Hell Girl, Boy

by ranmafan1

Ranma x Jigoku Shoujo crossover. A chain of events places Ranma into a role he does not want, but must perform for the choices he made. Continuation set after Ranma and Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fiction from Ranma ½, Jigoku Shoujo, or other published sources. I will introduce original characters later in the story, however.

Hell Girl/Boy

First off, I would like to thank my girlfriend for all of her encouragement and support in getting me back to writing. It has been a long time since I last wrote a story. Some of you may have heard of me beforehand, most likely from "Pursuing a New Path". I should emphasize that I have not abandoned my past fics. I am attempting to write a new story to get back into the swing of writing. This story is initially going to be a crossover continuation between Ranma ½ and Jigoku Shoujo; however, as the story progresses, I will also be including additional series (you can probably guess how). This fiction takes place at the end of Ranma ½ and Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori, so there will be spoilers.

"…" Speech

'…' Thoughts

Prologue: Pain and Suffering

Preface

There is always a balance. Most do not see this balance, merely believing that life is unfair. While this aspect may be true, the balance does not just encompass the corporeal life, but the existence after death as well.

Within this balance, there is always a price to pay, whether it is emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual, or a combination of the above. For athletes to become better at their sport, they need to train their body. For musicians, they have to diligently practice playing their instrument. For scholars, they need to seek out new avenues of knowledge. Each of these affinities and skills is a power.

Hatred is also a power. What is the price one has to pay for it? Sanity? Love? Everything? Hate can grow so strong to wish revenge on anyone or anything. Hatred is the strongest source of sin, making one to even desire their enemies to be sent to Hell.

For those who seek the power to condemn one to damnation, the person must be willing to be damned as well. The reasons why people seek such power are diverse. Some are stuck in situations so hopeless that other options seem not available. Some believe in a noble justice that needs to be served. Some have a twisted belief that they can be together in the abyss. And how are those condemned judged, both the contractor and the victim? How do their circumstances matter? That is a question only those on the other side can answer.

So, tell me, are you willing to pay the price?

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The room was dark except for the light coming from a computer monitor. The clock on the lower right-hand corner of the screen read 11:59 PM. Sitting in front of the screen was a person impatiently holding their finger against the "Enter" key, waiting to click it to access the website listed. As the clock struck 12:00 AM, the key was struck and...an error message appeared.

"Arrrrgggghhhh!!!!" cried the person in frustration.

After standing up, the individual impatiently paced the room. "Why! Why can't I enter!?!" The person, shown now to be a teenage boy, could not understand why he had been unable to access the website in question. He knew the address was correct and the time was set appropriately to the second. Was it all a lie? Did this "Hell Correspondence" even exist?

Little did the boy know that Enma Ai, the girl responsible for responding to those interested in "Hell Correspondence", could not answer anymore. After sacrificing herself to save a child who was being tormented by his corrupted town, Enma Ai was freed from her punishment and was not seen again.

Why did the boy want to send someone to hell? The hatred which spawned this desire was long in the making, but the final straw was several days ago.

Three days ago…

"Great-Grandmother, why can't I use the Daze Lotus? Its mind control properties are among the strongest there is?" asked a beautiful teenage girl with long purple hair in her native Mandarin.

The elder woman, who was balancing on a stick taller than herself, sighed and turned away from the ramen noodles she was preparing. "Xian Pu, when have mind control artifacts, potions, or anything of that matter ever worked in the long run. We have seen it time and time again how after an initial success, the plan backfires in some disastrous manner."

The purple-haired Amazon named Shampoo looked upset at her great-grandmother, responding, "But we won't know until we at least try! Why are being so hesitant about this, Great-Grandmother? You were never this adamant about my plans before. What's so different now?"

For a moment, Cologne's face took a pained look, but it was gone so quickly that Shampoo was not sure it had ever been there. Speaking with a serious authority, Cologne asked, "Xian Pu, do you really think that you can win at this point?"

Shocked at the words spoken by the elder, it took Shampoo a few moments to speak again. "W-what are you talking about, Great-Grandmother?"

Still wearing a serious expression, Cologne explained, "Ranma and Akane are clearly in love with each one. They may call each other names and vehemently deny it, but you know it is true, Xian Pu. And now it is time to accept it."

Tears formed in her eyes and Shampoo shakily said, "Why, Great-Grandmother? Why? You are the Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku. You know the laws of our people the best. He defeated me in combat and so he is my husband. What is so different now? Please tell me, Great-Grandmother!?!"

Her eyes growing pained again, and this time remaining as such, Cologne answered, "I have received word from the Council." Her tone was ominous, making Shampoo grow even more agitated. "In my absence there was a quorum vote on this issue. They have received word on the past actions of Ranma and, after extensive discussion, have decided to make him an ally of the village." The statement shook Shampoo to the core and she fell to her knees. Regardless, Cologne continued, "And as such, he is exempt of all outsider tribal laws."

In a small voice, Shampoo stared ahead and simply said, "...why?"

Cologne pogoed next to her great-granddaughter, reached out, and started to stroke her hair. "Because they plan to have Ranma as an ambassador for the other Jusendo tribes. Ranma saved the prince of the long forgotten Musk tribe and was able to, albeit incidentally, help the Phoenix tribe overcome their dependency on Saffron for heat. The circumstances surrounding the battle have surprisingly earned him their respect instead of fear."

Shampoo was now openly crying, the tears streaming down were a stark contrast to the beauty of her face. "What should I do, Great-Grandmother? What should I do?"

Continuing to gently stroke Shampoo's purple hair, Cologne added, "Move on, Xian Pu. Move forward into the future and live. You are a warrior of the Joketsuzoku and this is what you must do."

Finally, Shampoo completely broke down, grabbed Cologne into a tight hug, and started to sob into her shoulder. After several minutes of continued crying, Shampoo turned her face and said simply, "I need to think about things." With that statement, Shampoo stood up, smoothed out her dress, and walked out of the room.

Watching her depart, Cologne stated to herself after Shampoo left the room, "You must remain strong, Xian Pu, and I hope you overcome this." Her eyes then took on a sharper light and she thought, 'Mousse has probably heard of the Council's decision by now from his mother. I hope that fool does not provoke Xian Pu too much, but some things need to be let out in the open.' Respecting her great-granddaughter's privacy, she reluctantly went back to cooking the ramen noodles.

Outside the kitchen and walking up the stairs, Shampoo continued towards her room. Her eyes still held a sad light to them and the tears were still streaming. Just as she was about to reach the top of the steps, a voice rang out.

"Xian Pu!!!"

Shampoo stopped abruptly and slowly turned her body towards the voice. Already knowing who it was, Shampoo's eyes were already cold when she looked at the person down at the base of the stairs. "What you want, Mousse?" asked Shampoo in Japanese.

Flinching a bit from the obvious malice radiating from the purple-haired girl, Mousse nonetheless said also in Japanese, "I see that the elder has already informed you. You need to get over this."

Although Shampoo was a bit surprised by the respectful "elder" title stated by Mousse, it did not show in her eyes. Instead, she continued to look coldly at the spectacled youth. "What you know, Mousse. Leave me alone." Shampoo turned around and was about to finish climbing the stairs, when Mousse called out again.

"Shampoo, get over it! Ranma is lost to you! You know it! I know it! Just about everyone in Nerima knows it!" Mousse hesitated for a few seconds, but continued, "Shampoo, you know that I will always..."

Before he could complete his sentence, Shampoo angrily faced Mousse again and shouted, "Stop it, Mousse! Shampoo not want hear it! And not now of all times!"

Mousse still looked at Shampoo through the thick glasses he wore, his eyes seemed to be pleading through them, "I just don't understand it, Shampoo. We have known each other for years. I continue to declare over and over again my love for you and it constantly gets put down!" His voice started to have a manic edge to it. "And when I finally start to lose hope, you go and do something nice for me that flips everything around! I just don't understand anymore! What am I to you!?!"

Shampoo looked at Mousse so pityingly that even his bad eyesight could see it. Shuddering from that look, Mousse braced himself for the words that were about to come from his beloved. Shampoo spoke in her native language to make sure her point got across. "You are a good friend to me, Mu Tse. Annoying most of the time, but still a friend. But I love Ranma. Initially, the law might have been an...excuse for me. But Ranma won me over with who he is. You are telling me to get over Ranma. That I should move on with my life." Her eyes become razor sharp. "But what about you, Mu Tse? Is it not time for you to accept the truth?" Not bothering with anymore explanation, Shampoo left Mousse to himself and her words.

Mousse's hands, which were hidden in his robes, began to clench tightly so hard that his nails were threatening to pierce the skin. However, his countenance did not show a fiery anger, but an ice cold one. 'You may be right, Xian Pu,' Mouse thought, 'I should accept your choices. But I won't; love is not set in stone. Can your unreciprocated love last when Ranma is no longer here?' With a dangerous edge to his eyes, Mousse went to his room.

Present…

The myopic Amazon took a few deep breaths to calm himself. This "Hell Correspondence" would have been the perfect way to rid himself of Saotome. According to the rumors, a certain website can only be accessed at midnight. The person whose name was entered would be sent to Hell. Although it was an urban legend, Mousse did not disregard the possibility. Having a Jusenkyo curse gave someone a more open mind about such things.

'This is only a minor setback. Time for the next plan,' thought Mousse. He had already prepared for this possibility. It never hurt to have a back-up plan. However, he now needed some help.

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"Come on, Ranma, let's get going!" cried a teenage girl with short blue/black hair and who was wearing a high school uniform. She was waiting outside the gate of her home for a particular person to exit.

Racing out of the house was a teenage boy whose black hair was tied in a pigtail. He was wearing a red Chinese shirt and kung fu pants. "Okay, okay, Akane! Let's go!"

Ranma Saotome was well-known in the Nerima district. Whether it was for his martial arts prowess or his aquatransexual curse, his life was anything but boring. Not many people have fought ghosts, demons, the legendary Orochi, a prince descended from a dragon, and a Phoenix. But then again, not many would want to. The girl walking next to him was Akane Tendo and the two were engaged to be married.

The engaged couple walked in a comfortable silence. Originally, Ranma would balance along the fence with the girl traveling the normal way; however, things have changed over the past year and he was now beside his fiancée. Although they still argued from time to time, it did not hold any sense of malice in the conversation. Instead, it seemed to be more out of habit, an unusual bond that connected them together.

"So...you ready for the exam today?" started Ranma. His hands were crossed behind his head and he asked the question nonchalantly.

Though the girl seemed surprised being asked such a simple question, she replied nonetheless, "I think. I studied pretty well for the past couple of days, so I should be okay." Smiling mischievously, Akane asked back, "How about you, Ranma? I thought I saw you actually looking at those books for once."

Ranma snorted, "Yeah, well, Mom's been busy lecturing me about studying more. She keeps talking about how I have more time nowadays."

Akane nodded her agreement, "Now that you mention it, there really haven't been a lot of fighters showing up lately."

Which was true; the fighting in Nerima had quieted down. There was still the occasional random fighter of some unusual style who showed up, but the daily challenges seemed to be a thing of the past. Kuno still pestered Ranma, but that was more of an annoyance than a challenge. Ryoga seemed to have calmed down considerably, most likely due to Akari's influence. No one really saw Mousse much anymore outside of the Nekohanten. Both assumed he was more focused now on pestering Shampoo than fighting Ranma. And the old pervert was actually out of the district for the moment. Apparently, there was a large fashion show being held nearby and the lecher was practically salivating at the chance for groping supermodels and stealing the latest lingerie designs.

Ranma shrugged in response, "It actually makes me want someone to come by. I can't let myself get too rusty, you know."

The girl sighed in resignation. "Don't jinx it, Ranma! Maybe we'll have enough peace and quiet to get through our exams. You barely managed last semester."

The pigtailed boy waved his hands in front of him to placate her. "Okay, okay! I get it!"

Shaking her head, Akane added, "Really, Ranma, sometimes you lose track of the important things. You need to straighten out your priorities."

Ranma absently started to play with his pigtail. With a roguish grin, Ranma countered, "Heh, remember its 'Anything Goes,' Akane. 'Adapt to your opponents and the surroundings as needed to win.' I'll just handle things as they come along. It's worked so far."

Akane rolled her eyes, "Ranma no baka, do you really think martial arts can be used for everything?"

The teenaged boy nodded and smirked in her direction. "Heh, that's just how good I am!" The engaged couple continued to walk and were now entering the school gates.

"Hold there, fiend!" cried a voice throughout the schoolyard. Everyone moaned at the exclamation, particularly Ranma and Akane.

Now standing between the two and the building doorway was Tatewaki Kuno, who was wearing his traditional hakama and carrying a boken. Pointing said weapon at Ranma, Kuno proclaimed, "Today I shall free Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl." The kendoist then charged toward Ranma, who simply waited.

When he was within range, Kuno thrust the boken forward. Ranma easily avoided the attack, and with no effort was able to get through Tatewaki's defenses. The pigtailed boy quickly kicked Kuno at multiple points and swept his feet, knocking the older boy onto his back.

While the kendoist was stunned, Ranma said, "Give it a rest, Kuno. This is really getting old. You never beat me. And you're skills aren't really improving anymore, so it seems like it's gonna stay that way." Ranma smirked and added, "Maybe I'll have to make it more of a challenge by tying my hands and feet together." Not bothering to wait for a reply, Ranma and Akane walked into the school. The rest of the observing students followed suit.

"I fight on!" exclaimed Kuno after coming to his senses and flipping off the ground. Seeing no one around, he added, "So, the vile sorcerer has run from my noble blade once more! Such cowardly actions! As scion to the House of Kuno, I will..."

Before he could continue with the ranting, a voice interrupted saying, "It seems that you have a problem."

Startled Kuno turned towards the voice. Upon seeing who it was he almost snorted, but spoke, "So, it is the myopic foreigner. What is it that you require in my presence?"

Mousse ignored the jibe; he had more important things to discuss than arguing with the kendoist. "It seems Saotome got you again, Kuno."

Tatewaki laughed at that statement. "It is to jest. The knave continues to evade my righteous blade through use of dark sorcery." Pointing his boken towards the sky, Kuno declared, "Soon the heavens will smile down upon my visage and I shall free Akane Tendo and the Pigtailed Girl!"

The Chinese Amazon continued to let Kuno rant. He did not need to discount this moron's delusions; in fact, he could use them to his advantage. "And how long is that going to take?"

Kuno answered immediately, "The next time I meet the foul demon in battle, I will surely..."

The younger boy interrupted him, saying, "Kuno, you've been doing this for a year now and you haven't gotten closer to accomplishing your goal. In fact, the distance to achieve it is much further than before."

His face red with anger, Kuno pointed the boken towards Mousse, "To insult the Kuno name in such a manner is unforgivable! Do you desire to fall by my hands as well?"

While Mousse was confident in his own abilities against the kendoist, he needed to get the situation back under control. "Let's face it, Kuno, you don't' have a lot of time left to get Akane Tendo or the 'Pigtailed Girl.'"

Tatewaki narrowed his eyes, but still asked, "And what do you mean by that, varlet?"

Mousse smirked a bit after catching the delusional fool's attention again. "You have less than a year left until you graduate. While you are going to college, Ranma will have all the time he needs to be with them." Seeing Kuno grind his teeth in frustration, Mousse added, "Think of what he will be able to do to them in the meantime."

"I will not stand for it!" exclaimed Kuno in fury.

When it seemed like Kuno was about to run off and find Ranma again, Mousse yelled to get his attention. "And what are you planning to do!?! Fight him again!?! Face it, Kuno, you will lose like all of those other times." While anger was the predominant feature on the older boy, the spectacled boy saw a flash of hesitation in Kuno. 'Good, it's finally starting to sink a little through his thick skull. Now I just have to play with his delusions.' "Is it fair that he gets to keep winning through all of his cheating and lies? We try to honorably defeat him and he does not even care about the rules of combat." Seeing Kuno's reaction to the statement, Mousse smiled internally and continued, "Don't you think it is time that we start to explore...alternative solutions."

The Kuno heir narrowed his eyes again at the question. "And what would those solutions be?"

Mousse, who smiled sinisterly, replied, "Saotome might be able to best us with his...methods...in combat, but if he has a handicap of some sort…well, I think we both know the most efficient method for us to eliminate his interference in your conquest of Akane Tendo and the 'Pigtailed Girl', as well as mine of Shampoo."

Kuno seemed to mull over the statement for a few minutes, during which time Mousse was beginning to lose patience. Finally, the kendoist spoke, "I admit that such...actions...would verily simplify matters, but I am hesitant to think that..."

Once again, Mousse interrupted the oncoming speech. "No more excuses, Kuno!!! This is the path we must travel if we are to have a chance to win the hearts of those we cherish! You know it! I know it!"

The Blue Thunder closed his eyes and seemed to be deep in concentration. After a few minutes of pondering, his eyes opened with a dark light, similar to those present in his counterpart's ones. "What would you have me do?"

With a smirk of triumph, Mousse looked towards his accomplice and simply said, "I need you to bring me a rare plant that I am sure is in your sister's garden..."

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It was later in the day when school ended that Ranma was outside the school gates. Akane was on clean-up duty and he was currently waiting for her to finish up. Ranma sensed someone approaching him, turned his head, and called out, "Yo, Mousse, what's up? I haven't seen you around for a while."

Mousse was standing a couple of meters away with his arms hidden in the long sleeves of his outfit. Inclining his head Mousse said, "Saotome, I'll be brief. I might have found a way for both of us to get what we want."

Looking at the male Amazon, Ranma asked, "What're you talking about?"

"I might have found a loophole within the tribal laws for you breaking free of your marriage with Shampoo," answered Mousse.

His eyes opened in surprise and Ranma now put his full attention towards the myopic fighter. "Really!?!"

Mousse almost growled at the excitement in Ranma's voice. 'He doesn't deserve Shampoo at all.' Instead, he nodded his head, "Yes, I was able to sneak out an older and more complete copy of the laws from Cologne. There is a clause not well known within the tribe. It is a bit complicated, involving various types of martial arts challenges. I would like discuss them with you later, maybe at the warehouse two blocks from the Nekohanten." Mousse paused for a second and then added, "Also, don't tell anyone about this yet. Not until we have verified everything is in order. We don't want Cologne or Shampoo to get word of this to prevent us."

Ranma dubiously nodded his acknowledgement and Mousse concluded, "Very well then, I'll see you at 11:30 tonight then." The hidden weapons fighter then bounded away on the rooftops.

About a minute later, Akane exited the school and walked towards her fiancé. "Hey Ranma, what's wrong? You seem to be spacing out."

The pigtailed boy looked towards her, shrugged, and smiled. "Not too sure. Hopefully, things will work out." Seeing her confused face, Ranma added, "Ah, never mind, let's head home."

Although still confused by his statement, Akane shrugged it off and followed beside the man she knew for a little over a year. Together they traveled towards home with him closer to the wall surrounding the school. The setting sun was casting shadows; the one from the gate was covering Ranma, while none of it touched Akane.

11:30 PM...

Ranma was standing in the middle of the warehouse Mousse indicated earlier in the day, and was getting rather impatient. Crates, many of them broken, lined the perimeter of the floor. It was an old and decrepit building which was rarely used anymore. Property values were unsurprisingly low in this part of Nerima due to the fighting and subsequent damages done to the area, so no one was really interested in buying the land.

Now that he had more time to think, some things were bothering him about the whole story the hidden weapons fighter was telling him. It was starting to feel more and more like a trap. 'Heh, if Mousse thinks he can beat me in an ambush, he's got another thing coming.'

Pride, like all of the other deadly sins, can cause the downfall of a person.

Hearing the door open, Ranma raised an eyebrow as Mousse entered. 'Maybe I was wrong.'

The Chinese Amazon closed the door behind him, approached the pigtailed fighter, and said, "So you came, Saotome." He then put his right hand into the left sleeve of his robes. Ranma tensed, but relaxed after the object being revealed was an old and dusty book. Mousse tossed it towards Ranma, who reflexively caught it. "Look at the marked page. It is translated into Japanese."

Ranma did so and was surprised by its contents. "Wow, you're right, Mousse! 'All organizations, societies, nations, or specific individuals deemed an Ally of Joketsuzoku are exempt from the Kiss of Marriage and Kiss of Death laws. Specific privileges of an Ally of Joketsuzoku are as follows...'." Ranma kept turning the pages with his fingers, glancing at the contents. "This is great! Now we just have to figure how I can become an ally."

"You were already voted as one," simply said Mousse.

Something about that voice started to set off warning bells in Ranma's head. Looking up from the book to Mousse, Ranma cautiously asked, "What was that, Mousse?"

"I said, Saotome, that you were already voted as an ally to the tribe. Your marriage to Shampoo was also annulled." Mousse's hands were now once again hidden in his robes.

"Then why..." started Ranma, when suddenly his joints started to lock up and it became harder to breathe. Falling to one knee and dropping the book, Ranma struggled to keep from collapsing onto the ground. Ranma gritted his teeth in frustration and was finally able to speak out, "W-what is this?"

Mousse was now smiling. "A paralysis powder that can be adsorbed through the skin was spread throughout the pages."

"But," Ranma pointed out while taking gulps of air, "y-you didn't..."

Cutting off Ranma's sentence, Mousse added, "Water-proof soap. Something you should be very familiar with. It acts as barrier from all substances from coming into contact with the skin, which is necessary since this particular paralysis powder is quite potent."

Ranma started to struggle even harder, but Mousse belittled his attempts, "It's no use, Saotome. I went through a lot of trouble researching this powder; it is effective for a day in a normal person. With you, it will still last a couple of hours. And everything will be over by then. It also has the effect of numbing ki abilities. I can't have you using some flashy technique to escape or call for help. I was lucky to find a source of the plant it is derived from." A moment later, Ranma's eyes opened in surprise. "I'm impressed, Saotome. You pieced it together rather quickly. Come in, Kuno."

The kendoist entered through the door and was still wearing his traditional clothing and carried the boken. Kuno walked until he now stood next to Mousse and spoke, "Though this is not the method I would prefer to have my enemy meet his doom, the results cannot be denied. Justice will be served today!"

Ranma struggled to say, "G-go t-t-to h-hell!!!" And now his voice was paralyzed as well.

"The Joketsuzoku don't believe in going to what you call 'hell' for this," Mousse countered, "We are a warrior tribe, and 'Obstacles are for killing.' You are my obstacle in getting Shampoo. We have been through a lot together, Saotome, but Shampoo has come to truly love you. Even if you married Akane, I don't think she would change her mind. As long as you are alive, she will always have some hope of being together with you. So, I am going to eliminate the source of that hope. And then I will slowly work my way into Shampoo's heart. It will be a fresh start for me."

Now lying with his back on the ground, Ranma's bangs were covering his eyes; his body was still seen struggling to move, however.

Kuno spoke up, "Foul sorcerer, heaven always shines its light upon those with justice in their hearts. With you below and I above, this path must indeed be righteous. My twisted sister will no doubt be distraught with your passing, yet she is a fickle person and will come to terms in a short time. Know that I shall take care of both Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl in your place."

Mousse knelt beside Ranma, picked up the book from the floor, and with gloves now on his hands placed a clock next to the pigtailed fighter in its place. The book was placed back into his voluminous robes. After he stood back up, the longhaired boy stated, "I have set explosives throughout this building and at the stroke of midnight they are going to detonate. You might be wondering why we just don't finish you off here. Truth be told, I am not completely sure the extent of which the old mummy or that perverted master of yours can sense things. I would not put it pass them in being able to tell by residual ki signatures if someone killed a specific person. We will be far away from here by the time the bombs go off. Also, the paralysis powder breaks down and is completely untraceable in extreme heat, which there will be plenty of in the fire resulting from the explosion. There will be evidence that this is a murder, but they will not have enough to pinpoint a specific person, particularly since you have so many enemies."

Throughout this speech, Ranma did not move his head, but continued to vainly fight the bonds within his body. Mousse looked unconcerned and stated, "Well, Saotome, this is it. Good luck in the afterlife. Maybe you'll have a better fate there."

"May the kami forgive your accursed soul," simply stated Kuno. The kendoist then saluted the boy on the floor with his boken.

It was at this point that Ranma lifted his head and looked directly at the two. The cold, hard eyes pierced through both of their bravados and made them shiver. It almost seemed to the two that his eyes were glowing blue in their cold rage. Not able to stand that gaze anymore, the two turned away from their mutual enemy and did not look back. While exiting the building, they still felt those cold eyes following them.

With the two gone, Ranma's thoughts became a jumble. Though his mind was confused, he nonetheless continued to struggle with all of the strength he could find to move his body.

He looked at the clock...5 minutes left. 'Come on body! Move! Move!!!'

4 minutes left...'I can't die like this! Akane is at the dojo! I need to get back to Akane! Akane!!!''

3 minutes left...'I don't want to die! I'm 17 years old! There's too much left to do! I want to learn more techniques! Marry Akane! That's right! I love her! I love Akane with all my heart! I want to have a family with her! Pass down the Art! I want to live!!!'

2 minutes left...'What did I do to deserve this!?! Was I that bad of a person to die alone!?! No one here to help me!?! No one to care!?!'

1 minute left...'I am Ranma Saotome! I worked my whole fucking life to be the best in the world!!! I don't want to die like this! No grand battle! No legendary fight to be told through the generations! Not like this!!!'

10 seconds left...'DAMN THEM!!! DAMN THEM ALL!!! As long as it takes, I will get them for this!!! Do you hear me!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!!!!!!'

No time left...And then...nothing...

An explosion was heard throughout this area of the Nerima district, but the shockwaves of it spread throughout the world.

Darkness was everywhere. Darkness was everything. There was no ground, no sky, and no wind; nothing but an endless void. And the cold, an absolute cold that would freeze anything.

Confused Ranma tiredly thought, 'W-where...?' An instant later, his entire life flashed before him. The flow of information was too much for Ranma to handle and he screamed out loud, but no voice was heard. Images from his birth, to his martial arts training, to his time spent with Akane...and to his death flashed through his mind.

His anger rose to heights never known to him at the last scenes and he used it as a focus through the pain. When it seemed to have finally subsided, Ranma started to panic. He felt himself being pulled somewhere, as if the abyss was a whirlpool taking him into its depth. Beyond this whirlpool, his instincts were screaming that he should not go there, not if he wanted to go back, both to see Akane again and for revenge.

So Ranma used all the will power he could to force his mind from sinking further. He focused more on the anger coursing through him; the raging fire became a sharper and colder one. Ranma could not tell how long he was struggling against this current. Hours? Days? Months? There was no sense of time in this place, but still Ranma continued to fight with all of the rage and hate he could muster.

Finally, he was starting to cut through the abyss; Ranma felt himself breaking off the tide, and then suddenly the flow direction reversed. Something started to flow in him and it felt horribly wrong. Ranma did not stop it, though, since he somehow knew this was needed to fulfill his wishes. Something in him started to change, faster and faster. Ranma felt his consciousness separating itself more and more from that place, and then…he was gone from the void.

A power full of cold rage was born...

And now a price needed to be paid...

End Prologue.

Reborn from darkness Ranma returns home. His vengeance and the consequences of it will set into motion the wheel of hatred once more.

Next chapter: Actions and Consequences

Are you willing to pay the price?

Author's Notes: Like I mentioned before, it has been a long time since I wrote a story, so any constructive comments and criticism would be appreciated. It should be noted that this might not be the final draft of the prologue, so if it is updated in the near future, it is most likely a new version. Eventually, I hope to get back to the other stories, but one step at a time. Until next time!

-ranmafan1