Chapter Eleven

Takewaki Kuno walked home from school alone. A heavy storm set in and drenched the entire area with water, but being the resourceful man he was he thought to listen to the morning weather report and brought galoshes. So, as it swished underfoot, his feet did not get wet.

But despite remembering to bring the right attire for the weather, that didn't make the experience any more enjoyable. Kuno hated the rain. For whatever reason it reminded him of Ranma Saotome. Why he wasn't sure, but he hypnotized that the rapid speed in which it fell conjured up images of how fast Ranma Saotome was when he fought.

He hated Ranma Saotome with a passion, for two reasons actually. Reason number one was he seemed to out-quaff him in battle, and reason number two is, he was engaged to Akane Tendo, for which Kuno loved. But that didn't mean he loved the Pig-Tailed girl any less. He had an equal attraction to both, but if he had to choose, he wouldn't be able to.

Thunder rumbled in the heavens and he was reminded of a poem by a famous Japanese playwright and he recited it as he headed home to his mansion. But as he turned a corner, he saw a mysterious dark figure standing in the middle of the roadway. Lucky for the stranger there was no traffic or he would get killed. But he seemed unafraid.

The stranger's identity was masked by the darkness that had fallen over the city by the storm. He wore a heavy cloak with a hood to keep out the rain. In his gloved hand he had what looked like a yellow, bamboo umbrella. Kuno recognized the umbrella to be none other than Ryoga Habiki's, he was one of Ranma's friends, though he didn't act like it. Most of the time, Ryoga's emotions towards Ranma were filled with hate and dislike. Kuno liked him. Any enemy of Ranma's was a friend of his.

"You there, why do you block my way home?" Kuno asked him, he had to raise his voice higher than normal to shout over the storm. But for some strange reason Ryoga Hibiki didn't answer him. "Ryoga, what say you?"

"I say this," Ryoga said, and with the strength and incredible speed, he flicked his umbrella open and then threw it through the air at Kuno. The heavy rain should have slowed it down as it approached him, but it seemed to contradict the laws of physics and get faster.

Kuno ducked as Ryoga's umbrella flew over him and then swung back like a boomerang at him. Kuno ducked again, and he watched it fly back into Ryoga's hand. It was amazing skill to use an umbrella like that. But why would Ryoga Hibiki attack him with it? He'd done nothing to provoke such hatred. "Why do you attack me?" he asked demandingly.

"I attack 'cause you're a threat," Ryoga said, and then threw the umbrella at Kuno again. But Kuno was ready this time and got out his Bukkon and blocked the attack. Using a wooden sword was no match for a bamboo umbrella, but this was Kuno's special Bukkon and it was reinforced with a very hard lining. This was no ordinary Bukkon, this was Kuno's personal prize possession that he had it specially made by some of the finest craftsmen in the world. Ryoga's bamboo umbrella hit the Kendo stick and lost its strength with such a strong block. It dropped to the ground in front of Kuno.

Kuno chuckled loud. "Ha! Ha! You underestimated me, Hibiki," he said. "Now prepare to taste the blade of a real weapon!"

Kuno dropped his book bag and then attacked Ryoga with his Bukkon raised high. Ryoga blocked his Bukkon by catching the blade in between the palms of his hands. Kuno was shocked. "Such strength!" Kuno observed.

Ryoga looked directly at Kuno and suddenly lightning flashed across the sky and his face was lit up in the aftermath underneath the hood. And Kuno was horrified at what he saw, Ryoga's eyes glowed blood red.

Darkness once again adorn his face and Kuno took several steps back in dismay; Ryoga relinquished his Bukkon.

"What are you? Some sort of demon?" Kuno expressed.

Ryoga raised his right hand towards the sky and lightning struck his hand, a ball of energy formed. Then he lowered his hand and leveled it at Kuno. "You are no match for me. You sister is next," Ryoga said, and then fired the ball of energy at Kuno and struck him directly in the chest. The impact of the blast launched Kuno through a wooden fence.

Lightning flashed across the sky lighting up the entire area with its raw power, and Ryoga approached the fence.

He looked through the hole in the fence and saw Kuno laying on the ground motionless. He ventured through the hole and then bent down and placed a hand on the side of his throat to check his pulse. He was alive. The blast had singed Kuno's clothes, but it hadn't killed him. That displeased Ryoga. If he had killed Kuno that would be one less enemy to worry about. But there would be plenty of opportunity for murder. He had many more of Ranma's friend's to defeat tonight.

The Master wanted all of them for his new army.

He put his arms underneath Kuno and began to lift him. However, all of a sudden, his skin sizzled and burned as several drops of water touched his face. He hissed in pain and dropped Kuno and quickly wiped his face dry. It was his curse. Even the slightest ounce of water burned his skin before he changed into P-Chan. But he had not changed. He wasn't drenched with cold water completely. Only a drop or two touched his naked skin. But it acted like acid otherwise.

He hated the curse and wanted more than anything to see Ranma Saotome die for leading him on an endless search through the deepest regions of China where he fell into the Nan-nii-chuan springs at Jusenkyo.

If he did everything the Master ordered, he said he would lift the curse and he would again be normal. He wanted that so very badly.

But as the water began to fall more heavy and he looked at Kuno laying on the ground and recalled what he had just done, he suddenly heard this voice plead for him to stop what he was doing. But it was only there for a moment and then vanished. Ryoga returned to what he was doing and picked up Kuno and draped him over his shoulder, and went back through the hole in the fence, and walked down the flooded street.

Kodachi Kuno was next!

He made his way down several streets in the heavy rain when he started to feel his cloak getting heavy as water weighted it down; his skin was getting a little damp too. And this worried him. If he got wet then he would change into P-Chan and that would be very bad. He had to keep his human form to complete his missions for the Master. It was essential that he remain human!

He began to feel a slight burning sensation on his arms and knew it was time to get out of the rain. Lucky for him Kuno's mansion was less than a block away, so he rain down the street and kicked open the main gate and entered the property. Here he made his way down a long slab stone pathway to the main door and got underneath an archway. He dropped Kuno and took off his cloak that had got soaked by the rain. But he still felt a dampness in his clothes and it was essential they and he got dry or he would change into P-Chan. So he shouldered the door open and entered the mansion to find a dry place. He dragged Kuno inside.

Suddenly he felt a presence. Ryoga looked down at Kuno, but he was still unconscious. But this presence was a ninja. It had a strong aura, but it wasn't as strong as someone's aura say like Ranma's. And yet there was something familiar about this aura, he had encountered it before.

The Kuno's bodyguard, Ryoga deduced. Sasuke was his name?

Ryoga felt a swift wind rush past the back of his neck and he turned to see what it could be, but other than the door being open, he couldn't see anything. Then it happened again, and he turned back around, but again he saw nothing. Sasuke was here. The little ninja was toying with him, he knew he sensed him. But why wasn't he attacking?

Then suddenly the attack came.

Sasuke jumped down from the support beams of the roof in the main hallway and latched onto Ryoga's face. Ryoga tried to pull him off, but to no avail. He couldn't breath, Sasuke was suffocating him. So he hit the little ninja hard with one fist and it weakened his grip. Sasuke jumped off and landed on the floor and faced Ryoga, rubbing the back of his head. He looked at Tatewaki Kuno laying motionless on the floor. "What have you done to Master Kuno?" he asked, he demanded.

"He's alive," Ryoga said.

"I know you. You're one of Ranma Saotome's friends. Ryoga Hibiki?" Sasuke said. "Why do this? Did Master Kuno inflict some hardship upon you for this to be the result? You have some major explaining to do."

"I don't have to explain anything to you," he said to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at him strange. "I sense another presence in you," he said. "Perhaps if I attempt to exercise this presence you will provide me with some answers."

Sasuke reached into his Gi and plunked out some powder balls. He then threw two at Ryoga and they exploded in his face. White powder went everywhere, on Ryoga's face and clothes, and fell on the floor.

Ryoga grabbed his face and staggered back in disorientation, shouting obscenities in anger. If Sasuke had not heard those particular words before he would most certainly be offended. But in a place such as this where he was yelled at all the time, they were commonplace.

"My eyes, my eyes!" Ryoga cried, and without knowing it he walked back out into the rain. And as the rain came down, he started to shrink. His body began to fold in on itself and his limbs pulled themselves in. And his head converted to a pigs. And his shouts of pain turned to squeals.

P-Chan appeared out from underneath Ryoga's clothes and Sasuke looked at him in awe with streams of water washing the white powder off his face. "A little pig? How can that be? You were human just a minute ago."

P-Chan clenched his teeth and growled fiercely at him. Then he attacked Sasuke. Sasuke back off and ran back into the house. P-Chan followed him and chased him around the interior and by sheer quintessence they came full circle back to the main hallway. Sasuke jumped back onto one of the support beams in the roof. He felt the pig couldn't get him here.

P-Chan snarled angry at him and his eyes glowed blood red. "I don't know what's going on here, but something very strange is happening," Sasuke said. "I must get Mistress Kodachi and tell her about this."

All of a sudden, Kodachi Kuno walked through the door and saw the scene unfolding. A little pig had Sasuke cowering on a support beam in the roof.

"Mistress Kodachi, I'm so happy you're home!" Sasuke said. "This little pig has been running amok through the mansion. Please capture it."

Kodachi Kuno rolled her eyes in disbelief and then looked at the little pig. "If I knew you'd have this much trouble with the little runt, I would've asked the Master to give me the assignment."

Kodachi Kuno took out a Thermos from her backpack and poured hot water onto P-Chan. The water soaked into his skin and converted the animal back into its human state. Ryoga emerged from his animal curse.

"I don't need your help," a naked Ryoga said annoyed, sitting on the floor. "I took care of Tatewaki Kuno. This little runt just caught me off guard." Sasuke was stunned, but he didn't have time to reason things out as Ryoga used a small Shi Shi Hokodan blast to ping him off the support beam. He came crashing down and hit the floor hard and was rendered unconscious.

Kodachi Kuno, or the person impersonating her, waved a sheet around her and in the blink of an eye, Ken, or Copycat Ken, as most people knew him by, was standing where she once stood. He handed Ryoga his clothes that were left out in the rain. Ryoga snatched them from Ken.

"I don't need you help!" he said again.

"Looks to me that you did," Copycat Ken said. "Tatewaki Kuno was no challenge, we knew that, but you'll hafta do a lot better than this against Kodachi Kuno. She's more vicious in her attacks. Where is she?"

"She doesn't seem to be on the property," Ryoga said. "But I haven't been everywhere. I was gonna check the mansion before he jumped me."

"The master wants this done quickly so I'll help."

"I said--"

"I know what you said, but I'm here now," Copycat Ken said. "She might not be back from school yet. She goes to an all girls school. I'll keep an eye out for her while you get dressed into some dry clothes."

"And where do you suppose I find dry clothes?"

"Look in Tatewaki Kuno's closest, you idiot! He's bound to have something in your size. Do I have to do all the thinking 'ere?"

Ryoga gave him a mean look and Copycat Ken returned it. "Anytime, ninja boy," he said. "I owe you some payback for the last time we met anyway. But forget about that now and just find some dry clothes. It's creepy seeing you stand there naked."

Ryoga growled angry under his breath and then found the stairs that went up to the second floor. He found Tatewaki Kuno's room and was amazed at how sparse it was, decorated in a classical Samurai theme. There was even a suit of Samurai armor decked out in the middle of his room.

Ryoga crossed the spacious room and opened a sliding door that turned out to be a closet and rummaged through Tatewaki Kuno's clothes seeing if anything fit, but as Kuno was at least a foot taller than he was, nothing did. But finally he found an old Gi that looked his size. It was black and when he put it on it conformed to his body like a glove. It must've been one of Kuno's old Gi's when he was not so tall.

"This'll do nicely until my clothes dry," he said. He then made his way back downstairs.

But by this time, the battle had already begun without him.

Kodachi Kuno had come home.

"How dare you break into my house and do this to my brother and my man servant!" the real Kodachi Kuno said angry. "I'll make you suffer for this intrusion. No one does this to the Kuno family and gets away with it!"

Black petals exploded from her clothes and littered the floor as Kodachi Kuno brought out her signature item, a black rose. She was known as Kodachi Kuno the Black Rose because she never went anywhere without carrying one and if she performed a malicious act she left a black rose behind as a sign that she was there. She was ruthless, heartless and vicious in her fighting skill. She threw the Black Rose at Copycat Ken, but he jumped back so it would miss him. It stuck in the floor.

"I'm going to make the both of your pay!" she said.

And she attacked!

To be continued...