Chapter 14: Zero's Hour: Hamburg Strike

A sense of impending doom settled in on the trapped group. Three days had passed since the devastating news had been revealed by the dark, energy vampire. Each person in the cell had dealt with it in his or her own way to the extent that the drugs would allow. Most of them drifted in and out from deep thought, coming to terms with the fact that in twenty-four hours they would be dead.

Valuable as they were, Wraith had made sure they were as comfortable as possible. They had also been given blankets and pillows to help combat the chilly nights.

Delicious and drugged food was brought to them, though they had understandably eaten very little. As a result, armed guards came in several times a day to administer fresh doses to hold the group in check.

Zero shared none of his master's compassion. He stopped in frequently to mock Ranma but eventually even he had grown bored. As a result, his check in's became more and more infrequent.

Wraith and Zero were worlds apart as far as personalities were concerned, but they were still far and above anything Ranma had ever fought against before. They weren't quite as strong as Taro as far as strength was concerned, but their energy and special attacks made up for that entirely.

Ranma looked out the high set window. Fog twisted around the bars and inside the room, a sign that the dreaded morning had had come at last. Akane held tightly to him, shivering uncontrollably. He held her with tears of frustration in his eyes wishing for even an ounce of his normal strength. He reached down and spread a thick quilt over the two of them.

Everything felt fake, as if it were happening to someone else besides himself. All it took though was a look around to snap him back into reality. He felt something along the lines of panic rise up from his stomach more than once as his survival instincts kicked in despite the drugs.

The gravity of the situation weighed down on his mind. He was a martial artist. He had trained for most of his life, learning many impressive skills and moves from the worlds strongest. He had won countless victories and won against incredible odds. But none of that mattered now. None of that could help him escape from here. His fist clenched angrily as he realized that he and Akane would never marry, never raise a family together, never grow old with their friends, never live to enjoy a long life.

Akane whimpered in her sleep, locked in some horrid nightmare. Ranma rocked her gently, whispering words of comfort softly into her ears.

Dozens of armed guards watch on from both inside the castle and from without, impassive and uncaring as the last of the equipment arrived in an unmarked truck. The countdown began.

Wraith turned his head at a light knocking at his door. "Enter."

Zero stepped into the room. Wraith, seeing who it was, turned his head to look back outside his chamber window. It looked as if a storm was brewing in the sky above. The heavy electrical air tickled at his sense. The clouds looked heavy, but his heart felt nothing but pure elation at the prospect of curing himself.

"I just wanted to report that several unusual men have entered the city's outer limits late this evening."

"So? They are probably tourist. We do get a lot of them this time of the year." Wraith's voice became heavy with annoyance. Zero had interrupted his cherished reverie.

"My lord, these individuals are confirmed to be Japanese. Surely that isn't a coincidence."

Wraith looked neither surprised nor worried. "Hmm…"

"What are your orders, sir?" Zero shifted anxiously, wanted to be out of the room as soon as possible. He had a score to settle and he was burning to settle it.

There was no immediate reply. Wraith had a vast amount of patience and faith in his own planning, but to think nothing of this rescue attempt told Zero that he was either overconfident or just in another of his fiercely thoughtful moods. The lord was a complex man indeed, but with the ceremony only hours away it wouldn't do to let a man as strong as Hibiki enter the limits of the castle.

It hadn't been confirmed that it was him but Zero knew he couldn't take any chances. If not given express orders he would act on his own accord. As determined as he would be to save his friends back in Japan, if it was Ryoga closing in then the wave of guards currently guarding the castle would not serve as adequate insulation for Wraith's plans.

Wraith's thoughts, it then turned out, bordered his own. "Send a detachment of the Hand the outsiders. You may see to the operation personally, if you wish. We cannot allow them to disrupt our plans."

Wraith looked first at the painting on the wall then down at his talon like hand, a hand that had already been stained with too much blood and corruption. His face contorted and he seemed to be at war with himself. There was something else bothering him that Zero couldn't quite place. It seemed he still possessed a small shred of conscious that played havoc with his heart and soul.

"I've waited too long, suffered too much to give this up now. In the end, these unfortunate souls are mere pawns to be used as I see fit. I cannot give up on my dream. The sacrifice is just and the plan ingenious."

"Yes sir. I mean, breaking Ranma with my own hands would be so much more satisfying, but I'll settle for his friend instead." A predatory smile crossed his evil face, tightening the scar below his eye.

Wraith turned to look at his friend, ignoring his second statement. He walked across the room and looked up at a huge painting. "Do you know who that was, Zero?"

"No sir." Zero had just about turned to go. He wasn't one for trips down memory lane any day of the week and certainly not when some outside disturbance was occurring on the doorstep and needed to be investigated. None-the-less, he looked up and studied the painting in greater detail.

The piece was of a smiling woman with rich blond hair, painted in rich colors and bordered in gold trim. She was wearing a breath-taking green sundress and her eyes shown with gentle happiness. Apparently she was seated in the castle's grand hall, just to the left of the massive dining area. Zero wondered how old the picture was. It was certainly expensive, he could tell that from first glance, and the skill of the person who had created it was impressive even to someone who lacked any kind of understanding or interest in art.

Staring up at it, he felt a sudden urge to know the girl who had posed for the picture. It was as if her kindly nature were calling him from beyond the artwork. It was little wonder then that Wraith kept this piece in his personal room.

"I surmised as much. This woman was the only thing I have ever truly loved. In the end, she taught me that emotions would only hurt you, and that love is a fool's dream. I courted her for ten years as the first stages of the curse started to take hold. I never fully showed her my true, ghastly form. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, lying and concealing the truth from the one I loved the most. I knew she wouldn't have understood or accepted my dark history. Never-the-less not a day went by where I wasn't in agony, bursting to tell her the truth and relieve my soul.

"Eventually, I asked her to marry me and she said yes. There could not have been a couple more in love then us! Life was grand and carefree... for a time. During those years however, my condition rapidly deteriorated. I used expensive surgeries to keep up my handsome appearance and no one was the wiser about what was really happening to me."

Wraith stared at the ground as the memories became more and more painful and even though he'd now lost most of his humanity those hellish red eyes still seemed to convey a heartbreaking was like he was exposing a wound that had long festered in his heart.

Zero said nothing but was decidedly uncomfortable. He didn't really care about Wraith's story. The only thing he cared about was the lord's health because without it he would never get his compensation for services rendered. He simply kept his mouth shut and listened, eager for the chance to leave the castle and track down the intruders.

"Eventually it wasn't enough. My body had finally deteriorated too far to properly conceal. Three months later, I was undressing in my room and she walked in without knocking and saw my true form. She called me a monster and ran out the door screaming for help. She never came back and I have never seen her since that day."

Wraith put his hand to his face. "What a fool I was! Imagine a creature of darkness in love. I must have been mad!"

Emotion flared up and he ripped open his expensive shirt, sending buttons flying across the room. Zero gasped in horror, stumbling back a step. The man's torso was little more than a skeleton. There was skin and bone, but no muscle at all. His body was very nearly transparent.

Wraith smiled humorlessly at his reaction.

"A living skeleton. These spirits not only rob me of my life span but of my form as well. I become more and more of a dark being every day. That is why I avoid the light's hurtful blaze and remain fully clothed at all time. It's ironic that this suffering is caused by my own ancestors. By my own father. He's inside me now too, drawing out my energy, taking pleasure in inflicting the same agony he too shared at one time."

"So," Zero said, drawn into the conversation despite himself, "each member of your family continued the line so that they could essentially live on in the future generation?"

"Yes. I'm told my grandfather wanted to end the curse and our bloodline but faced with extinction, the very soul of my great great grandfather took direct control and controlled my grandfather just long enough to travel to the town outside the castle and rape a peasant girl, securing an heir. The curse won't let itself die so easily.

Wraith seemed to come back to himself and suddenly the foregone pain was hidden. He turned and made a striking gesture in mid-air. "The curse is the price of power. A price I want to wipe away forever using these children. That is why we cannot allow any meddlers to interfere. You have your orders. Deal with these intruders! Today is the most crucial day in my entire life. It is paramount that not a single disturbance reaches this castle."

"As you command, my lord." Zero wiped his brow as he left the room. The master he thought he knew and the creature he had just talked to, he realized, were two different people entirely. Rushing down the halls and calling its warriors to battle, he realized that never before had he been so eager to leave the castle.

Ranma looked up from his hunched position against the wall to see Zero standing in the doorway, clearly in a rush but wanting to check on the prisoners one last time. Even Ranma's brain that was still doped up on chemicals took note of the horrified look the older man currently wore on his face. Ranma briefly wondered what it had been about. He'd never seen Zero express anything other than a sadistic pleasure in human suffering until now. No, Ranma thought numbly, Zero didn't just love to express it, he loved to cause it. The man was a sadist, pure and simple.

"It's almost time. I'm going to deal with something and return to watch your end." Zero showed not an ounce of pity.

Hearing these words, Soun stared at Happosai with murderous intent but his body also refused to cooperate and so all he could do was stare hatefully at the man responsible for the coming death of his entire family.

"You'll pay for your crimes, I swear it!" Clenching his fist, Ranma knew he had to try to escape, no matter what. He had to fight. A sudden urge awoke inside of him at the sight of Zero's sarcastic grin and he rushed forward, howling with rage. Unfortunately his body betrayed him and the bars still refused to budge.

Zero laughed, readying his stance. "Not likely, and certainly not by a pathetic martial artist like you!"

His second wind vanished and Ranma's weakened body crumbled to the ground. Using the last of his available strength, he reached out and took hold of Akane's left hand, staring at her engagement ring and the way it sparkled in the high afternoon sunlight that trickled in from the small window.

Sneering, Zero rushed off to battle.

Team Ryoga cheered loudly when they reached the sought after city at last. Spirit's rose and congratulations went around. Ryoga received the brunt of the back slaps but he endured it as a great sense of relief flooded through his body. For the last twenty four hours of walking and running he'd thought they'd overshot their destination for sure. Clearly the gods were with them. As eager as he was to find the castle, the first order of business was to spent an hour recovering their strength while wandering the town for supplies, resting bone weary legs and backs, and gathering information. It was vital to do so; they couldn't very well go rescue Ranma and the others on exhausted, un-rested bodies.

"So how do we find out which direction this castle is? I don't exactly see it poking over the horizon," Daisuke quipped.

"I have an idea," Ryoga said.

As the strange band moved into the city itself, the Lost Boy grabbed a passing teenager by the shirt and dragged him close. "Where is Wraith's castle?!"

The German youth stared at him with wide, non-comprehending eyes.

Ryoga brought his head in closer. "I said, where is Wraith's castle? Answer me!"

"Ryoga! Are you nuts?!" Mortified, Hikaru rushed forward and used all his strength to push the two apart. Released, the boy fell on his butt and then scrambled to get away.

"What did you do that for?" Ryoga cried in frustration.

The voodoo practitioner pointed one longer finger. "That's my line!"

"I was gathering intel."

"Intel? You can't just grab a random person off the street! Besides, the guy clearly didn't speak our language!"

Ryoga thought for a minute, rubbing his chin. "Well, it worked when I was in Japan back when I first met Ranma again."

Hikaru raised his hands frantically gesturing. "Again, language barrier do not factor in country of origin! Can we please try to find this castle without getting arrested by the local authorities?!"

"Guys," Copycat Ken said, smiling smugly and stepping in between them. "Leave this to me. I took two semester of German in school. I can probably remember enough to get us pointed in the right direction."

"Wait to go Ken!" Ryoga decided to forgive the guy for blatantly stealing his identity and attacks back when they first me. On this trip he had proven his worth. If he could handle himself in battle when the time came he might even warrant being upgraded to ally status.

Grabbing some food and water, the group began to search the town. Ken, true to his word, managed to muddle through dialogue with an elderly couple. Passing themselves off as extremely strange tourists had earned them directions to the castle itself.

Hiroshi lead the group through the city with the directions provided and as they neared the Eastern outskirts of the city by late afternoon, Ryoga cried out and pointed. The castle could just barely been seen rising over the modern buildings in the distance. Re-invigorated, thoughts of victory were fresh in all their minds.

"It sure is quiet."Ryoga wasn't talking about the noise of the city, which was considerable. The fact that that they had not met any opposition thus far was as odd as it was fortunate. There was simply not way that the enemy wouldn't know they were coming. If Wraith had control of Berlin behind the scenes, than it was absolutely certain reports on their movements were being transmitted back to the castle. An attack could come at any time and from any direction within the confines of this concrete jungle.

"Ok, this is where things get dangerous," he said, resuming control of the team. "Getting here was the easy part but now we are in the enemy's backyard. We could be attacked any moment. Do not stop until you reach the castle and do not let your guard down. Are we clear? Hiroshi, Daisuke, keep close to the others!"

He turned around, prepared for the fight of his life. He didn't know what to expect when he got to the castle. Having busted into two of them in his short sixteen years of life he'd learned that anything could happen. Regardless of what would come, he knew Zero would be at the forefront. Just thinking of the man was enough to cause Ryoga to clench his teeth together in anger. The desire for a settled score was something they clearly had in common.

"You're not going anywhere Hibiki! At least... not in one piece."

The group looked up to see Zero grinning devilishly from the roof of a small building nearby. Two dozen armed ninja guards stood behind him, covered from head-to-toe and battle ready.

Ryoga drew his umbrella from his traveling backpack. "Zero!"

A heavy wind picked up snapping at the American's loose clothing and long jet black hair. He folded his arms and waited, allowing Ryoga's band to prepare for battle. Those in Ryoga's group that could fight drew their weapons and stood in front of those that couldn't.

"It's awfully considerate of you and your friends to greet us after our long journey." Ryoga dropped into battle stance as nearby pedestrians took note of the disturbance and moved swiftly to vacate the area. He wondered why Zero had brought ninja. For that matter, what were modern ninja doing in Germany of all places? Perhaps they were Japanese in origin and Wraith had simply thought the best way to dispatch a Japanese foe was with another Japanese warrior.

"I would say you are the considerate one for coming to me. That saves me the effort of having to hunt you down."
"Come on down so we can greet each other proper like!"

Zero laughed. "The only kind of greeting you're going to get is one that involves me sending you to the cold embrace of the great spirits of the wind! And you sure as hell won't get anywhere near that castle, I'll see to that. Kill them all!"

The black cloud of ninja swept up into the group like a dark wave of death. And yet, Ryoga's group surprisingly held them at bay. Ryoga's bandanna's and the Dojo Destroyer's signs slowed them down considerably.

When they finally got into melee range, the ninja soon found their swords shredded at the hands of Principle Kuno's shears in his ultimate attack "The Hawaiian Sword Shredder." Switching to hand-to-hand combat, the Ninja threw themselves onto their enemy in a rabid frenzy, embarrassed that their years of training could not quickly overthrow these martial arts rejects.

Ryoga bashed through three dumbstruck ninja and delivered a punishing right hook to a fourth as Zero leapt down and charged at him, forcibly pushing one of the errant ninja in his path out of the way.

"I'm so glad to see you kid!"

Zero's fist clipped Ryoga's shoulder but the extended motion left his face open to Ryoga's counter-punch that knocked him off balance. Blinking, the American hadn't counted on his rival to move so fast. Recovering quickly, he slammed his right foot down to the side and steadied his balance.

Ryoga stood, ready for battle, ignoring the fire in his shoulder from the grazing shot. "Ok Zero, here is where I even the score! You'll pay for what you did to me."

Zero's face twisted. "Try it punk! I went easy on you before."

The two clashed hard enough to crack the glass on the windows of a nearby apartment complex. Zero's longer arms delivered several crushing blows Ryoga couldn't hope to match. Outmatched, Ryoga back-flipped, untied his belt, and jabbed it forward, right into Zero's left arm, drawing blood and a grunt of pain from the man's lips. The Native American pushed on and threw another punch but Ryoga caught his wrist with unusual speed and flipped him end over end into a brick wall, shattering it around him. Having bought himself some time, Ryoga looked over his shoulder at the pile of unconscious ninja and his tired, banged up allies in stunned surprise. They had handled themselves far better than he had expected.

A call came up as additional warriors in black arrived on the scene.

"Go!" Ryoga cried, gesturing for the castle. "Reach the castle! Don't let them stop us!"

The sound of approaching sirens of the German police reinforced the fact that it was time for him to go. No one on the team had any doubts that the police were under Wraith's direct control. If hired law enforcement with guns reached them, the chances of pulling off the rescue mission was finished.

"I said, you aren't going anywhere!" Zero stirred leapt up from the rubble, kicking Ryoga backwards into a light post and bending it in half.

Ryoga's spine took the brunt of the damage and as he rolled end over end, skidding his arms and hands on the hard asphalt, he managed to turn the jumbled movement into a back roll that deposited him back onto his feet. His body hurt from the attack and for the first time since it had occurred, he gave thanks to Taro's attack. If it hadn't been for that his body wouldn't have strong enough to resist Zero now.

He watched his allies give flight and the ninja gave chase. He gave a crooked smile, exposing one fang, radiating pride as he watched the rag-tag band of martial arts rejects disappear into the nearby forest that led to the castle.

"Don't look so happy," Zero spat. "The castle has three platoons of armed soldiers waiting on standby. The only thing your friends are running towards is death."

Ryoga leveled his gaze at the approaching juggernaut. "It's just you and me. I'm not going to worry or think about anything or anyone else right now. I'll need all my concentration to kick your sorry butt across this city!"

The titans struck at one another. Tightening up his body to absorb pain, the battle seemed like two powerful walls battering against each other. An occasional blow would send one of the warriors fly. Ryoga made sure to always direct his attacks in the direction of the looming castle as he forced Zero back step by step, block by block.

Zero gave up ground grudgingly, doing what he could to slow the boy down He wished Ryoga hadn't sent the others ahead. They would have made ideal hostages to end this little assault. In the end it didn't matter though. He'd caught glimpses of the capabilities of Ryoga's group and determined that as long as Ryoga did not reach the castle, the rescue was doomed. Redoubling his efforts he tried to keep himself in front of Ryoga as the smaller warrior dodged and weaved and tried to run ahead. The strategy continually forced Zero to place his body in front of Ryoga's path with little time to formulate a counter attack.

"Stand still!" Winding through an ally near the end of the town, Zero swatted a trashcan full of garbage in front of Ryoga's face. Distracted, Ryoga was left defenseless as Zero punched him into and through the side wall of a nearby building.

Razor sharp bandannas shot out from the hole created, aiming for Zero. The man kicked the lid of the metal trashcan up from the ground into his hand and deflected the attack with the improved shield. When the barrage finished and he lowered the shield, Ryoga was in his face. Grabbing Zero's arm, he turned and pulled it over his shoulder. Yanking the man out of the ally and into the next street he jumped up in the air and pulled forward, flipping Zero into a concrete wall.

Momentum and Zero's weight sent him crashing down through the wall's center. Dazed the man crumbled admits the debris, but Ryoga wasn't done. Grabbing the leg of the downed fighter he pivoted and hurled the man through the window of another building, following him in to trade blows inside.

The building shook so hard that its foundations started to crack and shingles started to fall into the street like unnatural rain. The occupants had been caught unaware and the sight of two grown men grappling and throwing desks and chairs at one another as they tore through one office and into another sent them screaming into the streets. Neither warrior paid much mind as people ran passed. Zero tenderized Ryoga's torso with a punishing succession of punches only to have his own legs swept out from under him. The next second, a kick to the ribs sent his downed body hurling into a row of work cubicles.

These attacks did little slow either of them down as the two neither relented nor paused as their duel shredded the once pristine office. In Ryoga's mind it seemed as if they were a pair of rabid tigers locked in battle and going over a sharp cliff. This thought was enough to recall him from the brink of adrenaline-induced battle fervor.

He took a second to calm as Zero rushed him again, chastising himself for having gotten caught in the heat of the battle and not stayed true to his goal. Ducking under one of Zero's swings, Ryoga bolted for the door. The battle for honor, he realized, was not in defeating his foe in single combat, but rather to rescue his friends from danger. If he defeated Zero only to arrive at the castle and find Ukyo and the others were hurt or worse, it would be a hollow victory indeed.

"Coward!" Zero spat, giving chase.

Behind them, the police swarmed the building with pistols drawn, too late to catch up.

Sprinting as fast as he could, Ryoga finally broke free from the city and into the small forest leading up a slope to the castle. Zero gave chase and the two disappeared into the brush as police cars and men on foot converged onto the road in front of the forest. The officer in charge screamed into his radio for all units to halt and establish a perimeter. No doubt the man knew the penalty for setting foot onto the castle grounds without approval from Wraith himself.

"Stop damn you!"

Zero tackled his elusive prey from behind and both of them were sent sprawling to the ground. Grabbing Ryoga by the back of the hair, Zero rose and rubbed his face into the dirt before picking him up and slamming his face into a nearby tree.

Crack!

Ryoga didn't cry out in pain and that only pissed of the brute of a fighter more. Pulling back, he crushed Ryoga's face into the tree over and over again, trying to sap the will to fight from the infuriating kid. Each crack of flesh against the tree sent a jolt through Zero's mind. For every jolt the image of a fighter he'd crippled in the ring came rushing back to his mind. The thoughts of the past and glory days long since ended only infuriated him more.

No, he thought. They would come again. He would make it so.

"Sorry," Ryoga said, smiling and turning his head as much as he could, when Zero relented to catch his breath. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that."

Zero eyes widened. Blood tricked down the teen's face but the only wounded area was his forehead. He'd wisely taken the brunt of the attack there, against one of the strongest places on the human body.

"Damn you…"

Twisting his body, Ryoga drove his knee into Zero's kidney with enough force to free his head. Turning to face Zero, Ryoga gave a single side chop of his hand against the tree the man had just assault him with and snapped the trunk neatly in half. Grabbing up the severed trunk he propelled himself forward, using it like a lance. Dumbstruck, Zero took the attack square in the chest and suddenly his body was hurled backwards again, straight into the embrace of another tree.

Ryoga grinded the trunk into Zero whose body was in turn grinded into the tree at his back. "It's over now. I'm going to rescue my friends. You can relent and let me go or I'll break your body so that you will be incapable of pursing me."

The look of surprise on Zero's face turned to amusement and he laughed despite the situation he was in. "Did you forget that I fought that Shadow Warrior of yours to a standstill? Do you think being pinned to a tree by a toothpick will stop me?"

He brought his large fist down on top of the trunk. The next second the wood splintered all along its length and fell to the ground in haphazard pieces. Left with nothing in his hand, Ryoga stared in shock as Zero pushed off from the tree and finally landed a truly successful, unexpected blow into Ryoga's ribs.

The Lost Boy's vision exploded with pain and he dropped to one knee as his arm came up to inspect the wounded area. The tender spot relayed his worst fears. Somehow, Zero had managed crack one of his ribs. It was a feat even Taro hadn't managed to do.

Triumphant, Zero loomed over him. "Finally clipped your wings," he announced jubilantly. "One more punch and it'll all be over. Before you die, I just wanted you to know that your little girlfriend will die any minute in that castle, along with everyone else."

He gave the words a moment to sink in as his disgusting grin spread from ear-to-ear. "Sucks dying knowing that you came so far only to fail, doesn't it?"

Ryoga was still for a moment. At last he looked up at Zero with glazed over eyes. For a moment the warrior took that as a sign of having finally broken his prey and he felt a sadistic sense of pleasure work its way up his spine. He almost didn't want to finish Ryoga off if for no other reason than to further punish his stubborn foe.

He cocked a fist back. "Still, orders are orders. Goodbye kid."

"It's never a good idea to gloat in front of me," Ryoga said evenly. "I find that to be very depressing."

"Wha-?"

Ryoga raised his hands and the Shishi Hoko Dan beam erupted outward, taking Zero with it. Screaming in terror the blast threw the man into the wall of the castle before exploding, dumping the fighter into its depths. No counter attack came.

"Now then…"

Ryoga rose to his feet, gingerly holding a hand to his side. A cry came from the castle walls and armed guards appeared, firing down at him. Ryoga went to raise his umbrellas as a shield only to realize that he'd dropped it somewhere in the city. Taking shade behind a thick tree, he spotted his friends who waved to him from their place against the outer wall. The guards as well as additional ninja lowered ropes and started to scale down the wall to engage them.

"Go! Into the hole in the wall! Go!"

Rushing past them as fast as his cracked rib would allow, Team Ryoga plunged into the depths of the unknown.