Disclaimer: In case you didn't get the point, I don't own these characters in any way except on dvd... though Ky, Cruxis, Xian Qiao, and a few others are products of my deranged mind ;P
Chapter 21
'You always did like to oversleep, little one.'
The voice was faint.
'It's time to wake up.'
Almost like a dream.
'Your friends are worried.'
Yet the comforting warmth felt so real. So familiar.
"Momma..."
-ooo-
Ranma looked up in surprise as a soft sound escaped from his friend's lips. Her one piercing blue eye fluttered open, and shut quickly to ward off the offending light.
"Ky? You okay?" the pig-tailed youth asked quietly, nerves on edge.
"Ra-Ranma?" the red-head croaked before her throat protested with an agitated cough.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Are you dead too then? I didn't imagine that Hell would feel quite so much like bein' hit by a truck, or that it would look like a hospital..." Ky trailed off as she took a better look at her surroundings. "I'm not dead, am I?"
"Nope," Ranma answered with a grin. "You're very much alive, but you did scare the hell outta Xian." Ky's eye widened in shock. "The old ghoul had to practically tie her on a leash to stop her from bein' down here and worryin' over ya all day. She hasn't eaten much regardless."
"Xian... My sister is alive?" Hope and relief beyond anything Ranma could fathom glinted in Ky's eye as tears glistened in the ice-blue orb.
"I was so lost. I thought she had died; thought I had nothing left to lose. How did she survive? I thought she had fallen to her death."
The image of Cruxis flinging the bound form of Xian Qiao out of the Tower's observation deck flashed through her mind beofre she shook it from her thoughts.
"Well, me and Mousse managed to follow ya to the tower, but you had a pretty big lead by leavin' us behind on that train. Luckily Mousse had a few tricks up his sleeves. We made it to the tower just in time to catch her. She had some cuts from that barbed wire, but nothin' too bad. You on the other hand..." Ranma let the thought trail off as he gazed at the red-head in wonder.
"I'm not sure how to explain that. My family had developed a technique, the saishuu kaiketsu. It grants ungodly power at the expense of the user's life. I guess I wasn't in any shape to fully perform the technique. My body and mind were too weak to handle it. Then Cruxis," she spat the name venomously, "used an attack called the hiryu shoten ha, and that's the last I remember." Ky looked at her scarred body and snorted. "Guess I didn't come out of that fight too well regardless."
Ranma nodded.
"Your hands were a mess, and..." Ranma took a steadying breath before continuing. "You lost the left eye. Your insides were pretty messed up too. Doctor's didn't know if you were ever gonna wake up. Didn't listen when I said us martial artists were made of tougher stuff then regular people." Ranma smirked as he continued. "I figured you'd have been up a week ago. Guess girls need their beauty sleep after all, but two months is pushin' it."
Ky managed a grin at her friends ever-prevailant cockiness, supressing the shock of how much time she had lost.
"You don't know how right you are Ranma. Now, If you don't mind, I think it's time to get me out of this bloody hospital. All this white is makin' me sick."
-ooo-
"SISTER!!!"came the exuberant cry as as Ky was ambushed by a truly spectacular flying tackle moments after opening the door of the Nekohanten.
Ranma muttered darkly, just knowing that Shampoo was going to attempt this manuever on him very soon.
"Careful Xian," Ky laughed as she untangled herself from her sister's grip. "I'm still not runnin' on a full battery."
The three of them continued into the Nekohanten proper, Xian firing questions about Ky's well being in rapid succesion while the red-head evaded the majority off them.
"I see you have healed quickly, young one," Cologne's scratchy voice echoed from the kitchen.
"Not as quickly, or as thouroughly, as I would have liked, but well enough to resume my training. I can still feel him out there, and so my mission is incomplete. 'An eye for an eye', as they say. Ironic how fitting that particular phrase fits," she said off-handedly as she brushed the medical patch that hid the ruin of her otherwise attractive face.
Cologne stepped out of the kitchen and stared at the stoic girl disapprovingly.
"I doubt that you will be able to overcome this foe in your present condition. You can barely manipulate your hands, and your body is very nearly ravaged. Yes, you are strong enough to train, but it will not be as simple as picking up from where you left off. Do not over-estimate yourself. Pride has cost many of our Sisters and Brothers their lives, and I will not allow you to throw your life away because of simple arrogance," the withered elder stated in a tome that brooked no argument.
Ky very nearly bristled, but she managed to keep her composure respectful as she bowed and accepted Cologne's judgement.
"If I am to regain my previous ability, I will have to train hard. I have lost two months recuperating, and I mean to not waste anymore."
She seemed to wrap cold determination about her like a shawl as her piercing gaze searched Cologne's features, seeking approval.
"Very well. Pack you things. You as well son-in-law. We are going to be gone for quite awhile. In the meantime, I suggest the Tendos and Saotome elders accept the hospitality of the Joketsuzoku Amazons and seek shelter in our village until Cruxis can be brought to heel. Xian shall accompany Ranma home to deliver the invitation, and shall then guide them to our home. Shampoo, you and Mousse will join us in the mountains after seeing them to the airport, and make sure that they get on the plane."
The group nodded as they set about their respective tasks and prepared for the coming storm.
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A/N: Yeah, short chapter after a long wait. I'm terrible about that. It seemed a fitting place to end the chapter at though, and the story is taking a bit longer to form these days. Lethargy is an ever growing foe for me these days. Not even Devil May Cry 4 is keeping my intrest for very long...
I'll get the next chapter going as soon as it comes to me, but no promises on the time frame.
I apologize if the sporadic updates are detering you from continuing to read this fic, but the end is nearing. That, I will promise.