Part 3: Ryoga's Hunt

Ryoga looked down at the tanned leather pouch that he had pulled out of his pack shortly after he had set up camp in a woodland clearing. It was as old as the leather bond book that lay open next to it, the once black leather dulled to dirt brown. It was given to him when the book was, and like the book Ryoga had prayed to any god that would listen that he would never have to open it, but the confrontation two nights ago shot that hope and any others he might have had straight to hell. With great effort Ryoga fought down the anger and depression that threaten to overwhelm him.

He knew, like his father had always told him he would, that his destiny had come, and letting the misery of it drag him down wouldn't do any good. His fate, like most of his family, had been decided centuries ago.

With trembling hands Ryoga opened the small pouch pouring the contents into his hand. It was a small vile of a blue greenish liquid. The vile was clear glass. A silver cork with weird designs carved into it. Ryoga had secretly hoped that it had broken, or maybe spilled during his travels, but he knew that would not happen. The engravings made it nearly impossible for the bottle to be opened, let alone broken, by anyone without Hibiki blood in them.

Ryoga held up the vile in the noon day light. His mind ran through what he was about to do, what he knew must be done. Whatever chance he might have had at happiness with Akane would be gone. What he was about to enter into would be far too dangerous for him to involve her in. His life would become far too deadly. He would also have to give up on his revenge on Ranma. Possibly even his desire to find a cure for his Jusenkyo curse. All because of his first curse, his most secret curse, the curse of his birth.

Ryoga was tempted to drop the vile into the deepest darkest pit he could find and then ran as far as his legs could carry him away from the foul thing. But he knew he couldn't do that. He either went through with what he was going to do, or he and others would die. No real choice at all. "Farewell Akane," Ryoga whispered with bitter tears running down his cheek. He felt like someone had just rammed a blade through his heart.

Ryoga set the liquid down next to the book then turned to where he had set his backpack down at. He dug into his backpack till he found one of the new items he had bought earlier that day, along with other items he would need in his new life. The item, a wicked looking Bowie knife with a polished wooden handle, felt like the weight of the world in his hands. In a way he figured it was.

Ryoga read over the section of the book that told him what he must do. He looked at the knife in his hands again, this part he really didn't like, actually none of it he liked but that was beyond the point. This part seemed to be the most uncomfortable. Ah well he thought, better get it over with.

Slowly he raised the blade to his forehead. With a slight cringe he drove the blade into his skin just barely piercing the surface. Then slowly he carved what resembled an Egyptian symbol into his forehead. In truth it was a language that was far older than even the pyramids themselves, or so his father had told him. When he finished the last cut he released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. The cuts hadn't hurt that much but cutting oneself wasn't something he liked doing. He didn't think any stable person would. And it wasn't over, now was the painful ones. Quickly before his resolve escaped him he cut two deep cuts into each of his palms. He clenched his teeth as the blade bit deep.

Ryoga decided he hated ritual magic.

Ryoga scooped up the liquid with his bleeding hands. He placed his right hand on the silver cork, making sure that some of his blood smeared on the engravings. Ryoga felt the protective magic leave the vile, like water flowing down a drain, when his blood made contact with the symbols. As he popped the lead off the vile Ryoga noticed that the liquid had no odor. For some reason Ryoga expected it to smell like machine grease or something. He swallowed the liquid in one gulp, grimacing at the foul taste of it. It was almost as bad as Akane's cooking. With a small snarl he set and waited for the potion to take effect.

What the hell is taking this stuff so long he thought bitterly? Of course it had only been under thirty seconds from the time he had downed the stuff, but patience was never his strong point. Just when he started to think that maybe the potion wouldn't work, secretly he hoped it wouldn't, a whirlwind went off in his head.

Memories, emotions, and something alien swirling just behind his eyes as visions assaulted his mind. He saw the first time he fought Ranma, the first time Akane kissed him in his cursed form, one of his ancestor also on his own first hunt, his training with his father when he was very young, a young Hibiki woman that looked like the pictures of his great aunt when she was his age wondering lost, then finally his fight two nights ago with that vampire in the park. Then something else came into his mind, something old and very powerful. Then the words came, ancient words in a tongue older than even the symbols on the flask that had held the liquid. Although he didn't know the language, he knew what the words meant.

"Lords of Order and Light, Protectors of the Just and Innocent, HEAR MY CALL!" he roared in a voice that was a mix of his and something else, an alien ancient presence that he could feel through every fiber of his being. "I of the Grey Blood, the Children of Darkness and Light, the Wondering Clan, has been called to hunt. Give me the Hunter's Sense so that I may track down the Dark Blood. I, the newest Bearer of the Pledge, BESEECH YOU!" Ryoga's eyes went wide, a faint golden glow them for a moment. His body went rigged was he felt something new enter him, something new yet familiar. "We grant you the power honorable Hibiki," whispered a voice that sounded to Ryoga like every mother he had ever heard tell a child how proud she was off him. Then he slumped to the ground.

Ryoga laid there for a few seconds regaining his senses and strength. He felt his wounds heal closed. The powers he had called didn't need his blood like some other darker powers would, it just needed it as a kind of identification of his bloodline. Since it was sure of who he was it healed the wounds. Ryoga rose to his feet tying his bandanna firmly back in place. He walked over to retrieve the new duffel bag he had purchased this morning along with his new knife. The bag contained the weapons he would need.

He felt the Hunter's Sense open up within his head. He could feel the things, The Dark Bloods his ancestors had called them, but he still thought of them by their more well-known name. The vampires had come to Nermia.

He could fell where they hid from the sun's rays. He set thoughtful for a moment before grabbing his backpack and heading off after the target he had chosen. His hunt had begun.

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Ukyo was so fixated on the note in her hands she didn't notice the boy that walked up to where she seat leaning against Furinkan High's east wall. "Hay, Ucchan you OK?" Ranma called for the second time. Ukyo's head snapped up to see Ranma and Akane standing over her with questioning looks on their faces. "Hey, what you day dreaming about?" Ranma asked.

"N-nothing. It's j-just," she took a breath to a calm herself then with a sigh continued. "Ranchan have you seen that jackass Ryoga today?" Ranma could see the worry in her eyes.

"No," he said. "What has pig boy done now?" Akane rolled her eyes wondering how someone like Ranma could call someone like Ryoga a pig.

Ukyo told them about Ryoga showing up on her door step two nights ago beaten very badly. She told him how she let him stay there for the night and that day. She told him about the look she had seen in his eyes when he woke up, and finely about finding that he had snuck out of Ucchan's when she was down stairs closing her shop and the letter he had left.

"He didn't say who had beaten him?" Akane asked worry in her voice.

"No. He got really stubborn when I tried to ask him," Ranma almost laughed at the annoyed pouting look Ukyo got when she talked about Ryoga's stubbornness. "But I'm worried about him." Ranma and Akane wondered about the confused look on the cheif's face when she said this. Like the thought had just occurred to her.

"Don't worry. Ryoga's hides thicker than most brick walls. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Ranma poor Ryoga was hurt. Don't you care?" Akane snarled glaring at her fiancée.

"It's not just his injuries," Ukyo stated with the worried look still in his eyes. "It's this note," Ukyo handed the note to Ranma. Akane snatched it out of his hands before he could read it then she began to read out loud.

"Dear Ukyo," Akane began. "First I would like to thank you for putting me up for the night. I'm sorry that I was a bother. Second I would like to say goodbye. If your luck holds out you won't see me again. Would you tell Akane bye for me. That I would like to see her again, but I could never have her be a part of what my life is to become. I hope her the best, and there are no words to say how much I'll miss her.

Also tell Saotome that my revenge against him is called off. I have a family obligation to fulfill that forces me to withdraw on my own desires. Tell him that I hope him and Kuno have a long happy life."

"What?" Ranma yelled wishing that the lost boy was here so he could punch him.

"Hush Ranma, there's more," Akane snapped back at him then continued reading. "I would like to ask that no one comes looking for me. I don't want anyone, especially Akane, to get hurt for what I'm getting into. I don't think I could survive that. Thanks again. Your friend, Ryoga Hibiki," Akane was speechless.

What was going on? This sounded so, so final. Ryoga was her friend. He stuck up for her whenever Ranma was rude to her. He brought her nice things when he returned from his travels. He was always so nice, and kind to her. Right now she needed a friend like that. She felt tears behind her eyes, but fought them back. "We've got to find him." she stated with determination.

"But he said he doesn't want us to go find him," Ukyo stated but Akane could see that she too wanted to go looking for the Eternal Lost Boy.

"Ah, leave him be," Ranma said, "He probably just trying to get attention," Ranma said. A second after he realized that he hadn't meant to say that out loud Akane's mallet was slamming into the side of his head.

"Baka," she spat as she turned and left.

"I believe she's getting faster," Ukyo said as she helped Ranma to his feet. And stronger Ranma added mentally as he rubbed his jaw. Damn that Ryoga. Then he thought of the letter. There was a feeling of something final in that latter. Ranma sighed hating the fact that he was getting worried about the fanged boy. He found himself wondering if Ryoga might have gotten himself into more trouble than he could handle. "What happened to your face Ranchan?" Ukyo asked.

"Eh, um, ant nothing," Ranma said putting his hand up to the bandage on his jaw. "I landed wrong while sparing with Pop." No way he was going to tell Ukyo he got knocked out by a girl although the look on Ucchan's face told him she didn't quit believe him.

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Suo hatted this part of his immortality. The hiding from the sun like a rat drove him nuts. It wasn't so bad when they had a nice place to stay in. He remembered this European Duke's manner some three hundred years ago that was well furnished, and of course the condo in L.A. back in the Sixties. Those where two of the places he enjoyed staying in. This place was defiantly not going to be put on that list.

He hatted when the sun forced them to stay in abandon buildings, especially factories. And food factories were some of the worse, with fish factories being the worst of the worse. Which of course what they were staying in now. Oh well he thought, I'll just work out my frustrations during the massacre to come.

Suo pulled his tattered blanket closer around him. It was always this way before a battle, even when he was just a human foot solder for a Shogun's army. At the time he would've given his life in service to his feudal lord. Now he couldn't even remember the fool's name. He did remember the look on his face when Suo's new master ripped his throat out. It was a funny look.

All his existence he had been a warrior and he knew that the day he fall he hopped would be in battle. His thoughts of glories death during battle were interrupted the next instant when the roof to the factory exploded and hatted sunlight shot through his tired eyes destroying him, and most of his brethren in an instant of fire and ash.

Rubble and sunlight rained down on the vampires crushing some, burning most. And with the debris also came a muscular boy. The boy landed on his feet with grace born of years of martial arts training. He looked over the vampires that were able to escape to the shadowy areas of the old factory. His eyes where filled with rage.

"I'm Ryoga Hibiki, and I've come to kill you bastards. Prepare to die Dark Bloods." he roared drawing the red umbrella from his back with his right hand, and one of the many stakes he had strapped to his body with his left. Then with a battle cry the likes of which many of the older vampires present hadn't heard since they had stood on ancient battlegrounds while humans ripped each other apart with sword and spear, he charged the shadows.

Ryoga's umbrella crashed down on the first vampire in his path head with a satisfying crack. He rammed the stake home before the demon could get the chance to counter attack. Ryoga spun on his heels catching a vampire that had tried to rush him from behind with the same stake.

The four vampires that were close to him took a step back leery to attack a mortal that had just taken out two of their numbers without even breathing hard. Ryoga took the time to let the Hunter's Sense take in how many more vampires where left. Besides the four in front of him, there were seven others on the other side of the factory. Ryoga looked back to where they hid in the shadows. The light from where Ryoga had used his Breaking Point attack on the roof separated them from aiding the vampires in front of him, but he didn't like the idea of leaving them there while he dealt with these four. He knew just the way to take them out.

One of the creatures in front of him charged him an bestial snarl escaping his lips. Ryoga jabbed him hard in the gut with his umbrella. The vampire doubled over Ryoga used him as a step stole and the next extent was air born letting the umbrella fall where he had stood a second before. Ryoga focused on his depression and hate. The faint hope that him and Akane might have once had a chance together, all the times Ranma had ever beaten or humiliated him, and finely the bitter truth that he would never have a chance at a real life. Ryoga's ki started to build into a blue energy ball between his hands.

He shifted his weight to spin around so he faced the seven that hid from the light on the other side of the factory. "SHSHI HOCKON DAN!" he roared as he released his ki blast at the seven vampires. The energy nearly caught one of the vampires in the face, missing by inches. But the vampires weren't his target, the wall behind them was. The blast left a large gaping hole where the wall once stood letting in even more sunlight. Six of the seven exploded into ash and smoke, while the seventh's face burst into flames as he dived into a small patch of shadow.

Ryoga landed in the middle of the four vampires on his side of the light. They circled him but where now even more casuists to attack this strange mortal head on. The one he had jabbed had picked up his umbrella, and was looking at Ryoga with naked fury in his eyes. "We'll I'm waiting cowards," he said in a voice before now he had manly reserved for Ranma i.e. his most mocking, sarcastic, and guaranteed to piss someone off voice. It had the desired effect.

The vampire that held his umbrella attacked swinging it hard at his head. Ryoga rolled under the attack removing his belt and channeling his ki into it to give it a cutting edge. Ryoga was on his feet as the vampire was turning to bring the umbrella to bear again. With one fluid swing he separated the vampire's head from his shoulders.

Ryoga bent down and retrieved his umbrella from the pile of dust that was once a vampire. He then locked eyes with the tree remaining vampires. "Well come on," he challenge as he attacked the three. Thirty seconds later it was over, and he stood alone in the factory. Then he heard someone clapping that reminded him his work wasn't done yet.

Ryoga turned to face the lone vampire that had survived his Loin's Roar. As Ryoga walked up to the creature it seemed to him that the creature had a resigned look on his burnt face. "I bet your wondering why I'm not freaking or trying to hide or something." he said as Ryoga came up short to where the sunlight ended and the darkness began.

"It's cause I know what you are. I know that you would be able to find me no matter what. I've heard of you Hibikis. Your all a bunch of fucking frea.." the vampire's words were died in his throat as Ryoga's belt cut threw his neck. The body and the head were dust before they could hit the ground.

Ryoga put his umbrella back in its holder on his back, and retied his belt into place, then turned to leave through the factory's main door with a single tear running down his face. "Freaks," he finished for the vampire.

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Willow set at her computer in what the rest of the group had dubbed the "Willow Room." Meaning that it was where not only the computer was but also the ingredients for her spells were kept. She rather liked the house that the Council had bought for the Slayerettes, she still smiled when she thought of how that nickname had stuck, to stay while they were in Japan. They had thought of nearly everything. She and Buffy were sharing a room, but everyone else, including Angel, had their own room. It had a basement library and study that had more occult reference material in it than the Sunnydale High one. It had a sub-basement that served as Angel's room, and the cage in it served as Oz's room on those nights that the moon was full. The only thing the Council hadn't thought of, which kind of pissed Giles off, was the only place for Buffy to train was outside.

Giles had made a request before they came to find the new Slayer and her Watcher that the houses have a dojo of some kind, but the Council couldn't find one with all his other request and a dojo. They had even gone so far as to suggest one that didn't have any way to lock Oz up. Giles turned that down with more grace than anyone else in the group would have. Their group's relationship with the Council was still strained from a number of occurrences in the past. Willow new for a fact that she Buffy was about to tell them to get stuffed and cut all ties off from the ancient group. Apparently someone on the Council had figured this out too as they had been running here and there to meet the Slayer's every need.

Willow was checking her e-mail when the phone rang. "Hello," she said as she picked up the phone. There was a brief pause before the person on the other end answered. *Um, is there a Willow Rosenberg there?* Willow's eyes went wide as she recognized the voice on the other end of the line.

*Amy is that you,* she said with a bright smile on her face.

*Willow that you? I didn't realize it was you with the talking Japanese and all.* Amy half laughed to herself.

*Your awake?* Willow said knowing it was a stupid question the minute it lift her lips, and wasn't surprised by the smart ass remark that came from the phone.

*Nope,* Willow could almost see Amy's sarcastic smile. *I'm calling you from dream land. Want me to say hi to Freddy Kugar for you?* Willow giggled like she was five years old. When they left Sunnydale Amy was still in a Faith induced coma. Willow had been spending a great deal of time worrying about her fellow witch. She hatted leaving without knowing Amy would be O.K. but they really didn't have the time.

*Better watch what you say. You are on a Hellmouth. I'm sure Mr. Kugar would love it there,* Willow told Amy when she got herself under control. She could feel Amy's mood drop.

*That's what I wanted to talk to you about,* the other witch said seriously.

*What is it Amy?* Willow asked then listened intently to what the other witch had to say. A few moments later the phone receiver hit the floor slipping from a very shocked Willow's fingers.*The Hellmouth is gone?!* She whispered to herself.