Chapter Twelve
Kodachi's weapon of choice was a gymnastics ribbon and she was formidable with it, and she used it to snap at Copycat Ken in defense of his attacks. Following suit with his signature move, Copycat Ken also had a ribbon for which he had instantly copied from Kodachi. How he was able to copy her weapon in an instant Ryoga had no clue, but he seemed just as skilled as she was with it and copied her moves exactly. So each were equally matched, stride for stride, attack for attack.
Copycat Ken looked at Ryoga, who was standing at the foot of the stairs, watching the fight, and said, "What do you think you're doin'? Come help me, you idiot!" Ryoga was about to, but as soon as Copycat Ken got turned around with the real Kodachi Kuno, he lost track of him. Copycat Ken had changed into Kodachi Kuno again, and now there were two of them.
"Which one are you?" he said. "You're identical!"
The real Kodachi Kuno laughed in her usual manner, a sadistic, insidious laugh, at the fact that Copycat Ken's partner in crime was confused. But that was a huge mistake and she quickly realized it soon after.
To avoid Copycat Ken's accomplice from attacking her she began to twist and turn, creating a massive wind cycle, swirling her ribbon around her and tossed black pedals within a swirling barrier, that they couldn't penetrate, but, of course, from which she could still attack them. And she did, snapping her ribbon out through it at her twin.
The ribbon continuous hit Copycat Ken with vicious speed and he lost from the battle, and was thrown, slid across the floor at Ryoga's feet.
Kodachi stopped her whirlwind and laughed. "You may have copied my looks and my skills, but when it comes to techniques, I can not be beaten."
Copycat Ken used his special sheet and reverted back to his normal self. "Why didn't you help me?" he demanded of Ryoga, he got up. "You saw her!"
"You seemed to be doing so well," he said, smirking slightly.
"I know you," Kodachi said to Ryoga. "You're one of Ranma daring friends, Ryoga Hibiki. Am I right? Or are you a copy too?"
Ryoga took a few steps forward. "I am Ryoga Hibiki, the genuine article," he said. "And you're becoming a nuisance."
"You still haven't answered my standing question," she said. "Why have you invaded the sanctity of this domain and attacked my brother and my man servant? And why are you wearing my brother's clothes?" she asked as an after thought, noticing that the black Gi was indeed her brother's.
"My clothes got wet so I borrowed some of your brother's," he said.
She saw Ryoga's clothes in a wet clump sitting on the floor next to the front door. "I find it odd that you would change into some of my brother's attire even when your clothes are wet. Even a sensible criminal would still wear their own clothes if they plan to break into a home and assault the occupants. Are you some sort of pervert?"
Copycat Ken chuckled, and Ryoga looked at him not amused.
"It's a long story and one I'm not going to explain right now," he said. "You're coming with us."
"And what if I refuse?"
"That wouldn't be wise."
Kodachi grinned pleased. "Is that a challenge?" she asked.
"If you want it to be," Ryoga said.
"We're not here to play around, Ryoga. The master wants her to be part of his army," Copycat Ken said. "Take her down! Stop toying with her!"
"Who is this master of yours?" Kodachi asked.
"That's none of your business!" Copycat Ken replied.
"Enough!" Ryoga got between them. "I challenge you to a battle, Kodachi Kuno. Do you accept?"
She laughed. "I do," she said. "In the Arboretum."
"Why there?"
"Because there is more room."
Kodachi Kuno laughed and then ran down a hall, black petals flying behind her. Ryoga and Copycat Ken ran after her and followed her through two large glass doors which lead into the Arboretum. The entire place looked like a huge greenhouse filled with tropic plants, trees and there was even a sizable swimming pool in the middle of the place.
Both boys were memorized by the outstanding grandeur of the place. It was like a tropic rainforest right here in the town of Nerima.
"You may have defeated my inept brother, but you won't beat me," she said. "I know something you don't."
"And what is that?" Copycat Ken said back, turning his attention to her and ignoring the scenery.
"This is my house and I'm not alone," she said, and suddenly a huge crocodile emerged from the swimming pool, and climbed up onto the concrete floor that aligned the swimming pool, which was in fact not a swimming pool at all, but actually an aquarium for that thing. "Meet Mr. Green Turtle. He's my pet crocodile. Mr. Green Turtle meet you next meal."
Ryoga and Copycat Ken ran away scared as Mr. Green Turtle chased them. They managed to elude being eaten by the beast by climbing up a tree. The crocodile snapped its massive jaws at their feet as it came the majority of the way up the tree trunk. "Call'em off, Kodahci!" Copycat Ken pleaded.
Mr. Green Turtle roared at them and snapped its massive jaws, nearly grabbing hold of Copycat's Ken's foot as he let it lax over a hanging branch.
"Looks like my pet will have its meal." She smiled. "Unless of course you tell me why you're here and why you attacked my brother and Sasuke?"
"Ryoga, do sumthin'!" Copycat Ken said.
"Like what?"
"Anything!" he said, as the crocodile lunged up and snapped its massive jaws in an attempt to grab hold of his leg. Copycat Ken lifted his leg just in time to avoid the crocodile from dismembering him.
"'Kay, I see only one way," Ryoga said, and then jumped from a branch, flipped over the crocodile and landed on the ground a few meters from it. The crocodile saw him and turned its attention towards him.
"Ryoga! What in the hell do your think you're doin'? That thing will eat you alive!" Copycat Ken said, the tone of his voice more scared than concerned.
"I have a plan, and it's the only way to achieve our objective," Ryoga said. The crocodile roared at him and began to charge. As crocodiles moved, this one was fast. But Ryoga was faster and jumped out of the path of the beast. The crocodile then turned its massive head and looked at him, looking angry that a human avoided it.
It began to charge again, and Ryoga jumped back over it, vaulting over it like a gymnasts would a Palma horse.
The crocodile roared very angry. Apparently it didn't like being cheated from a juicy meal.
"How dare you deny Mr. Green Turtle of his meal, looks like I may have to get involved to stop my pet from starving!" Kodachi Kuno said, and took her ribbon and snapped it in air, wrapping it around Ryoga's body, securing him to the spot so he couldn't move, restricted all movement from his arms and legs. "Now my pet won't go hungry. Feast on his flesh!"
Ryoga stood there, but he felt unafraid despite the situation. "Not today, Kodachi," he said. "I don't intend to be your animal's meal."
Ryoga then focused his energy and unleashed the Ultimate Shi Shi Hokodan, generating an upsurge of Ki energy and then brought it down again directly on top of him. And as of all emotion was drained, the powerful blast didn't harm him, only those around him.
When the blast hit the ground, the crocodile was thrown back into the water, it surfaced belly up. Kodachi Kuno took a hit as well and she was tossed back and hit her head on one of the many rocks that adorned the Arboretum. She laid motionless, unconscious.
Ryoga returned from the void where the Ultimate Shi Shi Hokodan normally sent him when all emotion was drained out of him and looked upon the devastation and result of what he had unleashed. He stood in a deep hole, the result of such a powerful blast coming down upon him, and viewed all that had transpired from his attack from his venue point.
And suddenly he felt a little sad because he had unleashed such a powerful attack upon another unsuspected creature and another human who didn't deserve it. They were only defending their home.
Copycat Ken jumped down from the tree seeing that it was safe to come down. He looked at the crocodile floating belly up in the water and then looked at Kodachi Kuno's unconscious body a few meters away. He then looked at Ryoga who was emerging from the large hole his attack made.
"Amazing!" he said, both stunned and thrilled at the same time. "I've never seen a more powerful attack. What's it called?"
"The Shi Shi Hokodan, or the Lions Roar Shot," Ryoga said. "It uses the negative Ki from the user to generate a powerful surge of emotion and brings down that power upon his attacker."
"You'll have to teach me that someday."
"Maybe," Ryoga said. "It's not as easy as it looks."
Ryoga felt his head.
"What's wrong?" Copycat Ken asked.
"I don't know, all of a sudden I have this massive headache," he said. "No, no, this is wrong. Stop it!" Ryoga cried out, feeling his head. "I can't do this. This is terribly, terribly wrong!"
"Get a grip, man, control him," Copycat Ken said.
"Ryoga is fighting back," he said. "His spirit is strong."
"But yours is stronger. You're a warrior of Lord Xi'an. Don't let this worthless commoner take back what is now rightfully yours. Fight him."
Ryoga began to calm down. "I'm regaining control again," he said. "This Ryoga Hibiki has a powerful spirit. When I took out Tatewaki Kuno he tried to overpower me then. But I told him that if he cooperates Lord Xi'an will lift the Nan-nii-chan curse. He seems to want that."
"Lord Xi'an can do that. And when all this is over he'll get his wish, but he won't be around to enjoy it. Once Lord Xi'an destroys Ranma Saotome and his father, the world will be his to rule. Now go get Tatewaki Kuno and I'll take care of his sister."
Copycat Ken went over to Kodachi Kuno and picked her up and carried out of the Arboretum and followed Ryoga back to the main hallway. Ryoga picked up his clothes and put them under his arm and then lifted Tatewaki Kuno onto his shoulder. Then he noticed something. "Where's Sasuke?" he wondered. "He's not here."
"Don't worry about that little runt, he's no threat to us," Copycat Ken said.
Ryoga looked outside. "It's still raining, I can't go out in that."
"Use your umbrella. Give me Tatewaki Kuno. I'll return to the master and give these two to him. You carry on with your mission capturing the rest of Ranma's friends. The master needs them for his army."
Ryoga gave Tatewaki Kuno to Copycat Ken and draped him over his other shoulder opposite Kodachi. Ken then walked out in the rain.
Ryoga shoved his wet clothes into a plastic bag, opened his umbrella, and then ventured out into the rain. He had a mission to complete and not even rain was going to stop him!
To be continued...