Disclaimer: Ranma and Castlevania do not belong to me. They belong to
Rumiko Takahashi and Konami respectively. This is merely an incredibly
life-like simulation.



Send C&C, hatemail, and questions on guided tours of Dracula's castle
to:
guy_jin@hotmail.com



By: Guy Jin
Savior's Blood


The Right to Choose



+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+



She breathed steadily, maintaining a calm, measured tune with her
heartbeat.

"Tighten up your shoulder," said her coach from just behind her. She
nodded in response, one eye shut, the other squinting to focus.

There was silence, nothing existed other than herself and the thing
before her. Her mind shut out all distractions, letting no outer
stimulus affect her calm exterior or concentration.

"Now," she whispered.

Her index finger contracted, squeezing the trigger of her weapon. A
mighty bang sounded, accompanied by a shake that shivered up her arm
from the gun's recoil.

She let out one final breath and lowered the gun to allow her tutor to
evaluate her performance.

"Not bad at all, Nabiki," Mousse praised. He adjusted his glasses and
jogged briskly towards the target. A large sheet of paper with a
featureless human silhouette, pinned to a hay stack leaning against the
compound wall served as the target.

The nearsighted sharpshooter nodded appreciatively. "Very nice
indeed..."

"Thanks Mousse," replied Nabiki with a confident smirk.

"For a beginner anyway," he admitted. He plucked the paper from its
place and walked the thirty feet back to show her the hole she'd shot in
the target.

"A full inch away the center." Mousse emphasized this fact by wiggling
his finger through the little hole that was situated in the forehead of
the target.

"Well ya sure know how to make a gal feel special, Mousse-baby," Nabiki
quipped somewhat defensively.

"Don't worry about it, you'll get better soon," Mousse soothed. "You're
doing quite well for only two weeks of practice."

Nabiki shrugged and changed the clip in her berretta with a fresh one
from the brown satchel that hung from her side. "I'm not as good as I'd
want to be though."

"Hey, what kind of attitude is that?" asked Mousse supportively. "I wish
I'd half the talent you've got with these things when I first started
out. The first time Ranma handed me a rifle I held it like a club and
tried to smash the target to pieces with the stock."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," commented Nabiki with a wink,
eliciting a slight blush from her tutor.

"Anyway," said Mousse, quickly changing the subject. "Let's try again."

Nabiki sighed tiredly and wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. "Nah. I
think I've had enough for today. Akane wanted me to meet her and some
friends at the movies. I'm just going to go get changed and then I'm
off."

"Alright then," Mousse submitted, frowning in displeasure. "But tomorrow
we get up a half hour early for more target practice."

Nabiki stowed her weapon in the satchel before turning with a wave.
"It's a date then, babe."

Mousse blushed again at the pet name she'd taken to calling him. He'd
heard her say something similar to other men, but when she said it to
him there was a certain... something, to it.

He shook his head clear.

What was wrong with him? He didn't need anyone but his darling Shampoo!

But he hadn't seen her in a while...

He smacked himself. "Snap out of it," he muttered loudly. "Shampoo's the
girl for you and don't forget it."

He walked towards the house, stopping only momentarily to drop the null
field he'd created to drown out the sound of gunfire on their makeshift
targeting range.

It was a simple, yet fairly draining spell for the most part, but set up
in a fixed area it was much easier to handle. None-the-less, it was a
waste of magic to leave it on when it wasn't used.

Taking a seat on the porch to look out into the yard, Mousse sighed to
himself.

"I wonder..." he whispered to himself. He leaned back and positioned
himself so he could look at the slowly drifting clouds while lying
beneath the overhang.

He closed his eyes after a few minutes of cloud-watching, losing himself
in his own internal musings.

"I wonder..."



++++++++++++++++++



Nodoka sighed as she watched the teenaged girl in front of her twirl
cheerily in front of a mirror mounted on the back wall of the clothing
store.

Why couldn't she have a figure like that anymore?

"That looks wonderful on you, Ukyo," she complimented.

The brunette just waved the compliment off. "You're just saying that."

Nodoka couldn't help but smile. "I mean it. You look wonderful. Ranma
would say so as well if he were here."

Ukyo blushed lightly and looked at herself in the mirror. It's true that
blue really was her color, and the little panda on the white blouse was
so cute. "You really think he would?"

Nodoka's smirk widened. "Without a doubt."

The younger girl spun around, causing the hem of the skirt to twirl
again. "Then I'll just have to buy it."

Nodoka watched as her shopping partner disappeared into the changing
rooms to dress into her street clothes.

Her smile died once Ukyo was out of sight.

Why had she said that?

She knew that there might be something between Ranma and Ukyo, and if
there wasn't already there very well could be quite soon.

But Ranma was promised to a Tendo girl. Honor demanded that her
husband's oath be fulfilled.

She rubbed at her left temple to soothe the nerve that was starting to
bother her.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Saotome?" asked a voice from nearby.

"No, Ukyo," was the quick reply. "I'm fine, just getting something of a
headache."

Ukyo walked over and set the box under her arm to the ground next to the
stool that Nodoka sat on. "Maybe I should take you home if you're not
feeling well."

"I'm fine," replied Nodoka. Ukyo was such a considerate girl.

"Are you sure you're okay?" pressed Ukyo worriedly. "Your eye is
twitching."

Nodoka quickly stood, raised the sleeve of her kimono to her face and
grabbed her wrapped katana from her seat. "Oh that's nothing. Let's pay
for your dress and go on to the next store."

Ukyo blinked and followed after the older woman to the front of the
store without another word.



+++++++++++++++++



Soun knelt in the grass, his skin blue and lightly frost bitten, frost
covered his gi in random places.

"You giving up already?" questioned Phil seriously as he waddled through
the thick fog he'd created and looked the man over. "This is nowhere
near as cold as I can make it."

In confirmation to Phil's words, the fog that surrounded them condensed
further, chilling the air a few more degrees.

Soun growled defiantly and managed to raise himself into a slumped
crouch.

"I cannot concede yet," he replied. "I must learn of a way to counter
these forms of techniques."

Phil nodded and stepped away into his default fighting posture. Soun was
quickly nearing a point of exhaustion, he'd be able to take very few
more of the elemental attacks, but Phil knew that he had to be rough. It
was the only way.

The kappa extended a webbed hand and gave a whisper of, "Blizzaga."

From the outstretched hand a fierce wind of snow and solid ice emerged,
moving quickly towards the still weakened man.

Soun had barely the strength or speed to raise his arms in defense of
his face when the gale of frozen air hit him. He was propelled off his
feet to be stopped several yards away by the outer wall of the yard.

He hung there, frozen by large patches of ice midway up the wall.

Soun's eyes squelched in pain and he managed to pull his arms free. With
a cry of exertion he broke through his restraints and collapsed to the
ground limply, the last of his reserves spent.

Phil shook his head and waved a hand to dismiss the surrounding fog.

Soun was still relying far too much on his physical ability.

The kappa made his way to the fallen man, checking his vitals and noting
the pale discolored tint of the skin. He picked the man up and carried
him towards the house.

"Is he alright?" questioned Kasumi worriedly as Phil entered.

The kappa nodded reassuringly. "He's just going to need a warm bath.
Give him a few hours to soak and he'll be fine."

"Thank goodness," she sighed. "It's a good thing I'd prepared the bath
for you already."

Phil thanked his friend and carried Soun up the stairs to the bath.

Things were going slowly, but training on this level had to be done.

From what the guys had been telling him, things were starting to get bad
in the streets. It would only be a matter of time until work followed
one of them home.

And if something did happen, he didn't want anyone getting hurt,
especially Kasumi.

He'd be ready for anything that might come their way. And so would Soun,
if he had anything to say about it.



+++++++++++++++



Tatewaki Kuno opened the gate to his home and blinked in surprise at who
he found at his step. "Saotome?"

"Heya, Kuno," greeted Ranma cheerfully. His cheer dropped a bit as he
peered over the taller boy's shoulder and looked around nervously.
"Kodachi's not around is she?"

Kuno raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Why Saotome, I had no idea you
wished to court my sibling. I was under the impression that you were
dating the fair Ukyo."

Ranma sputtered and shook his head. He wasn't sure whether to first
counter the question about Kodachi or the one about Ukyo.

Kuno just laughed and stepped aside to allow entrance. "Calm yourself,
my friend. I jest. It is a simple thing for the greater mind to befuddle
the lesser for its own amusement."

Ranma just blinked.

Had he just been called an easy target?

He shrugged and walked in as Kuno lead the way to the main house.

"Where is your sister anyway?" asked Ranma, still cautious of any
ambushes from the mad gymnast of St. Hebereke.

"Quell your fears," stated the kendoist in assuring. "Although she didst
fight against the idea, I have decided that she should board with our
father out of the country for her own safety; given the light of recent
events in our fair city."

Ranma nodded and followed Kuno through the foyer into the house, and
then through a short hallway into a library.

"That's what I came to talk to you about," Ranma said seriously.

Kuno ushered his guest in and seated him in a finely upholstered chair,
as he went to a cabinet on the far wall after leaning his ever present
sword against his own chair across from Ranma's.

"I did not believe this was a social visit." Kuno opened the cabinet and
pulled out a few glasses and a bottle. "Before business, one should have
a drink, do you not agree?"

Ranma frowned but accepted the offer as a guest. An experimental sniff
told Ranma that it was an exceptional vintage of brandy.

"Is the drink to your liking?" asked Kuno, taking sips between swirls of
his own glass.

"Very good," Ranma replied. He took another sip before setting down the
glass. "Kuno, we really do have to talk."

The older boy sighed. "Indeed. It must be most pressing for you to have
visited me at my own estate."

"Yeah," confirmed Ranma with a nod. "You know about the recent attacks?"

Tatewaki leaned back in his lounge and rubbed his chin as he swirled his
glass thoughtfully. "Indeed. They have become most frequent as of a
fortnight past."

"Yes. Just about the time Mousse and I cleaned out that hotel." Ranma
pulled at his pigtail absently and continued. "I've been hunting every
night for almost a full week, and I find more of them every night.
That's the main reason I've been gone from school for a while."

"I see. That does explain your recent absence from our daily matches,"
replied Kuno, setting down his own glass to return Ranma's serious
demeanor. "I as well have taken arms against these abominations as of
late."

"I figured as much." Ranma sunk a little further into his chair and
rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "You need to be careful out there Kuno. You
don't fully realize what you're dealing with."

"You do not believe me powerful enough to join your crusade?" Kuno
questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not that," Ranma sighed. He was feeling more and more tired. "It's
that I don't want ya getting hurt over something that isn't your fight."

"You are dreadfully wrong, Saotome," the kendoist countered hotly.
"These wretched beasts have invaded my homeland, they've endangered the
people of my city, and have no less than offended the gods themselves
with their very existences. It is VERY much my fight."

Ranma smirked. "I knew there was a reason I liked you Kuno. You got a
sense of duty."

"You have just now taken note?" countered Kuno with a mirroring smirk.

The pigtailed hunter simply shook his head and summoned a large book to
his hand. It was leather bound and the size of a small desk, but despite
its apparent weight Ranma carried it easily in one hand.

"If you're going to fight on our side, you'll need to read this. It's a
manuscript of my grandfather's personal compendium on demonic creatures.
Mostly things he's researched, but a number of those entries are facts
gathered on his own hunts." With a casual toss Ranma gave the large tome
to his host.

Kuno caught the book with both hands, and flipped it over to get a good
look at the cover. "Arm one's self with the weapon of knowledge, eh?"

"Something like that." Ranma looked around his surroundings and nodded
slightly in appreciation of the furnishings.

He'd not really noticed anything other than the finely upholstered
chairs and the nicely crafted liquor cabinet. The rest of the room was
just as nice.

Large shelves filled with volumes of literature in many languages, a
fireplace, a candelabra hanging from the ceiling. It all seemed out of
place in a traditional Japanese home, but it fit the older boy's persona
quite nicely.

"So how have you been Saotome?" Kuno asked, breaking the silence.

Ranma snapped back to the conversation. "Sorry bout that. I'm fine, been
spending a lot of time with my mom."

Kuno nodded. He remembered how happy Ranma was when he'd finally found
his long lost mother. "That is fine news. She is well?"

"Yeah, it's been nice to catch up with her," replied Ranma with a
contented smile. "How have you been?"

"As well as can be expected," replied Kuno as he put down the book he'd
been browsing though. "My activities as of late consist of little more
than training and patrolling the city. However, I've little to complain
of."

Ranma smirked. "You're sounding like a hunter. I may need to call to get
you your club membership card so you can get discounts at the Hunter's
Souvenir stand."

Kuno blinked. "You have a souvenir stand?"

Ranma burst out in laughter, nearly pitching out of his chair, the look
of utter amazement on Kuno's face was priceless.

The older boy began to smolder at the joke at his expense, but found the
laughter contagious. Soon they were both chuckling together.

"That was good," commented Ranma once he'd calmed down enough.

"Indeed," replied Kuno.

Truthfully, they both knew it had been a rather corny joke, but it was
still a fine diversion from the discussion at hand.

Ranma's manner returned to something a bit more serious, but still
light. "Don't lose that laugh."

"What do you mean?" asked Kuno in confusion.

"The life you're bringing yourself into..." Ranma stopped for a moment
to think of a way to word what he wanted to say. "Our world... It's a
dark place. You'll see things that you'll wish you hadn't. But it's part
of the job, ya know?"

Kuno sighed and stood. "I've already prepared myself for that."

"No. You haven't." Ranma shook his head. He stood and walked to a nearby
bookshelf containing a number of volumes on poetry. "How many demons
have you fought?"

"I do not count," Kuno admitted, turning his own back. "However, if I
must hazard a guess, fifteen or so in the past week would seem correct."

The pigtailed hunter picked a book from the shelf and ran his fingers
over the binding distractedly. "I've killed nearly seven-hundred in the
past ten years."

"Truly a mighty number, but I do not see what your seniority has to do
with..." Kuno's words were cut off as Ranma continued.

"How many of those fifteen or so were actually attacking a human?" he
questioned while flipping through the book.

"All of them," was the immediate response.

Ranma sighed and placed the book back onto the shelf. "And how many of
those people were killed?"

Kuno's head dropped to the ground in shame. "Three, and all in the same
attack... a man, a woman... and a child... a boy I believe... though it
was hard to tell..."

Ranma nodded. That last bit had been whispered, but he'd picked it up,
and knew what it indicated about the child's condition and probable
means of death. "Was it your fault?"

"Of course it was," Kuno hissed through clenched teeth. His hands were
balled into fists at his side, the Phantasm Edge glowing and pulsing in
response to its master's emotion.

Kuno tensed as he felt a hand rest itself on his shoulder. "It was your
fault for not getting there in time to save them, right?"

The boy looked away from the gaze of his friend. His words spoke true,
and needed no confirmation.

"And the ones that you did save," Ranma pressed, his tone becoming more
intense, and his grip tightening, "they were even more scared of you
than the demon? They were afraid of you, because you could kill that
which they had no power against?"

"YES!!!" screamed Kuno, his arms thrown into the air as he wretched
himself free from the other man's grasp.

Ranma stood unfazed by Kuno's outburst. He simply nodded and took a step
back.

A silence fell upon the room, only broken occasionally as Kuno breathed
slightly heavier from the tension.

"What was the purpose of this manner of questioning?" demanded Kuno.

"I told you. Our lives, the lives of a hunter, are filled with grief,"
stated Ranma. "We walk a path paved in sorrow. We have to hold our heads
high, and enjoy life as much as we can. Laugh when you can, and fight as
hard as possible when you must. That is how we live."

Kuno nodded understandingly, stepped over to his chair and plopped into
it heavily.

"My grandfather always told me that a true hunter does not fight for
those who live, but for those who did not." That said, Ranma turned and
walked to the door, deciding that he could see himself out.

Just as he was leaving he looked over his shoulder and added, "If you
still want to be a hunter, stop by the dojo tonight and we'll go out
together, if not, you should come by anyway and drop off my book."

Kuno waved his guest off absently. He knew he should have seen him to
the door, it being the proper thing to do, but he had some things to
think about.

The Phantasm Edge flickered warmly as Kuno picked it up from where it
stood next to his chair. He pulled it from the scabbard reverently and
stared into its pulsing glow.

His eyes wandered slowly from his sword to the book that lay on his
table.

In his eyes, it was merely large in physical size, but beyond measure in
content. It held the work of a warrior of light. One who put aside their
own life to serve the righteous and just.

It held his wisdom, a retelling of that man's accomplishments and
experiences.

When he thought of it in that light, did he even have the right to touch
it?

He stared at it a bit longer, his mind a torrent of thought. The words
of Ranma's grandfather and master echoed in his head like a gong.

Quickly, he grabbed his half-forgotten drink and downed the last of its
contents, immediately refilling it.

He would most certainly need to think.



+++++++++++++++++



Ranma strolled home with an unreadable gaze on his face.

His meeting with Kuno caused him no end of anxiety. He hated that Kuno
had to get involved.

A tired mumble escaped his mouth.

Far too many friends were becoming involved. It was just like that time
in-

"Feh," he muttered with a snort. "The past."

He took a deep breath and trudged onward. He'd be home pretty soon, and
then he'd have a nice hot meal, a bath, and maybe even a quick nap
before going out for the night's activities.

"Ranma Saotome!"

The pigtailed hunter startled at the familiar voice so close to his ear.
He was really losing his touch, too many people where sneaking up on him
lately.

"Hey Ucchan," he said with a grin and a slow backfist towards his
friend. "How's tricks?"

Ukyo ducked the lazy attack with an equally lazy dodge. "You and your
silly foreign slang." She followed her dodge with a two fingered tap to
the side of his head.

"You win," he conceded cheerily. Ukyo always did brighten his day when
she showed up.

"You were looking kinda down there, buster." Ukyo stood straight with
her arms folded over her chest in mock consternation. "Well? I'm
waiting."

"I just came back from Kuno's. We had a..." Ranma thought for a moment
of a proper word. "We had a business meeting."

Ukyo's arm fell to her sides and her playful manner switched to a far
more concerned one. She knew all too well what 'business' meant. "Is
everything all right?"

Ranma shrugged. "I dunno, maybe."

Suddenly Ranma realized that he was worrying his friend. "Ah! It's okay,
really."

"You sure?" she asked somewhat disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Ranma replied. Then a thought struck him. "Wait a sec... What're
you doing here?"

Ukyo frowned and puffed up in annoyance. "What? I can be here if I want.
You don't own the shopping district."

Ranma blinked. "Shopping district?" He looked at his surroundings and
realized that he was in fact downtown. "How the hell...?"

A woman walked over to them, a load of boxes and bags in her arms.
"Don't curse in front of a lady, Ranma. It's not becoming of a
gentleman."

"Sorry, mom." Ranma quickly stepped forward and grabbed each of the
items. "Just a little surprised I ended up here. Guess I wasn't paying
attention to where I was going."

"You must learn to be more cautious," Nodoka lectured. She may not have
much practice in the ways of the overly concerned mother, but it was an
instinct more than an acquired skill. "You could have been hit by a bus.
And another thing..."

Nodoka began to walk, Ukyo trailing behind her shortly.

Ranma followed after the pair of women, his mother berating and
lecturing all the way. He was silent mostly, except for the occasional,
"Yes mother."

Just as the lecturing of the overly concerned mother was instinctual, so
was the half assed reply of the bored son.

At least it wasn't a long walk back to home.



+++++++++++++++



A group of girls walked out of the Nerima 20-plex, chatting happily.

"That was a good movie," commented a short girl with bleach-blonde hair.
"Eh, Nana?"

"Yeah, Hisako," agreed her companion, a slightly taller girl with hair a
light blue shade. "It was so romantic."

"Why can't guys be like that in real life?" sighed Hisako. "What'd you
think of that movie, Akane?"

The long haired girl shrugged. "It was okay, I guess. It could have used
more action if you ask me."

The two girls blinked.

"But Akane," began Nana, "It was a romance movie. It wasn't supposed to
have any action."

Akane just kept on walking. "Your point being?"

"What about you, Nabiki?" questioned Hisako.

"Needed more gunplay," was the simple response.

Akane gave her older sister a sideways glance while the other two
grinned and chuckled nervously.

The girls were friends of Akane's from school, but rarely associated
with Nabiki, considering the girl's somewhat off-putting personality.
But from what little they knew, such a response was pretty far out of
place on her.

The girls simply put it aside, deciding that people from a family of
martial artists couldn't be expected to have interests like normal
people.

They continued on, tittering on about this or that; the movie, school,
what kind of clothes they wanted to buy.

Just as they approached a crosswalk at the end of the block, cries of
panic were heard. The shrieks of women filled the air.

"What was that?" asked Nana fearfully.

"I don't know," muttered Akane, scanning the area with her eyes and
ears.

Nabiki was looking about as well, her hand resting on the flap of her
brown satchel.

"AKANE!!!" cried someone from the crowds. The cries of more women
accompanied it.

Akane twitched, wondering what this was that had managed to make her
name sound so... dirty.

Nana and Hisako both held onto each other, terrified of what might be
coming. "Shouldn't we be running too?" they questioned in unison.

"AKANE!!!" cried the voice again, once more responded to by female
shriek, this time closer.

A brown blur shot out of the fleeing droves. It moved swiftly, making a
beeline right for the four young women.

"AKANE!!!" it cried.

Hisako and Nana quickly made tracks, deciding that the other two girls
could take care of themselves well enough.

Akane dropped into an attack stance, ready for whatever this little
thing might be.

To her side, Nabiki was already in movement. Her hand slipped inside her
bag, grasping onto the first thing she touched, the girl moved in front
of her younger sister protectively.

The blurred shape stopped mid-leap, allowing the girls to see that it
was a tiny old man, maybe not even two feet tall. He hung in mid-air
momentarily, his eyes crossed as he stared at the thing pointed at his
face.

He barely managed to eep out a, "Wha?" before Nabiki smirked coldly, and
fired.

"Nabiki?" questioned Akane, somewhat stunned.

On the ground the man twitched and screamed, clutching his face and
clawing in panic.

"Mousse said I should always have something to protect myself," she
explained. Nabiki left it at that and placed the handheld can of mace
back into her pouch, pleased that she'd managed to draw a non-lethal
weapon, even if it was only just by luck.

"I'VE BEEN POISONED!!!" cried the little pervert in fear and pain. "I'M
GUNNA DIE! DAMN YOU, KUNOICHI!!!"

"What's all this now?" asked a voice from nearby.

They turned to see Ranma standing behind them, his arms laden with
packages and bags, Ukyo and his mother at his side.

"A pervert, martial artist I think," Akane sneered, spitting out the
word pervert in distaste.

Nodoka peered around the group to see this pervert for herself.

Her eyes widened with recognition. "Happosai?"

Ranma blinked. Where'd he heard that name before?

Suddenly the little letch was standing right in front of them. "Nodoka?
My, my, my, hasn't it been a while?"

Nabiki stared slack-jawed. She quickly took out her mace and looked at
the writing on the can to check its expiration date.

"It has indeed been a while," conceded Nodoka. "You are looking as spry
as ever."

Happosai threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Yes, well how can I
not be with such pretty ladies in this town?"

Ukyo leaned towards Ranma and whispered, "Do you know this freak?"

Ranma shook his head, still trying to figure out where he'd heard that
name before, and just why the old timer was starting to look so
familiar.

"Where's Genma?" Happosai asked cheerily.

Nodoka lifted the sleeve of her kimono to her face and looked away.

Akane and Nabiki looked down, not really willing to be the one to give
the answer.

Ranma stepped forward and addressed the man. "He died. Ten years ago."

"Ranma..." Ukyo whispered to herself.

Happosai nodded sadly and gave the boy a once over. "I see. It is truly
a sad day when a master hears of the death of a student. How did it
happen?"

Ranma was silent, debating what to say.

"He died honorably, fighting a demon to protect our son," Nodoka
answered.

Happosai was somewhat taken aback by that, but composed himself quickly.
"I never knew the kid had it in him. Damn monsters..."

He looked up at Ranma and paced slowly around him. "You're Genma's boy?"

"Yes," he replied, finally realizing where he'd seen that face. In those
photos that had lead him to Soun's dojo, and ultimately to his mother.
And the fact that he'd named himself as the master of his father only
clinched it.

This was the man who'd trained Genma Saotome in the Anything Goes.

Happosai finished his pacing pulled out a pipe. "You're well trained."
The tiny man fished around in his gi and pulled out a match book to
light his pipe. "Not just in martial arts either."

"How can you tell?" Ranma asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He'd
been holding in his magical aura.

"When you get to be my age, you know what to look for," Happosai
answered between puffs of smoke.

Ranma was about to press the issue when Nabiki made herself known.

"I'd hate to break this up," she stated, "but I really think we should
continue this at home. We're starting to attract some attention."

Ranma glanced around and sure enough, people were milling about,
watching the unfolding scene with increased interest. They most likely
were attracted by the talk of demons.

Ranma nodded. "Let's get back to the dojo, we can talk there."



+++++++++++++++++



Ranma leaned against the frame of the window in his room, staring
aimlessly into the slowly setting dusk.

Once they'd gotten home, everyone had split up, the impending talk with
Happosai forgotten. They'd all ignored it, and Ranma wasn't saddened in
the least bit. He was in no real hurry to tell that story again.

Not that it really mattered if he had to again; he'd just had to do it
so many times in the past few months.

Ranma rolled his shoulders slowly, working out a few kinks and
scratching his back against the frame. He'd been tense all day.

His mother was with Ukyo and Kasumi in the kitchen, getting things ready
for dinner. It was nice to have so many great cooks around, even though
Ranma would have preferred that Ukyo be at her own home, getting things
ready for her soon to be opened restaurant.

She'd already delayed the grand opening for almost a full month. It was
a lucky thing that business was moving somewhat slowly since everyone
was still a little on edge. If it weren't for that, her investors might
have bailed on her already.

Ryoga was in the dojo right now, with Phil and Soun, giving them a hand
with their training. It was good for Soun to be learning how to defend
against other types of magic than just water elemental, and for Phil to
learn more martial arts than Soun's.

Mousse was downstairs with Nabiki, as usual, giving her tips on gun
maintenance. He really had to admit, she was pretty good with things,
given that she's so dead set on learning how to use them.

His hand flew out on reflex, hurling a small knife into the shadows near
his closet.

He continued staring out the window paying no heed as the knife flew
back a few moments later. He simply reached up and grasped it between
two fingers before putting it away with a flick of his wrist.

"Not bad, not bad at all," praised the little man that stepped into
view.

"What's up, Happosai?" asked Ranma dryly. The little pervert had shown
no real animosity towards Ranma, the conditions of their meeting,
coupled with the unsettling looks he cast at Ukyo were more than enough
to give him an idea of the man's character.

Perverted or not, as long the little letch kept his hands to himself
around Ranma, he was okay. He just didn't like being snuck up on.

"Do I need a reason to come up and visit?" asked Happosai innocently.

Ranma shrugged and put it aside, barely even acknowledging when the old
master hopped over and sat on the small desk next to the window.

Happosai took a moment to light up his pipe while he sparked up a
conversation. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing much," he responded truthfully. He never could manage to be
especially introspective for any real amount of time.

He sniffed lightly, the musky scent of Happosai's smoke filling the room
in little puffs. He spared a glance back at the man, seeing him sitting
cross-legged, a loose manner about him as he smoked.

"You remind me of someone from my home village," said Ranma with a
nostalgic smirk.

Happosai took another deep puff and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what
village might that be?"

"The village of Chinese Amazons, in the Bayankala Mountain range,"
replied the boy wistfully.

"Chinese Amazons?" coughed the little man in surprise.

"Yeah..." Ranma scratched at his head. "You've been there?"

"A few years ago," Happosai admitted. "Small world..." muttered Happosai
under his breath.

Ranma had managed to catch that last bit, and had been thinking
something similar. Putting that aside he turned back to his sunset.

A light silence filled the room, Happosai also enjoying the view. He'd
been in that cave for a while, and it was good to see these types of
things again.

Oh, he could have escaped a long time ago, but he had no reason since
there were such pretty girls in that cave. But when he'd run across that
Ryoga boy, he decided that he might as well go out and look for some
girls, rather than wait for the ones in the cave to return.

None the less, it was good to be out.

Happosai looked at Ranma, seeing the boy flexing his left hand as he
stared at his forearm, Happosai crept over to see what was so
interesting.

"My, my, you didn't strike me as the kind to be into body art," he
admitted to Ranma. "Of the exotic variety no less."

"It's not just a tattoo," Ranma commented snidely.

Happosai sniffed. "If it looks like a duck..."

Ranma frowned and decided to show the little guy up. "It's a weapon."
Ranma clenched his fist, making his Thorn Whip fade into view.

Happosai nodded, seriously impressed. "Now what do you call that thing?"

"It's the Thorn Whip, a hunter's relic," Ranma replied simply.

"Hunter's relic?" muttered Happosai thoughtfully. He'd heard that
somewhere, but where? "Do you have anymore?"

Ranma nodded. "I got two more, and two Sleeves."

'Sleeves'... Now that was a familiar word...

"Now I remember!" exclaimed the tiny man as he smacked his fist into his
open palm. "I remember going to China looking for one of those things.
I'd heard they were powerful, and wanted to see how strong it was for
myself."

"Did you find it?" asked Ranma quickly, eager at the chance to maybe
acquire a new weapon in trade.

"No," said Happosai with a negligent wave. "All I knew was that it was
in the Bayankala Mountains, and when I got there I found the Amazon's
village, and I got a little... sidetracked."

Ranma shivered a bit at the chuckle that accompanied that last bit. He
almost felt like going to take a bath it was so sleazy.

"In the Bayankala range you say?" Ranma pressed, trying to get back to
the subject at hand. "Remember anything about it?"

Happosai hummed in thought, rubbing at his chin and twirling his pipe,
but managing to keep from spreading any ashes.

"No... No remember much," concluded Happosai. "What I'd heard hadn't
been much to begin with; just a rumor of sorts."

"Well my grandmother was from that village, and my grandfather would
have sensed anything as powerful as a Sleeve in the area." The pigtailed
hunter scratched at his nose. "Maybe your rumor was a bum lead."

Happosai just puffed at his pipe. "Maybe. Maybe not."

There was a knock at the door. "Ranma, there is a guest here for you."

"Thank you Kasumi," he answered. "Could you tell him I'll be there in a
minute?"

"Of course," Kasumi replied.

Ranma stood and began working some kinks from his body. It'd been a long
day so far. Ranma knew who it was, and was eager to find out what would
be his decision, no matter how he may have appeared on the surface.

He walked towards the door, stopping as he reached for the knob.

"You're staying in here?" he asked over his shoulder.

Happosai waved it off and took Ranma's place at the sill. "For a bit.
You're not the only one who likes the sunset."

Ranma rolled his eyes and left to greet his guest.

Just as he was leaving he remembered something from his father's old
training manuals. At the time they didn't make any sense, but now that
he'd met his father's master, it was all crystal clear.

He tossed one last remark in passing. "Don't steal any of my stuff, and
I don't own any women's underwear so don't bother looking."

The little man blinked. He was almost tempted to see if the boy had told
the truth. No doubt he did have a panty collection, and was only saying
that to ward away theft from rival collectors.

Happosai shrugged. Anything was possible.

He stared out at the dusk, admiring its beauty a bit longer.

He sighed and slumped against his perch. Things were certainly different
since he'd been in that cave.

He looked out into the yard in time to see his former student Soun being
practically dragged to the house from the dojo by that Ryoga boy.

The man was ragged to say the least. He looked terrible, and seemed too
weak to even stand.

But despite that, he wanted back into the dojo, he wanted to train.
Ryoga managed to pull Soun along without harming him, but just barely.
Soun seemed dead set on returning to training.

Happosai didn't know the reason for Soun's drive, but he knew that
desire when he saw it.

"Very different indeed..." he muttered. "I'll really need to get the
whole story some time soon."



++++++++++++++++++++



Ranma entered the downstairs hallway to find Kuno waiting in the foyer.

The kendoist had a grave and determined look on his face. In his hand he
carried the book Ranma had lent him that day.

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced as Kuno tossed
the heavy tome at him.

Ranma caught it and stared in total perplexity. He'd been so sure...

"Open it to the page I have marked," Kuno stated simply.

Ranma held up the manual and flipped it open to a page with a bright red
ribbon in place. Printed on the page in question was a sketch of a
rather nasty looking monster that Ranma recognized immediately.

"A kumo?" asked Ranma. "What's this gotta-"

"I believe I know where to find one," interrupted Kuno. "A body was
found drained of its innards. Would that not be the preferred methods of
eating for these wretched things?"

Ranma nodded.

Kuno placed a hand on the hilt of his weapon. "If we are to slay the
accursed beast, we must hasten unto the hunt. I've no inkling of the
horrors it may perform if left untended."

Ranma stood silent, staring into the serious eyes of the man before him.
"Let's go then." He snapped the book shut, placing it on a nearby hall
desk.

A voice came from down the hall as the pair turned to leave. "Gunna go
hunting on an empty stomach?"

"Yeah," replied Ranma, turning to see his cousin and mother standing at
the opposite end of the hall. "Kuno has a lead. This type of giant
spider tends to stay out of heavily crowded areas, and move around a lot
if they do bother entering anywhere really populated."

Mousse crossed his arms and frowned. "Do you want a third on this?"

"No," answered the pigtailed hunter. "I want you to make sure Ucchan
gets home alright tonight. I don't want her alone in the streets with
how often I've been running into things."

Mousse stared evenly for a few moments before unfolding his arms and
walking into the living room.

Nodoka watched silently as her son and companion for the night's hunt
left.

"Be careful," she managed to say just as he stepped out the door.

Ranma froze mid-step, Kuno also stopping as he sensed the tension of the
man behind him.

"Careful..." muttered Ranma absently. "Yeah, mom, I'll do that."

A chill ran up Nodoka's spine at the tone he'd used. It was so cold.
She'd heard how serious he was before, but something was different
tonight.

The sounds of murmuring could be heard from inside the living room,
drawing Nodoka inside to see who had joined Mousse.

Mousse and Ryoga sat at the table in the room, chatting quietly to
themselves.

"Mousse?" Nodoka interrupted.

"Yes, Auntie?" replied Mousse. He and Ryoga had ceased their chatting in
favor of whatever Nodoka might want.

Nodoka sat with them and struggled momentarily with her own words.
"Ranma seemed a little... off, today."

"Indeed," piped in Soun as he entered the room. "The boy seemed to be
having something on his mind."

Ryoga sighed, scratching idly at his temple. "I'm pretty sure he was
just thinking about Kuno."

"You mean that serious looking boy in the hakama who left with Ranma?"
asked Soun. He'd seen Ranma and another boy bound over the wall from his
window upstairs when he was changing from his bath.

"That's the one," answered Mousse. "Kuno was hunting by himself. Ranma
went to talk to him about it."

Nodoka grinned in relief. "So it was just eagerness to work with another
friend on his duties of protecting the city? That's wonderful."

Mousse and Ryoga boggled somewhat at the comment. Soun for his part
remained neutral.

"That's not it at all," countered Mousse. "I don't know Kuno personally,
but from what Ranma tells me, he's a nice guy."

Nodoka remained perplexed.

Ryoga recognized the look and picked up the explanation. "Hunting
monsters isn't a game, despite whatever you may have heard us joking
about. Ranma would blame himself if Kuno got... hurt..."

Nodoka gaped, the meaning of the word "hurt" not lost on her. How could
she have not realized? She'd been so lost in her pride that she failed
to realize the severity of the life her son lead.

Mousse could tell what the next question would be and nodded. "Yeah, I'm
sure he'd blame himself. Kuno would never have gotten into any of this
mess if it weren't for the shit that follows us around..."

Ryoga crossed his arms and cast his gaze downward. "Ranma would never
force anyone into this life. Everyone should have the choice, no matter
how stupid their answer. He knows that because... because he never did
have that choice..."

Ryoga held a fist up and stared at it. "I understand that better than
anyone, because I never had a choice either..."

Soun stood and walked into the yard, his face telling of the turmoil
within his mind.

Nodoka's eyes shimmered with tears, the full scope of it all finally
hitting her.

How foolish she'd been. Even after her encounter within her former place
of work, even after her home had been destroyed, she'd been a fool.
Blind to everything other than how manly her son had been.

"What's going on?"

Nodoka composed herself as quickly as she could, lest she worry the
young girls that had just entered.

"Everything is fine, Ukyo, Akane," she stated unconvincingly. "Isn't
that right boys?"

Mousse and Ryoga nodded in unison.

Ukyo scanned the room briefly. "Where's Ranma?"

"Hunting," Mousse supplied.

She balled her fist at her side and clenched her teeth. "Damn... Why
didn't he tell me?"

"He knows you'd try and go along with him if you knew," Mousse answered.
"He doesn't want you involved in his fights anymore than you have to
be."

"That's bullshit!" she protested angrily. "He knows I can take care of
myself!"

"Hey, calm down, Ukyo," Akane soothed. "Mousse is right. As much of an
arrogant, egotistical ass he is, Ranma is strong, he can handle things
on his own."

Ukyo sighed heavily. "You're right, Akane. I just wish he'd let me help
a little more. I don't want him shutting me out like this..."

Nodoka had heard enough.

She stood without a word and walked onto the patio calmly, managing to
seem like she was only going out for some air.

"Did you hear that?" she questioned without tearing her gaze from the
koi pond.

"Yes," answered Soun as he stepped from where he leaned against a
support beam. "I heard."

Nodoka folded her hands formally. "I believe we should talk."

"I was about to say the same thing."



++++++++++++++++++++



Ranma crept slowly through the stacks of tall wooden crates, his sword
held firmly in hand. The acrid smell of rotted flesh permeated the
surrounding area; the vast expanse of the old warehouse doing nothing to
distill the stench.

It appeared to be a place for storing old appliances and furniture for
scrapping, judging from the various sizes and marking on the crates.

"Spy you any sign of our quarry?" whispered Kuno who was bringing up the
flank. The aura from his blade blurred his shape a bit, giving him an
unearthly look in the pale lighting from the mostly dead light bulbs
along the ceiling.

"Nothing," Ranma replied quietly. "Just keep an eye out."

The groan of a crate stressing from the weight of something heavy echoed
through the building.

The two hunters stopped and crouched down. Their heads turned side to
side, scanning with every available sense for the direction the sound
had originated from.

"Shit!" cursed Ranma, rolling to the side and catapulting himself up
with one hand into a flip to land on a crate.

He spun back in time to see his companion slice the giant spider in
half. The thick exoskeleton holding up for all of a microsecond before
it gave into the power of Kuno's slash.

His original attacker taken care of, Ranma cast his eyes upwards,
searching for anymore of the things to drop on his head from the
ceiling.

"Behind you, Saotome!" called Kuno as he blocked a widely arcing leg
from a kumo that had scurried out from between a row of crates.

Ranma jumped high to avoid the lunging fangs of his own opponent. He
twisted in the air and hurled his sword towards the spider, impaling it
against the crate he'd been standing on.

The monster squealed in pain, the Blood Drinker getting to have it's
fill for the first time in a while.

Ranma called his Thorn Whip and with a flick of his wrist, snagged onto
one of the beams supporting the roof. He swung himself up, giving a
silent order to his sword to revert to its tattoo since it had drained
the kumo fully.

Ranma scanned the area quickly, noting the many clusters of glowing red
eyes glaring at him hungrily.

"Well damn," he muttered. "I guess leaving Mousse at home was a bad
idea."

A sudden jolt ran through his body.

He crouched down and called to Kuno, who was having problems of his own.
"Kuno! Let's finish this quick!"

"Aye!" Kuno called back, lopping the forelegs off a particularly large
kumo.

Ranma rotated his wrist, whirling the whip in his hand to psych himself
up to do this fast.

He had a distinct feeling that he was needed somewhere else right
now, but he didn't know why.



++++++++++++++++



In an alley near the Tendo Dojo, a man concealed within the shroud of
the night conspired with his hired help.

"Do you understand the job?" asked the man.

An incoherent groan was the answer given by the inhuman shape, hidden
behind a number of garbage cans across the alley.

"Good. Make sure you get it done while he is still across town dealing
with the lesser beasts," added the man.

A small glass flask filled with a sickly green liquid flew from the
darkness, landing behind the cans.

"Drink that, it'll give you an edge in the fight." His words were
immediately echoed with the sound of crunching glass. "Go, get it done
and if you live you will be rewarded."

The sound of shuffling and a clatter as the cans tipped over signed the
departure of the beast.

The man smirked evilly, his grim, wicked smile sparkling in the
darkness.

It was so easy to trick the lesser beings into doing his bidding.
First that kumo and now this one.

He had no intention of ever rewarding either for their services, simply
because he did not believe either able to survive their respective
missions.

To top it all off, he had that other surprise on its way
from Europe at this very moment.

He knew it probably wasn't such a good idea to rock the boat as much as
he was, but what else would he do while he waited for 'it' to happen?

An electric tingle of excitement ran up his spine. "Oh, I know
shouldn't, but how can I resist?" He licked his lips hungrily as he
thought of the best way to tease the foolish little hunter.

"Saotome," he chuckled. "You're just a boy playing hero, and that game
will lead you into my hands."

This was going to be so much fun.



+++++++++++++++++



"I told you, I don't need any escort home," Ukyo grumbled.

"And I told you, Ranma asked me to," replied Mousse smartly.

She shook her head with a frown. "And do you do everything Ranma tells
you?"

Mousse shrugged. "No. But when it comes to hunting, Ranma is tops. He's
got more experience and training than I do. But this one I'm doing as
his cousin, not a hunter."

Ukyo raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that so?"

"Yup," Mousse replied with a grin. "I can't have my cousin's girl
getting eaten by some big nasty monster!"

Ukyo flustered a little at the comment. "Thanks, but no thanks! I'm my
own girl and I don't need no one's protection."

Mousse's grin was halted by something that caught his eye from a corner.

"Outta the way!" he warned, throwing Ukyo aside as a blur shot from
beneath a car.

Ukyo gasped as she looked up from where she'd landed to see a four foot
long lizard hanging from Mousse's arm.

Mousse gave a cry and slammed the heavy looking thing against the side
of a building. The shock from the blow loosened the thing's jaws from
Mousse, freeing his arm.

He quickly jumped away, his uninjured arm lashing out and sending a
spear with a wicked tip straight through the head of the monster.

It laid there, thick yellow blood oozing from the eyeless head,
twitching its stumpy legs spastically as it went into its death throes,

Mousse breathed raggedly, his eyes wide with fear as he realized the
monster's type.

He wasted no more time. In a flash he pulled out a number of wards, and
threw them against the thing's carcass, bursting it into flames. He
didn't care how many he used; he just had to get rid of the thing's
body.

As soon as he was sure it would burn itself out with no traces other
than harmless ash, he stripped off his robe.

Ukyo could only stare as his arm hung limply at his side; the flesh
around the wound looking like it was already festering. His skin was
turning a sickly pale shade and he was sweating profusely.

He reached into the robe and began applying various wards and patches to
the area around the bite, effectively ceasing any bleeding.

He then switched between pouring numerous decanters of strange liquids
into the gash itself and down his throat.

He tossed each used bottle to the side heedlessly, not caring about
anything other than having his hand free for the next one.

Finally he stopped; a grim look on his face. He turned to Ukyo, and
croaked, "Let my guard down... Tatzlwurm... not supposed to be... this
strong..."

With that, he pitched forward into the street. The blood from his wound
flowed again as he lost the consciousness needed to maintain the power
feeding the patchwork wards.

Ukyo could only scream.



+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+



Notes:

Enough toying around! Into the real plot! HAVE AT THEE!!!

C&C is, as always, appreciated/anticipated. ^_^


Next time, on Savior's Blood: Hurry up! No time to waste!

-Guy