Second revision. Thanks to Grayson Towler, Vincent Seifert, and Gary Kleppe for helping to improve this chapter. C&C is most welcome. Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and her publishers. I am merely using the characters for the purpose of profit-free entertainment and make no claim on them. The following people have been kind enough to create a page to host my fanfics, so please take a look: Vincent Seifert: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/kagami/ Yoshiro_san: http://members.xoom.com/Yoshiro_san/mother/ David Pascal: http://www.davidpascal.com/smj/ You can contact me at: kagami@jeack.com.au --- Kaji Awanai sat on the gunwale of the small harbour tug and enjoyed the night breeze blowing gently upon Tokyo Bay. On certain nights when the waters turned crystal clear, he fancied he could see right into the heart of the harbour. On one such occasion, he was certain he had seen a legend: a mermaid, boldly female with a tail of silver scales. She had blown him a kiss, flicked her tail, and vanished, leaving him forlorn. He glanced down again in the hopes of repeating that experience... and froze. Something moved in the depths of the bay - something cold, something vast, something monstrous and inhuman. Kaji stared into the dark waters, feeling bitter fear run its skittering claws down his spine, and from the abyss, a great golden eye stared back. He stumbled away from the gunwale, crying out in horror and flinging up his hands in a futile warding gesture. In the darkest reaches of his mind, he recognized the monstrosity for what it was. "Umibouzu," he whispered. The Devourer of Ships lurked the deeps of Tokyo harbour. --- An Awakening of Demons A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic By Kagami Chapter 2: Sea Legend Umibouzu --- "Welcome to Tokyo NBC Morning News. I am Michi Hanashi, your host. Today, we have an unusual story wherein a harbour tug crewman claims to have seen a monster lurking within Tokyo Bay." Michi paused to smile at the viewers. "Do we have the equivalent of the Scottish monster 'Nessie-san'? Or is it Gojira come to life? The port authorities insist that we have nothing to worry about, and suggest that the crewman might have been hallucinating due to over-working. We have this clip from our news anchorman." Nabiki quickly hit the record button on the VCR remote. She watched with interest as the image changed to show a burly seaman, pale and shaking, berate a bored harbourmaster. "It was there, I tell you! I saw it with my own eyes. Enormous! And that eye, that great, golden eye! I can't forget it. It was Umibouzu, the dreaded sea monster!" he ranted, spittle covering his mouth. "You're a fool if you don't take precautions. All those ships are in danger!" He shivered violently, before grabbing the master by the lapels of his coat. "Send them away! You have to do it. They're all in danger. Terrible danger!" he shouted into the master's face. Two other seamen rushed to restrain him, pulling him back from the shaken harbourmaster. "You have to..." he continued brokenly as he was dragged away. "There you have it, viewers," Michi finished as the scene returned to the NBC studio. "Straight from the mouth of veteran seaman, Kaji Awanai. Currently, the port authorities have him on paid leave. Now to other news." Nabiki switched it off and rewound the clip. She watched it again, taking in Awanai's reactions, and then a further three times. Finally, she stopped it and stood up. Ranma, she decided, had better see this. Hmm, she mused. Now, that thought brought back echoes of the reactions from Nodoka's announcement last night. Surprisingly, no one had seemed all that shocked. Kasumi had accepted it much as she had accepted everything else in life. Her father had bawled, and then said that since Ranma was already half a man, it wouldn't make much difference for the marriage. Akane.... Her sister had been silent for the remainder of the short visit. That, in itself, was most unlike her, and Nabiki wondered what she was thinking. As for Shampoo, Nabiki had seen the crafty glint in her eye. She wondered what the Amazons were planning. Cologne had quickly left after the revelation of Ranma's true paternity when it became obvious that Nodoka wasn't about to say more. She had a feeling that trouble would come from that quarter. Ukyo had said as little as Akane - another disturbing sign. What was going through the mind of Ranma's 'cute' fiancee? Questions and yet more questions to be answered. Nabiki flung up her hands in exasperation. It probably wouldn't matter. All the fiancees were likely to accept Ranma being half-human just like they had accepted every other weird thing in his life. They would all be planning on using it for their own ends, even her little sister. For a moment, she was thankful she hadn't managed to contact Kodachi. Then she remembered the lost yen involved. She shook her head to clear it of all the annoying thoughts. No, the person most affected by the announcement had been Ranma himself. Nabiki headed for the dojo. --- Ukyo Kuonji awoke sweating from a night spent tossing and turning restlessly. It wasn't the fact that she'd just learned that her fiancee was a half-demon that disturbed her; after all, he was a half-girl as well as rude, arrogant, ate for free, and seemed content to string her along despite their engagement. It was that the entire meeting with Ranma's mother had forced her to look at her unsatisfactory life yet again. What did she see in Ranma anyway? Oh, that's right. She loved him - the macho, indecisive idiot. If only he'd see her as a girl, rather than as just a best friend, she thought wistfully. For a brief moment, all she wanted to do was turn over and go back to sleep, but then a knock on her bedroom door sounded. "Ukyo-sama," came the soft, feminine voice of her resident kunoichi, "there's someone here to see you." "I'll be right down, Konatsu." She swung herself out of bed and quickly dressed. Another day, another hope. She walked down the stairs and through the doorway into the shop. "Good morn..." Her voice trailed off as she recognized her visitor: Shampoo. "Hello, Shampoo," she tried again. "What did you want?" "Shampoo no want anything, Spatula Girl. Come to say something, that all." Shampoo smirked confidently. "Great- grandmother go back to village to get marriage to Ranma released. Shampoo tell Airen this when is time. Want tell you now so you no get wrong idea. Shampoo and Ranma still be destined together, if not why he son of cat-demon and Shampoo have cat curse? Airen is Shampoo's. Spatula Girl stay away if know what good for her." "Hey! How dare you just come in and..." Ukyo trailed off as the purple-haired Amazon ignored her and flounced out of the shop. Why, that sly minx! Still, her words bore thinking about. The Amazons were giving up their one hold on Ranma. Was Shampoo really that confident about winning Ranma? It wasn't possible. No, this had all the makings of one of Cologne's plans - some new means of noosing Ranma. Unless-- A faint chill touched her. Unless the indomitable Amazon matriarch was considering the possibility of defeat, and was taking steps against angering a future demon. Ranma, she thought, shivering slightly. What was he becoming? She shook off the cold which seemed to have settled in her bones. It didn't matter, she decided. No matter what he became, she would be there by his side. She'd lost him once, but she would never let that happen to her again. --- Ryoga awoke, yawned and stretched out on the cushy pillow he was sleeping on. He nuzzled at the yielding cushion and relaxed, enjoying the comfortable warmth enveloping him. "Stop that, piglet," a soft, sleepy voice giggled. "That tickles, you know." Ryoga's eyes snapped wide open. Sultry, dark eyes, framed by Kodachi's smiling face and lustrous black hair, scrutinized him calmly. His body tightened apprehensively, trotters clasping at the smooth surface below him, and she giggled again. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized that the 'cushy pillow' seemed to be a silk-covered mound of fine, womanly-- Blood erupted from his snout in a rising arc, and consciousness started to leave him. "Ick, really! Do you do that all the time?" he heard Kodachi say. "I do wonder what Akane Tendo sees in you. I suppose I shall have to give you a hot bath this time." Ryoga sank beneath the rising blackness, with sharp panic pounding at the innermost core of his being. A splash of warm water brought him back to consciousness. "Bwe-urkk." His voice stumbled as he realized that the room appeared to be properly sized to him, rather than overly large as when he was in his cursed form. Then, he realized that he was in a bathroom - in a steaming bath, in fact, and that someone had to have splashed the warm water that had woken him. He glanced round nervously, sweeping the room before his roaming gaze was brought to an abrupt halt at the towel- clad figure of Kodachi Kuno. Correction: the semi-nude Kodachi Kuno whose towel seemed artfully draped both to conceal her lush figure and to entice one to snatch it away, and then feast their eyes on her naked and exposed form. Ryoga felt the blood rush to his nose again and desperately looked away. "Really, what is it with you?" she said amusedly. "You're no demon, that's for sure. I hardly even need my power to tell me that. So, what are you, my transforming piglet?" "Um, my name's Ryoga Hibiki and could you like put on some more clothes?" he said, facing the wall. "Oh, but why wouldn't such a handsome man want to gaze on my lovely form?" she crooned, before purring seductively, "I could expose a bit more for you if you like." "No! That's okay! I have to be going anyway!" He stumbled to his feet, red-faced and feeling very, very hot, and stabbed his finger at the wall impeding his escape route. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" He took the bits of flying rock stoically, blocking as much of the debris as he could, determined that none would get past to strike the girl behind him. Then he lunged through the gaping hole and started running. "Watch out for the traps!" Kodachi called out in warning as she watched Ryoga flee. She looked at the debris around her and smiled slightly - not a single piece was within a foot of her kneeling body. "What a delightful secret Akane's little pet has. I wonder if she knows. Surely, she must." She looked past the broken wall with a hint of regret. "Perhaps I should have used a touch of the paralysis powder. Oh, R-yo-ga-sa-ma." Her voice lilted in fine cadence, turning the name into a caress. "What a lovely name." She shook her head in denial. "No, no, what am I thinking? I must save myself for my Ranma-sama." She tilted her head fetchingly in contemplation, staring at the bath and envisioning a muscular form that was no longer there. "Then again, why can't I have them both?! Ohohohohohoho!!" The laughter pealed out and chased after a distant figure, who was intent on finding a clothing store. --- The Tendo Dojo was a place that embodied spiritual calm and physical battle, and it suited sessions of repose, discussion or the planning of strategy equally well. Thus, it was entirely appropriate for the three people who were seated within that morning. Genma sat in the traditional position, facing the doorway of the dojo, with Ranma and Akane before him. Genma cleared his throat. "I know I have my faults, Ranma," he began. "Yeah, you got that right." Ranma began ticking off his fingers one by one. "You're a cheap, lazy, good-for-nothing liar and cheat. Did I forget something?" "You didn't have to put it quite like that, boy," Genma growled, his face darkening perceptibly. "Oh, that's right." Ranma snapped his fingers in sudden recollection. "You're a panda as well." "I think you need a lesson to remind you of your place, Ranma!" Genma stormed, clenching his fists. "Hah! Who's going to do that, Pops? I can take you on anytime!" Ranma smirked with confidence and leapt up into a ready stance, awaiting his father's first blow. Akane cleared her throat noisily. "What the heck do you think you're doing? We're supposed to be ..." She trailed off uncertainly as something oddly familiar about the entire scene struck her: this was how Ranma and his father always acted towards each other. She suddenly realized why it was happening this time - Ranma was trying to come to grips with the fact that Genma wasn't his real father as such, but he was willing to fall back on their old relationship in the meantime, and Genma... Genma was willing to do the same. She sat back, stunned at her intuitive flash of insight, and reconsidered all of their sparring, their arguments and their insults in a new light. "Akane? You okay?" Ranma asked. "Huh? Oh, fine," she said hastily. "I just realized something." >From the doorway of the dojo, Nabiki watched the scene appreciatively. She had observed all three of them in silence and picked up on Akane's reaction. You're finally growing up, Sis, she thought. Things weren't always as people believed or wanted them to be. "Nabiki, you want to join us?" Ranma called out. She shook her head slightly. Ranma had detected her even with his back turned. Was that a sign of his inheritance or merely his high martial skill level? "No, no, you all go ahead for now. I'll just sit outside, enjoy the sun and listen. But there's something you ought to take a look at afterwards, Ranma." She paused to make sure he understood the seriousness of her request. "Go on, Uncle," she finished, before turning to sit down on the dojo porch. "Right, now what was I saying before I was so rudely interrupted?" Genma started again, looking balefully at his son. "Apologizing for your sins, maybe?" Ranma retorted, not at all abashed. "Ranma!" Akane hissed. Enough was enough. She wanted to know what Uncle Saotome had to say. "You were about to tell us about Ranma's real father?" "Ansou. Makizoku Ansou. He asked Nodoka to call him that. Yami-no-Tsume is his name amongst demons." Genma sighed. "Look, boy, I know I wasn't a good father to you, but everything I did was to improve your skills as a martial artist. I pushed you hard many times because of one reason. Before he died, your real father told us the name of his enemy... and yours." He crossed his arms, looking sober. "Shukumaru," Genma said softly. "That was the name he gave. Seems this Shukumaru wanted to become the Demon Lord of the East and tried to seize power. Fortunately, your father managed to use a powerful seal in the battle and banished the treacherous attack; otherwise, you and your mother would have been in grave danger. Still, the seal wasn't permanent. Ansou didn't have enough power left to make it so. It was meant to last just long enough for you to assume your powers and reclaim the domain. But it might already have run out." "So that's why you put Ranma through all that 'training'?" Akane asked, somewhat surprised. "Yes, everything I did on that ten-year training journey was to ensure that Ranma would stand a chance against this enemy," Genma said, nobly looking off into the distance. "Uncle..." breathed an obviously impressed Akane. "Geez, Pops, cut the crap, willya? What about Ucchan's yatai and her engagement to me? Not to mention teaching that dangerous technique to the Kumons, or the time you took me to visit that--murflggh." The rest of his sentence was lost as Genma clapped a hand over his son's mouth and hissed, "Not in front of the girls, boy!" Ranma pulled Genma's hand away. "Since when were you so--" He suddenly stopped and cocked his head, his right ear twitching involuntarily. A puzzled expression crossed his face. "Mom's here," he said suddenly. --- "Oh, hello, dear," greeted Nodoka as Kasumi opened the door. "I was looking for Ranma." "Aunty, how nice to see you again. I was just about to take these to Ranma, Akane and Uncle Saotome out at the dojo." Kasumi gestured with the tray she was carrying. "Please join us." "I would love to, Kasumi. That would be quite perfect." They walked in companionable silence to the dojo. Nabiki was sitting on the dojo porch and staring up at the cloudless sky. She turned to look at them as they approached. "Hello, Aunty," she said coolly. "Ranma and the others are waiting for you." She stood up and dusted off her clothes before stealing a cookie from Kasumi's tray. "Thank you, Nabiki." Nodoka smiled graciously and entered the dojo, followed by Nabiki and Kasumi. "Hello, dear, Ranma, Akane-chan," she said, hugging Ranma and kissing him on the cheek. He flushed a little, obviously embarrassed, and stepped back as she greeted Akane in the exact same way. "Have you seen the morning news?" she asked the gathered group. Everyone save Nabiki shook their heads in negation and confusion. She turned to Nabiki. "Would you happen to have it on tape?" "I do, Aunty," Nabiki answered. "That's what I wanted Ranma to see, afterwards." Nodoka nodded. "Yes, indeed. I suspect that it'll be vitally important, actually. Why don't we take a look now?" "What was on the news, Aunty?" Akane said as she liberated a few cookies and a glass of milk from Kasumi. "Thanks, Onee- chan." She smacked Ranma's hand which was sneaking back for more despite having a mouth full of the heavenly baked goodies. "Really, Ranma. Finish what you have first." "Mrpggood struguff, 'Sumi," he said in a muffled voice as they left the dojo for the house. The news was sobering, primarily because both Nodoka and Genma had looked very serious throughout the short clip. Soun had joined them as they reviewed the clip again. Akane shifted her glance from one serious face to the other. Unable to keep her disbelief in, she spoke out. "You don't really believe there's anything to this story, do you?" she said, feeling her heart sink as neither of the Saotomes changed expression. "I'm afraid so, Akane-chan," Nodoka said sadly. "Umibouzu was one of Ansou's four primary servitors. It's quite likely that he has come to Tokyo to seek out Ansou's successor." "But it's been eighteen years, Aunty," pointed out Kasumi. "Surely he would have shown up before now." Nodoka shook her head. "Time is meaningless to most demons. Eighteen years is but a blink of an eye to Umibouzu. He's an ancient being. Besides, he's shown up now for a reason." She turned to look at Ranma. Ranma looked up from munching yet another cookie. "Say, why can't you make 'em like this, 'Kane?" he said, before noticing the glares heading his way. "Huh? What? Oh, the demon thing? Nah, no problem with that. I'll head on over, kick his butt and come home. Simple." "By yourself?!" sputtered Akane. "Are you sure that's such a good idea, Ranma-kun?" asked Kasumi, who looked a bit concerned. Nodoka shook her head slightly. A high level of confidence was a good sign of manliness, but sometimes her son seemed a trifle... overconfident. "Take Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyo as well as anyone you think may help, Ranma." "Huh? Why? I could do it on my own." He grabbed another cookie. "But I guess it'll be cool to show off my new powers in front of Ryoga," he added, eager to put another one over his rival. "But why the others?" His gaze slipped to Akane before quickly sliding away. "They're your fiancees, Ranma. They'll have to see what it would mean to remain involved with you," she replied, sounding very serious. "I understand that you are keen to fight and I take that as a great sign of your manliness." Nodoka nodded happily. "But the best solution would be to enlist Umibouzu as an ally against future battles. We still have no idea whether or when this Shukumaru will appear. It would be wiser to be prepared." "Okay, Mom." He capitulated. "I'll grab Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo, and Ryoga if I can find him. We'll head off tonight and see what we can do." "Hey, what about me?!" Akane interjected angrily, the comment about her cookies forgotten in the face of a more important slight. "Well, I want you to go over to my mom's place. That way Pops can protect you both." "That's right, son," Genma said valiantly, obviously relieved to be left out of the potential battle. "I'll be glad to defend Akane as well." "Damn it, Ranma! Why do you always do that?!" Akane cried out furiously. "I'm a martial artist too, you know!" She spun and ran from the room. "Akane!" he shouted futilely after her. It's because I don't want to see you get hurt, he admitted to himself. Then, he cringed back as he made eye contact with the inflated demon head of Soun Tendo. "Ranma! How dare you upset my girl like that?!" Soun's demon head collapsed rapidly as the rest of Nodoka's implications hit him. "But I don't want her to endanger herself either." The tears started leaking furiously. "What should I do?! Oh, Akane, my poor girl!" "You could have done it in a nicer way, Ranma-kun," admonished Kasumi gently. "She left the house," reported Nabiki, eyeing him critically. "Go after her, boy," Genma urged him. "I will! I will!" Ranma said. --- Ryoga bashed his head against the brick wall, ignoring the flying dust. He rested his forehead in the depression formed by the head-butt. His mind kept wandering back to that scene in the bathroom. Akari, he thought desperately. He had to remember her. But then, he'd never seen her like that - the towel barely covering her nude body and exposing her silky- smooth limbs. Arrrghhh! Akane, Akari and now Kodachi! What was wrong with him? Why was he such a-- "Ryoga-kun?" Akane said softly. "Are you all right?" "Akane-san!" Startled, Ryoga spun around and looked into her worried features. "Ahehe," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head nervously and stepping back to shield the wall's damage from her eyes. "Nothing's wrong. Not at all. What could possibly be wrong on this fine day? I was just looking for Ranma." "Uh, okay, then. Mind if I walk with you to the dojo?" "S..sure, Akane-san. I'd be delighted." "Ryoga-kun, I wanted to ask you a question. If you knew something about someone close to you, something horrible, what would you do?" P-chan, Ryoga's mind yammered in fear. She knew about him being P-chan. There was nothing else that she could mean. Bleak depression crashed down upon him. Life wasn't worth living anymore. Ranma, that swine, must have told her all about it. Wait, what was that sound? Crying? But surely... He was more than startled when he felt Akane's sobbing body crash into him. "W...what? Akane-san?" His arms came up involuntarily to enfold and comfort her. "Oh, Ryoga! It's Ranma! He's... he's..." She broke down, crying even more intensely. "I don't know what to do!" "Ranma? But what--" he began, completely nonplussed. "Hello, Ryoga. So nice to see you again. Are you enjoying yourself there?" The calm, cool voice was Ranma's, but he had never sounded like that before. A thrill of fear touched him as he looked up from Akane, still drowning her sorrows into his shirt and oblivious to everything else, to see Ranma's steely eyes glaring at him. "W...wait a minute," he stammered. "It's not what it looks like!" --- "Are you feeling better?" Ranma said as he removed the cold compress from Akane's forehead. For once, they had been left alone in her bedroom, though Kasumi bustled in with food, tea, medicine, laundry, and a miscellany of other items every once in a while. "I'm okay, Ranma. I don't know what came over me," Akane said wanly. "It's like everything built up and up, and just erupted. Poor Ryoga. I'm glad you two didn't get into a fight." "Nah, no chance of that happening. I've been in that position too many times to just pound on him - unlike some people I could mention...." Akane sniffed and looked away. Somewhat surprised at not being hit after his attempt at cheering Akane up, he laced his hands behind his head and tried for nonchalance instead. "You... wanna talk about it?" "I don't know if I can." She looked uncertainly at him. "It must be pretty weird for you as well, Ranma. Do you feel anything different?" Ranma shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure. Mom said it'd happen tonight. Whatever that means." Akane nodded solemnly. "Are we going to check out that report about Umibouzu? No protests, Ranma. I'm coming with you if we're going." He looked unhappy. "Yeah, we are. My mom's probably right. One of my... father's old servitors. Ryoga and I are just waiting for Shampoo, Mousse, and Ukyo to show up before going. I guess it should be okay for you to come along. Quite..." He gagged on the word "safe". "Thanks, Ranma," Akane said, eyes aglow with enthusiasm. "You won't regret this, I promise." --- The soft footfalls echoed against the walls of the massed warehouses on the harbour-front. The solidly-constructed buildings loomed darkly in the shadows cast by the light of the waning moon and the dim glows provided by a number of lonely street lamps. Apart from the footsteps, the silence was overwhelming. In fact, it was eerily so. No one seemed to be around the place. Where were the dockside guards? The night-shift workers? Tokyo Bay itself looked strangely empty. It was never that crowded, with most shipping traffic stopping at Yokohama instead, but there should at least have been some patrol boats, harbour tugs, trawlers, or even a couple of liners or freighters. "Damn, this is gloomy," Ranma muttered, trying to ignore the dank stench drifting in from beyond the piers. The small Nerima group was standing on the open dockside, facing the bay. Shampoo and Ukyo had arrived at the dojo, fully prepared for battle. Shampoo carried her twin bonbori and had a sharp Chinese sword strapped to her back. Ukyo carried her battle-spatula and seemed festooned with bandoliers of throwing spatulas. Ryoga had retrieved one of his heavy umbrellas, which had been previously left behind at the Tendo home. Akane wasn't carrying any weapons - a fact which worried Ranma. He tried to shake it away. "Say, where is Mousse anyway?" he asked Shampoo as the sudden thought hit him. "Great-Grandmother go home to village. She take him." Shampoo shrugged without much concern. With Mousse out of the way and the Nekohanten currently closed, she had a lot more free time to chase after Ranma. Challenging a demon was a cheap price to pay for that. Ranma frowned momentarily, then focused back onto the problem before them. They had taken the train to nearby Minato and walked the rest of the way to the harbour. Now what? he wondered. "How are we going to look for the monster?" he asked as the group finally realized its dilemma. "Wait, what's that?" Ukyo asked, pointing out to the bay. A rolling tide was flooding in at them. A massed wall of water, driven by some enormous submerged object, grew taller and taller before crashing and breaking. The tide picked up again and continued to thunder towards the harbour-front. "Gah, it looks like a scene from that horrible gaijin remake of Gojira," Ryoga muttered in dismay. The entire group hastily leapt back towards shelter to avoid the huge wave and the certainty of cold water spraying everywhere. The incoming wave surged, smashing into the cement piers and shattering into foamy surf. In the wake of the tide, a monstrous head emerged, rising up and up and up. Serpentine in form, the gigantic head was covered by an overlapping shield of shiny black scales, each the size of a small car. Massive flukes graced the serpent in place of the ears on a human head, and a cloud of writhing tendrils framed his scaly head. A ridge of dark, webbed fins sprouted down the back of the elongated neck. Two golden eyes, great globes shining with lustrous fire, stared down upon them, as the neck of the beast continued to emerge out of the water until he was taller than the surrounding warehouses. The foaming wash covered the dockside. Ranma stepped forward cautiously as the water subsided and rolled back into the bay. "Mortals!" The deep, gravelly voice sounded a bit surprised to see that the intruders were mere humans. "I am Umibouzu, the Great Devourer! This is my present domain." The great serpent looked down upon the scattered martial artists dispassionately. "How did you break through my fuuin?" "Your seal?" asked Ranma in surprise. He struggled to remember anything about seals that he had come across in the piles of mouldy scrolls 'belonging' to his father. "Maybe one designed to conceal you?" he hazarded a guess. "That is indeed one of my powers: to remain unnoticed until I wish it otherwise," the beast confirmed. "Susanoo-oh granted me this power, that I might await the Day of Judgement and feast on the souls of unworthy humans." "Uh, that's very nice and all, but I didn't notice any seal when we came here." "Then, you must have some power yourself," Umibouzu rumbled. "Who are you, mortals? Tell me before I choose to consume you." Ranma moved to speak, but paused when he felt a faint touch on his arm. "Ranma, you let Shampoo handle this, yes?" The purple-haired Amazon stepped past him, proud and determined, every inch of her bearing proclaiming her to be the warrior that she was. "Mighty one, demon of five-thousand-years, whose name is known to the Amazons of Joketsuzoku who live within the heart of China, Great Umibouzu, I greet you." Shampoo paused to watch the serpent preen its scales and flukes, glorying in her praise. She hid a smile. "Know that before you stands one who is heir to the throne of the Demon Lord of the East. He is Yami-no-Tsume's own son and proclaims his might to all who would seek to serve or defeat him. I present to you, Great Serpent, one whose name shall be written in the heavens and the hells - Ranma Saotome!" She stepped back gracefully, unobtrusively treading on Ranma's foot to cue him, and backed away. "Uh, right," Ranma said, shaking his head from the spellbinding oration and the shock that Shampoo could speak in perfect Japanese. He strode forward confidently. Behind him, he heard a pair of guarded whispers. "Huh, I didn't know you could speak in proper form, sugar," Ukyo whispered. "Lot you not know, Spatula Girl. But truth is Great- Grandmother give instruction before she leave for home," Shampoo whispered back. "I am Ranma Saotome, Umibouzu," he shouted defiantly, filling his voice with as much confidence as he could. After the many powerful beings that he had defeated thus far in his life, he found he had no trouble meeting the gaze of the serpent's golden eyes. Still, he sweated a bit when he noticed out of the corner of his eye, a large hump - the size of a small island - break the surface of the bay's water out in the distance. That was over a kilometer away, he estimated, feeling slightly stunned. The Orochi had been one thing, but just how big was this monster anyway? "You are the heir to Yami-no-Tsume? A mere human?!" Umibouzu's bass voice thundered his disbelief, then he paused and scrutinized Ranma further. "No, not a mere human. Still, you hardly have the power to hold what you have, much less seek my service, mortal." "Hah, set me a challenge then, serpent! I'll show you how good I am. I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and I never back down from a challenge!" Ranma trumpeted his complete assurance in his own ability. A rolling bank of clouds covered the moon, throwing dark shadows across the harbour-front. "Arrghhh!" Akane whispered through gritted teeth. "Doesn't he ever learn?!" "Are you crazy, Ranchan?!" shouted Ukyo in disbelief. "Look at the size of that thing!" "S'no problem, Ucchan. I've got a plan!" Ranma smirked confidently. "A plan?" Akane stormed, looking angrily at Ranma who was standing cockily before the gigantic monstrosity. "You idiot! You're going to get yourself killed!" "You are brave enough, mortal. Very well, then. Defeat me, Ranma Saotome, and I shall grant you my powers!" Umibouzu's eyes glittered fiercely in anticipation, and he opened his jaws fully in a toothy smile, revealing row upon row of jagged fangs. Ancient ship timbers, mere splinters in that vast maw, came crashing down onto the dockside. "Easily done!" Ranma leapt back into a defensive stance and awaited his opponent's first move. Then, a sharp, powerful voice rang out and distracted him. "I forbid this! I am the true heir to Yami-no-Tsume's throne!" The commanding voice came from the shadowed roof of a warehouse beside the dock. Ranma glanced up, his sense of imminent danger tingling wildly. The moon slid out from behind the clouds, bathing the warehouse roof with light and revealing the speaker. Ranma gasped. A woman! She stood tall and proud, with a figure that many men would have found seductive and many women would have greatly envied. Long, white hair cascaded down to her waist and cold, blue eyes stared out from a face framed by exotic black markings. The tips of pointed ears peeked out from the waves of hair and long claws extended from her fingers, denoting her inhuman heritage. Her skin an alabaster white, she was as pale as snow, and as beautiful as ice. "You shall be my opponent, Ranma Saotome!" she emphasized. Umibouzu's laugh gusted out in deep booms, nearly deafening all present. "Interesting. How very interesting! I recognize you... Shukumaru!" "She's Shukumaru?!" Ranma felt himself stiffen with massive disbelief. A chorus of consternation joined him from the rest of the group. "So, you too seek the throne of your father? I thought he had slain you after you wounded him unto death." Umibouzu's bass chuckles broke out again as the serpent roared with genuine amusement. Ranma was beyond disbelief, numbed shock replaced all sensation in his body. "Not so, Umibouzu. My father was a fool! He could not bear to slay a beloved child and so only sealed me away. Now that the seal is broken, I shall reclaim what is mine!" Shukumaru smiled arrogantly and pointed a long, slender finger at Ranma. "Beginning with you, dear brother!" "How awful!" burst out Akane. "To kill someone who loved you!" She was ignored by the two demons. "It shall be most entertaining! I agree to your duel, Shukumaru, and to make it even more interesting, I shall grant my powers to the one who entertains me the most!" Umibouzu rumbled in delight and greedy anticipation of some relief from his unrelenting boredom. "Then it shall be me!" proclaimed Shukumaru. "Since my dear brother will soon be dead, you will serve me, Umibouzu, as you did my father!" "No... no way in hell!" snapped Ranma. "How can you stand there and--" He was interrupted by the demoness. "You will die, brother! I will see to it!" Brother and sister glared at one another. Shukumaru stared with hatred and obsession etching her fine features, while Ranma stared back with determination and the beginnings of a cold fury. The rest of the Nerima gang watched the grim tableau breathlessly, shaken by the fast-paced revelations. Another voice shattered the tense moment of silence. "I think not, demon!" Everyone looked up at the new figure, standing on the roof across from Shukumaru: a figure in a form-hugging black dress with a prominent yin-yang symbol outlined on the front, and carrying a glowing coiled whip. "Kodachi," Ryoga murmured softly without much surprise. On the other hand, the others were shocked to their core, to say the least. "What the hell? Kodachi?" muttered Ranma. "Kodachi! What's she doing here?" asked Akane. "Aiyah! Crazy Rose Girl wear dress of Devil Hunter!" Shampoo exclaimed in recognition. "What?! A Devil Hunter? Surely they don't exist anymore," Ukyo wondered out loud. "I, Kodachi Kuno, 106th generation Devil Hunter of the Kuno Clan, shall be the one to return your foul soul to the hells!" Kodachi paused and stared at the enormous serpentine head of Umibouzu, then she dismissed the Devourer and continued to scan the surrounds. Her power insisted that Shukumaru was the real threat here, and besides, the demon bitch had threatened her Ranma-sama. Yet, there was a foul miasma of evil that seemed to cover the entire docklands... Her attention finally focused on the small group of martial artists standing below her. Spotting Ryoga, her eyes quickly brightened with delight. "Oh, Ryoga-sama!" she cried, waving cheerfully. "Ryoga-sama?!!!" yelled the rest of the group. "How the heck did that happen?!" Ranma asked in shock. Ryoga blushed a brilliant shade of red and twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Ahehehe... I don't really know." "Leave this to me, Ranma-sama, Ryoga-sama. I shall quickly slay this demon and then we shall retire to the Kuno manse, partake in a feast, and indulge all our senses." She waved again before looking back to Shukumaru. "Partake in a feast?" repeated Ukyo with some asperity. "Indulge all their senses?!" echoed Akane with growing anger. "Crazy Rose Girl sure know how to piss everyone off," finished Shampoo, hands clenched tight over the handles of her bonbori. Ranma didn't listen. His growing sense of danger was telling him that Kodachi was heading for trouble. "Wait!" he shouted, trying to stop her but it was too late. "Prepare yourself, demon!" Kodachi launched herself from her warehouse in a parabolic arc, Spear of Fuma extended, and aimed herself at the unperturbed demoness. "You, a mortal, slay me? I hardly think so," Shukumaru said disdainfully. "Raiha!" she cried out the name like an evocation, and opened her mouth widely. Ranma's sense of danger suddenly spiked sharply and he reacted with blazing speed. He crouched and launched himself into the air, driving his body up in a desperate attempt to reach Kodachi. Kodachi's eyes widened in apprehension as Shukumaru's open mouth glowed brilliantly and the demon unleashed a sizzling bolt of lightning which violently exploded forth at her. Then, a hard impact struck her from behind and the scene spun crazily. She caught a brief glimpse of the blazing bolt that crackled past her tumbling form before Ranma's arms clasped her tightly to his masculine chest and swung the both of them upright again. "Ranma-sama," she whispered with joy. "We're not out of the woods yet," he said grimly. Beneath them, Ryoga watched their ascent with dismay. Ranma's tremendous jump had carried them out of the path of Shukumaru's lightning blast which had shattered the concrete and blown a smoking crater into the dockside. He ignored the shower of rubble that came pouring down, yelling out to the girls to take cover. Ranma had avoided the first blast, he thought grimly, but Shukumaru was already preparing a second one. In his rising arc and carrying Kodachi, Ranma wouldn't be able to maneuver or dodge it. A desperate plan came to mind and he ran forward to implement it. Ranma knew he was in trouble. The leap had been reflexive and powerful, and that had been the problem. It had been way too strong, exceeding all his expectations, and now he was stuck in midair without the capability to redirect his motion. Shukumaru's eyes glittered victoriously as she spat out the crackling bolt of energy which would obliterate her hated opponent. "Ranma!" Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyo cried out simultaneously in horror as the blast erupted towards Ranma and Kodachi. On the open dockside, Ryoga crouched, open umbrella held ready, and stabbed his finger into the concrete. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ranma cursed silently, twisting his body to shield Kodachi from the worst of the blast. The incoming bolt coruscated brightly as it bore in and Ranma winced in anticipation of the impact. This would be really bad. Then a black circle appeared before the imminent death-blow, silhouetted against the brilliant light like the moon eclipsing the sun. "What?!" exclaimed Ranma. "Ooof!" he yelled as Ryoga was hurled into the two of them by the force of the lightning's impact against his umbrella. But he was quick to react and use the resultant energy to redirect their path towards an nearby warehouse roof. Ranma landed lightly on the roof tiles, Kodachi cradled in his arms. Ryoga thudded down beside him, somewhat less gracefully and looking a bit singed from the energy by-blow. He hurled away the handle of his crisped umbrella. "Look, Ranma," Ryoga snapped, "it's bad enough you've got other girls panting after you. Why can't you let someone else save a girl for a change?" "Hey, I just reacted, okay?" Ranma answered peevishly. "S'not my fault you're so slow." "Oh, boys," Kodachi purred as she snuggled into Ranma's arms. "There's no need to fight over me. I have more than enough love for the two of you." "Ranma!" The shout echoed from Ryoga and from Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo who were still on the ground. In a fit of anger, Akane reached the warehouse roof in one bound, with Shampoo and Ukyo quickly following. "Uh, we still have a problem, you know," he responded quickly, seeing their infuriated expressions. He tried to shake Kodachi off, but she clung to him like a blossoming vine to a life-giving wall. "Are you finished yet, little mortals?" The mocking voice drew their attention. They quickly turned back towards Shukumaru, who had been watching the events with amusement and a look of snobbish disdain. "Then it is time for you to die," she said grandly. "Doesn't she remind you of someone?" Ukyo whispered to Akane sotto voce. "Yup," Akane said, glancing at Kodachi. "I am not a snob!" insisted Kodachi, glaring at the three girls. She uncoiled herself from Ranma's arms. "Thank you for saving me, Ranma-sama, but it looks like I shall have to show my appreciation at a more appropriate time. For now, why don't we remove the annoyance in our way?" "No, I don't think so. Jakuten!" Shukumaru commanded imperiously. "At once, Shukumaru-sama." A short, wizened figure with bulging eyes appeared next to the demoness and banged his wooden staff down on the metal roof tiles, sending a loud clangour echoing into the harbour. Dark figures, summoned by the signal, appeared from behind the warehouses. Oni. A dozen, no, two dozen. Forty. Fifty. Ranma stopped counting at that point. "Take two kitsune and handle our other little problem, Jakuten," Shukumaru said to her servitor. She arched an eyebrow at Ranma, and smiled triumphantly. "As I said before, dear brother, you are mine to slay!" "Dear me," observed Kodachi. "And I did think there was too much evil energy around the place, too." --- Author's Notes: 1) 'Kaji Awanai' means 'unfit rudder'. 2) 'Umibouzu' translates roughly as 'sea monster' and is an actual Japanese mythological creature. 3) 'Michi Hanashi' - 'michi' can be used as either an adjective or a noun: respectively, the name translates as 'unknown news' or 'news career'. 4) 'Makizoku Ansou' - means 'Demon Noble Dark Claw' (thanks to VGAP for providing this name). 5) 'Shukumaru' - this is a little play on names, taking the 'shuku' from 'shukuteki' which means 'archenemy/nemesis' or literally, 'destined enemy'; 'maru' comes from 'Sesshomaru', who is Inu-Yasha's fully demonic half-brother in that series, and can mean 'perfect'; thus, a potential meaning would be 'perfect destiny' (thanks to Vincent Seifert for providing the translation). --