Circle Sky
By: Gie (phowah@cs.com)
A Ranma 1/2 and Gargoyles Crossover
Saotome Ranma, Tendo Akane and their familiars are not mine. They are Takahashi Rumiko-sama's. They've just come over to my place for a bit...for a sleepover, yeah, that's the ticket.
Goliath and his familiars are the Big Mouse's (not Mousse) grotesques. Although, they have decided to perch on my roof for awhile.
Aiden Ferguson is Christine Morgan's little gargess, and has asked for permission to attend the sleepover. She said yes, but to make sure she actually got some sleep.
Any unfamiliar characters, such as Shiun, are mine. Sit down and get to know them, you just might find a new friend.
Timeline: Well, I guess you could say
it is after the manga is over with (i.e.. Saffron and the wedding)
in Ranma, but time has passed and they just graduated from school.
It's several years after Hunter's Moon in the Gargoyles line.
(Although there were no Chronicles) I will end up diverging from
the timeline some, but since this is my story, I have the right to, ne?
Alright, on with the show.
Circle Sky
Chapter Six: Old Foes, New Enemies, and
Stronger Bonds
~A week after the transformation~
A familiar voice called out. "Akane, it's time to go now."
Akane looked up from the letter she was writing. "Okay, Ranma. I'm just finishing up the letter to our family. Do you want to add anything?"
Ranma poked his head around the corner. "Nah, what you've written is enough. They know the same goes for me. Are you ready to go?"
She nodded and got up. She gathered the letter and placed it in an envelope. "I just need to give this to Owen to send out in the mail." She walked over to Ranma and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope everything is fine at home."
He gathered her up in his arms and nuzzled her cheek. "I hope so too, Akane-chan. Do you miss them?"
She leaned her head on his chest and sighed. "Of course I do. Don't you?"
He nodded. "Sure I do. But I am happy here, too." He pulled away a bit to look down at her. "Aren't you?"
She smiled and brushed a lock of his fiery hair out of his eyes. "Of course I am happy here, my Ranma-chan. I would be happy anywhere with you." She reached up and gave him a kiss. He eagerly returned it.
A voice broke through their communication. "I hate to break up the tongue session, but we gotta go on patrol, now." The two ended their conversation and looked at the intruder. Brooklyn stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and a huge smirk plastered on his beak.
Ranma scowled at the red male and cuffed at him. Brooklyn dodged and laughed. "Now, Ranma-chan, don't get all mad at me. You're the one that can't control their hormones!" Ranma growled a bit and leaped at Brooklyn. He just dodged again and started to run down the hall.
Akane giggled a bit. "Yeah, I guess we need to get going." She flicked her tail at him. "Although, we can always pick up where we left off--later."
Ranma turned toward her and raised his browridge. "Is that a promise?"
Akane raised hers in return. "It might be. We'll have to see if we can get away for a bit. But, we have other matters to attend to at the moment." She regathered the letter home and held out her hand. "Shall we go, my Ranma-chan?"
He sighed and took her hand in his
own. "I guess. Although I am going to hold you to that--later."
He entwined his tail around hers and together they strolled outside to
the waiting gargoyles.
******
Akane saw Owen talking with Goliath when they reached the other waiting gargoyles. She walked up to him and cleared her throat. Owen turned and looked in her direction. Akane smiled and held out the letter. "Owen, could you mail this letter home for me, please?"
He took the letter from her outstretched talons and nodded. "Of course, Akane. Good luck on your first patrol, tonight."
She nodded. "Thank you, Owen. I'm excited and ready to go." He turned and went inside.
Goliath smiled at the eager one. "Well, we should get going, then." He turned and accompanied Akane to the main group. "Everyone ready?"
They all turned to the large lavender leader. Nods and grunts of affirmation were heard all around. "All right. Angela and Brooklyn, you have Sector One. Broadway and Aiden, you have Sector Two. Hudson, Bronx and Shiun, you have Sector Three. Ranma and Akane will accompany Lexington and me in Central Park. Everyone have their radios? Okay, let's go."
All four parties took off from the
parapets and headed to their sectors to patrol for the night.
******
In the group headed to Central Park, Goliath was going over some last minute pointers for the two beginners. "Just remember to be calm. If you let the situation get out of hand, there may be consequences that could affect the person you are helping out as well."
Ranma and Akane nodded solemnly. Lex pointed downwards. "Hey everyone, look down there! We have a mugging at nine o'clock." Everyone looked in the direction he pointed to. A young female was being held on the ground by a dirty looking man dressed in black sweats.
Ranma looked at Akane. "Isn't it eight o'clock?"
She rolled her eyes. "You...come on!"
All four gargoyles landed and Goliath motioned for the two novices to handle it. Ranma and Akane ran forward. "Hey, you! Stop it! Leave that poor woman alone!"
The man in question looked up at the his accusers. "Aw, shit! Gargoyles!" He grabbed the woman's purse and ran in the opposite direction.
Ranma turned to Akane and nodded. He took off after the thief, running. She turned to the woman and offered her hand to help her up. "Don't worry, miss. He'll go get the thief and bring your purse back."
The woman looked terrified of Akane and started to scramble away from her. Akane gave her a small smile and went down on her haunches. She started to talk softly. "It's okay, miss. I won't hurt you. My name's Akane. What's yours?"
The woman stammered out weakly. "It's Jennifer. Jennifer Wilcott."
"Hi, Jennifer. The male running after your attacker is my mate, Ranma. Don't worry about him. He'll catch the attacker and bring him to justice."
Akane stood up and offered her hand again. Jennifer looked at the talons and back at Akane. Jennifer really looked at Akane. After a few moments of deeply examining Akane's smile and trusting look, she slowly reached out and accepted her offer. Akane's smile grew larger and hoisted the scared girl up. "Thank you."
"There, isn't that better? So, while we wait, tell me a little about yourself. Why were you in Central Park by yourself? You should know better than that."
Jennifer started out slowly.
"Well, I just recently moved to NY from the Midwest. I got a job
as an assistant director for an off-Broadway production. I just got
done with rehearsal and I knew I shouldn't walk this way, but I thought
it was still rather early and it is a shortcut..."
Meanwhile, while Akane and Jennifer were getting to know each other, Ranma was still chasing after the mugger. "Damn, he's rather fast. I need to pick up the pace a bit." Ranma started to run faster and within a matter a moments, caught up with the thief.
He turned around and saw the grey gargoyle gaining ground rapidly and swore to himself. He stopped and faced his attacker.
Ranma noticed the change in tactics and prepared himself for a confrontation. "You know, you have no way of getting away. You might as well give up now."
The man snarled in reply and pulled a knife out. "Whatever you say, ya dirty gargoyle." He lunged at Ranma, slashing the knife at his chest.
Ranma looked surprised at the attack and dodged it easily. "Buddy, you don't know what you are getting yourself into. You might want to surrender right now."
The man grunted and swiped again. Again, Ranma dodged and studied his attacker. 'He's no threat to me, so why am I playing with him? I think I'll just end this now.' Ranma lashed out a foot and knocked the knife out of his hands. The man looked surprised but quickly got down to business. He made a fist and swung at Ranma. Ranma easily avoided the attack and somersaulted over the man.
The thief looked around. 'Where's he go?' He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around.
He saw Ranma standing there with a
big grin on his face. "Hi!" The last thing the man saw was
Ranma's fist as it connected with his face. "Good night!" Ranma
gave a smirk and shook his head as the man slumped to the ground, unconscious.
He gathered up the crook in a fireman's carry, slung Jennifer's purse over
his shoulder and walked back to where Akane was waiting.
Akane and Jennifer were still talking when Ranma came up with the thief. He put the unconscious man on a nearby bench. "Hi, Akane. Brought ya a present."
She gave him a big smile. "Oh, Ranma. It's just what I always wanted. You shouldn't have." She turned towards the girl. "Jennifer, this is Ranma. Ranma, Jennifer." He flashed her a smile and a wave. She smiled timidly. "Did you recover her purse?"
"Yeah, it's right here." He pointed to his shoulder. "I don't think it's me, though. Do you?"
Akane laughed. "No, it doesn't match your loincloth." He handed it to Akane and in turn, she handed it to Jennifer. "Check to see if anything is missing." She glanced through it and shook her head.
Meanwhile, Lex returned from following Ranma and went over to Goliath, who was hiding in the shadows, watching Akane calm down Jennifer. "He took care of that crook with no problems. You should have seen him. The crook pulled a knife on Ranma and he didn't even flinch. He disabled him with one kick and somersaulted over him and knocked him out with one punch. He certainly can handle himself."
"I believe Akane did fine, as well. She calmed the victim down rather fast and they have been talking ever since. I think they will do just fine." Both Lex and Goliath walked out of the shadows and headed toward the trio. Lex handed Ranma some rope to secure the sleeping thief up. Jennifer started at the two newcomers.
Akane introduced Jennifer to them and Goliath spoke up. "Good job, you two. You handled the situation well for your first time out on patrol."
Jennifer stared at Goliath and then back to Akane. "This was your first time? I wouldn't have known."
She nodded and smiled. "Well, I guess we are rather new to this kind of thing. Do you need any help getting home? Do you want us to accompany you?"
Jennifer nodded a little and gave Akane a small smile. "Yes, please. If you don't mind, that is."
Goliath nodded. "Good idea, Akane. Why don't you and Ranma accompany her home, and Lexington and I will continue patrolling the park. We notified Elisa and she has sent someone to take care of the thief." Goliath indicated to Lex and both climbed a tree and took off into the night.
Akane watched them glide away in the opposite direction and turned toward Jennifer. "Should we get going, then?" She nodded shyly. Akane turned toward Ranma and nodded. "Let's go, then. Which way is it to your home?"
She pointed in a direction. "It's quite a few blocks that way."
"Okay, let's go then. Do you want me or Ranma to carry you?"
Jennifer looked startled. "You mean fly? In the air?"
Akane shrugged. "Sure, why not? You'll get home a lot faster, and I don't think everyone would appreciate us walking around the city. Ranma, why don't you carry her."
He nodded and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. If I did, Akane would kill me." He walked over to her, turned around and squatted a bit. "Grab onto my neck and hang on tight, okay?"
Jennifer looked at Ranma and slowly inched her hands around his neck and clasped them tight. "Okay, I think I am ready. Don't go too fast."
Ranma stood up and started to climb
a tree. "Don't worry, Jennifer. I'll take it easy." He
launched into the air off a high branch. He circled and waited for
Akane to jump and follow him. The three glided in the direction Jennifer
indicated earlier.
A few moments later, Jennifer pointed out a large brownstone building with steps in front to Ranma. "That's it. You can land in the front." He nodded and pointed out the location to Akane. She nodded as well and went ahead of him to check out the area. She landed and motioned for Ranma to land as well. He touched down and knelt to let Jennifer get off his back. She released his neck and stood up. She straightened out her outfit and smiled at the two gargoyles. "Thank you for saving me tonight. I don't know what he would have done if you didn't show up."
Akane shook her head. "We were just doing what was needed to be done. Just make sure you have someone accompany you next time you walk through the Park at night."
She nodded and smiled. "I try and remember that. Thank you again."
A man walked out of the building. He was tall, around six feet, with short blond hair. He wore a blue jumpsuit with an emblem in the corner. He stayed the shadows and spoke with an accent. "Jennifer? Is that you? You were supposed to be home hours ago."
She smiled at the man. "Oh, John. It was horrible! I was mugged in the park."
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine. Actually, some gargoyles saved me and captured the mugger. They brought me home, too. Would you like to meet them?"
John stepped into the light. Akane got a better look at the man. The jumpsuit's emblem had a circle with a hammer in it. It also had three red slashes in one corner. Akane's eyes grew wide when she recognized the symbol. She slowly backed toward Ranma. "It's nice to meet you, but we got to get going, right, Ranma? Umm..the others are waiting, right?"
Ranma looked curiously at Akane, sensing her fear. "Akane?" She looked wildly at him and jerked her head away from the humans. "Okay. If you want to. See you later, Jennifer."
"Actually, Ranma, Akane, you don't have to leave so soon. John would really like to get to know you better, right, honey?"
John smiled a bit. "Oh, yes. I'd like to get to know you much better." With that, he jumped down and landed in front of the two gargoyles. "My name is John, John Castaway. It's nice to meet you."
Ranma recognized the name and whispered, "Quarrymen."
Castaway raised an eyebrow. "So you have heard of me. I was hoping the introductions would be brief. Funny, I don't recognize you, though. I thought I knew who all the gargoyles were in New York." He smirked a bit. "Oh well, a gargoyle is a gargoyle, I guess. Too bad you're not the Demon. She would have never fell for my little trap, though. She doesn't care a whit about humans. Pity." Castaway went back up next to Jennifer.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "Honey, you should have been there. They *offered* to bring me home. I didn't have to do anything except act like a scared child. It was so easy!"
Akane stared at Jennifer. "I actually believed you. I thought we were becoming friends."
She sneered back. "Yeah, right. Friends with a disgusting animal like you. As if."
Akane and Ranma looked around. They saw they were surrounded by ten men in identical jumpsuits, although they had hoods on. Each held a large sledgehammer in front of them. You could see the crackling arcs of electricity that surrounded the charged hammers. Ranma saw there was no hole for running and dropped into a ready position, backing into Akane so they stood back-to-back. Akane dropped into a ready position as well.
"Okay, fellas. Get them." Several Quarrymen charged the two gargoyles, swinging their deadly weapons. Ranma and Akane ducked and dodged the attacks. They both lashed out some kicks to knock the hammers out of their adversaries hands. Ranma's attacker lost his hammer, but Akane's ducked just in time to avoid the blow and countered by aiming for her leg that remained on the ground. He caught her knee spur with the tip of the hammer, but that was enough for her to cry out in pain. She fell to the ground.
Ranma heard her cry and saw her fall. "Akane!" His eyes lit up and his battle aura activated. "Okay, now you made me mad. No one, and I mean, no one hurts Akane!" He brought his hands together and summoned a ki-ball. He aimed at the largest group of Quarrymen. "Moko Takabisha!" He released the ball and it flew true to its mark. Five men fell to the ground, unconscious, smoke rising from their charred bodies.
Castaway looked shocked at what happened. "What in the hell was that? I didn't see a plasma gun on him!"
Ranma ran over to Akane and kneeled down next to her. "Are you okay, Akane?"
She nodded. "Yes, I think so. Man, that hurt! He barely brushed me with that hammer." She stood up and looked around. The other five Quarrymen were starting to advance on them. "Ranma, they're still coming!"
He looked around. "They won't be for long." He ran at two of the attackers and shouted, "Kachuu Tenshin Ameriguken!" He rapidly punched the two men in the face and stomach. They wobbled a bit. Ranma turned around and knocked both down with a crescent kick to the head. "Okay, three left. Who's next?"
"Ranma, help!" Akane had two of the remaining three attacking her with their hammers. Akane was doing a fairly good job blocking and dodging their attacks, but he could tell they were starting to overpower her.
"Akane!" He ran over to her and took one of the men out with a kick in the side, followed by a punch in the head. Akane blocked a swing of the hammer and countered with a tail sweep. That knocked the man off his feet. He dropped his hammer and it rolled away to a safe distance. He quickly got up again and went after her, this time with his fists. Akane crouched in a ready position. She blocked his attack and noticed an opening he had left undefended in his defense on his side. She attacked the hole with a combination punch and kick and followed up with a smart snap kick to his jaw. She heard the sound of bones crunching and watched as he fell to the ground unconscious. But before she could relax, the last Quarryman accounted for caught her by surprise. She felt his hammer strike the middle of her back. Electricity arced around her.
As Ranma finished taking care of his attacker, he heard Akane scream in pure agony. He looked around for her. He saw her crumpled up on the ground with the last Quarryman standing over her, ready for the final blow. He howled in rage and flashed blinding white. He charged at Akane's attacker and in one motion, raised his hands and yelled "Shi Shi Hokodan!" The negative energy exploded from Ranma and met his target dead on. The Quarryman didn't even have a chance to scream. He disappeared in a shower of ashes. Ranma turned toward Castaway, a beacon of light in the night. "You. Will. Die."
Castaway and Jennifer were watching the carnage Ranma created in awe. They couldn't believe what he was doing with his hands, or how he was able to do so in the first place. When he saw Ranma turning towards them, Castaway punched a button on his collar. "Get us out of here, now!"
A helicopter that was hovering above lowered a rope ladder. Jennifer wrapped her arms around Castaway and he grabbed onto the waiting ladder. "Not tonight, gargoyle. Impressive show, though. I'll definitely be seeing you later. Until then!" With that, Castaway and Jennifer were raised into the waiting helicopter and escaped the wrath of Ranma.
Ranma howled again and shot of a ki
blast at the helicopter. He was too late, though. The helicopter
was too far away for any real damage to be made. Ranma turned around
and saw Akane still on the ground. "Akane! Are you okay?"
He ran over to her and rolled her over. He saw the burn mark on her
tunic. She was out cold, though. "Don't worry, Akane-chan.
I'll get you home." He gathered her up and put her over his shoulder.
He started to climb the building, his battle aura growing stronger and
brighter as he climbed. Once he got to the top, he cradled her close
to his chest and launched off the roof, heading straight for the castle.
He used his aura and ki to give him a boost, and to the casual observer,
looked like a meteor shooting across the sky.
**********
Back at the castle, everyone had returned from their patrols. Angela noticed they were lacking two members. "Father, where's Akane and Ranma?"
He looked to his daughter in surprise. "They were accompanying a mugging victim home through Central Park. They should have arrived home before us. They have not checked in?"
Shiun shook her head. "No, they have not returned. I wonder if something happened to them?"
Lex shook his head. "Nah, they can handle themselves. You should have seen Ranma take out the mugger! One punch and he was out cold."
Hudson looked out toward the city. "I don't know, lad. I have a strange feeling something's wrong." He squinted out into the night. "Aye, look. What's that light? Is that a helicopter?"
Lex and Brooklyn went over to where Hudson stood. "I don't think so. It's moving too fast for a chopper. Flying too low, too." Brooklyn peered closer and gave Lex a shocked look. "What? Wait a minute. Look! I can't believe it. That's Ranma!"
Everyone crowded to the edge. "Boy, look at him go!"
"He's going at sonic speeds!"
"Why is he glowing white?"
"Where's Akane?"
As Ranma came closer, everyone gathered could see that he was carrying Akane in his arms. He shot by the group and circled around the tower a few times so he could decrease speed and land.
Xanatos and Owen came rushing out, wondering what the commotion was. "What in the hell shot by the castle? It set off the motion detectors!"
"That was Ranma and Akane."
"Well, they were traveling at over 150 mph!"
"Look, they're landing."
Ranma finally touched down, still glowing bright white, and yelled out. "Help! Akane's been hurt!"
Owen took charge. "Bring her in the infirmary. What happened?"
Ranma followed Owen inside, everyone else behind closely. Ranma was breathing heavily from the exertion. "Trap--Jennifer--hammers--Quarrymen!"
There were exclamations of shock and horror. Angela gasped, "Oh no, you were jumped by the Quarrymen? How many were there?"
Ranma had caught his breath slightly and could talk normally. His glow receded a bit. "There were ten surrounding us. We took care of them, but the last one caught Akane by surprise in the back with a hammer. She didn't even see him coming. Jennifer and a man called Castaway escaped by a helicopter." They reached the castle's infirmary. Ranma laid Akane down on her stomach on the examining table. It was obvious to everyone how badly hurt she was. She had a scorch mark in the middle of her back in the shape of the hammer head. Her skin looked charred and raw. Owen quickly started to clean Akane's wound and wrap it up in ointments and bandages.
Broadway and Brooklyn gaped at him. "Castaway? The Hunter? Oh, boy. I knew they have been too quiet lately. Damn it!"
Akane started to come around. She tried to get up but cried in pain. "Ranma! Where are you?"
He knelt down next to her and smoothed her hair. "Lie still, my Akane-chan. I'm right here. Don't worry, Owen is taking care of your back."
She moaned. "Ranma...Jennifer...tricked...us. Quarrymen. I thought..."
"Ssshhh, sshh. It's okay, Akane. You're safe now." Akane mumbled some more and passed out. Ranma flashed white again. "Akane! What happened? Why is she out again? Akane!"
Owen tried to calm him down. "Don't worry, Ranma. I gave her a fast-acting sedative and a pain-killer. She is asleep, now." He finished bandaging her wound and stood up. "I am quite surprised at the amount of damage she took. Normally, there would be quite a bit more. She is, for the most part, just scorched. She'll be fine after a couple nights of rest and healing. She should be back to normal in a few days." Everyone looked relieved at the news.
Ranma's aura increased in intensity. "That's it. I'm going after him. Nobody hurts Akane. No One!" He got up from Akane's side and started to go outside, murder clearly intent on his features.
Brooklyn stepped in front of him, arms out in a 'hold it' gesture. "Woah there, buddy. Where do you think you're going?"
Ranma briefly glanced at him. "Don't get in my way, Brooklyn. I am going after Castaway and those fucking hammers of his, and he will pay for hurting Akane." He moved to go around the red male.
Brooklyn moved to block Ranma's way again, but Ranma easily sidestepped him and jumped over Brooklyn. He continued to storm down the corridor, toward open air.
"Somebody stop him! He doesn't know what he's doing!"
Everyone ran out after him, trying to stop the furious martial artist. Brooklyn jumped on his back, trying to slow him down. Ranma just threw open his wings and tossed him off with a throw. "I said, don't get in my way. I have to do this!"
Angela cried out. "Stop, Ranma! You aren't thinking clearly. How are you going to find him? You don't know where his hideout is!"
He paused and turned around, eyes the same searing white that surrounded him. "Do you know where he is?"
She shook his head. "No, we don't. You can't just charge into some warehouse, blinded by your rage. Calm down, and we'll think of a plan, okay?"
Ranma's aura increased its intensity again. He was now a pillar of white flame that threw off glaring heat. Everyone stepped back a pace. "NO! I have to kill him now! There is no time to waste! He could hurt her or anyone else here again." He turned towards the city and ran to launch off the far side of the castle.
"Somebody stop him before it's too late!"
Hudson and Broadway tackled him to the ground. Ranma roared in rage and threw both gargoyles several feet away with one move. They quickly recovered and tackled him again. This time, Hudson grabbed a leg, Broadway the other, and Goliath grabbed him from behind and wrapped Ranma in a massive bear hug. Goliath bellowed in his ear. "Ranma, listen to me! You aren't thinking straight! What would Akane think of you in this position?"
That struck a nerve. Ranma's aura flames burned higher and brighter. The mere force of the aura threw all three gargoyles off the towering inferno.
Ranma gave a high pitched wail, threw his arms into the air, and shrieked, "Tamashii no Fuhen Sakebi!" (Cry of the Eternal Soul) Ranma's bonfire exploded into the sky in the style of a nuclear meltdown.
Everyone jumped or ran for cover from the extreme blast. The sky was as bright as it could get on a sunny day in the middle of summer. Ranma kept sending wave after wave of his ki into the sky. After several minutes, which seemed like hours to the stunned observers, the flames finally dissipated and the sky slowly darkened to its original blackness.
With his aura gone, Ranma collapsed
bonelessly to the ground.
******
Everyone stared in shock at the still martial artist. No one moved a muscle or made a sound. They didn't know what to do or what to think of doing next.
One being did.
Akane slowly made her way through the crowd and limped over to the motionless Ranma. She fell to ground in front of him and carefully pulled him onto her lap. She touched his face. "Ranma."
Ranma's eyes fluttered open and looked up at the vision calling him. "Akane." He struggled to sit up, but she held him in place. He brought up a hand to her face and gently touched her cheek. "Akane." She nodded and held onto his outstretched hand. He let out a choking noise as he began to earnestly weep in her lap, clutching her tunic in his talons. Huge, racking sobs shook his large frame. He poured his soul out to her, the great barrier broken.
Akane gathered him closer to her chest, making comforting sounds as he released his grief. She cried silently along with him, smoothing down his hair as she slowly rocked back and forth, patiently waiting for him to calm down.
Everyone watched the pair in silence. Each was going over in their mind's eye the scene they just had witnessed. Many were thinking how impossible it was for Ranma to hold such immense, raw power within him.
Ranma soon slowed his sobbing down and was silent once more. The pair stayed quiet for a few moments until Ranma moved to sit up. Akane released him and helped him sit up. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. "Thank you, my princess."
She smiled at him and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. "You are welcome, my prince."
They turned toward their clan members. "Sorry 'bout this. How would you like an explanation?" Everyone slowly nodded or made a noise in agreement. Akane stood up and then reached down to help Ranma up. "Let's go inside and we can explain everything where it is a little bit more comfortable." She rubbed her backside a bit and winced. "I think I sat on my tail wrong."
That comment broke the tension and everyone started to talk and throw questions out about what happened. Ranma raised his hands in weariment. "Please, let's just go inside, and we'll talk in there, okay?" Everyone watched as Akane and Ranma slowly moved inside, giving them a wide berth as they passed and disappeared into the shadows of the castle's corridor.
After a few minutes, Goliath motioned for everyone to follow him inside. They found the Nerimians sitting on a couch, huddled closely together. They were talking in hushed tones. They looked up when they saw the clan gather in the room and make themselves comfortable.
When everyone had settled down, Ranma stood up. He gave the entire group a low bow. "I just want to start off by saying thank you for listening to what we have to say. And if I can request you to hold off the questions until the end, we will hopefully get everything straightened out before sunrise. I also want to say how sorry I am for completely losing control back there. I had no real excuse for my lack of control and I regret doing what I did." He sat back down next to Akane. "I explained to Akane the events that happened after she passed out on the exam table. I'm gonna let her explain what really happened, since she can put it into words better than I could."
Akane sighed and started in on the lengthy explanation. "What you saw was Ranma's ki manifestation. All of it. He used up his entire reserves in that massive blast. The white that surrounded him was his battle aura; just like the one I produced the other day. Since he has complete mastery of his ki, he can do amazing things with it, as you saw tonight."
"The important thing to remember when using your ki is to keep your emotions in check, since that is what fuels it. The stronger the emotion used, the stronger the ki manipulation will be." She looked at Ranma and sighed. He gave her a small smile, patted her arm, and nodded. "As Ranma mentioned earlier, he lost control. He had thought that I was seriously hurt and his rage and his anguish smothered his ability to think clearly. He let his emotions get away from him and his ki went unchecked. It was like a flame catching a cornfield in the middle of a dry spell. It flared and raged completely out of control. To my knowledge," she turned in question to Ranma. He shook his head. "And to Ranma's, that has never happened before. We have never seen such a huge excess of ki, ever. Our friend Ryouga back home had produced some massive blasts, but they were nothing on that scale. This might have something to do with our new forms as gargoyles. We are much stronger and faster in these bodies and can store a great amount of ki. Our skills have dramatically increased and we hadn't a real chance to test the extent of the new and enhanced abilities. I think we might have done a bit of that, tonight."
"You're right, Akane. Come to think of it, the blast that I used to kill Saffron wasn't even close to being half that size."
"And, since his emotions were getting in the way of his thought processes, he wasn't thinking clearly. He would never attack any one of you in a normal situation, ever. The code of the Art forbids an artist attacking a non-combatant."
Ranma bowed from where he was sitting. "Again, I profusely apologize for my actions earlier. I was seeing red over what Castaway did to Akane. You need to realize something," He swallowed and looked at Akane. She gave him a small smile of encouragement and urged him to continue. "I almost lost Akane once before. It was several years ago, in China, on Mount Phoenix. The people that lived there had a god named Saffron, the one I mentioned a bit earlier, and he had turned Akane into a dehydrated doll. I had to battle him for the cure of cold cursed water to change her back to normal before the Akane-doll's eyes closed completely. If they did, that meant she had died." He closed his eyes, remembering the scene. "By the time I had killed Saffron and got the cold water to change her back, her eyes had closed completely."
Several gasps were heard from around the room. Ranma opened his tearing eyes and looked at Akane. "I poured the water over her, hoping that there was still a chance to save her, but I couldn't find a pulse. I had cried her name out to the gods and somehow, they heard my pleas for Akane's life, and gave her back to me." She leaned onto his chest and he caught her up in a teary embrace. "I thank the gods everyday for her being in my life. Every day." He buried his face in her blue tresses and sobbed quietly. She cried along with him and murmured soothing words.
The others surrounding them were moved by Ranma's tale. The females were openly weeping along with the couple on their mate's shoulders and several of the males were misty-eyed. Xanatos, and even Owen were touched by his story.
Ranma sniffled a bit and sat up. He wiped his eyes and brushed a few stray tears off Akane's cheeks. "As you can tell, I would do anything, and have done so, for her. If her life was in danger, I would not hesitate to kill her attacker. In fact, I believe I killed over half of the Quarrymen tonight; for sure the one that struck Akane with that damned hammer. There was nothing left of him but a pile of ash." He turned toward the assembled clan members with a determined look upon his face, steel glinting through his blue eyes. "Castaway will be dealt with, in one way or another. He will answer for his crimes." He sat back and gathered Akane in his embrace.
Goliath cleared his throat. "Are you finished?" Ranma solemnly nodded. "You have spun quite a spell tonight, Akane, Ranma. The circumstances that led to your 'outburst' are quite extraordinary. I accept your apology for the earlier events." He glanced around at the others assembled in the room. "I can't speak for the others, though. I do want to apologize myself for letting you go off with Jennifer by yourselves."
Both Ranma and Akane shook their heads. "Don't blame yourself. How could you even know about the trap? It caught us all by surprise."
Hudson nodded. "Aye, Goliath. They're right. Although we should have suspected that they'd be planning something soon. They've been way too quiet." Everyone else nodded.
Xanatos continued. "Yes, I must agree with you, Hudson. They have been too quiet." He chuckled a bit. "Although, Ranma's blast will probably make the headlines in the news tomorrow. I wonder what they'll explain it off as?"
Lex smirked. "They'll probably say it was a weather balloon. That's what they say to explain anything weird seen in the skies off as."
Aiden added. "Maybe they'll think it's a freak electrical storm?"
Broadway shook his head. "That would be a really freaky freak storm. It was as bright as what I imagine the sun as being."
Xanatos nodded. "Yes, that's pretty close, Broadway. It was bright as day. One thing I'd like to ask you, Ranma. About ki in general." He leaned forward a bit. "Can anyone access their ki?"
Ranma shook his head. "No, not really. I learned through my martial arts training. I have been training since I learned how to walk. Akane has about the same. It takes a tremendous amount of concentration, training and focus to summon your ki." He studied Xanatos a bit. "You have had training, so you have a bit of an advantage over the rest of them. Some time when me an' Akane are workin' out, I'll see if you have any ability. Don't be disappointed, though, if it takes a while to become comfortable with it. Akane is still learning, and from tonight's example, I have to work on mine, as well."
"That's fine, Ranma. I have been curious since that first night when you summoned that ball of ki. I'll take you up on that offer, though. I think it would improve my training, drastically."
Owen spoke up. "Akane, I have a question for you. When we left you in the infirmary to chase Ranma, you were still out from the sedative. When did you wake up?"
Akane smiled. "Well, no one was in the room when I woke up. I was sleeping soundly and all of a sudden I had a desperate need to find Ranma. I must have somehow sensed he was in trouble, and that broke through the sedative. When I woke up, I just followed the shouts and the twinge in the back of my head that told me where Ranma was. I saw him throw Broadway, Hudson, and Goliath off him and shoot the blast into the sky." She turned toward Ranma. "Cry of the Eternal Soul? Where'd that come from?"
He shrugged. "Deep inside?" She rolled her eyes and poked him in the ribs. He smiled a bit, but then turned serious eyes to her. "So, how are you feeling? Does your back hurt? Do you need to go lie down?" Everyone turned and looked at her concernedly.
She smiled and laughed. "Oh, Baby, you worry way too much about me. I'm fine, a little sore and stiff, but I think the painkillers that Owen gave me have kicked in and are working just fine."
Ranma thought for a minute then threw out a suggestion. "Can I try something, Akane?"
"What is it?"
"Well, I remember a trick Dr. Tofu used once and I want to see if it works."
She looked at him a bit and nodded. "What do I have to do?"
He got up and knelt down next to the couch. "I want you to lie down on your stomach and relax, okay?" Everyone moved in closer, wondering what Ranma was up to and trying to get a good view.
She rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on her forearms. "Okay, what next?"
"Just close your eyes and relax. If this works, you feel a heat sensation. Okay, I'm gonna start." Ranma closed his eyes and put his hands on her back. He summoned his aura and glowed a soft white. He focused the aura down his arms and into his hands. The aura then spread from his hands to Akane's back. The glow surrounded her hammer wound and encompassed her entire body. Ranma kept the glow going for a minute and then dissipated it. He opened his eyes and sighed. Akane flashed white once and went dim.
"Open your eyes, Akane-chan. How do you feel?"
"Mmm? I feel pretty good, really good, actually. You were right, Ranma. I felt a warm sensation start in my back and it spread throughout my body. What did you do?"
He blushed a bit. "Well, once I saw Dr. Tofu transfer his ki into a patient that was hurt real bad. I asked him to show it to me. I never really got to try it out before." He sighed and wiped his forehead. "That took a lot out of me, though. I never really concentrated my ki that way, before."
Lex frowned. "I thought you used up all your ki in that blast?"
He nodded. "I did. But you produce ki continuously. I just knocked out the reserves that I gathered in this short of time. Wiped me out big time. Again."
Owen went over and checked under Akane's bandages. He raised an eyebrow and removed the wrappings for everyone to see. Where the scorched skin used to be, a healthy patch of light-red skin shined. "Fascinating. I think you accomplished what you set out to do, Ranma. Akane, you won't even have a scar. Your back should be fine tomorrow evening, after the stone sleep."
"Really? That's great!" She sat up and gave her mate a huge hug. "Thank you, my prince. You've saved me again!" They laughed a bit and embraced tightly.
Akane noticed the attention was still
on her and embarrassingly attempted to shift the conversation away from
herself. "I sent a letter home today, telling everyone what has happened
so far." She
turned to the other females. "I mentioned
to them about the mating ceremony. Should we start planning on when
we're having it so I can let them know?"
The females lit up in excitement. "Oh, yes, Akane! That would be great!" Angela bounced up and down. "We wanted to wait until you settled in some before we got down to business." She turned to the other females. "When do you all want to have it?"
Aiden shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. Anytime is fine."
"The sooner the better." Shiun agreed.
Hudson got a faraway look in his good eye. "We used to have them on the full moon of the month. That will be in several weeks, on the 25th. You should have plenty of time to create the ceremony. Why don't you plan on then?"
They all looked at each other. Four bright smiles agreed in unison. "The 25th it is then. Now, what will we do for the ceremony?"
By this time, the males and the humans had lost interest in the females' conversation and turned to one of their own. Xanatos and Owen left to take care of their own business; Hudson snagged Bronx and went for a walk; Goliath headed for the library to think about the evening's earlier events and to wait for Elisa to get off work. Brooklyn started in with a question to the newest male. "So, Ranma, what do you think of NY so far?"
He shrugged a bit. "It's not that bad. A lot like downtown Tokyo, to be honest. Lotsa things to do, and lotsa people to ignore and ignore you. Although, I never thought much about the crime rate in Tokyo, and Nerima didn't have any, except for Happosai, the local pervert and panty thief."
"Panty thief?" Broadway looked incredulously at him. "He stole women's underwear?"
Ranma chuckled. "Yup. He gets rejuvenated off them and by groping females' umm...female spots....dirty old man. He's over 100 years old, wrinkled like a prune, two feet tall and perverted as all hell. He's actually the one that originated the School for Anything Goes Martial Arts. Hate to admit it, but he's good. Real good. When he's mad, there's no stopping him."
Brooklyn got a sick look to his face. "He gropes women? That's really perverted."
"Yeah, and he's got a real good grip on him, too. He's groped me an' Akane too many times to count. Although he been punted into LEO the same number of times."
"Leo? Who's that?"
"It's a what, not a who. LEO stands for Lower Earth Orbit."
Broadway blushed a bit. "Umm...you said he groped you? Why would he grope a male?"
Ranma winced and made a face. "Oh, well he didn't grope me when I was male. Remember, I used to be cursed to become female. A very healthy female. I was his favorite target." Ranma thought for a bit. "I think Akane brought a photo album with her from home. It should have a picture of Ranko in there. I'll go see if I can get it."
The trio looked at each other. "Ranko?"
Ranma went over to Akane. "Hey Akane, did you bring that big picture album with you from home?"
Akane looked up from the list that the girls were making. "Yes, I think I did, Ranma-chan. Why?"
He blushed a bit. "Well, I was just wondering. I wanted to show the other guys some pictures from home. Can I go get it?"
She nodded. 'Sure, Ranma. It's in with my other stuff." He nodded and went into another room to get the book. She turned toward the other females. "Do you want to see them, too? I've got a lot of pictures in there. We can explain them as we go along."
Aiden and the other females nodded. "That sounds like fun, Akane. We really don't know much about what you all did back home."
Broadway announced he was going to get some drinks and snacks. Shiun stood up and went with him to help. As they gathered up the sodas and snacks, Shiun turned to her mate, "What do you think of Ranma and Akane, Broadway?"
"Well, they seem really nice. Ranma really cares for Akane, very deeply. I can't believe all of that power and energy that he released earlier. That was incredible! I mean, when I was holding onto his leg, he was radiating heat. How do you think he did all that stuff?"
She frowned a bit. "I really don't know. Remember when Akane summoned her red battle aura? I know that the white glow he gave off was Ranma's aura, but like you said, you could feel the heat radiating from him. He is definitely a very powerful martial artist." She thought for a minute. "I have certainly heard of ki before; we were trained in some of the meditation methods in our advanced Bushido lessons, but I've never really seen it in such a use before tonight. I do know that ki is something only masters of the martial arts are capable of using. Ranma definitely knows how to use and manipulate his ki; looks like he has known for a while, too. And from what Ranma said, Akane is also on her way to mastering her ki. They certainly do take the Art seriously."
She turned toward her mate and smiled. "Akane is such a sweet girl, too. It's nice to have someone to talk with about home. Ishimura isn't that far from Tokyo; only a couple hours from the edge of the city. I do agree with you, though. Ranma is very protective of Akane. It's almost like he treats her safety as an obsession. Hmm." She looked in his direction. "Do you forgive him for what he did earlier?"
He nodded soberly. "There's nothing to forgive. If I had the ability to do such things, and if something happened to you, I would have reacted the same way. I know the others feel the same way, as well."
Shiun nodded. "I quite agree with you. His love goes deep and her for him as well. I'd almost believe they're soul mates."
"What do you mean?"
Shiun explained. "Some legends and religions believe that the soul each being contains is not complete. It is on a desperate mission to finds its other half to become whole. Some souls are close matches, but there is only one that fits the pattern completely. When this happens, the souls bond together and become one. Nothing can separate them, and if something should try to wedge the bonded souls apart, tremendous woe will befall that wedge." Shiun frowned a bit. "Not many souls find their complement in this day and age. That it happens at all is such a rarity."
"What happens when the souls find each other?"
"It depends on who you're talking to. Some religions say that the heavens sing out their song and bless the union. Others say that when the two souls become one, the hosts become one as well, hearts beating as one, breathing the same, thinking the same. As if the bodies became one as well." She smiled and Broadway. "It's said that the love of the soul mates is encompasses everything around them and the other people in the mates' lives will reap the benefits that come with it."
Broadway smirked a bit. "So what does that mean?"
She smiled a bit more. "I don't know. You tell me." Shiun patted his cheek and kissed him. "Now, let's get these snacks and drinks in the other room, okay?"
He nodded and gave her a wide smile. "I love you, Shiun."
She returned the smile. "And
I love you, too, dear."
They returned to the room with the trays and set them down on the center table. Everyone murmured their thanks and reached for their share. Ranma walked in the room with a huge book in his hands.
He sat down next to Akane and grunted. "You sure had it piled under everything, Akane-chan. I was digging for hours!"
She hit him with a handy pillow. "Whatever, Baby. I hope you didn't wreck or mess up anything."
He whined. "What do you think too so long? I had to put everything else away."
Everyone situated themselves around the bickering pair so they could see the pictures. Akane opened the book to the first page. She ran her fingers across the family picture. "This was taken about a month before my mom died." She pointed to each person. "That's my dad, Soun, and my mom, Kikuko. Kasumi is standing between Mom and Dad, and Nabiki is on Daddy's lap. That's me on my mom's lap. This was taken at my birthday party. I had just turned six."
"You looked a lot like your mom, Akane." Aiden noted. "Same hair and eyes."
"Yeah, we all got our eyes from Mom. We got a lot of features from her."
Angela asked quietly. "If I could ask, Akane, how did she die?"
She swallowed and nodded. "It's okay, Angela. She had cancer. It took her very quickly. We barely had a chance to say goodbye." Ranma put his arm around her and she leaned onto his shoulder. "I still miss her. I wonder what she'd think of me becoming a gargoyle."
Ranma said quietly. "She'd be proud of whatever you became, Akane. As long as you were happy."
She looked up at her mate. "Thank you, Ranma-chan. That is the most wonderful thing you have ever said to me." She smiled and turned toward the book in her lap. She flipped the page.
Everyone started to giggle and chuckle in their own way. Akane burst out in a fit of laughter. "I forgot, Ranma! You were at the party, too." The picture was of a little pig-tailed boy with cake smeared all over the top of his head. It also showed Chibi-Akane with her small fist balled up under Chibi-Ranma's nose. The look on Ranma's face was one of shock.
Ranma made a grimace. "I think I remember being there. Pops and I left for our training trip a week or so later. I don't remember what I said to get you so mad, though. Probably called you a uncute tomboy or somethin'."
"I don't remember, either." She looked at the next page. There was a picture of Akane, a little older, in a training dogi, frozen in the crane position. "I had just started to learn martial arts. Mom had already passed away and Daddy saw the Art as a way for me to work out the anger that kept building up." She explained to the others. "I had a lot of frustration and anger inside me, because I didn't know why Mom had died and gone away. Daddy spent all his time crying in front of the family shrine; Kasumi took over Mom's chores, becoming the head of the household. She tried really hard to hold us together. She was only nine years old. Nabiki buried all of her emotions and went into an emotionless shell. She wouldn't talk to anyone and Kasumi had to practically drag her out of her room to eat and go to school." She thought for a minute. "Come to think about it, I don't think Nabiki ever really came completely out of the ice igloo she built around herself. At least not like she used to be before Mom died."
She turned the page. The next couple of pages had a bunch of ribbons and certificates and pictures of Akane accepting awards. "These are pretty much all of my awards from school. Most are academic, but some are from the sports I participated in. I threw myself into my schoolwork and school, wanting to be good at something."
She came across the next set of pictures. Akane was about twelve, and she was being chased by a boy with brown hair and a samurai's robe. He had a cluster of flowers in each hand. In the next, Akane was chasing the boy with a bokken. Ranma snorted. "Kuno was chasing you that early?"
Akane gave the others a little background on the Kuno in question. "Yep. Tatewaki Kuno had started to take lessons from Daddy in the Art. He started spouting his awful poetry when I entered high school. He had just started a Shakespeare class and was totally into it."
Brooklyn chuckled. "Sounds like you had an interesting childhood, Akane."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you haven't heard the half of it. It quadrupled in intensity when Ranma arrived. Even before he arrived, Kuno made a stupid speech in front of the entire student body, stating whoever beat me in combat would be allowed to 'date with me.' That started my morning workout of pummeling the male half of the student body."
Aiden looked shocked. "You used to beat up all the boys in the morning?"
She made a face. "It's not like I asked for it. It actually would have made my life easier if Kuno had shut his mouth once in a while. A lot of the girls thought I egged the boys on and were extremely jealous of me because I was taking the boys' attention away from them. At least that all stopped when Ranma arrived."
Ranma puffed out his chest a bit. "Yep! I saved the day!"
She lightly punched him in the stomach, deflating his ego. "You might have solved that problem, but you caused plenty more." Before he could give a retort, she covered his mouth and turned the page. On the next page was a picture of the Ranma and Akane sitting on the back porch, eating a tasty dessert. Akane had a small smile on her face and Ranma looked like he was blushing a bit.
"Remember this one, Akane? This was just a few months after I came back from China."
"Yes, Ranma, I do. That was a few nights after the Romeo and Juliet play." Ranma blushed a bit, remembering. He nodded in agreement.
On the same page was a picture of Ranma being malleted by a very angry Akane. He winced and asked her, "Who put this album together, anyway?"
Akane smiled and giggled. 'Well, I did some, but Kasumi did most of it. Nabiki took a lot of the pictures."
Lex pointed at the picture. "Why are you hitting him?"
Akane looked at Lex and said with a straight face. "Do I need a reason?" She broke her look and sighed. "Ranma and I fought constantly when we first met each other. A lot of the arguments stemmed from the arranged marriage between us. We simply were too stubborn and didn't want to be forced into something that we didn't want, even though later on we did want it. Our pride got in the way, too. Also, I still had a lot of pent-up anger inside me and I found a new release: Ranma. Any little thing would set me off, and Ranma's smart mouth didn't help much either."
"Yeah, I didn't think much before I said anything. We called each other a lot of names and had lots of petty fights. Sometimes, I don't know why we stuck together."
She pointed at the earlier picture. "Well, there were some nice, quiet moments, too. I always held those memories very dear in the back of my mind."
"Yeah, I always liked it when you smiled. Even if it wasn't directed at me." He smiled a bit. "I liked to get you riled up. You were so easy to tease. It was irresistible. At least, that way you paid attention to me. I was willing to take the punishment for the attention I got in return."
Brooklyn smirked. "Sounds a little masochistic."
He shrugged. "I guess. Attention is attention, after all."
Lex persisted. "Why a mallet?"
Ranma nodded. "I've always wanted to know that, too. Especially where you kept it."
Akane blushed. "I really don't know. One day I was just really angry at you for some reason--you probably were glomped by Shampoo and Ukyou--and I wished I had something big to hit you with. I reached back," as she was talking, she reached behind her and mimicked her motions, "and I brought out this blue, glowing hammer." She brought forth her mallet for everyone to see.
Ranma backed away a bit in an automatic reaction to seeing the object he always associated with Akane's temper. He got a closer look at it. He realized something. "Akane, do you realize that your mallet is made of ki? You have been using your ki all this time, just unconsciously."
She gave her hammer a second look. "I guess you're right. I just never realized it. Does that mean I can access my ki, now?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, Akane. Release the hammer and then try to summon it in front of you."
She did so, and it appeared when she called for it. "I did it!"
"Now, see if you can shape it into something else."
She concentrated and everyone watched as the hammer shifted into a katana, then into a bokken, then a giant spatula. She smiled as she waved the spatula around. She dissipated her ki and gave Ranma a hug. "Thanks, Ranma! You learn something new, everyday, right?"
He beamed back at her. "Yup. Now, we can see if you can fire off bursts when we do our next training session."
Everyone gave their congratulations to Akane. She beamed at the group and returned her attention to the photo album. "Okay, let's see what's next." She turned the page.
The next picture was of Ranma in the dojo, doing a kata with his shirt off. He was facing the camera with a determined look on his face. You could see beads of sweat running down his cheeks and chest. Akane gave an 'eep' and covered her mouth. "That's not supposed to be in there!"
Ranma gaped at Akane. "I recognize that picture. Isn't that one of the pictures I posed for when I owed Nabiki money? She showed me the ones she was going to be selling. Why do you have one?"
She fidgeted and glanced around her. "Umm...she gave it to me?" He raised a browridge at her. "I found it just laying around?" She blushed a bit and raised her chin. "Well, actually, okay I bought it from her. Happy?"
He gave her a sideways glance and smirked at her. "Yup. I always knew you were after my body." Snickers were heard from the others surrounding them.
Akane gasped and hit him with the pillow from earlier. "Pervert!"
He snatched the pillow away from her. He pinned her arms down to her sides and went nose to nose with her. "Who's the pervert? I don't have a half-naked picture of you."
She gasped again and was about to reply but Ranma caught her lips up in a kiss to silenced her. She relaxed a bit and he released her. She looked into his blue eyes and smiled. "Okay, so I'm a pervert." She giggled and glomped him. "Wo ai ni, Airen!" He sighed and patiently withstood the glomp.
Everyone giggled and laughed at the two.
Angela got a closer look at the picture and gave a low whistle. "Hey, Ranma, you're quite a hunk for a human!" The other females giggled at the comment, including Akane, who laughed uproariously. Ranma blushed deeply and glanced away in another direction.
Brooklyn looked at her in shock. He elbowed her and scowled. "And what am I, chopped liver?"
Angela looked at Brooklyn trying to imagine him in a human form. She giggled and nodded. "Yup. Chopped liver is about right."
He scowled some more and turned away. Angela patted him on the back. "Oh, Brook, you silly. You may be chopped liver, but you're my chopped liver."
"Well, Angie, since you put it so eloquently..." He turned around and brought her close for a kiss. She gladly returned it and brought it up to the next level.
Whoops and whistles brought the two out of their steamy embrace. She smiled at him and flicked his beak. "Don't call me Angie."
"Don't call me Brook. Hudson's the body of water around here. Anyways, I gotta somehow try and reclaim my title as the suave one around here. Since Ranma has come in and knocked me off my pedestal, I just don't seem to measure up anymore." Everyone laughed at Brooklyn's injured pride and Ranma's sudden uneasiness.
Akane stopped giggling and turned the next page. It was of Ranma in girl form, sitting in the koi pond, fuming. Brooklyn let out the whistle this time. "Who's the babe in the wet t-shirt contest?"
Ranma scowled and whapped Brooklyn in the side. "That's me, you baka. My curse, remember?" Akane just returned to her laughing fits.
She wiped her eyes and smirked. "Yep, that's Ranko in her most well-known position. Smack dab in the middle of the koi pond. I usually sent him in there, for something that he said or did. Usually by way of the mallet or my foot."
"Yeah, the koi quickly identified me by the splash I made."
Aiden looked confused. "Akane, if that's Ranma, why did you call him Ranko?"
"Well, that's a bit confusing. You see, when Ranma and his dad went on their training trip, they signed a contract with Auntie Nodoka, Ranma's mom, stating that if Ranma wasn't a 'man among men' when they returned, they would have to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide."
Everyone gasped. "How could you do such a thing, Ranma?"
He looked pained. "I didn't know what I was doing! I was only six when we left. And with that curse, I wasn't very 'manly;' so when Mom came around to the dojo, looking for me an' Pop, 'Ranko' was born as Akane's cousin, and 'Mr. Panda' was her pet. 'Ranma' and 'Genma' had always just left on a training trip." He sighed. "I'm really glad that she knows, now. And that we didn't have to commit seppuku. It's nice having a mother that you aren't afraid of being around."
Akane nodded and patted his arm. "Me too. You always looked so sad when Auntie wasn't looking. I could tell that you hated being Ranko around her."
"Yeah, I did. I wanted to tell her all about the curse, but Pop always stopped me from doing it. Especially when she looked so sad when she 'just missed them.'" He brightened. "Although, now I don't have to worry about changing in the wrong place, getting called a girl and Kuno and Happosai gropin' me."
Shiun's eyes went wide. "That boy Akane was chasing in an earlier picture used to grope you?"
He nodded and made a face. "Yeah, he was in love with my girl side. He called me his 'osage no onna,' or 'the pigtailed goddess.' My red hair is all that I have left of Ranko. Sort of weird, though, that when I came out of the spring it was red. Normally, my hair was black."
Akane flipped through a couple pages. She stopped and giggled behind her hand. She pointed out one in particular. "You mean like this one, Ranma?" The picture was a classic pose where Kuno had come up from behind Ranma-chan and wrapped his arms around her. She looked absolutely startled and disgusted and tears were coming from Kuno's eyes.
Ranma groaned and sighed. "Exactly like that, Akane. Thank you for reviving the memory for me. I really got to talk to Kasumi about her warped sense of humor at some point."
Broadway wondered, "Why didn't you tell him that you two were the same person?"
Akane groaned. "Don't you think we tried? We told him, showed him, told and showed him at the same time, had people give testimonials, demonstrated on the other cursed victims in Nerima. Nothing worked. He thought Ranma had enslaved the pigtailed girl and kept calling him a 'vile sorcerer' and attacking him to release both me and his precious pigtailed girl from his evil grasp." She giggled.
Ranma started to flip through the book. He got to a certain picture. "This is the entire group. 'The Nerima wrecking crew' the authorities called us." The picture was worn and tattered on the edges. He pointed out the individuals: "That's me, of course and Shampoo, Ukyou, Kodachi, Cologne, Happosai, Kuno, Mousse, Ryouga, Prince Toma and his guards, Nabiki, Kasumi, Pops in panda form, Soun, and Akane. This is after the adventure on Toma's Island, right, Akane?
"I believe so, Ranma. Especially when Prince Toma and his guards are in the picture. And we have our fancy dresses on, too."
Ranma gave some information about that adventure. "Kuno had a boat and we all went for a ride when a storm shipwrecked us on a deserted island. Then Toma and his goons kidnapped all the girls to participate in a martial arts wedding match to be his bride."
Akane continued. "He picked me as the 'winner' after I slapped him around for treating women as objects to be won."
"You go, girl!" Angela crowed.
Akane giggled, but sobered up quickly. "Actually, he had lost his mother very early in life, as well. I sort of felt bad for him. At least I had Kasumi; he had no one."
"Plus, he had a magic spring that changed anyone who touched it into a male. I really was interested in that."
Angela inquired, "Did you get a chance to use it?"
He shook his head. "Actually, I had to destroy it because Akane was going to fall into it. I didn't want her to become a male. And there was no hot water cure for this one, either."
She patted his arm. "Yep, that was actually the closest you came to a real cure. I always appreciated that gesture. The other cursed victims on the other hand..."
"Yeah, they beat me senseless for destroying the spring."
Akane ran her finger over the picture, thinking about the past. "You know, I was so happy that you gave me that silver frame for Christmas that year, Ranma-chan. Even though we were separated by all of your fiancees and my suitors in the picture. And I gave you that ratty scarf..."
Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, it was sort of ratty, wasn't it? But, I knew you put your heart into it, so I treasured it, Akane-chan."
Akane handed Angela the photo album and leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, my Ranma-chan," she whispered.
He whispered back. "I love you, too, my Akane-chan. My heart, soul, mind, and body is all yours and only yours." He kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his body and sighed.
Angela, Brooklyn, Lex and Shiun were flipping through the album, laughing and snickering over various pictures found throughout the book. Brooklyn let out a snort and pointed out one in particular to Ranma. "Ranma, can you explain this one?"
He glanced over and saw which one Brooklyn was so interested in. It was of him in girl form in a Playboy bunny outfit winking cutely at the camera. He groaned loudly. "Akane, your sister is one warped chick."
"Which one?" Akane said drowsily. The day, or rather night, has been long and involved.
"Both, actually. Nabiki for making me pose in that way for the picture and Kasumi for putting it in the book."
Akane sat up and looked at the offending picture. "Oh, that one. Actually, I put that one in there."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why that one? You know how I hated that outfit."
"Well, I knew you didn't like it, but it reminded me of how you went out looking for students for the dojo. Sentimental reasons, I guess."
"I guess. But why that pose? It looks like I was enjoying myself way too much."
Akane giggled and snuggled back into his chest. "Oh, give it up, Baby."
Aiden sat up and stretched. "Hey guys, this was fun. We should do this again, soon. But it's almost sunrise; we should go out to our positions."
Angela handed Akane the photo album. "Yes, that was a lot of fun. It's nice just to sit and talk, don't you think so?"
Akane nodded and smiled. Yes, I think so, too. It was fun reliving some of our old adventures and memories. You guys will have to be next and tell some of your own."
Brooklyn offered his hand to pull Angela up. She accepted and as they walked out, Brooklyn called over his shoulder. "'Night, Akane, *Ranko-chan*." Ranma scowled at his 'rookery brother' and made a motion to chase after him.
Lex and Aiden walked out hand-in-hand, shaking their heads and snickering.
Broadway and Shiun cleaned up a bit before retiring to their perch with a wave.
Akane turned to the last page in the book. "Look what picture is last, my Ranma-chan."
He looked and blushed. It was one of the proposal pictures that Xanatos had made the first night they arrived. "I'm glad that they didn't get to that one. I couldn't take much more of Brooklyn's teasing."
"Oh, you silly. You two are peas in a pod. It's like you are true rookery brothers." They sat and flipped through the rest of the album, reliving past adventures and memories.
Ranma sighed after a few minutes. "I guess we'd better go join them before Brooklyn comes back and goads me into chasing him through the hallways again."
"I guess so." Akane started to stand up, but got a bit dizzy and sat back down again. "Oh my, I guess I have been sitting for too long. The sedative is affecting me a bit."
Ranma stood up and turned around. He gathered Akane up in his arms and carried her down the hall. "Don't worry, your knight in shining loincloth is here to escort you to your perch!"
Akane giggled. "My, my, Sir Ranma-chan! Aren't you bold this night? I thank you from the bottom of my woozy heart for your kind deed. You must remind me to reward you a handsome king's ransom later. Although, if I remember correctly, I was supposed to continue what we started earlier this evening, wasn't I?" She started to nibble on Ranma's earlobe.
He growled. "Don't start anything you can't finish, my princess." He stopped in the shadows of the entryway to the tower they perch on and stood her up against the wall. "But we do have a few extra minutes..." He kissed her passionately and his hands started to roam around her body, his talons trying to memorize every curve and line on her muscular frame.
She brought her hands around his neck and intertwined her fingers in his blazing hair. She released him after enjoying his ministrations for awhile and pushed him back a bit. She twirled a lock of his fiery mane in her talons and looked him in his eyes. "I just wanted to thank you, my Ranma-chan, for coming to my rescue, again, tonight. You are truly my knight in shining armor."
He shook his head. "You never have to thank me, Akane-chan. I am you and you are me." He brushed a stray lock of blue hair behind her ear. "You are my life. If you were not to survive, I would not continue on, as well. I know you would do, and have done, the same thing for me."
She nodded and gave him another kiss. "Of course, my prince. You should not expect any less from me. I love you, after all. Come on, we better go outside. Everyone is probably wondering where we are."
He nodded and took up her hand. They walked out into the morning twilight. They stood in their positions and Akane felt like she was getting dizzy again. She started to sway and Ranma caught her. He gave her a quick once-over and sat her down on the edge of the parapet. She leaned against him and sighed. "I sure hope I feel better tomorrow night. I'm starting to feel stupid."
"Don't say that, Akane. You got hurt real bad, tonight. If you were in your original human form, you'd probably be in an intensive care ward with tubes and stuff coming out of you."
"I guess. Here comes the sun. Good night, my prince. Love you." She brought her arms around him in a loose hug.
He leaned his cheek against one of
her horns and started to gently stroke her hair. "Love you too, my
princess. Sweet dreams." He started to hum and rock her a bit.
She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the vibration lull her into sleep
before the sun froze them in their position for the day.
*****
He stared out the window, watching the sun rise over the horizon. He relived the encounter with the beast over and over in his mind. 'Where did those blasts come from? I didn't see a weapon on him! It was like he fired them from his own hands. They were so destructive. He killed my men with a single shot.' He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. 'Is he a mage? Does he use magicks? If that's so, then this puts a twist in my plans. I must augment my strategies. If I can learn how he did that, this just might be the way to finally destroy The Demon and her kind.' John Castaway, the Hunter, turned away from the window with a sadistic smile on his face. "I will get Her yet."
******
Well, that's the end of what I have. Sorry to dissappoint anyone. But if you have any ideas on how to keep going--well, I do have a few *sketchy* ones, but I'm always open to feedback. Just don't expect me to rewrite the entire story. *shakes head* oi... Gie-chan