Draft version.

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

---

Ukyo staggered beneath the weight of her burden. Climbing
Fuji-san wasn't a particularly easy task under the best of
circumstances; doing so whilst struggling with an oversized
package on her back was a horrendous trial of endurance.
Still, she persevered in her effort. Ranchan was waiting
for her.

"I could carry that for you if you wished, Ukyo-sama,"
Konatsu cheerfully offered. Ukyo glanced to her left with
some annoyance. The kunoichi was veritably dancing up the
steep path as though without a single care in the world.

"Thanks, Konatsu, but I'll manage," Ukyo replied in
between gasps of breath. Perspiration rolled down her brow
and she flicked the droplets irritably away. After all this
effort, they had better arrive at the Shrine of Thunder in
time to help the others out. Of course, it was Konatsu's
fault for returning so late, but it wouldn't do to
criticize the kunoichi when he had obviously tried his
hardest. Even so...

"Say, Konatsu?" she asked.

"Yes, Ukyo-sama?"

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but did you really have
to stop off for those Hakata fishcakes?"

---

An Awakening of Demons
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By Kagami

Chapter 6: Falling

---

Akane Tendo had two invariable qualities which tended to
make her life interesting. Firstly, she attracted the
attention of virtually any male in her vicinity. This often
resulted in an unhealthy interest in her by the said male
that often verged or dived into the realm of obsession -
witness Tatewaki Kuno and Ryoga Hibiki to name two in
particular. Sometimes, the attention resulted in her
kidnapping. To date, Akane had been abducted by Mousse,
Pantyhose Taro, and Prince Saffron of Phoenix Mountain in
distant China.

Fortunately for her sake, Akane's second quality had a
tendency to offset the first: namely, she was lucky. This
fortunate aspect of her nature manifested itself in various
ways, the most obvious being her penchant for winning
prizes in any lucky draw she entered. Less obvious to Akane
was the fact that she also had the good fortune to draw the
attention of a male who seemed willing to defend her from
all other unwanted regard. Whether this one in turn would
become as possessive of her as the others was open to
question.

At the moment, her thoughts of Ranma were fleetingly brief
and hardly complimentary. That was because Akane Tendo was
fighting for her life. Her first quality had brought her
the notice of a very large, male wolf seemingly composed
more of energy than matter, as well as several incidental
oni who were also obviously of masculine persuasion. Her
second quality had enabled her to roll out of the way of a
crackling blue paw that had smashed into the ground where
she'd been lying with the explosive impact of a
thunderstroke. Ranma, this is all your fault, she thought
furiously as she hurled herself out of the range of Raiha
the Thunderbeast.

She also had a killer headache. The concussive blow by a
falling rock in the earlier earthquake made her less than
charitable. Why was it that when Ranma's enemies showed up,
she inevitably ended up as the target? Akane slashed cross-
diagonally with her mother's blade, severing a leering
oni's prehensile proboscis. The resultant agony sent the
demon stumbling away, clutching at a mouth full of spewing
ichor and screeching incoherently.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Ranma running
towards her, obviously intent on distracting Raiha from
devouring her. She whirled around, creating a wall of steel
between herself and the masses of drooling pervert demons
that seemed bent on another meaning of devour. Aunty Nodoka
no longer seemed to be in sight. Briefly, she wondered what
had happened between Ranma and his demonic sister.
Shukumaru was still watching the battle from her original
position, arms folded casually and with a repellent sneer
pasted on that irritatingly white face.

Another minute or so. That was how long she needed to
last, to protect herself and Ryoga's unconscious form
behind her.

Then Ranma would save her... as he always did.

---

A throng of demons stood blocking his way to Akane and a
big, blue fuzzball called Raiha. Ranma didn't let them stop
him. He dropped the first with a clinical uppercut to the
chin, then whirled into a knife blow that stabbed the
hardened points of his fingers into a vital spot on the
second. He had not been certain that oni were vulnerable to
the same strikes that would work on humans, but the demon
dropped like a stone and he used the fallen body as a
launching point. A short arc took him over three other oni,
twisting in midair to avoid their wild blows with claws and
tentacles. He cushioned his landing on the head of the
sixth,  launching himself into another leap that brought
him ever closer to his target as the oni collapsed. Ranma
smoothly extended the jump to snapkick a seventh oni in the
head, and followed on with an elbow jab at the eighth. They
fell to either side of him as he landed and lunged forward.

"Raiha! You're mine!" he screamed, desperate to distract
the demon wolf from Akane. He could feel the fear and
desperation calling to his slumbering demon heritage, the
power upwelling eagerly and seductively. Just  once to save
Akane, it seemed to say. Touch me, use me, I can destroy
everything in your path. Ranma fought the temptation to
succumb to its entreaties. No, he growled defiantly. He
didn't need it, not even now.

He slammed both feet into the last obstacle in his way,
tumbling the demon to the ground. A cloud of choking dust
exploded up from the impact of the demon's body before
billowing away with the evening breeze. The last rays of
the setting sun fell on the battleground, illuminating the
tableau and turning it into a scene out of the gaijin Hell.

"Raiha!" Ranma shouted once more.

The Thunderbeast swung his head towards him and casually
spat out a bolt of pure lightning. Ranma dived to one side,
letting the energy blast crackle past to plow a furrow into
the ground behind him, and incidentally incinerate two less
fortunate oni closing in on him from the rear. He had drawn
the attention of Raiha away from Akane and centered it on
himself. The gods just had to be smiling on him.

Raiha closed the distance with a single bound, and Ranma
leapt to meet him. Fangs of energy snapped above his head
as he ducked and kicked at a blue-furred leg. He hurriedly
withdrew his kick as pins and needles shot up from his foot
from the brief contact. Ranma snarled in frustration. How
could he hurt a being that injured him with just a touch?
The Thunderbeast was more like living energy, rather than a
solid being.

He had to keep the fuzzball occupied and away from Akane,
and then look for a way around. That was his best bet, but
he was running out of time. Akane had become the focal
point for the demonic horde, and no matter how often she
declared her ability as a martial artist, she wasn't good
enough to survive that.

Three oni advanced, arms raised to grab and rend, and
Akane lurched back to gain some room to maneuver. Twin
blossoms of pain stabbed into her right thigh, and yelled
out in agony. She kicked backward desperately. Out of the
corner of her eye, she saw a large, bluish-white spider
demon scuttle away.

Then her right leg went completely numb, and she fell.

Akane's arms whirled in an effort to keep herself upright,
before she crashed onto her back, landing hard on the rocky
ground. She gasped in pain, her breath forced from her
lungs by the impact. Her mother's katana fell from
nerveless fingers. Akane blinked away the tears in her eyes
to see a hideous oni reach for her. She screamed in fear
and cringed away.

"Akane!" Ranma leapt past the Thunderbeast and raced
towards Akane. Burning pain erupted as a crackling blue paw
slashed across his back and hurled him forward. He used the
imparted momentum to gain more distance between himself and
Raiha, and to draw closer to Akane. Yet, deep within his
heart, he knew he was too late. Umibouzu, I need your help
now! Come on, answer me!

I am sorry, Ranma Saotome. That far inland my power is
limited. All the power I could grant you was exhausted in
the seal you wrought.

To Ranma's surprise, the regret that suffused the Great
Devourer's mental voice seemed real. It did not make any
difference to him. The demon thrust a huge claw forward to
rip Akane asunder, and inwardly, he died a thousand deaths
for his failure.

"Hiraikottsu!!"

Akane watched the claw bore down almost calmly, knowing
that no one was close enough to save her from imminent
death. Ranma, she thought at the last. I'm sorry I never
told you that I lo-- Wait, what was that whistling sound?
She glanced up.

The grinning oni never even saw the blow that killed him.
He was punched off his feet by a giant metal boomerang,
which sliced through his torso in a violent spray of blood.
The flying metal blade, oversized to a ridiculous degree,
swung in an deadly arc and spun back towards its owner. The
two halves of the demon fell to the ground with dull thuds,
adding two more pools of demonic ichor to the plentiful
quantities already soaking the path. Akane traced the
flight of the boomerang with numbed astonishment before her
eyes settled on the two figures who stood on the
mountainside framed by the setting sun.

"Ukyo!" The name burst from her lips in shock.

The okonomiyaki chef caught the returning boomerang,
smiled brilliantly, and flashed the embattled martial
artists a victory sign. Konatsu, looking both determined
and happy, stood beside her. Both of them charged into the
fray, the kunoichi drawing his sword and hurling throwing
stars like they were going out of style, and Ukyo wielding
the massive boomerang in place of her battle spatula.

The last demon moved in, chittering with excitement at the
thought of having such a pretty morsel at its mercy. A
flung bonbori smashed into the oni, striking it in the face
and flinging it back. Shampoo, Akane thought with
gratitude, which was probably only the second such time in
her life she'd felt that particular emotion for the Amazon.
She drove her right foot round in a desperate sweeping move
and slammed it into the legs of the next advancing demon.
Breath exploded from her mouth as absolute agony raced up
her right leg. The demon tumbled away, unbalanced by her
sweep.

"Aiyah, Spatula Girl make timely arrival," Shampoo snorted
as she danced around two more demons closing in on Akane.
Bonbori and sword darted in a rapid attack that left both
demons battered and missing several body parts. "You get up
now, Pervert Girl. Shampoo no do this forever."

Akane tried to stand, but the strength drained from her
numb limbs. She collapsed again, head spinning with sudden
nausea. Her vision was clouding quickly and her heart was
beating rapidly. The loss of sensation was very bad, she
knew. All the symptoms bespoke of a strong poison,
undoubtedly injected by the spider demon earlier.

"Akane!" Ranma shouted, throwing a helpless glance at her
dire situation. Dammit! What else could go wrong?! Cold
fire raked across his shoulder and he fell back, his right
arm falling numb from shock.

"Ignoring me is hardly wise, dear brother. Oh, were you
distracted by the fate of your mortal bitch?" Shukumaru
gloated. "Mizukumo's poison is deadly, you know. But don't
be too concerned. You shall join her shortly."

Ranma felt the anger and rage sweep over him, and this
time he welcomed the incipient fury. His left hand curled
into a claw and he slashed out at the grinning demoness
before him. She dodged back, still smiling, and behind her,
Raiha loomed menacingly. The swarm of servitor oni that he
had bypassed earlier also poured towards him. "Damn you,
Shukumaru! I don't have time for this!"

The situation looked bad. He had to hold off his half-
sister, her pet demon wolf, and the horde of onrushing oni
until the others could wipe out the remaining demons behind
him and get Akane away. Retreat was no longer an option,
and Ranma was determined to hold out as long as he needed.
A hand seized his shoulder and flung him back. "What the--
Ryoga?!"

Ryoga Hibiki smiled grimly as he found what he sought. His
eyes traced over the web of interconnecting energy lines
that traced the underpinnings of the steep and narrow path
on the side of Fuji-san. Here and there, they joined
together to form governing nodes. The web was already
warped from the minor quakes earlier. It wouldn't take much
to wreak greater havoc. Get her out, Ranma. I'm counting on
you. He jabbed his index finger without hesitation into the
largest of the complex nodes of energy. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The side of the mountain collapsed.

Ryoga, Shukumaru, Raiha, and the foremost of the oni pack
were buried beneath the avalanche of tumbling rock
instantly. "Ryoga-sama!" Kodachi screamed in shock and
dismay. She lunged forward to slam her Spear of Fuma into
the pile of fallen debris, using it to lever aside the
loose boulders.

Ranma numbly watched the tableau of jumbled stones, before
turning to smash furiously through the remaining oni to get
to Akane. Ucchan and Konatsu were doing a fine job
whittling down the belligerent boar and bull ogres as they
pushed up the narrow pathway. He could rely on them to hold
the escape route open. "Shampoo, help Kodachi get Ryoga
out," he ordered. The purple-haired Amazon turned to look
him in the eye a split second after lopping off the head of
a oni.

"Please," he added wearily, staring at her until she
nodded and headed towards the rockpile. He bent and lifted
Akane's shivering body. She was horribly light in his arms.
His dream from the night returned to haunt him, but he
refused to pay heed to it. "I won't let you die, Akane. I
won't!" he whispered, cradling her body gently.

"Found him!" Shampoo's cry was quickly echoed by a "Ryoga-
sama!" from Kodachi. He turned to watch as they dragged
Ryoga's unconscious body from the jumble of loose stone and
scree. Even as they pulled him clear, more rock shifted to
expose luminous blue fur. It was time to go. He picked up
Akane's katana and clasped her arms around it. That was all
he could do to safeguard the Tendo family treasure, but
somehow he knew Akane would not let it fall.

"Let's go!" he shouted. Ukyo and Konatsu held the path
clear until they were out and running down the path towards
the base of Fuji-san. Ranma had Akane in his arms, while
Shampoo and Kodachi were burdened by Ryoga, so it was up to
the other two to play rearguard all the way down.

The howls of pursuing demons chased after them.

---

Ukyo halted and gasped for breath. She had come to a
realization about her choice in tools of battle: oversized
weapons made a delightful splatter and looked utterly cool,
but they were pure murder when running away from pursuing
demons was involved. Hiraikottsu was currently being
carried by Konatsu.

She turned to stare back up at the rough side of Fuji-san.
Their pursuers had halted once they reached the base of the
mountain. But they had lost sight of Ranma and Akane. The
cool chill of the evening breeze touched her, tracing icy
fingers over her damp, sweat-covered skin, but she did not
feel it. Rather she was warmed by the smouldering fires of
a white hot anger. Ranma had chosen to save Akane even
though she had been in danger as well.

"Dammit! He saved Akane and forgot all about us!" The
words burst out from her, fueled by the burning fury within.

"What of it?"

"So?"

"Don't either of you see anything significant in that?"
Ukyo snapped.

Kodachi shrugged carelessly. "Ranma-sama would have saved
any one of us had we been in the same position. Merely an
unhappy misjudgment on the part of the demons."

"Is true. Spatula Girl give up now if she want, but
Shampoo know better." Shampoo smirked with a self-
confidence that matched Ranma on his best day. "Airen is
too good man. Shampoo never think to see such in outside
world. Even Great-Grandmother say would like be hundred
years younger. Shampoo no give up on Ranma ever." She
rubbed her cheek thoughtfully and her eyes narrowed. "But
is true Airen save Pervert Girl. Shampoo give him six
Amazon glomps in return and try kill Pervert Girl again,"
she finished cheerfully.

"Yes, Ranma-sama is a prize worthy of the greatest
battle," Kodachi mused out loud. "Should a lowly cook, such
as yourself, choose retreat, then the Black Rose will
happily see you on your way. But for Kodachi Kuno... I
shall pursue Ranma-sama for however long it takes for him
to realize my finer qualities."

"Who said I was giving up, Sugar?" Ukyo muttered in
disgust. "Keep your wishful thinking to yourself."

"Crazy Rose Girl not know meaning of defeat?" Shampoo
asked curiously.

"Why, certainly I do! Defeat is merely another term for
try again," Kodachi replied with a hair-raising laugh. She
bent to check on the semi-conscious boy lying on the
ground. "Ryoga-sama, are you all right?"

---

Grey boulders shifted and fell away. Raiha stood and
howled his fury into the fallen night, shaking debris from
his fur. Shukumaru emerged from beneath the Thunderbeast,
dusted her robes, and stared about her. The wan light cast
by the pale moon and glittering stars illuminated her utter
defeat. Mangled and twisted bodies of her servitor oni lay
sprawled amidst the devastated landscape. Most were already
reverting to clumps of dirt and ash. Oni were formed from
earth and wood and the essence of human evil, and so did
they return when that essence was released through death.
Pitiful whines and begging from wounded demons floated up
from where their crushed bodies lay pinned beneath the tomb
of fallen stone. She paid little heed to their injuries or
demise; they were beneath her concern or notice. Instead
her thoughts focused on the escape of her prey.

A deeply bowing and scraping bull ogre brought further
irritating news. The surviving oni pack had chased her half-
brother and his allies to the base of the mountain but no
farther. Fools! Did she have to do everything herself?

"Seek them out! Hunt them to the ends of the world if need
be!" Shukumaru said in a voice that promised pain and
torment if unappeased. "You command your fellows as of now."

"As you will, Mistress," the bull ogre bowed lower and
backed away.

She grimaced in displeasure, irked by her loss despite her
holding of all the trumps. Nodoka was no longer a card she
could play, sealed away by her half-brother's use of the
power of the Great Devourer. There was another source of
annoyance. Umibouzu had cast his lot with Ranma Saotome
despite her threat. She marked him as yet one more enemy to
destroy.

There was but one silver lining in the dark cloud of
defeat. The girl cherished by her half-brother undoubtedly
lay dying even now, poisoned by Mizukumo's unrelenting
toxin. The spider demon's bite pierced deep into the
spirit, no mere human could ever hope to survive it.
Shukumaru frowned lightly. Her half-brother could yet save
the mortal girl, but he surely lacked the knowledge. No,
she was already dead, and that was all to the good. Her
half-human brother would become reckless with grief and she
would take the opportunity to crush him utterly.

She would have to gain another ally to counter Umibouzu.
That would be the first step in her new strategy to attain
the coveted position of Demon Lord of the East. Then, and
only then, would she know peace.

"Jakuten!" Shukumaru commanded. Her personal servitor
appeared with a small pop of displaced air from wherever he
had been hiding during the battle. Jakuten was a coward but
also a survivor, and she could respect that fact. "Prepare
my litter. We leave in the morning."

"Yes, Shukumaru-sama," said the small demon fawningly.

Shukumaru strode towards her chambers within the temple,
eager to banish the sweat and grime of battle from her
skin. Raiha padded after her, loyal and silent.

---

The night hid them both from prying eyes.

A small hollow at the base of Fuji-san served as their
refuge from the darkness that searched for them. Akane was
shivering violently, her eyes closed and her breath
irregular. He laid a hand upon her forehead and felt her
burning up, ravaged by a strong fever. What do I do? What
can I do? Ranma thought furiously. It was miles to the
nearest hospital. Akane would die before he could carry her
to any one of them. It was up to him to save her... but how?

I can save her.

It was the voice from his dream in the night. The dream
invaded by the Earth Spider, Chikumo. The voice had
banished Chikumo, waking him from the horror of Akane's
death. Ranma started slightly in surprise. Who _are_ you?

That is not important now. The important thing is that I
can save her. Do you want me to?

What? 'Course I do. Why'd you even need to ask? Ranma
wondered.

Because you need to trust me in order for me to help her.
The voice answered coldly. Do you trust me?

No.... But if it'll save Akane, then I'll let you do
whatever you need for the moment.

Good. Wake her and then speak to her. Gain her trust and
then I shall take over for a while. The voice fell silent
and Ranma was alone once more. He reached out a trembling
hand to trace along the curve of Akane's cheek.

"Wake up, Akane.... Please," he whispered, hoping she
would hear him; that her soul would respond to the sound of
his voice.

It was a vain hope, arrogant and prideful, but then Ranma
was nothing if not confident. He closed his eyes and tried
a prayer to any listening gods. No gods replied directly,
but he heard her voice softly breath, "Ranma..."

Akane's eyes opened and she stared up at him.

"Akane... please listen to me." His voice was low and
tense, despite all he could do to keep his fear from
touching it. "You got poisoned by a demon an' it's pretty
strong stuff. I need ya to trust me and let me do what I
gotta to help you."

"Trust... I... don't..." Akane tapered off weakly, but
then the fire rose in her eyes again. It was beautiful to
watch, to hear the strength return to her voice, buoyed
from her anger. "You don't... trust me, Ranma. Why...
should I trust... you?"

Because you're dying, dammit! His mind screamed in
anguish. Let me save you! But that wouldn't help the
situation. Logic never did. Akane only responded to
emotion. He touched her cheek gently once more and steeled
himself to do the hardest thing in his life.

"I'm sorry, Akane. I never trusted you before 'cause I
couldn't." Ranma took a deep breath. "See, it's 'cause I
only ever trusted one person in my life and he-- well, he
betrayed me. So I couldn't, ya see?"
He looked up nervously to see that her eyes had closed yet
again. "Dammit, 'Kane. Listen to me, will ya? Geez, I'm
pouring out my heart here." He froze as her hand touched
his.

"I... understand." A tear trickled from beneath her eyelid
and rolled down her right cheek. "We'll trust... each
other, okay, Ranma?"

"Yeah, guess so." Ranma felt the surge as the voice took
over. He found himself watching helplessly, a guest in his
own body, as his head dipped to press lips against the soft
delicate skin of the arch of her throat. What the heck are
ya doing? There was no reply. Answer me, dammit!

"Ranma... please stop," Akane gasped weakly as she felt
him nuzzle her neck. Fiery trails of sensation ran across
her body. Whether it was from the poison spreading through
her system or from some other reason, she couldn't say. She
opened her eyes to look at him.

"No." Ranma lifted his head long enough to display
luminous eyes tinged with yellow. "Remember, you trust me,"
he said softly.

"I trust you," Akane murmured, staring into his golden eyes.

He lowered his head to nuzzle her neck once again and then
his fangs pierced her throat.

Akane shuddered weakly. Her heart fluttered like a dove
locked within a cage. Once. Twice.

Then it was still.

---

Author's Notes:

1) 'Hiraikottsu' - Sango's giant metal boomerang; from Inu-
Yasha.

2) 'Mizukumo' - this translates as 'Water Spider'.





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