Disclaimer: Oh no! I can’t think of anything clever and witty with which to use for a disclaimer! Damn it all! I guess I’m going to disappoint my legions of rabid fans now. Ok rabid fans, sorry about this. The three of you can go home now…

 

 

 

Ranma ½

 

Demons and Angels

 

Chapter 1: “Here’s Ranma…”

 

By Gray

 

…Flowers everywhere…As far as the eye could see…The wind blew, and they rustled slightly in response…It was a beautiful day…

“Are you happy? With me, I mean…” She asked.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” He replied.

“I don’t know…I just have this strange feeling…Like you’re drifting away from me…”

“What do you mean? We’ll always be together! There’s no need to worry about silly things like that.”

“I…guess you’re right…”

 

The mid-afternoon sun beat down upon the backs of the populace of Tokyo with a maddening fervor this particular day. Amongst the streets of this great city, people everywhere walked, heading for whatever destination it was they were going. One in particular had a very familiar destination. He was dressed strangely. A red trench coat covered the majority of his body, and one could see that the color suited him oddly enough. Upon his back, a very large wrapped bundle rested. Held in place by a few straps, it looked very heavy, whatever it was. In addition to this, he also wore a sidepack upon his hip that looked weighted down with various objects. If one looked very closely, they would see the man’s coat hid a slight bulge on both legs, and near his chest. Most wondered what that was, a few could guess, but none bothered to ask. Why? Well, besides the fact that the man was obviously very strong, there was the look in his eyes. They were the deepest blue, but it was not a warm, kind blue, it was cold and empty looking. And even though a few young women felt their hearts beat faster when he passed, none wanted to speak to him, for he was quite simply, intimidating.

 

Ranma observed the various people around him, chuckling inwardly when a few women let their eyes wander too long. He wondered if they would look so hard at him if they knew him and what his chosen profession was.

“Probably not…” He thought, grinning ever so slightly. Ranma was not in Tokyo to sightsee, or pick up girls, no, he was there for other reasons entirely. When he was a little boy, his Father had taken him on a training trip. However, right after his 13^th birthday, the two were attacked by Demons, because the stupid fool led them into their territory in Mongolia by accident. They had tried to run, but they came to a mountain cliff, and it was there that Ranma was knocked from the ledge and impacted the ground. He survived, a credit to his training, but his memory had suffered. He barely knew his own name. He wandered around Mongolia, eventually crossing into China over a period of two years, and each day, snippets of memories would return to him. It was in this state that he had encountered Kyo Kusanagi. The guy was slightly drunk evidently, and not in a good mood. Neither was Ranma actually, seeing as how not remembering your own past can make one cranky. Needless to say, the two got into a brawl. Kyo was good obviously. He was second-in command of the Templar after all. But his drunkenness, combined with his inability to take a kid seriously at first, cost him the battle. Afterwards, Ranma was taken in by the Templar, and became the leader, Dante’s protégé of sorts. The rest as they say is history. He even recovered his memory after a while, but by then he was a Templar, and had responsibilities. Not anymore though. The Templar were dead. A fading memory. A failed experiment. Nothing more. His fists clenched unconsciously, causing the leather gloves he wore to crinkle slightly. Even “she” was just a memory. His fists were starting to hurt, so he stopped clenching them, in favor of thinking about other things. Now Ranma was investigating a lead that his sources had told him of, that a Genma Saotome was currently residing at a Tendo Dojo in the Nerima Ward. Ranma wanted to see his Father. “Yeah, and then I get the fat bastard to tell me where Mom is…and then, I make him pay for leaving me like that…” He thought with a grimace. Not even remembering your Mother’s name can also make you cranky after all.

 

Somewhere else, a man was being tortured. His screams echoed through the air. He was tied by each limb by thick rope, suspended in mid-air. The ropes were slowly being drawn back and in other words, the man was being slowly drawn and quartered. Needless to say, he was in quite a lot of pain.

“AHH! Stop! Please! I beg of you!” His wails fell on deaf ears however. Then, three figures materialized in front of him. One simply faded into existence, another detached itself from the shadows of the small room, and the last appeared in a flash of light.

“Cease your pathetic cries for mercy human. We care little for that. Now tell us, as the leader of China, you must know if your country possesses nuclear capabilities. Tell us how to access them, and we promise to spare your worthless life…” The one in the lead, who had appeared in a flash said, his voice was soft as velvet. He had sky blue eyes, long golden blonde hair, and most noticeable of all, large white wings. If one didn’t know better, then he might be mistaken for an angel…At his side stood Kain, the massive armored dark knight who had detached himself from the darkness, and even now, the shadows in the room seemed to coil near him, like pet dogs at the heels of their master. The last person in the room was a short woman, her entire body was very beautiful, though it was hard to tell since she was covered in a cloak that hid it from view, and her long pure silvery white hair was attractive as well. The only things about her that were frightening were her eyes. They were completely white. They lacked any sort of color, pupil, anything. It was disconcerting to say the least. The blonde one spoke again.

“Tell us what we want to know…come, you have a family, you wouldn’t want to deprive them now would you…? Or place them in danger…” He asked, his voice was sweet sounding, like the melody of a harp. The Chinese President slumped wearily.

“Alright…I’ll tell you…” He whispered, his voice sounding defeated. The blonde man smiled, and unlike the rest of him, it was not very pretty.

“Very good…”

 

“So this is it?” Ranma muttered to himself. He was standing in front of the Tendo Dojo. The sign proudly proclaiming it as such. All things considered, it was a pretty nice place he supposed. It was a little beat up looking, but that just showed it was well used. Sighing, he stepped up to the porch, and knocked three times politely. A woman answered the door. Her face was lovely, Ranma noted, and the rest of her as well, though it was hard to tell with the conservative dress and apron she wore. Her eyes seemed to widen as she stared at him.

“Oh my. Can I help you?” She asked politely, a slight blush rising upon her cheeks. Ranma didn’t notice it.

“Yes, I was wondering if a Genma Saotome lived here?” He said, smiling pleasantly at the pretty girl in front of him. She had an air of feminity that was quite attractive actually, and the innocence she exuded was calming and relaxing to one such as him.

“Yes, Uncle is staying with us. Might I ask why you need to see him?” Kasumi didn’t want yet another of the fat, lazy…ahem, her Uncle’s debts dropped at her family’s feet. This wasn’t the first time a visitor had come asking for him. Though it was the first time the visitor was so incredibly attractive, she thought with another reddening of the cheeks. Ranma sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Well, actually…” He didn’t finish as he detected someone approaching Kasumi. Someone fat, lazy, and very cowardly. Ranma grinned, ever so slightly.

“Hey! Is the take-out I ordered here yet?” Genma asked greedily, already imagining the delightful eel he was about to partake of. Ranma stepped into his field of view.

“Oh, your take-out’s here alright. Only you’re the one who’s gonna be taken out pudgy.” He smirked as he saw Genma’s eyes widen in disbelief.

“Gee, you look surprised. What’s the matter? Didn’t think I’d survive that fall? You could have at least checked on me you fat twit!” Ranma snarled out, anger seeping into his voice. He wanted to use worse insults, but felt that it would be impolite to curse in front of the kind young woman standing beside him.

“Oh shit!” Genma obviously had no such qualms. He turned, and was about to head out the back, when a hand grabbed him by the collar of his gi, hoisted him into the air, and turned him back around. He saw the smirking face of Ranma, and sweated.

“Going somewhere Pops?” Ranma asked, a dangerous edge to his voice. Genma gulped loudly. His son was able to beat him hands-downs years ago, how strong was the boy now? Then there were those eyes…Ranma grinned, sensing Genma’s fear.

“Ok chunky, you’re going to tell me why you left me behind first of all.” Ranma glared to encourage him. Genma sweated slightly.

“Ah well, the truth is…there were so many Demons, and I had to fight them off, and um, I…” He stopped at the cold look Ranma was giving him.

“I thought you were dead!” He cried pitifully. Ranma growled, the hand holding Genma up tightened its hold.

“You could have at least checked you moron! I don’t know why I bothered asking! It’s obvious you just got too damn scared and ran off…” Ranma scowled at the thought, making Genma sweat more earnestly.

“Never mind, just tell me where Mother is and I’ll leave.” Ranma said. Genma cursed to himself. He needed the boy to stay here at the Tendo Home. Otherwise the Pledge would never be fulfilled. Then, an idea entered his slimy mind.

“Hold it boy! I’ll tell you where your Mother is on one condition…” He didn’t get to finish as Ranma was shaking him violently, then lifting him even higher in the air.

“You’re in no position to make demands here old man!” Ranma snarled in his face, making Genma come close to wetting himself. Those eyes were so dangerous looking…

“Wait boy! The truth is, I don’t know where your Mother is right now, but I do know she’ll be coming by here eventually, so it would be best if you stayed here to wait for her!” He sighed in relief, as Ranma seemed to be listening to what he said.

“You had better not be lying!” Ranma growled, before chucking Genma out into the front yard, where he impacted the wall, and slowly slid down it.

“Alright, I’ll stay here, but only until Mother returns…” With that said, Ranma turned his attention back to the young woman from earlier.

“I apologize for all that, Ms…” Kasumi smiled and shook her head.

“Oh, that’s alright. And my name is Kasumi.” She was quite impressed at how well mannered this young man was, well, except to Genma, but then again, few treated him with any respect. Ranma smiled at her, making her uncomfortable, but not in a bad way.

“What a lovely name. I’m Ranma Saotome, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed to her, and much to her secret delight, took her hand and kissed it gently before releasing it. Needless to say, Kasumi was feeling rather light-headed.

“Oh…oh my…” She cleared her head and hoped he didn’t notice her momentary lack of focus.

“So you’re Uncle’s long lost son?” She asked politely. Ranma grimaced as if he had tasted something terrible.

“Unfortunately yes…the pudgy one is my…Father…” He spat out the last part like a curse. Kasumi didn’t blame him.

“Oh, but Uncle told us you died tragically after he heroically attempted to save you while single-handedly battling three dozen heavily armed Demons…” Kasumi hadn’t believed Genma’s story, and neither had her younger sisters Nabiki and Akane. Her Father on the other hand… Ranma rubbed his forehead in irritation.

“Good God what an idiot…I’ll be happy to tell you the real story though…” Ranma finished cheerfully. Kasumi smiled and bade him entrance.

“Please, do come in, I’ll get some tea. My sisters should be home from school any moment, and Father should be in the living room already.” Kasumi said while mentally berating herself for not inviting him in sooner.

 

The Tendo interior was simplistic, yet it had a certain homey feeling to it that Ranma suspected was because of Kasumi. The whole home was infused with her gentle kindness. Soun Tendo sat at the table, sipping a beverage of some sort. He blinked as he noticed Ranma coming in.

“Er, excuse me young man who…” He didn’t finish as he noticed Kasumi following behind Ranma. The infamous Tendo technique of jumping to conclusions, carefully passed down from Soun to Akane, reared its ugly head.

“MY BABY HAS A BOYFRIEND!!!! OH HAPPY DAY!!!” Soun latched onto Ranma faster than the pig-tailed lad could utter “huh?” and squeezed him with a hug that made his ribs ache.

“Hey! Lemme go!” Ranma yelled, trying in vain to extricate himself. Soun just started bawling in happiness. Kasumi sighed, and bowed her head in embarrassment.

 

Moments later, after the fact that Ranma was not Kasumi’s boyfriend had been established (though Kasumi would not have minded it that much…) the three people currently within the Tendo walls (Genma didn’t count because he was still in the land of unconsciousness thanks to his son.) sat around the table.

“So, you’re Genma’s son and you’re seeking your Mother?” Soun clarified. Ranma nodded wearily.

“Yes, it’s been difficult you see. I don’t even know her name, and I think she may have changed her last name... I had to track down my Father. Which was also difficult considering how many places he’s hopped around to back and forth to avoid various debts, legal actions, and oaths of vengeance.” Ranma bowed his head in shame for being related to the swine. Soun and Kasumi sweated. Soun then coughed.

“Well, you’re welcome to stay here until your Mother comes back…” He said with a smile.

“Once my other girls get here I’ll introduce you properly.” He smiled at the thought of the schools being joined soon…

“Alright. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness Mr. Tendo…” He bowed respectfully. Soun waved it off. Kasumi smiled, glad that Ranma was staying. She then noticed the large wrapped bundle on Ranma’s back.

“Oh my! That’s a very large sword you have there Ranma.” She pointed out. Ranma blinked. First because she could tell it was a sword underneath the heavy bandages, and secondly because of the obvious way her statement could be taken by some. He then smiled.

“So, you figured it out huh? Well, guess I might as well unwrap it…” He then proceeded to do just that. To the awe of Soun, Kasumi, and the recently awakened Genma, a sword revealed itself underneath the fallen wrappings. It was large, and a dark grayish color. The blade itself was exquisitely made, and obviously tempered thoroughly. The hilt was in the shape of the head of some sort of monster, with the blade coming out of its mouth and wings coming from its sides. The handle was coiled and obviously easy to grip. All in all, it was an incredibly beautiful, and yet very deadly looking blade.

“Meet Alastor.” Ranma said with a grin. He held it up a bit, and the sun glinted off its edge. He was just about to lay it down, when a cry of “You bastard!” Echoed, and a form shot towards him.

 

Akane Tendo was what one might call “quick-tempered”. Which is to say, she jumped to conclusions a lot, especially when the situation involved a member of the opposite sex, and most of the time, in fact, about 95% of the time, the conclusion she reached was the most awful, terrible, and unrealistic one possible. So, when, upon coming home from school, already in a sour mood for certain reasons, she witnessed a man, no, a “boy!” with a very fearsome sword, standing next to Kasumi, and raising the weapon, she leaped to the conclusion that might somehow enable her to be the hero of the day. She had to save Kasumi! So, with a cry of “You bastard!”, she was leaping at the monster who would dare to threaten Kasumi, and no doubt wished to do horrible things to her body afterward! She was a little shocked however, when she found her target side-stepping her lunge, and before she could hit the table rather painfully, being snatched out of the air by her shirt.

 

Ranma dodged his mystery assailant’s rather clumsy attack, and grabbed him or her by the shirt so as to see who it was. He found himself holding an admittedly cute girl with long black hair, who was growling angrily at him. Blinking, he turned to Kasumi.

“Does this belong to you?” He asked, shaking the girl a bit for emphasis. Kasumi seemed to be embarrassed.

“Oh my. That’s my sister Akane. She’s rather…quick to judge things…”

“Oh, that’s an understatement dear sister…” A cool voice said. Nabiki walked into the room, blinking at the scene in front of her. Her family, as well as the fat oaf who was living with them, were sitting at the table, and her younger sibling was being held aloft by the shirt, one-handed, by a very handsome tall, dark stranger who held a large sword in his other hand.

“My, who have we here?” She asked, feeling her mouth go a bit dry. Soun coughed again. Now was as good a time as any.

“Girls, I’d like you all to meet your new fiancé. Ranma, these are my daughters, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane. Choose one and she’ll be your future wife!” Needless to say, a pin was heard dropping.

 

Ranma sighed as he sat in the guest room he was going to be staying in. How on earth had he gotten into all this? One minute he just wants to find his Mother, the next, he has a killer hug from a crazy man, an equally nutty girl attack him from behind, and an engagement dumped in his lap. Not a very good day.

“Ill tidings indeed…” He muttered. Thankfully, the engagement had been somewhat held off. Nabiki, the middle daughter, had suggested holding off on a decision until he had gotten to know all three girls better. Soun and Genma had reluctantly agreed. Ranma sighed again. When had he lost control? He had thought he would be in and out of here.

“Should of counted on the fat bastard throwing yet another wrench in the works of my life…” He thought glumly. He hadn’t bothered to take his coat off. Alastor rested in the corner across from him. He stared at it for several moments.

“What are you lookin’ at?” He muttered, turning his head from the sword. He had a guest futon set up for him by the eldest girl, Kasumi. He smiled as he thought of her. She was quite nice, and more then that, she represented things he could only dream of… Peace, tranquility, kindness. All taken from him by the Demons. He scowled as he thought of them. His mind grew dark, and the power he kept deep within himself struggled to get out, to destroy something. But like the master of a Doberman, he held it in check. Blowing out a breath of annoyance, he heard the door open, and a slim figure enter. He schooled his features to be unreadable, and stared at her.

“Yes Nabiki-san?” He asked quietly. She smiled widely.

“Oh, I just wanted to talk to you Ranma. Is that alright?” She asked. He nodded.

"Of course, what’s on your mind?” He continued to stare at her.

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know…anyway, I was curious Ranma, if you could fill me in a little on the details of your life…” She waited for an answer.

“I’ve told you already. After Pop left me behind, I had amnesia for a while, and wandered around, until I finally regained my memory and came looking for him…” He didn’t like lying, but he couldn’t exactly tell anyone what he had really been doing. Who he really was…

“Oh really, well what about that?” Nabiki challenged, pointing at Alastor like it was exhibit A.

“What about it?” Ranma asked calmly. Nabiki blinked.

“Where did you get it?” She was getting a bit impatient with his simplistic, hard to read answers.

“I found it.” Yet another lie, but it couldn’t be helped. Throwing her arms up in exasperation, Nabiki prepared to leave, but one last thing nagged at her mind.

“Oh! I wanted to ask you…what are those bulges in your coat?” She had her suspicions…

“Firearms…Why?” Ranma stated as if he were talking about the weather. Nabiki just blinked.

“Uh, nevermind…” She wandered out, a look of disbelief upon her face.

“He’s lying…right?” she asked herself as she went into her room. Ranma just laughed slightly to himself.

“Heh, gotcha…”

 

The next day, the various residents of the Tendo Dojo awoke and went about their usual routines. Kasumi got up and started breakfast, Soun read the paper and waited for said meal to be ready, Nabiki slept in, and Akane went out jogging. As for Genma Saotome, he was knocking on his formerly wayward son’s door, attempting to rouse him from his apparent slumber. Normally he would have just barged in and lectured the lazy boy on getting up early for training, and breakfast of course, but Ranma’s eyes still made him whimper slightly. They were so cold…Now, to anyone else they probably looked a little odd, but nothing to get excited about, unless you were female of course…but to a parent, and one who had been with the boy his entire young life until age 13, they were different. Instead of the warm, curious shade of sky blue they had been before, they were a frigid, raging cold color like icy waters. It was unnerving to say the least…

“What could the boy have gone through to get eyes like that?” Genma questioned himself silently. Finally fed up with knocking on the door, he stalked downstairs.

“If the dumb boy wants to miss breakfast…let him…” If he had checked the room, he would found his son to not have been there the whole time.

 

The place was guarded pretty lightly, all things considered…Only one sentry posted at the entrance, and a few more around the outside perimeter. Ranma sat on a rooftop nearby, the morning light seeming to slide right off his body, despite the red coat he wore, and the large silvery sword strapped to his back. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.

“Why would they have such light security for such an important warehouse? It doesn’t make any sense…If there is indeed something as valuable as what I think there is here, then they would have triple the amount of protection…” He trailed off, and thought for a moment.

“Hmm, maybe that’s the point…If they had a lot of protection, somebody might get suspicious…but as it is, no one would suspect…smart, but not really their style…” Shrugging, he leapt down onto the ground, making nary a sound. He pressed himself up against the wall of the alleyway, and studied the entrance for a moment.

“Hmm, the guard’s armed…but he’s keeping it hidden behind the counter…looks like an Ak-47, but it’s hard to tell from this far away…” The guard was in a security box with a gate meant for cars and other vehicles at his control. He was dressed in a non-descript uniform that most security guards wore. Ranma sighed wearily. The Demons had their claws in everything. They owned hundreds of companies, firms, and other businesses under fake aliases and had ties to every single major world government still in existence. Most humans working for them had no idea that the big man in charge of their paycheck was in fact a Demon. To make matters worse, there were some humans who worked for the bastards willingly. Whether it was for money, power, or other reasons, Ranma knew that one could never underestimate the power of human failings. Shaking his head, he tried to concentrate on his current task. His sources had told him that the Demons were keeping something big in this place…something very big, and he aimed to find out what it was. Naturally, keeping a low profile while doing so was a must. If he was identified, some of the people who helped him, like his friend/hacker K-1, would be in trouble… He hated to admit it, but finding his Mother was only part of his reason for coming to Nerima. He needed to find out if his source was right about this mission, and the fact that he had a “safehouse” of sorts, right in plain sight no less, where no one would suspect, was quite a stroke of luck.

“Damn it, I’m getting to be as bad as the stinking Demons…Using innocents for my own ends…” He brushed that thought away and decided it was as good a time as any to start. Normally sneaking in at night was proper for this sort of thing… But he knew that security would be tighter, and what’s more, that was when certain…”unsavory” types came out to play…

“Still have the scars from the last time I tangled with those bastards…” He thought with a grimace.

“Okay…time to get moving…” He muttered, snapping to task. He dashed across the street and over to the wall. With one leap he cleared it, and once on the other side, he crouched and ducked behind some crates nearby. A guard wandered over, but thankfully passed him. He didn’t exactly want to encounter human opponents. If he did, he would have to kill them, and considering they were just pawns in all this, it wouldn’t sit right with him.

“Course, it wouldn’t be the first time…” He thought with yet another grimace of distaste. After ascertaining that the guard was indeed gone, he quickly made his way to the main building, and leaped up onto the platform surrounding the second story. Carefully, he opened one of the many windows silently, and slipped inside, closing it after him. The warehouse was filled with various crates, boxes, and other things, all filled with various substances. He didn’t care. He wasn’t interested in whatever this particular warehouse stored in that regard, but rather, what it stored in regard to the Demon’s plans. He noted that there were three guards inside. Two on the bottom floor, and one up on the catwalk with him, though the man was on the other end and facing way from him. They were all indeed armed with Ak-47’s, which made sense since it was a fairly cheap, well-made assault rifle with a practical design that had been imitated numerous times since its inception. Carefully, Ranma walked up to the sole guard on the catwalk, and with one well-placed strike to the head, knocked him unconscious. He dragged the stunned body over to the manger’s office, and placed it in the corner. He then began searching the office. The place was pretty bare. It had various things one would find in the manger of a warehouse’s office. Files, paperwork, pencils, a desk, but something caught Ranma’s eye.

“What have we here?” He said aloud as he spotted a locked drawer in the desk. Interestingly enough, the lock wore a symbol he was quite familiar with.

“Alpha and Omega Corp.” He muttered. The insignia was of the two symbols, within a circle, with wings surrounding it. The company was huge, one of the largest in the world. Responsible for putting out a wide variety of products. From farming equipment, to video game systems, they made it all. However, they were also the largest front of the Demons.

“Well, if they own this place, then at least I know I’m on the right track…though I wonder why K-1 didn’t tell me they were the ones who had this warehouse…” Shrugging at his informant and good friend’s behavior, Ranma set about trying to open the drawer. It was locked of course, and no key was in sight. Shrugging again, Ranma ripped the drawer open, and peered inside. The only thing in it was a small book. Ranma picked it up and opened it. And blinked as a key fell out. He picked it up, examining it for a moment. Just a nondescript gold key. He pocketed it and started to read the curious book.

“It’s a diary!” He realized. He began to read.

“October 5^th. 19XX,

Well, today I’m starting a diary. I know it’s silly, but I just feel like having something to record my thoughts. Well, that’s all for today, until tomorrow…” Ranma skimmed the next few pages, as they were basically filled with useless words. He was about to just leave the thing when a page caught his eye.

“November 3rd, 19XX…” Ranma read.

“Hmm, that’s only yesterday…” He thought, and continued reading.

“Well, today I’m officially moving up in the world! Apparently the new shipment that came in is something that the higher-ups want to be kept under wraps and heavily guarded. Not sure why it’s so secretive, or why the box had air holes in it… but I told my wife about it yesterday… Anyway, no big deal, but the fact that they’re trusting me a little more is good news. Maybe I’ll finally get that raise…Anyway, I’m supposed to go meet with them at Noriko’s bar in a little while…Hope it doesn’t take too long…I want to go see if I can get my son that toy he’s been wanting… 5-year olds! They sure are a handful!” Ranma blinked.

“Wasn’t Noriko’s the place that blew up yesterday supposedly from a gas leak?” He thought with a foul taste forming in his mouth. Sighing sadly, he placed the journal back, and decided to investigate further. He left the office and decided to check the lower floor. With a silent leap, he was downstairs, and pressed up against a stack of crates, hidden from view. The two guards were unaware of his location, and he decided to make his move now. One was directly in his field of view, while the other was over on the other end of the area. In one smooth move, he grabbed the one guard, and strangled him until he passed out. Laying the unconscious body in the shadows, he crept up to the other guard. Repeating the same procedure with this one, Ranma then set about searching for anything suspicious. Soon enough, he found a hatch of sorts with a lock. He unlocked the latch with the key he had found, and found a staircase. Grinning slightly, he descended.

“Well, at least I know I’m on the right track…”

 

The area he found himself in was larger than he thought. A whole basement level underneath the warehouse. No guards were present, so he set about exploring. Nothing of particular interest was to be found, that is, until he came upon a door. It was open thankfully, and he slipped inside quietly. In it, he was shocked at what he saw. A sword, or more precisely, a katana, rested on a wall. It was sheathed, and it was exquisitely made from what Ranma could see. Stepping closer, he moved to pick it up.

“Is this the big important item K-1 was talking about?” He wondered, testing its weight. He drew it partially, making a slight hiss of steel. It was a beautiful sword. Crafted to perfection.

“Could this be an Elemental?” Ranma wondered.

“Heh, if it is, then no wonder the Demons wanted it so secret…” He said aloud.

“Um, excuse me. Would you mind putting my Father’s sword back?” A quiet voice spoke from his side. Whirling around, one hand resting on Alastor’s handle, the other holding the sheathed sword defensively in front of him, Ranma turned to see a girl locked in a small cell of some sort.

“I hadn’t even noticed her…” He thought.

“How odd…” Looking closer, he noted that she was very pretty. Long bluish black hair, light brown eyes that were big and dewy, and a cute red ribbon in her hair to top it off. She was dressed in a light pink kimono, though it was smudged and dirty, even torn in some places.

“And who might you be?” Ranma asked curiously.

“I’m…Sakura…”

 

She couldn’t believe it. When the stunningly handsome man had come into the room she was held in, she could have sworn he was an enemy. He had a large sword, and his eyes were dark and cold, but there was something about him, that compelled her to trust him. Nevertheless, she had remained silent and hidden until he had picked up her Father’s sword. Then, he asked her name, and she answered with no hesitation. Now he stared at her curiously.

“Sakura huh? Well Sakura. I’m not sure why you’re being held here, but I’m getting you out. Just sit tight okay? I’ll have you out in a sec.” With that said, he drew his large sword, and in one fluid motion, cut right above her head, chopping the bars of her cell clean off. In fact, all the bars below the cut fell right out, enabling her to gingerly walk out of her former imprisonment. She bowed to the man.

“Thank you very much sir. I cannot hope to repay your kindness…” She said, eyes down out of respect. He sighed and waved it off.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not looking for compensation…” He then thumbed the door.

“Let’s get out of here huh?” She nodded at his words, but raised a hand.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but could you give me back my Father’s sword?” She asked politely. Blinking, Ranma wordlessly handed her the sheathed weapon.

“Sorry, forgot I had it…” With that done, they exited the small prison room, and made their way upstairs to the main warehouse.

“Going somewhere friend?” A voice asked from behind them. Turning, Ranma faced a group of machine gun toting guards, and a man standing in the middle of them. He was expertly dressed. A suit, Armani to be precise, with sunglasses hiding his eyes. His light blonde hair was slicked back, and all in all, he was quite menacing.

“I am Knives…” He said simply. Ranma blinked.

“A Demon?” He wondered aloud. Knives chuckled.

“Not quite…But let’s just say I’m not completely human either…” He then sobered.

“But I must say, it’s an honor to meet you at last, Mr. Ranma Saotome…You’ve been quite a thorn in my employer’s sides in the past few years…” He smiled thinly. Ranma returned it with a grin.

“I live to please…” He was in trouble. It would be difficult to do anything with Sakura as a liability.

“Well, regardless, you’re taking something that belongs to us…” He said. Ranma was temped to answer with “It belongs in a museum!” but thought better of it. These guys meant business, and joking around when they were pointing assault rifles at him and his charge was not a good idea.

“Well, time to hope my luck holds…” He thought.

“Well, although I always like meeting new people, I’m afraid I gotta get going now. Me and the little lady here are running late, so I’ll c’ya later Forks, or whatever your name is…” With that said, Ranma reached into his coat with lightning speed, and drew forth a Desert Eagle .50 magnum.

“Move Sakura!” He yelled. Then, in a further showing of superhuman skill, he shot all six armed men in the legs before anyone else could move, causing them to drop their rifles and cry out in pain on the ground. Slapping a fresh clip into his gun, Ranma pointed it at Knives.

“Be seeing you.” He said. Knives just smirked. The suited man drew a gun of his own with uncanny speed. A very impressive custom six-shooter .45 caliber magnum with an elongated barrel for better accuracy. The gun was jet black.

“Nice…” Ranma muttered. Sakura hid behind him the minute the shooting started. Knives pointed his gun at Ranma, and fired. Ranma dodged the shot, letting it whiz above Sakura’s head harmlessly. Knives smirked and aimed at Ranma again. This time, Ranma barely dodged it.

“What!? How did it get so close? I should have dodged it!” Ranma wondered. Knives smirked.

“I’m not known as the best gunfighter on earth for nothing you know! Now die!” He cried, firing another shot. Ranma cursed, narrowly rolling away, and scooped up Sakura in his arms. Setting her safely behind a stack of crates, he groaned as he realized how badly the mission had gone.

“Stay here, and don’t move.” He said simply, springing back out, he did a sideways leap while simultaneously firing his magnum at Knives, who ducked behind some crates to avoid the shots. Ranma himself rolled behind some other crates and pressed himself up against them while listening to Knives fire his remaining three shots at him.

“I’m impressed…My opponents are usually dead by now…You’ve avoided all my shots…It’s just as he said…” Knives said from behind his cover. While his foe was probably reloading his weapon, Ranma immediately sprang out of hiding and ran towards the blonde man’s spot. Only to find a gun pressed to his head.

“What the hell! You should still be reloading!” Ranma yelled. Knives grinned, and held up an empty holder, making Ranma groan at his stupidity.

“Heh heh, speed loader. Don’t leave home without it.” Knives smirked and prepared to shoot. He was interrupted by a girl charging him with a flashing sword.

“What?” He cried.

 

She didn’t know what she was doing really. She was trained in her family’s style of sword fighting by her Father of course, but charging a man armed with a powerful handgun was not exactly something he covered with her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t let her rescuer get killed, so she had to try and stop the blonde man who radiated evil. As a Shinguuji, she could naturally sense evil and the taint of a Demon, and the blonde man was definitely evil. He turned and pointed his gun at her.

“Stupid girl! Die!” He yelled, firing a shot at her. Closing her eyes, and acting on instinct alone, Sakura spun the blade her ancestors had used before her, and to her amazement, deflected the bullet! The sword hummed with power and glowed a bright pinkish color.

“How the hell!?” Knives yelled, before aiming again.

“Bah, no matter. This time, you die girl!” He yelled, applying pressure to the trigger.

“Oh god, this is it!” Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the bullet to come.

“I don’t think so…” A cold voice said. Ranma had his gun up to Knives’ head, and his eyes were dark and unreadable.

“Drop it asshole.” He said simply. Knives complied.

“Hands behind your head.” Ranma continued. Knives did this as well, smiling slightly.

“You seem to know what you’re doing…” He trailed off as Ranma pressed the gun harder into his skull.

“Shut it…” He didn’t get to say much else, as Knives suddenly drew a small dagger from his sleeve, and flicked it at Sakura.

“Oh my God!” Sakura cried in fear.

 

BLAM!” The tiny blade was shot out of the air by a single well-placed bullet. Eyes widening, Knives and Sakura turned to Ranma, whose gun was still smoking. His eyes were hard, and he glared at Knives. Knives had other ideas however, and rolled for his gun. Ranma cursed and shot him in the arm. Knives cried out in pain, and reached with his other arm for the gun. That one gained a new air hole as well. Knives glared hatefully at Ranma.

“Want me to get all your extremities and make it a set?” Ranma asked. Knives gave him a deeper glare. Ranma shrugged, and motioned to Sakura.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” She nodded and they left together, not even looking back at the crippled guards and crippled gunman they left behind. Knives whispered quietly to himself.

“I won’t forget this…Saotome …”

 

Later, Ranma and Sakura were sitting in a small restaurant. Ranma apparently knew the owner, and it was a simple matter to stow his sword away while they sat and ate.

“Two pork okonomiyaki’s…will that be all Ranchan?” The pretty chef asked cheerfully. Ranma smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s it Ucchan. Thanks…” He said. She nodded happily and went to serve other customers. Sakura was staring down at the table uncomfortably.

“Is she your girlfriend?” She asked curiously. Ranma blinked, but smiled as if she had told a joke.

“Ucchan? Nah, we’re friends. We go way back…Though she used to want to kill me…” He dropped the subject at Sakura’s incredulous stare.

“Ah look, let’s talk about you. What were you doing there? Why would the Demons be so secretive about all this?” He asked while taking a bite of his food. Sakura sighed.

“Well…I suppose I should tell you about my family…You see…We’re a family of Demon Hunters…The Shinguuji’s…” She blinked as Ranma looked amazed.

“No way! THE Shinguuji Clan! As in, the famous exorcist Shinguuji Clan? Ah man! Wow! You guys are great!” He said, grinning. She blushed a bit.

“You…you’ve heard of us?” She was clearly puzzled. She hadn’t even known of her family’s true profession until recently…

“Of course! You guys are famous in the Demon hunting circles!” He then seemed to realize something.

“Wait a minute! Are you related to the Kazuma Shinguuji?” He asked eagerly. She nodded slowly.

“Yes, he was my Father…” She trailed off uncomfortably. Ranma nodded slightly.

“I see…I apologize for prying…” They ate in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, before Sakura collected herself.

“Anyway, after my Father…passed on…well, I became the sole heir to the Shinguuji legacy…rather abruptly…but even though I was trained in the sword by my Father, he never finished my training, and I’m not even close to his level of skill…” She sighed sadly.

“And when the Demons came for me, I surrendered myself so they wouldn’t harm my Mother and Grandmother…” She closed her eyes as if in pain. Ranma bowed his head.

“I see…and your sword…I assume it’s the famous Shinguuji honor blade…the Arataka?” She nodded in affirmation. Ranma blew out a breath.

“Well, that explains why the Demons were so intent in keeping it a secret…though I wonder why they left you alive…” He had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.

“Er, I mean…I’m not saying that’s a bad thing…I uh, oh geez…” Ranma just couldn’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth. Sakura sighed again.

“I think it’s because the sword only works for me…” She said. Ranma looked up, clearly puzzled.

“What I mean is…It only unlocks its power for members of my Clan…in the hands of anyone else, it’s just a plain katana…” Sakura was visibly depressed about this fact for some reason.

“I understand…that explains that. They probably wanted to figure out how to let others unlock its power.” Ranma finished his food and smiled.

“Well, Sakura, I have to ask…do you have a place to stay?” He watched her fidget slightly.

“Um, well, I don’t want to go back home…my family are in hiding right now…” Ranma nodded.

“Alright then…I’m sure the people I’m staying with have room for you as well…” Ranma said while continuing to smile.

“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to impose or anything…and you’ve already done so much for me…” She trailed off as he shook his head.

“Nonsense, I insist…” He then grew serious.

“Sakura…I promise…I won’t let anything happen to you…I swear it…” He closed his eyes at his words.

“Th-thank you…Ranma-san…” She whispered.

 

Somewhere else…

 

“So, let me see if I get this straight…” The voice was frighteningly soft and kind sounding.

“You lost the Shinguuji heir, and the sword? And now you come limping back here with bullet holes in your arms…?” Knives nodded slowly.

“What happened…?” The man known as Angelo asked. As the leader of the entire Demon race, he was surprisingly calm about losing the heir to one of the biggest thorns in Demon kind’s sides of all time.

“That man was there…” Knives said simply, his face was calm though inside he was sweating.

“What man?” Angelo asked.

“Ranma Saotome…” Knives said quietly. Angelo’s eyes widened, ever so slightly.

“Ranma Saotome? You cannot be serious…” Angelo turned away.

“But I am Lord…He was dressed in a red coat, and possessed the legendary lightning sword…and he did this to my arms! Shot through the ligaments! I’ll never be able to hold a gun again!” Knives was shaking slightly. Angelo turned with blinding speed, and before the motion was even completed fully, before Knives could so much as blink, he found both arms severed from his body.

“Then you are useless to me!” Angelo roared.

“AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!’ Knives screamed and screamed even as he was dragged out of the room by some Demon Elite Soldiers. Angelo turned away again and composed himself.

“You realize this presents a problem…” A voice said quietly from the shadows...

“Of course I do…But just because it’s a problem, doesn’t mean it can’t be solved…” Angelo muttered.

“And what of the girl?” The voice asked.

“She is of little consequence…Her powers are inferior compared to her Father’s…” He picked up a glass of wine from the table and sipped it thoughtfully.

“What will you do with Knives?” The voice asked emotionlessly.

“He may still have his uses I suppose…” Angelo said simply, savoring the taste of the wine.

“As for Saotome…Well…let’s wait and see hmmm?” He finished the wine in one big gulp.

“Indeed…”

 

“So, I thought she could stay with us…” Ranma finished. Telling the Tendo’s that Sakura was an orphan with nowhere to go was bending the truth a bit, but it was essentially the same thing, although saying he had simply come across her was lying outright, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Well…I have no problems with it…It’s a martial artist’s duty to help those in need…” Soun said. Genma nodded in agreement. Akane just hoped that the new girl would want to be friends, Nabiki wondered if the new girl had a way of paying, but wasn’t about to say that out loud, and Kasumi just smiled cheerfully.

“Oh my, I suppose you can share a room with Akane…” She turned to Akane, asking for her to agree without doing so.

“Um, sure, why not?” Akane said. Sakura was obviously quite shy, and replied with a meek “thank you…” in response. Ranma just smiled, glad that everything worked out.

“Now to get in touch with K-1…”

 

“I’ll be back in a bit, I just want to take a walk…” Ranma said to the family after they had gotten Sakura settled in. Everyone just nodded, and he left quietly.

“Hmmm, hope he isn’t busy looking up hentai stuff again…” Ranma muttered. He found a payphone easily enough, and dialed the familiar number. Cradling the phone to his ear while he waited for his friend to pick up, he casually observed the neighborhood he was currently living in.

“Hmm, so peaceful…A shame that the Demons are trying to take all this away…” His fists clenched and he nearly broke the phone at the thought.

“Yeah, what is it?” A tired voice said on the other end. Snapping back to reality, Ranma answered.

“Yo K-1, how are things?”

“Ranma? How did the mission go?” K-1 asked. Ranma sighed.

“Okay I guess…I found out that the special shipment the info was talking about, was in fact a girl and a sword…”

“Whoa, is she hot?” He sounded excited. Ranma sighed tiredly.

“Shut up Keiichi…”

“Right, sorry…anyway, what else is there?”

“Well, it turns out that the girl is the sole heir to the Shinguuji line of Demon Hunters.” Ranma waited a moment for the information to sink into his friend’s head.

“No way. Geez, no wonder it was such a special shipment…Anyway, I’m still working on getting more info, so I suggest taking it easy for a while…Contact me in a couple days…” With that said, he hung up, leaving a fuming Ranma…

“That stupid moronic hacker…He was looking up porn again! I just know it!” Ranma cursed.

“And what the hell does he mean “take it easy”? That stupid pervert…” He slammed the phone down, and walked away, muttering about needing to find a less perverted tech-head.

 

With his business taken care of, Ranma headed back to the Dojo. Upon entering, he was surprised to find Soun wailing, and Nabiki shaking her head in disbelief.

“…thought no one was as bad as Akane…” She muttered. Ranma rushed inside, and found a disaster scene. The whole Tendo living room was a mess. Stains were everywhere, the couch was over turned, the T.V was knocked over, and Kasumi was standing in the middle of it all with a blank expression on her face.

“Oh…My…” She whispered. Ranma ran up to her.

“Kasumi! What in God’s name happened here?” He was afraid the Demons might have traced him somehow. She turned to him, her eyes were blank and she appeared to be in shock.

“Sakura…Akane…” She whispered. Something must have happened to Akane and Sakura! Ranma cursed, he already let these people down, and failed to protect Sakura as he had promised. Rushing into the kitchen, he was shocked to see Akane, beating on a defenseless mixture which looked like sewage, only orange and pink.

“Arghh! Why won’t you turn white! I knew I should have added five more cups of Draino and only two teaspoons instead of four of that stuff with the skull on it that Kasumi always gives to the rats!” She yelled angrily. He hesitantly walked up to her, clearing his throat slightly.

“Um, excuse me…” He said slowly.

“What!” She yelled, whirling on him, a spoon which was rapidly disintegrating held in her hand.

“Um, I was curious…What happened out there?” He asked. Akane shrugged, not noticing her spoon rapidly disappearing.

“Oh, Sakura and I were just trying to clean up a bit, no big deal…although, I think that girl ought to stay away from feminine things like cleaning and cooking…I mean, some of us are good at it, and some aren’t!” Akane shrugged again.

“Indeed… Ranma said, before leaving in search of Sakura. Akane blinked at him, and then turned back to her “cake”.

“Huh? Where did my spoon go?”

 

“Lord have mercy on my soul! May I never have to be cooked for by that girl! I’m sure she means well, but…” He stopped his thought as he noticed Sakura in front of him. She was apparently trying to mop the floor of the hallway upstairs. He winced as she knocked over the water bucket and slipped, causing the mop to go flying out of her hands and smashing into the wall, making a noticeable mark. Sakura herself was lying on her back, groaning in pain. Ranma quickly rushed over to her.

“Are you alright Sakura?” He asked concernedly. She just sighed, staring absently at the ceiling while on her back.

“Yes, I’m fine Ranma-san…I just wish I weren’t such a klutz…” She muttered the last part and Ranma barely heard it.

“Hmm, I think I understand…Akane makes messes, and Sakura makes it worse by trying to clean them up…That would explain why the house is in such disarray…” He tried to comfort the depressed girl.

“Hey, don’t worry about it Sakura! The important thing is that you have good intentions. And no one can fault you for that. Besides, I’m sure you’re not a klutz…” He didn’t get to finish, as the girl, trying to get up, slipped again, and this time fell face first onto the ground. Ranma winced again.

 

Dinner was eaten in relative silence that night. Soun and Genma had retreated because Akane was cooking, not knowing that Kasumi managed to convince the irate girl to practice in the dojo instead of cooking dinner, and made the meal herself. Akane was her normal self; Nabiki had also ditched and was with friends apparently. Kasumi was cheerful as always, though she looked a bit tired, not to mention a bit sad that she had so much extra cleaning to do after dinner. Sakura was depressed, and ate slowly; her head was staring at the table the entire time. As for Ranma, he ate at a normal rate, trying to think of some way to cheer Sakura and Kasumi up. Finally, after everyone was finished, Kasumi gathered the dishes.

“Please! Let me help you with those Kasumi.” Ranma said, hastily standing and helping the girl. She smiled in thanks.

“I appreciate it Ranma…But you don’t have to…” She didn’t get to finish as he was already taking the remaining dishes off the table.

“I insist.” He said simply.

“Thank you.” Was her reply, causing him to smile slightly.

“You’re very welcome.”

 

Later, after everyone had finished dinner, Kasumi was trying to clean up the place. She sighed tiredly as she continued to scrub the living room floor. So far she had made little progress, and it looked like an all-nighter for her. Blowing out a breath, her normally cheerful face grew somber. She didn’t mind cleaning, cooking, and in general being the housewife for her family, but was a simple offer of help so much to ask occasionally?

“Apparently so…” She thought, grimacing slightly.

“Need some help?” She was surprised to hear those words. Was it simply her imagination? Turning, she saw Ranma smiling gently at her.

“I thought you could use some assistance Kasumi, you looked a bit overwhelmed…” He took a step into the room, his smile slipping a bit as the sheer extent of the mess revealed itself.

“I…That’s very kind of you…But you really don’t have to…” He shrugged at her words.

“I may not have to, but I want to...” So saying, he began to pick up various debris around the floor.

“Th-thank you Ranma…” She whispered.

“Um, can I help too?” It was Sakura, standing in the entranceway, ashamed apparently for her role in the mess.

“Sure! You can help me pick up the debris Sakura.” Ranma said with a smile. Sakura let a hesitant one of her own grace her lips and moved to help. Kasumi watched as, with Ranma’s assistance, Sakura barely did anything wrong, and even if she did, he would save her from making a larger mess by dropping something, or catch her before she could trip. Soon, the mess was much less severe.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad…I think I’ll put the couch back now.” Ranma said, moving to do so. Sakura continued to pick up smaller scraps, humming to herself quietly. Kasumi finally broke out of her shock from actually having people help her, and resumed scrubbing, but with a much more happy expression on her face.

 

It was the same dream that night as well…He was fighting alongside Ferio against the Demons, just like that day, yet, when Ferio died, it was Ranma who struck the killing blow. He watched himself stab Ferio viciously, grinning madly as the boy’s blood splashed onto the ground. Then, when he saw Dante fighting, Dante suddenly became a Demon, and smiled with that same grin. But worst of all, after that, he found himself standing in the field of flowers he and Elly used to frequent when their relationship was just beginning. Only, instead of them laughing and smiling, they were fighting to the death in a duel of clashing swords. He watched his blade sail for her heart…

“Elly!!!” Ranma gasped and shot out of bed. Looking around wildly, he soon calmed upon seeing that he was in the darkened room the Tendo’s had given him.

“That damned dream…What could it mean?” He questioned the air. Sighing, he tried to go back to sleep. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be difficult.

 

“You must be joking…” Ranma could not believe what his Father had just said. They were standing in the living room, the rest of the family getting ready for breakfast.

“Well, I realize you’re a bit old but…” Genma was interrupted by Ranma raising a hand.

“Father, I am 19 years old. Why would I need to attend High School?” It was simply preposterous. He had an education, why would he need to go to school again? The Templar had provided a very advanced curriculum for him, and add to that all the studying Elly made him do…

“Don’t argue with me boy! I already enrolled you so…” Genma was unable to finish as he found his windpipe being crushed by a lightning fast hand.

“Excuse me?” Ranma asked calmly, too calmly considering he was choking his Father with one hand. Naturally, Genma was unable to say much in reply. Ranma sighed disgusted, and tossed his Father to the ground. Stalking to the table, he sat and began eating his food.

“I’ll go to the stupid school, and I’ll handle this latest problem you’ve given me, but that’s it…I’m just going to inform them that I don’t need to go to school anymore.” His Father was unable to reply, as he was too busy gasping for breath.

 

Soon Ranma, Akane, Sakura, and Nabiki were walking towards the local High School.

“So you’re going to attend this school Sakura?” Ranma asked. The girl nodded slightly.

“Yes, I’m only sixteen after all, I need to continue my education somehow…” She was dressed in a burrowed uniform from Akane, and it fit her well enough…

“Hey Sakura, you sure you don’t want to burrow one of mine? Akane’s looks a bit tight in the chest for you…” Nabiki said, referring to the “other thing” Sakura burrowed from Akane. Akane growled menacingly at her sister.

“Don’t start Nabiki…” She said angrily. Ranma sighed and tried to ignore the squabbling siblings, and restrained himself from saying something stupid to add to it. Sakura just mimicked him in that regard.

 

“This happens every morning?” Ranma asked, clearly puzzled at the scene of violence in front of him. Nabiki sighed and nodded.

“Yup, every single day, like clockwork…” She then moved to her lackeys and began discussing potential earnings.

“Amazing…How could any school allow this to go on?” Ranma asked himself. Sakura was slack-jawed. Finally it was over, Akane stood triumphant over her defeated foes, breathing deeply for a moment, before composing herself. And just in time to catch a flying rose in mid-air.

“Why me…” She muttered.

“Ah, to behold such a vision as yourself engaged in fiery combat…It is the food for poetic triumph…Truly, there is no other like you Akane Tendo…” The voice was deep, and even though the speaker was hidden, one could tell it dripped of arrogance.

“But now, you must face me…” A boy, tall and slender looking, though it was hard to tell since he was dressed in the garb of the ancient samurai, hakama and all, stepped out from behind a tree.

“The Blue Thunder! Tatewaki Kuno!” The sky crackled with lighting and the sound of thunder right on cue.

“Hmm, he certainly isn’t winning any modesty awards…” Ranma thought to himself, studying the new boy for a moment.

“Looks like he can use that bokken he’s holding, though I bet he’s very overconfident, and probably always underestimates opponents…” Finished with his analysis for now, Ranma decided to observe the fight.

“And who might you be? Dressed in such odd attire, you seem out of place here peasant.” The kendoist scoffed at him.

“He says I’m out of place…?” Ranma thought.

“Be that as it may…My name is Ranma Saotome…” He gestured to the defeated boys littering the area.

“Are you responsible for this…charade?” He asked calmly. Kuno seethed.

“Foul knave! This is a holy quest to obtain that which the Gods themselves would seek to possess! The privilege of dating the fierce tigress Akane Tendo!” Another crash of thunder accompanied his statement.

“Is that so? Well I…” He was interrupted by Akane stepping forward.

“He’s just staying with us Kuno!” She cried, trying to end the situation quickly.

“WHAT!!!! Under the same roof as Akane Tendo! I will not allow such a travesty to continue! Have at you fiend!” With that bellowed, Kuno charged Ranma and slashed at him insanely fast. Ranma was faster however, and casually leaped to the side. The wall behind him bore a noticeable scar.

“Very nice…” Ranma complimented sarcastically.

“Now I suggest you knock it off little boy before someone gets hurt.” He was not interested in playing games with this insane guy, and wanted to get to the admission’s office of the school post haste.

“Silence foul one!” Kuno roared. Ranma sighed tiredly and dodged his next attack nimbly, before suddenly charging forward and in one fluid motion, smacking his wrists hard enough to make him drop the stick, and kicking him in the chest with enough force to drive the air from his lungs and send Kuno hurtling away, to come skidding to a stop a little ways away. Dusting himself off, Ranma walked up to Akane, ignoring the gaping jaws of the collective student body of Furinkan High, including her own.

“Where’s the Admission’s Office, Akane?” He asked. She numbly pointed in the direction of it, and Ranma thanked her, before heading that way.

“He…beat Kuno in one hit!?!?!?”

 

“Man! Did you see that guy! He was incredible! I didn’t even see him move!” One girl whispered excitedly to another.

“Yeah, and did you see his face? Gorgeous!” They sighed in unison, their conversation and reaction mirroring every other girl in the school, while the guys bore mixed feelings of envy and awe towards the newcomer who had decimated the school champion in five seconds flat. For Sakura, she was about to be presented to Akane’s class as the new student. Akane was brooding about how the stupid boy had interfered in her fight. Nabiki was making a killing on information about the mysterious trench-coat wearing boy, even though she knew very little of him herself.

“Class, we have a new student today. Her name is Sakura Shinguuji.” The teacher repeated for what seemed like the millionth time to him. Sakura gingerly walked into the classroom, trying to fight off the embarrassment she felt at the moment. She was particularly embarrassed about the whispers from the boys.

“Um, pleased to be here…” she said hastily with a bow, before taking the indicated seat and turning to listen to the teacher. She noted that she was next to Akane, and was slightly glad that she at least already knew someone.

“I wonder how Ranma-san is doing though?” Sakura thought to herself.

 

“What do you mean I have to go for a while!” Ranma was attempting to understand why a nineteen year old like him would have to attend High School.

“Well, according to your Father, you didn’t finish school, and so…” The admission’s woman was cut off by Ranma raising a hand.

“He isn’t my Father…”

“But it says right here that your Father is…”

“He is not my Father!” Ranma cursed as he realized he was losing his temper, taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. Though he wondered why he denied it so vehemently…

“Alright, I’ll go…but only for a little while…” He then left the room.

“Well, he certainly wasn’t very nice.”

 

“Damn it all…Why can’t that fat idiot stay out of my business? Now it’s going to be doubly hard to carry out missions…” Sighing, Ranma trudged to his class.

“Oh goody, Math, my favorite…” He thought sarcastically.

 

Math hadn’t been too bad, although the teacher had commented on Ranma’s “outlandish” clothing, but he paid it no heed. The next class was English, which Ranma was rather glad for, as he was quite good at it. After class, the teacher pulled Ranma aside.

“I was very impressed with your English skills Mr. Saotome. Tell me, how is it that you speak so fluently?” The teacher asked curiously.

“Well, I’ve traveled all over the place, including America, and England, so I’ve had quite a bit of practice sir.” He answered truthfully. The teacher nodded.

“Really? Interesting…You may go now.” Ranma left with a nod.

 

“Okay…next up is…Magic class!?!? Oh man…” For some reason, Ranma had never been able to properly wield the power of magic. It seemed like nature just wasn’t interested in cooperating with him. He had tried of course, but all for naught. He just couldn’t communicate with nature like others could. The power of the elements eluded him. Still, he did enjoy watching others use it, so with a resigned sigh, he entered magic 101.

 

The classroom was elaborate. It had a fine wood floor that one might find in a dojo, and various circles and symbols had been carved into the ground. Chairs for the students were in one corner, while an open area was reserved obviously for practice sessions. The other students had already seated themselves, and Ranma followed suit hastily. He noticed that Sakura, Akane, and Nabiki were all in the class as well, and waved to them. Finally the instructor entered. He was tall, and obviously not of Japanese origin. He had dark brown hair, and an angular face with eyes that burned with intensity. Ranma noticed a few of the girls turn their attention away from himself to stare at the teacher and sigh fondly. The man’s eyes swept across the room, and Ranma noticed that he was actually only a few years older than himself. Finally he began to speak.

“Hello class, today we will be discussing the theory of elemental attunement, and then practicing some spells. How does that sound?” His voice and manner of speaking was rough, showing that he had some difficult with the Japanese language, though it was harder to notice then some.

“Orphen-sensei?” One girl said, raising her hand.

“Yes Ms. Mizuno?” He asked calmly.

“Will we be turning in our homework from yesterday?” She asked, making some students curse and try to shush her. Orphen-sensei smiled slightly.

“No, don’t worry about it, we’ll get to it some other time.” He said. Cheers were heard from several students.

“Now then, let’s talk about elements…”

 

As the lecture went on, Ranma discovered two things about this Orphen fellow. One: he was very knowledgeable on the subject of magic, and two: he was also somewhat of a slacker when it came to most things. Students had misbehaved in a variety of ways during the lecture, and he had ignored it, even when a student had asked for him to make another stop bothering him, he just waved it off and continued speaking.

“Pretty strange guy…” Ranma thought to himself. Finally, the lecture was over, and Orphen-sensei smiled widely.

“Alright then, shall we practice some spells?” The class cheered, and soon was split up into apparently previously assigned groups to practice various low-level spells. Ranma walked over to Sakura, who looked a bit lost, and smiled.

“Hey, why aren’t you practicing Sakura?” He asked curiously. She blushed a bit.

“Ah well, I’m afraid I’m not too good at magic…” She sighed slightly. Ranma smiled wider.

“Well, then you and I are in the same boat. I can’t do any magic at all.” He admitted sullenly. Orphen-sensei walked up to them.

“Is that right? Not at all?” He asked. Ranma sighed and nodded.

“Yup, God knows I’ve tried though. I just can’t get any element to properly focus so I can cast it…”

“Have you tried using a focus like a staff for example?” The teacher asked. Ranma nodded.

“Of course, it didn’t help.” He said. Orphen smiled and held out a hand, which Ranma shook.

“Well, I’ll figure out something…In any case, I’m Orphen-sensei, and I welcome you to my class.” He duplicated the gesture with Sakura.

“I’m Ranma Saotome…A pleasure to meet you sir.”

“I’m Sakura Shinguuji sir…” They replied with. Orphen nodded.

“Nice to meet both of you.” He turned to the other students.

“Hmm, it looks like no one else is free to work with you two, so I suppose I’ll help you get caught up.” He turned to Sakura.

“Ms. Shinguuji, are you experienced with magic at all?” He asked. She nodded.

“A little…My Mother and Grandmother are very old-fashioned, and they thought of magic as sort of…”

“Evil?” Orphen finished for her with a smile.

“Ah…yes…” She replied quietly.

“Well, as long as you have a little bit of experience, we can work from there.” He turned to Ranma again.

“As for you, I suppose I’ll try to see if maybe we can get you a powerful channeling focus of some kind…” He trailed off in thought. Ranma sighed.

“Don’t worry too much about it sir, I sort of learned to deal with it while traveling…” Ranma rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.

“Anyway, in the meantime, why don’t I work with you Ms. Shinguuji? Would you like to observe Mr. Saotome?” Orphen asked. Ranma smiled and nodded.

“Certainly sir, but call me Ranma.”

“Then I insist you call me Orphen.”

 

“How goes the preparations?” The white-haired woman asked.

“As well as can be expected…there were some complications in getting the launch codes, since they were divided up amongst key members of the government, but everything is nearing readiness.” Angelo smiled thinly.

“Worried my dear Phantom?” He asked. The woman called Phantom said nothing; she turned and left the room.

“Heh, you certainly know how to charm the ladies Angelo.” A voice said. Angelo smiled wider.

“Naturally Ifrit, it is after all a talent of mine, though I think you of all people shouldn’t be poking fun at someone about that sort of thing.” His smile turned malicious.

“Isn’t that right?” He asked. The man known as Ifrit grimaced, his slender frame was hidden from view partially by the shadows, but his eyes were visible, and they flared up for a moment as flames leaked out of them.

“I’ll be going now…” He said gruffly.

“Oh don’t be like that…” Angelo smirked. Ifrit walked out of the room.

“Heh heh, the fool…” Angelo muttered.

 

“Excellent Ms. Shinguuji! You’ve taken to the wind element like you were born for it!” Orphen complimented Sakura enthusiastically. She smiled, happy with herself.

“At least swordsmanship isn’t the only thing I can do well.” She thought happily as she cast yet another low-level wind spell, creating a gust that blew away from her towards Orphen, who stood opposite her. Ranma clapped on the sidelines.

“I’m impressed Sakura! You almost make me jealous.” He said with a grin to show he was kidding. Sakura blushed and turned away.

 “Th-thank you Ranma-san…” Ranma was a bit puzzled by her reaction, but simply scratched his head and shrugged. Orphen held up a hand.

“Let’s see if you can get this spell down before class is over. It’s called Tempest, and is a pretty powerful wind spell though it is a beginner’s spell.” With that said, he concentrated for a second and thrust his arm forward.

“Ha!” A strong wind was generated from his palm; blowing past Sakura and making a few nearby students lose their footing. Orphen rubbed his head in embarrassment.

“Sorry guys, I got a little carried away…” He said. The students muttered unkind things about stupid foreign teachers, before getting their heads bashed in by angry female students who happened to like bishonen foreign teachers. Orphen sweated, as did Ranma and Sakura.

“Uh, right…Why don’t you try now Ms. Shinguuji?”

 

Man, why is Orphen-sensei and that new hottie giving that stupid girl all the attention?” One girl said to another while glaring at Sakura’s back. Akane overheard and growled.

“Hey! She’s really nice! So you better not talk behind her back like that or I’ll make you regret it!” She held up a fist to drive her point home. The girl who had spoken looked sheepish and slowly edged away from the irate youngest Tendo. Messing with a girl who could punch through concrete was not on her “to do” list at the moment. Nabiki was also giving her patented ‘ice glare” that could freeze water with ease to the girl. After the dog of the fairer sex had left, Nabiki turned to Akane.

“I’m impressed Akane…Defending Sakura like that was very nice of you.” Nabiki said sincerely. Akane nodded.

“Well, I just think that she has had a hard enough time in life without people like that giving her trouble.” Akane said. Nabiki nodded.

“You have a point…Now shall we get back to practicing magic?’ She asked, holding up a staff. Nabiki had difficulty manipulating any element except water, and more specifically ice, so she used a staff to channel energy and focus it. Akane was naturally skilled at fire magic, and earth as well, though she preferred using her fists over magic any day.

“So, what do you think of Ranma, Akane?” Nabiki asked as she readied a spell that would freeze the ground under her sister to solid ice and hopefully make her slip. Akane did slip, but not from the ice.

“That stupid boy? He’s just an egotistical jerk who butted in on my fight with Kuno!” Akane said hotly. Nabiki smirked.

“I think you like him!” She threw out a small blast of frigid wind, which Akane dodged.

“I do not Nabiki!” Akane tossed a fireball at her sister, which was put out by a hastily constructed ice shield.

“Whatever Akane…” Nabiki said with a smirk.

 

“Very good work today class! I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Orphen said after the lesson was over. The students heard the bell signaling the end of class ring, and filed out in the usual manner. Orphen sat at his desk, going over some books. Ranma walked up to him, ignoring the runes carved around the room doing their work by removing any residual elements, like icy floors, burned wood, and whatnot.

“Say, you wouldn’t happen to be from the Tower of Fang would you?” Ranma asked curiously. Orphen stared at him oddly.

“What gave you that idea?” He asked cautiously.

“Well, that actually.” Ranma pointed to a peculiar pendant that Orphen wore. It was two dragons crossed over one-another, and was interesting looking to say the least.

“I know that graduates of the Tower receive those. So…” He didn’t get to finish as Orphen was standing up hurriedly.

“Sorry Ranma, but I have a meeting to attend. You should probably be getting to your next class as well.” He then quickly left the room, leaving Ranma to blink in confusion.

“What the hell was that about?”

 

“Oh, Ucchan, I didn’t know you went to this school too.” Ranma said, upon seeing Ukyo seated by him in History class.

“Yeah, it’s hard to run a restaurant and finish my education, but I manage…” Ukyo said with a smile. Ranma sighed.

“That’s right, you never did get to go to High School because you were…” Ukyo held up a hand.

“Forget it Ranchan, it’s in the past now…” She looked away to stare at the teacher. Ranma’s eyes grew soft.

“I’m so sorry Ucchan…” He thought sadly.

 

Finally school ended, and Ranma found himself walking towards the exit with Akane, Nabiki, Ukyo and Sakura. The girls chatted amiably. It seemed that Akane and Nabiki already knew Ukyo well enough and the three talked about various things, occasionally attempting to bring the shy Sakura into the conversation. Ranma walked slightly in front of them, staring up at the sky in thought.

“Hold knave!” A voice called. Ranma groaned and turned to confront his “friend” from earlier.

“What’s up pal, how’s the chest doing?” He asked with a smirk. Kuno growled and held up his bokken.

“Merely a lucky blow I assure you. I will now use my superior skills to vanquish you and rid the earth of your foul presence!” That said, he held his bokken in a typical guard stance in front of him, and charged. Bringing it to the side, he swung with all his might.

“I have you!” He cried, already imagining the feeling of his mighty blow defeating his new nemesis. He felt it hit something, and grinned despite himself, which then turned to shock as he saw what had happened. His bokken had been caught. It had been caught, one-handed, by the knave!

“Ouch…” Ranma said, still smirking. He held the bokken in a vice grip, and despite Kuno’s attempts to free it from his hand, it remained in place.

“Curse you! Relinquish my blade evil one!” Kuno was getting frustrated. This fool was holding the bokken in a grip like steel, and even though Kuno was using both arms to try and pry it loose, he simply would not release it, and didn’t even seem to be straining in the little tug of war they had found themselves in.

“Tell you what pal, you promise to cut the crap with the morning fights and I’ll not only let go of your stick, but I’ll also not kick the living you know what out of you in front of everyone. Deal?” Ranma held the bokken even more firmly, causing the wood to buckle slightly.

“Curse you!” Was Kuno’s reply. Ranma sighed theatrically and prepared to snap the wooden sword in half, but was interrupted by a voice.

“My my…Am I interrupting anything?” It was a deep voice, filled with a sense of wisdom. Everyone turned to observe an older man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, standing by a tree. He was dressed in green with white pants, and wore spectacles. Ranma’s eyes widened momentarily before he smiled slightly, releasing Kuno’s bokken in the process. The man crossed his arms and waited. Ranma didn’t disappoint as he immediately rushed towards him, and then leapt into a kick, which the man sidestepped. Not to be deterred, Ranma spun into another kick, and grinned as the man blocked it just in time. The two fought for a while, exchanging attacks that were only narrowly blocked or avoided while amazing the various people in the courtyard. Finally the man in green held up a hand and signaled it to end. Ranma nodded and placed his arms at his sides.

“As good as ever I see…” Ranma said with a smile. The man in green smiled in return.

“And your skills haven’t declined in the slightest Ranma.” He adjusted his glasses slightly. Ranma put his hands in his pockets.

“It’s good to see you again Doc…” He said honestly. The man chuckled.

“How many times must I tell you to call me Citan?”

 

“Where am I?” He had awoken to from a nightmare, in which he had murdered his friends, only to find another nightmare before him. The whole area was destroyed, the rubble of the Templar HQ stood prominently in his field of view. The sky itself seemed to be crying in sorrow as the heavy rain beat down from above. One thing caught his eye. A single large crucifix remained standing in the rubble of the headquarters. It was slightly tilted however. With a numb mind, he walked up to it and pushed it upright until it was straight. He stared at it for several moments.

“Excuse me! Young man! Are you alright?” A voice called. Turning, he saw two people staring at him with worry. A gentlemanly type dressed in an odd green outfit and pants similar to the kind he might wear for martial arts, and glasses adorning his face. Next to him was a young woman about the same age as the man, with long pale milky hair, a gentle smile, and kind eyes. They walked over the rubble to him and watched as he continued to stare at the cross.

“I don’t even have any flowers…” He whispered almost to himself. The man and woman looked at him oddly, and he ignored it. He noted that the man stood as one who practiced martial arts did, with a certain relaxed tenseness that signified that he was ready for anything. The woman smiled warmly at him.

“Would you like to come with us young man?” She asked. He stared at the two for a moment before slowly nodding.

“My name is Dr. Citan Uzuki, and this is my wife Yui.” The man said.

“What might your name be my young friend?”

“My name is…Ranma…” The rain didn’t stop, but for some reason, Ranma felt a little better anyway. Just a little…

 

Appendix 1:

 

Alastor: The legendary lightning blade. A weapon of extremely high power that has been around for as long as anyone can remember. Said to have been tempered through the use of actual lightning bolts, and had the essence of them forged into it. One of the “Elementals” which are weapons of massive power that use the elements for their source of strength. Formerly wielded by Dante, leader of the Templar. Some say Alastor isn’t actually just a sword, but a sentient being…

 

The Arataka: The Shinguuji Clan honor blade. Extremely powerful though not an Elemental. Effective only in the hands of a Clan member, and especially deadly against Demons. Has a variety of uses including channeling the user’s ki.

 

Knives’ Gun: A customized .45 caliber pistol with an elongated barrel for better accuracy and range, though some stopping power is sacrificed as a result. Knives apparently designed it himself, as it is useful for sharp shooting, which he excels at. Has a chamber that can be loaded with six bullets. Though that’s usually all Knives needs.

 

Ranma’s Guns: Ranma uses a wide variety of weaponry provided from several sources, but he almost always carries with him two Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistols and a single sawed-off double-barreled shotgun. Ranma is extremely good at marksmanship and though Desert Eagles aren’t known for their accuracy, he almost never misses.

 

Wraiths: Extremely deadly creatures that are incredibly difficult to kill. Wraith’s only real weakness is the fact that natural light kills them almost instantly. Much like the legendary vampires, they cannot go out in daylight, lest they die immediately. But at night, they are just fine. Painfully hard to fight. They absorb punishment like nothing else. Bullets are useless, and the last time he encountered them, Ranma barely survived. They usually guard places of importance for the Demons and have the unique ability of blending in with shadow. They are ghost-like in appearance and the only physical-looking parts of them are their heads, which resemble skulls, and their long razor-like claws that can rend through flesh like butter. They float though they can’t actually fly very high. To put it another way, they are very nasty customers.

 

Demon Soldiers: The grunts of the Demon Army. They resemble large lizards.  They are separated into different classes. They lack the brainpower to cast spells, but are very tough. The third level ones are cannon fodder really, and can be killed with guns fairly easily. Second-level ones are tougher, but still killable with a machine rifle perhaps. First level ones are powerful, and can take a grenade and still live, though heavy fire and perhaps more explosives will destroy them. Elite are rare, and extremely tough, usually used for guarding high-ranking Demons. Elite can take a shot from a tank’s main cannon and still be combat-capable. Most Demon Soldiers use swords and other melee weaponry, though a few are smart enough to use more sophisticated weapons, like guns.

 

Magic: In this world, magic is a generally accepted combat art and is used for a variety of purposes. Magic is divided up into elements, like wind or fire, and everyone has a certain affinity to an element that makes them better at using it then others. It is taught as part of a regular curriculum in school as well.

Magic has proven to be a Godsend for humanity as it gives them a slightly better chance of winning the war against the Demons. However it wasn’t always so accepted. When it was first discovered, many panicked, fearing that those talented in magic would use it for evil, and so the Sorcerer Purge began. Magic-capable individuals, even young children, were hunted down and brutally killed without trial, as mass hysteria swept the world. It became extremely bad, until that is, the Demons appeared. Realizing that magic might be humanity’s only hope, the populace of Earth stopped hunting Sorcerers and instead began training everyone in magic, so that the Demons could be combated. Though there are still some who are angry over the Purge, and want revenge…

 

 

 

 

 

Author’s Notes: Whew, it’s been awhile huh? Sorry for not really updating anything for a while, but I’ve been really sick as of late, and some other nasty stuff has happened, like my cousin getting Leukemia, and my Grandmother having to go to the hospital for an illness we’re still unsure of. Anyway, back to more cheerful news. I should be writing more often again, but if not, well, let’s just say that even if I’m not publishing all the time, I am writing. Anyway, tell me if you like how this story is going, as it is still sort of an experiment. Yes Knives is from Trigun though he obviously is a little different from that incarnation. Orphen is from Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, K-1 or Keiichi is from Ah! Megami-Sama! Citan is from Xenogears, and the lovely Sakura Shinguuji is of Sakura Wars fame. Until next time this is Gray signing off…