A Ranma ½ King of Fighters crossover fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and King of Fighters characters. Especially some macho chick! That's built like a stick! Dumb as a brick! Thighs are too thick! Can't even kick! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Ugh… shutting up now… oi…

Flames of Destiny

By Insane Blight

Interlude IV: A Life to Live

Saotome Home

"It has been a while since we've seen each other, Nodoka." Shizuka Kusanagi said as she prepared for a tea ceremony with her long time friend.

Nodoka nodded. "Yes it has, Shizuka. If I recall correctly, last time we saw each other was at Okinawa. You finished your final job for your original clan and… oh yes, Saisyu was as troublesome as ever." she finished with a hint of disgust.

"Oh come on, Nodoka. You really haven't forgiven him for the stunt he pulled a couple of years ago, huh?" Shizuka chuckled, handing Nodoka her teacup.

The auburn-haired woman frowned. "By 'stunt', do you mean that one time where he tried to kill me and my little boy for just having Orochi blood?" Nodoka all but shrieked. She was totally oblivious to the fact that her katana was already out and was pointed to her friend's throat.

"Um, Nodoka…? The sword…?"

Nodoka blinked several times before she realized what she was doing. "Oh! Um… oops! I'm sorry about that Shizuka, it's just that your husband can sometimes be a pain in the-ahem, pardon me, a thorn in my side at times."

Shizuka waved it off. "It's quite alright. I knew what I was getting myself into when I married that stubborn, arrogant, prideful and chauvinistic fool. When I found out that he was the head of the Kusanagi clan, I almost had a heart attack, since I was helping some of the Orochi clan members escape from Goenitz at that time."

"And we thank you for that. And I thank you for helping my son out when he was being hunted down by the entire police force of Osaka…" Nodoka said with a few sweatdrops. "…he probably got it from his panda-father…"

"I'll bet! But you really shouldn't have played that seppuku bit on him, I can clearly see that he was wary of the katana I was holding back then and I observed that he is still a little cautious around you, Nodoka."

Nodoka became teary-eyed. "It… It was a mistake on my part, I was too distracted by Goenitz' presence to even think straight. I just had to get Ranma away from the area as soon as possible but Genma just had to make that seppuku contract."

Shizuka sighed sadly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's alright. At least, if we make it through this, I can have another chance with my son."

Tendo Home

Kasumi was inside her room, staring wistfully at the picture in her hands. It was a picture of everyone in Nerima during last year's Christmas get-together, just a few months before that life-changing trip to China. Strange how all of them took things for granted, they never really knew what they had until it's gone.

She giggled a bit when she remembered what the group was doing the moment the picture was taken. Shampoo, Ukyou and Kodachi were at one side, arguing amongst themselves on who gets to give their present to Ranma-kun. Mousse, Kuno, Ryoga were at the other side, trying to decide which one of them gets to take on Ranma-kun while a sweating Ranko, a quivering Mr. Panda, a nervous Akane and a smiling Mrs. Saotome were in the middle along with her father, Nabiki and herself.

This picture was probably the last time the entire group will ever be together. Shampoo-chan and the rest of the amazons are gone and probably will never return, even if Ranma-kun is alive, news like that can't travel to China, can it? He is the only reason as to why they decided to stay here in Nerima anyway.

Ukyou, she hasn't heard anything from her in a long time. She hasn't even seen Konatsu or even Tsubasa since that 'gathering' by Nabiki a few weeks back.

At least Ryoga-kun was doing well. Back at the hospital, Akari-chan said that they will be married by the end of the year. She wishes them the best of luck, Ryoga-kun does deserve to have a little bit of happiness, even if she still has not quite forgiven him for that P-chan stunt of his.

Her body trembled when she recalled what Ranma had said. Those vicious violet eyes of his… wait a second… violet eyes? Yes, that's what she saw at Auntie's house, they were definitely violet. Not just his eyes, the way he moved, the way he talked, the way he acted… it's as if he suddenly became a different person that day.

But all those things he said about her were all true. Contrary to what people believe, she is not oblivious to the happenings around her, far from it. She somehow felt that Ranma knew all along but he kept quiet about it. Yes, she was hoping that the problems surrounding Ranma-kun and everybody else would simply just go away someday.

Mother… almost everything about herself now reminds her of their dear, departed mother, and she hates it. Every time she cooks, cleans, helps others, and put on that cheerful smile, all of it was her mother's. She really doesn't want to do any of these things anymore, it reminds her of something she may have lost forever… herself. 'I can't even remember what I was like as a child, before mother died.'

She finally snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a loud knock coming from their front door. She got out of her room and put on that cheerful smile as she began another day of someone else's life.

Soun Tendo watched from the door as his youngest daughter tried to do some of the more advanced katas of the Tendo branch of Anything Goes. 'They've all grown up… while I stayed in the past…'

It was quite an interesting experience to see things in a different light, for him to finally open his eyes to the truth made him happy yet sad at the same time. Happy because he saw what his daughters have accomplished on their own, their strong will and the responsibilities they took at such a young age. But that's also the reason as to why he's so miserable. True, a person needed some time to grieve over the loss of a loved one but he never should have neglected his daughters, that was cowardly and pathetic, and he was seeing the effects of it now.

Kasumi was as polite as ever but he could tell that there was a certain amount of disgust in her voice when talking to him. Nabiki has lost all respect for him, that much he could tell, but he doesn't know if her feelings run a little bit deeper than that. Finally comes Akane… he ignored the happenings around his youngest daughter and she grew up without someone to really guide her. What was worse is that he probably was one of the persons responsible in pushing Ranma away, maybe for good.

'No more, please help me love, please help me get our family back.'

"Hiyah! Huh…? Dad…?"

"I can show you the right form on that one Akane, if you want…"

Akane blinked before nodding and smiling slightly, causing Soun to breathe a sigh of relief. He'll never be able to change the past, but what he can do was start a new life with his daughters.

Nabiki shrieked in frustration as she glared at the files in her hands. Someone was obviously protecting that monster Saotome. She hates to admit it but her connections can only go so far, she was only a high school student for crying out loud! And the one protecting Ranma was clearly far beyond her reach.

She stood up, walked towards the mirror and began to remove her upper clothing. She snarled as she gazed at the multiple scars all over her body. The wounds she received from those vacuum blades were a lot deeper than everyone thought. What's worse was that the burn mark that begins on her right shoulder and ends just below her right breast hurts like hell, the pain has not receded and it seems to be getting worse with each passing day.

Damn him! It's all his fault! Kasumi was too scared to say anything while Akane seemed to have completely shut the incident out of her mind. She heard from that monster's mother that they weren't even human in the first place! But she kind of expected something like that considering the weird things that have happened so far around him.

"It's good to see you again…"

Nabiki jumped from the sudden intrusion. Wait… the door and windows are locked so who could've said that? She looked all over her room, inside her closet and even under her bed but no one was there. She shrugged and was about to go to sleep when her window suddenly opened and a strong gust of wind made its way to her room.

"Who are you?! Show yourself pervert!" she yelled, grabbing a towel to cover herself up.

She got no response. It must be some kind of prank from someone with a death wish. If it is, then there would be hell to pay because nobody messes with her inside Nerima. She closed the window, but gasped in surprise when she suddenly felt someone come up from behind. She turned hesitantly and she soon found herself lifted in the air when a hand clamped onto her head.

Nabiki tried to call for help but she was so surprised at the turn of events. She could've easily yelled for help but she didn't, she felt that she was safe from whatever this man was about to do. She closed her eyes, and a surge of energy covered her entire body for a second or two. The man released his grip and Nabiki limply fell on the floor, unconscious. Then the man disappeared into the darkness as he muttered one more thing to the middle Tendo girl.

"Welcome back…"

Ukyou slumped against Konatsu's body, totally exhausted. You would too if you just finished crying after countless hours. Her father did not understand at all, and she was promptly disowned for refusing to pursue Ranma and for refusing to kill the defenseless Genma Saotome. She had nothing now, if Konatsu wasn't watching her every move, she would've killed herself by now.

Konatsu, for his part, suddenly got the urge to kill someone, mainly Ukyou-sama's father. Ukyou-sama was suffering and he could do nothing about it. He feels so helpless, maybe he really was nothing but a failure.

"Hey, Konatsu…"

"What is it, Ukyou-sama?"

Ukyou looked at him with lifeless eyes. "I, I don't want to trouble you any further. Please leave, I don't want you near me ever again."

"No, I will not."

"Dammit, what part of it don't you understand?! I don't want you in my life anymore! You're useless to me and your ninja tricks can't help me either! Leave me alone! Just like father… just like Ranc-Ranma did…"

Konatsu remained silent but he gave her a gentle embrace, making her cry even more as she hugged him back. The two of them were alone now, and they don't know where to go from here.

"Kuso… I'll make you pay Ranma! You will pay for what you've done!" Ryoga shouted, breaking the large boulder in front of him with one punch.

"Ryoga-kun, please get a hold of yourself. Please, for me?" Akari pleaded, grabbing onto one of Ryoga's arms and clutched it tightly.

Ryoga growled, took a few deep breaths to clear his head before finally nodding. He never could deny her anything but his desire to defeat Ranma and make him pay for what he did was too much at times. Sure, Akane hated him after finding out about his Jusenkyo curse, but that doesn't mean that he could care less as to what happens to her. He still cares for her despite the fact that he loves Akari now.

"Don't push yourself too hard Ryoga-kun, I hate it when you look like you've just killed someone…"

The fanged teen looked at her in surprise. 'I look like… a murderer? Heh, I guess I do look like one when I'm thinking of that womanizing jerk. Ah damn, I don't want to make her cry.' "Alright Akari, one more time, just one more time…"

"Huh?"

"I'll fight Ranma one more time and after that, I promise that you'll never see that look on my face ever again."

China

'You stupid idiot… you stupid idiot…'

Shampoo was currently staring at Mousse's grave with a neutral look. 'I'm all alone. Great-grandmother, Ranma and now you are gone. You stupid duck! Now who's going to help me in overthrowing the elders? Those old hags want revenge on Ranma but they can't act because the rest of the amazons are in total disarray. I guess most of them realize the truth in Ranma's words.'

"Xian Pu, it's time."

Shampoo turned and nodded to the amazon guards. She held out her hands and the guards carefully chained it. She guessed that attacking the four elders with the intent to kill them was not a very good idea. Now she's facing her trial, and if the elders have their way, it will not be a pleasant one. It'll be up to the gods whether or not she would live to see another day.

"Great-grandmother, Ranma, and Mu Tsu, give me strength."

"I see… so that's what happened."

Herb was currently being tended to by the Musk healers. He woke up just a few hours ago and Mint has already told him about the conclusion of his fight with Saotome. 'Four deep slashes to my chest… it's a wound a predator would do to its prey. Funny thing is, I was trying to do the same to him when he was still inside the hurricane. Orochi blood, so that's the power my people feared all these years.' "That's enough, all of you can take your leave."

After some time yelling at the healers and blasting his two servants, he finally convinced all of them that he was alright and he just needs to get some fresh air.

"My people… I have already failed all of you once, do I really deserve the throne?" Herb muttered, looking at the hundreds of people inside the kingdom.

He was about to go back inside the castle when he spotted something at the corner of his eye. It was a person wearing a long cloak that conceals the face and the body but one the one thing that stood out was the white bangs swaying from under the hood. It could mean a lot of things, it could be just a stranger who got lost or it could very well mean that the person was related to him somehow. Plus there was this feeling that he should know that person so without any further delay, he flew up and tried to catch said person.

"You there! Wait!"

At a local bar in Southtown, Ranma gulped down another shot of wine. He never thought that he would get used to drinking, much less like it, especially when he couldn't even handle one sip of alcohol back then. He was here for a reason though, to sort out his feelings to the people around him.

First was Chris, his ever so annoying student. Now that he had the chance to spend a lot more time with the young teen, he really couldn't deny one certain fact… the fact that the boy truly is a dead-wringer for the old Saotome Ranma. The attitude was certainly there, the ability to learn techniques out of the blue was almost the same and he could never forget that their eyes were the same as well, full of loneliness and longing, the need for someone in their lives.

Terry Bogard, who'd have thought? The only person he has ever idolized. It all began when that panda lost him to a damn gambling bet here in Southtown a few years ago. Stupid panda, well, at least Terry was there to save him and he even agreed to train him in his style. But once again, the panda had to interfere and steal him back.

He can't wait to fight the legendary lone, 'old', wolf again. Their recent fight unfortunately ended up in a draw, it sort of reminded him of his fight with Yagami. Even though his team won, he feels as if their fight was far from over, especially if Terry was still treating him like a kid.

Iori Yagami… he doesn't understand him nor does he intend to. He really doesn't know if his behavior is caused by his Orochi blood or not. Okay, he says that he avoids confrontations as much as possible but why in the hell does he always provoke both him and that Kusanagi boy to a fight? It's no use trying to think about it. Maybe all the Yasakani clan members were just born that way.

Well, at least he got to meet Leona again in this tourney. Both of them went through the Riot of Blood, both of them are half-breeds but he has received the memories of their ancestors while Leona has not. Awakening, his mother has told him everything she knew about it. Everyone from their clan goes through it when they reach a certain requirement. The memories of the massacre are passed onto them so that they will not forget why their clan has become like this.

Speaking of clan members, there is Mature, is that really her name? In any case, the blonde certainly has made his life a little better, someone who truly looks out for him, someone who was always by his side. She's practically like family, but he can't help but be wary of her at times, she was keeping a lot of things from him even though she was well aware that he has already awakened. Perhaps she somehow knew that he was taking no sides as of yet.

Chizuru Kagura, a priestess and the current head of the Kagura clan. Is she a stiff? Not by what he recently saw. A mask, that's about it, everything he knew about her was all a mask. She was just a normal, lonely woman under that priestess façade. In a way, he was glad to have gotten the chance to talk to her back at the ship. It totally changed the way he feels about her, that's for sure.

Last but certainly not the least was Shermie, the redhead singer and pianist from CYS. The bubbly attitude was hauntingly similar to Shampoo's but at the same time, isn't. She's certainly an interesting person, and he admits that he does enjoy her company. Their dance together during their 'forced' date was breathtaking and the kiss was… was… er, let's move on, shall we?

Though their date was better than he expected, he can't help but notice that she has mixed feelings when talking to him, she was hesitant at times too, was there a problem that he doesn't know about?

'I… I guess you can call them my friends… or something close to it. All I know is that my situation here is a little better than my life in Nerima, even when a damned eight-headed beast is looming on our heads.'

Ranma stood up groggily and was about to leave when he suddenly found himself looking directly into another pair of blue orbs, eyes that are filled with pain, pain that is a little similar to his, the pain of losing a loved one. But that was the old him, he can never go back to what he once was. He broke his gaze and sighed dejectedly. "What is it old man?"

"You're fighting both Geese and Krauser next." Terry said evenly.

Ranma sobered instantly, he almost forgot about that. Those two have openly admitted that they were the ones that 'convinced' him to come here in this tournament. If someone back then asked him how he felt about being forced into this, he would've said something along the lines of 'I'll kill them' or 'they'll burn in hell'. But now, he doesn't hold that hatred anymore. In fact, he was a little grateful to them for bringing him here.

He was able to meet his first childhood friend and he was even able to help her out to move on with her life, even if her past was trying to catch up to her. He was able to meet Chris yet again, someone who understands his loneliness better than anyone he knew. He even found out more about Herb and his Musk Kingdom than he ever thought he would.

Shaking his head, he matched the lone wolf's serious look but deep inside, he was laughing his head off when an image of him bowing before those two unexpectedly came into mind. No, there was no way in hell that he was going to do that. "You don't have to worry about a thing. I know who I'm facing and I know what they're capable of."

"Not in an actual fight." Terry said bluntly. He was not convinced by Ranma's words, not by a long shot. "You'll know what I mean when you fight them. Just be careful squirt."

AN: Just thought I'd get into how the Ranma cast is doing. Oh, what's up with Nabs? Well… just wait and see. This is the end of the Hakkeshu arc and the voting is still open until next chapter, Ja ne!

Next Resurrection Arc: Within the Darkness

'I can't lose… I can't lose… I can't lose… to protect my family and friends… I CAN'T LOSE!!!'