Legal: The characters of Ranma ½ were created by the great Rumiko Takahashi.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://home.sprynet.com/~brenda02/Keith/Animeff.htm
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A Ranma 1/2 Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part seven
Ranma scowled as he ran his pencil over the equations filling the notepad he was holding as he walked along the fence by the canal. Akane scowled at the ground as she paced beside him on the sidewalk. Behind the pair Nabiki strode with a smile on her face and a spring in her step
"Are you sure you want to retire from gymnastics so soon?" Nabiki asked with a grin.
"Yes." Ranma said, in an intense icy voice.
"I could have beaten her." Akane softly declared.
"Ah, but you and Shampoo were too busy." Nabiki mirthfully proclaimed to her sister.
"Ranma! Please warn that girl that there is a limit to what I'll tolerate from my family!" Akane declared, cracking her knuckles menacingly.
"Calm down Sis, I'm not going to say a word about this to anyone." Nabiki said raising her hands in a placating gesture.
Akane clenched her fists and increased her pace slightly. Ranma jumped down from the end of the fence and joined her. Nabiki looked at the pair walking together, and scowled for a moment.
The student's looked at the figure standing in front of Furinkan High School's main gate. A ragged, light brown cloak obscured his whole appearance, however in the shadows beneath the hood, his red eyes were visible, almost seeming to glow dimly. He had an unfocused air about him, suddenly it vanished as he looked down the street where Ranma and the two Tendo sisters were approaching at a slow run. He smiled slightly "Ranma!" he said as he walked forward at a casual pace.
Ranma looked at the figure approaching and slowed to a walk. "Ryouga." He glanced at Akane and Nabiki who had slowed down glancing at the Ranma and the cloaked figure with puzzled expressions. "Get to class, this doesn't concern you."
With a short almost cruel laugh Ryouga spread his arms. "Come come, you've had a long time to prepare for this day." Grinning he added, "I hope you've taken advantage of that gift of time." He brought his hands together before his chest, then lowered them as he glanced behind him with a scowl.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno shouted as he charged from the school, boken held high. "Today is the day you shall truly feel heavens wrath for your misdeeds! I, Tatewaki Kuno," he paused as Ryouga's hand suddenly extended, blocking his path. "And who are you to dare interfere with the great Tatewaki Kuno?"
"This isn't your business. Go before you get hurt."
"You dare take such a tone with the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!? I shall . . ."
With a slight twist at the waist, Ryouga slammed an open palmed strike into Kuno's midsection. The kendoist was thrown backward, rolling to a halt just before Furinkan's entrance. "Now Ranma." Ryouga said coolly, bringing his hands back in front of his chest.
"Ranma . . ." Nabiki began to ask, suddenly she felt him grab her by the waist.
"Hey!" Akane commented as Ranma grabbed her. She clenched her fist, then relaxed it as she stared at Ryouga.
Ryouga's hands had suddenly become engulfed in a fiery black streaked blue aura. Lightning seemed to pour from his palms forming into a black sphere with a speck of brilliant light in it's center. "Goodbye, Ranma," Ryouga said as he thrust his hands forward.
Nabiki screamed at the sight of the stream of mixed dark and bright energy surging at her and her two companions, then her scream shifted as Ranma jumped, right at Ryouga.
Ryouga jumped forward after his initial attack, his hands curled like claws, his aura surging like a fire from them. Ranma avoided the first attack by ducking his feet to his chest, and the second he avoided with a pivot that allowed Ryouga to move past him. Kicking at Ryouga's back, Ranma used his enemy as a springboard to throw himself and the two sisters in his arms to the school wall. He bounced from the top of the wall to the schoolyard just as a blast from Ryouga shattered said wall to rubble.
As he landed Ranma released both girls. "Get clear!" He said, jumping away from them.
Both Akane and Nabiki looked after him a moment, then with a scowl Akane declared, "Hey, I'm not some helpless child!" She took a step toward where Ranma was now standing in a defensive stance near the hole in the wall, stopping as she felt Nabiki grab her shoulder.
"Sis think! This isn't some love sick member of your fan club, this guy can shoot fireballs!"
"I'm not going too . . ."
Ryouga surged through the smashed section of wall. Seeing Ranma, he grabbed his cloak and tossed it aside. With a cry he leaped toward Ranma. As he landed he spun into a roundhouse kick which Ranma ducked under. Lowering his kicking leg Ryouga hooked it back, almost catching Ranma's shirt as he stepped back out of range. Stepping forward Ryouga started lashing out with his fists. Ranma slid back slightly, blocking and dodging the flurry of punches. Ryouga followed up a failed two handed strike with a fast straight kick at Ranma's chest.
Ranma sidestepped it, and jumped back, swinging his own foot to smash into Ryouga's chin as he back flipped five feet from his opponent.
"Still good with the defense I see." Ryouga commented smiling thinly. "Not that it'll do more than delay the inevitable." He stepped forward, his arms beginning to burn with their aura again.
Ryouga began lashing out like a hurricane, advancing in pace with Ranma's retreat. Every blow struck only air, pushing it at the building which was cracking under the impact. Ranma sudenly dodged to the side, striking a blurred fist into Ryouga's side. As Ryouga half staggered to the side he lashed out with a knifehand strike. Ranma jumped back. Glancing down he saw that the missed blow had cut open the front of his shirt. *Not good. Gotta be careful. OH NO!* Looking past Ryouga he just kept shock and fear from rising to his face.
"YAAH!" Akane called as she jumped in and spun into a kick to Ryouga's face. His attention focused on Ranma Ryouga fell back from the unexpected blow. Following him Akane slammed a fist into his solar plexus and knocked him onto his back with an uppercut. "Ignore me will you?!"
Ryouga rolled to his feet. He narrowed his eyes. Then he shifted his stance as Ranma jumped in lashing out with a series of fast kicks and punches. "Get out of the way Akane!"
"No way!" Akane shouted as she charged in at Ryouga. "I'm . . ."
Crossing his arms together before him, Ryouga explosively lashed out to both sides with a fierce shout. A great wall of air slammed into his opponents with the force of a battering ram. Ranma was pushed back, his feet gouging two seven foot long groves into the ground. Akane was thrown into the air, to land and roll to a stop fifteen feet away. As she pushed herself to her knees, Ryouga raised his hands, his aura once again blazing from elbow to fingertip.
"Look out!" Ranma called as Ryouga half stepped toward Akane, thrusting his hands forward. Power exploded from his hands and surged at Akane like a tidal wave.
Ranma jumped in kicking at Ryouga, this time his opponent dodged. Pivoting Ryouga raised his fist and hit Ranma straight on. Ranma was thrown back , smashing into the side of the school, forming a crater. Ryouga ran in after him, his finishing blow sinking into the wall to the elbow as Ranma ducked under it and jumped away.
Akane watched the wall of power coming at her, then felt an arm grab her waist and felt herself pulled along as the arms' owner jumped out of the blasts path. Glancing up she saw Shampoo's purple mane blown by the winds. "Akane be careful." Shampoo said as she landed. "This too tough opponent." Putting Akane down she looked at where the battle continued.
"Shampoo! We've got to help Ranma!" Akane said starting toward the two fighters, stopping as Shampoo raised a hand before her.
"We help, but not by charge in stupid. We watch fight, and help so Ranma not get hit because distracted." Akane's cheeks colored, but she simply looked at Ranma and Ryouga.
Ranma backed away from Ryouga, arms raised before him. His eyes rested on his watch a moment, then all his attention returned to Ryouga. Who was walking toward him, with the casual movement and smirking face of someone filled with absolute confidence.
Ranma slid his foot back, dropping into a solid defensive stance. He raised his hands to an onguard position, his eyes pausing imperceptibly on his wristwatch. *Seven minutes.*
Ryouga charged forward, lashing forward with a glowing spear-hand as he entered striking range. Ranma stepped backward and to the side, avoiding the blow. Ryouga jumped into a spinning kick. Ranma pulled just out of the way, but the air pressure of the blow threw him back ten feet.
Raising his hands, Ryouga formed a sphere of black power in his right hand and released it at Ranma in an instant, following it with eight more such blasts in rapid succession.
Ranma saw Ryouga's attack, and set himself, raising his hands before him. He centered his breathing in absolute concentration as Ryouga's barrage impacted with a series of explosions.
"Heh, too easy." Ryouga commented with a smirk. Then he blinked as the smoke cleared, revealing Ranma whose slightly scorched appearance was the only visible damage.
Ryouga looked at the greenish yellow glow fading from around Ranma's hands. "Well, I see you've actually learned a minor trick."
"Give me a month or two and you'll be really surprised." Ranma responded.
"Tempting, but no. Your death is my obligation and Hibiki's sense of direction has delayed it too long." Ryouga walked purposefully toward Ranma, power crackling along his arms. Ranma raised his hands in preparation. *Four minutes.*
Ryouga charged forward, and Ranma leaped back in response. Ryouga fired a blast beyond Ranma, who jumped to the side to avoid the blast. Ryouga fired another shot at Ranma's landing point, but Ranma had already jumped in at him.
Ranma kicked as he reached Ryouga, who staggered back two paces from the impact. Ranma continued forward, bombarding Ryouga with a dozen fast punches.
Ryouga ignored the attacks, concentrating instead on lashing out with his own attacks. Ranma was just able to avoid the first two punches Ryouga threw. Then the third blow glanced off Ranma's side, hurling him to the ground fifteen feet away.
Ryouga shifted his attention to the right, just as Akane stepped in and slammed a spinning kick into his side. He staggered back from her, raising his hands in preparation to attack, then was thrown back at her by a strong blow from behind. Akane met his stagger forward with a fast uppercut knocking him to the ground. He barely had time to feel the ground against his back when two bonbori maces smashed down on him.
Ranma pulled himself back to his feet, feeling where Ryouga's punch had tried to obliterate his ribcage.
Shampoo jumped back from Ryouga, landing by Akane.
"That should do it." Akane stated.
"No be sure, Shampoo remember this one. Fought Ranma near village. Great Grandmother say he demon, Ranma say not."
With a snarl Ryouga shook his head. The two girls focused their attention back on their opponent, who raised his hands, then slammed his palms into the ground. The force of the strike set Akane and Shampoo staggering backward a few steps, and tossed Ryouga into the air. With a quick twist of his body he landed in a crouch, then rose to a full standing position.
"Uh oh." Akane commented as she looked at Ryouga, who's entire body was burning with a black laced aura.
Ryouga narrowed his eyes angrily at the two girls. Then he glanced at Ranma. His eyes could see the Chi circulating through Ranma, and from the world into Ranma. He knew that in a few moments his opponent would have his pain and weakness almost completely suppressed. *Time to finish this.* He stepped toward the girls, swinging his hands through a fast circling pattern. The trailing remnants of the auras of his hands met forming a spiral pattern which exploded into a sideways tornado. Ryouga was pushed back five feet by the recoil, while Akane and Shampoo were both thrown into the air.
Ryouga turned to where Ranma was standing. The two looked each other in the eye. Ryouga clenched both fists, and snarled as his aura blazed with growing fury.
"RAAAAAA!!" Ryouga moved forward like a bullet from a gun. As his opponents momentum built, Ranma smoothly back away in a smooth glide angling to the corner. But the moment Ryouga entered striking range, he set one foot, swinging the other in a rising kick which blasted Ranma into the air.
Ranma landed and rolled to his feet.
Ryouga charged in, swinging a roundhouse punch as he reached his opponent.
Ranma ducked right and very low, swinging his foot to sweep Ryouga's legs.
Ryouga leaped over the attacking leg, rolling in the air once before landing behind Ranma. He immediately pivoted swinging his kick in a backward hook.
Ranma rolled forward into a handstand and pushed off spiraling in midair to land facing Ryouga. He fought to keep his breathing under control and hide his glance at his watch.
Ryouga moved forward like he was floating above the ground, his arms drawn back to his sides. He struck with both palms, the energy enveloping them exploding at Ranma like a battering ram.
Ranma was thrown to the ground. His vision lost all clarity for a moment, then snapped into focus as Ryouga grabbed him by his shirt.
Ryouga hoisted Ranma into the air with his left hand. Smiling he looked into his opponents face. "Pretty good kid. You still know how to delay me. But this time nothing's going to save you at the last minute. It's time for you to die."
There was a slight hissing sound from all around. Ryouga frowned and glanced at the ground, from which the black sprinkler-heads were rising like mushrooms. "NO!!" He reared up his right hand in preparation for a deathblow.
Ranma fell to the ground staring unfocused into the sky. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Raising her head she looked at the black piglet siting on her stomach. "Hey Ryouga, you back in charge?"
The piglet looked at her and nodded.
"Good," she responded, giving him a quick rub by his bandana. Cradling the pig in one arm she pulled herself to her feet. Taking off her backpack she quickly folded Ryouga's outfit and put it away. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but would you mind getting in here?"
"Who was that?" Nabiki asked as Ranma limped into the school.
Ranma looked at Nabiki, then at her watch. "Aren't you late for class?"
"Ah yes, trying to learn more about a fireball shooting psycho who almost killed me and my little sister rather than learn how to spell 'library'. Where are my priorities?"
Ranma sighed. He looked at Nabiki, and considered his options {TELL NO ONE}. "Alright, the short version, that was an old friend of mine named Ryouga Hibiki. A few years ago there was an accident at a Lemurian site he was helping me explore and he went a bit nuts."
"Kuno's a bit nuts. That guy's an emissary of planet loony."
"Look it's not that big a deal! I know how to deal with him, and since that accident left him even more lost than he was before I don't have to deal with him often."
Nabiki watched Ranma storm impatiently past her into the school building. "He's hiding something. And is he ever a rotten liar." Shaking her head she walked to her own class.
"So Ryouga follows you to this ancient Lemming temple." Akane commented skeptically
"Lemurian."
"And then he went nuts, started running around trying to kill you and you haven't tried to stop him?"
"I've been studying what happened to him, and I think I've almost figured out a cure."
"None of which explains the fireballs." Nabiki interjected.
Ranma glanced at her. Raising his hand, he tightened the grip, concentrating, then a fiery aura formed around the appendage, with a ball of blue forming within his clutching fingers. "Heavy chi." He commented before tossing the newly formed fireball into the ground, where it detonated forming a small crater. "Ryouga and I found a scroll explaining the principle a few years ago. It's a short-cut method for generating Chi augmented atmospheric projectiles using heavy emotion as a catalyst and control mechanism." Ranma turned to glance back, then back farther to where his three walking companions had stopped to look at the crater where his blast had fallen. "Is anything wrong?"
"You just . . . How did you do that?" Akane asked.
"Great-Grandmother never mention Ranma know thing like this."
"I told you, it's a technique that was described on a scroll Ryouga and I found a few years ago. It's simply a question of synchronising chi with emotion and focusing the wave intersection to one point."
"I see, and does that mean anything in Japanese?" Nabiki responded.
Ranma sighed. "You make yourself feel miserable, you concentrate your misery into a ball, you throw it at something, boom." He shook his head. "Modifying it to work with confidence, anger, curiosity, et cetera wasn't difficult, but I'm still trying to crack the problem of doing it without using emotion as a catalyst." He closed his eyes and shook his head. Then brought up a hand to stroke his chin. "Hmm, wait, if the curve went like that instead of . . . two N X pi cubed! That could be it!" Pivoting he started down the road at a run, slowing to leap from the street to a fencetop then onto the roofs, where he proceeded to bounce across town straight toward the Saotome house.
"OOH! Just when I think he's not really talking down to me, he pulls something like this!"
"Shampoo think she know what Akane mean, but Ranma always talked that way about not-really-demon-boy."
Nabiki walked up by the pair and added, "You do realise that he's lying, don't you?"
Akane and Shampoo slowed and looked at Nabiki. "Why Nabiki say that? Ranma very honest, have trouble often because not think not say wrong truth."
"I might not know Ranma but I know how to tell when people are trying to hide something, and Ranma was definitely trying to hide something about Ryouga."
"Do you have any idea what it is?" Akane asked.
"Not really, I think it had something to do with that Lemurian Chi whatever it was, and I couldn't make heads or tails of that."
"Great grandmother very wise, and she confused by lecture on Le . . . Lam . . . L-word Chi Techno-something."
The three girls walked in silence.
"How will we figure out what Ranma's hiding? Nabiki commented thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers. "Noriko."
Akane glanced at her sister. "Um, does she know very much more lemming whatever it was Ranma was talking about."
"She'd probably know a little more from having to listen to him talk about it at home, but what's important is that she really knows Ranma." Nabiki contemplated the cannal for a moment. "We don't want to get Ranma defensive untill we know what he's getting defensive about, so perhapse I ought to write up a note and have you give it to Noriko tonight." She said, glancing at Shampoo.
"Shampoo can do that, but not think it necessary. Ranma took Shampoo on date once, had good time, then Ranma get idea, start drawing circles and lines on paper, and so busy study paper he not notice when Shampoo went home!" Shampoo scowled . "Ranma apologize two day later, but Shampoo know Noriko make him."
Nabiki and Akane glanced at Shampoo with scowls of their own. "So Ranma dated you in China?" Akane asked.
Shaking her head, Shampoo replied, "Ranma feel it way to repay hospitality." She grined. "Ranma very stupid about romantic stuff, so Noriko plan everything." She giggled. "Noriko very mad at Ranma after hear what happen."
Ranma double checked his modifications to the sprinklers in the room. He double checked the super soaker and small water pistol he tied to his wrist. He looked over the room. He and Ryouga stood on a seven foot square concrete platform surounded by a nine inch deep pool of water which filled the rest of the fiveteen foot room. Putting Ryouga on the seat of the larger chair, he dipped a cupfull of water from the surrounding pool. Igniting a burner from a small propane tank, he heated the water a few moments, then turned off the fire. Glancing at the tables on both sides of the chair the pig sat on, he nodded to himself and poured the water onto Ryouga.
Looking at Ranma from under his driping wet bangs, Ryouga commented, "Took you long enough." With a scowl he stood, took the cotton robe from the table to his left and put it on.
Ranma simply picked up the small circular devices from the table, and attached two to Ryouga's temples with white tape circles. "Some things just can't be rushed. Don't move, I already told you about these sensors."
"I know your brilliance! Pigs aren't deaf, and neither am I. So how long will it take for you to get this thing out of me?"
Ranma sighed as he attached the final set of sensors to the back of Ryouga's hands. "Ryouga, I want to get you exorcised as badly as you do, but the Lemurian formulas are almost as tough to crack as Navaho codetalk. A few friends of mine at the University have been piecing linguistics together, but until they've gotten a better handle on it, I'm stuck with what I've been able to find on my own." Looking at the cobbled together apparatus on the table, he turned a few dials and nodded to himself. "Ok. Any luck timing your resistance?"
"I don't exactly carry a watch you know," Ryouga growled as he sat back, folding his arms. "I can tell you that the longest I've been a pig is a week, and I never felt any of that pressure. Also a week ago some chief tried to make boiled pork out of me, the lousy, rotten, after you get me fixed up I'm going to find him and . . ."
"Focus, Ryouga."
"Ahem, sorry." Ryouga angrily punched his right fist into his left palm. Closing his fingers to rub his fist he said, "There was a clock in the kitchen, and it was something like five-fifty. And when I lost it, I could hear some bells nearby chiming six." He looked down at his hands, muttering angrily under his breath.
"I see," Ranma commented as he double checked the readings. "Do you remember the ShiShiHokodan?"
"Of course I remember it! I also remember everything that my body does while you know who's in control. What about it?"
"Look, I set up a target on that wall, could you hit it with a small ShiShiHokodan?"
Ryouga looked at the metal disk on the wall, surounded by two yellow rings, and looked at Ranma. "Didn't you say that exciting the flow of Chi through my body might speed up my losing control?"
"May. And that's why you've got those sensors on. If I can figure out what happens when he takes over and what happens when your normal, I'll be that much closer to being able to get rid of him." Ranma paused to heft his super soaker. "Don't worry, I'm prepared."
"Your not the one who turns into the favorite dinner of most of the world." Ryouga muttered as he stood. He shifted into a wide stance, and raised his hands before him. Concentrating, he began to shine a fierce blue light. His aura concentrated in his hands, where a sphere of blue energy formed.
"It doesn't need to be too big," Ranma commented.
Ryouga directed an annoyed look at him, then refocused his attention on the target. The ball between his hands shone brighter. "SHISHIHOKODAN!!"
Ranma looked at the wall where Ryouga's chi blast had struck. Right in the middle of the target. The metal plate was surrounded by a network of cracks, and the plate itself was imbedded almost flush with the wall. *Either the alloy and converting system didn't work right or Ryouga's even stronger than I thought.*
"Ahhrh," Ryouga muttered as he flinched, grasping raising his left hand to rub at his forehead.
"Pressure?"
"Yeah, it's not overpowering yet, but it's starting and it's . . . Urrrgh, Quit it!"
Ranma shifted the super soaker in his hand, and circled to the table by Ryouga, and looked down at the dials. "Try holding back the flow of your chi through your lung meridian."
"Huh, whaa? Gaaah!"
Ranma grabbed Ryouga's arm at the wrist. "Feel this?" he asked as he started tapping a point on the inside of Ryouga's wrist. "Feel the resonance and try to stop it!"
Ryouga snarled to himself, and took on a look of intense concentration.
Ranma's finger continued to tap, once per second.
Five taps.
Ten taps.
Twelve. Ryouga's arm twisted as his hand grabbed Ranma's arm. His head came up, a black fire blazing in his eyes, his lips pulled tight in a beastial snarl.
Ranma pulled the trigger on the super soaker in his left hand.
"You spotted it too?" Noriko commented as looked into the empty bag of potato chips she held. Rolling it into a ball she casually bounced it off the wall into the wastebasket on the other side of her desk.
"I'm good at that sort of thing." Nabiki responded, glancing up at the girl on the bed. She, Akane and Shampoo were siting on the floor in a semicircle.
"Do you know what he's hiding?" Akane asked with a slightly annoyed voice.
"Not yet. Ranma's done a bit better job of keeping this secret than most of his others." She shook her head. "He's even started using this encryption thingy on his computer using Egyptian Heiroglyphs."
"What crypt?"
"Encryption Shampoo, it means a code. And he knows I'm pretty good with codes, so he used heiroglyphs to keep me from breaking it."
Nabiki glanced at Noriko. "You spy on your brother?"
"He needs to be spied on. He's mister supergenius with martial arts and scientific stuff, but he's a total moron with everything really important."
"Sorry about this buddy," Ranma commented as he double checked the large cage around the top of a table. Ryouga's pig form glaired at him a moment, then lay on the pillow. "You've got to stay a pig to stay yourself, and neither of us wants you to wander off and get lost either."
Ryouga snorted at him.
Ranma sighed and turned to the door to his second bedroom, then paused and walked to a different door opening it he walked through the room, running his hands over the wooden barrels filling the shelves on the wall. He stopped and looked at the one his hand had come to rest on. "Not yet." He droped his hand and turned his back on the barrel of Nanichuan water.
I am using them without permission, hopefully for the purpose of entertaining someone. If anyone who has a right to sue me has that desire, I have almost no money.
C&C is appreciated, you can contact me at brenda02@sprynet.com. And if you want to see the earlier parts of this and my other stories, you can find them at http://home.sprynet.com/~brenda02/Keith/Animeff.htm
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A Ranma 1/2 Fanfict
Surreal Genius
By Brendan O'Donnell
Part seven
Ranma scowled as he ran his pencil over the equations filling the notepad he was holding as he walked along the fence by the canal. Akane scowled at the ground as she paced beside him on the sidewalk. Behind the pair Nabiki strode with a smile on her face and a spring in her step
"Are you sure you want to retire from gymnastics so soon?" Nabiki asked with a grin.
"Yes." Ranma said, in an intense icy voice.
"I could have beaten her." Akane softly declared.
"Ah, but you and Shampoo were too busy." Nabiki mirthfully proclaimed to her sister.
"Ranma! Please warn that girl that there is a limit to what I'll tolerate from my family!" Akane declared, cracking her knuckles menacingly.
"Calm down Sis, I'm not going to say a word about this to anyone." Nabiki said raising her hands in a placating gesture.
Akane clenched her fists and increased her pace slightly. Ranma jumped down from the end of the fence and joined her. Nabiki looked at the pair walking together, and scowled for a moment.
The student's looked at the figure standing in front of Furinkan High School's main gate. A ragged, light brown cloak obscured his whole appearance, however in the shadows beneath the hood, his red eyes were visible, almost seeming to glow dimly. He had an unfocused air about him, suddenly it vanished as he looked down the street where Ranma and the two Tendo sisters were approaching at a slow run. He smiled slightly "Ranma!" he said as he walked forward at a casual pace.
Ranma looked at the figure approaching and slowed to a walk. "Ryouga." He glanced at Akane and Nabiki who had slowed down glancing at the Ranma and the cloaked figure with puzzled expressions. "Get to class, this doesn't concern you."
With a short almost cruel laugh Ryouga spread his arms. "Come come, you've had a long time to prepare for this day." Grinning he added, "I hope you've taken advantage of that gift of time." He brought his hands together before his chest, then lowered them as he glanced behind him with a scowl.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno shouted as he charged from the school, boken held high. "Today is the day you shall truly feel heavens wrath for your misdeeds! I, Tatewaki Kuno," he paused as Ryouga's hand suddenly extended, blocking his path. "And who are you to dare interfere with the great Tatewaki Kuno?"
"This isn't your business. Go before you get hurt."
"You dare take such a tone with the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!? I shall . . ."
With a slight twist at the waist, Ryouga slammed an open palmed strike into Kuno's midsection. The kendoist was thrown backward, rolling to a halt just before Furinkan's entrance. "Now Ranma." Ryouga said coolly, bringing his hands back in front of his chest.
"Ranma . . ." Nabiki began to ask, suddenly she felt him grab her by the waist.
"Hey!" Akane commented as Ranma grabbed her. She clenched her fist, then relaxed it as she stared at Ryouga.
Ryouga's hands had suddenly become engulfed in a fiery black streaked blue aura. Lightning seemed to pour from his palms forming into a black sphere with a speck of brilliant light in it's center. "Goodbye, Ranma," Ryouga said as he thrust his hands forward.
Nabiki screamed at the sight of the stream of mixed dark and bright energy surging at her and her two companions, then her scream shifted as Ranma jumped, right at Ryouga.
Ryouga jumped forward after his initial attack, his hands curled like claws, his aura surging like a fire from them. Ranma avoided the first attack by ducking his feet to his chest, and the second he avoided with a pivot that allowed Ryouga to move past him. Kicking at Ryouga's back, Ranma used his enemy as a springboard to throw himself and the two sisters in his arms to the school wall. He bounced from the top of the wall to the schoolyard just as a blast from Ryouga shattered said wall to rubble.
As he landed Ranma released both girls. "Get clear!" He said, jumping away from them.
Both Akane and Nabiki looked after him a moment, then with a scowl Akane declared, "Hey, I'm not some helpless child!" She took a step toward where Ranma was now standing in a defensive stance near the hole in the wall, stopping as she felt Nabiki grab her shoulder.
"Sis think! This isn't some love sick member of your fan club, this guy can shoot fireballs!"
"I'm not going too . . ."
Ryouga surged through the smashed section of wall. Seeing Ranma, he grabbed his cloak and tossed it aside. With a cry he leaped toward Ranma. As he landed he spun into a roundhouse kick which Ranma ducked under. Lowering his kicking leg Ryouga hooked it back, almost catching Ranma's shirt as he stepped back out of range. Stepping forward Ryouga started lashing out with his fists. Ranma slid back slightly, blocking and dodging the flurry of punches. Ryouga followed up a failed two handed strike with a fast straight kick at Ranma's chest.
Ranma sidestepped it, and jumped back, swinging his own foot to smash into Ryouga's chin as he back flipped five feet from his opponent.
"Still good with the defense I see." Ryouga commented smiling thinly. "Not that it'll do more than delay the inevitable." He stepped forward, his arms beginning to burn with their aura again.
Ryouga began lashing out like a hurricane, advancing in pace with Ranma's retreat. Every blow struck only air, pushing it at the building which was cracking under the impact. Ranma sudenly dodged to the side, striking a blurred fist into Ryouga's side. As Ryouga half staggered to the side he lashed out with a knifehand strike. Ranma jumped back. Glancing down he saw that the missed blow had cut open the front of his shirt. *Not good. Gotta be careful. OH NO!* Looking past Ryouga he just kept shock and fear from rising to his face.
"YAAH!" Akane called as she jumped in and spun into a kick to Ryouga's face. His attention focused on Ranma Ryouga fell back from the unexpected blow. Following him Akane slammed a fist into his solar plexus and knocked him onto his back with an uppercut. "Ignore me will you?!"
Ryouga rolled to his feet. He narrowed his eyes. Then he shifted his stance as Ranma jumped in lashing out with a series of fast kicks and punches. "Get out of the way Akane!"
"No way!" Akane shouted as she charged in at Ryouga. "I'm . . ."
Crossing his arms together before him, Ryouga explosively lashed out to both sides with a fierce shout. A great wall of air slammed into his opponents with the force of a battering ram. Ranma was pushed back, his feet gouging two seven foot long groves into the ground. Akane was thrown into the air, to land and roll to a stop fifteen feet away. As she pushed herself to her knees, Ryouga raised his hands, his aura once again blazing from elbow to fingertip.
"Look out!" Ranma called as Ryouga half stepped toward Akane, thrusting his hands forward. Power exploded from his hands and surged at Akane like a tidal wave.
Ranma jumped in kicking at Ryouga, this time his opponent dodged. Pivoting Ryouga raised his fist and hit Ranma straight on. Ranma was thrown back , smashing into the side of the school, forming a crater. Ryouga ran in after him, his finishing blow sinking into the wall to the elbow as Ranma ducked under it and jumped away.
Akane watched the wall of power coming at her, then felt an arm grab her waist and felt herself pulled along as the arms' owner jumped out of the blasts path. Glancing up she saw Shampoo's purple mane blown by the winds. "Akane be careful." Shampoo said as she landed. "This too tough opponent." Putting Akane down she looked at where the battle continued.
"Shampoo! We've got to help Ranma!" Akane said starting toward the two fighters, stopping as Shampoo raised a hand before her.
"We help, but not by charge in stupid. We watch fight, and help so Ranma not get hit because distracted." Akane's cheeks colored, but she simply looked at Ranma and Ryouga.
Ranma backed away from Ryouga, arms raised before him. His eyes rested on his watch a moment, then all his attention returned to Ryouga. Who was walking toward him, with the casual movement and smirking face of someone filled with absolute confidence.
Ranma slid his foot back, dropping into a solid defensive stance. He raised his hands to an onguard position, his eyes pausing imperceptibly on his wristwatch. *Seven minutes.*
Ryouga charged forward, lashing forward with a glowing spear-hand as he entered striking range. Ranma stepped backward and to the side, avoiding the blow. Ryouga jumped into a spinning kick. Ranma pulled just out of the way, but the air pressure of the blow threw him back ten feet.
Raising his hands, Ryouga formed a sphere of black power in his right hand and released it at Ranma in an instant, following it with eight more such blasts in rapid succession.
Ranma saw Ryouga's attack, and set himself, raising his hands before him. He centered his breathing in absolute concentration as Ryouga's barrage impacted with a series of explosions.
"Heh, too easy." Ryouga commented with a smirk. Then he blinked as the smoke cleared, revealing Ranma whose slightly scorched appearance was the only visible damage.
Ryouga looked at the greenish yellow glow fading from around Ranma's hands. "Well, I see you've actually learned a minor trick."
"Give me a month or two and you'll be really surprised." Ranma responded.
"Tempting, but no. Your death is my obligation and Hibiki's sense of direction has delayed it too long." Ryouga walked purposefully toward Ranma, power crackling along his arms. Ranma raised his hands in preparation. *Four minutes.*
Ryouga charged forward, and Ranma leaped back in response. Ryouga fired a blast beyond Ranma, who jumped to the side to avoid the blast. Ryouga fired another shot at Ranma's landing point, but Ranma had already jumped in at him.
Ranma kicked as he reached Ryouga, who staggered back two paces from the impact. Ranma continued forward, bombarding Ryouga with a dozen fast punches.
Ryouga ignored the attacks, concentrating instead on lashing out with his own attacks. Ranma was just able to avoid the first two punches Ryouga threw. Then the third blow glanced off Ranma's side, hurling him to the ground fifteen feet away.
Ryouga shifted his attention to the right, just as Akane stepped in and slammed a spinning kick into his side. He staggered back from her, raising his hands in preparation to attack, then was thrown back at her by a strong blow from behind. Akane met his stagger forward with a fast uppercut knocking him to the ground. He barely had time to feel the ground against his back when two bonbori maces smashed down on him.
Ranma pulled himself back to his feet, feeling where Ryouga's punch had tried to obliterate his ribcage.
Shampoo jumped back from Ryouga, landing by Akane.
"That should do it." Akane stated.
"No be sure, Shampoo remember this one. Fought Ranma near village. Great Grandmother say he demon, Ranma say not."
With a snarl Ryouga shook his head. The two girls focused their attention back on their opponent, who raised his hands, then slammed his palms into the ground. The force of the strike set Akane and Shampoo staggering backward a few steps, and tossed Ryouga into the air. With a quick twist of his body he landed in a crouch, then rose to a full standing position.
"Uh oh." Akane commented as she looked at Ryouga, who's entire body was burning with a black laced aura.
Ryouga narrowed his eyes angrily at the two girls. Then he glanced at Ranma. His eyes could see the Chi circulating through Ranma, and from the world into Ranma. He knew that in a few moments his opponent would have his pain and weakness almost completely suppressed. *Time to finish this.* He stepped toward the girls, swinging his hands through a fast circling pattern. The trailing remnants of the auras of his hands met forming a spiral pattern which exploded into a sideways tornado. Ryouga was pushed back five feet by the recoil, while Akane and Shampoo were both thrown into the air.
Ryouga turned to where Ranma was standing. The two looked each other in the eye. Ryouga clenched both fists, and snarled as his aura blazed with growing fury.
"RAAAAAA!!" Ryouga moved forward like a bullet from a gun. As his opponents momentum built, Ranma smoothly back away in a smooth glide angling to the corner. But the moment Ryouga entered striking range, he set one foot, swinging the other in a rising kick which blasted Ranma into the air.
Ranma landed and rolled to his feet.
Ryouga charged in, swinging a roundhouse punch as he reached his opponent.
Ranma ducked right and very low, swinging his foot to sweep Ryouga's legs.
Ryouga leaped over the attacking leg, rolling in the air once before landing behind Ranma. He immediately pivoted swinging his kick in a backward hook.
Ranma rolled forward into a handstand and pushed off spiraling in midair to land facing Ryouga. He fought to keep his breathing under control and hide his glance at his watch.
Ryouga moved forward like he was floating above the ground, his arms drawn back to his sides. He struck with both palms, the energy enveloping them exploding at Ranma like a battering ram.
Ranma was thrown to the ground. His vision lost all clarity for a moment, then snapped into focus as Ryouga grabbed him by his shirt.
Ryouga hoisted Ranma into the air with his left hand. Smiling he looked into his opponents face. "Pretty good kid. You still know how to delay me. But this time nothing's going to save you at the last minute. It's time for you to die."
There was a slight hissing sound from all around. Ryouga frowned and glanced at the ground, from which the black sprinkler-heads were rising like mushrooms. "NO!!" He reared up his right hand in preparation for a deathblow.
Ranma fell to the ground staring unfocused into the sky. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Raising her head she looked at the black piglet siting on her stomach. "Hey Ryouga, you back in charge?"
The piglet looked at her and nodded.
"Good," she responded, giving him a quick rub by his bandana. Cradling the pig in one arm she pulled herself to her feet. Taking off her backpack she quickly folded Ryouga's outfit and put it away. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but would you mind getting in here?"
"Who was that?" Nabiki asked as Ranma limped into the school.
Ranma looked at Nabiki, then at her watch. "Aren't you late for class?"
"Ah yes, trying to learn more about a fireball shooting psycho who almost killed me and my little sister rather than learn how to spell 'library'. Where are my priorities?"
Ranma sighed. He looked at Nabiki, and considered his options {TELL NO ONE}. "Alright, the short version, that was an old friend of mine named Ryouga Hibiki. A few years ago there was an accident at a Lemurian site he was helping me explore and he went a bit nuts."
"Kuno's a bit nuts. That guy's an emissary of planet loony."
"Look it's not that big a deal! I know how to deal with him, and since that accident left him even more lost than he was before I don't have to deal with him often."
Nabiki watched Ranma storm impatiently past her into the school building. "He's hiding something. And is he ever a rotten liar." Shaking her head she walked to her own class.
"So Ryouga follows you to this ancient Lemming temple." Akane commented skeptically
"Lemurian."
"And then he went nuts, started running around trying to kill you and you haven't tried to stop him?"
"I've been studying what happened to him, and I think I've almost figured out a cure."
"None of which explains the fireballs." Nabiki interjected.
Ranma glanced at her. Raising his hand, he tightened the grip, concentrating, then a fiery aura formed around the appendage, with a ball of blue forming within his clutching fingers. "Heavy chi." He commented before tossing the newly formed fireball into the ground, where it detonated forming a small crater. "Ryouga and I found a scroll explaining the principle a few years ago. It's a short-cut method for generating Chi augmented atmospheric projectiles using heavy emotion as a catalyst and control mechanism." Ranma turned to glance back, then back farther to where his three walking companions had stopped to look at the crater where his blast had fallen. "Is anything wrong?"
"You just . . . How did you do that?" Akane asked.
"Great-Grandmother never mention Ranma know thing like this."
"I told you, it's a technique that was described on a scroll Ryouga and I found a few years ago. It's simply a question of synchronising chi with emotion and focusing the wave intersection to one point."
"I see, and does that mean anything in Japanese?" Nabiki responded.
Ranma sighed. "You make yourself feel miserable, you concentrate your misery into a ball, you throw it at something, boom." He shook his head. "Modifying it to work with confidence, anger, curiosity, et cetera wasn't difficult, but I'm still trying to crack the problem of doing it without using emotion as a catalyst." He closed his eyes and shook his head. Then brought up a hand to stroke his chin. "Hmm, wait, if the curve went like that instead of . . . two N X pi cubed! That could be it!" Pivoting he started down the road at a run, slowing to leap from the street to a fencetop then onto the roofs, where he proceeded to bounce across town straight toward the Saotome house.
"OOH! Just when I think he's not really talking down to me, he pulls something like this!"
"Shampoo think she know what Akane mean, but Ranma always talked that way about not-really-demon-boy."
Nabiki walked up by the pair and added, "You do realise that he's lying, don't you?"
Akane and Shampoo slowed and looked at Nabiki. "Why Nabiki say that? Ranma very honest, have trouble often because not think not say wrong truth."
"I might not know Ranma but I know how to tell when people are trying to hide something, and Ranma was definitely trying to hide something about Ryouga."
"Do you have any idea what it is?" Akane asked.
"Not really, I think it had something to do with that Lemurian Chi whatever it was, and I couldn't make heads or tails of that."
"Great grandmother very wise, and she confused by lecture on Le . . . Lam . . . L-word Chi Techno-something."
The three girls walked in silence.
"How will we figure out what Ranma's hiding? Nabiki commented thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers. "Noriko."
Akane glanced at her sister. "Um, does she know very much more lemming whatever it was Ranma was talking about."
"She'd probably know a little more from having to listen to him talk about it at home, but what's important is that she really knows Ranma." Nabiki contemplated the cannal for a moment. "We don't want to get Ranma defensive untill we know what he's getting defensive about, so perhapse I ought to write up a note and have you give it to Noriko tonight." She said, glancing at Shampoo.
"Shampoo can do that, but not think it necessary. Ranma took Shampoo on date once, had good time, then Ranma get idea, start drawing circles and lines on paper, and so busy study paper he not notice when Shampoo went home!" Shampoo scowled . "Ranma apologize two day later, but Shampoo know Noriko make him."
Nabiki and Akane glanced at Shampoo with scowls of their own. "So Ranma dated you in China?" Akane asked.
Shaking her head, Shampoo replied, "Ranma feel it way to repay hospitality." She grined. "Ranma very stupid about romantic stuff, so Noriko plan everything." She giggled. "Noriko very mad at Ranma after hear what happen."
Ranma double checked his modifications to the sprinklers in the room. He double checked the super soaker and small water pistol he tied to his wrist. He looked over the room. He and Ryouga stood on a seven foot square concrete platform surounded by a nine inch deep pool of water which filled the rest of the fiveteen foot room. Putting Ryouga on the seat of the larger chair, he dipped a cupfull of water from the surrounding pool. Igniting a burner from a small propane tank, he heated the water a few moments, then turned off the fire. Glancing at the tables on both sides of the chair the pig sat on, he nodded to himself and poured the water onto Ryouga.
Looking at Ranma from under his driping wet bangs, Ryouga commented, "Took you long enough." With a scowl he stood, took the cotton robe from the table to his left and put it on.
Ranma simply picked up the small circular devices from the table, and attached two to Ryouga's temples with white tape circles. "Some things just can't be rushed. Don't move, I already told you about these sensors."
"I know your brilliance! Pigs aren't deaf, and neither am I. So how long will it take for you to get this thing out of me?"
Ranma sighed as he attached the final set of sensors to the back of Ryouga's hands. "Ryouga, I want to get you exorcised as badly as you do, but the Lemurian formulas are almost as tough to crack as Navaho codetalk. A few friends of mine at the University have been piecing linguistics together, but until they've gotten a better handle on it, I'm stuck with what I've been able to find on my own." Looking at the cobbled together apparatus on the table, he turned a few dials and nodded to himself. "Ok. Any luck timing your resistance?"
"I don't exactly carry a watch you know," Ryouga growled as he sat back, folding his arms. "I can tell you that the longest I've been a pig is a week, and I never felt any of that pressure. Also a week ago some chief tried to make boiled pork out of me, the lousy, rotten, after you get me fixed up I'm going to find him and . . ."
"Focus, Ryouga."
"Ahem, sorry." Ryouga angrily punched his right fist into his left palm. Closing his fingers to rub his fist he said, "There was a clock in the kitchen, and it was something like five-fifty. And when I lost it, I could hear some bells nearby chiming six." He looked down at his hands, muttering angrily under his breath.
"I see," Ranma commented as he double checked the readings. "Do you remember the ShiShiHokodan?"
"Of course I remember it! I also remember everything that my body does while you know who's in control. What about it?"
"Look, I set up a target on that wall, could you hit it with a small ShiShiHokodan?"
Ryouga looked at the metal disk on the wall, surounded by two yellow rings, and looked at Ranma. "Didn't you say that exciting the flow of Chi through my body might speed up my losing control?"
"May. And that's why you've got those sensors on. If I can figure out what happens when he takes over and what happens when your normal, I'll be that much closer to being able to get rid of him." Ranma paused to heft his super soaker. "Don't worry, I'm prepared."
"Your not the one who turns into the favorite dinner of most of the world." Ryouga muttered as he stood. He shifted into a wide stance, and raised his hands before him. Concentrating, he began to shine a fierce blue light. His aura concentrated in his hands, where a sphere of blue energy formed.
"It doesn't need to be too big," Ranma commented.
Ryouga directed an annoyed look at him, then refocused his attention on the target. The ball between his hands shone brighter. "SHISHIHOKODAN!!"
Ranma looked at the wall where Ryouga's chi blast had struck. Right in the middle of the target. The metal plate was surrounded by a network of cracks, and the plate itself was imbedded almost flush with the wall. *Either the alloy and converting system didn't work right or Ryouga's even stronger than I thought.*
"Ahhrh," Ryouga muttered as he flinched, grasping raising his left hand to rub at his forehead.
"Pressure?"
"Yeah, it's not overpowering yet, but it's starting and it's . . . Urrrgh, Quit it!"
Ranma shifted the super soaker in his hand, and circled to the table by Ryouga, and looked down at the dials. "Try holding back the flow of your chi through your lung meridian."
"Huh, whaa? Gaaah!"
Ranma grabbed Ryouga's arm at the wrist. "Feel this?" he asked as he started tapping a point on the inside of Ryouga's wrist. "Feel the resonance and try to stop it!"
Ryouga snarled to himself, and took on a look of intense concentration.
Ranma's finger continued to tap, once per second.
Five taps.
Ten taps.
Twelve. Ryouga's arm twisted as his hand grabbed Ranma's arm. His head came up, a black fire blazing in his eyes, his lips pulled tight in a beastial snarl.
Ranma pulled the trigger on the super soaker in his left hand.
"You spotted it too?" Noriko commented as looked into the empty bag of potato chips she held. Rolling it into a ball she casually bounced it off the wall into the wastebasket on the other side of her desk.
"I'm good at that sort of thing." Nabiki responded, glancing up at the girl on the bed. She, Akane and Shampoo were siting on the floor in a semicircle.
"Do you know what he's hiding?" Akane asked with a slightly annoyed voice.
"Not yet. Ranma's done a bit better job of keeping this secret than most of his others." She shook her head. "He's even started using this encryption thingy on his computer using Egyptian Heiroglyphs."
"What crypt?"
"Encryption Shampoo, it means a code. And he knows I'm pretty good with codes, so he used heiroglyphs to keep me from breaking it."
Nabiki glanced at Noriko. "You spy on your brother?"
"He needs to be spied on. He's mister supergenius with martial arts and scientific stuff, but he's a total moron with everything really important."
"Sorry about this buddy," Ranma commented as he double checked the large cage around the top of a table. Ryouga's pig form glaired at him a moment, then lay on the pillow. "You've got to stay a pig to stay yourself, and neither of us wants you to wander off and get lost either."
Ryouga snorted at him.
Ranma sighed and turned to the door to his second bedroom, then paused and walked to a different door opening it he walked through the room, running his hands over the wooden barrels filling the shelves on the wall. He stopped and looked at the one his hand had come to rest on. "Not yet." He droped his hand and turned his back on the barrel of Nanichuan water.
