Permanent.

Part 19

The Devil in Miss Kuno.

+++++++++++

Ranma stood with her hand held up as the creatures charged, Ryoga
and Kuno gasped in shock as they slammed into an invisible wall in front
of them. The creatures repeatedly dove into the magic barrier like angry
piranha while making high pitched screaming sounds that sounded almost
human. Ranma smiled as she slowly closed her hand into a fist. The
creatures began to group together and started to move in every direction
at once. Ryoga and Kuno watched in awe as the girl's actions became clear.
Ranma quickly closed her hand tightly and a green ooze littered with
various chunks of flesh fell to the ground as the creatures were crushed
in the magical barrier. The girl had a wild and angered look in her eyes
as she did this; she calmly walked through the remains of the monsters and
motioned for the boys to follow.

++++++++++++

Akane felt the tears burn the left side of her face in intense
pain as she looked on at the monsters floating slowly towards her,
seemingly enjoying her terror. The lightning flashed creating a flash of
blue light in the hallway behind them. The girl stood and held her fists
up; she would die fighting like a true martial artist. The creatures
hesitated for a moment and the grins on their faces widened as they
finally closed in on her. Another flash of lightning caught the girl's eye
and she gasped in shock. Out in the hall way covered in boards was a
window. She grit her teeth and charged through the monsters punching and
kicking her way through them, they reacted and swarmed around her biting
viciously into her flesh and tearing at her hair as she rushed forward.
Finally somehow managing to keep going despite the pain and blood loss she
slammed into the window breaking through the rotting boards and glass
easily. She frowned as she saw the ground rush up to her face, it was
easily two stories up and she did not have the strength to right herself.
With a final laugh at the irony of the situation she hit the rocky ground
with an audible thump and did not move. A strange golden light seemed to
warm her body as her vision went out. "Ranma?" she dared to hope, but the
world seemed to fade away as she lay on the cool gravel and felt the blood
leave her body slowly.

+++++++++

Kodachi Kuno snarled at the boy as he completed the final rite of
the ritual. "Now, slay yourself and let the blood flow into the circle."
Gosunkugi smiled as he lifted the knife into the air and kneeled at the
center of the circle. He raised the knife into the air over his chest and
waited for his release to come finally.

Kodachi watched expectantly with the madness in her eyes becoming
clear. She raised her hands in triumph as the boy smiled quietly to
himself. "Come to me! My master!" her words died away in her mouth as she
said them. "Master? It cannot be! The noble house of Kuno serves on one!"
her mind tore desperately away from her task. An angry mask of hatred
twisted onto her face as she realized that she was not the one who wanted
the rite performed so badly. "No!" she screamed reaching for the boy. A
spurt of blood shot across the room somehow managing to catch her face.
She looked on in terror as the circle gave off a golden glow that seemed
to suck the light from the room as the blood from the boy's wound
splattered across the center of the circle.

Gosunkugi screamed in terror as he was thrown from the circle
violently as a strange gust of wind blasted him in the arm. It was visible
and curved almost like a blade sending the appendage flying away into a
corner. The glowing form of the cursed key embedded in his wrist started
to spark and sputter violently and he watched in terror as it slowly
burned his arm away leaving a blackened skeleton behind. He looked over at
his right arm and saw nothing but a bloody stump and started to scream in
pain and fear as his nerves finally exploded in pain. He rolled over on
his side and whimpered pathetically as tears rushed down his face. He
almost didn't notice the dark shadow looming over him.

"Kodachi!" screamed Ranma as she revealed her presence to the room
flanked by the two boys. Her face was calm and icy, at his side stood a
strange boy and her brother.

"So you've come to stop me?! It's to late!" fear now dominated her
features as she stepped away from the circle in terror. Her face and torso
were covered in blood from where Ranma had severed the boy's arm
preventing him from killing himself and finishing the ritual with a wind
spell of some sort.

"It's over Kodachi," said the girl flatly as she lowered her arm.
Ryoga and Kuno were staring at her in shock. "You're not in control, the
thing waiting on the other side of that gate is."

"Liar!" screamed the girl as she blasted at Ranma with a white
bolt. The girl casually waved her hand and sent the blast careening into a
wall creating an explosion that showered debris across the room.

"You don't have the power to beat me Kodachi, I know every spell
in that book and hundreds more," said Ranma calmly.

All attention in the room suddenly turned as a low rumbling
laughter echoed off the walls, the two opposing sides turned slowly to see
an immense creature with it's torso jutting from the magic circle. "But
can you defeat me insolent sorceress?" The thing was a dark green color
and it towered to the ceiling scraping its horns against it as it turned
its head and surveyed the surroundings. It had huge bat like wings behind
its back and two massive horns that protruded ten feet behind its head.
The demon had its massive arms crossed in front of its chest as it glared
at them with golden eyes that glowed in the darkness.

"I can handle this!" sneered the insane girl as she turned on the
beast she had summoned.

The creature snorted and waved its hand; Kodachi found herself
slammed against the wall and lifted by an invisible force. "Do not forget
that you serve me now wench!"

Gosunkugi staggered to his feet and slowly walked over to Ranma's
side clutching his arm; blood flowed freely from his mouth and he gave her
an appreciative smile. "Hello sensei."

The girl shoved him into Ryoga's arms with a casual snort and the
boy pulled him away seeking refuge by a stone wall.

"He intends to hide like a coward?" said Kuno in shock.

"He's protecting the weak, and my powers can be made stronger by
him; but not if he fights. Besides, as long as Hikaru lives the spell is
incomplete," the pigtailed girl pulled a number of small white papers from
her sleeve. Kuno noticed that Ryoga also had several in his hand as he
watched them from behind his cover. He was currently tying one of his
bandannas onto Gosunkugi's arm tightly causing the boy to grit his teeth
in agony. "Come on!" cried Ranma as she rushed forward to attack the
beast.

Kuno launched himself into the air towards the monster with his
bokuten in his hands and slashed at the creature with all of his strength.
The monster snarled and raised his palm blasting an energy beam of some
kind into his chest. The Kendoist screamed as he was thrown back into the
ceiling. His eyes went wide as a field of energy surrounded him and
prevented the impact of both the roof and the energy beam.

"What?!" snarled the monster as it glared at him in shock.

Kuno looked down at his chest in equal shock and noticed the
corner of a ward jutting from his Hakama. "So, it seems I am protected."

"Not for long!" snarled the demon as its massive claws shot
forward and pinned the boy to the wall, he screamed in pain as he felt his
ribs buckle under the pressure. Kuno's arm was still free though and he
tossed his wooden sword desperately into the demon's face. It howled in
rage and pain as the blade struck home and impaled his eye forcing him to
release the kendoist.

"How!?" screamed the thing in rage as it pulled the sword from its
eye.

"The ritual was incomplete, you're as mortal as we are demon,"
said Ranma with a smirk appearing on her face as she stood in the doorway
to the laboratory with several wards ready.

The beast snarled and reached out for her only to impact on a gold
colored shield that surrounded her. It screamed in pain as energy danced
up its arm, but still pushed forward through the barrier grabbing the
sorceress. Ranma looked up calmly as the thing clutched her torso pinning
her arms to her sides, she could smell its flesh burning against the wards
in her hands. She frowned slightly when the creature ignored the pain and
started to squeeze her body.

Ryoga stood from behind his cover. "Ranma!" he took off one of his
bandannas and tossed it at the creature's head only to have them easily
batted away.

"So, there are other pests as well," it snorted calmly as Ranma
screamed in its grip.

++++++++++

Ryoga dove back beside Gosunkugi and slapped him hard across the
face to keep him awake. "Stay up damn it! If you die we all do!" The boy
nodded and struggled visibly to keep himself from passing out. Ryoga
growled as the blood still flowed freely from the boy's arm despite his
efforts to stop it. He turned and saw Ranma still in the creature's grasp
and closed his eyes with a strange light forming around his body; he
wasn't sure if the connection between them was still there, but he was
damn well going to try.

The pigtailed girl's hair went wild suddenly breaking free of its
ties and floating over her head as if pulled upward by a strong wind; her
eyes went white and seemed to glow with unnatural power. The monsters arm
started to swell slightly as black acidic blood poured through several
cracks that had appeared along the length of it's arm. "Die witch!" it
screamed at her as it finally clenched its fist down all the way.

The glass ceiling of the greenhouse like portion of the laboratory
shattered as a blood covered figure fell through the windows and screamed
in rage as it impacted against the monster's arm in a diving punch. The
pigtailed girl's spell finally pushed it to its limits and the arm
shattered severing it completely from the monster's arm. It screamed in
rage and pain. "Don't just stand there! Fight!" it screamed at Kodachi.

The girl looked up at it and then back to Ryoga and Gosunkugi. "I
serve no one!" she retorted angrily as she dashed forward and pulled a
ribbon out from behind her back. She charged and changed direction as she
neared the demon's head, closing in on Ranma. The girl was standing
perfectly still fearlessly in front of the demon with a blue aura
surrounding her, Kodachi snarled as the demon smiled and moved it's
remaining hand as if he was moving a puppet.

Another figure jumped out from the shadows and slammed into
Kodachi with a roar of anger. The girl turned to face the offender and
smiled slightly. "Who dares to oppose the Black Rose?"

It was a girl, she was covered in the black blood of the demon
mixed with the red of her own. Her hair was mangled and matted against her
head while her face was nothing but a huge red stain with a single eye on
the right side glaring angrily at the gymnast. "You're not going near my
friend!" she screamed in rage.

Ryoga stepped away from Gosunkugi and stared in shock at the
figure, the glow he had gained in his concentration wavered for a moment.
"A-Akane?"

The girl nodded silently and clutched her arm in pain as the
demonic blood started to eat away at her skin. She held her resolve and
stepped towards Kodachi wordlessly.

Kuno managed to stand again and looked on in shock at the Tendo
girl. He managed to pull his bokuten up defensively and snarled at
Kodachi. "If you hurt her sister..." He was not in good shape and it was
easy to see; he was leaning against the wall with one of his wings
hanging limply at his back.

"You'll what? You're in no condition to..." it was as far as she
got before the Tendo girl jumped at her with a feral sounding scream. She
slammed her fist into the girl's jaw sending Kodachi to the ground hard.
The gymnast stood and glared at her before spinning her ribbon into the
air and catching the girl around the neck. It was all Akane's body could
take, she collapsed on the ground just as the demon's fist sailed over her
head and slammed into the blue field around Ranma. The claw was sent
flying away into the wall and crushed the stone wall behind the beast as
it focused all of its attention on destroying the young sorceress.

Ranma's eyes opened again and she spoke the final passage to her
spell. The magic circle below the demon started to grow blue as a
swirling whirlpool of energy started to form around its chest. "Nooooo!!!"

The creature was sucked into the vortex as a strong wind started
to form inside of the room, it groped around and Kodachi's face changed
suddenly to a look of uncomprehending bewilderment. "What happened?" she
looked down at the broken figure on the end of her ribbon in confusion.

"Sister," gasped Kuno as he stepped towards her.

"Tachi?" said the girl as she turned to face him. The look on her
face was peaceful and confused; it was the way he would remember her for
the rest of his life. The demonic claw swooped down as the creature
desperately clung for any purchase as it was sucked back into its level of
hell. Kodachi vanished into the claw with a scream of terror as it
clutched her and vanished into the swirling blue that pulled at him and
everyone else in the room. He staggered back and clutched the wall with a
look of shock and terror crossing his face yet again. "S-sister?"

Ranma appeared beside him pulling desperately at his arm with
Akane over her shoulder. "Come on! Move it!" she screamed, she spared a
glance over towards Gosunkugi and Ryoga and saw them vanish into the
doorway they had entered from. She struggled with the two dead weights as
Kuno had simply shut down. The vortex reached its peak and tore bricks and
stone from the floor and walls sucking everything it could into the
porthole it had created. Finally she made it to the doorway and fell
through with both of them crashing across the ground in front of her.

+++++++++++++++

Ryoga stared at Ranma as she sat over Akane with a white light in
her hands doing her best to repair what damage she could. The young
martial artist writhed in pain as the burning coursed through her body,
but managed to stay silent despite the pain.

"What can you do? What happened to her?" gasped Ryoga desperately
as he inspected Gosunkugi's wound, fortunately the boy had passed out and
could not feel anything for the time being.

Tatewaki looked over at them with a dead expression on his face.
"The scream we heard earlier."

Ranma merely nodded and continued her work. The bleeding had
stopped, but she would not heal completely. "She's going to live, it's all
I can do." With that she stepped over to Hikaru's side and grabbed his
arm. The boy shot awake and started to scream as the flames of Ranma's
healing power burned his entire body. The girl stood up and looked between
the pair, Kuno was hurt as well, but he would survive. She fell to the
ground in exhaustion and slept.

Akane turned her head and looked at the girl in concern, Ryoga
leaned in and smiled at her warmly. "Don't worry, she just over did it a
bit, she'll be fine." A comprehending look crossed the Tendo girl's face
as she followed Ranma's example and passed out quietly.

Akane woke up in her room at the Tendo house. She staggered to her
feet and wavered slightly. "Was it a dream?" she asked herself as she
looked at her hands in shock. Slowly she walked out of her room and into
the hallway; idly she ran her hand along the back of her neck and froze.
Her hair was gone, she reached up and felt the short cut of her youth
there. For a moment a deep fear rose in her heart as she fingered it
slowly, but it quickly died away as she turned to see the sun shining
brightly into the home from the back porch.

Sitting around the table where her friends. Ranma and Ryoga sat
directly across from Gosunkugi and Kuno. Her father and sisters were also
in the room but appeared to be distracted by something slightly.

Akane turned and saw the three Amazon women from the Cat Café
emerge from the kitchen and move over to the table with a few bowls of
ramen in their hands. Ryoga looked up at her and stood slowly touching
Ranma's shoulder gently.

The pigtailed girl slowly looked up at her and smiled weakly, she
didn't look well. Akane gasped and stepped back from the scene. Her family
looked almost as disheveled and tired as Ranma did.

"Ranma? What's going on?" she managed as she made her way down the
stairs. Soun stood up and rushed her grabbing her in his arms in a rough
hug followed by both Nabiki and Kasumi. Tears ran down her family's faces
as she found herself overwhelmed by them.

Ranma stood up and walked behind them with a quiet smile on her
face waiting for them to finish the reunion. Soun and his daughters had to
be pulled away from her as she struggled away from them in confusion.
Akane glanced around in confusion, she noticed Hikaru Gosunkugi stand and
walk out of the house, his right shirtsleeve on his school uniform was
rolled up and pinned just below the stump on his shoulder. Kuno nodded to
himself and ruffled his wings lazily as he followed the boy; neither of
them looked interested in the moment. The kendoist had a haunted and
rather vacant manner about him that got a small sympathetic stare from
her. He walked by seeming to not notice her and turned up the stairs
heading for Ranma's room and entering it quietly.

The pigtailed girl walked between them and stopped in front of
Akane, she reared back her hand and slapped her hard across the face with
tears running down her cheeks. Akane looked shocked and hurt by the
action.

"I'm sorry," she muttered without looking back at her.

"That isn't going to cut it Akane!" screamed Ranma angrily. "You
almost died!"

"But last night you..." stammered the girl in shock.

"Last night?!! Akane you've been halfway dead for two weeks!"
screamed the pigtailed girl with a sudden rage appearing on her face.
"Never ever do that to me or your family again!"

"B-but..." Akane a look of terror crossed her face as she stepped
back away from the girl.

"But nothing! Akane..." Ranma rushed into her arms and sobbed
holding her tightly. "You idiot," she managed after a moment.

"Ranma?" gasped the girl, she had never seen her act this way
before.

The pigtailed girl kissed Akane gently on the lips causing her to
freeze up in embarrassed shock. "I love you, you stupid girl. Good bye."
With that she turned and walked out of the Tendo home never looking back
once. Akane stepped forward and held out her hand in confusion. Ryoga and
the Amazons followed her slowly out giving Akane sharp and relieved
glances as they walked by her.

"Ranma? Wait!" she rushed out of the house after the girl and
stopped as she saw a large truck vanish around the corner. "What's going
on?"

"Ranma felt it would be best to leave Akane," said her father as
he took her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "Rather than risk
something like this happening again. She was careless and let you leave
the house alone to face the sorceress. You almost died."

The girl turned and looked at her father for a moment before
hanging her head in shame. "But I..."

"You did not listen when Ranma warned you against it," he said
simply. Akane had never seen her father look this serious before.

"She left because I..." Akane trailed off and looked down the
road. "Where is she going?"

"She plans to stay in Nerima for a time, she'll be staying with
the Amazons as a part of their tribe," Soun turned away and went back into
the home. "She spoke with us about it the night after you returned."

Akane nodded her head and walked back into the house. "I'll see
her again then?"

"I don't know Akane, she may not want to see you," said her father
calmly as he closed the door behind him.

The girl stood in the street for a long time, her hand went up to
her lips and she wiped them gently, the kiss was still lingering there and
she wasn't sure what to say or do. Finally she walked back into the house.

+++++++++++++

Kasumi turned and saw her sister walk by the kitchen, she
tentatively walked over to her and hugged her yet again. "Akane, I'm so
sorry."

The girl was still in mild shock and merely shook her head in
agreement. She brushed her bangs back idly as her mind still felt numb
somehow.

"Akane, does it hurt very much?" Kasumi leaned in and looked
worried as she raised her hand to her sister's face.

"Does what hurt?" asked Akane with a sudden sense of dread
creeping into her voice.

Kasumi's eyes went wide when she realized that her sister didn't
know yet. "Akane, I need you to sit down..." The young Tendo girl rushed
away passing Nabiki and her father in the living room, she slammed open
the bathroom door and rushed up to the mirror. What met her was more than
she could take. The family shuddered as a scream erupted from the doorway.

Akane's hand shook as she reached up to touch the black and red
mark that took up most of the left side of her face. A yellow and hollow
looking, pupil-less, eye stared back at her from the center of the mark
where the strange eyeball monsters had burned her face. Her reflection
simply looked back in terror and she collapsed to her knees holding
herself and shivering.

++++++++++++

Dr. Ono Tofu walked up to the house and smiled as Soun Tendo met
him at the door. "She's awake Doctor," he said quietly.

Tofu wondered why he didn't look happy. "Is something wrong
Tendo?"

"Yes, but my daughter has her heath again, I can only pray that
this is the end of this business," said the man with a small sad smile.

"Ranma gave her OK? She's been purified of the blood in her
system?" Tofu gave the man a hopeful smile.

"She said only time would tell, and that she had done all she
could to help her," Soun ushered him into the home and had him sit at the
table to wait patiently.

A few moments later her two sisters carefully led the still
shaking form of Akane Tendo out of the bathroom. She looked up at the man
and smiled weakly. "Hello Doctor," she said quietly.

Tofu smiled warmly at her, she was a very brave young girl,
despite everything that had happened to her over the past few weeks. He
could still see the warmth in her face as he stood and took her from the
two girls. "I need to do a few tests Akane, we aren't sure you're
completely healed just yet."

She nodded and followed him after taking a moment to regain her
composure.

TBC...