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. Vincent Seifert has kindly provided webspace for most of my fanfics and links to the rest at the following address: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/kagami/ You can contact me at: kagami@jeack.com.au --- Near a small island in the northern Pacific, two ancient beings clashed in titanic battle. The sea roiled with a raging turbulence spawned by the primal fury between Umibouzu and the Ayakashi. A small local seeming twisted the air and ocean about their sinuous, warring lengths, cloaking their presence from mortal sight. It was the only magic used in the bitter and brutal conflict. The Devourer of Ships knew his opponent to be a creature of elemental savagery. The Ayakashi was a mindless force, existing only to slay and engender chaos upon the commands of the Demon Lord of the South. Umibouzu had learned far better over the long span of time since their mutual creation, glimpsing even the ultimate purpose of the Cardinal Servants, while the Ayakashi clearly had not. Yet the battle raised the delight for destruction that remained at the core of his being and also something greater, besides. Never in his five thousand years of existence had Umibouzu felt the savage exhilaration that pulsed through his massive body this very day. Not since Amaterasu Omikami, Goddess of the Sun, bade the ancient land of Nippon to arise from the firmament, and so created the first creatures of Yamato, had he felt so alive, so vital. In one sense, the contest between himself and the monstrous Ayakashi was meaningless, important only in the ephemeral sense of deciding a victor between claimants to the Eastern Throne. It mattered not in the end who became Demon Lord, only that someone did. Why, then, did this battle with the Cardinal Servant of the South embody so much of his hopes and fears? Even as he wrenched his head and jaws around to gain access to the Ayakashi's vulnerable underside and flung coil after coil of his serpentine length in a savage bout of oceanic dominance, some small part of Umibouzu focused on the two other clashes of power reverberating across his senses. One was centered on the nearby island, and the other, much farther away, in the frozen peaks of central Japan. Umibouzu touched the closer source and admired the strength and clarity of purpose he found within the mind of Ranma Saotome. There, faced with a powerful challenger in the form of Moeru, the half-demon scion of Yami-no-Tsume knew no fear, only a deep concern for his friends and mother, fueling an ironclad determination to win... and something far darker, joyous, hidden but exultant. His tenuous contact faded as he achieved the writhing lock about the Ayakashi he sought. The Cardinal Servant of the South fought hard, desperate to escape the frozen coils looped around his length, but Umibouzu remained relentless, questing for an opportunity to tear into the softer hide of the underbelly and neck. It soon came, one reckless twist by the Ayakashi revealing vulnerable flesh. The Great Devourer bit down hard, savoring the rich blood pouring from the wound as well as the mournful cry of the Ayakashi echoing across the water to slowly fade, lost to the wind. The brief thrill of victory was quickly washed away as his desperate adversary fastened jagged fangs into his flesh, letting the weight of his confined body drag them both beneath the waves. He only had time to pulse a brief message of warning before sinking into the furious darkness of the depths. Then he was gone. Behind them, the ocean surface bubbled and seethed, then slowly calmed, until no trace of their passing remained. --- An Awakening of Demons A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic By Kagami Chapter 11: Tenacity --- In the bowels of the earth beneath the island of Seiryu, Ranma Saotome heard the voice of Umibouzu echo in his mind and fade. There was no answer. He threw aside his concern; the battle with Moeru would require all his concentration. Carefully he refrained from thinking of the four girls standing behind him. It wasn't easy. "Ranma-sama, defeat this unworthy challenge for your beloved Kodachi!" "Ranma, you win for Shampoo, okay?" "Ranchan, I'm counting on you." "Ranma, don't you dare lose!" "Hey," he snapped, turning around to face them, "do you guys mind? I'm trying to concentrate here." The cheering squad was great for his ego, but there was a time and a place for it. And this wasn't it. Moeru, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, looked somewhat nonplused at the exchange. The girls, on the other hand, were barely deterred by his objection. "But, Ranma-sama, I'm merely expressing my concern for you," Kodachi proclaimed. "After all, you should utilize every opportunity to announce our love." "Since when Ranma like Crazy Rose Girl?" Shampoo interjected. "One that Ranma love is Shampoo!" "Dream on, sugar. Ranchan loves me," Ukyo said confidently. "Isn't that right, Ranchan?" "How did we get on this topic?" Ranma clenched his fists in annoyance. Fortunately, Ryoga hadn't added anything to the furor. That was a good thing, but the one person he had some small interest in hearing remained silent. Then she spoke. "Ranma--" "Akane?" "--you'd better turn around." "Wha-- Yikes!" Ranma barely dodged the blast of flame that narrowly shot past, scorching his shirt. "Hey! Whaddya do that for?" he asked Moeru who lowered her smoking hand. She looked annoyed. "Do you believe this to be a game, Ranma Saotome?" Moeru asked with a touch of asperity. "I advise you not to think so; if I can slay you in our following duel - if you prove unworthy - I will." "No," he said softly, "it's no game." Ranma caught the faintest trace of a mental whisper from the Blue Dragon directed to Moeru, Daughter? He shook away his surprise and concentrated on the red-haired avatar of Seiryu, his senses fully focused and alert. The tableau was indeed striking: the blue kimono-clad, tall woman stood before the vast and inert form of the spirit dragon, her fiery eyes and crimson hair stark against the shadows. Behind her, Seiryu's great golden eyes burned like vast lanterns in the dark. Smoke jetted forth from nostrils on her draconian snout, swirling just above ground and covering the barren stone in white mist. "Bring it on, Moeru!" Ranma stared cockily at his challenger. "I've beaten ya once, I can do it again." Moeru smiled faintly as she drew back the sleeves of her blue kimono. "Wrong," she whispered, the low sound carrying across the cavern. Flames burst from her upheld hands, and she made sweeping gestures, casting the fire around. The inferno raced outward, forming a fiery ring that surrounded both of them. "I haven't shown you the least of my power." She raised one outstretched arm high above her head, dancing flames rolling down to veil her body in a pyric shroud. It expanded outward, a burning nimbus that swirled and thickened into an incandescent shield. "This is the holy power of Seiryu: Hono no Kaze - the Wind of Flame!" Ranma took an involuntary step back upon seeing the conflagration cover Moeru, and felt the heat from the encircling ring flickering at his back. There was no place to go. "Nice show, but it's only defensive. You can't hurt me with that." Moeru shook her head in negation. "Wrong," she reiterated, "I can." She struck her other hand towards him and an arc of fire burst forth directly at him. Ranma dodged to one side and the blast that might have crisped him sank harmlessly into the blazing ring behind. "Fire calls to fire," Moeru stated, "fire feeds on fire; how long can you avoid it?" As further flames speared forth at him, Ranma knew the answer to that question was pointless. He could easily dodge flames all day, but that in itself would hardly resolve anything, and eventually he would tire. Man, he'd bet anything Shukumaru didn't have these problems. --- Deep in the mountains above Nagano, Shukumaru had an entirely different view of her supposedly problem-free situation. She hurled herself to one side as the icy blast impacted on the spot she had been standing. Cat-quick reflexes had saved her from the first attacks of the Ice Maiden, Shimoyake. The problem was her inability to close and utilize her own technique. Her Dokkasou required physically touching her opponent, and while Kori Otome held her off with blizzards of razor-sharp ice shards and pale cones of pure frost, it was totally negated. There were alternatives she could use, but revealing them so early in the battle was foolish. Shukumaru had no intention of using her other powers until forced. A tight smile etched her face and she shook her pale hair to rid it of the covering snow that still drifted down out of the evening sky. The frosty peaks above Nagano were bitterly cold, like the frozen reaches of Jigoku. "Had enough, Shukumaru?" Shimoyake mocked, wintry cold. "Surrender, and I shall add your frozen body to my collection for all eternity - a quick and merciful death, I promise you." "Such a generous offer," she returned, suitably sardonic. "I fear I must decline. I have no intention of remaining an ice block for the rest of eternity. Too dull." The Ice Maiden acknowledged her defiance with a nod, then snapped her fingers with an explosive report, sending uneasy rumbles across the snow-covered landscape. "Hiko! Hime!" Shimoyake called, summoning a pair of blurry whirlwinds to coalesce into human - or more precisely, childlike - forms. "Entertain our guest. I tire of this meaningless conflict." Shukumaru frowned, attempting to recall any scrap of information about Kori Otome's servants, but came up blank. Hiko appeared to be a ten year-old boy, while Hime was apparently a girl of similar age, both as cute as real children. The boy had a shock of light blue hair and the girl had waist-length hair of a deeper, almost purple, blue, tied off with a white ribbon. Both had similar high cheekbones and large, violet-coloured eyes on narrow countenances, suggesting they were likely siblings from the same birth. "Hello, Auntie," they said in unison, smiling brightly. "Would you care to play with us?" "Auntie?" Shukumaru ground her teeth in anger at the aspersion on her age. Behind her, still in the sheltering palanquin, Raiha muffled a series of chuckles that further irritated her. "Brats...." "Oh dear," Hime said with consternation. "Auntie is unhappy, Hiko." "Then we must cheer her up, Hime," Hiko replied, nodding his head. They linked fingers and raised their other hands to point directly at her. A hail of icy shards sprang forth from Hiko's raised palm, while Hime released a geyser of steaming water. "How is this supposed to cheer me up?" Shukumaru snarled as she dodged the projected hail storm. The scalding blast of water jetted past as well, a clear miss. The twins directed their power at her again, parallel clouds of blistering steam and pointed icicles. Leaping left or right would still put her within range of the two attacks, so she leapt back hastily, and promptly sank chest-deep into melted snow, entrapping her arms. Hot water from the earlier miss, she realized, furious with herself for not recognizing the ploy. The two children approached, hands still linked. Hiko smiled even more widely, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs. "Simple, Auntie. Once we kill you, you won't feel unhappy anymore." Shukumaru roundly cursed the Ice Maiden as she tried to extricate herself from the trap. Shimoyake still stood back, smirking, evidently content to permit her servants to resolve the matter. Damn them all to hell, she thought. She would bet anything Ranma Saotome was in a much better situation right now. Her damnable half-brother had proved more resilient than she'd expected, destroying her plans with a minimum of losses. At least that girl he had seemed fond of would undoubtedly be dead from Mizugumo's deadly poison by now. It was a beginning. --- Akane Tendo, very much alive, and likely to eventually disappoint Shukumaru upon disclosure of her survival, was not even thinking about the demoness. Instead she shouted worriedly as the fiery ring sealed Ranma from the rest of them. "Ranma, watch out!" Somehow, to her, the other three girls seemed less concerned about Ranma than pushing forth their own claims upon him, especially Kodachi. "Oh, how shall I cheer my Ranma-sama on?" Kodachi wondered aloud, head cocked and hands clasped tightly together. "Martial Arts Cheerleading? No, too vulgar. Ah, I know--" A quick movement extracted a Rhythmic Gymnastics club from somewhere amidst her yin-yang crested leotard. "The perfect thing!" "How is that going to help, sugar?" Ukyo asked, interested despite herself. "Is club, no?" Shampoo eyed the item suspiciously. Crazy Rose Girl was too fond of sneaky tricks to be predictable. "Maybe help Ranma in battle?" she hazarded. "Certainly not," Kodachi objected stridently, before piously adding, "I would never dream of interfering with a one-on-one duel." "Oh, really?" Akane blurted, incredulous at the blatantly self-serving tone and remembering the number of times the Black Rose had interfered in past challenges. "No, this is merely a means of encouragement. Note the cord, if you will." Kodachi fingered the string extending from the base of the club. Shampoo had already noticed it, but the other two girls and Ryoga missed the thin attachment. "What's the string for?" Ryoga enquired. "Simple, Ryoga-sama," Kodachi murmured, "pull the cord, like so, and aim in the direction of your choice, and voila!" The clubhead disintegrated with a loud bang and shot bright sparks and dazzling colours into the air, much like an oversized party cracker. "'Win for the sake of our love, Ranma-sama!'?" Akane tersely quoted as the light show resolved itself into a distinct selection of brazen words. "That's your idea of encouragement?" "Of course. It signifies the next great step in our relationship - acknowledgment!" The Devil Hunter half- lidded her eyes and cooed satisfaction, sending chills down everyone's spines. "Give me a break, Kodachi," Ukyo muttered, peeved. "Your relationship with Ranma is nothing more than a twisted illusion." Expecting a snide remark in return, she was surprised when Kodachi looked soberly at her instead. "Sometimes illusions can hold great power," the Black Rose replied softly. "What do you mean by that?" Ukyo asked uneasily, conscious of the suddenly somber mood. Fortunately, Kodachi spoiled the serious tone with a raised hand and a high laugh. "Ohohohoho, I leave that for you to find out, lowly preparer of okonomiyaki!" "Why, you--" "Hold it!" Ryoga snapped, cutting Ukyo off in mid-sentence. "What?" Ukyo asked, perplexed. She suddenly became aware she'd forgotten all about Ranchan. The horrifying thought was reinforced by Akane's "Oh no, Ranma!" "Nope," Ryoga said, shaking his head. "We've more problems than that." He pointed to the entrance of the cavern. The half-dozen looming figures were obvious despite the shadowy gloom, glistening white against the dark mouth of the tunnel. Ryoga fell silent, but he didn't need to say anything more. The Saikin had caught up with them. --- How to win? Ranma wondered desperately. Even as he ducked, wove, and dodged through the streams of near-liquid flame, additional fingers of fire sought him out, following his every move. "Tell me, Ranma Saotome, why you battle for my power. What is it you seek?" Moeru asked, distracting him. She seemed genuinely interested in hearing his answer. "Is it merely for the position of Demon Lord? Is that your goal? Glory and power?" "What if it is?" challenged Ranma in turn. He darted to the right, letting a tongue of fire pass by, then lunged back to avoid another, which fell short. "Because such reasons are not enough for victory, not against Seiryu." Cloaked by her radiant shell, Moeru shook her head. "It is not enough by far. Over the centuries, a hundred would-be Demon Lords have sought my power for those reasons. None survived. If those are your reasons, you, too, will fail and meet death at my hands." "You didn't want to hear me out earlier." Ranma shot the quicksilver riposte as he hopped over a hungry flame licking out from the ring at his back. A sudden flare of heat had been his only warning, and he had reacted purely on instinct. He stretched his senses to the utmost as the level of danger rose yet again. "How come you're asking now?" "Because," Moeru said calmly as the small mandolin Ranma had seen before reappeared in her lowered hands, "I wish to make a song of your death." Ranma snorted, amused despite his situation. "Feh, save your song, Moeru. I ain't gonna need it. I don't even want to be Demon Lord." "Then why are you here?" His reasons were simple really. He fought for his mother's love, denied to him for ten long years, newly regained, and now apparently lost. The thought of her left sealed in a prison of his own making, despite it saving her from imminent death, was agonizing. Ranma refused to let that happen. Nodoka.... The ghostly whisper arose from the depths of his mind, ripe with passion, and the sudden distraction nearly cost him his life. Ranma frantically ducked a scorching blast that came within a hair's breadth of incinerating his head. What the heck was that? He somersaulted over a gushing firespout, and hastily patted down a series of small fires on his clothes left by a shower of oily droplets. Dammit, how was he supposed to think up a winning tactic with all the weird interruptions? If only the fire would stop following him around-- Wait, that was it! Ranma smiled, suddenly confident. "Moeru, I'm only gonna tell you this once, so listen up. I ain't fighting for this Demon Lord crap. That's Shukumaru's thing. I'm fighting 'cause she wants to kill me, my family, and my friends. I ain't gonna let that happen, you hear me?" Blood surged in his veins, heightening his every sense, and unknown to him, his eyes began to shine a distinct yellow. "It ain't gonna happen," Ranma repeated, "because I'm gonna win this battle, and when Shukumaru comes back to challenge me, I'm gonna kick her ass!" Moeru wryly returned his smile. "How fortunate. I've become rather tired of writing ballads of glory and stupidity to would-be Demon Lords." --- Mizuhiko and Oyuhime! Shukumaru blinked as she suddenly recalled the names of the two cherubic servants of Kori Otome. The Cold Water Prince and the Hot Water Princess. Knowing their names did not really help, but she had already recognized the inherent weakness in their attacks and quickly resolved the best solution for her situation. "You know, you've forgotten one thing," Shukumaru offered as the twins raised their hands once more in her direction. "What's that, Auntie?" the twins chorused in unison as they launched their attacks. Mizuhiko unleashed a torrent of ice shards, and Oyuhime followed it with a stream of scalding water. If the deadly storm of icicles failed to finish her, then the second assault would boil her to death. "Water conducts electricity," Shukumaru stated as her eyes began to glow white. "RAIHA!" The crackling bolt of lightning, drawn from the waiting Thunderbeast, leapt from her open mouth and along a reciprocal path to the two watery attacks headed her way. The hail of icy needles melted into cold water as the electricity passed through, and the jet of steaming water flashed into pure steam in turn. The twins jerked and toppled as the lightning blast struck them, flowing through their linked hands and covering their twitching bodies with a shower of radiant sparks. Scattered droplets of cold water - the remnants of Mizuhiko's blizzard - harmlessly sprinkled over Shukumaru's exposed head and shoulders. She gave a tight grin as she watched the cloud of steam from Oyuhime's attack slowly condense and drift to the snow-covered ground. She directed her second and third blasts at the ground near her trapped body and pulled herself free as the earth shuddered and ripped asunder beneath the powerful onslaught. Shukumaru delicately flicked the loosened dirt from her travelling oba and plastered a malevolent smile on her face as the two children struggled to their feet, still quivering. "Waaah! Scary!" Oyuhime cried as she clutched her brother's hand. Mizuhiko nodded in agreement, and tugged his sister back. "We should let Mommy handle her!" They really were Shimoyake's children? Shukumaru wondered as the twins pelted back towards the waiting Ice Maiden and hid behind her. "Well, it looks like your brats failed, Shimoyake." Mizuhiko peered around the Ice Maiden's legs and stuck out his tongue. Shimoyake swatted him on the head, and he winced and clutched the spot. "What was that for?" he complained. "Hiko, Hime, wait me below. You'll be punished for your failure." Kori Otome's voice was abrupt and dismissive, and the twins let identical miserable expressions cross their faces before dissolving into small clouds that swiftly vanished. "Well, Shukumaru, you've retained your tactical sense, anyway." The Ice Maiden clapped politely, and continued, "I deem you worthy of challenging me." "Oh, please." Shukumaru mock-shuddered. "That arrogant attitude really annoys me." "Be as flippant as you want, Shukumaru, but you have no real idea of what you face here. The very land is my ally." Shimoyake gestured and a blinding snowstorm sprang up in moments. As she became lost in the flurry of white snow, the Ice Maiden added, "I have merely toyed with you up to this point. Now I will finish it." The world became a nightmare of cold and wet snow. Shukumaru could only see to a range of less than two feet, the blizzard blanketed everything else. She desperately extended her senses to seek out the Ice Maiden, and discovered a veil of power covering the storm. It shielded Shimoyake completely from her perception. Shukumaru could only stumble forward and hope to emerge from the tempest. She closed her eyes and walked forward. One pace, a second, another, a fourth, until she reached a count of one hundred and sixty-four. Still she remained within the snowstorm, and the cold began to leach into her bones, stealing her body warmth like a hungry ghost. She staggered on, determined to win at all costs. Two hundred and one, two hundred and two, two hundred and three... up to nearly five hundred, then she lost count and merely stumbled on into the unknown, blind and numb. Her foot struck a small protuberance beneath the snow, perhaps a rock, and she crumpled, boneless, to the ground. Within minutes, a layer of snow covered her motionless body, enveloping her in false warmth. Shukumaru lay there, knowing she had to continue moving to survive. Even her demonic strength would eventually fail in these conditions and she would freeze to death. An ice block, just like Shimoyake said. Even that thought held no power to encourage her, and Shukumaru rested in the snow like one already dead. --- "Damn!" Kodachi muttered in annoyance as her Spear of Fuma sank into the foremost Saikin without effect. The pale humanoid creature made desperate sucking noises as it tried to ingest the weapon. Kodachi backed away hurriedly, pulling out the spear with great difficulty. It came free reluctantly, leaving the Saikin to plod on, unaffected. "What wrong with demon-slaying weapon? Why no kill demon?" Shampoo asked in surprise, twin bonbori loosely clasped in her hands, spherical heads pointed towards the ground. "Is past used-by date?" "The Saikin are not demons," Kodachi corrected impatiently. "As I mentioned before, the Saikin are the remnants of humans devoured by the Ayakashi; essentially soulless bodies only vulnerable to fire. And," she pointed out to Shampoo, irritation written across her face, "that is why my Soul Weapon did not function in this instance. It does not have a 'used-by date'." "Shampoo just ask," the Chinese Amazon replied, conveying an air of utter innocence. Ukyo snorted at Shampoo's comment and readied her battle- spatula. The Saikin might not be affected by the oversized cooking implement, but she felt better with it in hand. Even so, she hung back, reluctant to engage in useless combat. "So why'd you try using the spear if it doesn't work?" "There was a small possibility of success; I needed to attempt it." Kodachi shrugged away the chagrin of her failed attempt to harm the lumbering monsters and stared bleakly at their gelatinous forms. The Saikin advanced inexorably towards them, each slow step suggestive of cold, deliberate menace. Soft worm-like arms protruded from their white lumpy bodies and wriggled eagerly at the waiting martial artists. Ryoga shuddered with disgust and stepped forward, determination lighting his eyes. The Saikin posed a terrible danger unless he did something. Fortunately, he had a plan. "Akane," he said steadily, "please tell me you hate me." "What?" Akane blurted out, surprised by his request. It took her a brief moment to realize the reason, remembering the last time he had asked her the same thing. "I'm sorry, Ryoga-kun, I promised myself I'd never say I hated anyone if I didn't mean it." "Oh!" Shampoo exclaimed, gleefully clasping her hands together. "Then is true? Pervert Girl really hate Ranma? Shampoo so happy!" "Hey! I didn't mean it like that!" Akane protested vehemently, tossing a furious glare at the cheerfully bouncing Amazon. The group of Saikin stumbled closer, distracting her anger, and she paused to consider Ryoga's plan. There was a problem somewhere, she was quite certain. Wait, Ranma had exploited the flaw in the technique during their clash, that was it. "Ryoga-kun, you mean to use the complete Shishi Hokodan, right?" At his nod, she continued, "Okay, you shoot a pillar of heavy chi up into the air, and it comes crashing down again, hitting you and everyone around you. But it won't work for two reasons: those things" - she pointed to the Saikin slowly trundling towards them - "are completely soulless, if what Kodachi said is correct. You're in a similar state after firing off a Shishi Hokodan blast, and it doesn't hurt you, so I don't think it'll affect them either." Ryoga rubbed his chin and pondered. "I didn't think of that. You might be right, Akane-san. Er, you mentioned two reasons?" Ukyo whapped him over the head with her spatula. "That one's pretty obvious, sugar." Akane nodded and pointed up at the roof. "You'd probably bring that down on us, if you did." "Oh, right." Ryoga scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, recognizing the obvious flaws in his plan now that Akane had pointed them out. "Okay, we can't hit them, and we can't hurt them, so now what do we do?" "We only need to slow them down," Kodachi said decisively, throwing a quick glance towards the burning ring enclosing her beloved Ranma and his fiery opponent. Resolutely she turned her head back to the problem at hand. "Once Ranma- sama wins his battle with Moeru, we shall have all the flame necessary to crisp them into cinders." "Then, if I can't aim up, I'll aim down." Ryoga smiled grimly, satisfied. "Everyone get back! I don't know if this'll work!" They quickly retreated, encouraged by his vehemence, and he focused all his depressing thoughts of defeat and channeled them to his hands. As the chi ball filled the air before his widespread fingers, Ryoga searched for the critical point in the earth and quickly found it. He had always wondered about the possibility of combining his two special techniques. Now he tried it. "Bakusai Hokodan!" The ball of heavy chi compressed air in front of it, smashing into the ground at the location he had chosen with the force of a lightning bolt and tunneling along the faultline, before erupting beneath the leading Saikin. The monster was flung up into the air, then came crashing down into the gaping hole that remained. Ryoga gathered his chi again and again, waiting until each Saikin reached a particular spot to unleash the pent-up fury of his depression. He struggled against elation, knowing the weakness of his technique, and repeated his new move until every Saikin had been dumped into a deep hole. Finally he sagged back, sweat beading his forehead, near exhaustion. "Ryoga-sama," purred Kodachi, "that was wonderful! How many times can you perform that maneuver?" "Ahehehe. I'm not sure," Ryoga admitted. "Why do you ask?" In reply she pointed to the first hole in the ground, where the tip of a pale tendril quested along the edge in search of a way up. Even as he watched, the tendril stabbed into the rocky floor, anchoring itself, and several others appeared from the hole to repeat the procedure. "Damn," he muttered. The Saikin would not be deterred for long. --- Ranma felt his mind sing with the certainty of his strategy. There was a curious overlay of confidence as he began to circle clockwise from the starting point - almost as though someone else agreed with his actions. Hot ki rose from his body as he danced and avoided the increasing number of flaming jets headed his way. Come to me, follow me, he thought to the flowing fire, furious anticipation rising within him. Aura gushed from him as he held the image of his mother clear in his mind. His mother who embodied pain and love and loss. Nothing would keep him from freeing her. Nothing at all. With his mother's image came another's, shorter in height and less defined, but with a smile that cut to his heart. Ranma let every single speck of feeling dissolve into energy and radiate from his flying form. More hungry flames sought him out as he tightened the circle, narrowing the gap to Moeru's inner shield. He dodged them all, feeling as free as the wind. Ranma ducked and wove and spun as he began the final circumference of the circuit around Moeru. Then he heard her strum the mandolin in her arms - one long mournful note, slowly dying away - and his eyes leapt to meet her sorrow-filled gaze. Moeru was unsure what her half-demon opponent intended with his circling maneuver, but she wasn't inclined to indulge it, uneasily remembering the surprise he had unleashed in their first encounter. She judged the density of the outer ring and inner shield sufficient for the next stage of the Wind of Flame and smiled tightly. This would come as a surprise to Ranma Saotome. The pyric concentrations within the circles of flame gradually built up over time as she continually fed the inferno with her power. Given sufficient time, the Wind of Flame could melt the very bedrock of the island when released. The arcs and spurts between ring and shield were merely the side-effects of the build up. She strummed a single lamenting note on the mandolin in her hands in farewell to her challenger. His eyes darted to her, and she read the questions held within them. Ranma Saotome. He was strangely different to her usual opponents; a pity he would not live. Moeru plucked a second, final note. The heart of a new sun consumed the gap between the embodiments of Seiryu's holy power. As the rush of heat and flame deluged the area, Moeru lowered her mandolin with a small sigh, feeling a touch disappointed and sorrowful. A waste, really. Akane, hearing Ranma's words above the crackle and hiss of sparking flame, turned from the momentarily trapped Saikin to watch Ranma and Moeru battle. Thus she was the only one of the waiting quintet to actually witness the surging inferno engulf him. "Noooo! Ranma!" The cry of anguish seemed torn from her very soul. He couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. The others were just turning in reaction to her shout when she saw Moeru jerk and glance up. Akane cast her own desperate gaze above. Heeding the warning, Moeru snapped her eyes to the roof of the cavern where Ranma hung upside-down, feet planted against two stalactites. She met his triumphant yellow, cat- slit eyes, and stifled a gasp of shock. How had he done it? How had he known? Then the thought was lost as she recognized the stance he took. "GYAKURYU SHOTEN HA!" Hot air rises and so does hot ki. Moeru's attack had interrupted his completion of the ki spiral, but the aura at the starting point had already reached the ceiling of the cavern by the time he had been forced to abort and leap up to avoid getting toasted. In fact, he almost hadn't made it. Only his instinctive reaction to the surge in heat and power, and the brief warning from her single note, had saved him. Ranma hoped the already released aura would be enough as he punched his ice-cold fist into the center of the inverted spiral of his own ki energy. The Reverse Dragon Ascending to Heaven Blast was much weaker than the original at the start, but it strengthened with the increased hot air nearer the ground and performed its intended job nearly perfectly. Downward spinning gusts of wind smashed flat Moeru's sea of flames, causing it to gutter and flicker out like a candle in the path of a storm. Ranma kicked free of the supporting stalactites and launched himself from the roof. Below him he could see Moeru's eyes widen in shock and her arms dropped the cradled mandolin before rising in a desperate attempt to erect a new shield. "Hono no Kaze!" "Moko Takabisha!" The new shield was barely forming as his ki blast smashed through the shimmering flames, followed by his body. Ranma cocked his right arm as he fell straight towards Moeru. This time the deep pools of her red eyes failed to make him hesitate, and he held nothing back from his final strike. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" His fist and body slammed her into the ground with the force of a thunderbolt from heaven, flinging up a cloud of pulverised stone dust. Akane felt her eyes mist as the dust hid the two figures from sight. Fear and hope touched her, but the singing surge in her blood promised victory and triumph. The cloud cleared to reveal Ranma standing over his fallen opponent, yellow eyes locked steadily onto her own. --- Shukumaru dreamed. She stood on a frozen plain before a temple of black ice. Large blacks of the dark, translucent material formed the walls of the shrine. Near her was a gate of ebon, tightly closed. Shukumaru felt warm, almost protected, but a cold wind gusted from the plain, bringing a stench of death. Hesitantly Shukumaru touched a block and a voice echoed within her mind. She jerked her hand away as though the icy surface was red-hot. The feeling of safety and protection faded and vanished like it had never been. For a moment, she stood still, unwilling to proceed, but the wind continued to grow and bluster, turning into a storm of epic proportions. Shukumaru stumbled towards the gate, striving to avoid touching any of the other blocks. However, a heavy gust flung her against the wall, and she reached out to support herself. She gasped, staggering, pain flaring in her heart. The words held virulent venom within their innocence. Her hand fell on the next block in turn. Shukumaru snatched her hand away, and the voice cut off in mid-sentence. The gate finally loomed before her. By now the storm lashed across the plain in full fury, turning the sky black with dark clouds. Shukumaru raised a trembling hand to the ebon gate and touched it. She rested her forehead on the smooth stone and breathed deeply. Her heart pumped like a giant furnace, flaring brightly with forced air. The pain hurt, a thousand needles forcing their way beneath her skin, but it made her remember the past.... "No," she whispered. "No, I know who I am. I am Shukumaru. I am my own self. And I know what you are. You are my power. You are mine!" Shukumaru pushed on the gate, and it swung open. She walked in, and the silence welcomed her. Behind her the gate closed once more, sealing her in the warm embrace of the temple named Vengeance. In the mountains of Nagano, the worst snowstorm of a decade slowly played itself out. Shimoyake watched as the winds died down and the snow became a pretty backdrop to a scenic display rather than a cold killer. She stalked forward to check the largest mound present on the field of death. Brushing away the white shroud, the Ice Maiden revealed an icy surface beneath and the frozen features of Shukumaru. Her eyes were closed, almost in repose, and her face held a curious smile of near satisfaction. "So in the end you failed, Shukumaru," Shimoyake murmured. "Your road ends here, to become part of my collection." A sharp crack resounded, and the Ice Maiden stiffened in surprise. She lurched back, but far, far too late as a pale claw pierced the ice and touched her with a chill grasp. The resultant explosion hurled her away to fall in an undignified heap. Shimoyake arched her back and her breath rattled as she desperately gasped for air. One hand reached up to feel the gaping hole in her chest. The blow had shattered ribs, torn through one lung, and ripped apart the heart. Her disbelieving eyes stayed focused on the frozen tomb that held Shukumaru. The snow-covered mound detonated in a shower of broken rocks, loose earth, and clumps of white powder. Shukumaru arose from the ruins of her crypt, her countenance pale and with a horrific rictus grin painted on, but undeniably alive. "How?" Shimoyake whispered, shunting away the agony filling her mind. Shukumaru glided over the snow to approach her. Venom glittered in her bright eyes and the death rictus broadened. "Never underestimate the power of vengeance, Shimoyake. The thirst for revenge warmed me, kept me alive. Remember I survived eighteen years in a worse place - do you think a little flurry of snow like that could have killed me?" "You... have grown." "Perhaps, perhaps not. I survived; that's all that matters." Smoking fluid dripped from her hands to fall hissing on the snow field. "It will take you several hours to regenerate your heart of ice, Shimoyake. In the meantime you are mostly powerless. Do you yield?" "Yes." --- "Ranma won..." Akane whispered. "Of course Ranma win," confirmed Shampoo, eyes blinking furiously. "Bah! Pervert Girl give Shampoo great big scare with stupid yell." "Yeah, you almost made my heart stop, sugar," Ukyo muttered. "Don't do it again." "Ohohohoho," chortled Kodachi. "Doubting peasants! Know the notion of defeat never crossed the mind of Kodachi Kuno." "That because Crazy Rose Girl no sane," Shampoo retorted. The Black Rose sniffed in disdain and pulled out another club-shaped party cracker. She fired it into the air, revealing the words, "With victory comes my love, Ranma- sama!" Even so, she made no move to rush and embrace the victorious champion. There was something about his absolute stillness that unnerved her. "Ranma, you idiot!" Ryoga's harsh words made him start and blink, and when his eyes were revealed again, they were dark once more and clear. "Eh, what?" "Moeru's unconscious! So how are we gonna burn up these damned critters?" Ryoga pointed to the six Saikin still struggling to extract themselves from the pits. One was already half-out and the others seemed likely to follow. "Well, excuse me, P-chan." Ranma snorted. "I was fighting for my life if you hadn't noticed." Shampoo struck fist to palm and exclaimed, "Ah, Shampoo have idea." Suiting action to words, she began tossing the nearest chunks of rubble at the white beasts. All struck home, the Saikin not bothering to defend themselves. "You all do same," she ordered. "What's this supposed to do?" Ukyo asked as she hurled more rocks. "Is simple." Shampoo preened smugly. "Saikin eat rocks, get fat, get stuck. Like Pervert Girl." "I am not fat!" stormed Akane, outraged. "But Ranchan does always say you've thick legs, Akane," Ukyo said innocently. "He wouldn't lie, now would he?" "Raaaanma! How dare you say that about Akane-san?!" Ryoga raged. He was too late as Akane flung her next piece of stone with devastating accuracy, clonking Ranma on the head. He slumped over, unconscious, and Akane dusted her hands with satisfaction. Seiryu's mental voice was tinged with humour. White smoke jetted forth from her nostrils to cover Moeru's slumped form. It swirled, then dissipated, taking her along. "Don't you dare, Seiryu!" Akane protested. "Ranma won that fair and square!" Seiryu snorted more smoke and rumbled laughter. The Blue Dragon shook her vast head. "Part of your power?" Kodachi asked with surprise. "Does Ranchan know that?" Ukyo wondered. "If he doesn't--" "--he'll be even more insufferable than before," Ryoga completed. "Gah, what a thought!" Seiryu commanded as she blew smoke across his unconscious form. "Wha--?" Ranma jerked awake. He touched his forehead. "Ouch. What was that for, anyway?" "You insulted me!" Akane snapped at him. "I didn't say anything!" Ranma protested. Blue smoke issued forth, and Moeru reformed, yawned and stretched her body, before slipping him a lazy wink. Ranma stood up and bowed respectfully, if not gracefully, surprising everyone present. "Thanks, Seiryu, Moeru. I'll trounce Shukumaru and free Mom, I guarantee it." "Oh, your mother is imprisoned?" Moeru asked. "Er, well, actually I did it to save her from Shukumaru. I used Umibouzu's seal to protect her." "Umibouzu's seal, huh?" Moeru mused. "Then you have a sacrifice ready?" "A sacrifice?" Akane repeated with growing dread. "What for?" "Umibouzu's seal can only be broken with time or through the sacrifice of a human being. Did you not know that?" Moeru noticed Ranma growing pale. "You could also search for the god who granted this power to Umibouzu and ask him to break it, but that's Susanoo. Finding him is near- impossible if he doesn't want to be found." Ranma marshalled his remaining strength and propped himself upright. What had he done? "How long? How long does it last?" "Perhaps a decade, perhaps longer. It depends." "Come on, I've got to talk to Umibouzu!" Ranma shouted as he rushed off. Akane and the others gave quick nods to the Blue Dragon and hastened after him. Seiryu looked at her daughter with a bemused expression. Moeru bowed low then headed for the cavern exit. She stopped suddenly and carefully aimed a hand at each of the struggling stuck Saikin. Fire jetted out to incinerate each form, leaving an acrid smell and a greasy residue. Seiryu rumbled both amusement and approval and lowered her head to the ground. Soon her soft growling snores were the only sounds to echo across the deep cavern, resuming an earlier peace that had lasted over a century. --- Far away to the west, darkness slowly settled on Tokyo. The lights of the city flickered on, brightening the gloom of late evening. From the illuminated steel of Tokyo Tower to the glowing street lights in the Nerima district, Tokyo glittered like a sea of stars, a bastion against the onset of night. >From where Cologne sat atop the Kuno family manse, Tokyo Tower was quite visible, a radiant torch of metal and light. Her hands held the newly arrived parchment missive, borne by unseen messenger and delivered to a location just outside the estate boundaries. She did not have to reread the message to remember it. The five simple words within were burned indelibly into her mind. "Tokyo Tower. Tomorrow night. Come." The message, though stark and uncompromising, was not the foremost thing occupying her. Instead Cologne deliberated on the problem of Ranma. No longer her 'son-in-law', but still a trial and a portent of the many tribulations to come. His ascendancy to the Eastern Throne mattered not to her, but rather his growing personal power as the scion of Yami- no-Tsume was her primary concern. Ranma might, with his potent blood, infect them all with seeds of darkness... as he had Akane. Did he control himself? Or was he a mere pawn in the red game of demons, gods, and humans? If so, whose pawn? Shukumaru's? Yami-no-Tsume's? Questions without answers. She was not certain, and so she could only wait and watch. "Ranma," Cologne whispered to the silent, distant stars, "if you cannot control yourself, if you prove a danger, I will have to kill you," and, because she was old enough to be realistic, she added, "if I can." --- Author's Notes: 1) 'Hono no Kaze' - literally 'wind of flame'. 2) 'Mizuhiko' - as in the chapter, literally 'cold water prince'. 3) 'Oyuhime' - literally 'hot water princess'. 4) 'Bakusai Hokodan' - a joining of the 'Bakusai Tenketsu' and the 'Shishi Hokodan'; roughly 'exploding roaring bullet'. 5) 'Gyakuryu Shoten Ha' - literally 'reverse dragon ascending to heaven blast'.