The Belly of the Beast
Ranma walked on alone in the darkness toward the camp where his companions where awaiting his arrival. After about a mile of dodging trees and branches by moonlight he finally reached the deserted campsite. It looked like they had just barely started to build a fire and he saw no sight of them anywhere. In the distant shadows a dark figure watched waiting and another was approaching. Out from behind a tree Ryoga suddenly appeared
"Oh I'm finally here, I hope everyone is still hungry." He smiled sheepishly holding some restaurant take out. "Where is everyone?"
Ryoga stood looking around feverishly noticing Ranma. "Ranma what are you
doing here? And where is Akane?"
"Hold on Ryoga, the others seem to be missing. Akane is safe where she is at
the moment."
"Well what are we going to do?"
"I guess we are going to have to look for the others first. Then we'll worry about Akane she isn't going anywhere." Ranma started to look around the campsite for any kind of clues as to what happened. He continuously had to grab Ryoga from frantically wondering off in some bizarre direction. A few yards from Shampoo's backpack Ranma found a couple Ukyo's throwing spatulas logged in a tree.
"Look at this Ryoga they definitely didn't leave because they wanted to." Ryoga agreed and they started to follow the path of destruction through the forest. They stumbled around in the darkness for about an hour until they reached a massive cave opening.
"This doesn't appear to be hand made." Observed Ryoga.
The two boys eyed the opening wearily, then turned suddenly sensing something from the trees. A low rustling sound came from the trees just behind them. They slowly made their way toward a faint voice mumbling softly. As Ranma got closer he could see through the leaves a pair of bare legs. Bewildered, he slowly started to move the leaves to see a white nightgown caught on a branch trapping the wearer. Suddenly the branch snapped and the girl came crashing out into Ranma's arms. She slumped rather uncomfortably on his chest, his hands on her back.
"Ah hi." She smiled up at him embarrassed by her clumsiness.
"What were you doing over there?" Ranma said shaking his head. Akane tried to regain her composure by standing up and cleaning off her nightgown. She adjusted the backpack from slipping off her shoulder.
"I was caught on one of the branches." She absently pointed behind her without looking.
"That's not completely what I meant. What are you doing here?" He asked looking down at her eyes and then to her dress. "And couldn't you get dressed first?"
She looked down kind of embarrassed and not wanting to explain why she had followed him. She wasn't sure why herself. "I really don't see why any of this matters, this isn't the kind of place you should just hang around outside. The guards will be coming by soon."
"Where are we?" Ryoga stepped closer to her, wondering if she remembered him.
"This is the Gold Dragon's lair."
"These guys live in a cave?"
"Men?" Akane shrugged her shoulders "If we are going to save your friends, we had better be in and out quickly."
"What's with the 'we'? Ryoga and I will be fine alone." Ranma looked down at her. Ryoga backed off knowing her temper.
"Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean. You think a woman can't handle herself in a fight." Akane put both hands on her hips moving her face closer to Ranma's.
"That's not what I said! I just can't fight if I have to worry about you all the time!" Ranma folded his arms across his chest bending toward her.
"I don't need your protection I'm the leader of an amazon tribe you know. I can take care of myself or have you forgotten our last fight?" Akane became nose to nose with Ranma.
"You were lucky I don't fight girls."
"Hah, well what if you were a girl!" Akane had the strangest urge to douse him with cold water. She straightened up as Ranma looked at her with a hopeful expression on his face. "I mean . . ."
"Um, guys, didn't you say that the guards would be coming soon?" Ryoga put his hand behind his head and looked around impatiently. Ranma and Akane both looked from side to side and decided it would be a good idea if they got a move on. Akane headed in first followed by Ryoga being dragged into the right direction by Ranma.
Torches on the walls lighted the tunnels of the great cave. Akane stopped as the tunnel split into three directions. She adjusted her backpack and eyed each tunnel.
"The left should lead to the guard's training ground. The middle to the great caverns and the right should be where your friends are being held." She looked pointing to each tunnel and then looked back at Ranma.
"How can you be so sure?" Ryoga looked at the tunnels trying to remember which was supposed to go where.
"You have to know your enemy you know." She looked up at Ranma grinning.
"You mean you spy on them." Ranma watched her fume out of the corner of his eye. 'She remembers me.' They chose the right tunnel toward the dungeons.
"If you pay attention in fight we no be here." Shampoo hit Mousse over the head from inside their cell.
"Well how are we going to get out of this one, sugar?" Ukyo held the metal bars of the cell looking up and down the passageway. 'If only I had my combat spatula, I'd take these bars out with one swing.'
"Hey Mousse don't you have anything in that robe of yours that can pick this lock?" Ukyo said. Shampoo picked up the unconscious Mousse off the floor shaking him until he awoke. Groggily he started to pull various items from his sleeves. Ropes, chains, porcelain swans, spoke bombs, . . .
"So what's with this war of yours anyway?" The tunnel seemed to never end and Ranma was beginning to get bored.
"Well it isn't actually a war and I am not completely sure how it started. There was some big argument, the tribe split and the legend was born."
"The legend of the Green and Gold Dragons?" Akane nodded. "So tell me about it, we seem to have time."
"Ah, ok. There are supposed to be two great warriors, one representing each tribe in a battle to bring the tribes together. The legend is vague about somethings and very specific about others. A woman pure in mind, body, and soul must have a tremendous battle aura and the ability to focus enough to use the green dragon gem. Our tribe doesn't have the specifics on the gold dragon. But the legend says that two must become one in battle to seal the tribe."
"So what does that mean, two must become one?"
"Well the priests of our tribes translate it to say that, the green dragon must either marry the gold dragon if defeated or marry the head priest of her tribe if she is victorious."
"Oh I see, so you'll have to marry Garnet if you win."
"Well yes." She looked away from his glaring eyes
"If you win why can't you pick who you want, you are the winner?"
"I don't know, that is all I can remember about the legend."
"Oh, I see." Ranma looked away just as Akane shot him a look of death.
"What does that mean."
"I understand, it hard to find a husband."
"Excuse me, I could find a husband anywhere and he'd still have more class than you."
"What do I have to do with it?" Ranma refused to look at her making her very irritated.
"You're right, you don't."
"Besides it must be hard when you live with all woman. Must get real lonely."
"What was that?" They came to a dead stop behind Ryoga who looked confused. They both looked and saw that the tunnel had split into three directions again.
"There are three more tunnels ahead, which one?" Ryoga yelled back then noticed they were right behind him.
"Well this isn't right, I should have known something was wrong, it shouldn't have taken us so long." Akane placed her hand on her cheek in thought. Without warning two hidden doors sprung open on either side of them. Swordsmen flooded into the tunnel ambushing them. Akane kicked the two closest attackers in the face and started to run down the right passageway following Ranma. He suddenly ran past her in the opposite direction. He grabbed her pack swinging her around in mid stride pulling the pack off her back as she twirled.
"Hey!" She shouted becoming off balance as she tried to keep up with him. The two ran back past the guards trying to catch up with Ryoga who had run off in the opposite direction.
"Ryoga, wait up you idiot!" The swordsmen were following closely. The tunnel led to a set of rusted metal doors. The three ran inside, Akane pushed the doors closed with her back pushing at the heavy doors with her leg muscles, locking them. They could go either straight or to the left.
"All right let's go left again." Ranma started to run and Akane tried to follow but her body wasn't responding. She couldn't move.
"Hey wait . . . ugh, I'm stuck." Her nightgown pulled tightly in the front. "Ugh!" She could hear the fabric ripping.
"Your dress . . . it's not caught in the door is it." Ryoga could feel a nose bleed coming on, both boys walked over to examine her predicament. The swordsmen began to pound the door with something that sounded very big.
"Well what are you wearing underneath that thing?" Ranma looked anxious to get on the move again.
"Um . . . not much" she started to blush and then realized he had her pack. "Hey get my shorts from my pack." Ranma riffled through her bag seeing and touching things he only heard about. "Come on hurry I don't want to be here when they come in. You know ever since I met you I have been having more and more mishaps."
"You don't know the half of it."
He found them and handed them to her. She slipped the shorts on under her dress and squirmed under her nightgown falling on her bottom, knees bent. The dress pulled over her head bringing up the loose white tank top she wore. Both boys turned crimson noticing her breasts fall unburdened from the tight dress still concealed by the tank top. She was on her feet in seconds running away from the door following the other two. 'This really isn't going to work if I need to any kind of jumping around.' Akane looked down at the loose top barely reaching her mid section. She started to ball up the shirt into a knot close to her body. When she looked up to see where she was going she ran into Ranma's back, toppling to the ground and knocking him forward.
"Oof."
"Watch where you're going. AHHHH!!" Ranma spun of balance to see a sword come down straight in front of Akane sticking into the ground between her legs. She looked up grinning at the huge swordsman and rolled into a handstand kicking him in the face sending him flying into the rock wall.
Click. BOOM!
The swordsman's blow to the wall seemed to trigger a metal gate to fall separating Akane and the swordsman from Ranma and Ryoga.
"Akane!" Ranma yelled grabbing the bars. She turned and tried to squirm her way through but it was too tight.
"Ugh, I can fit my arm and leg, but . . . UGH!"
"Damn it, suck it in! If you had any kind of figure"
"Excuse me, do you see what is stopping me. It certainly isn't from LACK of figure. You are the rudest person I ever met and that is probably why I don't remember you." Ranma straightened wondering if this was just an elaborate trick on him.
"Turn around stupid." Akane ducked as the sword scrapped against the bars making sparks. She rolled under his legs and took her fighting stance.
"You two better run, staying in one place is an open invitation. Ugh!" She jumped and kicked her attacker in the face. "Besides they aren't going to hurt ME!"
"Wait I can break through these with a good blast." Ranma started to concentrate.
"Ugh . . . if you send a blast I will be caught in it and if I throw one you'll be caught in it. Now run while I finish this guy off. I'll caught up don't worry" She smiled as the swordsman grabbed her arms. Things were not looking good. Reluctantly the two ran off.
"I can't believe we are just leaving her." Royga said stopping Ranma.
"Look I don't like it either, but what the hell else are we going to do?" Ranma crossed his arms looking around. "This place is just a big maze" he sighed and leaned against the wall.
Click. "AHHHHHH!"
Back in the cell. Mousse is buried under miscellaneous items that he has pulled out of his sleeves.
"How you hide all that." Shampoo looked into one of his sleeves. "Look like black hole."
"Ah hah, will this do." Mousse arose from the pile with a small metal pick grinning like a mad man.
"Do you have to follow what I say so literally?" Ukyo said walking past him to the swan staff and swung it at the bars. The swan was filled with explosive eggs that blew the door off the cell.
"Well you didn't ask for something that would blow it up." Mousse said turning away from her, which was actually turning to her.
"Let's go and find Ranma-honey." The three ran from the jail running straight into their guards.
"Um, excuse us." Mousse bowed his head holding on to his glasses and the fighting began.
"Ugh, get off me!" Ranma tried to lift himself off the floor realizing Ryoga had landed on him. Ryoga harshly used Ranma's head for leverage to get to his feet.
"Ooff, watch it Ryoga." Ranma swiftly got to his feet and surveyed his new surroundings. The new cave was sealed by a rockslide and had numerous entrances in the ceiling. "Great now what."
"Nice job Ranma, if you hadn't been just standing around we would be saving Akane by now." Ryoga grabbed Ranma by the collar.
"What, how is this my fault?"
"We never should have left her like that in the first place, now she is all alone and helpless." Ranma rolled his eyes at Ryoga's melodrama.
"Well if this place wasn't such a maze, full of traps and if Akane had a clue where we were going we'd be fine."
"I won't have you talk about her that way, she might be . . ." Ryoga winced at the thought his battle aura starting to glow blue. His attention was suddenly taken by the sound of rocks falling from above them.
"Ugh." Akane gracefully fell from the same hole landing a bit harshly her knees buckling underneath her as she landed on the rock in front of them. She stood up and jumped down from the rock.
"Hey there, that wasn't so bad. I see you still have my pack." Akane seemed invigorate by her battle and outstretched her hand to Ranma his collar still being held by Ryoga. Ryoga let go of Ranma returning Akane's smile. Ranma handed the pack to her and she started to search through the contents.
"It's a good thing I was prepared for tomorrow training mission." She found what she was looking for but before she took it out she looked up at the two boys staring at her.
"Um, do you think you two could turn around?" She made a twirling motion with her hand and then started to untie the knot she made in her tank top.
"Oh yeah sure." Both turned blushing and Akane took the shirt off and started to put the rest of her green uniform on.
"Ok so how are we gonna get out of here Ranma?" Ranma looked around the part of the room he could see.
"Well maybe one of us could try crawling out one of those holes."
"Ok now try to shimmy up there, it's not too long to the ground above." Ranma stood on one the higher rocks in the room with Akane kneeling on his shoulders trying to get into one of the lower holes in the ceiling.
"That's easy for you to say." Akane strained to get up through the opening. "Help me will you."
Ranma put his hands on her waist, but he wasn't getting enough leverage and he was starting to stumble on the rock he was standing on. Akane started to sway shakily, Ranma was holding onto anything he could to keep their balance.
"Hey watch your hands!"
"This . . . isn't . . . exactly easy you know. I can't see anything and your thighs . . .ugh are squishing my head. Here don't take this the wrong way." He put both his hands on her bottom and pushed her up into the hole.
"Hey!" Akane started to pull herself into the opening.
"Ranma what do you think you're doing!" Ryoga looked furious his fists clenched.
"Ahh!" Akane came crashing down from the hole resting in Ranma's arms. "It isn't going to work, I can't pull myself up that far." She panted out of breath.
"I could try using the breaking point, but it was never very successful with cave-ins."
"Well one of us could probably produce a blast large enough to blow all those rocks out of the way. It certainly has been done before." Ranma said putting Akane down.
"Any blast that clears this stuff away is going to seriously drain someone, making all of us vulnerable." She walked up to the rubble and then turned putting her hand on Ryoga's shoulder. "If we all do a small blast none of us will be as badly drained." She smiled sweetly from one to the other; Ryoga had a goofy smile on his face.
"Sounds good to me. Let's try it." Ranma took his stance, and Akane stood between the two facing the debris. Ryoga was trying his best to form his blast, but he was too happy being next to Akane to focus his depression. Ranma looked over at Ryoga noting the difficulty he was having. He leaned behind Akane and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey Ryoga." He whispered.
"What now, I'm busy." Ryoga said showing his fangs.
"We slept in the same bed." He patted Ryoga on the back smirking and returned to his position. All three stood concentrating Ranma glowed a brilliant blue, Akane green and Ryoga was forming a dark sphere in his hands while glowing yellow.
"SHISHI HOKODAN!" "DRAGON BULLET!" "MOKO TAKABISHA!" They each yelled.
All three let loose their blasts at the same time blowing all the rocks from the passageway, dust filling the room. Each looked a little drained but nothing serious. Akane was so excited she pulled them both to her putting her arms around their shoulders.
"We make a great team." She smiled brightly from one to the other, both seeming to melt. She let them go and headed out of the cave, their eyes following her.
"So you were just joking right, to help me do the blast. Right?" Ryoga looked helplessly at Ranma's smiling face.
"Nope, it was the truth." Ranma walked away leaving Ryoga stunned.
"RANMA!"
Ranma came running out of the tunnel to see Akane standing at the edge of a great cavern.
"Well now where do we go? I thought you said you knew your way around this place?" Akane turned around and started to walk toward the cave wall.
"I thought I did, maybe I just had it backwards." She raised her hand to her cheek in thought when she noticed a stream of water coming down the wall. "Thank god, I am dying of thirst."
"Ranma you get back here, I am going to make you pay." Ryoga, finally finding his way out of the cave, came running out knocking into Ranma who in turn fell into Akane and the stream of cold water.
"What was that for!?" A now female Ranma yelled sitting on Akane's lap.
"What the . . . how did you . . . Ranma?" Akane looked into the red head's eyes and down at her chest.
"Do you remember me now?"
"Now, I know those are real, but you really didn't seem like a girl a minute ago when you grabbed me."
"Akane it's me Ranma, you still can't remember me!" Ranma stood up giving Akane a hand.
"What is there to remember we just met, TWICE?!"
"No we didn't we're . . . I'm . . . your fiancée."
"I'm engaged to a girl?" Akane looked down at Ranma's body. "No way, I'm not like that. Just because I live with all women doesn't mean I'm a pervert."
"I AM A GUY!" Ranma's shouting seemed to get the attention of something in the darkness around them.
"Great now look what you did." Ranma whispered.
"Me? You're the one that was shouting." She whispered back
Swordsmen came at them from the tunnels above them, swinging their swords wildly. Ryoga tore off bandanas and held his umbrella up in defense. Ranma flipped one over his shoulder sending him over the edge into the cavern below. Two more were taken down by Ryoga's bandanas, and the last was knocked unconscious by one of Akane's drop kick. The three looked smugly at each other when two more swordsmen jumped down right behind Ranma. A long chain wound around them sending them flying into the wall.
"You are getting rusty Ranma if you let guys like that get the drop on you." Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo came from one of the tunnels in front of them. Both girls ran up and hugged Ranma glaring at each other.
"Aiyah! Ranma ok yes?"
"Did you get hurt sugar?"
"You are all weirdoes." Akane folded her arms and turned away.
"Now you remember!"
"Akane still jealous girl."
"Jealous! What am I supposed to be jealous of, a couple of girls groping another girl?"
"I AM A GUY!" Akane rolled her eyes. Noises started to come from the tunnels above them. They each took their fighting stance. A dozen swordsmen and warriors armed with staffs jumped down at the group. Ranma stood back to back with Akane both turned and nodded.
"AHHHHH!" All six attacked, chains flew through the air, throwing spatulas and bandanas ricocheted off walls, Shampoo bounced by with her bon-bori. Ranma used his chestnut fists to defeat a particularly large warrior, he watched Akane with a grin as she stood her ground exchanging punches with two disarmed swordsmen. Ranma noticed a warrior on a tunnel above her position winding up a heavy chain with a metal spike at the end, preparing to knock her over the edge.
"Akane!" Ranma sprinted through the horde of attackers rushing toward Akane's position. Ukyo and Shampoo barely acknowledged the red blur of motion that streaked before them. They looked down to find their attackers unconscious on the ground. Turning to each other they shrugged and moved on to their next opponent.
Ranma reached Akane and shoved her roughly to the ground catching the spike as it sailed past his nose and through the space Akane's head recently occupied. The long metal chain slacked to the ground. Seconds after Akane hit the ground she found the red head laying on top of her. Ranma winced in pain rolling to the side Akane's arm around him. Clutching his leg he met her gaze.
"I don't think I can walk." Akane gasped as the blood spilled through his fingers where a spear had run him through.
"Ranma?!" She looked around frantically a hopeless feeling filling her heart. "Ryoga help me!" Ryoga turned to see Akane holding a bleeding Ranma. The tears in her eyes plunged a dagger straight into his heart and his yellow aura began to glow.
"This can't happen, I won't let it!" Shampoo grabbed Mousse and made for safety followed by Ukyo. Akane sensed that her and Ranma would be in the middle of the blast. She picked Ranma up holding her about the waist, held the metal chain tightly and jumped off the edge.
"SHISHI HOKODAN!" All of Ryoga depression formed in his hand a huge blast engulfed the enemy. Time seemed to slow as they made their descent. Akane swung the chain and sent it flying into a crevice high above them. The spike became wedged jerking to a stop. Akane held Ranma tightly to her sighing with relief. Ranma raised his head from Akane's chest holding her arms around Akane's neck a questioning look on his face.
"You saved me, now I'm saving you." She shrugged and smiled down at him letting go of the rope catching Ranma in her arms as they landed. Ranma winced as she let him down trying to help him stand.
"Do you remember me now." Ranma said weakly as he put his arm around Akane's neck for support. Akane looked down and brushed the hair from his eyes.
"No. But I wish I did."
"Well it's a start. Hey where is Ryoga, he will get lost without us."
"He has nowhere to go but down, he couldn't possibly get lost."
"Then you obviously don't remember Ryoga."
"Besides he can take care of himself, He probably took out most of them with that last blast. We need to get YOU out of here." Akane looked down a Ranma's wound continuing to bleed.
"I'll, ouch, be fine." They were in a large open area of the cave surrounded by tunnels. Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo were making their way down the rock face on their left and Ryoga was climbing down on the right. The two started toward the tunnel ahead of them when they noticed it was full of warriors. Akane turned toward another tunnel and it was full, and another and another there must have been fifty of them slowly edging around them, before long they would surrounded.
"Ah jeez, how many of these guys are there anyway." Ranma said frustrated. Akane weighed her options carefully looking around the room.
Ryoga fumbled his way down the rock face a good distance while the other three stood their ground on a landing above the cavern, not sure of what to do. Akane and Ranma continued to back away from the advancing warriors. Their backs suddenly found rock, a gigantic boulder at the edge of a dead end in the cavern.
"Great now what?!" Ranma said frustrated.
"Quick over the rock." Ranma vaulted over the boulder feeling a stinging pain course through his leg making him hunch over wincing. He looked up to find an exhausted Ryoga landing on the ground before him.
"Good we found Ryoga, I think-Akane?!" He turned to find her gone. Hefting himself up to see over the rock to find Akane in the middle of the horde, himself and the others forgotten by the warriors for their true prey. Akane fell to her knees her arms crossed in front of her, eyes closed.
"What are you doing you can't possibly take them all in close combat." She turned to Ranma her eyes blazing green.
"Run while you have the chance!" Akane moved her pleading look from Ranma to Ryoga.
"Ryoga quickly grab him and take cover!" Ryoga understood as she began to glow green.
"Ryoga let me go or I'll kill you." Ryoga crouched behind the rock and covered Ranma protecting him 'For Akane.' Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo backed into the tunnel they stood in front of and watched Akane from above.
Akane knelt focusing her energy, the warriors getting closer and closer, grinning at their good fortune. She began to stand. 'Not yet a little bit closer just keep focused.' A picture of male Ranma flashed in her mind and suddenly the hoards surrounded her. She stood engulfed in green flames; bright green light filled the room blinding everyone. Ryoga heard a huge explosion the force blowing bits of rock behind the boulder they where hiding behind.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" All the warriors yelled as they flew into the air unconscious.
The smoke began to clear, Ryoga peered out from behind the rock not a single warrior remained standing, not even Akane. Ranma quickly vaulted over the rock doubling over in pain his blood flowing between his fingers.
"Oh Akane." Ryoga whispered and followed Ranma into the middle of the blast sight. Akane lay collapsed in the epicenter her clothes nearly singed off. They both knelt next her, Ranma slowly placing her head in his lap.
"No one can safely give off that much energy even if she was storing it up." Ranma looked at Ryoga putting his hand on Akane's cheek and her eyes slowly opened fluttering.
"Akane?" Akane took Ranma's hand in her own.
"I really do wish I remembered . . . how could I forget those blue eyes." Akane smiled, gripping his hand tightly to her chest. "Here, I want to give you something."
Akane and the gem on her arm began to glow with a green light making Ranma glow as well. Ranma closed his eyes absorbing the energy, feeling the wound on his side start to heal. Akane's compassion and strength seemed to flow through him; he could feel the fire that burned in her heart flicker in his own. When he opened his eyes Akane's eyes were shut and only Ranma glowed. The stone lost all shine, the green color fading to almost black. Ranma's wound stopped bleeding completely, but still ached incredibly.
"Akane wake up." He started to shake her limp body.
"Ranma, we have to get her out of here, these guys are like the energizer bunny." Ryoga put his hand on Ranma's shoulder. The others finally made their way down the rock face. Ranma stood up taking Akane up in his arms.
"Are you ok Ranchan?" Ranma nodded at Ukyo.
"We have to get Akane back to the amazons they will know how to help her." The entire group headed out Shampoo in the lead with Mousse, Ranma carrying Akane, and Ukyo following close to Ryoga to keep him in the right direction. They soon disappeared into the forest, consumed by the night.
As always none of these ideas our mine, they are owned by other people that I
can't remember the names of right now, excepting of course Rumiko Takahashi-who
could forget. Any C&C, "you suck" email to JLee011@sprintmail.com
Lin Lee