that stretched for miles in every
direction.

If one listened closely as one of the larger icebergs floated by
it could be said that the sound of laughter could be heard. A faint cruel
sound, yet somehow strangely familiar.

Ranma Saotome sat upright in bed as a cold sweat covered her body.
She gasped for breath and stared at the wall blankly as the dream ended.
"He's coming," she gasped.

"Who's coming?" said a familiar voice from behind her. Ranma
turned her head and saw Talcum sitting behind her with a worried look on
her face.

"No one, just a bad dream," said the redhead as she relaxed
slightly.

The amazon moved close and put her arm around her. "Is very bad
dream?"

"Bad enough to wake you up?" said Ranma wryly as the look of fear
vanished from her features almost instantaneously.

"Could not sleep," replied the girl with a shrug. She kissed Ranma
on the cheek lightly. "Is going to be ok?"

The ponytailed girl nodded her head grimly as the Amazon gave her
a small squeeze and released her from the hug she had her trapped in.

Talcum paused and looked back at Ranma again. The girl was
watching her leave quietly. "Ranma?"

"Yeah?" said the redhead quietly.

Talcum slowly turned around and walked forward. She moved down to
her knees and sat in front of the girl for a long moment. "I..."

"Is something wrong?" said Ranma as she raised her eyebrow
slightly. She was more than a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Wo ai ni!" muttered the Amazon as she pushed herself forward into
Ranma's arms and kissed her deeply. They fell to the ground as Talcum put
her tongue into the shocked girl's mouth.

The ponytailed girl shoved gently upward breaking the kiss with a
shocked and embarrassed look on her face. "What the? We can't...uh..."

The amazon ignored her and forced herself down again kissing Ranma
fiercely. This time, there was no resistance.

TBC...

Next time: Magical Girl Explosion!

Notes: Yes folks, I've been hinting at this for a while now if you
didn't notice. Talcum was in fact, created for this role. You'll see
Cologne and Ko li making little comments that hint towards this throughout
the whole series.
The magical girl story line is about to come to a head, and it
leads into a story that involves Gosunkugi as well.
If you've been paying attention you should know what the deal with
the iceberg is, and there's another very nasty surprise for Ranma on the
way. Something that our golden haired friend has cooked up to keep her
busy, and out of his hair. It just might work too!

Until next time!

Ja!

Permanent

Part 31

Ryoga's night out...

Akane stood on the rooftops of Nerima and sighed. Standing next to
her was her newest companion, one severely annoyed Ryoga Hibiki.

"Akane, why don't you just stay home? That would solve a lot of
your problems you know."

"Who asked you? Besides, I don't sleep anymore, I'd keep everyone
else up if I stayed home," replied the girl sharply.

"Whatever, lets get this over with," muttered the boy as he pushed
off the edge of the roof and jumped into the city.

They paused above a small clothing store and Akane leaned against
a wall. She relaxed slightly as the sounds of the late-night city
occasionally broke the silence around them. "It's peaceful tonight. Maybe
nothing will happen?"

"Somehow I doubt that," grumbled Ryoga. He was certain Ranma knew
something was going on. Otherwise she wouldn't have bothered to send him
out with her. Naturally she neglected to mention what it was he was
guarding her against. Most magical girls he knew he could probably handle,
but something Akane couldn't handle on her own in her present state was
something Ryoga Hibiki didn't want to meet.

"Is this your normal route?" he turned to her and raised his
eyebrow slightly.

"No, I change it every night," replied the girl.

Ryoga's face fell slightly, that would have explained why the
demon hunters were still tormenting Akane. This was a bit more
complicated, with an amulet of protection on her she should have been able
to hide from them. Her movements alone wouldn't give her away, her demonic
half was naturally stealthy, he almost lost her in the shadows several
times already. "What the hell is going on here?" He paused when Akane's
left eye started to glow slightly.

"Keiko," said the girl quietly. "I can feel her, she's close to
me."

"You getting that signal?" asked Auska from the headset Keiko
wore.

"You bet, loud and clear," replied the magical girl as she jumped
onto another rooftop. "I'm right on top of her."

"Go get that evil bitch!" cheered the other girl.

"Akane Tendo! Prepare to...oof."

Keiko blinked as she fell flat on her butt after running into a
rather handsome looking man. The look he was giving her was anything but
friendly.

"So, you're Keiko?" Ryoga stood with his arms crossed as he stared
the girl down with Akane standing directly behind him. She was in a
defensive stance and growling to herself in an almost inhuman tone.

"Who the hell are you?" cried the demon hunter as she stood up and
dusted herself off. "Get out of the way or you'll get hurt!"

Ryoga extended his arm as if feeling for something and smiled at
the girl coolly. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Idiot boy! She's a demon!" screamed the girl in a rage as she
jumped back and pulled out her sword... or rather tried too. It wasn't
there.

"What the? What have you done? Who are you?" she hissed through
her teeth and stepped back. "Another demon?"

Ryoga sighed and turned away waving Akane to follow. "You don't
even know do you?"

Keiko looked down at herself in horror and screamed. She was
dressed in her civilian clothes. "What's going on?"

Ryoga paused and looked back at her with a pitying stare. "Fool,
don't you know you've lost your powers? You don't have any magical
energy."

Keiko fell to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably. She held
her shoulders and shook with fear and confusion. "You did this to me?" She
looked directly at Akane as she said this; her voice was laced with venom.
"Go ahead and kill me then!"

Akane walked up to her with her cowl covering her head and her
eyes glowing a maddening shade of gold. Keiko looked directly into her
eyes and saw the smirk on her face as the girl gave a snort of laughter
before turning away to follow Ryoga off the roof. "Goodbye Keiko."

"You! I'll get you for this! I swear it!" she rushed up to the
edge of the roof and peered down the side, only to find them long gone.
For several minutes she simply watched the street below with nothing but
numb hatred coursing through her body. She paused when she felt a
comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You don't realize," Ukyo stood watching her with concern written
across his features.

"Ukyo..." gasped the girl. She suddenly felt embarrassed and very
vulnerable. Another familiar figure walked up behind the boy and smiled at
them.

"You again..." said the girl as confusion set in.

"My child, do you not yet realize that Akane Tendo has not stolen
your powers away from you?" His golden hair fell into his face from behind
the pure white cloak.

"What?" Keiko blinked and stared at the pair in confusion.

Ukyo sighed. "Keiko, your hatred of Akane Tendo has slowly eroded
your powers away to nothing. Your own weakness is at fault."

"No!" gasped the girl as she realized he was right. Her power was
based on love and justice. When her negative emotions started to override
those feelings inside her, she grew weaker.

The cloaked figure frowned slightly and watched the city. "Do not
worry my dear. Akane Tendo will be dealt with, severely. Her threat cannot
be ignored."

The girl whirled around angrily and glared at the pair. "No! She
belongs to me! Her life is mine!" She jumped off the edge of the roof into
the street below performing a complex assortment of flips of walls and
fire escapes until she hit the ground.

Ukyo tensed up and prepared to follow, but the cloaked figure
placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Let her go, we cannot force her back on the correct path. She is
lost to us."

The former Okonomiyaki chef stared at him and growled slightly, he
did not speak. "I refuse to believe that, she was the strongest of all.
She can be saved still." Her thoughts wandered slightly as he remembered
how happy she looked when he met her on the street.

"Do not worry, others are dealing with the Tendo demon," said the
mysterious figure as he walked away and vanished into the shadows leaving
Ukyo alone.

Akane smirked as Ryoga struggled to keep up with her. He was
strong and fast, but her powers kept him slightly below her class. "Stop
slouching and keep up! How are you supposed to protect me if you can't
stay with me?"

Ryoga snorted distastefully and suddenly stopped cold in his
tracks. "Energy? From... there!" he jumped up into the air and came down
on top of a dumpster right next to Akane. His face scrunched up in anger
as he looked around.

"What's up?" said Akane in confusion.

"We're surrounded," replied Ryoga coolly.

The Tendo dojo was quiet and peaceful in the late night. No sounds
save for the crickets and the occasional bark of a nearby dog broke the
serenity. A lone figure stood across the street staring at the gates to
the home. It spoke a single word, very softly before moving along
silently. "Ranma." In it's hand was a postcard. Written on it where only a
few words...

"You will find Ranma Saotome at the Tendo Dojo."

Ranma sat up in her bed and screamed. She glanced around the room
and found herself covered in a cold sweat. Talcum lay next to her nuzzled
up comfortably to her chest. She blinked and realized neither of them was
wearing any clothing. "What have I..." she started to say.

The Amazon's eyes slowly fluttered open and she slid up her
lover's body and kissed her. "Sister is having bad dream?"

Ranma shook her head slowly and hung her head down as she
remembered the reason she had woken from her comfortable sleep. "I don't
remember what it was about..."

"Ranma say 'I no want die!' then wake up," said the girl as she
pulled the sheet up over the both of them.

The ponytailed sorceress shook her head and found only fog.
"Someone was going to kill me, and I was going to let them...it's all I
can remember. I don't even know why."

"Is ok darling, go sleep now," comforted the young Amazon as she
pushed Ranma back down on the futon.

Cologne sat in the restaurant with Ko li drinking tea. The younger
Amazon smirked and looked at the stairs wistfully. "So, your little plan
worked out well didn't it?"

"Of course, it was only a matter of time," snorted the old woman
playfully.

"The Tendo girl could still cause problems..." noted the younger
girl.

"Maybe, but I don't believe she would ever have a relationship
like that with another woman. She is strong, but..."

"She might surprise you," retorted Ko li.

"Ranma is honorable, the fact that Talcum has bed her will be
enough to keep her in line," snorted the old woman indignantly.

"Matters of the heart cannot be judged by honor," was the simple
reply.

"You are certainly too wise for your age," said Cologne
indignantly.

"She still has much to do before we can return to Joketsuko," said
Ko li carefully.

"I am aware that it will be some time before we can coax her back
to our home, but the commitment is now in place. She will return with us."
Cologne sipped her tea delicately and sighed in contentment. All of her
plans where coming together quite nicely. "Yes. She will return with
us...eventually."

The beach, the soft murmur of the waves as they gently broke
against the sand; the shine of the moonlight against the water, the cool
breeze that washed across the open sand. The perfect spot for a romantic
date. Such was the idea that Soichiro had. He had not expected what he
found when he brought Ayane here for a late night picnic and perhaps a
little privacy, and intimacy.

"Sweeto!"

"AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!"

It was the last thing he heard after he attacked the evil little
troll who had attached itself to his girlfriend's chest, right before he
hit the sand on his way down from the sky.

Happosai rubbed the sore spot on top of his head where the woman
had hit him. He felt much better after the long voyage back to Japan, but
still nowhere near where he needed to be. The girl Ranma was cunning and
strong; he needed much more power than he had just to be sure. What better
place to recover than the beach? He cackled evilly to himself as he rubbed
his hands in anticipation of the daylight. Soon the bikini-clad women
would come to him in droves; he would have ample time to recuperate the
energy he used during his cold slumber. In a few weeks time he could
return to Nerima and have his revenge. Of course he would then make up
with the girl and she'd let him have her most frilly pair of
undergarments, but that would just have to wait. The sound of evil
laughter overtook the crash of the waves suddenly causing all the young
couples along the beach to shudder in unexplainable fear.

Hikaru Gosunkugi studied diligently over an aged tome. He blinked
and realized he had only gone over two pages since the evening started and
it was almost three o'clock in the morning. "What the? How could it take
that long?" He looked over to the window and out at the night sky. After a
moment he paused and realized something was wrong. "How did that get open?
The air conditioner is on, my parents will kill me if they find out I've
left this open."

TBC...

Next time: Akane and Ryoga run into trouble, Ranma discovers a new
surprise, [and I know you will be too!] and Kuno philosophizes some more.
P.S. just so you know now, this is not the end of Keiko.

Before anyone tries to tell me about it: Ranma does not sleep with
the girls for three basic reasons.

1. Honor: He isn't married to them, and it would dishonor the other
fiancee's if he did sleep with one of them. 2. Akane: Her simply because
of stubbornness, and the others because she would kill them. 3. Multiple
fiancee's: simply because he has so many, sleeping with any one of them
would basically mean he would have to marry them.

These are problems this Ranma doesn't have. She doesn't have any
fiancee's, she's a lesbian and can't get married, and as far as she is
concerned Akane is straight and a friend.

C&C: to Carro...@juno.com

URL: http://www.geocities.com/misatira/

BTW: my site should be updated on Monday night, check on it Tuesday
morning and all the newer chapters to my fics should be there.

Permanent

Part 32

End game.

Ryoga Hibiki stood with his back to Akane Tendo on the roof of a
business in the middle of Tokyo. From what he could tell every angel was
blocked from escape. To put it bluntly, they had no where to go but
through their opponents.

"Any ideas?" said Akane tensely.

"Not off the top of my head, you know these girls?" said Ryoga
calmly. Standing around them was a group of girls dressed in sailor
fukus.

"Evil which knows no love for man, I shall defeat you!" cried the
lead girl, she had long flowing pigtails that blew dramatically in the
wind behind her.

Ryoga paused and stepped towards her. "You mind telling me what
this is about? Why are you attacking us?"

"Because you're evil demons of course. Don't try and fool us, we
know better!" cried another one of the girls. She had short cut brown hair
that matched her leader in dramatic billowing easily.

"Take this! Star power fire chain!" cried the girl next to her,
her hair was long and dark.

Ryoga crossed his arms in front of his body and took the impact of
the blast full on. The girls stepped back in shock when nothing happened.

The former lost boy smiled at them. "I don't have any magical
energy for your techniques to attack."

Akane growled but kept still waiting for the next move.

On a nearby rooftop the white cloaked figure watched the exchange
carefully. "A familiar? That could be troublesome..."

"Should I interrupt?" asked Ukyo as he landed beside him.

"No, let them be for now. We would only complicate things at the
moment," replied the man calmly.

The boy nodded and turned his attention back to the battle.

"Sailor Sol! What are we going to do?" snapped the short haired
senshi as she moved next to her leader. The battle had been a stale mate.
The girls threw their best attacks out, but the boy kept moving between
them and the still unmoving demon.

"Looks like we have to fight hand to hand. There's only two of
them..." replied the blonde with an uncertain look on her face.

Ryoga smiled as the blasts stopped pelting him. The spells where
mostly warding magic. No real attack spells seemed to be in these girl's
arsenal. They seemed to specialize in exorcisms. He smiled as he realized
that he was lucky, warding spells and exorcisms fell under the
jurisdiction of curses. The Saint Pill's effects kept him protected.
"Stop wasting our time, you've got no reason to attack us!"

The girls charged forward and Ryoga took up a defensive stance.
Akane's eyes started to glow also as she joined him. The sailor team's
fast paced run slowed slightly at the sight of this.

Sailor Sol was the first to reach them. Ryoga snapped out in a
punch that slammed into her chest and sent her away into a wall crushing
it to dust. The other girls caught up at that moment and the two martial
artist moved at speeds they could barely see.

Akane seemed to snap as her eyes shot out a bright yellow light.
She roared in anger and lifted the first senshi to reach her over her head
taking a hard blow to the chest without blinking in exchange. She threw
the poor girl into her two companions sending them to the ground in a
painful looking pile. Ryoga performed a leg sweep that took out the other
girl quite quickly.
The pair was about to take advantage of the momentary daze of
their attackers, but the girls recovered a little too quickly and formed a
tight circle around them again.

"Damn!" muttered the girl with long dark hair as she wiped her
chin.

"Power up girls," said Sailor Sol as a bright aura started to form
around her.

Akane and Ryoga paused; this did not look good. The girls seemed
to vanish into a blur in front of them. The martial artists braced
themselves for impact when a voice cut through the air.

"That's enough!"

All present froze and turned towards the voice. A very angry
looking woman was floating in the air glaring at them with a red aura
burning around her.

"Ranma!" cried Akane as she recognized her savior.

The sorceress smirked slightly and noticed how close one of the
senshi's fists was to her friend's face. "First of all we have to do away
with this..." Ranma extended her arm and blasted a concentrated beam of
energy into Akane's chest.

All present gawked in shock as the girl fell to the ground with a
look of hurt confusion on her face.

Ryoga bent down and lifted her off the ground slightly by her
shoulders with a numb expression on his face. He blinked in surprise when
no injury was present. Only the charred remains of the protection amulet
remained.

The senshi whirled around in battle positions towards the new
threat when the short haired girl stopped them. "Don't attack her!"

"What?" said Sol with a shocked look on her face.

"Stella says we can't hurt her," said the girl dejectedly.

"And why not?" snapped the long haired girl in shock.

"Because she created the amulets we use for our powers," replied
the girl simply.

This caught the group by surprise. The senshi paused and looked at
her in confusion.

"What?" said the senshi with long blonde hair. She paused and
turned towards her friends. "Come to think of it, they didn't attack until
we did! What the hell is going on? We never have to take initiative this
way!"

Akane stepped forward and frowned at them. "Why won't you leave me
alone? Every night you crazy psychos attack me for no reason. I'm getting
a little tired of it."

"What do you mean?" asked the lead magical girl.

"Akane isn't a demon!" snapped Ranma calmly. "She's half human."

"What?" said a tiny voice over the headset the short haired senshi
wore.

"Half human?" said Sol with a look of complete shock on her face.

"I was cursed when fighting a demon," replied Akane coolly. More
than a little disgusted anger showed on her face.

Ranma ignored them and turned towards Ryoga. "You did good Mr. P.
I never would have known it was this bad if you hadn't come along and let
me keep an eye on things."

"What are you talking about?" said the boy with an even more
confused look.

"Well, if I was here, Akane wouldn't have been attacked until I
was gone. Whoever is doing this knew about me. He tried to put a spell on
me that would keep me in the dark about what was going on. Unfortunately I
figured out what was happening and took care of that."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't they attack with you here?" said
Ryoga as he attempted to understand the situation.

"Whoever pulled this little stunt knew about me. He knew I was too
powerful to risk my interference. I'm on to him though," Ranma smirked
confidently and turned towards the group of girls. "You had better check
your sources more carefully. Where did you get this information Stella?"

A small pink rodent scurried onto the rooftop and huffed angrily.
"A very reliable source! Or so I thought, he upgraded the team's powers
and supported the magic you gave us. He was a seraphim."

Ranma turned and looked at Akane for a moment. "I see."

Another new voice broke the silence. "Well, it seems my
distraction did not make it in time Ranma Saotome." A figure floated down
from the sky and lit up the rooftop as he descended from above. Two large
white wings that let off a huge amount of light folded behind his back as
he landed, the pure white cloak fell back into place covering his body as
he walked towards them. "No worries, you'll deal with it soon enough."

"Ranma, what's going on here?" said Akane as she calmed visibly
and turned towards the newcomer.

"You're a combination of demon and human Akane. There are certain
places that would see that as a threat," replied the red haired girl
simply.

"Certain places indeed," muttered the man calmly. He kept his head
low and smirked to himself allowing his golden locks to fall from the hood
that covered his head.

"Whatever your reasons. I won't let you hurt Akane. I know who you
are," snarled Ranma defiantly.

The man looked up slightly and smiled even wider.

"Only one man had access to the kind of knowledge you needed to
cover your tracks from me the way you did..." Ranma smiled and stood
between the angel and Akane carefully. "The faulty amulet just clenches
it!"

The angel lifted his arm, three glowing claws brushed through his
bangs as he chuckled to himself. "My dear, you have no idea."

The senshi stepped back away from the conflict towards the edge of
the rooftop. They waited patiently for some sort of clear enemy to appear.

"What's going on Stella?" asked Sol quietly.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think it involves us any longer. We'd
best leave, things could become very dangerous here." The rodent scurried
away with the girls following nervously behind. "We'll find out the
outcome and plan from there."

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself Hikaru?" snapped Ranma
angrily as she pointed at the man.

The white clad figure merely removed his hood and smirked. Hikaru
Gosunkugi smiled at his mentor from underneath his wild golden locks and
flexed his new arm impatiently. The appendage seemed to be made out of
magical energy. "Nothing really Sensei. I didn't have much choice in the
matter. You made those amulets? An excellent job..."

"I assume Keiko was your doing?" said Ranma as she calmed visibly.

"One of my early experiments under your tutelage, actually her
power levels were a complete accident. The talking rat was your idea?"

Ranma smiled slightly and nodded. "The spell called for a
c...c...cat actually. I had to improvise a bit, the unusual color was a
result of that."

"These demon hunters are your fault?" snapped Akane in shock. She
looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Only those five that just left. It's not something you tell
people about, they have secret identities for a reason Akane."

Both of the teen's jaws dropped like lead weights.

"So Gosunkugi, tell me how you got possessed by that?" Ranma
pointed to the wings that poked under the cloak, and the now familiar
golden shadow.

"Fell asleep on a white magic book. It kind of opened the doorway
so to speak," replied the boy with a shrug.

"You realize that if you keep attacking Akane I'm going to have to
stop you," said Ranma coolly.

"You don't stand a chance. I have the power of the gods backing
me," snorted the possessed boy in reply.

Ranma merely smiled, "That demon would have said something similar
you know..."

The reply caught Gosunkugi by surprise and he sneered at her. "You
don't know what you're dealing with boy."

"I think I've got some idea," said Ranma calmly.

Gosunkugi charged forward screaming in rage. Ranma kicked straight
back from the spot she was standing on and completed the rune she was
drawing in the ground with her foot. The angel's eyes went wide with shock
as he realized what had happened.

A red light blasted up from the ground and enveloped him from the
intricately drawn rune. "No! Damn you! Do you have any idea what you've
done?"

Ranma nodded. "Nothing evil really. I'm just putting you back
where you belong angel."

"If I'm not here, she'll..." the thing screamed in pain as it
attempted to claw it's way out of the light.

"Nooo! You've doomed your world fool!"

Ranma raised her eyebrow as a ball of light formed on Hikaru's
chest. It shot upwards into the sky and parted the clouds as it rocketed
away from Nerima. "That did not sound promising."

"Is it over?" said Akane timidly as she stepped forward and poked
at Hikaru's passed out body on the ground.

"For now, we won't be hearing from him again in this life time.
They can only come down every couple of hundred years or so." Ranma turned
and lifted Hikaru over her shoulder.

"I'm going to get him home. I'll see you at school tomorrow Akane.
I'll tell Stella to put the word out about you in the magical girl circles
around town. You shouldn't be bothered much any more."

With that said Ranma jumped off the roof and into the night.

Ryoga blinked and looked around in confusion. "So...now what?"

Akane smiled at him with a relieved look on her face. "Come on,
I'll buy you some Ramen."

Ryoga turned slightly green. "Akane, is there somewhere else? I
kind of eat a lot of Ramen you know?"

The girl blinked and snickered to herself. "Oh, I forgot where you
lived! Come on, there's an all night Thai place near here."

About an hour later Ranma walked into the Cat Cafe with her head
hung low. Words like that coming from a demon would be nothing to worry
about, but an angel was something completely different. "I have to look
into this, it can't be ignored..." she muttered the sentence to herself
when a bundle of energy flew into her arms and kissed her full on the lips
as she walked into the restaurant.

"Aiyah! Is home Ranma! Come, Having guest for you!" squealed the
girl cheerfully.

"I was afraid you'd be angry with me for leaving that way,"
muttered the red head sheepishly.

"Why Talcum be angry with Airen?" asked the girl in confusion.

"No reason. I have a guest you say?"

Ranma walked into the room and stopped cold as something sharp and
cold pointed against her neck.

A beautiful woman in her late thirties stood pointing a katana at
her neck with a strangely calm, but very angry look on her face. "Who are
you? What have you done with my son?"

"Son?" muttered Ranma out loud as her eyes went wide.

On the other side of the room Cologne and Ko li stood watching the
scene in complete shock.

Tatewaki Kuno stared at the moon again and ruffled his wings
behind his back in agitation. "Another bad moon? I'm certainly glad these
things seem to not involve me these days." He frowned and turned back into
his home, not noticing the ominous dark cloud forming over his home.

TBC...

Got a little tired of the whole Magical Girl story and decided
that it needed to end. Akane's troubles are far from over though, but I
think you'll be surprised.
I'm betting no one guessed that Hikaru might be behind the magical
girls. He isn't written out of the story either by the way, but things are
about to get ugly again.
So now I moved into something new! Nodoka! Ukyo's still out there,
Happosai is back in Japan, and more dark forces are forming in the near
future.
Bwahahahahahahahahahaaa!

C&C to Carro...@juno.com

URL Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/

Permanent

Part 33

Mother dearest.

Ranma felt the cold steel against her throat, she paused and
glanced at the woman holding the blade to her throat.

"I'll ask you one last time. Where is my son?" the woman pressed
the blade slightly drawing a small amount of blood.

Cologne was the first to speak. "Your son is gone. Killing this
girl will not bring her back."

The woman glared at her and said nothing Ranma did not move.

"What do you mean?" she said coolly.

"Your son was taken from us by the cursed springs of Jusenkyo, no
one regrets this more than her."

"Cursed springs?" Nodoka narrowed her eyes. "If what you say is
true and my son is dead, they why is this girl using his name?"

"Because I am Ranma Saotome," replied the young sorceress calmly.

"Explain," said the woman.

Cologne held her hand up and silenced Ranma before she could
speak. "In our tribe, a woman may take the name of her husband if he dies
honorably."

Nodoka stared at the girl for a moment, but she did not remove the
blade. "Husband?"

Ranma said nothing. She merely stared the woman dead in the eyes.

"My son is dead?"

"He is no longer among us," said one of the young girls next to
Cologne carefully.

Nodoka relaxed her arm slightly, it was all Talcum needed. She was
standing opposite Nodoka and had moved behind her while her attention was
on the elder. Her arm snaked up and pressed the back of the woman's neck
sending her to the floor unconscious.

"You never said anything about your mother being alive," commented
Cologne as Ranma stepped away from the woman.

"Mother?" she was ignoring everyone around her and staring at the
sleeping woman before her. "I...have a mother?"

Everyone in the room reacted in shock. "This is most unusual,"
commented Talcum.

Nodoka woke up about an hour later with an exploding headache. The
young red head bowed deeply before her. "I apologize, Pop never said
anything about his wife. I would have contacted you long ago had I known."

The woman sat up slowly and stared at her in shock. "Who are you?"

"Ranma Saotome," replied the girl simply.

"Who are you really?" she said calmly.

"That is the only name I know," replied the girl simply.

"Where am I?"

"In my room, you've slept through the day. It's evening again,"
Ranma looked at the woman and sighed waiting for more questions.

Nodoka looked around the room and took in her surroundings; she
was in a small room in the upstairs portion of the Cat Cafe. She looked
back at the girl and sighed deeply. "My son is gone?"

Ranma simply nodded slowly and carefully. She knew that the woman
was telling the truth. Her wallet had told her enough, and a magical
background check had finished the story while she slept. Her eyes went up
and down the woman's face over and over. Her feelings where numb and
uncertain.

Nodoka stared back at her, tears forming in her eyes. Still she
remained in control, "What of the agreement with Soun Tendo?"

"Your son knew nothing of that. I found out only after coming to
Japan," replied the red head quietly.

"He died honorably?" asked the older woman with a distant look in
her face.

Ranma stood up and faced away from her towards the window that
overlooked Nerima. "I still search for a way to bring him back to us. It
is all I live for."

Nodoka felt a cold shiver run down her spine at those words. She
glanced around the room and noticed the unusual things that seemed to fill
it. Rows of books, an unusual chest that sent cold waves into her body
just looking at it, various crystals and bottles lined the walls. "Who are
you?"

Ranma slowly turned around and recognized the look on the woman's
face. Terror seemed to cross her features. "After your son left me, I
began to search for a cure to the curse of Jusenkyo. Thus I began my path
into the mystic arts."

Nodoka merely nodded, still numb from the news. "What of my
husband?"

Ranma winced visibly at this, "He shared the same fate."

Ranma merely watched without words as the woman broke down into
tears on her bed. She was uncertain of what to say or do. She wanted to
scream the truth, but it would be a little too much for the woman to take
at the moment. A small burning hatred formed in the back of her heart.

"Genma Saotome, for making that contract with my mother...I will
make you suffer as she has." She walked towards the door with a
distasteful scowl on her face. The probe she had done to the woman to find
the truth in her words had also revealed that important fact.

Nodoka stood up and grabbed her arm as she tried to leave the
room. "Wait!"

Ranma looked back at her and saw unfathomable pain in her eyes,
but also something else, a small light of hope. "Yes?" The words flowed
from her mouth gently, but the grating emotions were still evident in her
voice.

"Daughter...please, help me mourn my son," Nodoka pleaded with her
and grabbed her in a rough hug.

Ranma felt tears begin to flow down her face as she returned the
embrace. Not tears of sorrow, but of rage and pain. To hold the woman who
gave birth to her, and not be able to speak the truth. It was almost too
much to bear. She paused and stared at the wall opposite her. She wanted
desperately to scream the truth over and over, but the angel's final words
crept into her mind. She could not throw her life away yet; she had too
much to do still. Genma Saotome would suffer for this indeed.

Below Cologne sat with her two charges patiently. She turned
towards the pair as they waited anxiously. "You will not interfere with
her. Allow her to do what she needs to do. She showed me what she saw in
that memory crystal, and Genma Saotome will be lucky to survive the day
tomorrow." She sipped her tea quietly. She knew that Ranma could tell the
woman the truth, and also that she could very well die if she did.
Unfortunately she also knew that it was her decision alone. She left her a
way out, and hoped desperately that she realized that she was far too
important to throw her life away on a promise.

"I wish I could say something in his defense, but I doubt if Ranma
will kill him," said Ko li with a small smirk.

"Hope lazy panda die," snarled Talcum.

"My dear sister, Ranma knows many things are worse than death,"
said Ko li with her smirk growing into a full-blown grin.

Soun Tendo looked up at his daughter quietly. There was nothing he
could say. Ranma had betrayed them, lied to them. Nodoka had confirmed
that Ranma Saotome was indeed Genma's son, and that she had never had a
daughter. Watching her leave in a blind rage was more than he could take,
he passed out on the spot.
He had no love for the honorless girl; she had almost gotten Akane
killed. Now his daughter was cursed and he suspected his middle daughter
was going out with a giant bird. Kasumi was also changed, albeit more
slightly. She had learned a few spells of healing, but that was as much as
he could tell.
Still, he could not get her out of his life. Akane was dangerously
loyal to her, and the engagement with the Hibiki boy still stood. Whether
he liked it or not, giri demanded that he follow through with the
agreement.

At least he was an honest and honorable soul, even if that soul belonged
to the witch. He had finally decided that Ranma Saotome was indeed evil.
He had to do something, but what? Only one force on the planet scared him
more than her. Getting rid of that had been the one positive thing in his
life since she came along.

"Hello Tendo."

Soun slowly turned and almost paled completely. "What?"

"You and I need to have a little talk Tendo..."

Akane sat on the roof watching the moon. No more magical girls
assaulted her; in fact, they actually seemed to be avoiding her now. The
Sailor Stars ignored her completely, and Keiko seemed to have lost her
powers for some reason. It was almost normal again.

She paused when she heard a familiar rustling above her. "Hello
Kuno, what are you doing here?"

"I merely came to see how you were, it has been remarkably quiet
since last night. I take it you have solved your problems?"

"Most of them," the girl nodded her head and lay back on the roof.
"Things just seem to be going our way."

"I'm glad to hear that, my home is quiet as well. It bothers me at
times."

Akane felt her face tense up. "You miss her don't you?"

"At times, I think I miss Sasuke more though," he stared up at the
sky.

"Really?" Akane seemed surprised at this.

"My sister was never close to me, I loved her, but he has always
been at my side. Loyal, steadfast, always ready to serve. I know it sounds
like I had a dog or something, but Sasuke was more family to me than my
own father."

"I think I understand," said Akane quietly.

"Indeed, I fear I must be going now..."

"Have a good time with Nabiki," said Akane with a small smile on
her face as she continued to stare at the moon.

Kuno froze and stared at her in shocked horror. "Wh..h..how?"

"You really think she can sneak by me? Come now Kuno, my eyes are
better than yours in the dark."

The middle Tendo sister cursed and walked from her hiding spot on
the roof. "You'd better not tell anyone about this."

"I won't, but you'd better start talking. What are you doing out
here so late? Or should I ask?" Akane gave Kuno a careful glare and he
blushed.

"I am an honorable man Akane Tendo!"

"Then why were you trying to sneak off with her in the middle of
the night? You two were hoping I'd already be gone."

Nabiki raised her eyebrow. "Please Akane, this is Kuno we're
talking about here. I'm dating a giant bird."

"Well, just don't force me to make you marry I giant bird. My
sense of smell is better now too. You two have behaved yourselves so far.
I've been keeping an eye on you for the past two weeks."

Both teens paled slightly and Nabiki blushed. "You have any idea
what would happen if anyone found out I was dating Kuno?"

"Probably nothing, he used to be a complete moron, but now..."

Nabiki scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at this.
"Please, I wouldn't have touched him with a pole, even if he paid me."

The boy in question coughed into his hand. "I am still here you
know."

"But, he did get better," said the middle Tendo. This seemed to
satisfy Kuno and he ruffled his wings.

"Have fun you two, and behave yourselves or I'll rip your wings
off Kuno," said Akane as she continued to watch the moon.

The boy spread his wings and was about to take off with Nabiki in
his arms when a terrible scream followed by an explosion came from inside
the house. The portion of roof where Akane sat collapsed in and she
screamed as she fell into the home.

"Akane!" cried Kuno as he turned and jumped off the edge with
Nabiki still in his arms.

The girl gasped and clung to his neck as a glowing blue light
shone through the smoke inside. Akane stirred from her place in the rubble
and slowly sat up shoving a board off her chest.

"What hit me?"

The three teens simply stared as a laugh filled the room.

"Heh heh heh heh heh. Well, look what we have here..."

Ryoga Hibiki wandered through the streets of Nerima. On his
shoulder was a large sack of rice. "Honestly, sending me out this late at
night for rice. If she wanted to be alone with that visitor she should
have just said so." He cocked his head and stopped his monologue as an
explosion sounded in the distance. "This place sure is getting weird."

TBC...

Ooh, I know you're going to hate me for this one! It's time for
Permament to get back into gear!
Next time: The mysterious evil revealed! Also Ranma and her mother learn
about each other.

C&C to Carro...@juno.com

URL Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/