Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up. Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and The Hiten Mitsurgi Ryu and other reference to Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Vermillion

Chapter 9

The Divine Elixir

By Kazuma20

Arc one: Soulless Knights

Ranma ran down the stairs, which was covered out of the wall in the cave. He saw Meldars who stood by himself in front of some plants. There were two small pillars on each side of him where he stood.

The plants were flowers in the deep cavern and above it was a small hole to allow in sunlight and rain to come in.

Ranma reached the bottom of the stairs. He was breathing lightly. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and there were stone. He started to walk to Meldars who turned around to face him.

Ranma walked on the dirt ground. He was still dressed in his traditional cloths in a dark blue kimono and a white hakama, with his katana on the left side.

Meldars stood there in a black blazer, with an untucked dark blue shirt and black jeans with black boots. The sword on his left side and drew it with his right hand.

Ranma stopped a couple of feet away from him. Ranma just stared at him. The cross shape scar on his left cheek started to bleed. The blood leaked down his check and it fell onto his kimono staining it.

"So, we meet again Mr. Ranma Himura." stated Meldars.

"How do you know my name?" asked Ranma.

"I know all about you. I had Misanagi do a background check on you and your friends. I found out about your past, and that of your mother's family side. That you're are descendant of s man's past who is so classified that you need to be the Emperor or the Prime Minister to look at it. That your family still is in high standing." replied Meldars.

"Shut up!" yelled Ranma.

"Seem's I hit a sour spot, huh Mr. Himura."

"Why don't we let out swords do the talking instead of our mouths."replied Ranma drawing his sword.

Lentz slashed at Yuto with his halberd and it hit the ground.

Yuto had jumped away from the strike by the halberd. He landed to the right and ran at Lentz. Who was pulling the halberd up from the ground.

Before Lentz could get the halberd up from the ground, it was cut in half by Yuto's sword. The blade of the halberd fell to the ground.

Lentz dropped the useless wooden pole to the ground. He pulled out his sword from his sheath. He then ran at him, fast for a big guy.

Yuto slashed horizontally at Lentz. The blade's hit each other and they moved around in a circle.

Lentz pulled out a small dagger with his left hand. He then stabbed Yuto in the forearm with the dagger and then pulled it out.

The blood flies out of the wound and hits the ground. Yuto screamed out in pain from the wound on his forearm.

Seishiro delivered a straight kick to Schneider's stomach. His sword was still thrust out at the strike.

Schneider doubled over from the hard kick to his stomach. He started to stand up again with his sword still in hand.

"That hurt you know." replied Schneider.

"Well it wasn't suppose to be a love tap." commented Seishiro.

Seishiro and Schneider ran at each other. Their swords hit each other and clang together, they pushed at each other as they tried to gain any ground in the fight.

They then pushed each other away. Seishiro and Schneider each slide to a stop, on the dirt. Seishiro got into a stance again. The sword flat, he then took off fast.

Schneider was not expecting him to come at him fast as he was coming.

Seishiro thrust his sword at Schneider. He moved out the way, but was snagged on the shoulder. It went through his jacket and created a deep wound that had shot blood in the air.

Kakyo and Spencer locked swords each other. Kakyo's left sword was free and in a stabbing action thrust it at Spencer.

Spencer moved to the left and out of the path of the coming sword. He had missed Kakyo's left foot coming at his back.

He then positioned his left foot behind Spencer's knee and used his left arm and pushed him. He threw him over.

Spencer hit the ground hard on his stomach, but never let go of his sword. Dust had came up when he hit the ground.

Spencer started to get up from the ground. He pushed himself up from the ground. His knee's were in pain from the throw.

"I have to admit that move was unexpected." commented Spencer whipping his mouth of blood.

"Then shall we go again?" asked Kakyo.

Spencer ran at Kakyo and swing vertically.

Kakyo jumped to the right of the vertical slash as it came down. He thrust the kodachi in his right hand at Spencer's head.

Meldars rushed at Ranma, he brought his sword up and as he reached Ranma. He then brought it in a downward strike.

Ranma brought his sword up and blocked the strike. Sparks flew off as the metal hit each other.

Ranma took his left foot and tripped Meldars feet from under him. Meldars fell onto his back.

He hit the g round and on his back and rolled away. He pushed himself up from the ground to stand up.

"You are a lot better then I expected." replied Meldars.

"I can say the same for you." he stated.

Ranma ran at Meldars who swung horizontally, but Ranma wasn't there.

"Where did he go?" he asked himself and thought, 'Gone?'

That's when he saw the sword coming at him. He thought, 'Down!'

He kicked Ranma in the face and flew back and hit the ground. He landed in a roll and stopped in a sitting position then started to stand up.

'He's a lot faster then I thought. I need to watch myself with him.' thought Meldars.

Ranma looked up from the ground and his face showed no emotion at all. He started to walk to Meldars with a swagger.

Spencer barely saw the kodachi coming his way. He moved to the right and skidded on the ground. He was on his knee's and his sword slide on the ground, too.

"So you are not a one trick pony." replied Kakyo.

"I can say the same for you. Here's who got's skill and not apart of our group. We should be ashamed at that." replied Spencer.

The ran at each other their swords bleared at each other. Kakyo sword stuck first and cut Spencer along the chest, he flew back a little ways. Blood flies out of the wound and hit the ground staining it.

Spencer feet sled on the ground again. His shirt was cut as his chest bleed small droplet fell away from his body and stained his pants.

He was now angry at this boy and in a blind fury ran at Kakyo.

Kakyo reversed the hold he had on the kodachi's in both hand that the blade was pointing to the ground. He moved in a quick motion of the sword they blurred. He yelled out, "Nito-Ryu Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren!"

His hands become fast as he slashed Spencer three times with each sword.

Spencer had three cuts going from left to right. Then had three more slashes going from right to left and they had intersected in the middle.

Spencer fell to the ground blood seeping out of his chest with his sword lied next to him. He was out and not going to get up soon.

Kakyo walked to where he drops his sheath. The one in his right hand was put in his mouth and with his free hand pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. He stated to clean the blood from the sword in his left hand. Then the other one and stuffed back into his pocket.

He picked up his sheath and then sheathed both swords. He then stuffed it into his jacket inside pocket and ran after the others.

Yuto let his left arm fall to his side and ran at Lentz and slashed vertically catching him across the chest, blood flies out the wound.

Lentz backed away from Yuto. Then ran at him, and pulled his sword upward and as he got closer, he then brought it down in a vertical motion.

"Defensive form! Hadome!" yelled out Yuto.

Yuto caught it between both back palms with both wrists together forming a cross shape. He halted Lentz's blade, and he slid the back of his arms on the blade.

He then yelled, "And now Offensive form, Hawatari!"

He then strikes with the hilt of the sword. He caught Lentz between his throat and jaw with the butt of the hilt, striking upward.

Lentz's mouth was forcefully shut as he spit out blood, that flow into the air. He was knocked off his feet and flew into the air.

Yuto flew over him and hit the grounds on his stomach. Lentz fallowed him to the ground who was knocked out.

Yuto started to get up. He saw Kakyo coming his way.

Kakyo stopped next to Yuto. He then asked, "Are you okay, Yuto?"

"Yeah, sorta of really." he replied.

"Come on let me bandage up your arm."

"Sure." stated Yuto and let Kakyo grab his arm.

Kakyo pulled out some disinfectant and treated the wound. He then applied some stypie to stop the bleeding, he then put on the bandage and wrapped it around Yuto's arm five times and clamped it there.

"Come on let's go. They went ahead. They are not that far ahead." replied Yuto and got up then ran up the stairs.

Kakyo got up and then ran after Yuto.

Schneider cut at Seishiro and was at a 45-degree angle on his chest. Blood flows out of the opened wound.

Seishiro jumped back from Schneider. He need to get his composure again.

"My I never expected a powerful thrust from a person so young." replied Schneider.

"Well I'm full of surprises." commented Seishiro and got into stance again.

But the stance was different. The feet were the same, but he held the hilt up and the blade was tilted down.

Seishiro just took off at Schneider who stood ready. Waiting for the attack.

"Gatotsu! Isshiki!"

And Seishiro thrust the sword at Schneider. His back was to a wall. Then he stabbed the wall.

The wall crumbled down from the thrust attack. Schneider had jumped up in the air before the thrust.

Seishiro bended his knee's to jumped and thrust up. He yelled, "Gatotsu! Nishiki!"

Schneider was not expecting a thrust coming from the ground and into the air. Seishiro stabbed him in the abdomen.

Seishiro pulls out the bloody sword. He then turned it into a slash attack, but used the back of the sword.

He then kicked Schneider behind the head to the ground. He hit the ground and his sword landed next to him. Seishiro landed on his feet in a crouching position and stood up.

He sheathed his sword and ran after Ranma. Not only ten minutes after that Kakyo and Yuto ran by Schneider's body.

"RyuKanSen!" he yelled.

Meldars had ran at Ranma and thrust his sword at his head. Ranma moved to the right, he spun his body, while he kept his right foot on the ground. He was behind Meldars and hit him behind the neck.

Meldars spit out some blood and flow to the ground. He hit the ground hard and didn't get up.

Ranma walked to where Meldars fell to on the ground. All of a sudden something blurred by him and Ranma jumped to the left. He said, "I know that wouldn't take you out of a fight."

Meldars stood up he had blood coming out of his mouth. He ran at Ranma and swung vertically.

Ranma blocked the attack and he got kicked into the stomach.

Meldars then slashed at Ranma horizontal cutting him from left to right on the shoulder. Blood flew from the cut and also cut his kimono.

Ranma's kimono slid down and hung loosely on his body. He pulled his left arm out of the sleeve of the kimono.

Meldars took a step back from Ranma after the attack.

Ranma ran at him with his sword in front of himself and yelled, "Kuzu-RyuSen!"

He hit Meldars nine times. Ranma sleds to a stop. His sword goes to the right side and his ponytail swished from side to side.

Meldars hit the ground very hard with a thud. He tried to move his right shoulder, but he couldn't move it and was in pain.

He then started to laugh out loud. He replied, "I can't believe this." between laughs.

Ranma turned and looked at Meldars who was lying on the ground. He sheathed his sword and walked to him. Ranma was a few feet away from him and stopped.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Ranma curiously.

"I'm laughing at the irony that I fight for a living and I was beating by a child no less. That's what's funny." replied Meldars between laughing. He smiled and continued, "I'm also laughing because . . ."

Meldars held a lighter in his left hand. He lit it and dropped it to the ground. Close to himself was a minute of oil and water.

"I may not have been able to get the Divine Elixir for my Emperor, but that means no one else can have it." he screamed out.

It caught fire fast as Meldars laughed out loud before passing out.

Seishiro was the first one to reach Ranma. He stopped next to him as Meldars set it on fire. He asked, "Boss what would you like me to do?"

Ranma turned to Seishiro who stood right by him. He replied, "We didn't come all this way for nothing grab a plant. Two if you can."

Seishiro ran into the flower field and pulled out two plants out of the ground roots and all. He held one in his right and left hand. Then ran back to Ranma.

Ranma had grabbed Meldars in a fireman's carry his sword in his right hand. Ranma waited for Seishiro before he started to run.

Seishiro fallowed Ranma up the stairs to the balcony. They stood on the balcony next to a cross and watched the plants go up in flames.

Ranma dropped Meldars on the ground and throw his sword next to him. That was when the other two reached them. The saw the blood on Ranma's chest.

"Come on let's get out of here guys." replied Ranma.

They turned and ran out of the place. Instead of taking the lower path they took the higher path and came into the forest. They walked to the campsite where they left their packs.

Ranma was the only one that had to change cloths. He took off his kimono from before and put on a new one, which was forest green. He stuffs the old one into his pack. He put on his hakama and tied it.

"Let's get the hell out of dodge." stated Ranma walking out of the trees putting his sword in his belt.

"And back to Tokyo." commented Seishiro.

They had their packs in the hands. Seishiro had put the two plants into two glass containers. They started to walk out the forest and headed to the train station in Hamamatsu.

"Yeah. Let's head home guys. We've finally finished here." replied Ranma.

"Sure."

To Be Continued . . . In Chapter 10: The Meeting of the Fiancee's

Author's Note: I hope you like this Chapter it took me a while to write it. Next up is the last chapter of the Arc before Arc two. Read and Review. Kazuma20 signing out.