Wheel of Fire Special #9: Ranma VS Shizuka Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com) www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/ranma/ranff.html Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Proper licenses belong to respective properties and characters. All other material herein belongs to the author, and plagiarism of this concept, in part or in whole or borrowing, in part or in whole, will not only get you my ire but the priceless sight of seeing you behind bars. No part of this document may be reproduced, retransmitted, or altered, in part or in whole, for monetary gain, incidental, consequential, directly, or not at all, without express permission from the author (if you are unable to contact me then that does not grant you these rights). Such condition applies to all my works, and your ignorance is no excuse, as I reserve the right to update this disclaimer, and it stands in whatever shape or form it manifests in any work, appearing there or not. ------------------------------------------------ Day 3 of Stage Two-- Early Afternoon "One round," Kanna announced, standing between Ranma and Shizuka, laying out the rules of the match. "No time limit. Victory goes to whoever gets a complete knock-out. No deaths, maiming, or any other sort of permanent disability. Refreshments at the snack bar afterward." Taking a step back, she signaled for the match to begin. Ranma purposefully left himself open, waiting for Shizuka to make the first move. He watched her slide out her remaining Viper sword out of its sheath, then switch it to her left hand, this time keeping it overhand. She reached over her shoulder for her loaded shotgun, but even in this configuration Ranma knew Shizuka could at most shoot once, because her other hand was required to reload the weapon. "What're you waiting for?" Shizuka taunted, holding the barrel pointed toward the sky. "Try and win." "After you," Ranma replied mockingly. The priestess of Genbu smiled, barring her teeth in some malicious grin, and something in the back of Ranma's head was telling him he was playing into her plans. "So, womanizer... did you bother to discern what the weather would be like today?" He felt a few pats on his head, and looked up toward the sky. Indeed, the clouds have rolled in from the west, and they were getting darker. Fixing his eyes back on Shizuka, he said, "So?" "I know for a fact that you're nowhere near as strong in your girl form, which gives me an edge, because your effectiveness will be tolerable on my level." The drizzle became much more dense, and Ranma hardly took note of the others seeking shelter. "I don't care; I can still beat you with my eyes closed!" "Mind, I hate handicaps more than anything," Shizuka admitted, but her malicious expression never wavered. "But I congratulate myself on taking advantage of every opportunity I can get, and you're giving me far more than I imagined!" Water poured from the sky above. "So stop talking and try to beat me!" Ranma cried, hardly noticing her transformation under the rainfall. Lowering the shotgun to level with Ranma's chest Shizuka rushed forward, skewing to Ranma's left slightly, but keeping the weapon trained level. Ranma dodged to the right, but it proved to be a flinch as Shizuka never squeezed the trigger, as expected. The priestess swung with the Viper sword as Ranma darted by, forcing Ranma to duck as she moved. The moment she stood up again the martial artist saw the single barrel pointed her direction again, and evaded again, realizing that Shizuka was completely aware of her attack deficit. The next two swings that threatened to bite into Ranma's left flank and arm told her that Shizuka wanted her to pay attention to the shotgun rather than the sword, allowing her the chance to get the critical shots with the sword. It's not going to work, Ranma vowed. Apparently, Shizuka caught on as well. She raised her sword high, then brought it down quickly, slicing the air. Ranma barely detected the shockwave, but the shrill produced forced her to cover her ears. A fraction of a second later the shockwave impacted against her body, sending her flying back. Her ears still ringing from the sudden noise, Ranma remembered this particular succession technique that Shizuka forced herself to remember in the fight against Kode the badger demon. The primary effect of the Sonic Cutter was to stun the opponent with a high-pitched noise within the human and demon sound spectrum; the wave front was just icing on the cake. The operating principle was that sound traveled faster than the solid air, so the stun would take effect appropriately before the wave front would reach the target. Preemptively Ranma already had her hands to her ears, but instead, Shizuka squeezed the trigger of the shotgun. At the last moment she pivoted on her right foot, allowing the shell to fly past where her stomach would have been. The shell shattered on impact beyond the battlefield, spraying globs of paint everywhere. "Paintballs," she realized. The moment Shizuka motion to raise her sword Ranma covered her ears, and moved out of the way, but instead of creating another cut Shizuka simply threw the sword up in the air. With her momentary free hand she quickly reloaded the shotgun, discarding the spent shell and replacing it with a fresh shell on the shotgun's rack in one smooth motion. It was done in surprising speed that Shizuka had enough time to catch her falling sword, and throw off another Sonic Cutter in the same motion. This time the wave completely missed, although Ranma could still hear the noise. At this rate she was going to become deaf.... "Okay, I'm through messing around!" she declared. Throwing a right hook meant to knock out Shizuka, Ranma's fist met with resistance. Realizing that she prepared the same kind of energy shield Reiko employed back at the Shrine, Ranma decided on a tactical retreat, planting her feet against the field and using it as a springboard to clear distance. "I see your own training wasn't in vain," Shizuka noted, raising her sword again. "But I'm much stronger than those fools!" * * * "That's one," Miranda counted. "Two more to go." "Two more what's?" asked Akane, looking toward the martial artist. "Shizuka had three spells prepared for this fight," she explained. "One of them has to be that barrier of her's. I'd kill for something like that." * * * "It looks like you've improved," Ranma granted, "but I've been going easy on you." "I know," Shizuka replied, still wearing the same smile. "I've been holding back, too." "Liar!" "Since when did I lie? My mouth is a weapon, too." "That's not funny." "Of course not. It's infuriating." Grinding her teeth in anger Ranma vaulted with her right leg extended, and threw several rapid kicks where Shizuka should have been. The priestess dodged to her right long before the attack would have connected, and her motion appeared effortless. Or rather, she was not making a concentrated effort to move out of the way. Ranma adjusted her attack to compensate, but Shizuka was weaving out of the way quickly and fluidly.... ...like a snake coiling to strike. Ever so disinterested in offering an easy target the martial artist made her own evasion moments before the shotgun barrel would've been shoved up her gut. "I learned quite a bit watching you fight, you know," Shizuka said, unfazed by the setback as she weaved against more of Ranma's failed blows. "You won't hesitate to use every option available to you. In fact it makes up for my own failings against you; one-trick ponies don't work." "Glad something good came out of this!" Ranma shot back. * * * "There's no way Shizuka could've avoided all those hits!" Ryoga exclaimed, balling his fists. "She's not moving that fast, but it's as if she's predicting the blows." "This must be her 'second spell,'" Ukyo guessed. "But she can't be predicting Ranchan's moves; she wouldn't be waiting for an opening like that." "You're right," the other agreed, calming his voice a bit. "But it still seems as if Ranma's throwing punches at something that's not there." "Maybe that's it," Akane said thoughtfully. "What if Ranma's seeing something we're not?" "There's such hypnotic techniques," Kanna added, "where one could strike at an opponent's 'image,' so to speak. Yet even such techniques have their limits when one exhausts their images." "But the symptoms are the same?" Kanna nodded. "Shizuka is making very arbitrary movements with little effort on her part, leaving Ranma to hit nothing but air. Yet, most stories I hear of the mirror image technique don't ever last this long; it must be the spell." * * * Why can't I hit her?! Ranma wondered in her head. There's no way Shizuka could be this fast! Even though Shizuka still had her barrier around her the priestess was avoiding attacks; Ranma paused in her thoughts for a moment to assess the situation. She knows I might find a way to break the barrier, Ranma reasoned, therefore Shizuka's trying to avoid getting hit at all. There's no other reason for it; Shizuka has to be convinced that I can beat her if she's going through all this trouble. The thing is, she's never fought like this before; it's always been a trick pony, as she said. Yet, there was something about how she said it.... I taught her that lesson? If that's the case, why can't I learn from her? No, that's silly; Shizuka never did anything useful before. I've always attacked the barrier with the Moko Takabisha, and it just 'splashes' on impact with the barrier, with the barrier absorbing most, if not all, the impact. That had to be the way to do it, since Reiko flinched then, so it has to be the application of the attack.... Ranma hurled herself backward away from the overhead slice from Shizuka's sword. Cutting? Yes, that's it! I need a sword.... Kuno could smash buildings with his stick just by his air pressure alone, but I don't have anything like that.... But then, neither did Miranda Kusao, and she DID attack with cutting motions, with her bare hands and feet. It can't be her gloves and boots; those were just as good as using a sword-- only a tool, a means to an end. If Miranda could do it with her hands... why can't I? Ranma cleared herself some distance away from Shizuka, extending beyond three swords length. The priestess had her shotgun barrel trained on Ranma, steady. "End of the line?" Shizuka huffed. But then, why is she never where I expect her to be? Only one way to find out.... Raising her arms crossed up high over her head, Ranma took in a deep breath, extending her fingers outward flat and parallel, just like Miranda would do. "Moko Takabisha revised...." She threw her arms down to her sides, forming an X-shaped cross of energy. The air around her seemed to sizzle against the rain, and a new energy wave erupted to life, sent spiraling in Shizuka's direction. Surprise registered on Shizuka's face, and the crosscut attack sliced through the priestess.... Who, once again, wasn't where she was supposed to be; by the time Ranma realized he missed Shizuka was already getting back up from the ground. * * * "Hey!" Miranda cried. "He's rippin' me off!" "He figured it out," Ukyo whispered, amazed. "But he still missed," Kanna pointed out. "If he can't figure out how to beat the mirror imaging, then Ranma's going to tire himself out before it's all over." * * * I know I'm hitting her, Ranma kept telling herself. I KNOW I hit her that time, but it's still as if she wasn't there.... Maybe that's why I'm not hitting her, she realized. I'm NOT hitting her at all. Ranma peered through the rain at the priestess of Genbu, who was genuinely shaken-up now. Although she kept her shotgun trained on Ranma she was side-stepping slowly around in a circle, as if waiting for Ranma  make a move first. It was then she picked up the first hint as to what was wrong: the rainwater pouring from above seemed to be going through her. Illusion, Ranma surmised. Not just any illusion, but a really good one so that I can't tell where she really is.... She shifted her eyes a bit to the left of Shizuka, and noted that the rain seemed to dance against the profile that Shizuka should've been casting against the rain. Of course. She's really to the left of where I'm seeing her... or rather, her image is trailing behind her body. I'm only seeing the image! With this in mind, Ranma's confidence boosted as she raised her crossed arms again. She concentrated, knowing that one blast would not be enough to cover any avenue of escape. Letting out a cry, Ranma, using her superior speed, threw three of the cross-cut Moko Takabisha bolts in Shizuka's direction. * * * Dammit! Shizuka cursed mentally as the rightmost cutting bolt slashed through her barrier. She felt herself being hurled back by the blast hitting her, and knew her barrier failed her at this critical moment. Sailing backward, the priestess lined-up her eye and shotgun, training it on Ranma, and squeezed the trigger. Shizuka knew her shot found its mark long before her back scraped against the wet ground, feeling satisfaction as the paint shell's impact forced Ranma to cry out in shock. "Get up," she heard Deathclaw urge. "You're not done yet!" "Yes, it's not over yet," she agreed, forcing herself back up despite her pain. She lost her hold on her spent shotgun, but it didn't matter... not anymore. Ranma staggered where she stood, her stomach inward from the shock of the projectile hitting her square. A bright blue splotch was the only sign of any attack on the martial artist, and it painted a rather brilliant target indeed. "Had enough yet?" the martial artist shouted. "You beat my barrier," Shizuka listed, "and saw through my trick, and laugh at my paintball shells, but that's all I ever really needed...." "Giving up, huh." "No; you underestimate my potential!" Quickly ducking her right arm back into her sleeve Shizuka's fingers caught the last paper talisman she prepared for the battle, and threw it up into the air. She thrust her sword out at it, skewering the ward through the center, breaking the seal holding the enchantment together. Lightning crackled from the tip of the sword down to where the spent ward lay skewered. A single great bolt seemed to leap from the dark clouds above to the tip of the blade, momentarily shocking Shizuka at its sudden speed, but leaving her unfazed. Yet, the same could not be said for Ranma as the lightning bolt leaped from the tip of the blade, and collided where the paintball impacted the martial artist. It was a complex gamble to rely on such a situational spell, Shizuka knew, but it paid-off. The weather was a natural occurrence that worked in her favor; the rest was simply a matter of painting the target. Although Shizuka would have preferred a magic that didn't require painting as such, a chain lightning spell was always awesome for those rainy days. The spell required two key things: a pre-determined target, which differed depending on who prepared the spell, and something to conduct the lightning well, like the sword. Shizuka chose the color of one set of her blue paintballs, knowing it was probably the best delivery she could get on someone like Ranma. Without the sword's metal surface the lightning wouldn't be nearly as effective in frying the martial artist into a state of static shock, so to speak. Shizuka lost all feeling in her sword arm, and the sky around her seemed to darken. That hit of Ranma's must've done more damage than I thought, she told herself.... "No, it's real," the ghost dragon in her head warned. A black 646&le of dark shadow emerged instantly between her and Ranma, and a moment later it burst. The explosion sent the priestess back, scraping against the wet ground on her back once again, this time losing grip of her sword. She heard the weapon clatter some distance behind her, but her heavy eyelids were considering something far different. "Get up," urged Deathclaw. "Now!" "Quiet, you," she mumbled aloud. Shizuka keened painfully as she felt Deathclaw's icy grip seize her heart. "Get up, now," he repeated, and the priestess recalled that the beast exerted more control when she was losing consciousness. She wanted to stay awake, but it struck her as odd that Deathclaw would actually encourage her. She felt a cold shiver down her spine, and knew that the ghost dragon, impatient with her, was exerting control again. Without the incentive to move on her own Shizuka felt like a marionette to the puppeteer's commands, and realized she was sitting up. Across the courtyard Ranma herself was getting up, obviously forcing herself. Shizuka could not tell if it was her own attacks, or the bursting shadow bubble, that did the damage, but one thing was certain, the match wasn't going to go much further when both opponents were on the verge of knockout. "I'm not licked yet," Ranma said, her voice barely audible amidst the falling rain. "You've... you've gotten better," Shizuka noted, remembering the crosscut projectile. "That hurt; a little more and I might've won...." "Since when did you get so strong?" he asked, sounding impressed. "I didn't," she answered. "I'm still the same weakling as before. Only this time... I fought smarter, not harder." She shook her head. "Stupid saying, but it works, I guess." "I'm really sorry I had to do that," another voice said, "but I can't let you two hurt each other... too much." Where the shadow ball erupted earlier another form was taking shape on the grounds, rising from the cast shadows befit to her profession. Shizuka stood up and sat on her knees, invigorated under her own power. "Hokuto!" "Hey!" Ranma cried. "What's the meaning of this?" "As much as I'd like to see you two duke it out," the Shadow Weaver said, "there's more important things at stake. For all the time it took me to track you down we may have lost a lot of time already." Instantly the priestess was on her feet, clomping steps on the wet surface beneath her feet. She reached out with her right arm, and grabbed Hokuto by the scruff of her cloak. "I don't give a damn about your stupid riddles! Spit it out!" * * * "You're asking me to help him?" Ranma said in disbelief, having poured the kettle of hot water over himself now that he was sheltered from the rainfall. He glanced across the empty room to where Shizuka sat, a towel wrapped around her head to soak up all the water in her hair, diligently cleaning out her shotgun barrel. Thanks to Hokuto's interruption of the duel the match was considered a draw, which was far more than Shizuka could hope for. Miranda was, not surprisingly, upset that Ranma copied her moves, and she desired a fight over it, but Ranma wasn't in the mood-- not after getting fried by the chain lightning. The others were quite impressed that Shizuka managed to hold her own; Ranma himself was surprised she used her head for a change. "Your friends were already called to him," Hokuto explained. "Even now they try to stop him from entering the city, but so far that's not the enemy's purpose. Ziel's thoughts are being controlled through a magic flute-- the Havoc Wing-- an instrument carved from the bone of a fallen phoenix. He is instilled with a murderous intent; this has awakened his demon blood fully, and attacks without discretion... devoid of morals or sanctity of life." "Left unchecked," Shizuka added, "I don't think anybody stands a chance." She looked toward Ranma. "I hope your pals are smart enough to run away." Ranma shook his head. "As much as I hate to say it, I really don't want others going up against something like that. Who's dumb enough to fight?" "Mousse and Shampoo are on their way," the Shadow Weaver answered. "What?" asked Kanna, who was standing in the frame of the doorway, leaning against one side with her arms folded. "What's that goon doing here?" "Three guesses," Shizuka answered sarcastically. "I didn't know they were back in town," Akane added. "They're definitely going to be in trouble." Ranma got up to his feet, prepared to leave. "So when're we going?" "I'll have to take you myself," Hokuto replied. "I can take each of you through the Shadow Stream to where Ziel is, but the sensation is unsettling." "Yeah, I know," the martial artist said, nodding, remembering his previous, unwanted trip through the dark matter. "Something I should know?" Miranda wondered. "So glad you volunteered to go first," Ranma said. * * * Ranma was glad he didn't have the pleasure of traveling with Hokuto first; it seemed that Hokuto could, at most, safely travel up to four people, including herself. In that regard Ryoga, Kanna, and Miranda decided to head off to the battle first-- probably because some of them wanted to leave Ranma and Akane back together, or some of them were too cocky about the experience. He had not really seen her for quite a few days; even their initial encounter outside the shrine wasn't enough to remind him that he was an idiot for leaving her behind. He looked into her eyes, and found no anger, no demon-- only sorrowful joy. He knew that it was only a reflection of his own feelings. He found his arms around her, and resisted the temptation to let her go. "It's okay," Ranma said, searching for words. "I think I've got it right, now." "Stupid Ranma," Akane replied, although it never held its strong meaning. * * * Ukyo slid the door shut as she stood outside under the overhang, joining Shizuka, who stood with her arms folded, staring out into the rain. "It's not like they're going to do anything," the priestess said. "Let them stand there and do nothing. Hokuto probably needs to get her bearings after moving so many people at once." "I'm surprised," the chef began, changing the subject. "I never thought you had it in you." "Every street punk has their day once in a while," she scoffed. "No, I mean it," Ukyo persisted, trying her best to sound genuinely impressed. "I didn't think anybody could keep up with Ranma, much less you." "Liar. Kanna beat him." "That was luck," Ukyo countered. "Skill; she outsmarted him. Kanna's by no means strong in the strength department, you know. Or in certain other areas, but being smart gives you the chance to be a step ahead." "Okay. Granted, Kanna is a war scholar and has a few years on him. That doesn't mean she can beat Ranma if she didn't have the time to plan out the battle ahead of time." "True, true. That's why he'll never beat her. Oh, and Miranda beat him." "She's a lazy slob. She doesn't look like she's been practicing lately, y'know?" "That's because she doesn't practice until after she realizes someone's strong enough to beat her," Shizuka explained, acting as if were as p as day. "Did I miss anybody?" "Just forget it," Ukyo said, not wanting to argue. "You still don't know when to shut up." "And you're so sunny that if the sun sets, you'll still be glowing." "Is that supposed to be a compliment, or an insult?" "Take your pick." The rain overhead seemed to beat harder on the roof. "Don't you ever stop insulting people?" "Don't you ever stop being so cheery? It's disgusting." "Same for that attitude of yours," Ukyo countered. "How the hell did you ever become a priestess, anyway?" "By default, not by choice, I assure you," Shizuka answered, her eyes narrowing. "I'm tellin' you, those people like types like you. No wonder everybody's pressuring your kind." "'My kind?'" "Yeah," Shizuka said, her tone conveying a sense that Ukyo should know what she was talking about. "You ever notice on TV that everyone promotes happy and healthy lives? It's always the same damn thing: grow up, get a boyfriend, marry, have kids, and be cute. Shitty message they're spreading to girls, I say." "There's nothing wrong with a healthy life." "Not if that's the only way it's being told," the priestess continued. "I don't have any of those, and I'm healthy and happy." "I thought you...." "He is not!" she answered quickly, cutting Ukyo off. "And you know what else? Since I'm a priestess certain things are expected of me. I don't do any of it; I do things my way. Have you ever seen an angel before?" Ukyo blinked, confused. "No...." "They say," Shizuka continued, apparently satisfied with the response, "that if people could add one more thing to the human race, it'd be angel wings. It supposedly 'looks good.'" She lowered her head and spat. "Ever wonder why you never see a summoner summon a Celestial? They're too haughty and full-of- it to come. They're too 'good' for us lowly humans. That's why every summoner makes pacts with demons... Infernals, outcasts of the spirit people. Angels are Celestials, Kuonji, and I hate them and everything having to do with them. That's why Sypha is leading a war in the Kami Plane-- to overthrow the Celestial Order that's held their world, and our world, since time immemorable. We the human race are too fixated on being 'good' that we don't know how to 'be.'" "What does that have to do with anything?" Ukyo wanted to know. The other girl shrugged. "I don't know; maybe I wanted you to know why I'm not a good priestess. The Celestials are so self-righteous that they're like strict parents who want you to do as they say." "You didn't grow-up with your parents, did you?" Shizuka sighed. "Of course not. I didn't 'conform' to what they wanted in their firstborn child." Ukyo shook her head. "You're one messed-up kid, you know that? Don't you ever stop thinking about 'you?'" "Hah. That's funny; Akane told me I wasn't selfish enough. Don't you just love double standards like that?" "It's your self-image; you think you're all-that." "I wouldn't be the first one, Kuonji. But it's a different thing to dream and to make dreams happen. At least I am aware that I have a self-image." "So am I," Ukyo countered. "I know what I am... nothing more, nothing less." She glanced over at the priestess, who seemed to look satisfied with the response. "You're getting better," Shizuka replied. "It's good to know who you are and where you stand." * * * Ruin of the Underground Lab Thunder crashed in the distance as dark clouds rushed to consume the sky, and Nekurow's boots clomped against wet earth as he made his way past his defeated opponents. Any that stood in the way of his target was an obstacle, and for that they should be lucky they have their lives, the dark hunter mused. It appeared he arrived last among those remaining martial artists left in the Tokyo area, with the girl Ayame in tow. Although he did not wish her to be around while he 'went to work' she came out of her own volition, likely curious as to what he was going to do to Ziel. The only worthy adversaries were a pair of Chinese martial artists-- one of which practiced the black arts of hidden weaponry. Nekurow only encountered such a practitioner once before, long ago, and it was a battle he had lost for underestimating the enemy's power. But that was many years ago, and experience is a wise teacher for those who live to learn from it. The dark hunter neutralized the weapon master's arts by throwing out his scabbard to catch the chains; with such a distraction the weapons were rendered useless, and it was a simple task to knock him out. The other, a feisty unarmed girl, proved to have a speed advantage, but without a weapon of her own she could not get close enough to land a blow of her own. That was her mistake. Ayame seemed to know those two as well, and for defeating the pair so soundly she chose to remain behind. That was just as well, Nekurow thought; she would have gotten in the way during the real fight with the Wind-User. Her heart bled for those in need, but such sympathy and love was wasted on Nekurow. The wind scattered the falling rain in seemingly random directions, but Nekurow's spectacles discerned a pattern-- a spiral-- moving around the ruins in a wide arc. Such behavior was typical; the Wind-User was most likely at the eye of the storm, and it was best to get there before the battle began. He met resistance in his steps as he entered the field of the spiraling wind. It was more than obvious to Nekurow that Ziel was expecting him. Reaching into his inner coat Nekurow withdrew his energy shield, opening it up and holding it to his left, against the path of the incoming wind. Creating a small hole of calm air from the magical device the hunter ducked his head and stepped inside. * * * The rush of cold air did not compare to the bite of the void of the shadow. Ryoga shivered despite himself, forcing himself ahead of Kanna and Miranda, who were similarly shaken-up by the shadow transport. Their benefactor, Hokuto, had long since vanished from sight, probably to get the others, preparing to make two more trips. Of course, the Shadow Weaver had not dropped them off just anywhere. They stood sheltered under an overhang to what appeared to be an empty aboveground storage shed, protected from the rainfall that was picking up. Not far away was a girl, standing on her knees, staring down at one of two prone, hurting people-- one Shampoo, one Mousse-- both of who had seen better days. "Hey squirt," Miranda called, her voice rebounding off the wall closest to her, "what's the haps?" Ayame jumped in surprise. "You?! How did you get here?" "Long story," Kanna answered. Ryoga nodded, lowering himself beside Shampoo. She looked up back at him, seemingly in immense pain, although there were no visible bruises or cuts on her. "There's a man in black," she explained, "who beat us in five minutes." "That's bad, even for you," Miranda said, kicking blow the proverbial belt. "You wouldn't last one second," Mousse countered, cocking his head up slowly, his glasses uneven on his brow. "He's good." "I suppose it's this Nekurow guy I've been hearing about?" guessed Kanna. ". FMousse... why the hell are you here?" "Heh," he chuckled, "I knew I'd find you here...." "What's this all about?" wondered Ryoga, his suspicious eyes passing from Mousse, then to Kanna. "Kanna... why'd you leave so suddenly?" asked the weapons master. "We were so... good together...." "Don't you get it?" the tactician bit back. "I left because I need space. I mean, sure, studying doesn't look like much of a life to you, but it's what I've got; I'm not a complete loser. I felt like going back and finishing college; helping Shizuka was a rather convenient excuse to... well... excuse myself." "But there's no way...." "Of course there is! Mousse, think about it; the only reason your people are fighting is because they are gangbanging each other. I'm an outsider, so I got an outside opinion on this... but it seems to me that sometime not long ago someone pushed someone's buttons, and people feuded. If one person did something, they had to do it back. From my point of view there's absolutely no reason why your people should be fighting at all, and I'm willing to bet you yourself don't even know why you're fighting." "They started it," Shampoo started to say, but stopped herself. Mousse slammed his fist on the ground. "Dammit! I should've known! We're still playing-out Sypha Blade's little distraction drama!" "When Sypha was looking to fix Dragon Pearl," the other Chinese warrior continued, "she got everybody to fight each other to hide the fact she was looking for something. People notice when strangers come looking around." "So she integrated herself into the Tigers tribe and provoked the fighting, hoping we'd all be too busy fighting amongst ourselves to fight her over the artifacts," Mousse finished. "And she's already long gone... what a devious woman she is!" "Mousse," Kanna said, "there's no way I can help you other than what I told you guys before. You have to work it out for yourselves." "But what about Nekurow?" wondered Ryoga. "Where did he go?" Ayame raised a finger, pointing toward the path of destruction beyond the overhang. "There's some kind of underground compound over there... the Wind-User broke through the earth and it's exposed to the sky. Nekurow went in there, but hasn't come out yet." "Seems like the wind's pickin' up, though," Miranda noted, standing at the edge of the overhang. Standing up, Ryoga decided, "I'm going after him." "Same here," Miranda said. "I ain't sitting this one out." "Only if you think you can keep up," Ryoga directed at her. "Shut up." "Wait for Ranma," Kanna advised. "There's no use getting picked-off one at a time by either of the opposing parties." "I tend to agree," Shizuka said, making her entrance from the shadow. Behind her Ranma and Akane appeared, but Ukyo was nowhere in sight. "But Nekurow's mine." "Where's Ukyo?" asked Kanna. "She's coming later," Ranma answered. "So where's Ziel?" "Over at the crater over there," Ryoga said, pointing the same way Ayame did earlier. "Nekurow's apparently over there, too." "Okay, fine," Ranma said, cracking his knuckles. "I'm going to show that guy some real action!" "You aren't thinking of doing it by yourself, are you?" "Just stay out of this," Shizuka told Ryoga, drawing her sword. "I've got a score to settle with the black hunter." She slid her shotgun off her shoulder, and handed it to Ryoga. "Watch this for me, 'kay? It's not dried yet." "Where're you going?" he wanted to know. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve," she replied, reaching for her string of three beads hanging off her left sleeve. "Just that it's going to call for a little creativity, since none of the beasts are answering the summons lately." "This'll be quick," Ranma assured him, stepping out into the rain. "Ranma, be careful," Akane said as he and Shizuka disappeared from the shelter. * * * Dropping down with a thud Nekurow quickly descended into the crater. He judged that the underground chamber was constructed for isolation purposes, as each of the four sides of the square chamber were white and bare, and appeared to have been designed with keeping noise inside in mind. At the center was a smashed rectangular table made of wood, splintered down the middle across the long side. Broken metal shackles hung uselessly at the places meant to keep the room's occupant down on the table. It was not that much different from a mental ward, only the concern of the occupant was the farthest from the doctor's mind. At the far end of the room, barely concealed by the shadows cast from the broken ceiling above, the black hunter's eyes found the prone body of Ziel Kagura, apparently looking exhausted. If the blast was any indication, it meant that the Wind-User expended a great deal of energy to get peoples' attention. "Welcome, Nekurow." The hunter paused in his thoughts, immediately tensing and reaching for the sword at his side. "Show yourself!" From beyond the shadow where Ziel lay another emerged, draped in dusty brown robes. Nekurow judged his height and build, but the newcomer's identity was concealed, as the hood cast a shadow over much of his face. The robed one stood with both arms to his side, but his left arm betrayed the fact that he was holding something-- probably a throwing weapon. "I am glad you accepted my invitation," the robed one said. "I went through a lot of trouble in order to find someone who could defeat the infamous Nekurow." "You," Nekurow recognized, remembering the man who directed him to Tokyo in the first place two weeks ago. "I should've known that you'd have a personal stake in this. What are you up to?" he demanded, his hand on the scabbard, thumb pushing the blade out by the hilt. "There are parties that are particularly interested in that sword you carry," he continued. "The Orochi Cult in particular want their sacred blade back, but even they wouldn't dare challenge you. And after I take it from your carcass, they might not be able to pay the highest bid on such a collectable relic." "Junk collector," the hunter spat. "I expected the Orochi Cult to come after the sword one day, but not in this manner. I cannot lose to one such as you." "Ah, but in my line of business, I collect all manner of 'junk.'" He raised his left arm up, revealing a strange, bone-like instrument. "This Havoc Wing, for instance... an instrument whose melodies attune the victim's mind to its current, whereby the notes can control." "I've heard of this 'Havoc Wing,'" Nekurow replied, his other hand drawing the Orochi sword. "It's power is limited to imprint on one mind at a time, and to the proficiency of the user. It plays off the feelings of the victim, but is useless against those protected against such power-- such as myself. What makes you think your control over the Wind-User will spell my demise?" He saw the robed adversary smile under the hood. "That was assuming I 'could' control him. The moment I play the right notes, he'll slaughter any living, breathing soul he sees. Anything to make the 'itch' go away." "That doesn't bar you, junk collector," Nekurow pointed out dryly. "There you go, assuming again. Certainly, you may see me, but it doesn't mean Ziel does...." "Nekurow!!" Both the hunter and the enemy looked up toward the top of the crater, with two new arrivals. "We ain't finished yet!" Shizuka announced, leaping into the crater, her sword drawn. Nekurow noted the priestess was missing her other blade as she stood. She pointed the sword at him, ignoring the robed man. "You touch Ziel, you die." Nekurow's eyes narrowed, noting that the robed one had already begun playing his deadly notes, and the Wind-User had already begun to rise, the priestess of Genbu oblivious to what was going on around her. He waited, watching as Ziel wound-up his arm free-hand. "Shizuka!!" the other cried from above. Nekurow, his eyes trained on said girl, barely noted who it could possibly be. Although the girl remained unflinching, her ally's last-minute ki attack sliced the tornado Ziel spun-off against her, rending the wind harmless, merely blowing her hair and his coat around. Nekurow grimaced, realizing that she probably also knew about the incoming attack, and chose not to do anything about it. The robed flautist paid it no mind, but Nekurow judged his reactions through Ziel, as the Wind-User was already using his wind power to carry himself out of the crater to attack the offending ki-user. "It seems as if your attempt to kill me has failed," Shizuka said, visibly disappointed, as Nekurow noted the robed one vanish back into the shadow. "Even the Shadow Weavers are afraid of you, but, as a fellow demon hunter... you're nothing special to me." "Awaken Deathclaw," Nekurow encouraged, frustrated that the possessed girl was getting in the way again. "You say you are a demon hunter... but you protect those two demons with your life. Do the world a favor-- allow me to slay these beasts before they cause atrocities." "I can't do that," Shizuka replied. "If I may be the servant of demons, then you're the servant of angels. You're a tool of prejudice and intolerance to the way YOU think is right. No; this time you're not fighting Deathclaw-- you're dealing with Shizuka Minazuki, and if you've got a problem with my friends, then you're going to have to go through me first." Nekurow smiled, amused by the bravado. "So be it!" * * * The rising tornado carrying Ziel out into the rainy grounds dissipated, and Ranma lowered her soaking arms as the winds died. The Wind-User's clothes were torn and ripped across in places, as if his own winds sliced into him. He held his head and arms low with an arched back, as if he could not stand up straight. Ziel took in long and deep breaths of air, as if the air around him were suffocating. "Ziel," Ranma shouted, "you don't have to listen to him...." "He can't hear you, boy," he heard the voice of the robed collector say, apparently having finished with the Havoc Wing. "In this state Ziel is beyond my control-- as I said earlier, my control over him was not complete. I think he'll demonstrate this for me." As if on cue Ziel's arms wound back, and then forth, ripping two quick tornados to life. Ranma threw herself away to the side, barely escaping the wind marked by the spinning rainfall. "He won't stop until I play the counter notes," he added, "or he wears himself out and dies. After all, he is a frail human. It matters not which comes first; if you survive, I'll just attune the flute to you." * * * "Hokuto," Akane said, looking back toward the Shadow Weaver who just brought Ukyo with her, "what's going on?" Appearing visibly exhausted, the Shadow Weaver answered, "It is as it appears." "So what about the Havoc Wing?" she asked. "Can't we do anything about that?" "Such as?" Miranda said, posing her own question into the pool, obviously bored out of her mind. "Our enemy need not play constantly to retain its effects," Hokuto answered. "But it is useless to try and stop Ziel with it without knowing the notes that went into stirring his blood." "It's still worth a shot, I think," Kanna said in support of Akane. "I'll get it," Ryoga volunteered. "You can't," the Shadow Weaver told him. "He's beyond your ability." "You're kidding," Miranda groaned. "Will you quit telling us what we can't do and tell us what we CAN do?" "Just who is this guy, Hokuto?" Akane asked finally. "You obviously know more than you're letting on." "He's a Shadow Weaver, too, isn't he?" guessed Kanna. "Is that why you're protecting him?" "I'm not protecting him!" she protested. "Sure sounds like it to me," Mousse scoffed. "You're better off not knowing too much," Hokuto insisted. "The Oracle of Bones is a dangerous man." "Hokuto!" Akane yelled impatiently. "Kosseimaru." "Kosseimaru?" "He's a collector of rare artifacts, and is thought to be immortal because he found something," Hokuto explained reluctantly. "We've traced him to be at least three-hundred years old, and we've never gotten close enough to him to know if he's truly a man, or a demon." "So there's guys even you fear," Ukyo concluded. "Kosseimaru lives off the riches he makes by selling certain artifacts to the highest bidder. He apparently is aware of our order and knows when we watch him. We are forbidden to get close to him... because he has killed some of us in the past, and our numbers are not what they used to be." "So why don't we gang-bang him?" suggesed Miranda, clenching her fists in anticipation. "One guy can't possibly deal with all of us." "We just want the flute," Akane said, putting the focus back on the matter at hand. She looked toward Shampoo and Mousse, who were forcing themselves to sit-up. "This is personal," Shampoo stated. "We get your flute, then I get Nekurow!" "Forget that," Mousse insisted. "I just want that bastard." "We're getting the flute!" the other insisted. "I don't care for this mind control magic." Wordlessly, Ayame watched as both Shampoo and Mousse got up to their feet, and turned and exited the confines of the shelter, out into the rain and into the coldness of the wind. Following their silent trek went Ryoga, Miranda, and Ukyo, with the former two cracking their knuckles, and the latter slipping out the giant spatula slung over her shoulder. Akane got up and followed, and finally, Ayame's eyes passed to Kanna, who was staring back. "Um, I think I'll sit this one out," Ayame said, getting a silent nod in return from the other girl. Kanna nudged her head toward Hokuto. "Make sure she doesn't go anywhere," she ordered, unslinging her death scythe before moving out. * * * The weight of Nekurow's heavy blows did not hurt as much as before, Shizuka noted, keeping her hands firmly gripped on her single remaining sword. Although the Viper swords were designed as a pair in mind they were forged as any other katana, just like the Orochi sword. However, the Orochi sword was forced in a superior manner to the Viper swords, and it was made of a mystical fang to boot. The Viper swords were just regular swords decorated with ornaments. For each overhead swing Nekurow made Shizuka was ready to parry the blow, and the moment he withdrew for another blow she wheeled around, dodging to either side seemingly at random, and sometimes backward, creating a slowly-moving circle of death as either one of the combatants refused to allow their flanks or rears to get compromised. Her heart hammered against her breast, and her thoughts raced, scrambling to discern some sort of weakness... stupid habit... that she never noticed before. The dark glasses the dark hunter wore reflected the priestess' dilemma perfectly, and she knew that Nekurow knew it, too. "Help me," Shizuka said in her mind, reaching down to her soul-- and the creature sharing within. "Help?" Deathclaw scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. You wanted to beat him without my help." "That last time was a mistake," she admitted. "One of us has to be in total control, or this doesn't work. But you know... if I go, you go, too." "Yes," the ghost dragon knew. "You made sure he won't care if he kills you. A wise decision." "Look, dragon breath," she hissed, suddenly annoyed, "I don't like you, and you don't like me. Fine; we've got that squared-away. But I don't plan on dying, and neither do you, so let's set aside our petty differences for now and wipe the smile off this guy's face. How about that?" She waited for Deathclaw's reply, but her impatience won out first. "Give me an opening, dammit!" The dragon sighed. "He's playing on your frustration," he answered. "Get out of melee range." Shizuka's eyes narrowed, waiting for the opportunity to capitalize on such an obvious idea. Nekurow pulled his sword back, reorienting his hand to opt for a horizontal slash. Choosing this to be the time the priestess forced all her strength in her legs, then purposefully catapulted backward as hard as she could as the swinging blade slashed the air. She released one hand from her sword grip, slipping it up her sleeve until her fingers closed around the steel cards. Whipping her arm back out she threw three of the cards back toward the enemy, swinging with one motion. As they were piercing the air with a whine Shizuka barely had the time to blink before all three of them were dead and clattering on the ground, having their momentum absorbed by Nekurow's energy shield, which spread like a hexagon that protected nearly his entire body with a transparent, shimmering force. Nekurow kept the shield trained ahead, but his sword ready, low and behind, ready to swing. Shizuka raised her right leg upwaer oward remains of the ceiling, and triggered the harpoon gun strapped to her lower leg. The harpoon sped upward and lodged itself quickly into the ceiling, and the rope that trailed back to the launcher quickly rolled back in, taking the priestess up into the air by her leg. She stared down at Nekurow, and could not read his expression with the glasses in the way. Planting her other foot against the ceiling Shizuka dislodged the harpoon, allowing it to retract fully and placing herself in freefall, sword first, downward to the opposing black hunter. Nekurow pivoted off his left foot, turning back and allowing Shizuka to smash against the ground. Although the collision indeed hurt Shizuka counted on the move, putting her in a better, more deceptively-advantageous position. She reared back slightly, coiled to strike, knowing that she had the scant precious seconds to get under the energy web shield. True to her nature the snake lashed out with its fang, darting under the shield for Nekurow's legs, catching him on his left leg. Meeting with heavy resistance Shizuka raised her Viper sword up and took a good, quick slash at his shield arm, and somersaulted backward against the inside of the shield, tearing it out of the hunter's grip. The hunter howled in pain as the energy shield died without his life force to fuel it, and the device clattered uselessly behind Shizuka. Before she could get back to her feet Nekurow was already reaching for another weapon, and the priestess felt the leather lash of his whip coil around her sword arm. Shizuka pulled her arm back, but Nekurow was counting on it; he released the hold on the whip, causing her to stagger back defenseless for a few critical seconds. Her eyes widened in shock when the next stroke came, her back slamming against the wall behind her. She looked down, staring at a retracting spear weapon that ran straight through the left side of her stomach and through the back, impaling her against the wall. Her eyes followed the retracting pole back to Nekurow's open palm, and underneath it to the dark recesses of his coat sleeve. Her Viper sword dropped uselessly somewhere on the ground, Shizuka grasped the retracting pole with both hands, in a vain, weak attempt to dislodge herself. "You fought well, and I commend you on your courage," Nekurow hissed, his voice filled with no great pleasure at the task before him. "I will make this quick." * * * Ziel spun off more tornados, forcing Ranma to weave between the spinning winds on a moment's notice, as the path of the winds were erratic and unpredictable. She dodged one tornado, only to get a second tornado full in the face, the spiraling wind ripping cuts on her clothes and her face and arms. Ranma refused the urge to cry out, unwilling to give the deranged Wind-User the satisfaction of inflicting pain. Said opponent stood in place, hunched-over and clutching his head, occasionally pounding against it with his open palms, as if to drive out a hideous noise from his head. Ranma stretched her right arm out, and threw an arced ki bolt, and watched it sail through the incoming tornados effortlessly with its vacuum force. Ziel did not move even as the blade nicked his left shoulder, nor did he seem to notice, but his rage seemed to intensify against the struggle going on within him. Several more tornados spun away from the Wind-User, and there was nowhere to find cover. Utilizing her quick speed Ranma made several slash motions, quickly forming a safe pocket of air from the incoming attack. "Damn it," she cursed. "That jerk was right; not even a blow like that's going to stop him. He WANTS me to kill him." But that's not going to happen, Ranma reminded herself. Yet... Ziel wasn't giving any openings.... Make one. Whipping out several cuts in front of her to pave the way Ranma rushed in the wake of the vacuum shield, forcing her way through the tornado storm and getting the first real reaction out of Ziel, who finally seemed to notice her. Raising up slightly Ziel tossed his arms about, sending his own vacuum blades out to diffuse Ranma's own, but it was not enough to break Ranma's momentum. She launched a strong kick against Ziel's face, sending the Wind-User flying backward against the ground. Lowering her guard for a moment Ranma tensed again when Ziel, despite taking what should have been a knock-out blow, was getting back up, using the wind to bring his body into the air. Levitating effortlessly, Ziel's blank eyes stared back at the martial artist, and he took several deep breaths in rapid succession. "No way," she muttered in disbelief. As if the day wished for Ranma to get it worse, she felt the air beneath her feet spiral, but it was too late. Spiraling upward into the sky out of control, the wind knocked out of her, Ranma struggled with herself to keep her eyes open. As quick as the wind column appeared it vanished, leaving the martial artist to plummet back down to the earth, hard. That was it, she realized too late. Ziel's trying to wear me out.... Shaking the thought out of her mind, Ranma forced herself to get back up. "Everybody's depending on me," she told herself. "Akane's depending on me. Even Ziel.... I won't lose." * * * "Good," Kosseimaru said, observing his puppet flatten the upstart martial artist. "You were the right choice after all." He raised the bone flute to his lips. "I see there is no need to overexert yourself... there is still the hunter to deal with...." "Kosseimaru!" Disturbed that someone shouted to him by name the robed man lowered the Havoc Wing, and turned. "I see there were more of you, after all." With Akane standing in front, the gathered martial artists seemed ready to take on the dark one. "Stop this right now!" she demanded. "Or you're going to wish you stayed in bed this morning!" added Miranda. Kosseimaru snorted. "It doesn't matter; I came prepared for you as well." Quickly reaching into his sleeve, Kosseimaru threw out several small, tooth-like bones, scattering them on the ground before him like a protective shield. Each of the balls glowed, pulsating with a life of their own, and in a quick flash, were replaced by five skeleton warriors-- animated dead, each armed with swords carved of bone. "What the hell...?!" Ryoga cursed. "Feel free to play with my hydra teeth," Kosseimaru invited, lifting the Havoc Wing back up. "I'm busy." * * * Akane stood her ground, but Miranda and Ryoga charged head-on to the new opponents. She looked to her left at Ukyo, who merely shrugged, then rushed to join them, along with Mousse and Kanna. With one-on-one odds on the hydra teeth, that left her, and.... Shampoo tapped her on the shoulder. "Now we can get the flute," she suggested, before rushing off herself. "Shampoo, wait!" Akane cried, but the martial artist was already rushing off past the hydra teeth and the others. Shaking her head, she followed Shampoo in turn, amidst unintelligible encouragement from Ryoga and Ukyo. * * * Parrying a swing from a bone sword, shattering on impact against her spatula, Ukyo wound up for the swing. She sliced across the rib cage of the bones, shattering it on impact, allowing the rest of the animated skeleton to crumble before her. Wiping her forehead, about to congratulate herself on a job well-done, the bone fragments began to move again. Each of the fragments shimmered as before, quickly reconstructing themselves. Quickly darting her eyes to each side, she saw that Kanna and Mousse, who each had already taken-out their own opponents with fatal weapon blows, were suffering from the same problem. "Dammit," she cursed as the hydra teeth, now fully-reassembled, along with the bone sword, rushed her. "Don't you guys know when to stay dead?" * * * A scant few notes escaped from the Havoc Wing before Shampoo was over Kosseimaru, interrupting the sequence of notes. Despite herself Shampoo fought against the bruises Nekurow gave her earlier, throwing punch and kick with surprising speed against the rainfall. Her teeth barred, her eyes intent on the robed foe, she was focused on dislodging the flute from his hand. But for as much as she was quick, Kosseimaru seemed even quicker, dodging each blow with surprising ease. "My, my," he said impassively. "Aren't we eager to die?" "Fight me!" Shampoo challenged. "No more stupid mind tricks!" Yet the robed man refused to answer the challenge. "You were one of those I sought to fight Nekurow, but you had many failings. Such as your curse... and speaking of which, I see you remedied that failing." "I will quiet you!" she hissed. "Are you truly fighting me, or yourself?" he taunted. "You share a kinship with Ziel; you, too, were weak enough to have your mind controlled by another." Bursting into an explosive anger, Shampoo didn't care if Kosseimaru punched her soft spot. It was inexcusable for one of her upbringing to be manipulated by such magicks-- even if it was by an enemy as strong as the Phoenix Mountain people. She grew up surrounded by such magicks in her youth, and Shampoo thought she was better-prepared to handle such things. One great kick landed in Kosseimaru's mid-section, but instead of impacting against a hard body, Shampoo felt whatever it was underneath the robes buckle and cave like sand. She found herself standing before the robed man, her right leg stuck in his chest, and stared at a dark smile. Kosseimaru wasn't hurt by the blow at all. "That tickled," he said, amused. * * * "Think of something!" Shizuka shouted in her mind, unable to budge the spear no matter how hard she tried. "Is this how you intend to end this?" Deathclaw snorted, disappointed. "If you are too weak...." "Shut up, I'm thinking! I don't want your help!" She felt a cold shiver take hold in her body, spreading from the metal shaft impaling her side. Her blood froze as she felt Deathclaw's presence, exerting control over her body functions, numbing her stomach of the bleeding pain. It was as if the gods took pity on her, and killed the pain-- and the feeling-- in her stomach. Shizuka was certain it was true that the ghost dragon finally decided to help. * * * Annoyed at having cut down her opponent for the third time Kanna lowered the butt-end of her death scythe down to the remains of the hydra teeth, sifting through the remains, contemplating kicking them and scattering them across the wind. Her eyes narrowed as the pieces closest to the center of the pile started to glow, but noted that the pieces she sifted away were not. Angered, Kanna lifted her foot and stomped on the glowing pieces twice. She waited and watched for them to glow, but the only source of light was emerging from the bottom of the pile. Kicking the broken pieces out of the way Kanna found a glowing marble-like tooth-- just like the ones Kosseimaru threw out in the first place. Spinning her scythe in the air, with the blade facing down, the tactician speared the marble. The marble shattered, a wisp of energy dissipating harmlessly from the now-opened center. Raising her head, she shouted to the other, "Guys! Their cores are their weakness!" "About time," Mousse shouted back. Kanna turned to his direction, seeing him hammering the bones and grinding them to dust-- along with the core-- with a large mallet. Her eyes focused on Ryoga, and Kanna barely witnessed the martial artist punch through the bones' rib cage. The hydra teeth seemed to stop in an instant, and wisps of energy flew out from the cage; Kanna surmised that Ryoga crushed the core with his bare hand. The former animate collapsed around his arm. * * * "You're not human," Shampoo realized, trying to get her leg unstuck. She felt something rattle beneath the robes. "Heh, heh, heh," the enemy laughed. "Maybe... or maybe not." "Kosseimaru!!" The robed man only had time to turn his head before Akane gave him the hardest knuckle sandwich ever. Bones cracked from the blow, and Akane stood back, dumbfounded that her blow could do so much damage. The cloth around the man's head suggested that his neck was snapped, and now Kosseimaru was looking at her with his head having turned a full circle around his body. Bits of skin flaked off of his visible cheek. "That... hurt!" he cried with rage. "What in the world are you?" Akane demanded to know. Before any answer could come Shampoo's free leg was around the arm holding the Havoc Wing, bringing the robed... thing... down to the ground, collapsing in a heap. Seeing the robed man lose grip over the bone flute Akane reached out and scooped up the bone artifact, keeping it out of reach from Kosseimaru. "Heh, heh," the collapsed man laughed, "what are you going to do with that? You don't know how to stop Ziel." "I don't need to know," Akane said, holding the two ends of the flute with her hands. Raising her knee up for a second she brought the flute's mid-point down hard, snapping the bone in two. "NOO!!!" Kosseimaru screamed in surprise and anger, reaching out with his outstretched hand. * * * Ranma charged at Ziel, who was spinning a massive spiral around himself, preparing to launch an even more massive tornado. She weaved to the left and right, dodging wind blades as they came, with some nicking her arms or legs. Letting out a cry Ranma threw several more blade bolts, carving against the width of the tornado shield ahead of her. She dove into the brief aperture, fist-first, like an unstoppable missile. She felt the wind crash against her on the way in, and rip her apart on the way out, taking Ziel with her with surprising force. Ranma collapsed some distance past Ziel, tumbling over her head and landing on her back, staring up at the dark, cloudy sky. The rain beat against her body that ached all over from the reckless attack, and she knew she could take no more of the punishment-- the limit was reached. Yet, that seemed to be enough, and Ranma did not protest against her heavy eyelids, welcoming the long- earned rest. * * * Nekurow retracted his extending spear seconds after Shizuka's grip weakened and faltered. Her arms fell limp, and her head fell forward, as if all life was drained through the weapon. Annoyed that the girl was probably so weak that she died from such an inaccurate blow the weapon quickly slid back through the priestess' body, allowing it to crumple to the ground. Tossing the retracted weapon aside the dark hunter walked steadily toward the fallen priestess, unsure if he really killed the girl. He reached out with the toe of his right boot, intent on turning the body over. The last thing he saw before the brightness overtook his vision was the girl, very much alive, tossing a small bead at his face. * * * "You dumb fuck," Shizuka cursed, getting back to her feet. She held up the two remaining beads from the string on her left sleeve, having swept them off when she faked unconsciousness. "And you call yourself a hunter?" The summoning beads served as a sort of container of potential energy for magic; typically they were offered to summoned beasts in exchange for service, as the residents of the Kami Plane used it to increase their personal power-- and thus their station among their peers. However, since it was potential energy, it could be fashioned and used however the user pleased, if they knew how to harness the power. Knowing that the blinding flash-- which lasted only for a heartbeat-- would keep Nekurow busy for only a few seconds until his spectacles readjusted to the brightness of the chamber, Shizuka tossed the second bead in front of her, allowing it to transform into a glowing ball of energy. It stopped in mid-air, opening a small aperture, and unleashing several tiny needle- like bolts at the exposed Nekurow. The dark hunter staggered back as each needle punched into his chest, dissipating upon contact, but causing harm nonetheless, firing like a minigun. The scorpion stinger wasn't meant to deal a lot of damage, but serve as a constant distraction for its speed of attack. Preparing to throw her third bead Shizuka was unprepared for Nekurow's sudden recovery, as he rushed into the fire of the stinger and knocked the priestess with the back of his free hand. Staggering backward her arm flailed as well, causing her to lose grip on the bead. It clattered uselessly somewhere behind her, and Shizuka cursed her luck. Nekurow raised his hand to adjust his glasses. "That was an interesting trick," he admitted, "but hardly enough." Annoyed, and nearly out of options, Shizuka quickly threw three more steel cards, then aimed her right leg out as if to kick, and fired her harpoon gun. For his credit the dark hunter quickly deflected all three projectiles away, and dodged to the right, allowing the harpoon gun and the rope attached to it to fly under his left arm. He smirked, but before he could make a reply Shizuka was suddenly catapulted toward him, with both her feet first, knocking him in the stomach and knocking him out, sword flying. Crashing against the opposite wall, Shizuka, too, collapsed to the ground on her back, the harpoon still stuck to the wall. "It's not over," Deathclaw warned, and the girl snapped back to her senses. True to form Nekurow was getting up, and looked as if he was going to dive for the Orochi sword. Shizuka quickly planted her feet against the wall, and catapulted herself off, breaking the harpoon free. With her arm outstretched she reached for the sword as Nekurow did the same. Her fingers curled around the handle just as Nekurow's hand clamped onto her hand. Yet just as quickly as his hand was on it was gone, and Nekurow howled in pain as he was shocked by the sword. Cradling it as if it were burned it allowed Shizuka ample time to get back to her feet, the large Orochi Sword in her hand. She held the blade under the dark hunter's chin threateningly. "The sword has chosen its master," she announced dryly. "That's impossible," Nekurow muttered in disbelief, making no move to provoke the priestess. "I mastered the sword long ago." "You'd be surprised what a 'demon priestess' is capable of," Shizuka replied impassively. "So I guess it figures, coming from a demon sword." * * * "You broke the spell," Kosseimaru said, trying to regain some shred of dignity. "You broke my flute." "You're through," Akane said, standing over the man. The robed man laughed. "You win... this round...." The mass holding the robe up seemed to buckle, and Shampoo's hold rendered useless. Smokey wisps rose from the ends, startling both girls as the others came up, having dealt with the hydra teeth. "What the hell?!" exclaimed Ukyo. Narrowing her eyes, Kanna reached with the butt of her polearm, and poked at the robe, coming straight to the ground. She pulled it away, revealing a clatter of bone and decaying skin, dissolving into the air. "This guy's a skeleton, too," the tactician announced. "Tricky guy, using puppets." "So it's not over, huh?" Ryoga surmised. "Well, if he shows his face again, we can take him!" Miranda boasted confidently. * * * Sitting alone in a dark room, far from the battle, Kosseimaru stared at the table before him, arms folded impassively. Sitting on top of the wooden surface was a single clear, crystal orb, resting on an ornate bronze phoenix pedestal which, up until that moment, was showing him what was happening around his animated puppet. The bone animate took a great deal of time and effort in order to construct, but situations such as this proved it was worth it. It would take some time to gather enough material to animate another one to replace the one lost, but that was why it was useful to keep more than one around. On the other hand, there was nothing that could replace such a useful tool as the Havoc Wing. That would have to be remedied. The Orochi sword, though, he could afford to let go... for the moment. "Ranma Saotome," he said, smirking in amusement. "Shizuka Minazuki. Ziel Kagura. Nekurow. You were all interesting pawns; I think perhaps, in the future, you could entertain me further. Until then...." * * * Tendo Household, End of Day 3 of Stage Two Ranma, after having dried himself off from pouring hot water over himself, walked into the dojo leaning on a walking stick to support himself, followed by Akane. Many of the others had come back to the dojo from the battle-- all save for Hokuto, Ayame, Miranda, and the dark hunter, Nekurow, who presumably wished to move on their separate ways. Nekurow in particular did not wish for company, it seemed, after acknowledging that Shizuka was the victor-- her first victory, as far as Ranma was concerned. Hokuto, as Shizuka put it: "Ms. Explanation pops in only when it's convenient." Miranda, for her part, stayed for only a short while, then ran off into the rainy night, mentioning something about "training." Maybe, Ranma thought, he "finally got good enough" that she decided to resume training to catch-up. He looked forward to fighting her in the future, and promised to himself that he would not lose. His eyes glanced around the area, spying clusters of his friends. Ryoga and Ukyo were busy catching-up on old times, probably swapping stories of their respective lives after parting last. Kanna and Mousse seemed to be deep in conversation, while Shampoo stood near the exit alone, staring out into the rain. She was disappointed that, when Nekurow emerged from the crater, he was disarmed, and unable to give her an appropriate rematch-- one which both agreed to at some later date, probably when he got another sword. Ziel Kagura, similarly beaten as Ranma, sat propped against the wall next to Shizuka, who was holding her newly- acquired sword up to the air to study. The priestess kept the blade Kanna kept by her side-- one which Ranma heard was useless to fight with anymore. It only seemed fair that she got a new one to make up for the loss of the old. Both he and Akane approached the two slowly. Ranma recalled when Shizuka emerged from the crater, with a hand over her bloodied side, and Akane rushed to her side. Shizuka told her to back off, citing that it "was only a flesh wound," and it would heal. She was far more irritated that it put a hole in her shirt more than anything-- she even explained away the blood stains. Incredibly stubborn, he thought to himself, and maybe just as simple. "Well," Ranma said in greeting, "I see you like your new toy." "It'll have to do," Shizuka answered in response. "It just wasn't a sword someone like Nekurow should use." "What're you going to do with the other one?" Akane asked, curious. "I'm going to go home, and present it as a gift for Mizuki," she answered, returning the Orochi sword to its sheath. "I think it's only proper. Besides, I need a vacation after going through all this crap." "Hey, Ranma," Ziel said. "Back there... thanks for everything.... It seems you're the better between the two of us, after all." "Nah," Ranma scoffed, shaking his head. "You just weren't doing your best then." The Wind-User snorted in amusement, extending an open hand. "Heh, yeah... I guess you're right. You're okay in my book." Returning the handshake, the martial artist said, "You're welcome." Pausing in mid-shake, Ziel's expression melted, and his eyes narrowed. His lips parted, as if he was about to say something, but stopped, as if attempting to find the right words. "What?" asked Ranma. "You know," the Wind-User said bluntly, "I could've sworn you were a little shorter that last time, and pretty plump, too. And you scream like a girl." * * * "Kanna," Mousse began, opening himself to what he meant to say for quite some time, since his journey to Japan began, "when you left, I didn't know what to do. It wasn't just about the war thing... I...." "Don't say it, Mousse," Kanna interrupted coldly. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way about you... and I don't think you know what you're talking about." "But I didn't finish," he complained. "There's a difference between love and idolization, you know?" she explained. "When I was growing-up I had to learn that the hard way. I had lots of admirers as well as my fair share of critics. Well, those admirers thought I was cool because I was so smart and good- looking. Well, one time, this guy professed that he had feelings for me." "Now, not knowing what it is like to truly be in love, I believed him. But then my friends-- my real friends-- they caught me on the way up and pulled me back down to earth. I got confused about what to think, and what to say, because I liked being admired like I was. But admiration isn't something where you are willing to throw away everything and focus on that one thing. That's what I think love might be; I don't know, because I never felt it. Admiration is where you find something about another person that you like, and you look-up to that person, because maybe, deep down, you want to be just like them." "Do you understand what I'm saying?" she asked, unable to read Mousse beneath his glasses. Lowering his head slightly, he nodded. "I see...." Kanna placed her hands on Mousse's shoulders, and stared at him intently. "Listen, Mousse. I know you know what love is. Look deep into your heart, and ask yourself, 'Who do I want to spend the rest of my life with?' If you can answer that question with a name, and you know her face, and can find and reach that special person... you should do it. There can't possibly be anything better when you know, and she knows, and both of you are willing to throw away everything... just to be together." "Really?" "Really." Mousse raised his head slowly, and looked into Kanna's eyes. He craned his head to the side, and stared away from the tactician for several long moments, allowing Kanna's words to sink-in fully. It was something that he had felt... long ago... that was buried, but not forgotten. "I've got to go," he said finally, and Kanna released her hold. "There is someone waiting for me." * * * Mishima Estate "I returned to thank you for your hospitality these past few days," Nekurow announced, standing at the front entrance, ready to depart at a moment's notice. Ayame and Chika were the only ones present. "You're welcome to return anytime you wish," Ayame informed him. "I will consider that next time I am in town," the hunter replied. "Um, Nekurow?" Ayame asked, "where are you going?" "To search for a new sword. That girl was correct; the demon blade was not mine to wield. I foresee a lot of time soul-searching until that day... and perhaps I may consider what you told me earlier." "I see," Chika said, jabbing her elbow into Ayame's ribs. "You're getting ahead of the game." "Hey! That's not funny!" Ayame protested. Nekurow bowed respectfully. "I shall take my leave of you. I look forward to seeing you again." * * * "You heard that Ziel and Shizuka are okay, right?" Nabiki typed to Shion, sitting at her computer. "Yes," came the response. Puzzled over the over-simplistic response, not eliciting the response she expected, Nabiki replied, "That's it? You're not going to say anything to her?" "No." "Why not?" "Is there a reason to?" "Because she's your girlfriend." "She'll come to me when she feels the need to. I trust her to do this." Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You really do love her, don't you?" "Perhaps," Shion conceded. "But that's how I trust all my friends." "You're not just going to leave it at that, are you?" "Yes I am." "Weirdo." "Thank you." Nabiki groaned, waiting for the 'inevitable' smiley that never appeared. Shion was taking all of this as one big compliment, and she had no doubt in her mind that he was enjoying every minute of it. * * * "Hey Mousse, Shampoo," Ranma greeted, approaching the two standing near the exit together. "I never expected to see you guys so soon." "Well, well, Saotome," Mousse returned in greeting, "looks like you're out of practice." "Akane tells me something interesting," Ranma said, getting to the point. "She said that, even during the rain, Shampoo didn't transform." "Into a cat?" she said. "Not anymore. Shampoo got a cure for the stupid curse." "Oh yeah, that reminds me," Mousse interrupted. "Ranma, you're still cursed, right?" "Yeah?" "Well, we did an experiment at Jusenkyo," he continued. "When we captured someone from another tribe I wanted to see what happened with the curses if you threw someone in multiple, contradicting springs. Kanna didn't like it, though. So we threw this guy in the Spring of Drowned Girl, and then into the Spring of Drowned Man." "After that, it didn't work," Shampoo finished. "In other words, curses contradicting cancel each other out." Ranma blinked. "Really?" "Well, yeah," the Master of Hidden Weapons said. "You mean I won't turn into some hideous man-woman curse combination?" "Yes," Shampoo confirmed. "Although that guy didn't like what we did to him...." Dropping his walking stick, suddenly full of energy, Ranma grabbed Mousse by the scruff of his robe. "Tell me you brought some!!" "Um, well, if I knew we were coming to visit you...." "You didn't?!" "We had no time," Shampoo said in excuse. "It was all Mousse." "I wasn't thinking of Ranma!" he explained away. Ranma lessened his grip. "Tell me you've got money for a ticket to China...." "Actually, we had to work for our tickets just to get HERE," Mousse explained. "It never occurred to me at the time to get round-trip tickets like Kanna did." "So we're staying around for a while," Shampoo added. "Maybe few days, maybe a few weeks." "I can spring you guys," Kanna interrupted, suddenly jumping into the conversation. "What about me?" Ranma complained. "I need a ticket, too!" "You?" the tactician said, amazed and disgusted. "I hardly know you! I'm giving them money because of all the trouble they went to just to follow me here." "What makes you think I didn't go through a lot of trouble?" "Prove to me you're not too lazy to get to China yourself!" she dared. "Fine!" Ranma exclaimed. "How about a match? If I win, you pay my way to China!" "So what do I get if I win?" Kanna asked, interested. "Hmm... you'll do my groceries next week." "You're on!" Shampoo leaned over to whisper in Mousse's ear. "Do you count on Ranma coming anytime soon?" Mousse shook his head. "I'd pay to see how long Kanna can string this out. Maybe we ought to mail him some when we get home." ----------------------------------------------- Author's Rant End of the line. I didn't feel it necessary to cover the bases covered already (such as the obvious Ranma and Akane relationship), but rather put Ranma in a position where he isn't so susceptible to his ego trips as happens when he fights someone. In a manner of speaking its a culmination and conclusion of why I had him lose his previous fights in the first place-- in order to humble him and curb ego... not to change his character, but rather to make him a little wiser. Whereas for Shizuka, her strength was what Ranma lacked and her weakness was what Ranma had in spades, which is why I find their interaction so interesting. The snake is seen as a wise creature in Chinese culture, although it is a loathed creature in Western cultures, and Shizuka is somewhat sharing both those views. What wasn't resolved in her situation was her apparent incompetence in fighting ability-- she doesn't seem to use her head at all (being wise and being able to capitalize on it are two different things). Shizuka has an unthinkable number of options at her disposal that it seems a waste that she doesn't utilize more than one of them at a given time. Therefore one must force her into a situation where using just one option doesn't cut it. In that sense nobody can tell her how to fight, and that places the methods she went for and for what Ranma went for switched-- Shizuka needed to train alone and Ranma needed his friends. Honestly, Miranda was always meant to be like this. Her addiction is victory and she is afraid to fight in fear of losing. She's 'in it' for glory, fame, and idolization, and a lot of you don't understand that, so I'm beating it over your head. Kanna, on the other hand, can win because she CAN plan her battles ahead of time, as opposed to Ranma's thinking on his feet. Like Ziel and Shizuka Kanna can't take hits, so obviously you're going to take out someone who can a vastly different way. Nabiki and Shion served as traditional Greek muses in the old plays; they play the role of exposition, explaining sideline events to the main plot. Although essentially the Kuno characters weren't used heavily in this fic. They originally had larger parts but were reduced from the previous version in editing, as they served no actual use in the story. If Mousse and Kanna not getting together looks like a discrepancy to you, it is. After all, Sypha didn't really SAY that was what was going to happen; just told Ranma what he needed to hear. This serves two points-- one, to end the conflict Sypha started and discarded, and two, to get Kanna back in Japan for whatever else I want to do with her (not necessarily having to deal with Ranma). Ziel was originally created to close the gap I made in creating characters-- most of them were female. Over time he turned into something more and does have a hidden, but semi-obvious reasoning behind him. Not to mention 'Ziel' isn't really his name; he is a character known by his handle alone as a variation of the other Inner Circle members who are referred by their actual names rather than their handles (it's a carryover from his demon ancestor, actually). That and his shifty background makes him more mysterious. And no, he isn't aware of Ranma's curse, and neither are Kanna, Miranda, or Ayame. They were never close enough to Ranma in order to tell the difference, or not paying attention. Shizuka's the only one of the lot that's actively aware of Ranma's curse, and it's one of the reasons she's at odds with him in the first place. The Springs thread was something left-over from the series a long time ago, whereby Ranma was convinced that the Spring of Drowned Man would hurt him rather than cure him. It was a cruel thing to do, but when faced with hybrid examples you can never be too careful (Taro, Seiryu's minions). Nekurow is a good guy. Really; he has to be if Shizuka is a bad guy. He's somewhat of a pathetic parody of the trend of recent RPG heroes being brooding dark loners, and Ayame was his femme-foil. Of course since it is a parody he doesn't 'soften-up' or repent at all-- he's still a jerk. Ayame's incarnation here is more similar to that used in 'Souls of Fire' than here, as I found that more interesting. Kosseimaru somewhat translates to 'bone spirit.' The hydra teeth are of course a nod from 'Jason and the Argonauts' (the cheesy film, not the myth). In fact originally Nekurow was going to be this guy (the name is a bastardization of 'necro' using the Japanese word for 'black'). If this guy sounds familiar to you, he should-- he is loosely based off Naraku from Inuyasha with a Highlander twist. The reason he wasn't concerned about getting attacked by Ziel was simply because the dummy Kosseimaru wasn't really alive and Ziel didn't prioritize soulless beings during his blood riot (chances are they wouldn't have blood...). -- Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@NYChotmail.com) www.angelfire.com/art/rcxshizuka/ranma/ranff.html