Kyuuketsuki
(Vampire)
A Ranma1/2 fanfiction by Zorknot (W. Brad Robinson)
DISCLAIMER: Jusenkyo and many the characters
portrayed here are the intellectual property of
Rumiko Takahashi, Kitty films, and Shogakukan.
NOTES: This fic is pretty dark and has some rather
violent scenes. It is a continuation of sorts,
starting a few days after the last volume of the
manga. Some of the Chinese names I use are different
from convention. Here are the names as they appear in
cannon and how they will appear here. Real Chinese would
probably never have names such as these, but I felt they
needed to be changed for this fic.
Jusenkyo Guide- Gurei Pu
Plum- Pei Lum
Saffron- Sa Furan
Cologne- Ko Lon
Shampoo- Shan Pu
Village of Amazons- Nyuuchezutswun
PREREADERS:I would like to thank the following people
for helping me with this chapter. Any errors are
purely my own of course.
KpJam
Akraen
Nightman
Nemesis Zero
Edward Simmons
Dracos
Prologue: Twilight at Jusenkyo
~~~~~[BEGIN]~~~~~
A cold wind blew over the Jusenkyo springs, causing
Gurei Pu to shiver. The springs were actually more of
a large, if shallow lake now. It had been nearly a
month since Ranma had defeated Sa Furan and caused the
springs to flood, and they still showed no signs of
receding. Gurei did not want to be here. It was cold
and wet and dull. He wished more than ever that he
could go back to his home in the village, where it
was warm and bright, where his wife and daughter would
be waiting, but until the water drained away and the
individual springs were once again discernable, that
was just a far off dream. As the Jusenkyo Guide this
was probably the most important task he would have to
perform.
Gurei wondered how the Tendos and Saotomes were
doing in Japan. He wondered what sort of chaos the
barrel of Nannichuan he sent to them had caused. He
knew that curing the curse was nigh impossible, that
the spirits of the springs would not allow themselves
to cancel each other out willingly, but the Guide had
always been an optimist. He hoped against probability
that Ranma had been able to cure himself. He
certainly deserved it. Gurei picked up a small stone
and threw it into the lake. It skipped seven times
before plunking into the water above Shounichuan, the
spring of drowned elephant. Gurei sighed. He actually
hoped the marriage didn't happen...that somehow it
was called off. If Akane and Ranma were married, then
things would be that much worse...because Akane would
eventually have to return to Jusenkyo. She had her
own spring...her own tragic story.
The Akanenichuan was one of the few springs that
did not have a bamboo pole sticking out of it. The
poles were not ordinary. They were infused with ki
and protected from the weathering of nature by arcane
magic, sigils burned into their bases before they
were placed in the earth. Akane's spring would
need a pole soon. The elders were already busy making
one.
There were times when the Guide hated the elders.
Sometimes he even hated the whole village. It was his
duty to stay by Jusenkyo, alone, guarding the springs
and laying witness to tragedy after tragedy simply
because he inherited a unique immunity to the springs
from his father, a man he had barely even met. Even
now, as he approached old age, had learned to respect
Jusenkyo and its rich history, and had become a
father himself, he felt the old resentment like a
heavy acidity in his stomach. Sometimes he felt like
he too was one of the accursed spirits of Jusenkyo,
tied to it his whole life, only able to live
vicariously through the people that visited him.
Sometimes, the Guide thought that if he had to spend
an eternity like this and was suddenly set free, he'd
go on a murderous rampage too.
That's what would happen if the poles fell. The
spirits, no longer having anything tying them to the
spring, would take over the bodies of those they had
cursed, and wreak havoc upon the living world. There
were one or two benevolent spirits, the spirit of
Sounichuan, the spring of drowned priest, being
notable among them, but even these spirits had a dark
nature. Their souls still belonged to the demon
imprisoned in the source of Jusenkyo's waters.
However good their intentions, their actions would
always serve evil.
The methods of protecting the poles had improved
over the centuries, but that didn't mean there
couldn't be mistakes. Although magic found ways
around almost every rule of nature, it could not ever
completely escape one most important physical law,
the law of entropy.
The poles HAD fallen before, and if they were going
to fall again, now, when the springs were flooded and
indistinct, would be the time. Gurei kept watching
the springs, despite the loneliness and boredom. He
watched them for the village, for the Jusenkyo cursed
people of Nerima, whom he counted among his friends,
but most of all he watched the poles for his daughter,
Pei Lum.
Pei got herself cursed because she wanted to follow
in her father's footsteps. She walked right into
Nyannichuan, hoping that she, like her father would
be immune. She was not. For the most part, Pei's
curse wasn't much of a curse at all, but if the poles
fell...
Gurei didn't want to think about it. He took his
long, wooden pipe out of his shirt pocket along with
some tobacco, filled the pipe, lit it with a match,
and inhaled slowly. Another cold wind passed through
him and he thought seriously about starting a fire.
Fall was definitely coming on strong this year. He
blew the smoke out of his mouth forming an "o" in the
air in front of him. Maybe Pei would visit him
tomorrow. That would be nice...
When the first pole fell, Gurei thought he was
seeing things. There was no sound. No reason to see
it at all except that he happened to be looking
through his smoke ring at the time. The pole just
leaned slowly to the left until the bottom bobbed up
with an eerie grace and the entire pole was floating
horizontally on the surface of the water. It was
starting to get dark, and since it had already been
overcast to begin with, Gurei blinked, rubbed his
eyes and blinked again hoping it was just his
imagination running on worry.
It was not.
The second pole was unmistakable. It fell quickly,
almost as if cut from underneath. It splooshed into
the water and bobbed up and down with Gurei's heart.
Gurei threw his pipe to the ground and leapt into the
water. He had to put the poles back into the earth
before...
Gurei heard another splash and saw another pole go
down right next to him. There wasn't time to think...
he angled himself over to the newly dropped pole and
grabbed it. The water here was only chest high. He
stood up, his shoes sinking in the soft mud. He
raised the pole into the air and shoved it into the
ground as far as he could. He read the marking on the
pole. This was one of the four poles that bound the
spirit of Rounichuan, the spring of drowned wolf.
Gurei remembered the spirit's name...Ran Binrui.
Binrui was turned into a wolf by a powerful
sorcerer two thousand, seven hundred years ago. In
order to once again regain human form and express his
love to the sorcerer's daughter, Binrui drowned
himself in the cursed waters of Jusenkyo, ceding his
very soul to the demon that was the source of
Jusenkyo's magic. Despite his originally noble ideals,
Binrui had slaughtered hundreds in Europe a thousand
years later. Many others he afflicted with the wolf
curse, making them his slaves. He was generous to his
minions. He allowed them their own lives for as long
as the moon was not full. On nights when it was,
however they were to viciously hunt down any human
they saw. Binrui was so successful, his minions so
commonplace, they gained their own name... werewolves.
He had finally been forced back to the springs almost
one hundred fifty years ago.
Gurei recalled all of this in an instant as he held
the pole. "Ran Binrui, spirit of the wolf. You have
killed many for your love. Kill no more. Rest in this
place and be content. You have done enough. Nomfir
ardfarl ben singrei, srat por lavat!" A red glow
surrounded the pole as the incantation activated the
sigils. The pole sank a few inches deeper into the
ground. The pole was back in place.
Gurei turned to go after the first two poles, when
suddenly he felt a strong current in the water
through his clothing. He looked back.
Suddenly, all four poles of Rounichuan shot up into
the air, leaving a trail of water before falling back
down into the lake. For a moment, there was silence,
and then, like dominoes, the other poles began to
fall one after the other.
Gurei stood in the ice cold water, shocked. This
wasn't simply the result of the enchantments wearing
down, there was something MAKING the poles come down.
Jusenkyo...was waking up.
There was no way Gurei could stop this. The village
had to be warned. He swam through the numbingly cold
water to the shore. Once there, Gurei ran as fast as
he could to his makeshift stable next to his shack.
The Amazons had given him a horse after the springs
flooded. It was a pure breed Arabian horse, its color
a brilliant copper. Gurei had accepted the gift
gratefully, even though he knew they had given it to
him purely out of fear that something might happen to
the springs. It was a good horse. He fed it and rode
it often. He found he enjoyed riding through the low
grade paths in the mountains. They hadn't told him
the horse's name so he named it Ranma. It was his
daughter's idea.
Ranma was rearing up on his back legs, his eyes
wide. He whinnied in fear at something that only he
could detect at the moment. Gurei knew what it was.
What they were. They hadn't escaped yet, the spirits
moved slow, blown by the light wind. Their pace would
quicken soon though. Gurei could almost feel their
hatred on his back. "Calm down, boy. Shhh. We have a
difficult journey to make." Gurei stroked the horse's
neck as slowly and calmly as possible. Gradually, Ranma
calmed down enough for Gurei to lead him out of the
stable. Gurei didn't have enough time to prepare the
saddle. He would have to ride bare back.
In his youth, Gurei would have leapt on the horse's
back without hesitation. He no longer had his youth,
but he was going to have to make it onto the horse
quickly if he was going to have any opportunity of
getting to the village in time. He closed his eyes,
took a deep breath and jumped.
Miraculously he made it onto Ranma's back. Whereupon
the horse ran off in the direction of the village
without any direction from Gurei. The Amazons trained
him well.
Gurei held tight to Ranma's body as he galloped
through the darkening woods. It would be so easy to
slip, to fall, to be injured and not be able warn
them. Each beat of hoof against ground was a
challenge against Gurei's balance, strength and
stamina. After ten minutes, nearly all three of those
had been depleted.
Gurei wasn't aware that he was crying until he felt
the wind blow against the tracks of tears on his face.
He was thinking of his few friends in the village, of
the Saotomes, of the other cursed Nerimans, of his
wife and daughter. They were the only ones he cared
about...and except for Mei, his wife, they all had
Jusenkyo curses. Not one of them would escape
unharmed, and it was very likely...they would all die.
But... he had to warn the village. He had to find his
family. He had to try.
An eternity and five minutes later Ranma galloped
to the front gate of Nyuuchezutswun. The two Amazon guards
crossed their halberds in front of him. "What is
your business, Guide."
"JUSENKYO!" The guide gasped. "THE WARDS....
FALLEN!"
Eyes widened, the guards parted to let him pass
without another word. The one on the right ran to
the watchtower that stood some ten meters down the
wooden palisade.
Soon there was a low dirge emanating from the tower
that shook Gurei's insides. Shortly afterward, it was
answered by another and then a third and forth. It
seemed almost as though the ground itself were
shaking. Gurei nodded. The alarm had been raised. Now
he had to find his family.
Gurei rested just a moment more, steeling himself
against the mounting fatigue and pain, before
galloping through the village paths past small shacks
and huts, to his family's home. It was a modest shack,
built from mud and small trees from the forest. Its
roof was thatched from the long sturdy grasses of the
meadow west of the village, and jutting out of it was
a chimney made of the stones from the mountains.
Looking at his home away from Jusenkyo, Gurei felt
the weight of what was happening hit him with greater
force. Here was everything that was good about the
Amazons. Everything important that they had
accomplished was summed up in this fragile edifice.
It all amounted to nothing.
Any one of the escaped spirits could obliterate it
with a thought once they found a host...and there
were plenty viable hosts in Nyuuchezutswun. At least one
in every twenty villagers bore curses from Jusenkyo.
For all their knowledge, for all their prowess in
martial arts, the Amazons were weak. The rest of the
world progressed while the "great" Amazon nation
stagnated, led by antiquated old fools who behaved
like children — spoiled brats with dangerous toys.
Gurei shivered as a sharp breeze cut through his
damp clothing. He almost dismounted, the need to see
his family pressing on him greatly, but he stopped
himself. No inviting smoke issued from the chimney.
The square window below the roof was dark. The house
was empty. A husk.
For a crazed moment, Gurei wished that he himself
had the power to blow the building away into rubble.
The only importance the shack ever held for him was
its promise of holding his wife and daughter, and it
had broken that promise...just as the Amazons had
done countless times. But it wasn't the house or even
the Amazons that deserved his rage. The spirits of
Jusenkyo had always been held in a secure vault of
evils. They were LET out, Gurei was sure of it. He
did not know who had played Pandora, and he did not
know where his family was, but he knew that this
information, and probably the culprit herself, would
be found among the Elders.
The Jusenkyo guide wasn't as young as he once was.
He was out of shape, and in pain from all that he had
done in such a small time, but somehow he would find
his family, and make the one responsible pay for her
crimes. A rational voice within Gurei told him this
was impossible—a foolish dream, but he paid it no
mind. Driven more by hate now than duty or even love,
Gurei turned Ranma around and rode deeper into
Nyuuchezutswun, toward the House of Elders.
The village was already a bedlam of activity. People
were boarding up windows and sticking plugs in their
chimneys even as they shivered in the growing cold.
Some families even started to dig ditches around
their homes to fill with rain water. While normal
water could not hurt the spirits, it did make them
sluggish if it was in contact with their hosts.
Meanwhile many of the warriors passed out vials of
purified Jusenkyo water to the villagers swarming
around them. This water could actually hurt the
spirits, and if it splashed one of the chakras of the
host's body (the top of the head, the forehead, the
neck heart, stomach, or groin), it could drive the
spirit out for a time. It was the best defense the
villagers had. Unfortunately, it appeared the warriors
were only giving vials out
to the women.
Rage once again welled up in the Guide as he
witnessed this pettiness in the face of disaster, but
there was nothing he could do. Grimacing, Gurei
looked forward and guided Ranma through the chaos as
quickly as possible. The way was clear again for a
while until he reached the House of Elders. Here in
the inconstant light of torches and small bonfires
warriors and healers were placating the villagers who,
like Gurei himself, wanted to get inside.
Using his position on horseback to plow slowly
through the crowd, Gurei reached the main entrance of
the House of Elders. The building was very large to
be made without machines. The front entrance was
a stone archway that led to the main hall of the
building. Rooms were situated along the perimeter of
the hall, ten along the length, and seven along the
width. The building was three stories high and each
room on the upper levels opened to a balcony
overlooking the hall. The Hall itself had a large
fireplace on one end and a raised lectern on the
other. It was possible to have nearly half the
village attend a meeting in the House of Elders
comfortably, and since only women were allowed to
attend village meetings, this was more than enough
space. four of the seven elders that ruled the
Nyuuchezutswun lived in the House of Elders,
along with decorated warriors, healers, and
historians.
One of these decorated warriors stepped to the side
of Ranma and brought twin halberds to Gurei's neck in
a scissor action that would have been physically
impossible were it not for the woman's mastery of ki.
The warrior's name was Lin. Gurei knew her by reputation
only. She had led the Amazons against the Musk in a minor
skirmish that might have turned into a war if her
victory hadn't been so complete. "How is it that a male
rides such a steed?" she asked with a sneer, "And why
would such a creature seek to enter the House of Elders?"
Gurei kept as little of his anger at Lin's arrogance
from showing as he could. "I am the Jusenkyo Guide,
Gurei Pu. It is my duty to convey what information I
have concerning the springs to the elders. I would
perform my duty now if your excellence would permit."
Lin released Gurei, spinning both halberds
effortlessly to her side. It would be ungainly, even
for one of Lin's skill to use two halberds in a
serious battle. Lin's object however was to keep
unskilled villagers out of the House, and for this,
the ability to use both weapons simultaneously with
such ease was an impressive deterrent. "I recognize
your position, Guide, but you cannot speak with the
elders at this time." Lin's eyes were fierce in the
torchlight.
"It's important that I speak with one of them! Why
do you deny me this?" Even though it was considered
uncouth for a man to talk back to a woman,
particularly one of Lin's stature, it was also true,
Gurei found, that if he acted as if he expected
respect, then he was more likely to receive it.
The proud Amazon murmured, her lips barely moving, "I
do not deny you anything...but you cannot speak
with the elders." Lin's eyes wavered just a fraction.
Gurei nodded. Lin was putting on a show. There was
something going on, and Gurei was too visible for the
woman to be candid with him. Gurei pushed back
through the crowd and guided Ranma to the shadows of
the side of the building. Unbeknownst to most of the
villagers, the House of Elders had several secret
entrances, one of which was close to where Gurei was
now. Sliding off Ranma, Gurei staggered in the dark
until he found a ring of stones that in better light
would appear to be site for a bonfire. Moving the
west-most stone out of the ring however revealed a
handle. Gurei pulled up on this and the entire ring
lifted, revealing a passageway underneath. Gurei,
alternately sore and numb from his ride through the
cold night in wet clothing, carefully climbed down
the wooden rungs of the ladder embedded in the wall.
When he reached the floor he heard the sound of a
blade being unsheathed and directly afterwards felt
the cool shock of metal against his throat.
"State your name, intruder."
"Gurei Pu, Guide of Jusenkyo. I need to give the
elders information but I was told they could not
speak with me."
Gurei heard the guard sigh as the blade left his
neck. She lit her torch allowing Gurei to see her
face. Moisture gleamed in twin tracks down her cheeks.
She looked down at her feet. "It's true, they cannot
speak with you," her head rose and her eyes met
Gurei's, "they're all dead."
Gurei eyes widened in shock "No. It can't be! The
spirits cannot have traveled so quickly!"
The young guard shook her head. "I'm a healer, I'm supposed
to be able to prevent death...but...they didn't just
die, they...The entire hall is covered in blood!"
Gurei had always suspected, but this proved it. The
Elders had been drinking Jusenkyo water to stay alive.
Even as they continued to age and shrivel, as long as
they drank the ki infused waters of the cursed
springs, they would maintain their health. Physical
attacks, even the emotion-based attacks of chi would
not affect them anymore than usual. But the spirits
attacked using ki, soul energy. Someone in the House
had to have been cursed and when they attacked the
elders must have been so saturated with ki that even
the slightest influx of the energy blew them apart.
"The spirit is still in the room?"
"Yes. The walls of the House are protected against
spirits; so those that escaped decided to lock the
door and see if what was supposed to keep a spirit
out, would keep it in."
"What did you see?"
"I...it was just the standard weekly meeting at
first. Then Elder Pao Da... She got up in front of
everyone and started yelling that we were becoming
weak, that we needed to gain more power. She talked
about Sister Shan Pu and how she was the best of the
new generation and was defeated by a mere male..."
Pao had always been the strongest speaker against
equality of the sexes. In fact, she normally seemed
adverse to discussion of any change at all in the
traditional system. That she would do such a thing
was not completely unnatural, but still shocking.
"She couldn't have been serious. Ranma defeated even
Sa Furan!"
"Yes and the council had decided shortly afterwards
that Ranma was to be considered female, despite being
born male. Elder Pao Da must have gone insane. She
started speaking in some strange language, and then
there was this white owl that she brought out of a
wooden cage that she..."
"Wait, an owl?"
"Yes."
"I see." Gurei had still been thinking that somehow
one of the elders had gotten cursed. This was worse.
"What is it?"
Gurei took a breath."The owl is her familiar. Pao
is now a witch." Gurei grabbed the young healer's
shoulders. "You must listen to me. She is not of the
walking dead, she can leave that building whenever
she wishes, which means she has been preparing
something. You have to find someone to help you...Lin
maybe. Find the owl. This is what you must attack.
The owl is Pao's link to the spirit of Kyounichuan.
"Sha Resu... Remember that name.
"Sha had been one of the leaders of the uprising
against the sorcerers one thousand, seven hundred
fifty years ago. He was captured and tortured, but he
would not reveal the names of his comrades. For his
punishment he was turned into an owl. He drowned
himself in Jusenkyo, exchanging his soul for the
opportunity to crush the sorcerers. He succeeded. His
spirit was then imprisoned in the waters of Jusenkyo,
his will corrupted over the ages until he found no
fault in killing thousands.
"He will use illusion and trickery. Remind him of
his past. That may distract him long enough for you
to kill the owl. Use wood or something else once
living to pierce the creature's heart. Pao will die
as well once you do this." Gurei released the healer
and turned back toward the wooden ladder.
"You are leaving?"
"Yes. I must find my family." Gurei spoke without
turning around.
"Oh! By the Goddess! I thought you knew!"
"What?" Gurei asked still looking ahead. He had the
feeling the coming news would not be pleasant.
"Your wife and daughter, they moved into Elder Ko
Lon's house for the fall!"
Gurei was silent for a moment. "What is your name?"
he asked finally, turning his head toward the healer.
"Li San"
"Thank you, Li San... I had almost lost hope." Gurei
started up the ladder.
"But..."
"Remember," Gurei paused, "Sha Resu. The man-hater
depends on that man." With that, Gurei climbed out of
the hole, clambered onto Ranma and set off toward
Elder Ko Lon's house.
In the woods.
Back toward Jusenkyo.
Gurei should have known his family would be there.
Ko needed someone to watch her house while she was in
Japan and Gurei's family had volunteered earlier that
year to house-sit during the fall. They liked the
house because it was more remote, quieter, and they
were closer to Gurei. The guide grimaced in both pain
and shame as he urged the horse to gallop faster out
of the village and back into the black woods. First
Pei getting cursed, now this... it seemed that
Gurei's family was always punished for being near him.
They had gone through the wood for about a minute
when, suddenly, Ranma reared up and whinnied in
fright, knocking Gurei off his back. Gurei got up as
quickly as possible, not wanting to get trampled by
the spooked horse. His tail bone was probably cracked,
and his legs were severely bruised and numb. Gurei could
barely stand up, but he beckoned Ranma away from the
darkness. The horse came to him, still skittish.
"You've been a good horse. You've been brave, the human
Ranma would be proud of you, boy. You and I both know
this is where we part though, huh? You'll probably be
alright. This is a good night for being a horse. Get
out of here. And try not to get killed." Gurei
slapped the horse on its flank and it galloped off.
Gurei was alone again.
It was dark. Pitch black. He could navigate fairly
well on the feel of the path under his feet, but it
was slow, painful and frightening. He could feel the
spirits of Jusenkyo scrounging for their victims
through the air like dogs nosing through the trash,
and while he knew that he had nothing to fear from
them until they found someone they had cursed, that
didn't help him feel any better. He also knew that by
now Pei was probably taken over. He kept going anyway.
He needed to see her. Even if she wasn't herself,
even if she did something terrible... he still needed
to see her face...to tell her that he loved her.
There was a slight twinkling in the distance that
gradually grew more distinct as Gurei shambled down
the path. It finally revealed itself to be the window
of Ko Lon's cabin. Gurei increased his speed. He was
there. He had made it! When he reached the door, he
paused and closed his eyes.
The door would be unlocked. He would open it
without knocking, startling his wife and Pei. For a
few seconds they would look at him in shock and then
Pei would jump and run at him crying "Daddy!" He
would hug her tightly with tears streaming down his
cheeks. Pei would ask why he was crying and he would
say "Because I missed you so much, and I was afraid
something awful might have happened to you." "Aw
Daddy," Pei would respond, "nothin's gonna happen to
me!" Then his wife would smile and ask how his day
was. "I was in a terrible dream," he'd say, "but now
I'm awake." Then he'd hug them both. "I love you
both so very much..."
Gurei opened his eyes. He opened the door...
The first thing he saw was blood. Huge streaks of
it, splashed haphazardly on the wall across from the
door like a madman's first attempt at modern art. The
light in the window came from oil lamps on stands on
either side of the door. Their flames flickered
frenetically, changing shadows into nightmares. Gurei
cautiously walked to the living room to his left. His
foot slipped backwards and he looked down. There was
a path of blood on the floor.
Gurei swallowed.
He entered the living room.
He heard a squishing sound to his right and turned.
There he saw his wife. Or rather... what used to be
his wife. The body had only one eye that lolled
around in its socket erratically. The head was tilted
at an awkward angle, further opening a large gash on
the side of the neck. The body shuffled on its feet
toward Gurei reaching out and snatching in the air in
front of it. It wore the tatters of a cheongsam. It
dragged a bloody, unraveled loop of intestine that
hung from the gaping red hole in the body's torso.
Gurei was too late. Far too late. He stood in shock
watching the horror creep closer to him.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?"
Gurei whirled around to find his daughter, still so
small, now covered in blood, her eyes glowing a
wicked blue, fangs protruding from her lips. "Why?"
Gurei asked the vampire as tears began to fall down
his cheeks. "All you needed was her ki. Why did you
do this to her?"
The waist-high girl with the double pigtails scowled,
her eyes flashing purple. "She deserved it!" The
vampire in Pei's body raised a tiny hand. "I don't
need to explain myself to you, Guide." Thin glowing
filaments grew from each finger slowly as Gurei
stared. She made a fist. Gurei saw four of the
filaments whip toward him and suddenly his world
exploded in white hot pain. He felt himself falling.
His head hit the floor. Even through the intense
pain he tried to get up out of instinct, only to find
that he could not. He no longer had the arms and legs
with which to do so. It happened so quickly. The
spirit was so powerful. How could anyone hope to
defeat an army of them? "Your immunity to ki draining
is an irritation, but no matter," Pei's child voice
spoke in horrible mocking tones, "You will simply
become food for your dead wife. Isn't that touching?
I think I might even watch for a bit before I visit
Japan."
All Gurei could see was the wood ceiling of the
cabin and the darkening colors around his vision
obscured even that. He could feel his consciousness
slipping away. "Pei..." He said with a shudder of
breath. "Pei, if you can hear me...please know that I
love you. I've always loved you. I'm sorry we could
not be together more. I'm sorry I wasn't a better
father."
"SHUT UP!" The vampire yelled. "Your daughter is
dead. You can save your sappy apology for the
afterlife."
In spite of the situation, in spite of the pain, in
spite of everything, Gurei smiled. Pei had heard him.
At least that one good thing had happened this night.
It was small, but Gurei had always been an optimist.
Maybe the information he had given Li would allow her
and Lin to defeat Pao. Maybe somehow the others would
survive. And maybe, when it was all over the Amazon
nation would be reborn as one based on equality and
not brutality. Even through the miasma of hate Gurei
had reached his daughter. That was enough for him to
believe that humanity had a future...that there was hope.
"Tell me one thing, Feng Lili..." Gurei could sense the
vampire pause in shock at hearing her mortal name.
"Was it worth it?" Silence was the vampire's only
response. Gurei asked again. "Was all this... worth
selling your soul?"
Gurei was dimly aware of something slicing through
his neck. "Fuck you," he heard the vampire say.
Gurei died smiling.
~~~~~[END]~~~~~
C&C welcome.
My other fanfics may be found here:
(Vampire)
A Ranma1/2 fanfiction by Zorknot (W. Brad Robinson)
DISCLAIMER: Jusenkyo and many the characters
portrayed here are the intellectual property of
Rumiko Takahashi, Kitty films, and Shogakukan.
NOTES: This fic is pretty dark and has some rather
violent scenes. It is a continuation of sorts,
starting a few days after the last volume of the
manga. Some of the Chinese names I use are different
from convention. Here are the names as they appear in
cannon and how they will appear here. Real Chinese would
probably never have names such as these, but I felt they
needed to be changed for this fic.
Jusenkyo Guide- Gurei Pu
Plum- Pei Lum
Saffron- Sa Furan
Cologne- Ko Lon
Shampoo- Shan Pu
Village of Amazons- Nyuuchezutswun
PREREADERS:I would like to thank the following people
for helping me with this chapter. Any errors are
purely my own of course.
KpJam
Akraen
Nightman
Nemesis Zero
Edward Simmons
Dracos
Prologue: Twilight at Jusenkyo
~~~~~[BEGIN]~~~~~
A cold wind blew over the Jusenkyo springs, causing
Gurei Pu to shiver. The springs were actually more of
a large, if shallow lake now. It had been nearly a
month since Ranma had defeated Sa Furan and caused the
springs to flood, and they still showed no signs of
receding. Gurei did not want to be here. It was cold
and wet and dull. He wished more than ever that he
could go back to his home in the village, where it
was warm and bright, where his wife and daughter would
be waiting, but until the water drained away and the
individual springs were once again discernable, that
was just a far off dream. As the Jusenkyo Guide this
was probably the most important task he would have to
perform.
Gurei wondered how the Tendos and Saotomes were
doing in Japan. He wondered what sort of chaos the
barrel of Nannichuan he sent to them had caused. He
knew that curing the curse was nigh impossible, that
the spirits of the springs would not allow themselves
to cancel each other out willingly, but the Guide had
always been an optimist. He hoped against probability
that Ranma had been able to cure himself. He
certainly deserved it. Gurei picked up a small stone
and threw it into the lake. It skipped seven times
before plunking into the water above Shounichuan, the
spring of drowned elephant. Gurei sighed. He actually
hoped the marriage didn't happen...that somehow it
was called off. If Akane and Ranma were married, then
things would be that much worse...because Akane would
eventually have to return to Jusenkyo. She had her
own spring...her own tragic story.
The Akanenichuan was one of the few springs that
did not have a bamboo pole sticking out of it. The
poles were not ordinary. They were infused with ki
and protected from the weathering of nature by arcane
magic, sigils burned into their bases before they
were placed in the earth. Akane's spring would
need a pole soon. The elders were already busy making
one.
There were times when the Guide hated the elders.
Sometimes he even hated the whole village. It was his
duty to stay by Jusenkyo, alone, guarding the springs
and laying witness to tragedy after tragedy simply
because he inherited a unique immunity to the springs
from his father, a man he had barely even met. Even
now, as he approached old age, had learned to respect
Jusenkyo and its rich history, and had become a
father himself, he felt the old resentment like a
heavy acidity in his stomach. Sometimes he felt like
he too was one of the accursed spirits of Jusenkyo,
tied to it his whole life, only able to live
vicariously through the people that visited him.
Sometimes, the Guide thought that if he had to spend
an eternity like this and was suddenly set free, he'd
go on a murderous rampage too.
That's what would happen if the poles fell. The
spirits, no longer having anything tying them to the
spring, would take over the bodies of those they had
cursed, and wreak havoc upon the living world. There
were one or two benevolent spirits, the spirit of
Sounichuan, the spring of drowned priest, being
notable among them, but even these spirits had a dark
nature. Their souls still belonged to the demon
imprisoned in the source of Jusenkyo's waters.
However good their intentions, their actions would
always serve evil.
The methods of protecting the poles had improved
over the centuries, but that didn't mean there
couldn't be mistakes. Although magic found ways
around almost every rule of nature, it could not ever
completely escape one most important physical law,
the law of entropy.
The poles HAD fallen before, and if they were going
to fall again, now, when the springs were flooded and
indistinct, would be the time. Gurei kept watching
the springs, despite the loneliness and boredom. He
watched them for the village, for the Jusenkyo cursed
people of Nerima, whom he counted among his friends,
but most of all he watched the poles for his daughter,
Pei Lum.
Pei got herself cursed because she wanted to follow
in her father's footsteps. She walked right into
Nyannichuan, hoping that she, like her father would
be immune. She was not. For the most part, Pei's
curse wasn't much of a curse at all, but if the poles
fell...
Gurei didn't want to think about it. He took his
long, wooden pipe out of his shirt pocket along with
some tobacco, filled the pipe, lit it with a match,
and inhaled slowly. Another cold wind passed through
him and he thought seriously about starting a fire.
Fall was definitely coming on strong this year. He
blew the smoke out of his mouth forming an "o" in the
air in front of him. Maybe Pei would visit him
tomorrow. That would be nice...
When the first pole fell, Gurei thought he was
seeing things. There was no sound. No reason to see
it at all except that he happened to be looking
through his smoke ring at the time. The pole just
leaned slowly to the left until the bottom bobbed up
with an eerie grace and the entire pole was floating
horizontally on the surface of the water. It was
starting to get dark, and since it had already been
overcast to begin with, Gurei blinked, rubbed his
eyes and blinked again hoping it was just his
imagination running on worry.
It was not.
The second pole was unmistakable. It fell quickly,
almost as if cut from underneath. It splooshed into
the water and bobbed up and down with Gurei's heart.
Gurei threw his pipe to the ground and leapt into the
water. He had to put the poles back into the earth
before...
Gurei heard another splash and saw another pole go
down right next to him. There wasn't time to think...
he angled himself over to the newly dropped pole and
grabbed it. The water here was only chest high. He
stood up, his shoes sinking in the soft mud. He
raised the pole into the air and shoved it into the
ground as far as he could. He read the marking on the
pole. This was one of the four poles that bound the
spirit of Rounichuan, the spring of drowned wolf.
Gurei remembered the spirit's name...Ran Binrui.
Binrui was turned into a wolf by a powerful
sorcerer two thousand, seven hundred years ago. In
order to once again regain human form and express his
love to the sorcerer's daughter, Binrui drowned
himself in the cursed waters of Jusenkyo, ceding his
very soul to the demon that was the source of
Jusenkyo's magic. Despite his originally noble ideals,
Binrui had slaughtered hundreds in Europe a thousand
years later. Many others he afflicted with the wolf
curse, making them his slaves. He was generous to his
minions. He allowed them their own lives for as long
as the moon was not full. On nights when it was,
however they were to viciously hunt down any human
they saw. Binrui was so successful, his minions so
commonplace, they gained their own name... werewolves.
He had finally been forced back to the springs almost
one hundred fifty years ago.
Gurei recalled all of this in an instant as he held
the pole. "Ran Binrui, spirit of the wolf. You have
killed many for your love. Kill no more. Rest in this
place and be content. You have done enough. Nomfir
ardfarl ben singrei, srat por lavat!" A red glow
surrounded the pole as the incantation activated the
sigils. The pole sank a few inches deeper into the
ground. The pole was back in place.
Gurei turned to go after the first two poles, when
suddenly he felt a strong current in the water
through his clothing. He looked back.
Suddenly, all four poles of Rounichuan shot up into
the air, leaving a trail of water before falling back
down into the lake. For a moment, there was silence,
and then, like dominoes, the other poles began to
fall one after the other.
Gurei stood in the ice cold water, shocked. This
wasn't simply the result of the enchantments wearing
down, there was something MAKING the poles come down.
Jusenkyo...was waking up.
There was no way Gurei could stop this. The village
had to be warned. He swam through the numbingly cold
water to the shore. Once there, Gurei ran as fast as
he could to his makeshift stable next to his shack.
The Amazons had given him a horse after the springs
flooded. It was a pure breed Arabian horse, its color
a brilliant copper. Gurei had accepted the gift
gratefully, even though he knew they had given it to
him purely out of fear that something might happen to
the springs. It was a good horse. He fed it and rode
it often. He found he enjoyed riding through the low
grade paths in the mountains. They hadn't told him
the horse's name so he named it Ranma. It was his
daughter's idea.
Ranma was rearing up on his back legs, his eyes
wide. He whinnied in fear at something that only he
could detect at the moment. Gurei knew what it was.
What they were. They hadn't escaped yet, the spirits
moved slow, blown by the light wind. Their pace would
quicken soon though. Gurei could almost feel their
hatred on his back. "Calm down, boy. Shhh. We have a
difficult journey to make." Gurei stroked the horse's
neck as slowly and calmly as possible. Gradually, Ranma
calmed down enough for Gurei to lead him out of the
stable. Gurei didn't have enough time to prepare the
saddle. He would have to ride bare back.
In his youth, Gurei would have leapt on the horse's
back without hesitation. He no longer had his youth,
but he was going to have to make it onto the horse
quickly if he was going to have any opportunity of
getting to the village in time. He closed his eyes,
took a deep breath and jumped.
Miraculously he made it onto Ranma's back. Whereupon
the horse ran off in the direction of the village
without any direction from Gurei. The Amazons trained
him well.
Gurei held tight to Ranma's body as he galloped
through the darkening woods. It would be so easy to
slip, to fall, to be injured and not be able warn
them. Each beat of hoof against ground was a
challenge against Gurei's balance, strength and
stamina. After ten minutes, nearly all three of those
had been depleted.
Gurei wasn't aware that he was crying until he felt
the wind blow against the tracks of tears on his face.
He was thinking of his few friends in the village, of
the Saotomes, of the other cursed Nerimans, of his
wife and daughter. They were the only ones he cared
about...and except for Mei, his wife, they all had
Jusenkyo curses. Not one of them would escape
unharmed, and it was very likely...they would all die.
But... he had to warn the village. He had to find his
family. He had to try.
An eternity and five minutes later Ranma galloped
to the front gate of Nyuuchezutswun. The two Amazon guards
crossed their halberds in front of him. "What is
your business, Guide."
"JUSENKYO!" The guide gasped. "THE WARDS....
FALLEN!"
Eyes widened, the guards parted to let him pass
without another word. The one on the right ran to
the watchtower that stood some ten meters down the
wooden palisade.
Soon there was a low dirge emanating from the tower
that shook Gurei's insides. Shortly afterward, it was
answered by another and then a third and forth. It
seemed almost as though the ground itself were
shaking. Gurei nodded. The alarm had been raised. Now
he had to find his family.
Gurei rested just a moment more, steeling himself
against the mounting fatigue and pain, before
galloping through the village paths past small shacks
and huts, to his family's home. It was a modest shack,
built from mud and small trees from the forest. Its
roof was thatched from the long sturdy grasses of the
meadow west of the village, and jutting out of it was
a chimney made of the stones from the mountains.
Looking at his home away from Jusenkyo, Gurei felt
the weight of what was happening hit him with greater
force. Here was everything that was good about the
Amazons. Everything important that they had
accomplished was summed up in this fragile edifice.
It all amounted to nothing.
Any one of the escaped spirits could obliterate it
with a thought once they found a host...and there
were plenty viable hosts in Nyuuchezutswun. At least one
in every twenty villagers bore curses from Jusenkyo.
For all their knowledge, for all their prowess in
martial arts, the Amazons were weak. The rest of the
world progressed while the "great" Amazon nation
stagnated, led by antiquated old fools who behaved
like children — spoiled brats with dangerous toys.
Gurei shivered as a sharp breeze cut through his
damp clothing. He almost dismounted, the need to see
his family pressing on him greatly, but he stopped
himself. No inviting smoke issued from the chimney.
The square window below the roof was dark. The house
was empty. A husk.
For a crazed moment, Gurei wished that he himself
had the power to blow the building away into rubble.
The only importance the shack ever held for him was
its promise of holding his wife and daughter, and it
had broken that promise...just as the Amazons had
done countless times. But it wasn't the house or even
the Amazons that deserved his rage. The spirits of
Jusenkyo had always been held in a secure vault of
evils. They were LET out, Gurei was sure of it. He
did not know who had played Pandora, and he did not
know where his family was, but he knew that this
information, and probably the culprit herself, would
be found among the Elders.
The Jusenkyo guide wasn't as young as he once was.
He was out of shape, and in pain from all that he had
done in such a small time, but somehow he would find
his family, and make the one responsible pay for her
crimes. A rational voice within Gurei told him this
was impossible—a foolish dream, but he paid it no
mind. Driven more by hate now than duty or even love,
Gurei turned Ranma around and rode deeper into
Nyuuchezutswun, toward the House of Elders.
The village was already a bedlam of activity. People
were boarding up windows and sticking plugs in their
chimneys even as they shivered in the growing cold.
Some families even started to dig ditches around
their homes to fill with rain water. While normal
water could not hurt the spirits, it did make them
sluggish if it was in contact with their hosts.
Meanwhile many of the warriors passed out vials of
purified Jusenkyo water to the villagers swarming
around them. This water could actually hurt the
spirits, and if it splashed one of the chakras of the
host's body (the top of the head, the forehead, the
neck heart, stomach, or groin), it could drive the
spirit out for a time. It was the best defense the
villagers had. Unfortunately, it appeared the warriors
were only giving vials out
to the women.
Rage once again welled up in the Guide as he
witnessed this pettiness in the face of disaster, but
there was nothing he could do. Grimacing, Gurei
looked forward and guided Ranma through the chaos as
quickly as possible. The way was clear again for a
while until he reached the House of Elders. Here in
the inconstant light of torches and small bonfires
warriors and healers were placating the villagers who,
like Gurei himself, wanted to get inside.
Using his position on horseback to plow slowly
through the crowd, Gurei reached the main entrance of
the House of Elders. The building was very large to
be made without machines. The front entrance was
a stone archway that led to the main hall of the
building. Rooms were situated along the perimeter of
the hall, ten along the length, and seven along the
width. The building was three stories high and each
room on the upper levels opened to a balcony
overlooking the hall. The Hall itself had a large
fireplace on one end and a raised lectern on the
other. It was possible to have nearly half the
village attend a meeting in the House of Elders
comfortably, and since only women were allowed to
attend village meetings, this was more than enough
space. four of the seven elders that ruled the
Nyuuchezutswun lived in the House of Elders,
along with decorated warriors, healers, and
historians.
One of these decorated warriors stepped to the side
of Ranma and brought twin halberds to Gurei's neck in
a scissor action that would have been physically
impossible were it not for the woman's mastery of ki.
The warrior's name was Lin. Gurei knew her by reputation
only. She had led the Amazons against the Musk in a minor
skirmish that might have turned into a war if her
victory hadn't been so complete. "How is it that a male
rides such a steed?" she asked with a sneer, "And why
would such a creature seek to enter the House of Elders?"
Gurei kept as little of his anger at Lin's arrogance
from showing as he could. "I am the Jusenkyo Guide,
Gurei Pu. It is my duty to convey what information I
have concerning the springs to the elders. I would
perform my duty now if your excellence would permit."
Lin released Gurei, spinning both halberds
effortlessly to her side. It would be ungainly, even
for one of Lin's skill to use two halberds in a
serious battle. Lin's object however was to keep
unskilled villagers out of the House, and for this,
the ability to use both weapons simultaneously with
such ease was an impressive deterrent. "I recognize
your position, Guide, but you cannot speak with the
elders at this time." Lin's eyes were fierce in the
torchlight.
"It's important that I speak with one of them! Why
do you deny me this?" Even though it was considered
uncouth for a man to talk back to a woman,
particularly one of Lin's stature, it was also true,
Gurei found, that if he acted as if he expected
respect, then he was more likely to receive it.
The proud Amazon murmured, her lips barely moving, "I
do not deny you anything...but you cannot speak
with the elders." Lin's eyes wavered just a fraction.
Gurei nodded. Lin was putting on a show. There was
something going on, and Gurei was too visible for the
woman to be candid with him. Gurei pushed back
through the crowd and guided Ranma to the shadows of
the side of the building. Unbeknownst to most of the
villagers, the House of Elders had several secret
entrances, one of which was close to where Gurei was
now. Sliding off Ranma, Gurei staggered in the dark
until he found a ring of stones that in better light
would appear to be site for a bonfire. Moving the
west-most stone out of the ring however revealed a
handle. Gurei pulled up on this and the entire ring
lifted, revealing a passageway underneath. Gurei,
alternately sore and numb from his ride through the
cold night in wet clothing, carefully climbed down
the wooden rungs of the ladder embedded in the wall.
When he reached the floor he heard the sound of a
blade being unsheathed and directly afterwards felt
the cool shock of metal against his throat.
"State your name, intruder."
"Gurei Pu, Guide of Jusenkyo. I need to give the
elders information but I was told they could not
speak with me."
Gurei heard the guard sigh as the blade left his
neck. She lit her torch allowing Gurei to see her
face. Moisture gleamed in twin tracks down her cheeks.
She looked down at her feet. "It's true, they cannot
speak with you," her head rose and her eyes met
Gurei's, "they're all dead."
Gurei eyes widened in shock "No. It can't be! The
spirits cannot have traveled so quickly!"
The young guard shook her head. "I'm a healer, I'm supposed
to be able to prevent death...but...they didn't just
die, they...The entire hall is covered in blood!"
Gurei had always suspected, but this proved it. The
Elders had been drinking Jusenkyo water to stay alive.
Even as they continued to age and shrivel, as long as
they drank the ki infused waters of the cursed
springs, they would maintain their health. Physical
attacks, even the emotion-based attacks of chi would
not affect them anymore than usual. But the spirits
attacked using ki, soul energy. Someone in the House
had to have been cursed and when they attacked the
elders must have been so saturated with ki that even
the slightest influx of the energy blew them apart.
"The spirit is still in the room?"
"Yes. The walls of the House are protected against
spirits; so those that escaped decided to lock the
door and see if what was supposed to keep a spirit
out, would keep it in."
"What did you see?"
"I...it was just the standard weekly meeting at
first. Then Elder Pao Da... She got up in front of
everyone and started yelling that we were becoming
weak, that we needed to gain more power. She talked
about Sister Shan Pu and how she was the best of the
new generation and was defeated by a mere male..."
Pao had always been the strongest speaker against
equality of the sexes. In fact, she normally seemed
adverse to discussion of any change at all in the
traditional system. That she would do such a thing
was not completely unnatural, but still shocking.
"She couldn't have been serious. Ranma defeated even
Sa Furan!"
"Yes and the council had decided shortly afterwards
that Ranma was to be considered female, despite being
born male. Elder Pao Da must have gone insane. She
started speaking in some strange language, and then
there was this white owl that she brought out of a
wooden cage that she..."
"Wait, an owl?"
"Yes."
"I see." Gurei had still been thinking that somehow
one of the elders had gotten cursed. This was worse.
"What is it?"
Gurei took a breath."The owl is her familiar. Pao
is now a witch." Gurei grabbed the young healer's
shoulders. "You must listen to me. She is not of the
walking dead, she can leave that building whenever
she wishes, which means she has been preparing
something. You have to find someone to help you...Lin
maybe. Find the owl. This is what you must attack.
The owl is Pao's link to the spirit of Kyounichuan.
"Sha Resu... Remember that name.
"Sha had been one of the leaders of the uprising
against the sorcerers one thousand, seven hundred
fifty years ago. He was captured and tortured, but he
would not reveal the names of his comrades. For his
punishment he was turned into an owl. He drowned
himself in Jusenkyo, exchanging his soul for the
opportunity to crush the sorcerers. He succeeded. His
spirit was then imprisoned in the waters of Jusenkyo,
his will corrupted over the ages until he found no
fault in killing thousands.
"He will use illusion and trickery. Remind him of
his past. That may distract him long enough for you
to kill the owl. Use wood or something else once
living to pierce the creature's heart. Pao will die
as well once you do this." Gurei released the healer
and turned back toward the wooden ladder.
"You are leaving?"
"Yes. I must find my family." Gurei spoke without
turning around.
"Oh! By the Goddess! I thought you knew!"
"What?" Gurei asked still looking ahead. He had the
feeling the coming news would not be pleasant.
"Your wife and daughter, they moved into Elder Ko
Lon's house for the fall!"
Gurei was silent for a moment. "What is your name?"
he asked finally, turning his head toward the healer.
"Li San"
"Thank you, Li San... I had almost lost hope." Gurei
started up the ladder.
"But..."
"Remember," Gurei paused, "Sha Resu. The man-hater
depends on that man." With that, Gurei climbed out of
the hole, clambered onto Ranma and set off toward
Elder Ko Lon's house.
In the woods.
Back toward Jusenkyo.
Gurei should have known his family would be there.
Ko needed someone to watch her house while she was in
Japan and Gurei's family had volunteered earlier that
year to house-sit during the fall. They liked the
house because it was more remote, quieter, and they
were closer to Gurei. The guide grimaced in both pain
and shame as he urged the horse to gallop faster out
of the village and back into the black woods. First
Pei getting cursed, now this... it seemed that
Gurei's family was always punished for being near him.
They had gone through the wood for about a minute
when, suddenly, Ranma reared up and whinnied in
fright, knocking Gurei off his back. Gurei got up as
quickly as possible, not wanting to get trampled by
the spooked horse. His tail bone was probably cracked,
and his legs were severely bruised and numb. Gurei could
barely stand up, but he beckoned Ranma away from the
darkness. The horse came to him, still skittish.
"You've been a good horse. You've been brave, the human
Ranma would be proud of you, boy. You and I both know
this is where we part though, huh? You'll probably be
alright. This is a good night for being a horse. Get
out of here. And try not to get killed." Gurei
slapped the horse on its flank and it galloped off.
Gurei was alone again.
It was dark. Pitch black. He could navigate fairly
well on the feel of the path under his feet, but it
was slow, painful and frightening. He could feel the
spirits of Jusenkyo scrounging for their victims
through the air like dogs nosing through the trash,
and while he knew that he had nothing to fear from
them until they found someone they had cursed, that
didn't help him feel any better. He also knew that by
now Pei was probably taken over. He kept going anyway.
He needed to see her. Even if she wasn't herself,
even if she did something terrible... he still needed
to see her face...to tell her that he loved her.
There was a slight twinkling in the distance that
gradually grew more distinct as Gurei shambled down
the path. It finally revealed itself to be the window
of Ko Lon's cabin. Gurei increased his speed. He was
there. He had made it! When he reached the door, he
paused and closed his eyes.
The door would be unlocked. He would open it
without knocking, startling his wife and Pei. For a
few seconds they would look at him in shock and then
Pei would jump and run at him crying "Daddy!" He
would hug her tightly with tears streaming down his
cheeks. Pei would ask why he was crying and he would
say "Because I missed you so much, and I was afraid
something awful might have happened to you." "Aw
Daddy," Pei would respond, "nothin's gonna happen to
me!" Then his wife would smile and ask how his day
was. "I was in a terrible dream," he'd say, "but now
I'm awake." Then he'd hug them both. "I love you
both so very much..."
Gurei opened his eyes. He opened the door...
The first thing he saw was blood. Huge streaks of
it, splashed haphazardly on the wall across from the
door like a madman's first attempt at modern art. The
light in the window came from oil lamps on stands on
either side of the door. Their flames flickered
frenetically, changing shadows into nightmares. Gurei
cautiously walked to the living room to his left. His
foot slipped backwards and he looked down. There was
a path of blood on the floor.
Gurei swallowed.
He entered the living room.
He heard a squishing sound to his right and turned.
There he saw his wife. Or rather... what used to be
his wife. The body had only one eye that lolled
around in its socket erratically. The head was tilted
at an awkward angle, further opening a large gash on
the side of the neck. The body shuffled on its feet
toward Gurei reaching out and snatching in the air in
front of it. It wore the tatters of a cheongsam. It
dragged a bloody, unraveled loop of intestine that
hung from the gaping red hole in the body's torso.
Gurei was too late. Far too late. He stood in shock
watching the horror creep closer to him.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?"
Gurei whirled around to find his daughter, still so
small, now covered in blood, her eyes glowing a
wicked blue, fangs protruding from her lips. "Why?"
Gurei asked the vampire as tears began to fall down
his cheeks. "All you needed was her ki. Why did you
do this to her?"
The waist-high girl with the double pigtails scowled,
her eyes flashing purple. "She deserved it!" The
vampire in Pei's body raised a tiny hand. "I don't
need to explain myself to you, Guide." Thin glowing
filaments grew from each finger slowly as Gurei
stared. She made a fist. Gurei saw four of the
filaments whip toward him and suddenly his world
exploded in white hot pain. He felt himself falling.
His head hit the floor. Even through the intense
pain he tried to get up out of instinct, only to find
that he could not. He no longer had the arms and legs
with which to do so. It happened so quickly. The
spirit was so powerful. How could anyone hope to
defeat an army of them? "Your immunity to ki draining
is an irritation, but no matter," Pei's child voice
spoke in horrible mocking tones, "You will simply
become food for your dead wife. Isn't that touching?
I think I might even watch for a bit before I visit
Japan."
All Gurei could see was the wood ceiling of the
cabin and the darkening colors around his vision
obscured even that. He could feel his consciousness
slipping away. "Pei..." He said with a shudder of
breath. "Pei, if you can hear me...please know that I
love you. I've always loved you. I'm sorry we could
not be together more. I'm sorry I wasn't a better
father."
"SHUT UP!" The vampire yelled. "Your daughter is
dead. You can save your sappy apology for the
afterlife."
In spite of the situation, in spite of the pain, in
spite of everything, Gurei smiled. Pei had heard him.
At least that one good thing had happened this night.
It was small, but Gurei had always been an optimist.
Maybe the information he had given Li would allow her
and Lin to defeat Pao. Maybe somehow the others would
survive. And maybe, when it was all over the Amazon
nation would be reborn as one based on equality and
not brutality. Even through the miasma of hate Gurei
had reached his daughter. That was enough for him to
believe that humanity had a future...that there was hope.
"Tell me one thing, Feng Lili..." Gurei could sense the
vampire pause in shock at hearing her mortal name.
"Was it worth it?" Silence was the vampire's only
response. Gurei asked again. "Was all this... worth
selling your soul?"
Gurei was dimly aware of something slicing through
his neck. "Fuck you," he heard the vampire say.
Gurei died smiling.
~~~~~[END]~~~~~
C&C welcome.
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