Disclaimer: Whatever. I don't own Ranma 1/2.
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
----
Lost Days Lamenting Lost Days
Chapter 10
----
He was following. Which was nice. She knew he'd follow, just like a lamb. Leaving behind her companion was unfortunate, but necessary. He shouldn't have gotten hit. Besides, he'd never been that great of a working partner. He sucked at scrabble. Totally sucked.
Oh well. Going it alone did make things harder for her, but she could handle it. However, that wasn't the worst part.
The bandanna boy had splattered blood all over her outfit and bloodstains were ever so hard to get out.
That bastard.
But, oh well! She would have to get a new outfit. Or make one! Making clothes was fun! Almost as fun as making people bleed, but then, it made such a mess too. Life was so complicated.
The bandanna boy was following. That was all that mattered. The master would be happy. Of course, no pretty blood would be splattered if the master was happy... unless he was REALLY happy. Oh joy! Perhaps, things were looking up after all.
----
His hand hurt, really bad. His leg hurt. His whole damn body hurt. Which meant someone else would have to hurt much, much, worse to make up for it. Leaving his pack hidden in a bush had been a necessary evil. Hell, the feeling that he got after leaving it was worth it in itself. He would actually be able to FIND the damn thing later. It felt wonderful, almost like being a normal person.
And then he remembered about the whole "going crazy-brain-splitting visions-got attacked by a cult-turn into a pig-part" and the feeling went away.
He could tell it was about midnight by the position of the moon. Dark clouds had rolled over, obscuring bits of it. Starlight flickered periodically through the clouds. Shadows slithered across the trees as Ryouga jumped from branch to branch.
Branch jumping wasn't something he would normally do. It was much easier to just walk on the ground and beat senseless whatever animal you might accidentally step on. However, the longer he followed the better at it he was becoming. A lot of concentration was needed, though. Hibiki's just weren't naturally sneaky and stealthy. There had been too many generations of ancestors who liked to knock down trees and throw large rocks at their enemies, he supposed.
He landed soundlessly on a branch and stopped a moment to listen to his surroundings. A few night animals whistled and croaked into the night, but all else was quiet. He narrowed his eyes and tried to feel any ki in the area. All those martial artists did it in movies right? Why couldn't he do it?
At first he felt nothing. He strained harder, trying to push his senses to the limit. It was like the Baksai Tenketsu. The universe was all part of a flow and you just had to see that flow. A bead of sweat rolled down his brow. He almost gave up until finally, a presence flickered in the distance. It was brief and shadowy, but he had felt it.
Take that Ranma Saotome.
He was far from Nerima now. They had been traveling east and then northwest for quite awhile. Which was so cool! East! Northwest! Those were real directions! Not just imaginary ideas like he had thought all along! It was amazing!
But err, that wasn't important. Back to the being stealthy, going after evil cult thing, and uh... fighting for justice and stuff.
He jumped branches for a few more minutes, carefully making no sound. Finally, he paused for a moment and squinted his eyes. A row of lights was in the distance. Three small orbs of white light pulsed like fireflies. Three dark cloaked figures stood in front of what looked like the front of a bunker, guarding it. He unconsciously held his breath as the crazy girl with the whip walked up to the four. Or was it three? Huh, that was odd. His eyes went blurry for a second. Never mind.
They seemed to talk for a moment then obediently stepped away from the door. The girl turned and winked at the forest, then walked through the dark recesses of the door.
Oh great. Just great. And here he thought he was being stealth guy. Yet another short-lived ego bubble, burst all to hell.
Well he had two options. Still try to sneak in, or go through the front, fighting his way through to the leader. The latter involved fighting for his life, pain, destruction, and possibly dying a horrible death... or worse. The former would most likely involve sneakiness, stealing someone's clothes, and ingenuity.
Ryouga jumped down from his branch and landed in the clearing. He brushed off a few stray leaves from his clothing and strode up to the entrance.
"Hey! Stupid guards! I'm coming in!"
Ingenuity was too damn hard.
He readied himself for an attack. Who knew what these guys were made of? They could be the cannon fodder guys from the bread place, or the creepy Kasumi like freak from a few hours ago. But he was ready for whatever they might throw at him. He didn't care what he had to go through, he would make it. Hibiki's were not taken down so easily. He was ready for anything.
"Sure! Come right in!" One of the guards chimed and stepped to the side. The other winked and did the same. Ryouga blinked.
"Uh? Um... ok." Sure?! Damn these guys! He was all pumped to hit something and they say "sure"?! They were just letting him in? It had to be a trick. But what else could he do?
Ryouga kept his guard up warily as he passed the two guards, expecting an attack, but none came and he passed through the entrance. He paused at the beginning of what appeared to be stone steps that extended into never ending darkness. Torches were mounted into the sides of the cave walls. He suspected the steps went straight down to hell. He had always thought he'd end up there sooner or later, but he had hoped he would take Ranma down with him. Oh well.
He took a deep breath and pushed his nervousness aside and began to descend the steps. Slime coated the edges of some of the stone steps, and cold water dripped down the walls occasionally, making it impossible to grab them if he slipped. It felt like an eternity before he reached the bottom.
But he did finally, and found something he wasn't expecting.
It was a damn nightclub.
The interior of the cave and been lined with trendy dining tables. Light fixtures were carved into nooks and crannies, smoking tendrils of gray snakes that slithered upward until vanishing somewhere in the unseen ceiling. A stage to his far right held a band playing a haunting melody. Blue lights were fixed over the stage accenting the leading singer's curves. A bar sat next to the far wall, with customers crowded around it.
"Welcome!"
Ryouga spun around too see a man dressed in traditional Japanese cloths... traditional WOMAN'S clothes; lipstick, fancy hair pins, the whole works. Great, another one of those girly men. Oh well, the more girly men there were, the more the woman would want the manly men like him... right?
The girly man walked up to him, his red kimono swished as he walked in a decidedly womanly sort of way. His hands were clasped in front of him as he approached. Still on guard, Ryouga turned to face him, shifting his stance slightly.
"We have been expecting you. If you would please come this way Mr. Hibiki." The girly man made a smooth motion with his right hand, indicating for Ryouga to follow him. He then smiled in a way that made Ryouga's skin crawl and headed off to his right.
So the guy wanted Ryouga to follow him? Follow a cross dressing guy into some unknown dark room... yes that was every heterosexual man's dream. But what else could he do? Ryouga gritted his teeth and followed.
They passed through a widening array of corridors and rooms until he had lost all track of the many turns they had taken. Each room was different than the other, with a sort of gothic cave man feel to them. The place was too large to be just a cannon fodder thug operation, like he had original believed. Even more disturbing, there seemed to be water seeping through some of the cave walls. It was always far away from him, the rooms were big after all, but it was THERE. When water was concerned a cursed springs victim could never be too careful.
The girly man finally stopped in front of a large glass door. "The Master will see you now."
"Master? He a vampire or sumthin?"
The man seemed amused by this and smiled softly. "You look more like a vampire than my employer, sir. Don't be silly. Vampires don't exist, Mr. Hibiki."
Ryouga scowled and then glanced at the door for a few moments. He heard that vampire thing enough in elementary school. "So the Master eh? You work for him or something?"
"I never said he was MY master." The girly man's yellowish eyes brightened for a moment. "I run a Pet Shop, Mr. Hibiki. Come down to my establishment sometime. I might have something for you."
"Ah! Listen mister! I'm not that way! Keep your presents to yourself 'cause I don't want any!"
"I meant a pet, Mr. Hibiki."
"Oh. That's what I meant to. Heh." Ryouga rubbed the back of his neck nervously and tried to get his skin to stop crawling. "No thanks. You probably just sell giant snakes and man eating fish and stuff."
The man seemed incredibly amused by this and giggled. Ryouga winced inwardly.
"How interesting. You intrigue me. Well, I leave you to the master. Farewell Mr. Hibiki." The man bowed slowly and walked away, his kimono making swishing sounds as he disappeared behind a corner.
Ryouga took a deep breath. Ok that was weird. What was with these people? Be evil. Kill things. Fine. But don't go making people feel uncomfortable like that! How rude.
Wait, how did that guy know his name?
Oh well. Might as well go in and kick Master 'what's his name's' ass. Ryouga put a hand on the stained glass door and pushed.
The room smelled like burnt flowers. Wispy black curtains lined the walls covering up the rock. In the center of the stone floor, a large symbol of an eye in a triangle was carved into the rock and then smoothed over. The room was vastly smaller than the cavernous rooms he had seen before, and it only took him a moment to reach the low Japanese table at the center of the room.
A figure languidly looked up from his position, sprawled comfortable on a deep red cushion. Ryouga sized him up carefully. He was in his mid thirties or a bit later. Long dark bangs covered his eyes and his chopped hair was pulled back behind his shoulders. Bits and pieces stuck out every which way, as if he'd given a mentally disturbed five-year old a pair of scissors and told him to have at it. Most noticeable though, was the extensive network of scars crisscrossing his bare chest in... patterns.
"Like it?" The man lifted his head slightly exposing deep gray eyes. "I did it myself."
Ryouga stood, looking at the man warily.
"Oh excuse me! I'm being rude. Please sit down." The scarred man indicted another red cushion at the opposite side of the table. Reluctantly, Ryouga walked over and sat on his knees.
"What do you want." Ryouga glared at the creepy man across the table. Just because he had nothing better to do, didn't mean he wanted to hang around and have tea with a bunch of creepy guys. If he had a reputation, he would be worried about it. This was worst than the time he had accidentally wandered into that gay bar.
The scarred man's split lips shifted into a smile. "Would you like some tea?"
"No."
"Miyako. Bring our guest some tea." The man snapped his fingers. Immediately, a female attendant emerged from behind a black velvet drape, carrying a tray. The attendant set two cups of tea down upon the table and then slowly poured tea into each. Ryouga ignored her and focused on the man across the table.
"Listen Jackass--" Ack. Picking up words from Ukyou, not good. "--what the hell do you want?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. Why is "HE" so interested in you?" The scarred man, Ryouga refused to refer to him as "the master", sipped his tea. "Besides, you did hospitalize a large group of my flunkies. It's always tiresome to replace your cannon fodder guys. Then I had to go all the way down to Tokyo General Hospital and gut each of them myself." The man sighed. "I missed my soap operas."
Ryouga felt his stomach drop out. G-gutted? Did he really do that? He just killed all those people? Just because they failed? It was his fault that all those people died? ...NO! He was NOT going to blame this on himself! It was those guys own damn fault for picking on an old man!
"Kinda makes you responsible eh?"
"Shut up."
"Why do you care? His own grand-daughter doesn't give a damn about him. I don't see why you should." The guy sipped his tea again and wrinkled his nose. "Hmm, I need some cookies to go with this tea."
"How do you know?"
The scarred man winked and went back to nursing his tea. Silence reigned inside the room for what seemed like an eternity.
"Is that all your going to tell me?" Ryouga cracked his knuckles. It was about time he commenced with the ass kicking. He tried to rise and felt a wave of dizziness overcome him.
"I killed the old man."
Ryouga fell back onto the cushions. "You...you..."
"Didn't really kill him and am just messing with your mind." He waved his right hand in the air dismissively. "Yes I know."
Must resist urge to hurl large heavy objects... "Leave the old man alone."
"Oh and why do you care?" The man raised an eyebrow.
"I... I don't."
Ryouga seethed, his desire to know what was going on out-weighing his need to cause bodily harm. He needed to know. He wasn't sure why, but it was important.
"Drink your tea or it's going to get cold. I've never liked cold tea myself."
"It's probably poisoned."
The man laughed. "Silly, we already poisoned you. Why would we do it twice?"
Ryouga's blood froze in his veins and then instantly warmed again. Poisoned? That's all?
The attendant walked out of the room. Wait! It was that girl from before!
"Used a really strong poison too. Hmm, I believe I've stalled long enough." The scarred guy glanced at a clock on the wall. "Let's see, it should start working--"
Feh, a little poison couldn't take down Ryouga Hibiki.
"--rrrright about--
Ryouga awoke with a start.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We've got a special treat for you tonight!"
Ryouga blinked and tried to orient himself. His face hurt and he was covered in dirt and sand. Bright lights were shining in his eyes...
"Two martial artists duel to the death! I hope you placed your bets!"
There were people everywhere... lined up all around him in an arena... they were cheering...
"Souvenirs from the loser's body will be auctioned off after the fight!"
He was on some plateau above ... water? Oh shit..
"Bring out the other contestant!"
Damn his head hurt... Wait... Contestant?
"FIGHT!
Fight?
A guttural roar split the noise of the crowd as a man ripped the metal hinges off a nearby gate and threw them to the ground. Blood trickled down from the man's eyes.
What the? The guy's eyes were completely black! That couldn't be good...
"Where the hell am I now?!"
----
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
----
Lost Days Lamenting Lost Days
Chapter 10
----
He was following. Which was nice. She knew he'd follow, just like a lamb. Leaving behind her companion was unfortunate, but necessary. He shouldn't have gotten hit. Besides, he'd never been that great of a working partner. He sucked at scrabble. Totally sucked.
Oh well. Going it alone did make things harder for her, but she could handle it. However, that wasn't the worst part.
The bandanna boy had splattered blood all over her outfit and bloodstains were ever so hard to get out.
That bastard.
But, oh well! She would have to get a new outfit. Or make one! Making clothes was fun! Almost as fun as making people bleed, but then, it made such a mess too. Life was so complicated.
The bandanna boy was following. That was all that mattered. The master would be happy. Of course, no pretty blood would be splattered if the master was happy... unless he was REALLY happy. Oh joy! Perhaps, things were looking up after all.
----
His hand hurt, really bad. His leg hurt. His whole damn body hurt. Which meant someone else would have to hurt much, much, worse to make up for it. Leaving his pack hidden in a bush had been a necessary evil. Hell, the feeling that he got after leaving it was worth it in itself. He would actually be able to FIND the damn thing later. It felt wonderful, almost like being a normal person.
And then he remembered about the whole "going crazy-brain-splitting visions-got attacked by a cult-turn into a pig-part" and the feeling went away.
He could tell it was about midnight by the position of the moon. Dark clouds had rolled over, obscuring bits of it. Starlight flickered periodically through the clouds. Shadows slithered across the trees as Ryouga jumped from branch to branch.
Branch jumping wasn't something he would normally do. It was much easier to just walk on the ground and beat senseless whatever animal you might accidentally step on. However, the longer he followed the better at it he was becoming. A lot of concentration was needed, though. Hibiki's just weren't naturally sneaky and stealthy. There had been too many generations of ancestors who liked to knock down trees and throw large rocks at their enemies, he supposed.
He landed soundlessly on a branch and stopped a moment to listen to his surroundings. A few night animals whistled and croaked into the night, but all else was quiet. He narrowed his eyes and tried to feel any ki in the area. All those martial artists did it in movies right? Why couldn't he do it?
At first he felt nothing. He strained harder, trying to push his senses to the limit. It was like the Baksai Tenketsu. The universe was all part of a flow and you just had to see that flow. A bead of sweat rolled down his brow. He almost gave up until finally, a presence flickered in the distance. It was brief and shadowy, but he had felt it.
Take that Ranma Saotome.
He was far from Nerima now. They had been traveling east and then northwest for quite awhile. Which was so cool! East! Northwest! Those were real directions! Not just imaginary ideas like he had thought all along! It was amazing!
But err, that wasn't important. Back to the being stealthy, going after evil cult thing, and uh... fighting for justice and stuff.
He jumped branches for a few more minutes, carefully making no sound. Finally, he paused for a moment and squinted his eyes. A row of lights was in the distance. Three small orbs of white light pulsed like fireflies. Three dark cloaked figures stood in front of what looked like the front of a bunker, guarding it. He unconsciously held his breath as the crazy girl with the whip walked up to the four. Or was it three? Huh, that was odd. His eyes went blurry for a second. Never mind.
They seemed to talk for a moment then obediently stepped away from the door. The girl turned and winked at the forest, then walked through the dark recesses of the door.
Oh great. Just great. And here he thought he was being stealth guy. Yet another short-lived ego bubble, burst all to hell.
Well he had two options. Still try to sneak in, or go through the front, fighting his way through to the leader. The latter involved fighting for his life, pain, destruction, and possibly dying a horrible death... or worse. The former would most likely involve sneakiness, stealing someone's clothes, and ingenuity.
Ryouga jumped down from his branch and landed in the clearing. He brushed off a few stray leaves from his clothing and strode up to the entrance.
"Hey! Stupid guards! I'm coming in!"
Ingenuity was too damn hard.
He readied himself for an attack. Who knew what these guys were made of? They could be the cannon fodder guys from the bread place, or the creepy Kasumi like freak from a few hours ago. But he was ready for whatever they might throw at him. He didn't care what he had to go through, he would make it. Hibiki's were not taken down so easily. He was ready for anything.
"Sure! Come right in!" One of the guards chimed and stepped to the side. The other winked and did the same. Ryouga blinked.
"Uh? Um... ok." Sure?! Damn these guys! He was all pumped to hit something and they say "sure"?! They were just letting him in? It had to be a trick. But what else could he do?
Ryouga kept his guard up warily as he passed the two guards, expecting an attack, but none came and he passed through the entrance. He paused at the beginning of what appeared to be stone steps that extended into never ending darkness. Torches were mounted into the sides of the cave walls. He suspected the steps went straight down to hell. He had always thought he'd end up there sooner or later, but he had hoped he would take Ranma down with him. Oh well.
He took a deep breath and pushed his nervousness aside and began to descend the steps. Slime coated the edges of some of the stone steps, and cold water dripped down the walls occasionally, making it impossible to grab them if he slipped. It felt like an eternity before he reached the bottom.
But he did finally, and found something he wasn't expecting.
It was a damn nightclub.
The interior of the cave and been lined with trendy dining tables. Light fixtures were carved into nooks and crannies, smoking tendrils of gray snakes that slithered upward until vanishing somewhere in the unseen ceiling. A stage to his far right held a band playing a haunting melody. Blue lights were fixed over the stage accenting the leading singer's curves. A bar sat next to the far wall, with customers crowded around it.
"Welcome!"
Ryouga spun around too see a man dressed in traditional Japanese cloths... traditional WOMAN'S clothes; lipstick, fancy hair pins, the whole works. Great, another one of those girly men. Oh well, the more girly men there were, the more the woman would want the manly men like him... right?
The girly man walked up to him, his red kimono swished as he walked in a decidedly womanly sort of way. His hands were clasped in front of him as he approached. Still on guard, Ryouga turned to face him, shifting his stance slightly.
"We have been expecting you. If you would please come this way Mr. Hibiki." The girly man made a smooth motion with his right hand, indicating for Ryouga to follow him. He then smiled in a way that made Ryouga's skin crawl and headed off to his right.
So the guy wanted Ryouga to follow him? Follow a cross dressing guy into some unknown dark room... yes that was every heterosexual man's dream. But what else could he do? Ryouga gritted his teeth and followed.
They passed through a widening array of corridors and rooms until he had lost all track of the many turns they had taken. Each room was different than the other, with a sort of gothic cave man feel to them. The place was too large to be just a cannon fodder thug operation, like he had original believed. Even more disturbing, there seemed to be water seeping through some of the cave walls. It was always far away from him, the rooms were big after all, but it was THERE. When water was concerned a cursed springs victim could never be too careful.
The girly man finally stopped in front of a large glass door. "The Master will see you now."
"Master? He a vampire or sumthin?"
The man seemed amused by this and smiled softly. "You look more like a vampire than my employer, sir. Don't be silly. Vampires don't exist, Mr. Hibiki."
Ryouga scowled and then glanced at the door for a few moments. He heard that vampire thing enough in elementary school. "So the Master eh? You work for him or something?"
"I never said he was MY master." The girly man's yellowish eyes brightened for a moment. "I run a Pet Shop, Mr. Hibiki. Come down to my establishment sometime. I might have something for you."
"Ah! Listen mister! I'm not that way! Keep your presents to yourself 'cause I don't want any!"
"I meant a pet, Mr. Hibiki."
"Oh. That's what I meant to. Heh." Ryouga rubbed the back of his neck nervously and tried to get his skin to stop crawling. "No thanks. You probably just sell giant snakes and man eating fish and stuff."
The man seemed incredibly amused by this and giggled. Ryouga winced inwardly.
"How interesting. You intrigue me. Well, I leave you to the master. Farewell Mr. Hibiki." The man bowed slowly and walked away, his kimono making swishing sounds as he disappeared behind a corner.
Ryouga took a deep breath. Ok that was weird. What was with these people? Be evil. Kill things. Fine. But don't go making people feel uncomfortable like that! How rude.
Wait, how did that guy know his name?
Oh well. Might as well go in and kick Master 'what's his name's' ass. Ryouga put a hand on the stained glass door and pushed.
The room smelled like burnt flowers. Wispy black curtains lined the walls covering up the rock. In the center of the stone floor, a large symbol of an eye in a triangle was carved into the rock and then smoothed over. The room was vastly smaller than the cavernous rooms he had seen before, and it only took him a moment to reach the low Japanese table at the center of the room.
A figure languidly looked up from his position, sprawled comfortable on a deep red cushion. Ryouga sized him up carefully. He was in his mid thirties or a bit later. Long dark bangs covered his eyes and his chopped hair was pulled back behind his shoulders. Bits and pieces stuck out every which way, as if he'd given a mentally disturbed five-year old a pair of scissors and told him to have at it. Most noticeable though, was the extensive network of scars crisscrossing his bare chest in... patterns.
"Like it?" The man lifted his head slightly exposing deep gray eyes. "I did it myself."
Ryouga stood, looking at the man warily.
"Oh excuse me! I'm being rude. Please sit down." The scarred man indicted another red cushion at the opposite side of the table. Reluctantly, Ryouga walked over and sat on his knees.
"What do you want." Ryouga glared at the creepy man across the table. Just because he had nothing better to do, didn't mean he wanted to hang around and have tea with a bunch of creepy guys. If he had a reputation, he would be worried about it. This was worst than the time he had accidentally wandered into that gay bar.
The scarred man's split lips shifted into a smile. "Would you like some tea?"
"No."
"Miyako. Bring our guest some tea." The man snapped his fingers. Immediately, a female attendant emerged from behind a black velvet drape, carrying a tray. The attendant set two cups of tea down upon the table and then slowly poured tea into each. Ryouga ignored her and focused on the man across the table.
"Listen Jackass--" Ack. Picking up words from Ukyou, not good. "--what the hell do you want?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. Why is "HE" so interested in you?" The scarred man, Ryouga refused to refer to him as "the master", sipped his tea. "Besides, you did hospitalize a large group of my flunkies. It's always tiresome to replace your cannon fodder guys. Then I had to go all the way down to Tokyo General Hospital and gut each of them myself." The man sighed. "I missed my soap operas."
Ryouga felt his stomach drop out. G-gutted? Did he really do that? He just killed all those people? Just because they failed? It was his fault that all those people died? ...NO! He was NOT going to blame this on himself! It was those guys own damn fault for picking on an old man!
"Kinda makes you responsible eh?"
"Shut up."
"Why do you care? His own grand-daughter doesn't give a damn about him. I don't see why you should." The guy sipped his tea again and wrinkled his nose. "Hmm, I need some cookies to go with this tea."
"How do you know?"
The scarred man winked and went back to nursing his tea. Silence reigned inside the room for what seemed like an eternity.
"Is that all your going to tell me?" Ryouga cracked his knuckles. It was about time he commenced with the ass kicking. He tried to rise and felt a wave of dizziness overcome him.
"I killed the old man."
Ryouga fell back onto the cushions. "You...you..."
"Didn't really kill him and am just messing with your mind." He waved his right hand in the air dismissively. "Yes I know."
Must resist urge to hurl large heavy objects... "Leave the old man alone."
"Oh and why do you care?" The man raised an eyebrow.
"I... I don't."
Ryouga seethed, his desire to know what was going on out-weighing his need to cause bodily harm. He needed to know. He wasn't sure why, but it was important.
"Drink your tea or it's going to get cold. I've never liked cold tea myself."
"It's probably poisoned."
The man laughed. "Silly, we already poisoned you. Why would we do it twice?"
Ryouga's blood froze in his veins and then instantly warmed again. Poisoned? That's all?
The attendant walked out of the room. Wait! It was that girl from before!
"Used a really strong poison too. Hmm, I believe I've stalled long enough." The scarred guy glanced at a clock on the wall. "Let's see, it should start working--"
Feh, a little poison couldn't take down Ryouga Hibiki.
"--rrrright about--
Ryouga awoke with a start.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We've got a special treat for you tonight!"
Ryouga blinked and tried to orient himself. His face hurt and he was covered in dirt and sand. Bright lights were shining in his eyes...
"Two martial artists duel to the death! I hope you placed your bets!"
There were people everywhere... lined up all around him in an arena... they were cheering...
"Souvenirs from the loser's body will be auctioned off after the fight!"
He was on some plateau above ... water? Oh shit..
"Bring out the other contestant!"
Damn his head hurt... Wait... Contestant?
"FIGHT!
Fight?
A guttural roar split the noise of the crowd as a man ripped the metal hinges off a nearby gate and threw them to the ground. Blood trickled down from the man's eyes.
What the? The guy's eyes were completely black! That couldn't be good...
"Where the hell am I now?!"
----
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/