Black Waters II: Black Vengaence and Divine Light

Chapter 12: Return of the King

Ranma Clawed at the tantacle wrapped around her neck. Standing above her, Taro stood, a triumphant smirk on his bullish face. His wings flapped intermittedly in excitement. He was looking forward to the red-head's death.

"Mo...ko..." Ranma said weakly, her body losing oxygen, "taka....bi....sha...."

She held out her hand and blasted the appendage. Taro screamed in pain as his tentacle was blasted in two. The half that held Ranma's neck went limp, and she pulled it off as she got up.

Taro growled. "You bitch! I shall see you pay for this!"

Ranma smirked. "You couldn't beat me before, what makes you think you can now?"

The minotaur's eyes narrowed. "Something's different about you. What is it? I demand to know what has changed!"

Ranma sighed. "You know, before, I had a lot of baggage. I killed a man, someone who for all intents and purposes was me. It had left me scarred." She smirked again. "But, I've worked through it. It no longer holds me back. I am not him, not a monster. I am ME! I am Ranma Saotome, and I WILL save my daughter!"

Taro snorted. "We shall see, pervert."

He could barely blink as ran right into his face and punched him between the eyes. he stepped back, clutching the area that was struck. He blindly flailed his tentacles, managing to grab Ranma's arm and leg. Ranma couldn't move, once again.

"I win." Taro grinned.

Ranma still had her trademark smirk. "Yeah, right. It's still far too early to decide."

She flexed her muscles, and rapidly turned, moving only the limbs that had been entagled. Taro yelled as he was pulled away, and thrown into the wall filled with moniters. The tentacles went limp, and Ranma threw them off.

"Now, unless you want me to kick your ass back to Nerima," Ranma said, "You will tell me how far I have to go to save Ami." She had a serious look on her face, but not a hard glare.

"You bitch." Taro muttered. "I'll grind your flesh into paste!"

Taro charged at her like a mad bull. Ranma grabbed his horns in her arms as they both went charging through a wall and out of the room.

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Proctor was wandering away. He had almost been beaten, by a human female. And a meathead, at that.

He had never once known fear, but he had felt it during his fight wit the red-head. Such fire, such anger! It was inhuman.

His plans would be for naught as long as that.....monster still lived.

But, before he could anything about that, he had to find a way to recuperate. She had seriously injured him, he had to heal himself immediately.

He turned at the sound of movement. Did she defeat Taro, as impossible as it was, and was even now searching for him, so she could take his head?

His heart thundered, as he for the second time of his life felt an indescribable terror.

He relaxed as he saw it was one of his Hommunculi.

"Why aren't you fighting with the others?" He asked the automaton.

The machine made no response (how could it) and simply advanced further towards the demon scientist.

"Return to your station!" Proctor ordered. "Go back and continue fighting! I order you to continue and escalate the war!"

The machine advanced onwards and stopped, standing just inches away from the scientist.

"Why aren't you obeying my orders!?" Proctor screched nervously.

The machine lifted up its head, looking at him, and spoke.

"I knew that you were just a spineless coward. But I had at least hoped that you would be graceful in the end. How pitiful."

Proctor paled, his eyes widened. He continued to stare as the Hommunculus melted, growing smaller, reforming its body, hardening as it went. He slowly inched away, backing away from the creature that was forming around him.

Nabiki Tendo, clad in golden armour incasing her whole body, grinned. "Now, Proctor-baby, did you really think you could me SO EASILY!"

She vanished. Proctor looked around himself, terrified.

He couldn't even gasp as a golden, clawed gauntlet was speared through his chest. His mouth was flapping open and closed, blood flowing from his body. He stared into the smirking face of Emperor Nabiki.

"I knew what you were planning, you magnaimous fool." Nabiki said, pouting. "Did you really think you could feed me to the very things I designed? But, of course, it doesn't matter now, seeing as you're dead and all."

She allowed the deceased scientist's corpse to fall to the ground with a wet thud.

She smirked. "Now, to go and ensure the stage is set for the finale."

She laughed as she vanished.

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Taro was charging through the tunnels of he mountain, with ranma stubbornly holding his horns. He grunted in frustration.

Why? Why couldn't he beat her?

"Why won't you just die!?" Taro yelled angrily. "Why can't I ever beat you, even after I detached myself from my humanity!? What do you have that I don't!?"

Ranma sighed sadly. "If you're even asking me, then you will never understand."

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Ranma put her foot down, making the two of them come to skidding to a halt. She lifted the demon up from the ground and threw him over her body, making him slam into a wall. Taro fell to the ground.

Taro slowly got up. "I won't...lose to you.....not again...."

Ranma smirked cockily. "Try it, ya freak."

Taro charged. Ranma prepared to attack him, but stopped halfway as Akane landed a punch into the side of the former-human's face. taro was sent flying into the far end of the room. Ranma turned to her husband.

Ukyo, Behemoth, Konatsu, Shampoo and even Kensuke Hirai of NerSIS stood a little further away.

Ranma grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just can't get away from ya guys."

Akane smiled, embracing her wife. "You're acting more like yourself. I thought I wouldn't see you like this again, not since Makio. You were so....different. Only Ami allowed you to shine. I'm so glad you came back."

The tomboy was crying. Ranma returned the embrace, crying herself.

"I had so much to deal with, and with all that's been going on, I just couldn't get out of the past." Ranma lightly kissed her husband near the ear. "But, I'm okay now. I had to time deal with it, had time to confront my past. I'll never go back to how I was before."

Their embrace tightened.

Kensuke (currently in his female form) coughed politely. Akane and Ranma quickly seperated, blushing.

"Now, if you two are done with your honeymoon, we have business to discuss." Hirai stated, authoritively. "Currently, my group and Joketsuzoku are fighting off the Hommunculi and the demons. A few demons have splintered off from the others, and are currently assisting us." He sighed. "However, we're losing, and fast. The Hommunculi are too strong, especially when bolstered by the demons. We need your help to stop them."

Ranma and the others nodded. "What do ya need us to do?" Ranma asked.

"We believe that the Hommunculi are using a sepearte power source, a main CPU to ground their conciousness. I'll go with one group to destroy it, and another group shall go off and fight the Emperor. This will never end until we beat him."

Ranma nodded. "Leave that to me. I'll just go and retrieve my sword first."

Akane placed an arm around her wife. "I'm going with Ranma."

Ukyo went next to the couple. "And I'll go with 'em. I want to save my god-daughter."

Behmoth hefted his sword. "I shall go with Hirai-san. I'll only get in the way. Besides, I cannot interfer in a personal battle. It's against the Code."

Ranma and Akane bowed thankfully to the armoured demon.

"Shampoo go help Hirai too. Shampoo no help with Emperor, but want help. Shampoo better off with Hirai."

Ukyo ran to the amazon and hugged her. "Be careful, Sham-chan."

"You too." The lavender haired girl returned.

Konatsu walked over to Ranma's group. "I have a personal interest here, it's why I came in the first place. So, I shall go and fight Proctor."

Everyone nodded their consent.

They all turned as someone else approached them. It was Brassiere, grinning a friendly smile.

"hey, now don't get hostile." He said calmingly. "I'm here as a friend. Cologne-chan sent me."

Ranma quirked an eyebrow. "Ya know the Old Ghoul?"

Brassiere nodded, smiling wistfully. "She and I go way back. When I first met her, her beauty was more radiant than the sun. I knew then that I would do anything for her. Even as she aged, she still held my heart in her hands."

Everyone, including Shampoo, made gagging noises, with sick expressions on their faces. There are just some things people are not meant to hear.

Brassiere sighed. "Oh, calm down, you bunch of prudes. Anyway, she sent me to help ya guys out, like in the rest world."

Ranma nodded. "I remember."

"And so," Brassiere continued, "Altough I'm not a fighter, I prefer to stand back and observe, to tell the truth; I shall help Hirai's group, so that our numbers are a bit more even." He walked over to stand beside the NerSIS agent.

In the distance, Taro got up, ready to continue his fight.

"Die....Cross.....dresser...."

Everyone got ready to fight (except Brassiere, who just stood casualy with his hands in his pockets). Suddenly, something golden appeared and blasted Taro's body with a ki blast. Everyone stared at this in shock and revulsion, and gasped as the figure turned.

Nabiki grinned. "I look forward to our rematch, Saotome. I'll be waiting at the top. Be quick."

She vanished.

Brassiere sighed. "She's full of surprises, that one." He threw something at Ranma, who caught it. "You'll need that, Red."

Ranma stared at the object in her hands. It was Shirohane. She nodded thankfully at the laidback demon, adn she ran off, with Akane, Ukyo and Konatsu following.

Brassiere chuckled. "Kids these days, so impatient. Well, let's get a move on."

He ran off in the opposite direction, with Hirai, Behemoth and Shampoo following.

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Well, I hate to finish off Taro so lamely, but it seemed like the best direction to go. He certainly was a stubborn one was he.

Now, how many didn't see this one coming? I did say that nabiki would be back, and here she is!

A couple more chapters to go, and we're done! Please, stick with me till the end!

The closer I am to the end, the more pumped I get! :D

Hope ya enjoyed it (I sure did!) and please comment!