Thy Fate Shall Overtake A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Alan Harnum All Ranma characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, first published by Shogakukan in Japan and brought over to North America by Viz Communications. This copy of the story is from my centralized fanfiction archive at http://www.thekeep.org/~harnums/fanfic. I can be reached by e-mail at harnums@thekeep.org Part 1 : Shadows At Morning The desk light clicked on, banishing the dark of the room. Her hand reached out and took up a pen from the jar on the desk. The book lay open in front of her, half of the page already filled with what she'd written yesterday. There in the ink lay so much of what she always wanted to say out loud, but never could. Akane wrote, her ears intent on listening for the sound of anyone outside her room. As far as she knew, Ranma was asleep. She should be as well; they had school tomorrow, and it was already nearly midnight. But something about this night had made a hundred thoughts run through her head while she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, she'd thrown off the covers and hunted through her clothes drawer for her diary, hoping that by putting some of her thoughts down on paper she could rid them from her mind. she wrote. Akane sighed and touched the pen to her lips. Akane yawned and laid the pen aside, feeling her eyelids droop. She was exhausted now, the act of writing having driven the last of her wakefulness from her. She carefully hid the diary in her clothes drawer again, clicked out her desk light and made her way to her bed in the darkness. She climbed in, pulled the covers over her head, and was asleep soon after. ********** "Ranma, out of bed. It's time to practice," Genma said, bending down and putting his head next to his son's ear. Ranma snored and turned over. "What crimes did I commit in my past life to be given such a lazy son in this one?" Genma muttered. He took a deep breath, found his centre of calm, and yelled into Ranma's ear as loud as he could. "WAUGHH!" Ranma shouted, leaping straight up and clinging to the ceiling. The blanket dropped off him and landed on Genma's head. Genma threw it off and glared up at his son. "Ranma! We need to practice!" Genma said. "Get dressed and meet me in the dojo." Genma stomped out the door to the room and closed it behind him. Ranma could hear his heavy footfalls descending the stairs to the main floor. He dropped from the ceiling and landed lightly on his feet, muttering numerous disrespectful statements about his father as he searched through the closet for his gi. He yanked it on, tied his belt around his waist and headed downstairs to the dojo. The warmth of summer had faded long ago, and autumn's chill had begun. At least they weren't practicing outside any longer; it was too cold in the mornings. His father was already in the dojo, of course, looking smug as he did stretching exercises in the center. "Ranma, one of these days you'll learn the value of rising early in the morning," Genma said, dropping from his stretch into a ready position. "The only reason you like getting up early in the morning is so you can gloat about it to me," Ranma snapped back, rushing his father with fists cocked back. They met, fists and feet flying. Ranma wasn't in the mood for a long, drawn out battle this morning. He enjoyed his sparring sessions with his father when he was in the mood for them, but he'd long ago stopped thinking of them as actually useful to his advancement as a martial artist. His father simply didn't have much to teach him anymore. Thus, he took the opening as soon as he saw it. His father overextended himself slightly in a punch, taking too much time in recovering. Ranma grabbed his wrist and twisted, flipping him to the floor of the dojo in one smooth movement while keeping the hold firm. "Give up, pop?" he said from where he stood over his father. A minor movement of his arm the right way would break Genma's wrist; the fight looked to be his. His father struggled slightly; Ranma kept his grip steady and saw his father wince in pain. "I've got you, pop. Spare yourself some unecessary torment and admit it." Emphasizing his point, he wrapped his leg around his father's trapped arm and applied slight pressure. Genma winced again, then sighed. "Alright, son," he said resignedly. "You've won this one." Ranma nodded and released his hold, letting his father get to his feet. Predictably, his father made a quick kick at his head. Ranma grabbed Genma's heel an inch from contact and threw his arm up, flipping his father over to land on his head. "Fight's over, pop," he said. "I'm going to get changed." "Oww..." Genma said in reply from his position upside down on the floor. Ranma shook his head and headed back to the house, passing Akane as she came down the stairs in her school uniform. "Morning, Akane," he said, raising a hand as he went by her. "Hurry up and get ready for breakfast," Akane said. "We don't want to be late for school." "Nice to see you too," Ranma muttered. Akane was never very good on school mornings; she tended to be too concerned about the tardy bell. Although considering what Hinako-sensei would do if they were late, she was probably right to be. He stripped out of his gi in the bedroom and pulled out a long-sleeved green top and pants. He'd probably better take his jacket as well; the fall days had been cold lately. He grabbed it from the hanger and slung it over his shoulder as he headed down to the breakfast table. Everyone else was already there; his father and mother, Mr. Tendo, Akane and Kasumi. Ranma took the empty space beside Akane and began to dig into the rice bowl already served before him. "Good morning, Ranma," his mother said, smiling gently at him. "Morning, mom," Ranma mumbled with his mouth full of rice. "A delicious breakfast as always, Kasumi," Soun said from behind his newspaper. "Actually, Auntie Saotome cooked breakfast today," Kasumi said. Soun lowered the edge of his paper and looked at the wife of his friend. "I guess my compliment should go to her then," he said. "Thank you, Soun," Nodoka said. "It's really good, mom," Ranma said. "It's been so long since I was able to cook for my family," Nodoka said. "It is such a pleasure." Ranma saw his father flinch, then lower his head and go back to eating. He wanted badly to say something, something that would make his parents look at each other again with love in their eyes, instead of averting their gazes and murmuring politely when they saw each other. It was as if they were strangers. After ten years, maybe they were, Ranma thought as he chased the final grains of rice around the bowl. "We'd better head to school, Ranma," Akane said, rising from the table and wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Whatever," Ranma said, standing up with one last glance at his mother and father. "Your lunches are on the counter," Kasumi said. "Have a good time at school." "Bye Kasumi," Akane said. "Bye everyone." Ranma tugged on his jacket at the door as Akane grabbed their lunches from the kitchen. She handed him his as she put on her own coat. Ranma tucked the bento box under one arm and slung his schoolbag over his shoulder as they headed out the door. "Did you finish the assignment on the English poetry?" Akane said as they walked. Stray leaves blew along the streets, fallen from the trees they had formerly clothed in summer glory. The cold wind ran across Ranma's face in a sharp caress, and he huddled tighter into his jacket. "Yeah," Ranma said. "I got it done last night." The breeze picked up, blowing a swirl of leaves around their legs. Ranm bent over and picked up a handful, tossing them overhead to flutter down over him and Akane, red-gold flashing as they fell. He sighed and put his hands into his pockets. "What's wrong with you this morning?" Akane asked, glancing over at him. "Whatcha mean by that?" Ranma said. "Oh, come on," Akane said. "You've been moping around since we left the house. If something's bothering you, tell me." "It's nothing," Ranma said, looking away. Akane growled and gave him a bap on the head. "Hey! What was that for?" "For being stupidly macho," Akane said. "You don't have to keep everything inside, you know. I'm not going to run off shouting your problems to the world." "Ahh..." "Don't you trust me, Ranma?" Akane asked. "Now tell me what's wrong." "It's my parents," Ranma said after a moment's silence. Akane nodded. "I know. It must be hard to see them like that," she said, patting his shoulder. Ranma glanced over at her and smiled gratefully. "I think I'd feel better if they'd yell at each other or something," Ranma said. "At least then it'd look like they still know the other one exists." "They've got ten years between them," Akane said. "It's not like they can just pick up where they left off when you disappeared." "I know," Ranma said. "I just hope they don't stay this way forever." "Nothing stays the same forever," Akane said gently. "Just look at us." Ranma laughed. "Yeah." He slipped his hand into hers and moved closer to her side. Akane squeezed his hand back, and they continued to walk to school in contented silence. In the company of each other, they were unaware of the third figure who watched them from atop the roof of a nearby building. There was a rustle of paper, and he gazed at the scrap of writing in his hand resignedly. "They are so young," he said quietly. "They are all so very young." He sighed and slipped the paper back into his pocket. "But it can be no one else, can it?" He put his hand on the side of the roof and vaulted off, landing silently below in a crouch. He could see the two teenagers up the street ahead of him. He waited for them to go a little farther, than took off at a quick walk after them through the spill of autumn leaves. ********** Ukyou glanced up at the wall clock from her seat at her desk. Five minutes till the tardy bell. "They better not be late again," she muttered. Up at the desk, Hinako-sensei burbled cheerfully about all the exciting things they were going to do today, while the rest of the class ignored her and talked together in small groups. Ukyou drifted her hand down beside her seat and touched the cloth-wrapped handle of her fighting spatula. The minute hand ticked forward; four minutes. "It used to be they'd be late because they got into a fight," she said softly to herself. "Now they're too busy gazing at each other adoringly to get to school on time." As soon as she spoke the words, Ukyou regretted them. What she said wasn't true; Ranma and Akane didn't have a perfect relationship by any means. They still fought, and Ranma still took a fair number of whacks from Akane for real or imagined slights, but less and less frequently these days. And they always made up afterwards. Sometimes for upwards of five minutes. She didn't just regret what she'd said because it was untrue, but because of what it said about her. The last thing she wanted to be was bitter; sure, she had lost the man she loved, but she hadn't lost her best friend. Even though Akane had won the game, without even trying, she could deal with that, couldn't she? It hadn't been a game though; maybe Akane had been the only one out of the four of them who'd realized that. Ranma wasn't some prize to be won; he was his own person, and she didn't have the right to tell him who he should want in his life. But sometimes it hurt so much, to see the two of them together. And all she could do was smile, and laugh, and try not to see them kissing or embracing each other. "Give it time, girl," she said ruefully, shaking her head. "Time heals all wounds." "Are you alright, Miss Kuonji?" Startled, Ukyou looked up from where she'd been gazing at her desk. Hinako-sensei stood beside her desk, concern in the wide brown eyes of her child's face. "Yes, sensei, I'm fine," she said quickly. The clock ticked again; two minutes. "As a teacher, I must always be concerned for the welfare of my students," Hinako said as if reciting from a book. "Are you sure nothing is wrong?" "Really, I'm fine," Ukyou said, realizing that the attention of the entire class was now on her and Hinako-sensei. "Oh! Okay!" the teacher said brightly, a happy smile lighting up her face. She skipped back to her desk and picked up her attendance book, glancing up as the clock ticked to the final minute before tardy. Ukyou realized everyone was still looking at her; she glared about the room and hefted her spatula slightly from the ground. The rest of the class turned away quickly. The door opened; Ranma and Akane rushed in and took their seats just as the bell rang. Hinako-sensei raised an eyebrow as the door slammed behind Ranma, but didn't say anything. She saw the look that Ukyou gave to Ranma as he came in; she'd seen it many times before this one. Without a word, the childlike woman opened her attendance book to the first page and began to call out names. ********** "" Hinako-sensei read in English. She looked up at the class, most of whom were gazing at her without any real comprehension. "Can anyone tell me what this poem is talking about? I know it's in English, but does anyone have an idea?" she said. To her surprise, Ranma raised his hand. "Mr. Saotome?" Hope filled her; perhaps she'd finally gotten through to him. He would be a valuable participant in class from now on, instead of a delinquent. Oh, the others teachers had laughed at her for her unorthodox discipline, but she'd show them... "Practice dummies," Ranma said smugly, leaning back in his seat. "This Eliot guy was some kinda martial artist, right? He's talkin' about practice dummies." Hinako resisted the temptation to drain his energy; he'd at least been paying attention. He'd understood some of the words, at least. It was a start. "An... interesting thought, Mr. Saotome. But can you relate that hypothesis to the middle parts of the poem?" "Oh, that stuff. Nah. I wasn't paying attention; I just heard the first part about being full of straw and stuff," Ranma said. Hinako hung her head and sighed. "Thank you, Mr. Saotome. Can anyone else give me a different view?" ********** "Man, I thought lunchtime was never gonna come," Ranma said, leaning back in his seat as he opened his bento. "How long can Hinako-sensei go on about poetry anyway?" "I still can't believe she didn't drain you for what you said," Akane said as she sat down beside him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked. "Practice dummies indeed," Akane said with a snort. Ranma looked at Ukyou. "Hey Ucchan, what was wrong with what I said?" he asked. Ukyou shook her head. "Don't ask me, Ranchan. I have enough trouble understanding Japanese poetry; I can't be expected to know about English poetry as well," Ukyou said as she took a mouthful of rice from her box. Ranma turned back to Akane. "What was wrong with what I said?" he asked. "Never mind, Ranma," Akane said, shaking her head at him. "Don't worry, I won't," Ranma replied as he got ready to consume his lunch. Something caught his eye; he looked up at the two figures walking across the cafeteria towards them. The short one with the long hair in the yellow dress had to be Hinako-sensei; the second one towered several feet above the small form of the teacher. Very thin, with a sharp, delicate face and short black hair. The last time Ranma had seen that figure had been four months ago, in the dining room of the Nekohanten. The man wore a loose grey shirt and black pants this time, instead of the black bodysuit that he'd had on when Ranma had first met him. He wore no jacket; the only accordance he apparently had towards the autumn chill was the long white scarf wrapped around his neck. "Isn't that..." Ukyou said, noticing him as well. "Yeah," Ranma said quietly, laying down his chopsticks beside his bento. "That's him." Shigeki Kiyokuro strode slowly across the cafeteria, Hinako-sensei barely keeping up. Students looked up from their lunches at the comical pair the two of them made. To Ranma, there wasn't anything comical about it. The appearance of the man who'd recruited most of them that night in the Nekohanten could only mean that something bad was up; Ranma remembered the last time Shigeki had been around had been because of the presence of the monstrous killer he and the others had hunted down and destroyed. If Shigeki was around again, it sure wasn't to say hello. "Here they are, Officer Kiyokuro," Hinako-sensei said quietly. She fixed a glare on Ranma. "I don't know what you're up to, Mr. Saotome, but it better not be something delinquent." "None of these three have done anything wrong," Shigeki said. "I just need to talk to them for a few minutes." "Alright," Hinako said suspiciously. "You come and get me if there's some kind of problem." She wandered off, contendedly licking the lollipop the nice policeman had given her. The rest of the cafeteria was staring intently at the four of them. "Hi," Shigeki said. "Can we talk somewhere else?" ********** "Officer Kiyokuro?" Ranma said, putting his hands behind his head and leaning against the tree in the yard. "I have certain implied credentials," Shigeki said. "They're useful in my line of work." "In other words, you told Hinako-sensei you were a police officer and let her form her own conclusions," Ukyou said, crossing her arms. "Well, yeah," Shigeki said. "She really a teacher?" "You should see her when she's fully grown," Akane said. Shigeki gave her a blank look and shrugged his thin shoulders. "I have no idea what that means, but okay. I guess you probably all know why I'm here," Shigeki said. "Something's up," Ranma said flatly. "Like the gaki." Shigeki nodded. "Not nearly that bad. I just wanted to have some extra hands with me when I went to purchase an object this afternoon." "You want us to come along on a shopping trip?" Ranma asked. "Not quite. You're aware of the existence of objects containing magical power in this world, are you not?" Shigeki said. Ranma remembered various wishing swords, love pills and phoenix eggs, and nodded his head. "What I'm buying is an item like that." "So why do you need us along?" Ukyou asked. "There are certain others who would like to gain possesion of this object," Shigeki said slowly. "My interest in obtaining it is mainly to make sure they don't do so." "Why don't you want them to get their hands on it?" Ranma said. "They want it for purposes contradictory to mine," Shigeki said. "Huh?" Ranma replied. Shigeki sighed. "They want to use it to bring monsters into this world," Shigeki said. "I hunt monsters. See the connection?" "I think so," Ranma said. "So you think you might have some problems with these people?" Akane said. "I don't know. It's better to be safe than sorry," Shigeki said. "I've had a feeling that I may have been watched for the past couple of days. The place I'm getting it from is in this area, and I'd feel better if I had some help with me." "Understood," Ranma said. "How did you know where we went to school, anyway?" Akane said. "I've known for a while now. I try to make sure I can contact people who're willing to help me in person. It's necessary sometimes." "Like now?" Ranma said. Shigeki nodded. "If I'm being watched, it's safe to assume that you all will be as well. It would be better if you avoid going home, or even calling, until we've seen this through. By the time I've acquired the item, I'll know whether or not I've been followed." "This is going to be dangerous, isn't it?" Ukyou asked. "If it didn't have the potential to be, I wouldn't be asking for your help," Shigeki said. "If you don't think you all can handle it..." "We can handle it," Ranma said quickly. Shigeki nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I'll meet all of you outside at the end of school, alright?" "Yeah," Ranma said. "Come on. Let's go back inside and finish lunch. I'm starving." Shigeki raised a hand in farewell and headed off towards the main gate, as the three teenagers headed back towards the school. "I don't know about this," Akane said. "I wish I had a better idea of what's going on." "Me too," Ukyou said. "We don't even know if we can trust this guy." "I think we can," Ranma said. "He seems..." He didn't finish the sentence. He couldn't quite put into words the feeling he'd had only moments ago as they'd talked to Shigeki. He wasn't a trusting person by nature; long experience with people like Nabiki, Kodachi and Shampoo had taught him a lot of painful lessons. But there was something about Kiyokuro that made him want to trust him; it was just a feeling he had. "I know what you mean," Akane said. "I felt it too." "I don't know what it is," Ukyou said. "But I agree with Ranma. We can trust him." As much as he believed that she was, Ranma hoped that she was right. They really didn't know anything about Shigeki, or even that much about what they'd be doing after school. But something about it felt right; it wasn't a rational feeling, one that he could explain. He knew, however, that whatever they were doing was something that had to be done, something that perhaps only they would have been able to accomplish. For that reason alone it was important that they help Shigeki; if they didn't who else would? ********** "I really wish I could call home," Akane said as they walked out the last class of the day together with Ukyou. "You heard what he said," Ranma said. "Besides, if everything goes okay, we'll be back home before anyone gets worried." The three of them headed out the main doors, pulling on coats as they went. "See you tomorrow, Akane," one of Akane's friends called from where she stood with several other girls. "See you," Akane said. They stepped out the front gate and looked around. "Hi," Shigeki said, stepping out from somewhere. "I was wondering when you were all going to show up." The tall man didn't seem bothered by the chilly fall day at all. His white scarf fluttered slightly in the wind as he began to walk. "Well," he said, glancing back over his shoulder. "Are you coming or not?" The three of them headed quickly after him, as he walked off into the streets of Nerima. His strides were quick and sure, and his long legs carried him far with each step. They were forced to half-run, half-jog to keep up with him. "You're certainly in a hurry," Ranma said after they had been walking for about a quarter of an hour. He glanced around; a lot of these buildings looked very familiar, as if they'd just passed them a few minutes ago. "What's going on?" Ukyou said. "We're going in circles." "Behind us," Shigeki said quietly, not slowing down at all. "About fifty metres back. Two big men, and a little man in between them. Don't look back; we'll turn a corner soon, and you might be able to catch a glimpse of them." They turned a corner; Ranma glanced sideways quickly. Shigeki was correct; at this distance, he couldn't make out any real features, but he could see that Shigeki was right. The three men were moving at the same speed they were, in a straight line down the sidewalk, forcing any passers-by to go around them. "They've been following us almost since we left the school," Shigeki said. "I saw them watching me earlier this afternoon, but I managed to lose them. It looks like they're back." Shigeki ducked into an alleyway, beckoning them to follow him. He crouched catlike on the ground and sprang, grabbing the lip of the roof of a nearby building and hauling himself up. "Come on," he hissed down to them. Ranma nodded and held out his arms to Akane. She turned away with a snort and made the jump herself; Ukyou and Ranma followed. Shigeki headed across the rooftop and dropped down the other side, the others following him just in time to see backs of the three men disappearing around the corner in front of them. Shigeki ignored them and went in the opposite direction. Ranma grabbed his sleeve and jerked his thumb back in the direction the men had gone. "They're gettin' away," he said. "No, we're getting away. They're trying to find us," Shigeki said. "Aren't we gonna ambush them?" Ranma said confusedly. "Not if I have anything to say about it," Shigeki muttered. "It's better if we don't attract their attention at all." Ranma bit back a reply. Shigeki appeared to know more about what was going on then he did; as much as he thought pounding on the three pursuers was a good idea, Shigeki appeared to think otherwise. He lead them on quickly through the winding streets, doubling back and occasionally taking shortcuts. Finally, he appeared satisfied they'd lost their tail, and his walk slowed. "Alright," he said. "This way." Ranma glanced around; they'd been moving so fast he hadn't kept track of where they were going. Now he realized he was totally lost; just how far had they gone, anyway? The area was dingy and looked half-abandoned, with a few dirty looking storefronts and little else. It was towards one of those that Shigeki headed. Through the dust of the window, the black letters of the store's name could be seen: "Fuko Importers". Beneath that, in smaller letters, the byline "Exotic Items From Around The Globe", barely visible because of the dust. "Here we are," Shigeki said, pushing open the door and stepping inside. The others followed him dubiously. Surprisingly, the inside of the shop was clean and well lit, with a variety of items displayed neatly on tall shelves that stretched to the ceiling. Statues, jewelry, elaborately carved boxes and other items of a stranger cast. Intrigued, Akane reached out her hand towards a strange doll that appeared to have been woven from vines of some kind. "Don't touch that," said a harsh voice that seemed to fill the room. "It doesn't seem to like women very much. The last one who touched it had her arm rot off." Akane eeped in surprise and clung to Ranma's arm. The man behind the glass fronted counter looked to be in his fifties, and appeared to be carrying about sixty more pounds than he needed. A few fringes of grey hair clung to his skull, which looked cadaverous in its thinness compared to the rest of his body. "Charming as always, Uragiru," Shigeki said. The man behind the counter frowned. "Shut up, Kiyokuro," he said. "Have you got the money?" "That depends on whether you have what I want," Shigeki said. "Don't I always?" Uragiru said, reaching behind the counter and pulling up a small, plain wooden box. He placed it on the counter and folded his hands on his stomach. "What's with the kids, anyways? They gonna lift stuff while I talk to you?" "Hey! What's your problem, anyway?" Ranma said. "Shut up, kid," Uragiru said. "And don't touch anything." "Mr. Uragiru is somewhat lacking in basic social niceties," Shigeki said mildly. "I've been a customer for years, and he still treats me like slime." "You know you love it, baby," Uragiru said with a dry, rattling chuckle reminescent of a marble bouncing around inside a skull. "If I'm such a bother, why do you still come here?" "Because I hate to deal with scum, and you're a good middleman between me and the scum, Uragiru. You're not so scummy that I can't stand to be around you, but you're scummy enough that you can deal with scum for me. Also, you're remarkably good at locating whatever I need you to," Shigeki said. "I don't suppose you've started taking checks now?" "Nope," Uragiru said. "Cash only." "I guess we all have to honour our ancestors in our own way," Shigeki said. "You do it by refusing to admit it's later than about 1904." "Shut up and give me the money," Uragiru said. "I like you about as much as you like me, Kiyokuro, but you're a good source of income. That's why I put up with you. You're a self-righteous asshole, but you're a rich self-righteous asshole, at least." Shigeki pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Uragiru. The store owner opened it and thumbed through the bills. He looked up and nodded. "Okay," he said. "Take it and go." Shigeki swept the box off the counter and tucked it under one arm. "Torture doing business with you, Uragiru." "Same to you, Kiyokuro," Uragiru muttered. Shigeki turned and walked out the door. Ranma and the others followed, Ranma giving one last glance back to the store owner, who glared at him. "That was a pleasant experience," Ukyou said as they stepped out into the street. "Believe me, I didn't like it any more than you did," Shigeki said. "But what I said is true; he's good at locating things. Especially items like this." "Guess we can go home now," Ranma said. "Good afternoon," an unfamiliar voice called. Three men stepped from the shadows of a nearby building; they were familiar enough to Ranma. He'd spent a half-hour running around town to get away from them. The two on the left and right could have been identical twins; both huge, both unsmiling, both dressed in dark suits with their hands crossed behind their backs, both wearing dark sunglasses that hid their gazes from view. The man in the middle was a young Caucasian, standing barely taller than Ranma when he was female. He looked slightly overweight, with a chubby, almost cherubic face framed by thin silver glasses, and topped by a small, narrow-brimmed hat, below which a few strands of curly brown hair protruded. He wore a heavy overcoat with the collar flipped up, and carried a slim black walking stick, with which he tapped the ground in front of him absentmindedly as he looked at them. It was he who had spoken. His Japanese was perfect and formal, without a trace of accent. "Good afternoon," Shigeki said, looking back at the three men. Ranma, Akane and Ukyou gathered beside him. "My name is Richard Stalford," the short man said. "Mr. Uragiru mentioned to me that you had arranged to purchase from him a certain object." Shigeki looked at Stalford evenly. "What of it?" "I would like to make you an offer for the object," Stalford said with a smile that reminded Ranma of a fat snake. "I believe it is considerably more than you paid for it." "Sorry," Shigeki said tightly. "It is not for sale. Good day to you, Mr. Stalford." "Really," Stalford said. "I've been trying for a long time to complete father's collection, and this would make a fine addition. Are you sure you could not reconsider?" "Nope," Shigeki said. Richard Stalford sighed. "That's unfortunate," he said. He spoke something in a language that didn't sound like English, or anything else Ranma had ever heard, and the two huge men, who up until this point had been as still as statues, began to move forward slowly. Shigeki handed the box to Akane. "Go. I'll catch up with the three of you later. Mr. Stalford and I have things to discuss." "That we do, Kiyokuro," Stalford said with a humourless smile. "I've been waiting a long time for this little conversation." Ranma grabbed Akane and Ukyou's hands in his and began to run. At another word from Stalford, spoken in that same strange language, the other two men did as well. Ranma glanced around; there were no other people on the streets. He headed for a turn he hoped would lead into a more populated area. As he turned the corner, he heard the sound of a gun firing from where Shigeki stood. He resisted the urge to turn back and look, continuing to run with Akane and Ukyou. The men behind them appeared to be falling behind; they didn't seem used to running. Ranma could have outdistanced them in an instant, but to do so would have meant leaving Akane and Ukyou behind. "I thought this was going too well," Ukyou lamented, pulling her spatula from her back and carrying it cradled in her arms as she ran. She glanced behind them for an instant. "They're still on our tails." "Okay," Ranma said. "Let's lose them." He skipped to the top of a roof. Akane followed, carrying the box in her arms. Ukyou whirled as she leapt, sending a handful of spatulas at their pursuers. None of them paused to see if they hit. Ranma leapt to the next rooftop, waited for Akane and Ukyou, then took off as fast as the two girls could follow across the skyline of the city, and didn't stop until he thought he recognized where they were. Then he dropped to the ground and looked around, trying to orient himself. "Where are we," Ukyou said, leaping down beside him with Akane. "I'm not sure," Ranma said. "The area looks familiar, but..." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. At least there's more people around here, and it looks like we lost those two guys." The area didn't appear as run-down as the one they had been in before, and the typical after-school crowds walked through it. Groups of girls, still in uniform, talking and laughing among themselves. The uniforms weren't from Furinkan, that was for sure. Ranma snapped his fingers as he looked at a group of three girls, walking together in a giggling group down the sidewalk only a little ways away from them. "That's it," he said. "Those are St. Hebereke uniforms. We must be near there." "I wonder how Shigeki's gonna find us again," Akane said, looking at the box tucked under one arm. "I'd be more worried about how they just found us again," Ukyou said, gesturing with her spatula at the two men moving at a quick walk towards them from up the next block. "Damn," Ranma said. "Come on. This way." He turned and ran down an alley that ran between two buildings and opened into another street behind. He tried to think of the route they'd taken at first; if they returned to where they'd left Shigeki, they might be able to get a better handle on what was going on. He took the alleyways as shortcuts, realizing how visible they were on the roofs. That was probably how the two men had found them. As he started out the third or so alleyway he'd led them through, he collided with something hard and unyielding that hadn't been there before. One of the big men stood there, arms still folded behind his back, eyes unreadable behind the dark sunglasses. "Ucchan! Akane! Go the other way!" Ranma shouted, aiming a punch at the head of the big man. The man caught his fist with one hand and tossed him against the side of the alleyway without any real force. Ranma fell to the ground, slightly stunned but not injured. "Negative on that, Ranchan," Ukyou said. Ranma saw that the second man had moved up to block the other exit from the alleyway. "How do these guys move so fast when we're not watching 'em?" Ranma said. The man who'd thrown him started to move towards Akane. Ranma kicked him in the back of the knee as he leapt to his feet, and the man stumbled and collapsed forward a bit. Ukyou got her spatula into a ready position and got ready to face off against the other man moving towards them. Ranma laid a flurry of kicks into the man's side while he was bent over. It was kind of like hitting a brick wall. The man stood up and made a clumsy swing at Ranma, his hand open wide to grab him. Ranma dodged easily and hit the man in the elbow joint with a knife-edge chop, then spun behind him and kicked him in the back. The man tumbled forward into the wall. "Stay behind me, Akane," Ukyou said. She made a feint at the second man, then dropped low and brought the flat edge of her spatula into his stomach, pushing back with all her strength. The man didn't fall, but it drove him back a few steps. Behind her, Akane clutched the box and looked for an opportunity to help. Ranma leapt for his opponent's back. The man swung his arm back wildly, connecting with Ranma's side and sending him tumbling out of the alleyway exit. He stood to his feet and started heading towards Akane again. "Hey! You ain't done with me yet, pal!" Ranma shouted, rushing back into the alleyway and driving a kick into the side of the man. He grabbed the man's arm, swung up and slammed both feet into the side of his head, pushing off as he did so. The man stumbled, and as Ranma bounced off the opposite wall and came at him with the speed-punch he'd learned from Cologne, he fell completely onto his back without a sound. The second man came forward again, catching Ukyou's spatula on the edge of his shoulder as he did so. She swung again, slashing open the jacket of his suit and hitting him in the chest. Still he kept coming. Without any expression on his face, he reached forward and grabbed Ukyou by the arm, proceeding to swing her against the wall with crushing impact. She lost her grip on her spatula and all her air was driven out of her as the man smashed his fist into her stomach. "UKYOU!" Akane shouted. She tucked the box under one arm and leapt, kicking the man who held Ukyou in the head as hard as she could. He lost his grip on Ukyou, and his sunglasses flew off his head and shattered against the wall of the alley. He turned his head to look at Akane and Ukyou. "Oh my god..." Ukyou whispered. The man's eyelids were tightly closed, and sewn shut with black thread. He opened his lips slightly in a parody of a smile, and they could see the same thing had been done to the inside of his mouth. Black threads stretched over white teeth. Ukyou pulled two of the smaller spatulas from her bandolier and leapt for the man, one in each hand. Her body still ached from where she'd been thrown against the wall, but the fight was still in her. Ranma heard Akane's cry and turned momentarily, seeing the second man smashing Ukyou against the wall. He started forward, thinking he'd finished off his opponent, when a hand closed around his ankle and yanked him off his feet. He fell forward, catching himself with his hands and skinning them on the rough floor of the alleyway. He kicked back with his free leg, feeling it connect with the man's head. Ahead of him, the second man lost his grip on Ukyou as Akane joined the fight, and behind him the grip on his ankle released. Ranma rolled to the side on the ground as the foot of the man stamped down where his back had been. "What does it take to make you stay down?" he said, kicking the man behind the knees with one leg and driving his other leg against the man's shins. The trap sent the man falling forward, hitting his head on the wall of the alleyway and causing him to lose the sunglasses. As he turned his head, Ranma saw what Akane and Ukyou had seen. The blind face still seemed to follow his movements, though, and whatever these men were, it sure looked like they could see. Ranma leapt onto the man's back and applied a choke hold from behind, hoping to make his opponent lose consciousness. Ukyou slashed and feinted with her spatulas, dodging the clumsy attempts of her opponent to grab her. These things, whatever they were, were strong but they were slow as well. "The hell with this damsel in distress routine," Akane muttered. "I'm a martial artist too." She made sure she had a firm grip on the box and moved forward to help Ukyou. A hard kick to the thigh of their opponent didn't seem to have much effect, but she was helping at least. Ukyou darted in and stabbed the razor edge of her small spatula into the man's arm, darting back and leaving it there as he swung for her. Akane tried to punch him in the jaw, but the big man lashed out with a fist that sent her falling back with a crash to land amongst a group of empty garbage cans. Ranma yanked back, the man's throat in the crook of his arm. He realized something was wrong when his opponent rose to his feet without apparent trouble and threw himself back, catching Ranma between himself and the wall of the alley. As the breath drove out of Ranma, he realized the man he was fighting had no pulse. He was in the process of releasing his arms when the man threw himself back a second time. Ranma's head hit the alley wall, and he slumped off in a heap on the alley floor. Fighting to see through the dark stars bursting in front of his eyes, he saw the man head down the alley towards Ukyou and Akane. Akane saw Ranma fall, and the man he'd been fighting start to move towards them. Ukyou was avoiding the man she was fighting, but none of her hits seemed to be slowing him down. The second man might turn the tide against them. Akane laid down the box and grabbed up one the empty garbage cans, running around behind the man Ukyou was fighting. "Hey! Eat this!" she shouted. She leapt into the air and slammed the garbage can down over his head and shoulders, then kicked the top with both feet to drive it down more and leapt off. "Good move, Akane," Ukyou said. She dodged to the side and retrieved her big spatula from where it lay against the alley wall, then turned to her opponent. There was a massive clang as she smashed the outside of the garbage can trapped around the big man, then brought the spatula down on top of it. The man staggered, and Ukyou pulled back her spatula for another blow. Akane ran back and stood in front of the box, getting ready to face off against the second man if she had to. He was slowly advancing down the alley towards them. Behind him, Ranma stirred and tried to stumble to his feet. He was alright, at least. Ukyou was hammering her spatula against the side of the garbage can, when the trapped man suddenly rushed forward and slammed into her, driving her back against the wall. She'd assumed automatically that he'd be blinded inside the can like that; of course, anything that could see with its eyes sewn shut probably had some other means of sensing things. There was the sound of tearing metal, and the garbage can fell off in two pieces, torn in half. The dark suit of the man was covered in greasy scraps that had been in the can, and was torn in several places. He reached out and grabbed Ukyou by the throat, pressing her back against the wall as he pulled her spatula from her hands and threw it down the alleyway. Ukyou gasped and kicked with her legs, trying desperately to get free. The man was expressionless as he slowly choked the life out of her one-handed. Seeing Ukyou's position, Akane ran over and drove her fist into the side of Ukyou's attacker's head. He swung his arm back and knocked her sprawling. The second man loomed over her, and she barely dodged a stomp of his foot onto her head. "Ranma, help us!" She saw Ranma stumble to his feet, swaying unsteadily, then slump back against the wall. He pushed himself forward, desperately trying to reach them. Akane leapt to her feet and dodged around the second man, trying to go to Ukyou's aid. The girl was still struggling weakly, but her face was turning blue as she tried desperately to draw a breath. The second man grabbed Akane's shoulder and yanked her back, wrapping an arm around her neck. Roaring, Ranma crashed into the man holding Ukyou, breaking the grip and carrying him away from Ukyou. She gulped breath after breath of sweet air as she lay on the floor of the alleyway, unable to do anything else. Enraged, Ranma punched the man in the throat in a move that would have killed a normal human, but seemed to have little effect on these blind, unbreathing, but still sighted and moving men. He saw Akane struggling with the other man, and rushed to go to her aid. A punch to the back of his head caused pain to burst anew throughout his skull, and he was barely conscious enough to dodge a second blow to his side. Things didn't look good. ********** Hikaru Gosunkugi was not having a good day. Granted, Hikaru Gosunkugi seldom had what could be referred to as a good day, meaning a day free from disappointment, depression and people who wanted his lunch money. But this day had been particularly bad for Gosunkugi; hiding in the bushes this morning, hoping for a glimpse of his beloved Akane Tendo, he could only watch and clench his fists as she arrived with Ranma Saotome. He could only watch in pain as they shared a quick kiss before rushing into the school. On top off all that, he was late for class and had to stand in the hall with buckets because he'd been hiding in the bushes instead of getting there on time. To someone like him, even ten minutes with the buckets turned into muscle-straining agony later on. Then of course he'd been approached for his weekly "protection" money, without Hinako-sensei or anyone else who could help him anywhere in sight. He'd learned a long time ago that it was better not to fight back; he couldn't win against one of them, much less four. To resist only invited further pain. Which meant he'd been unable to get lunch, or even have enough for bus fare to get home. Meaning a long walk. Meaning another chance for the bullies who made his school life a living hell to catch up with him. With no money to give them, he was forced to endure being beaten around a few times before they got bored and let him go. Lying against the wall of the alleyway, his face bloody, his bookbag spilled open and scattered beside him, he'd thought delicious, soothing thoughts of exactly what he would do to those four when he was a great sorcerer, instead of just some kid who everyone laughed at for his straw dolls and paper wards, and the candles he wore on his head. That had led to thoughts of what he would do to Ranma Saotome, and those thoughts had sustained him until he'd felt well enough to get up and start the long walk home. Thankfully, they hadn't done anything to his books, or the other items he kept in his bag. The straw dolls were still intact; the spirit wards he'd spent hours making were still pressed firmly between the pages of his math textbook. So, after about thirty minutes of walking, he'd found himself nearly home. There'd be questions from his mother and father, of course. He'd tell them he'd stumbled into a door or something; anything else and they might call the school. They'd done that once, and the beating he'd taken the next day had been worse than ever. At least they'd be gone next year, those four. When they all graduated, he'd be free at last. Absorbed in his thoughts, Gosunkugi turned a corner and bumped hard into a girl. By any of the normals of teenage social interaction, she should have been the one knocked over, and he would then be given a chance to apologize and act gallantly. This was not to be, unfortunately. Gosunkugi sprawled backwards and fell over, looking up at whoever he'd bumped into. She looked vaguely familiar; the two long, even scars on either side of her face certainly made her stand out, running from near her eyes until they nearly reached her jawline. Other than that, it was quite a pretty face, with fine, slender features. The dark hair was in a ponytail to the side, tied back with a yellow ribbon. The school uniform she wore was black with a white collar and scarf; over it she wore a thin coat, open at the front. "You should be more careful where you are going," she said, somewhat haughtily but not unkindly. "Are you alright?" "Yeah," Gosunkugi said. He remembered who this was now; Kuno's weird sister, Kodachi. He'd read in the paper about her being attacked by that serial killer a few months ago; he supposed that was where she'd gotten the scars. Gosunkugi stood to his feet, brushing off his pants and picking up his schoolbag. "Sorry about that. Wasn't really watching where I was going." Kodachi studied him intently. "You look familiar..." "Yeah. We've met before, Kodachi," Gosunkugi said, making sure everything in his bag was in good order. "Give me a moment..." she said, touching her hand to her mouth. Gosunkugi sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm not the memorable type," he said. "Bye." Kodachi touched his shoulder as he turned to go. "Wait. You are Hikaru Gosunkugi, are you not?" "Yeah," Gosunkugi said, turning back. "That's me." "Who did this to you?" Kodachi said, her hand reaching out to brush against his cheek. An ugly bruise was forming where he'd been punched earlier on. "Fell into a door," he said automatically. "Clumsy me." "Of course you did," Kodachi said sarcastically. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'll be fine," Gosunkugi said. "I've really got to go..." A scream shattered the air from nearby. Gosunkugi looked up, startled. "That sounded like..." "Ranma! Help us!" "Akane!" Gosunkugi said. "What the hell?" "Come on," Kodachi said. "It came from this way." She dashed down an alley, pulling him by the sleeve of his jacket. Turning a corner, Hikaru saw the five people fighting in the narrow space of another alley. Akane was being held from behind by a huge man in a suit, while a second one grabbed Ranma as he tried to go to her aid and smashed him to the ground. One of Ranma's friends, that girl who always wore the boy's school uniform, was crumpled against the wall. Gosunkugi saw the man's arm was held like a bar against Akane's throat, and his heart began to beat rapidly. "No," he said, digging through his bag for something, anything. "I won't let you hurt her." There was a flutter as Kodachi's empty school uniform and coat dropped to the ground beside him. Clad in her leotard, she leapt to the top of a nearby building, her ribbon spinning in her hand. Gosunkugi's hand closed around something. He rushed forward into the alleyway, heading for the man holding Akane. ********** Ranma could see the trouble they were in. Ukyou was out of the fight; Akane was being slowly driven into unconsciousness in front of him, and his head was still spinning from the blows he'd taken. Akane was struggling like crazy, but he could see she was growing weaker. A heavy fist crashed into his back, and he fell the ground. He saw Akane's struggles cease, and she went limp in the man's chokehold. "Akane..." he said, as a hand grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the floor of the alley. He tasted coppery blood on his lips. "Get off her!" he heard a thin, reedy voice say. Raising his head, he saw Hikaru Gosunkugi slap something that looked like a piece of paper against the face of the man holding Akane. The effect was unlike anything Ranma expected; smoke began to pour from the paper, as if it were acid against the man's flesh. The mouth opened wide, the stitches holding it closed tearing as the man shrieked an inhuman cry of pain and dropped Akane, stumbling away and tearing at the paper, which stuck like glue to the side of his head as smoke continued to pour from it. Ranma had never been more glad to see the weird little guy. His relief was momentary, as the hand grabbed the back of his head again. "Did I give you permission to touch my darling Ranma?" There was a snap that sounded like a whip, and the hand was yanked off him. Ranma rolled over and looked up. Kodachi stood in her leotard atop the roof of a building, her ribbon looped over the bars of a fire escape and wrapped around the wrist of the man's arm. She leapt from the roof of the building, yanking the man off his feet and pulling him into the air. He dangled from the fire escape as Kodachi held onto her ribbon with one hand and pulled out a second one, lashing it around the man and tying him to the fire escape bars. Then she was on her knees beside Ranma. "Are you alright, dear Ranma?" she said. "Hi Kodachi," Ranma said. "I'm as well as I can be under the circumstances, I suppose." The man Hikaru had slapped the paper to lay in the corner of the alleyway, thin trails of smoke still rising from him. Gosunkugi was looking concernedly at Akane, who was rubbing her throat and sitting against the wall of the alleyway. The second man struggled on the fire escape, tightly bound with Kodachi's ribbon. "Akane, are you okay?" Gosunkugi said. "Yeah, I'm fine," Akane said. Gosunkugi glowed with pleasure at being spoken to by her. "Thanks a lot, Gosunkugi," Ranma said, sitting up and wiping blood from his face. "Is Ukyou okay?" Gosunkugi stood up and walked over to where Ukyou lay. "She's breathing," he said with relief. "I'm alright," Ukyou croaked. "Just a little out of breath." She coughed and sat up, leaning her head back against the wall of the alleyway. "Damn. That was close." "If you two hadn't shown up, I hate to think what would have happened to us," Akane said. "What was that thing you slapped on that guy's head?" Ranma asked. "Spirit ward," Gosunkugi said. "I didn't really expect it to work, but it was all I had." "Well, it did the job," Akane said. "Who were those guys, anyway?" "What is more like it," Ranma said. "They didn't breathe, for one thing. And they could still see even with their eyes sewn shut." "They are the seishin-shi, the soul death," said Richard Stalford, stepping into the alley and flicking blood off the foot long blade that had replaced most of the length of his walking stick. It spattered against the wall of the alleyway. His trenchoat was gone; red blood stained the left shoulder of his white shirt. "Where is the box, little ones?" Akane glanced back to where it lay near the wall of an alley. "You can't have it," she said, glaring at the chubby little gaijin. "Oh, but I can," Stalford said. "Three of you can barely fight, you are so exhausted. The other two are a skinny little boy with barely enough power to set a moth afire, and a girl who is obviously so deranged she doesn't know how to dress for the fall weather." "Shut up, you little fool," Kodachi hissed, lashing out with a third ribbon. Stalford cut it to pieces with the swordcane and smirked. Ranma stumbled to his feet, then the world seemed to spin and he started to fall, barely catching himself in time to prevent hitting the alley floor. "People must have heard the fight," Gosunkugi said, gulping. "The police will be here soon." "But I won't be," Stalford said. "Because you are going to let me have that box like good little boys and girls and you won't have to face the same fate as your friend." "What... what do you mean?" Akane said. Stalford held up the bloodstained swordcane. "Do you think this is my blood?" he said. "He seemed so surprised that I could still fight him after a bullet in the shoulder." "Bastard," Ranma hissed. "Even if the three of us can't fight as well as we usually can, you still can't beat all four of us." "Five," Gosunkugi murmured with a sigh, digging in his bag for his hammer. He'd wanted to do so much before he died horribly at the hands of an insane gaijin with a swordcane. He could run, of course, but he could at least prove that he wasn't a coward once in his life, short as it seemed about to be. Stalford began to advance down the alleyway, his swordcane held in front of him. "Last chance." Ranma leapt forward, seemingly having lost his dizziness, and kicked the swordcane from Stalford's hands. He smirked at the surprised expression on the Stalford's face and punched him in the jaw, sending the little man stumbling backwards. "When you are strong, pretend weakness," he intoned. "Not so tough without your little stick, are you?" Stalford looked up at him, rubbing his jaw. Ranma saw his eyes behind the thin frames of his glasses; they were dark, furious and intense, and Ranma knew that anyone with eyes like that was a threat, no matter how soft or weak looking they might be. Their was madness behind those eyes, the rare kind of madness that gave people a kind of power that sane people could never possess. "I've been killing people with my bare hands since before you were born," Stalford hissed, snapping forward snake-quick. Ranma threw his head to the side, and the palm heel that would have smashed his nose crashed into his cheekbone with numbing impact. There was massive strength in Stalford's small body; Ranma could almost feel the power the man radiated. Three stiff fingers drove for his throat; he avoid them and punched for Stalford's head. His fist was caught and the momentum redirected; Ranma flew into the wall. "Give me the box," Stalford said, coming down the alleyway towards the others. Ranma leapt at him from behind; without even looking back Stalford kicked backwards into Ranma's stomach and knocked him away. Kodachi came forward, clubs held in each hand. She hurled them at Stalford; he knocked the half-dozen of them out of the air with his hands as easily as if he were swatting mosquitoes. "Give me the box," he said. Kodachi continued her attack, sweeping at him with a hoop. Stalford kicked her legs out from under her, grabbed her by the arm and threw her into Ranma as he came at him from behind. The two of them went down with a crash. "Give me the box," he repeated again. Akane ran to it and grabbed it up, preparing to flee out of the alleyway; Stalford moved almost faster than the eye could follow. Gosunkugi moved to block his path, and Stalford whirled and kicked him in the ribs with the heel of his foot. Ukyou stood up shakily and started towards him. Stalford rushed her and drove her back against the alley wall with a blow to her shoulder. Then he was on Akane, grabbing her by the back of the neck. His hand with like an iron band holding her. "I said," he growled. "Give me the box." Akane drove her elbow back into his injured shoulder. Stalford yelled in pain and let go of her. Akane rose, turned smoothly and kicked him in the same shoulder as she started to run. Stalford leapt over her head and landed in front of her, his hand coming across her face in a hard slap. "Little bitch. I'm going to rip your heart out," he said through gritted teeth. Ranma pushed Akane out of the way and hit Stalford in the stomach with several dozen punches. "Don't talk like that to her," he said, finishing with a kick to the jaw that flipped Stalford over onto his back. Stalford looked up and locked eyes with Ranma. "Die," he hissed. It began like a tickle at the base of skull, then started to feel like someone was holding a match there. Then it was a burning pain, an agony that seemed to spread throughout his entire body. He could smell smoke, and burning flesh. He was burning from the inside; the pain was indescribable and unbearable. The world around him wavered as if it were a mirage; he fell to the floor of the alley, shrieking in pain and rolling around as he desperately tried to put out the fire burning within him. But there was no relief, not even the mercy of unconsciousness. ********** Akane heard the word Stalford said to Ranma; Ranma fell to the ground and began to scream in utter agony. "What did you do to him?" Akane yelled. She stamped her foot down onto Stalford's knee where he lay on the ground. Stalford grabbed her foot and threw her backwards. Akane flipped in the air, keeping her hold on the box and landing on her feet. Kodachi moved up behind her, as Gosunkugi and Ukyou lay on the ground. Ranma was still screaming, and began to claw at his shirt, as if he were trying to tear it off. Stalford smirked and kicked Ranma in the ribs as he stood. "He'll burn forever, in his mind at least." He began to advance towards them. "I can do the same to you. Give me the box." "Okay," Akane gulped, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she looked at Ranma's shrieking form. "Just undo whatever you did to him." "Fine," Stalford said with a shrug. "Give me the box first." There was a shot; Akane felt something whistle by her head. Stalford was knocked over backwards as the bullet slammed into his chest. "You know as well as I do you can't undo it," a voice from the opposite end of the alleyway said. Akane turned. "Shigeki!" she said. The tall man looked pale and drawn, and the white scarf wrapped tightly around his neck was stained with blood, but he seemed alright. He raised the large pistol in his hand and kept it trained on Stalford as he walked down the alleyway to stand beside Akane. "How..." Stalford said, blood bubbling between his lips as he raised his head. "You really should make sure your opponent's dead before you run off," Shigeki said. "Aren't you going to die now?" Stalford's bloody lips formed into a hideous smile. "We're both harder to kill than we'd thought, I guess." A thick white mist began to rise from around Stalford, soon filling the entire alleyway within a few seconds. Akane was blinded completely; she felt someone rush by her, and heard Shigeki's gun go off again. And she could still hear Ranma shrieking in his torment. When the mist cleared, everything was it had been, except for the fact that Richard Stalford was nowhere to be seen. Akane rushed to Ranma's side, followed almost as quickly by Kodachi. He was still screaming, although his voice was hoarse and weak. Tears of pain rolled down his face. He seemed to have lost the energy to move; now he just lay there, crying in pain. "Ranma," Akane said. "Can you hear me?" There was no answer. Akane reached down and took his hand. He clutched hers spasmodically and continued to cry out. Kodachi pulled a packet of powder from her leotard and sprinkled it over Ranma's face. "What are you doing?" Akane hissed, glaring at the gymnast. As she watched Ranma's face, his eyes closed and his screams stopped. His face was no longer twisted in pain; a small snore escaped him. "Sleeping powder," Kodachi said. Shigeki came and knelt down beside them. "What did he do to him?" he asked softly. "He looked at him and told him to die," Akane said, tears streaming down her face. "Then he said he'd burn forever in his mind." Relief passed across Shigeki's face. "He should be fine when he wakes up, then. Right now, we need to get out of here. We're lucky no police have shown up yet." The tall man stood up and glanced up at the still-struggling form of the man tied to the fire escape. He bent down and peeled the spirit ward off the face of the other man. Walking up to the bound one, he stuck the spirit ward on his face. Smoke began to rise, and the man twitched and then stopped moving. "Nice work," he said. "You managed to hit upon what's really the only two ways to stop these things without hacking them into pieces." "What the heck were those things, anyway?" Gosunkugi said. The thin boy clutched his side and wheezing painfully as he stood to his feet. "A sort of zombie," Shigeki said. "A servant created from a dead body. That's the other reason we need to get out of here; Stalford may be back with more of those things pretty soon." "Who is he?" Akane said, cradling Ranma's head gently in her arms. "He seemed to know you." "He's a sorcerer," Shigeki said. "I can explain more as soon as we can get someplace where we're less likely to be arrested." "My house is nearby," Kodachi said. Shigeki shook his head. "Nothing that could let an observer find out where you live. I don't know the full extent of what Stalford's capable of. We have to find somewhere else. Is there a park, someplace we could sit for a little while?" "There is a park nearby," Kodachi said with a nod. "This way." Akane walked over to where Ukyou was slumped against the wall. "Ukyou, are you okay?" "Yeah," Ukyou said, standing up carefully and hunting down her big spatula. "I've had worse than this." Somehow, Akane doubted that, but she didn't say anything. Gosunkugi tucked his schoolbag under his arm and came up to Ukyou and Akane. "Well, I... I'm glad I was able to help you, Akane," he said nervously. "I guess I'd better be getting home now." Shigeki snagged him by the collar as he turned to go. "Sorry, kid. Same goes for you. If you go home, Stalford may be able to track you down there. Phone calls are out as well." "That would be a bad thing," Gosunkugi said with a sigh. "For us as well as you," Shigeki said. "You're a part of the team now." "Oh goody," Gosunkugi said. "I suppose we're off to face horrible dangers for the sake of the world." "Something along those lines, yes," Shigeki said with false cheerfulness. He glanced down at the sleeping form of Ranma. "Someone want to bring him along?" Akane nodded and bent down, carefully picking up Ranma and putting his limp arm over her shoulders, then rising to her feet and bringing him up with her. He flopped limply against her, still snoring loudly. "Lead the way," Shigeki said, touching the front of the white scarf at the spot where it was stained with blood. Akane looked at him as he made the unconscious gesture a bit concernedly, then turned away. Kodachi nodded and headed out of the alley, the others following behind her. As they walked, Shigeki stripped off the bloodstained scarf, wadded it up and stuffed it into the pocket of his pants. Akane saw that there was narrow white line across his throat. The park was fairly large, and a few people walked around in it. They stared at the strange group for a moment, then turned their eyes away. Kodachi found a bench and sat down. Akane sat down as well, carefully putting Ranma between her and Kodachi. Ranma was still snoring peacefully. Shigeki sat down on the ground and wrapped his arms around his long legs as he huddled his knees to his chest. Ukyou and Gosunkugi sat down on the ground as well. "A few questions," Kodachi said. "First, who are you?" "My name is Shigeki Kiyokuro. You are Tatewaki Kuno's sister, correct?" Shigeki said. "I am," Kodachi said. "Has he told you what happened after you were attacked?" Shigeki asked. "Some of it, although he tends to embellish. You are the hunter, then? The one who was in the restaurant when all of them returned?" Kodachi said. "That I am," Shigeki said. "And now that you've involved yourself with what's going on, you're a part of this too." "That's my second question," Kodachi said. "What's going on?" "Akane, have you got the box?" Shigeki said. "Yeah," Akane said, handing it to him. He gazed at intently. "This is what this is all about," he said, opening the box. Everyone leaned over to see; resting on the padded interior of the box was a small figurine, no more than three inches high. It was carved from some kind of black stone, and appeared to depict a humanoid figure composed from thousands of pieces of seaweed and coral. The detail was exquisite. The box was only open for a few moments; then Shigeki closed it again with a snap. "What is it?" Gosunkugi asked. "An object of power," Shigeki said. "Lusted after by Stalford, and others." "What does it do?" Akane asked. "It is a link to a powerful creature that sleeps under the waters of the Pacific ocean," Shigeki said. "In conjunction with other objects, it allows a ceremony to be performed that will awaken this creature prematurely. It is one of the elder beings that dwelt on this earth in millenia past before being banished; this figurine allows the one who awakens it to seize its power. Richard Stalford seeks to do so." "That would be bad," Gosunkugi said softly. "The elder ones are supposed to cause great devastation when they awaken." Shigeki nodded. "You know of them?" "I've read some things about them," Gosunkugi said. "Enough to know a little about what they are." "Stalford uses the seishin-shi as his servants in his quest to seize this power," Shigeki said. "He's been seeking these objects for years, but it was only recently that I became aware of his true intentions. That was when I began to move against him." "So now that we have it, what do we do with it?" Akane said. "We can't stay on the run forever." "The ceremony must be performed on a certain island in the Pacific," Shigeki said. "This figurine alone has power over the sleeper. If used properly, it can force the creature asleep for another century, and it will not awaken to anything." "So you want us to come with you to this island," Ukyou said. "And you'll force the creature asleep?" Shigeki nodded. "Precisely. I have a boat waiting at the harbour. As soon as Ranma wakes up, we should go. The faster we are out of here, the less chance that Stalford will be able to catch up to us." "I really wish I could call home," Akane said with a sigh. "Dad and Kasumi are going to be worried." "I'm sorry," Shigeki said. "But it's too great a risk. Stalford is very powerful; I'm not sure of the extent of his abilities, but it's better if you don't make contact for a while. It could put your family in danger." Ranma stirred and yawned. He woke up with a yelp and looked around. "Hey," he said. "I'm okay." "Thankfully," Akane said. "You had me really worried there for a moment." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. There was an uncomfortable silence as Kodachi glared, Ukyou averted her eyes and Gosunkugi sighed and hung his head. "What's going on?" Ranma asked. They explained the situation. Ranma nodded when they finished. "I guess that's all we can do. Gosunkugi, Kodachi, you're coming as well?" "Of course," Kodachi said. "How could I abandon your side in your time of need, darling?" Akane ground her teeth together but didn't say anything. Gosunkugi looked up from where he'd been gazing at the ground. "I don't have any other choice, do I?" he said mournfully. He pulled out a few more spirit wards from his bag. "Besides. I've still got plenty of these. They might come in handy." "I wish I had something else to wear," Akane said, gazing down at the dirty hem of her school uniform. "This dress is hard to fight in." "There's not much we can do about that now, unfortunately," Shigeki said. "Come on. The sooner we get moving, the sooner this will be over." The five teenagers followed Shigeki as he left the park. Ranma gazed up at the autumnal sky; once again, dark clouds had gathered into his life. In the air, he could taste the coming storm. ********** The woman sat in the chair, her back straight, with her hands folded demurely in her lap. Long waves of dark hair spilled down the back of the chair, barely brushing the floor. Her beauty was that of a statue; pale and perfect and utterly inhuman. Bloodless lips, apparently fixed in an expression of permanent disdain, suddenly creased in an expression of distaste as she felt the bullet hit home. White smoke began to fill the small study, dissipating as it reached the ceiling. When it was all gone, the hunched form of Richard Stalford was before her, his hands clutched to the rapidly spreading bloodstain on his chest. "Welcome back," she said in an even tone. "And how did everything go?" "You know perfectly well how it went," Stalford said. "I think I'm going to need another lung." There was a rustle, and the woman pulled a small flask from the depths of the white silk kimono she wore. "Drink this for now." She raised it to his bloody lips. He gulped it back with a sigh, the dark liquid pouring through him like soothing fire. With a rustle of cloth, she rose smoothly to her feet and headed for the door. Stalford lay back upon the floor and let the dark visions the liquor gave him fill his eyes. That little bitch who'd kept the box from him broken before him like a shattered doll. Her pigtailed friend, with the blade of the swordcane thrust straight through his head. He reached down beside him on the floor, feeling if not seeing the slim length of polished wood; it always returned to him, like a faithful companion. Then the visions of Kiyokuro came, as they always did. A hundred thousand tortures inflicted separately upon the man; Stalford moaned in pleasure and felt his heart begin to beat with excitement. He was barely able to keep his thoughts straight; as pleasurable as the dark liquor was, and as soothing, it did tend to distract him. He knew where Kiyokuro was heading, of course. Towards the island. He had no knowledge of what truly awaited him there; the thought of what would be there to greet Kiyokuro brought a smile to his lips, and sent new visions racing through his mind. He would have to follow, of course. Letting those who made the island and the ocean around it their dwelling-place have the figurine would be at odds with his own purposes; they still saw power as something to be worshipped in awe, rather than seized for yourself. But first he would have to heal; it didn't matter. Perhaps an hour at most; it would take longer for him to be at his peak, but he would be well enough to travel. And until the dark liquor had run its course through his mind and body, he would be able to do little but lie here upon the floor of the study and see what visions it gave him. He smiled as the lovely sights in front of his eyes flickered and changed, an endless panorama of torture and sadism. Let them think they'd lost him for a few hours; he would prove them wrong sooner than they would like. ********** "Nice boat," Kodachi commented as they approached the docks. Shigeki had led them to a private boating club on the Tokyo Harbour. The security guard on duty had let them through when Shigeki had shown him ID, although he'd given several strange looks to them. The boat was a small yacht with a large contraption of some sort strapped to the back that was apparently the motor, which looked as if it had been cobbled together from several different sources, one of them possibly being a UFO. It was painted a bright white, and appeared well cared for. The name across the bow was Nasake, or mercy. It was a beautiful boat, aside from the oversized and odd looking motor. A gangplank led up onto the deck, and Shigeki ushered them aboard onto the ship, which rolled from side to side gently in the waves slapping against the dock. "What time is it?" Akane asked as they stepped aboard. "Five," Gosunkugi said as he pulled up his jacket sleeve and glanced at his watch. Akane sighed. "Kasumi and dad are going to start getting worried soon," she said. "Yeah. Mom and pop are gonna wonder where I am as well," Ranma said. "My parents are gonna call the cops, I know that," Gosunkugi said. "They're kind of... overprotective." "I do hope Sasuke doesn't cause my brother too much of a panic when he calls to report me missing," Kodachi said. Ukyou looked around at the four of them. "Don't look at me. I live on my own." Shigeki finished untying the boat on the docks and stepped aboard the ship as well, hauling up the gang plank behind him. "Have you all been on a boat before?" he asked. Everyone except Gosunkugi nodded. "That's good. It may take a little while to get your sea legs back." He turned to Gosunkugi. "You'll probably want to stay in the cabin, uh..." "Hikaru Gosunkugi," Gosunkugi said flatly. "Sorry. Didn't know your name," Shigeki said. "Didn't bother to find out, did you?" Gosunkugi muttered under his breath. "Cabin's down through the door," Shigeki said, indicating it with a wave of his hand. "You may want to try to rest while we're heading out there. It'll be a long boat ride." "What about you?" Ranma asked. "I don't sleep much," Shigeki said. He walked to the bizarre motor and hunted around through the tangle of wires and scrap metal with his hand. Apparently having done what he wanted, he stepped back. The motor began to chuff softly and spit out small clouds of oily smoke. Shigeki grimaced and kicked it. With a roar, it came fully to life and the boat began to head out into Tokyo Bay at a high speed. Shigeki rushed back and grabbed the wheel, steering the boat away from a near-collision with the side of a larger one. "Well, I'm heading below," Ranma said with a shrug. He pushed open the doorway leading down into the cabin and stepped inside; Ukyou, Akane and Kodachi soon followed. Gosunkugi remained on deck for a moment, looking at at the diminishing skyline of Tokyo, then sighed and headed below after the others. What the hell had he gotten himself into?