Chapter Thirty-One
With the demon exorcised from Copycat Ken, the battlefield seemed to turn from a place of destruction to that of rebirth.
All the demons were gone. Xi'an's army had been banished. And Oro Hiroshi's students were waking from what they would remember as a freakish dream, as each one started to climb out from the bottom of crater created by Ryoga's Lion Roar Shot, defeating them while under demonic possession by Xi'an.
Ranma, Ryoga and the others, helped the students onto solid ground, and each of them wandered home. One would only imagine what each one would say what happened here to their parents. And after rumor spread, an investigation would surely follow. But that, each of the fighters thought, they'd worry about afterwards.
Ranma clapped Ryoga on the back. "We did it, pal!"
Ryoga gave a large grin. "We make a great team, you and I," he said.
"You still think you can take me in a one-on-one, no-holds-barred battle?"
Ryoga hesitated for a bit, but then smiled. "Sure. And someday, we will. But we're not finished yet. We still have Xi'an to deal with."
"Yeah, I know."
Both looked at Copycat Ken and his father standing near the Tendo home. Ken had a smile on his face, and for once, Ranma thought, it looked genuine. Not one of those smug, know-it-all smiles. And Ranma was glad even after all this with Ken, he and his father were finally able to patch things up between them.
And again Ranma thought of his Mother, wanting to give her a big hug right now.
He missed his mother. Due to his curse, he had to pretend he was someone else - Lonco - a distant relative of the Saotome family (his girl-self). Because of his curse, he had not spoken to his Mother as himself (boy-self) in years.
His Mother was a proud woman, and if she knew of his shame, that he transformed into a girl because of the Jusenyko curse, she would disown him. Or that's what he thought. At least that's what his Father said would happen. Or even worse, make each of them - Father and son - do Seppuku: "Death by sword".
Ranma cringed at the very thought. But one day, he vowed to break his curse and become full male again. All he needed was time and money to get back to Jusenyko, and find a way to rid the curse once and for all. If that was possible!
Mousse came over to the pair, and said, "Where do you think Xi'an is? You'd think he'd want to finish us after we dispatched his army."
"He's probably biding his time," Ryoga said, as Uyko, Shampoo and Akane, also joined them. In a circle, they talked further. "We all have to work together now," Ryoga continued. "Xi'an won't be a push over like his army, and he'll be stronger than Yuen, that demon inside Ken. So we need a strategy."
"We can try what we did on Ken," Ranma suggested. "You surround Xi'an in a dark aura of negative energy and I purify him with our Ki's."
Ryoga mused for a short moment, shook his head, then said, "I don't think that'll work a second time. Xi'an seems to have a god-like power that gives him a Mind's Eye, a second sight, so he was probably watching our entire battle and repeat the same mistake as his subordinates. And I don't think he's eager to just jump in a fight us right now with all of us here, will all our skills and techniques."
Ranma wiped his brow of sweat. "Good thing too," he said. "I think I used too much Ki in that purification with Ken. I never thought it would take that much. Why aren't you tired?"
"I am, slightly. But I'm learned to hone my Ki more efficiently with training from a monk I spent a few weeks with on my last journey. He also showed me to hone my Lion Roar Shot into a more powerful weapon. So instead of just using it as a single powerful blast of Ki - a big ball of energy - he showed me how to commit Ki into creating dark barriers and hand blasts focusing my emotions to do so. He was a very good teacher and a wise man."
"Was?" Akane asked.
Ryoga frowned, and looked down shamefully at the ground. Then he looked up again sorrowfully. "He died; it was an accident. I lost control of my Ki during an exercise when I grew frustrated because I couldn't perfect the technique he was teaching me. From that day forward, I vowed to never let my emotions control my fighting again."
Ranma nodded. "So, that's it. Now I understand your hesitation before. I'm sorry, pal."
Ryoga smiled thinly. "It's my burden to bare. But perhaps it was a lesson I needed to learn. He did tell me I needed to control my emotions to better control the LRS, but I didn't mean to…"
Happosai suddenly appeared next to Ryoga and patted his leg in a gesture of forgiveness. "You're a good boy, Ryoga," he said in his scratchy sort of tone. "Don't let this taint your spirit. We all lose people we care about, it's a part of life," he said philosophically.
Akane suddenly hugged him, and Ryoga froze startled.
"Um," he said wordlessly.
"Akane! What the heck d'ya think ya doin'?" Ranma said shocked.
She broke the hug, turning to Ranma. "I wanted to make Ryoga feel better," she said.
"That's okay, Akane. Thank you." Ryoga loved Akane, but with the recent revelation of events with his monk mentor, he didn't get mad when Ranma gave him a scowl. And his emotions fell short of accepting Akane's affection. "Akane," he said, taking hold of her shoulders. "I love you, I just want you to know that, despite saying it before. It comes from the heart. But you and Ranma make a good couple, as hard as it is to say." He looked at each Ranma and Akane succinctly and smiled. "I would never deserve you, even if you did return my love for you. Perhaps it's merely a crush, I don't know? But until I…" --he looked at Ranma-- "..do something else, it would be impossible for us."
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Oh please," he sighed. "Just accept the hug on face value, will ya! It doesn't mean nothin'. Akane's just feeling sorry for ya."
Akane scowled at Ranma and he returned it. But Mousse stepped between them before it escalated. "Look, you too," holding up his hands, "can't you two argue some other time?"
"Yes," Shampoo said. "Why not take Ryoga as husband and leave Ranma for Shampoo?"
Mousse protested. "Aw, Shampoo! You know how much that hurts me when you say that. I love you, I always have and always will. I've said it outright."
Shampoo snorted a protest. "Shampoo and Ranma engaged, sorry."
"Well, Ranma and I are also engaged," Ukyo chimed in, putting her arm around Ranma's arm in an affectionate couple gesture. "And I've known Ran-chan longer than anyone."
Ranma swallowed nervously when he saw the hateful stared in both Akane and Shampoo's eyes. This was not the time for this. He looked at Ryoga, and said, "Hey pal, take one of these chicks off my hand, will ya?"
"Normally I'd belt you for suggesting such a thing, Ranma, but I know you're only joking." But a hint of the old Ryoga seemed to gleam in his eyes as he eyed Ranma disdainfully. "At least I hope so. Don't insult Akane like this, I won't allow it!"
"Look pal - "
A thunderous laughter echoed. And a belligerence and benevolence and evil filled the sky turning it black, startling them all.
A cascade of blood red mist swirled in a circle to a centre point above them.
The energy everyone felt was awesome in its power. And Ranma's heart began to race in both anticipation and trepidation.
The time had finally come for the final battle.
Xi'an had arrived!
To be continued...