The Wheel of Fire, #33: Eve of the White Tiger 

  Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com) 
  http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html 
  Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko 
Takahashi. And all that other good stuff. Proper 
licenses belong to respective properties and 
characters. The manga has precedence over material in 
the anime. 
  This file can be freely distributed so long as it 
appears in its complete form and proper credit given. 
No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without 
permission from the author. 

  Fanart can be found at: 
    http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/fanart/index.html 

------------------------------------------------ 

"He who knows others is clever; he who knows himself 
  is enlightened." -- Lao-Tzu 


Five Minutes Ago 

  Ranma cradled his head as he struggled to sit up, 
feeling the largest headache coming on since... since 
the last time he had a big one. Orienting himself 
upright he shook his head, shaking out whatever 
grogginess that was left in his head, and took in the 
surroundings. 
  Scanning to the right he saw the prone, beaten body 
of Mousse. For a moment the martial artist wondered if 
the Amazon was out of it for good, but he detected a 
slight twitching in one hand-- a good sign, for sure. 
The Master of Hidden Weapons probably knew he was no 
match for Sypha, but at least he put up a good fight 
before going down. 
  He planted his hands behind himself to support his 
standing up, but Ranma felt something sticky. Groaning, 
he turned to glance over his shoulder.... 
  ...and jumped in shock at the sight he saw. Lying 
perfectly flat on her back, eyes closed in a deep 
slumber was Shizuka Minazuki, who, as Ranma last 
remembered, was using her body as the host for the 
ghost dragon Deathclaw. Now that the martial artist 
was at a close enough distance he could see that the 
priestess was encased in a nearly-opaque white, string- 
like spider webbing cyst. He glanced at his fingers, 
finding the cyst residue still stuck at the tips. When 
he tried to wipe them with his other hand Ranma found 
it was just as troublesome as real spider webbing. 
  "Deathclaw lost," he said to himself, "just as...." 
  Just as Hokuto said he would. 
  "HOKUTO!!!" Ranma screamed at the top of his lungs, 
voice echoing throughout the Furinkan High schoolyard 
and beyond into the streets of Nerima's evening. 


Twenty Minutes Ago 

  Cinder's one good eye widened as a great burst of 
energy surged from Ryoga Hibiki's body, throwing up a 
column of light that outshone even his incomplete 
Suzaku Sky Dance. Unable to stop his downward thrust in 
time he burned more energy in it, hoping his theory 
would prove correct. 
  The moment he passed into the column of light the 
fire salamander's body coursed with pain-- pain never 
felt since.... The joints and gears inside his 
mechanical prosthetics whined and protested, 
threatening to give way to Ryoga's onslaught. But, 
even as the pain wracked him Cinder knew he met his 
mark. 
  The pain lasted for only a second as the fire master 
completed his attack, but it may as well have gone for 
an eternity. He crashed on the ground, struggling for 
breath. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder the 
salamander could see Ryoga Hibiki's body, worn out from 
his own pain, lying on the ground in a similar, but 
worse, state. 
  At least the incomplete attack wasn't entirely 
unsuccessful. 
  Cinder struggled to get up to his feet, finding the 
prosthetics were not as responsive as before. It would 
take some time, he knew, before they could be repaired, 
if at all. Never before had he experienced such a world 
of pain, not since.... 
  Suddenly, he sensed the presence of several 
individuals, surrounding him in a circle. The fire 
master strained his good eye to see, as the mechanical 
eye was giving him fuzzy signals. All around in a 
circle, around him and Ryoga, were the members of 
Akane's extended family and friends. 
  Each of them was holding a high-pressure water hose. 


Eleven Minutes Ago 

  Both Ranma and Hokuto shielded their eyes as Star 
Crusher and Deathclaw made their final blow. A bright 
light, stretching far from the enclosed Jusenkyo 
valley, seared the sky, consuming the rainfall and 
the wind alike. 
  The martial artist felt the feet being taken out from 
beneath her as Star Crusher's serpentine body crashed 
to the earth, threatening to crush any unfortunate to 
be in the way. A rush of wind behind her indicated 
that some of that great mass just barely missed 
crushing her head. 
  When the tremors of the dragon's fall ceased Ranma 
realized that the flash had long since ended, but her 
eyes were still seeing all-white. She held her open 
hands in front of her eyes, finding glimpses of their 
shadow just as a realization hit her. 
  She dropped the Dragon's Tear. 


Ten Minutes Ago 

  Kanna stared at the fallen corpse of Cinder, 
dumbfounded. Her right hand's fingers barely kept hold 
of the death scythe, as she was too much in shock at 
what her opponent had done to himself to end the pain. 
  "You... you MONSTER!!" she heard someone say, as 
Kanna barely registered that Miranda Kusao, who showed 
up only a minute before, picked her up by the neck. 
She felt her feet dangle in the air over the ground 
while being suspended by the gloved martial artist. 
  "Miranda, put her down!" Akane shouted. 
  "You KILLED HIM!!" Miranda screamed, throwing away 
all reason. "You FUCKIN' KILLED HIM, you BITCH!!" 
  Kanna wanted to say something-- wished she could say 
something-- but somewhere she knew that anything she 
said would be enough excuse for Cinder's disciple to 
kill her. It wasn't supposed to be like this.... 
  Shion... Shizuka... I failed.... 


Two Hours Ago 

  "So here's my idea," Kanna said, laying out a roll 
of poster paper out on the Tendo dining table. Her 
eyes passed from Akane to Ryoga and to the rest of the 
gathered Tendo and Saotome family members. 
  Nabiki whistled in amazement. "Well, you sure think 
things through, don't you?" 
  "Ha! I take pride in this!" she replied proudly. 
Pointing her finger at the layout of the Tendo yard 
Kanna explained, "Since we know Cinder is coming 
tonight, we need to beat him before he realizes what's 
happening. For that, you want him outside." 
  "Yes," agreed Soun. "It would be best to leave the 
house in one piece." 
  Kanna traced her index finger in a circle around 
the front area of the yard. "We want him pinned down 
around here. Each of you will have some high-pressure 
fire hoses to spray him with; he doesn't like water 
much. However," she added, pointing at the gate, "we 
want this left open, so he can escape." 
  "Escape?" Ryoga repeated. "I thought we wanted to 
contain this guy." 
  "Rule of warfare: never corner your opponent such 
that he has no chance of escape," the Crystal Spider 
said, "for a tiger is most dangerous when he has 
nothing to lose." 
  "That's beautiful," Nodoka commented, dabbing her 
eyes with a handkerchief. 
  "Once you get him outside, I'll take care of the 
rest," the girl insisted. "When he's out of fire it 
won't be so bad beating him." 
  "One thing," Nabiki voiced, raising her hand. "What 
if he doesn't go out?" 


Six Minutes Ago 

  It was cold... it was cold.... 
  The moment the blackness consumed Ranma it was the 
only thought he could fathom, shivering and chattering 
uncontrollably. He shut his eyes to the world, trying 
to concentrate on something warm, but nothing would 
come. 
  He could not even recall the moment he turned back 
into a guy. 
  Flashes of thoughts ran through the martial artist's 
mind as he moved through the darkness-- he knew he 
was moving despite the fact he himself wasn't doing 
it. All of it was a jumble, but it all came back to 
one thing.... 
  Hokuto. 


Seventeen Minutes Ago 

  "Is this the best you can do?" cried Cinder, trying 
his best to shield himself from the water with his 
cloak. Although it was a worthless gesture, as he was 
getting soaked from all sides, the salamander would 
rather not do nothing. 
  "It's not working!" he heard one of the girls shout. 
  The moment the hoses went on Cinder knew what was 
going to happen; the family members would hose him 
down to the point where his fire could no longer light 
itself, and force him down for the count. However, at 
the same time he noticed that the gate behind him was 
left unguarded-- an obvious ploy to get him outside the 
yard, for whatever reason. 
  And that was why he refused to leave. 
  "Clever, dear viper," he muttered, struggling to 
stand against the force of high-pressure water from 
all directions, "but while I remain standing...." 
  "Alright, that's enough!" he heard another girl 
command. 
  At the order all the water hoses shut down, allowing 
Cinder the chance to shake off the water in his eye. 
Blinking, he saw the girl dressed in the lavender 
dress, worn loosely with a skirt cutting off at the 
knees. Around her neck, on a bronze chain was a dark 
amethyst gem, and encased within it a mummified long- 
legged spider of some sort. She held a long pole 
weapon-- a naginata-- in her hand that came with a 
strange mechanism attached where the head met the 
blade. 
  Of course; it wasn't the viper, it was Crystal 
Spider Rajura. 
  "It was you all along," Cinder said weakly. 
  "Even at the face of certain death you refused to 
go outside," Kanna said. "Why?" 
  The salamander did not answer immediately, tearing 
off the wet clothes that the shrine priest gave him 
hours before. He ignored the startled gasps of those 
surprised at his appearance, focusing his world on the 
only person that mattered. 
  "I would rather die proud a warrior," the fire 
master answered slowly, "than succumb my spirit to 
your egotistical whims." 
  The girl nodded slowly in understanding. "I see; that 
was the right choice." 
  Cinder reached for one of the small air tanks 
strapped to his belt, popping it open with his sharp 
fingertip, and proceeded to air-dry himself. He did 
this in silence as Kanna watched, respectfully keeping 
her distance. Akane and Kasumi tended to the injured 
Ryoga, another proud, honorable warrior. 
  When the last of the belt tanks were spent Cinder 
felt he was reasonably dry enough to fight. He raised 
an arm to eye level, testing with a low-level flame, 
allowing it to dance in his fingers. Balling his claw 
into a fist, the flame extinguished. 
  "Let's begin," Kanna declared, grasping her death 
scythe in both hands. 


Three Minutes Ago 

  Star Crusher shook her great, snake-like head about 
to shake off the grogginess that hung in her head. The 
last blow Deathclaw gave her hurt BAD, and for that, 
the old fossil was going to pay. Dearly. 
  The ancient celestial dragon stretched her limbs and 
body out, feeling utterly relaxed for the first time 
in fifteen-hundred years. Being cramped in a human body 
was an ordeal in of itself that Star Crusher would have 
gladly exchanged for ten-thousand years in the pits of 
Hell itself.... 
  A prick in her side told her she was lying on 
something rather sharp-- sharp enough to bite into 
dragon hide, that is. Very few things could do that, 
she remembered, as her serpentine body slithered over 
and around the cursed Jusenkyo springs. 
  She found the pricking spot, and her eyes widened in 
surprise when she found it was none other than the 
Dragon's Tear. 
  "What luck," she rumbled, her voice grimly low. "It 
seems the squishy dropped it. No matter, now that I 
have the final component my pearl will be whole once 
more!" 
  The celestial dragon craned her neck in the direction 
of her left claw, which held the spherical dragon 
pearl-- a tiny, teardrop-shaped flaw on its otherwise 
flawless surface. Star Crusher studied the palm-sized 
pearl with a certain rejoice in her eyes, as she could 
not help but watch it reflected in the magic of the 
pearl. 
  "Today, I am whole once more!" she declared, slamming 
the pearl into the area of her thick, scaly hide where 
the Dragon's Tear embedded itself. 


Twenty-five Minutes Ago 

  Hokuto took in several deep breaths as the coldness 
left her body. She glanced over her shoulder at the 
prone bodies of the thirteen leaders of the Cistern 
Valley tribes, still bound to the marking pole, lying 
on the ground, shivering. Not far away the Jusenkyo 
guide and his daughter, Plum, were sitting in a 
corner of their own, rubbing themselves for warmth. 
The Shadow Weaver knew the feeling; she felt the same 
way the first time she used the Shadow teleport 
technique. 
  Although the dark clouds swirling overhead blocked 
out all the sunlight it was not raining as hard at the 
valley overlook as it was in the valley itself. Hokuto 
cast her eyes in the direction of the enclosed area 
she knew to be Jusenkyo, where the sky was darkest and 
the rainfall heaviest. 
  "You're not like any other," one of the leaders 
said, a wizened old woman that was no taller than 
Hokuto's knees. 
  The Shadow Weaver snorted, impressed that the old 
woman shook off the cold of shadow so quickly. "You're 
more than you appear yourself." 
  "I've only encountered such ability as you possess 
only two other times in my hundred years," she 
offered. "You are a Shadow Weaver, as they call 
themselves." 
  The girl nodded in confirmation. "The only ones who 
possess this art are my family. Fate has decreed it as 
such." 
  "Perhaps, as in one of those two cases the Weaver 
ended up destroying himself." 
  The old woman's eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "Your 
power is the same as other espers... yet you believe 
yourselves unique in the universe!" 
  "It's not your business, old hag," Hokuto shot back 
derisively. 
  A bright flash from Jusenkyo's direction caught both 
of their attentions, and what appeared next forced 
Hokuto to blink in disbelief. 
  "T... that's a dragon!" she gasped. 
  "Indeed," she heard another of the leaders say. "It 
is just as the legends say." 
  Turning her head to face that leader, the Shadow 
Weaver demanded, "Tell me!" 
  The leader, an exotic man even for a Chinese 
isolationist, sported reptilian eyes and a set of 
pointy-tipped ears. "There is a legend passed in the 
Musk lore that the royal family is descended from the 
blood of dragons. They also warn that one day she would 
return." 
  "No doubt," agreed the old woman. "This dragon of 
yours is likely unhappy." 
  Hokuto grit her teeth, clenching her fists in anger. 
She stretched out with her mind, trying to tap the 
creature without being detected, but was thrown back in 
recoil. She picked herself off the ground, ignoring 
the startled gasps of the others, folding her cloak 
closed more tightly. 
  The mind was alien, yet familiar, she thought. It was 
so much more powerful that its mental barriers.... 
  Sypha. Of course. 
  They were fighting over the Dragon's Tear! 
  Casting a quick glance over at the leaders, Hokuto 
decided that they could take care of themselves from 
here. Shutting her eyes to the world, she pictured 
Jusenkyo as she thought it would look like. 
  She felt herself slipping from reality as she melted 
back into her own shadow. 


Fifteen Minutes Ago 

  Kanna took the initiative, thrusting her death 
scythe at the fire master in three rapid strokes. Metal 
claws deflected each blow easily, and Cinder lit up 
both his flame-throwers. She rolled off to the side, 
recovering quickly and lanced another blow. 
  Cinder's good eye narrowed as his mechanical eye 
still struggled against the noise interfering with it. 
Although having one eye disabled put him at a severe 
disadvantage, as the salamander had a problem with 
depth perception, he had to rely on his own judgement. 
Kanna's attacks looked completely two-dimensional to 
his eye, something the girl was likely counting on. The 
first three thrusts served only to test the water on 
both ends, he realized-- Kanna needed to know that 
such a handicap existed, and Cinder needed to guess 
how far the thrusts would go. 
  Which of course meant that the Crystal Spider girl 
would not likely opt for slash attacks, as she must 
know, Cinder thought, that slashing could be resolved 
much easier in two-dimensions than thrusts. 
  And yet a naginata was not designed for thrusts, but 
for slashing. 
  He dodged to the side when the next thrust came, 
barely feeling the rush of wind escaping the vacuum 
pocket the attack created momentarily. It was not the 
actual vacuum, but the escape of air that escalated the 
damage level, which was likely what Kanna was using to 
offset her thrusting weapon deficiency. Another thrust 
that barely grazed the side of his head made Cinder 
certain that she was using channeled ki attacks. 
  But staying on the defensive would not earn him a 
victory, he reminded himself. Kanna put herself quite 
open with each thrust, as she had to push forward and 
pull back, both of which took time. While she was 
moving at a pace that would likely be a blur to those 
watching, Cinder-- who was experienced at fighting at 
such speeds-- could see them for as slow as they were, 
compared to his own speed. It was all a question of 
optical resolution. 
  On the other hand, he could not find an opportunity 
so long as depth perception inhibited him. 
  Cinder ignited his flame-throwers, and, instead of 
jetting a fan of flames, allowed his fire to surge 
around his clawed fist. He threw a right hook toward 
Kanna, flames trailing, but he completely missed the 
girl, as she was standing much farther away than he 
anticipated. Taking one large step forward he threw a 
second fire punch, but this time he knew he got the 
depth correct as the Crystal Spider ducked under the 
blow. 
  He paid for his first mistake when the girl slashed 
upward, biting into the salamander's outstretched metal 
arm. Although the blow did not even dent the surface 
Cinder felt it all the same, recoiling in pain. 
  "So you CAN feel that!" Kanna said snidely. "I guess 
I was overestimating you before." 
  Mentally the salamander cursed his position, 
realizing that the water from before must have done 
more damage than he thought. When his body was 
reconstructed long ago Cinder was designed to feel his 
mechanical prosthetics, but he since found them to be 
a burden. The numb feeling was gone, replaced with a 
throbbing the salamander never felt in years... the 
disrupter chip must have shorted out. 
  The thought consumed him as Kanna mercilessly kicked 
and smashed him with the butt of her death scythe, 
forcing him to his knees. Cinder felt each and every 
fine grain of ash flake from his proud black coat, and 
the pain that came with it followed. Thrice over he 
cursed his makers, trying to find the energy to subvert 
it, to take revenge. 
  "Had enough yet?" Kanna asked, sliding the blade of 
her weapon under Cinder's chin. 
  Cinder refused to reply in words. He began coughing 
violently, creating such revolting noise as metal 
scraping against metal. The salamander's jaw dropped 
open of its own accord, spewing out innards that 
caused Kanna to step back in disgust and surprise. A 
vile black liquid spilled out onto the lawn, dissolving 
the grass it touched into nothing. 
  "Can't stomach the acid," the Crystal Spider noted 
dryly, ignoring Soun Tendo's protests over the damage 
to his property. 
  The fire master tried to shut Kanna out of his mind, 
concentrating on the pain in his head. He clutched his 
head in pain, struggling against the urge to rip out 
his mechanical eye and the core it was attached to. 
The eye sparking madly, Cinder thrust one claw into 
his mouth, to everyone's shock. While they believed he 
was going down his throat, the truth was Cinder was 
reaching for something in his head. 
  With a death-like mechanized scream Cinder ripped out 
a large, black box from the underside of his head, 
tearing out chords that sparked and burst into 
oblivion. 


Nine Minutes Ago 

  Ranma stared at Hokuto, anger filled in her thoughts. 
The Shadow Weaver was still recovering from the ghost 
dragon's final strike, shielding herself from the 
rainfall with her cloak. For all she knew the girl was 
holding the Dragon's Tear for herself. 
  "Get up," the martial artist ordered. 
  A soft chuckle came in reply. 
  "What's so funny?!" Ranma demanded, finding no humor 
in the situation. 
  "I understand now," Hokuto said, not directing her 
words at anyone in particular. "The more one tries to 
defy their fate, the more disastrous the results...." 
  "What're you talkin' about?!" 
  "I looked into my own future long before coming to 
China," she continued, "much the same as I saw your own 
future. Both came to pass, as I knew subconsciously 
they would. I would never lay hands on the Dragon's 
Tear... and I would betray you." 
  Ranma blinked, suddenly remembering that part of her 
tarot reading. "Hokuto, it's not too late! You can 
still defy Fate!" 
  The Shadow Weaver slowly stood up, eyeing Ranma over 
her shoulder with regret in her eyes. "I can't do it 
anymore, Ranma!" she cried with a sniff. "My destiny 
cannot be avoided, and neither can yours! For a while, 
when I was with you, I thought I could tear away the 
shackles... I thought I could beat my destiny. But it 
is all an illusion. We cannot control Fate; Fate 
controls us. And ultimately, I will betray you." 
  "Hokuto, listen to me!" the martial artist yelled 
intently, balling her fists. "FATE is an illusion! We 
have to seize our destinies! At one time I believed 
what you did, that I had no control over my life. But 
that wasn't true... because," she struggled to find 
the right words, "someone close to me sacrificed 
herself to prove it. She was shown to me as being 
immune to the reaper through Fate, and yet, even that 
could not stop it." 
  "You're wrong," Hokuto replied defiantly. "You're 
WRONG!!" She threw open her cloak, holding it open 
with her left arm, its shadow encompassing Ranma and 
growing. "Star Crusher is destined to retrieve the 
Dragon's Tear, and if you stay-- if WE stay-- she will 
surely destroy us. It is not our time...." 
  Immediately Ranma realized what the girl was up to, 
but the moment she felt her feet melt into the shadow 
she knew it was too late to stop the Shadow Weaver. 
"Hokuto! We can still get the Dragon's Tear! It's not 
too late!" 
  Lowering her eyes, Hokuto shook her head. "Good-bye, 
Ranma Saotome. I'm truly sorry it has to be this way, 
but some day, Fate will guide us back together. We 
will meet again," she promised. "Take care of Mousse 
and Shizu...." She choked on the name of her friend. 
  Finding the courage to look Ranma in the eyes, she 
added, "I love you...." 
  Those final words echoed in the martial artist's 
thoughts as the shadow swallowed her whole. 


Nine Minutes Ago 

  So this is what it feels like to be brain-dead, 
Cinder thought as all feeling left his body. So this 
is how it feels to die. It is not a terrible feeling, 
not at all. 
  Although his auditory functions shut down the fire 
master heard enough to know that his disciple, Kusao, 
was already getting her revenge. Loyal to the end, 
even if she did betray.... 
  His thoughts drifted back to the black box, the 
scourge of his existence. It was not the brain, as 
the others suspected, but it was the regulation 
mechanism. It was a mechanism that put limitations on 
Cinder's reconstructed body, restrictions that would 
allow them to control him. The Section scientists 
never expected that the salamander could find a way to 
circumvent that directive... but not completely. 
  Cinder felt his mind letting go of the feeling, of 
the pain that plagued his body. The ethereal tendrils 
that fed the pain receptors melted into nothingness, a 
construct of the black box, leaving only the strings of 
a marionette's puppeteer. 
  He imagined his mechanical eye, the most valuable 
piece of equipment, in his mind's eye. Water damage 
had done its toll to the complex circuitry and weapon, 
but by sheer force of will he overlaid the damaged 
circuit with a schematic of a new one, mentally 
repairing the eye. 
  When the mechanical eye flickered back to life the 
first sight he saw was Miranda's boots. 
  "Put her down, Miranda," he said quietly. 
  The girl did not appear to listen, or perhaps she 
was so single-mindedly focused that she ignored her 
own master's order. Anger consuming him, he lashed out 
with his claw, clamping onto Miranda's right boot with 
such speed and force that everyone present was 
surprised. 
  "M... master Cinder?!" the martial artist stuttered 
in shock, dropping Kanna. 
  Feeling the energy surging through his body, Cinder 
found himself standing up. He released Miranda's boot, 
rising as if from the dead. Had he scanned the faces of 
those gathered he would have found shock on all of 
them, but Cinder's attention was completely on Kanna, 
who was rubbing her neck as she stood. 
  "We will finish this," he challenged, mechanical eye 
rotating into focus. He raised his claws in the tiger 
stance. "Kanna Rajura, Goddess of Spiders... I am 
Cinder, loyal retainer of the illustrious Flame of 
Eternity, Lord Kolvar na Strakil!" 
  Kanna picked up her death scythe, switching a button 
on it. The head mechanism quickly slid the blade from 
its naginata position into scythe position, hinting to 
the fire master that the girl was changing her stance. 
She eyed Miranda with anger in her eyes, and the girl 
stepped away from the two combatants. "I am Kanna 
Rajura, proud to carry the tradition of the Rajura 
Whirling Spear Style! I accept your challenge!" 
  The salamander smiled, feeling an incredible power 
coursing through his body. The feeling-- the true 
feeling denied to him years ago-- was coming back to 
him at last! 


Four Minutes Ago 

  Hokuto sighed deeply as she lowered herself into the 
hot spring, alone as the sole customer using the Atami 
springs that evening. The businesses had long since 
closed for the day, but Hokuto wasn't a paying 
customer, either. 
  She glanced at the wet spot just outside the spring, 
where the Shadow Weaver dumped Ranma after dropping 
him into the spring itself on accident. He was gone, 
back to Akane... and any chance of a future with him. 
  The only thoughts consuming her was: "Where did it 
go wrong?" 


Seven Minutes Ago 

  Cinder imagined he appeared to be standing in place 
as Kanna lunged at him, but missed continually. He had 
no doubt that Kanna, and perhaps Miranda, could follow 
his fast pace, but he decided the others weren't 
trained to follow such fast movement. 
  This time, however, he initiated attacks of his own 
rather than defenses. Slashing with both claws one 
after another Cinder was amazed that Kanna was catching 
each slash with her death scythe, especially since it 
was an unwieldy polearm. Leaning forward a bit the 
salamander opened up his spiked tail to attack, 
giving the Crystal Spider three threats to contend 
with. 
  "Not so brilliant when your plans fall awry?" he 
taunted as he thrust with his tail from over the 
shoulder. 
  Kanna swung a blow to deflect the incoming attack. 
"You're just full of surprises!" 
  Igniting his claws with flames, Cinder pressed his 
advantage. "You should have finished me when you had 
the chance!" 
  "That's not what I'm here for!" the girl shot back. 
  Intriguing. "Then perhaps there is hope for you!" 
  He feigned another blow to Kanna's chest, but the 
girl deflected the claw, as expected. With his other 
claw Cinder seized hold of the death scythe, stopping 
Kanna in her tracks. The fire master extinguished his 
flames, and gave a chest kick to his opponent, sending 
her reeling back and forcing her to lose grip on the 
weapon. 
  "And now, you are beaten," he declared, raising his 
knee. To Kanna's horrified eyes Cinder smashed the 
death scythe in two, throwing the pieces behind him 
uselessly. He took one threatening step closer to the 
disarmed girl. "Let's find out what you had in store 
for me, shall we?" He raised a claw over his head, as 
if concentrating. 
  "You... you're psychic!" the Crystal Spider realized. 
"That box you tore out of your head... it inhibited 
your psychic powers!" 
  "And without the box my senses will not be regulated 
by mankind!" the salamander declared. 
  He felt a sharp pain in his side, interrupting his 
train of thought. Cinder looked down at his left, 
where some kind of dart cleanly flew through his hip, 
taking off a huge chunk of obsidian skin. Looking 
back, his mechanical eye immediately picked up another 
powerful aura-- one standing on top of the Tendo wall. 
  "Viper," he hissed. "So be it!" 
  The viper, cloaked under a dark mantle, leaped down
from the wall, energy glowing in palms. Cinder guessed 
what was coming up, firing a burst from his eye- 
mounted blaster. But the viper was prepared, as the 
energy burst washed over a pale, circular shield. 
  Cinder ignited his flame-throwers, but was 
disappointed to find that they could barely light a 
candle. 
  "Damn," he swore, "I used too much up in the last 
fight." 
  "It's over, Cinder," he heard Kanna say. 
  Turning around, the salamander noted that the Tendo 
and Saotome family members were all readying their 
hoses once more. He cursed to himself again, forgetting 
about that particular handicap. Kanna Rajura, at least, 
was still thinking of the available resources, when 
Cinder had wasted his own. 
  And the viper.... Even with Miranda to possibly aid 
him, he knew it was all over. 
  Powering down his eye-blaster, Cinder lowered his 
arms as he faced Kanna. "The game of endurance, my dear 
Crystal Spider? Was this your true intention all 
along?" 
  Kanna shrugged. "It was my backup plan, yes. I didn't 
really expect to beat you one-on-one." 
  "And you would not," Cinder pointed out. "My psychic 
power could take care of you, but I have not fought 
many an honorable and cunning opponent in a long time." 
  He cast a glance over his shoulder to the viper, who 
had not said a single word. "I surrender myself to you, 
Kanna Rajura," he turned to Ryoga, who was still lying 
soaking wet in the middle of the yard, unconscious, 
"Ryoga Hibiki, and to your ally, but no one else." He 
bowed respectfully. 
  "She wasn't really part of the plan," admitted the 
girl, "but I knew she'd come after you eventually." 
  "'She?'" Akane echoed, eyeing the viper, shrouded 
in darkness, curiously. "You know her?" 
  "There's someplace you have to be, Akane," the viper 
said, urgency in her voice. "All of you... come with 
me." 


Nineteen Minutes Ago 

  The reaction Hokuto wanted to see failed to happen. 
  "Ranma," she said, "what did you wish for?" 
  Lowering the Dragon's Tear from the air, Ranma 
appeared somewhat disappointed that she would not be 
getting the same pyrotechnics that Sypha-- Star 
Crusher-- displayed when she used the artifact before. 
Nevertheless, the martial artist held tightly to the 
teardrop-shaped crystal, holding it close to her 
heart. 
  "I didn't think of myself, as you reminded me," she 
answered finally. "I thought about it long and hard, 
but when it comes down to it, I think Ryoga deserves to 
be happy, more than I do." 
  "You removed the curse on HIM?!" Hokuto realized. 
"Why?!" 
  "Because he's my friend," she replied seriously. "And 
in the same position I'd like to think he'd do the same 
for me. And, as for you...." 
  The Shadow Weaver tensed. 
  "There's something we've both got to confess to, 
Hokuto," Ranma declared. "I've known about you long 
before we left Japan." 
  "Known what?" asked the Shadow Weaver, trying to 
deny an underlying motive. 
  "You had a really weak argument going for you at the 
start," the martial artist continued. "'Control fate?' 
If you told me that a few months ago I might've bought 
it. 'Fate-link?' Ditto for that. Dumbest things I've 
heard!" 
  "What're you saying?" 
  "I'm saying that you lied from the start, that's 
what!" Ranma shouted, driving her point like a nail. 
"You claimed your 'fate-link' would erase your memory 
and supplant it with my own. What happened to that?" 
When the Shadow Weaver did not answer, she pressed on. 
"You think you're so smart, but you FORGOT! You forgot 
until you read my mind on the boat!" 
  "Are you suggesting something?" 
  "You're an esper, a very powerful one at that. I 
didn't know for sure until you pulled that stunt with 
Shampoo; you plainly came out and said you walked into 
her mind. That's when it hit me. But it wasn't just 
your esper powers; you couldn't win with just that 
alone. You manipulated everybody so events would fall 
into place." 
  "Then," she said, starting a pace around the Shadow 
Weaver, "back when you were giving me your tarot 
reading you said not to trust the High Priestess... 
and that same night I dreamt YOU were the High 
Priestess, not Shizuka. Shizuka was the Fool; it would 
have been easier to imagine her the High Priestess as 
you were putting it to me literally. And you were 
there, watching all the while, every night in my 
dreams." 
  "And Ukyo... you refused to touch her with a stick. 
Sure, you tried to fool me with that lame-brained 
excuse with the spatulas, but when I asked you to 
seance her you wouldn't do it. You wouldn't, because 
she was helping me all along, with those dreams and 
stuff. You wouldn't help me because you know as well 
as I that Ukyo is still alive." 
  "Shut up!" screamed Hokuto. "Has Fate sent you to 
punish me?!" 
  "You can't deny any of it, can you?" Ranma finished, 
halting in front of the girl. "I can't imagine what 
you'd want the Dragon's Tear for, but you're not 
getting it." 
  "It wasn't all a lie!" Hokuto insisted, her eyes 
tearing up. "I appeared to you because you were one of 
the people cursed at the Spring of Drowned Girl. My 
ancestor's link to the spring is for real, but only as 
a subconscious connection. I recalled your name and 
appearance, and tracked you down. You shared a goal 
the same as my own, a release from curse." 
  "In other words, you came to me because you thought 
you could control me," Ranma accused coldly. 
  "I won't deny that," she replied, lowering her head 
in shame. "It was all purely self-interest at first. I 
studied you and your friends from afar, and I used the 
resources of the Shrine of the Four Gods as well to 
meet that end." 
  "You used Shizuka, too. Your best FRIEND! How could 
you?" 
  "But she became more than a tool!" Hokuto insisted 
frantically. "I didn't mean to become attached to 
anyone, much less to her, but... it happened. It was 
the same with you. I got too close, got too sloppy. I 
was a loner, and so was Shizu... and we got together, 
had some good times, beat up the guys at the arcade, 
and she let me handle Thanatos. And you, you were too 
kind to me." 
  "Yeah, that's for sure!" Ranma snorted. 
  "But I don't want to lose either of you! Shizu found 
out about it before we left Japan, and she was quite 
unforgiving. I thought you would understand, but you 
are just as unforgiving as she is." 
  "And do you know why?" beamed Ranma. "Have you ever 
been USED before? Have you ever been lied too so 
wholly before? Well, have you?!" 
  "ALL the time, Ranma!" screamed Hokuto, unable to 
contain her feelings. Her tears rained heavier than the 
rain from the dark clouds above. "Look at me, Ranma! 
I'm the universe's personal play toy! I was born under 
a curse far worse than your own-- I am the victim of 
Fate; I will see everything happen before they happen, 
and it will always happen." 
  "So you're not completely lying about the Fate 
thing," the other girl snorted, folding her arms. "So 
what?" 
  "You saw it! The tarot reading showed you the future 
exactly as you saw it unfold this moment! In this 
manner Fate shows me what WILL happen, and I'm bound to 
the future set forth in the cards. You won't get your 
cure here, just as I won't." 
  "That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Ranma. "Fate is not 
something that controls your life, YOU control it. Fate 
is what we make of it, not some grand scheme that sets 
out a grand plan. And you should know better than 
anyone that plans don't always go as planned." She 
raised the Dragon's Tear. "And THIS is proof of it!" 
  Before she could utter her command to the artifact, 
Hokuto raised her eyes, staring past Ranma and into 
the air, where Deathclaw and Star Crusher were still 
locked in battle. The ancient ghost dragon reared its 
head back, preparing to exhale its deadly breath 
attack. At the same time, Star Crusher was rearing her 
head back to throw an enchantment of her own. 
  Danger sense told her that the results would not be 
pretty. 
  Raising her finger, she shouted, "Ranma, look out!" 


Now 

  Ranma wiped his forehead as he sat on his knees to 
Shizuka's right side. He reached down with both arms, 
tearing out fistfuls of the encasing cyst's sticky 
strands with each hand, slowly but surely opening up 
the priestess's cocoon. Leaning to his left he wiped 
his hands against the ground, peeling off the strands 
on the pavement, then set about tearing more of the 
cyst off. 
  Gently he pulled away the strands covering her face, 
exposing her serene expression to the air. The martial 
artist paused for a moment as he stared down at the 
girl, lying oblivious to the world, not coming after 
him with swords, shotguns, and who-knows-what-else. 
  "If you weren't such a bastard," he whispered, "you 
could be cute." 
  Ranma jumped back in surprise when the priestess 
showed signs of waking up, her head stirring despite 
being trapped in the cyst. Thoughts of relief flowed in 
his mind when she half-heartedly uttered the words, 
"Go away, Mizuki... too early for practice...." 
  He bent down to tear away more of the cyst, but 
froze when Shizuka's eyes burst open suddenly. She 
stared straight up, seemingly looking at nothing, but 
Ranma felt she was looking directly at him nonetheless, 
as if trying to remember where she saw his face before. 
  "S... Shizuka?" 
  But his concern would go unanswered, as she screamed, 
"AAAAHHH!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" 
  Ranma flipped back out of the way, watching in 
wonderment as the priestess burst out of the cyst as if 
it were rock rather than webbing. The priestess was 
instantly on her feet, arms at her sides, taking in 
several rapid breaths in succession. Bits and pieces of 
the cyst's web-like strands dangled from her robes and 
hair, looking as if she just walked through a giant 
spider web. Her eyes threatened to pierce Ranma's soul.    
  "DAMN YOU MIMES!!!" she cried, reaching down for the 
swords on her left side. Clamping her hands on each, 
she pulled with all her strength, but the blades would 
not budge. 
  Ranma shook his head, not wishing to understand what 
the priestess was thinking. While the strands kept the 
swords stuck in their sheet, and the priestess 
distracted, the martial artist grabbed her arms, 
clamping down hard with his hands. 
  "Shizuka!" he yelled, shaking the priestess violently 
and forcing her to lose hold on her swords. "Snap out 
of it! It's me, Ranma!" 
  For a moment the martial artist wondered if there was 
anything rattling in the priestess's head, but when he 
stopped shaking her he saw the problem: some of the 
webbing was still stuck over her eyes. Letting go of 
her arms he quickly peeled the webbing away, hoping 
that would be enough. 
  "Hey," she said, somewhat shaken, "you're not a 
mime...." 
  "No kidding," Ranma replied sarcastically. "What the 
hell were you thinking?!" 
  "Mimes and clowns have white faces," she explained. 
"Scary as hell...." 
  "Not that!" he snapped. "I meant back in Jusenkyo! 
Why'd you sell your soul for that... that... THING?!" 
  "His name is Deathclaw!" Shizuka insisted. "And I did 
NOT sell my soul! I made a summoner's pact." 
  "What's the difference?" 
  "I get to utilize his services, and he gets to hold 
on to my body and soul during the whole thing," she 
explained. 
  "Sounds like a lousy trade to me," Ranma snorted. 
"What if Deathclaw doesn't want to give it up?" 
  "He can't stay on this plane forever." 
  "But there's got to be something wrong with it!" 
  "Of COURSE there's something bad about it!" 
  "Hey, stop yelling over there!" they heard Mousse 
yell, turning to lie face-down on the ground. "Can't a 
guy die in peace?" 
  "You're NOT going to die!" Ranma and Shizuka shouted 
at once. 
  The priestess of Genbu looked around, taking in the 
surroundings for the first time. "This is your school," 
she realized. "Hokuto dumped us here?" 
  "Yeah," answered Ranma. "She's an esper...." 
  "Not just ANY esper," Shizuka interrupted. "As fit of 
her title as Shadow Weaver, her art pertains 
particularly to a connection with the shadow. Most of 
her art centers around shadow." 
  "Ranma?" they heard someone shout, voice echoing 
throughout the empty schoolyard. "Ranma, is that you?" 
  "Akane?" he realized. Cupping his hands, he shouted, 
"Akane!!" 
  He took off toward the front gate, where Akane was 
standing, leaving Mousse and Shizuka behind. Thoughts 
flooded his mind every step of the way, of the time 
since he last saw his wife, the girl who saw him off at 
the airport almost two weeks ago. 
  But instead of a greeting with open arms he felt 
himself run into a set of two fists, and for the first 
time Ranma realized that both Mousse and Shizuka got 
ahead of him. 
  "What'd you do that for?!" the martial artist yelled 
in complaint. 
  "Why, Saotome?!" demanded Mousse, his thick glasses 
hiding what Ranma was certain to be an angry 
expression. "WHY did you bring me ALL THE WAY back to 
Japan?!" 
  "And don't you think it's over between us!" Shizuka 
added. 
  "Ranma?!" Akane said, fuming after hearing the 
priestess's words. "What is going on?" 
  Ranma thought it couldn't get any worse when he 
noticed there were several others behind Akane. In the 
light of the schoolyard he could make out most of his 
extended family, plus Miranda, and a girl he had never 
seen before, standing each to a side of a dark-skinned 
creature with metallic arms, which he guessed was 
Cinder. 
  "Hey, hey!" he said, raising his arms. "That's what 
I want to know!" 
  "Wait a minute," he heard the new girl voice. "You're 
Ranma Saotome?" 
  Eyeing her carefully, the martial artist replied, 
"Yeah, what's it too ya?" 
  In the blink of an eye that girl joined the other 
three in throttling Ranma, as he found her hands 
wrapped around his neck. "I'VE BEEN WAITING TWELVE 
YEARS FOR THIS!!" 
  "Geez, Kanna," Miranda said, "you don't have to 
overdo it." 
  "'Kanna?'" Ranma echoed, a sudden thought flashing in 
his mind. "The spider lady?!" 
  "Ah, I see you DO remember me!" Kanna yelled 
viciously. "You little bastard...!" 
  Ranma felt her grip loosen as Akane knocked the 
Crystal Spider away. "That's enough!" she declared. 
  The couple looked each other in the eyes, muttering, 
"You've got a lot of explaining to do." 
  "I'm glad to see some things haven't changed," 
another girl voiced, drawing the attention of both 
Ranma and Akane. 
  "That voice," Ranma recognized. 
  He pushed his way past the others gathered, giving 
Cinder not a secondary glance despite his appearance, 
stopping at the girl standing behind him. Although most 
of her features were covered by a heavy, black mantle, 
her head was exposed to the air. She wore her hair tied 
back in a pony-tail, just in the familiar manner as 
before. Although her eyes showed signs of aging-- as in 
a look of wisdom-- it was not a face Ranma could forget 
very soon. 
  "Hello, Ukyo," he muttered, feeding her a knuckle 
sandwich. 
  He had not a moment to enjoy her recoil when the 
okonomiyaki chef smashed his head in with her giant 
spatula. 
  "Nice to see you, too," she replied, her cheek red 
from the pain. "Jackass." 
  "You didn't have to hit her!" Akane said, helping 
Ranma back to his feet. 
  "She deserves it!" he replied angrily. "How DARE you 
come back into my life after I've accepted your death?" 
  "Have you?" Ukyo asked derisively. "How COULD you 
believe I was dead, you idiot?!" 
  "What're you talking about?" asked Akane. "You didn't 
even tell us what you were doing!" 
  "I left a note with Konatsu," the chef explained. 
"It's not MY fault you didn't get it!" 
  "WELL, well, well!" Shizuka shouted, raising her 
voice over the three squabblers. "Cinder, we meet at 
last." 
  "You are one of the shrine maidens," the fire master 
recognized. "So you're the one who commissioned my 
capture. I congratulate you on your choice of help." 
  "You don't know how long we've been looking for you," 
the priestess said. "We need your help." 
  "'Help?'" he repeated, surprised. "You're telling me 
you went through all this trouble to capture me, and 
all you want is my help?" 
  Shizuka glanced to where Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo were 
too busy to catch up on old times, and sighed. "Like 
them, I think it's going to take a lot of explaining 
to do." 


Blue Dragon 

  "Four months," Ukyo began. "Four months I've been 
gone, and too much has happened." 
  Unwilling to move the large group of people back to 
the Tendo residence Soun demanded anyone to find a 
better, more suitable place to stay for a mob of 
people. Calling in a favor Nabiki quickly put in a call 
to Tatewaki Kuno to bring the keys to Furinkan High's 
assembly room. The swordsman came as promised, but 
bringing along with him Kodachi and her groupies, Chika 
and Ayame. Ranma demanded to know why the groupies were 
along, but could not get a straight answer out of 
Kodachi. Ryoga, still sore from battling Cinder one-on- 
one, was brought from his resting at the Tendo house 
by Shion, who was coerced into coming at Kanna's 
word. 
  To Ranma it was a cast of a thousand fools. At the 
back row of the seats set up was his entire extended 
family: himself, Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi, Soun, and his 
parents. Scattered about in their own seats in the 
three rows ahead were the others: Kodachi, Ayame, and 
Chika were grouped together, as well as Tatewaki, 
Kanna, and Shion. Ryoga and Mousse sat together, 
swapping tales of their recent exploits to one another. 
Miranda sat next to her master, Cinder, who had not 
said many words himself, from what Ranma could tell. 
Shizuka sat directly behind the salamander, as if 
keeping watch over him. 
  Ukyo took her turn standing on stage, as she was the 
first to submit her explaination to all those relevent. 
  "I don't remember anything that happened during the 
last Nemesis battle," she admitted, "but when I woke 
up it was in the care of Master Higure, the former 
Orochi Assassin of Wind. He said I'd been sleeping for 
well over a week, as in some kind of inner trance or 
something." She shrugged. "Haven't a clue what he 
meant about that, but there was one thing that I was 
most concerned about: Seiryu. I couldn't tell if she 
was still there." 
  "So I asked Master Higure if I could stay at his 
place for a while, so I could sort things out. He 
agreed, thankfully; he had a better grasp on what was 
wrong with me than I did. I wrote a letter to Konatsu 
telling him what to do, because I wouldn't be back for 
a while." 
  "Where'd you send it, anyway?" asked Ranma. 
  "The restaurant, why?" she answered. 
  "You do realize, of course, that Konatsu closed down 
your restaurant by then," he pointed out. 
  "I doubt there was a forwarding address, either," 
added Mousse. "I bet if you checked the postal service 
you've got a serious backlog." 
  "I'll have to talk to him about that later," Ukyo 
said, nodding. "I'm surprised he didn't say anything 
about it when I dropped by." 
  "Really?" Ranma snorted. "How long has HE known?!" 
  Ukyo ignored the martial artist. "I spent a lot of 
time soul-searching, I guess. Master Higure said my 
thoughts were in constant turmoil, and that I had to 
let go of the past so I could move on. I had to find 
myself, he said." 
  "Same exact thing he said to me," Ranma noted. 
  "Three months was all it took," continued the chef, 
"and I certainly realized that Seiryu was truly gone. 
Master Higure disappeared for a time, saying he had 
some business to take care of, but when he came back he 
told me what was happening here... and that I had to 
go back. At first, I was reluctant to go, as I've been 
away for so long. Then I had a promonition." 
  "I saw a flame," she described, "a flame bound to 
destruction and chaos. There was no beginning, nor and 
end to it. It was... something... I felt I couldn't 
ignore, and...." 
  "Spare me," shouted Shion. 
  "When I got to Tokyo," Ukyo continued, taking the 
hint to move on, "Ranma had already left for China, so 
I had to figure things out from there. I followed 
Akane out to the Wishbringer Shrine, where Cinder and I 
fought for the first time." 
  "And here we are," Cinder said. 


Green Dragon 

  "I discovered Hokuto's deception," Shizuka began, 
taking her turn, "while she was trying to assume 
control over Ranma Saotome the second time." 
  "You were too out of it the first time!" shouted 
Ranma, voice echoing throughout the room. 
  "She didn't know it, but while she was a guest at my 
cousin's home I watched her," continued the priestess, 
"and saw her use her dream-walking powers. She denied 
it later, though, but her agenda was compounding on my 
own." 
  "A secondary objective of my purpose in Tokyo is to 
find Cinder, who my superiors are seeking. Between him 
and Hokuto I couldn't keep track of them both, so I 
got Kanna to help me out. Leaving Kanna to take care of 
Cinder I went back to the Shrine of the Four Gods to 
determine what Hokuto was up to, but while divining the 
answer we caught wind of Sypha's presence. Of course, 
I'm the only one brave enough to take care of the 
mess...." 
  "Or stupid," suggested Ranma. 
  "I needed an edge against Sypha... also known as Star 
Crusher, the celestial dragon. I spent days pouring 
over ancient texts in the shrine, looking for a 
summoned beast strong enough to take care of it... and 
I found one: Deathclaw. After I secured a summoning 
pact with him I made my way to China as quickly as 
possible, carried by the rain." 
  "But you seem to have a history with this... Sypha," 
Ranma pointed out. "She did say something about you 
and some years back?" 
  "Hold your tongue!" Shizuka cried, diving off the 
stage and onto Ranma. 


Red Dragon 

  "Likely this will overlap with Shizuka's story quite 
a bit," Cinder admitted firstly. "But I will keep to it 
as relevant." 
  "My liege, Lord Kolvar na Strakil, maintains an 
agreement with the Four Gods; in exchange for regular, 
unique commodities the service of his retainers was 
granted to the priests. I became the summoned warrior 
of a priestess of Suzaku, Kazuki, who aspired to become 
the next Celestial Guardian of Suzaku. A series of 
tests was required of those who attempted to achieve 
such lofty heights, and they must utilize their own 
strengths to win. Against the rules Kazuki summoned my 
aid, forcing me to perform the tests for her. After 
only three of the seven were overcome the high priests 
stopped the test, removing Kazuki." 
  "But I was not myself; I became maddened by the 
mental and physical ordeal of the tests. I must have 
slayed a priest or two when I made my escape into the 
wilderness... I am uncertain as to how far I got, but 
I went as far as my failing body would carry me." 
  "Eventually I was discovered, but not by the priests, 
but a secretive organization called 'Section.' They 
performed many an experiment on my person, likely 
gearing me up to be used as their superior weapon. But 
little did they expect me to be of sentient mind; they 
severely underestimated me. When I awoke it was 
without the control I once held over my body. They 
replaced damage limbs with mechanical prosthetics, as 
they could not repair me as human bodies could." 
  "With time I mastered this body," he continued, 
raising his claw to gleam in the light. "I kept my 
intellect to myself, always watching, always learning. 
I remained silent until I was certain I could break 
free of Section forever. For the past three years they 
have been searching for me, but I knew them too well." 
  "Only a year ago Miranda approached me, begging to 
become my student. There was potential in her eyes, I 
knew, so I took it upon myself to train her. It turned 
out, however, that I need not teach her a thing; I am 
not a martial artist by nature, and my fighting ability 
is unsuited for human use." 
  "In other words," he said, eyeing his disciple, "you 
invented your own art." 
  "Master," Miranda whispered, speechless. 
  Cinder turned his attention in Ranma's direction. 
"You would do well to watch her, Ranma Saotome, for you 
two are far more alike than you realize." 
  "Yeah right," he scoffed, folding his arms. "No way 
she can learn techniques as fast as I can!" 
  "You wanna bet?!" Cinder's disciple replied hotly, 
rising for a challenge. 
  "Wait a sec," Akane voiced. "Then why were you after 
Hokuto in the first place?" 
  "Hokuto, the Shadow Weaver," Cinder explained, "has 
a constant connection to the Kami Plane's shadow 
stream. I needed her power to get back home." 
  "Why can't you go back yourself?" she continued. 
  "Once summoned I can only be sent back by the one 
who summoned me. Since Kazuki was stripped of her 
position that is not possible. The only other way to 
get back to Strakil, the Inferno Region, was to find 
another way back into the Kami Plane. The Gate of the 
Four Gods was not an option." 
  "You could've asked," Ayame suggested. 
  Cinder shook his head. "How could I? I slew their 
people; surely they would destroy me." 
  "But they won't," Shizuka interrupted. "Master 
Cinder, we are asking for your help." 
  "What could I possibly offer?" the salamander 
wondered. "I am but a simple soldier." 
  "You are also the one Suzaku chose to be its 
Guardian," the priestess of Genbu said, a lack of 
humor in her voice. "All others who attempted to take 
the tests have been rejected without a test at all 
because the bird of the red lotus specifically demands 
you." 
  "I see," Cinder said, scratching his metal jaw. "The 
aborted attempt on the test...." 
  "You have been chosen," Shizuka repeated, "and we 
need your help. My task was only to track you down, but 
not to bring you back, so I'm asking you: will you come 
with me to the Shrine of the Four Gods?" 


Foregone Conclusion 

  "We're sure lucky, Tendo!" Genma proclaimed boldly. 
  "You said it, Saotome!" agreed Soun, raising sake to 
his old friend. 
  As the two friends toasted each other, Ranma stared 
out the window of the train, unsure what to think of 
all that has happened in the span of a day. In the 
reflection of the light he saw the others, making 
conversation, passing gossip, or otherwise sleeping, 
as the entire train car was left to them. 
  He could see Shion, the guy the martial artist had no 
clue or opinion of, sit with his laptop, obviously 
playing some sort of game Kodachi's groupies were 
interested in, as they were leaning over his seat to 
watch. In the seats before them Mousse and Ryoga were 
playing cards with two other unseen players, which, if 
Ranma guessed correctly from the seat arrangements, was 
Kanna and Nabiki. Over their game Mousse and Kanna 
spoke of war tactics, something which Ranma was not 
surprised with. 
  If he wanted to know what the others were doing, he 
would have pulled his eyes away from the window. Ranma 
stared blankly at the scenery, not knowing what to 
think anymore. 
  Although it seemed out of the blue Shizuka, after 
Cinder accepted an invitation to travel west to the 
Shrine of the Four Gods, offered all present in the 
school an expense-paid vacation. It was a simple matter 
to get a confirmation from everyone, as a paid vacation 
was nothing to sneeze at, especially one that was near 
a good hot spring. 
  Perhaps some of it was too good to be true. After 
everyone dispersed from the school assembly room 
Kanna approached Ranma, offering a challenge. "Relax 
while you can, boy, because when I get myself a new 
weapon, you and I are going to tango!" 
  On the other hand, guys that usually were in Ranma's 
face only gave cold stares. Kuno assumed cold airs, 
telling him, "Why should Tatewaki Kuno associate his 
pure self to defilers such as you?" Kodachi, too, gave 
a cryptic, "Impure heart and soul." For a moment 
he wondered if the same idea Happosai and Gosunkugi got 
a while ago was spreading around. Gossip was one thing, 
but it seemed this one was getting out of hand. 
  But his thoughts were interrupted. He saw Akane's 
concerned face in the window, blotting out the noise 
of the others behind him. 
  "Hey," she said, "you okay?" 
  "Nah, I was just thinkin'," he replied, trying to 
sound bored. "Cinder, Shizuka, Sypha, Hokuto, Kanna... 
Ukyo, even." 
  "All six of them are affecting you now, aren't 
they?" Akane asked, concerned. "I remember when it used 
to be guys like Ryoga and Kuno on that list." 
  "All of them changed but one; Ukyo's still a pain in 
the...." He let the word trail off. 
  "Cinder, Kanna, and Shizuka I can at least see," 
Ranma continued. "Sypha and Hokuto... they could be 
out there doing anything, for all I know. But Ukyo... 
she's right in front of my eyes, but I can't see a 
thing." 
  "Ranma," his wife offered, "I didn't believe a word 
of what you were saying when you said Ukyo was still 
alive all this time, and I'm sorry." 
  "Y'don't have to; I probably sounded strange." 
  "But she's back now, and you two are treating each 
other like total strangers! I mean, it was even only 
a communication problem; that's certainly forgivable, 
isn't it?" 
  "No, it's not!" Ranma snapped, turning to face Akane 
in the eye. "She faked her death-- made everybody 
think she was gone. She hurt me, Akane-- hurt me by 
leaving and coming back. I thought she was my friend, 
but she's no different from that self-serving Hokuto." 
  Akane sighed, realizing that she wasn't getting 
anywhere this time. Leaning back against her seat, 
she closed her eyes, resigned. "Promise me one thing, 
though." 
  "What?" 
  "Promise me that you won't try to hurt her." 
  "I can't guarantee I can do that, and you know it." 
  "I'll have to accept that, I guess." 
  Ranma said nothing, retreating back into his own 
thoughts. Turning away from Akane, he continued to 
stare out the window, watching the scenery fly by. 


Eternal Night 

  "You can't escape forever." 
  "Watch me." 
  "The darkness is calling for you. The light will 
outshine, and the dark banished. You can't escape." 
  "Stop preaching to me! What did I ever do to you?" 
  "Nothing. We are one and the same, you and I. A pair, 
the darkness, and the light. Inseparable." 
  "I will decide how to live my life, not you." 
  "You must see the light." 
  "The light looks fine from where I'm standing." 
  "You will see." 

  Hokuto released her thought probe, perplexed that 
anyone could have such mental activity in their minds. 
Then again, with Ranma, and the company he surrounds 
himself with, it certainly wasn't impossible. 
  It could actually be useful in the near future. 


			*  *  *  *  * 

Chika (VO): 

  "Hidden truths exposed to the light of day... and 
reunions best left unsaid. Why do they keep beating up 
on poor Ranma? Now we've got to figure out how to stop 
Sypha before she carries out her final plans. What am I 
saying? I can't really do a thing!" 
  "Next time: Nightmare of Suzaku. You won't believe 
what happens next; I don't!" 



------------------------------------------------ 
Author's Notes 

  I am an author; I can experiment with my style as 
much as I wish. 


Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NOREPLYhotmail.com) 
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html 

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