Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, or the rest of the gang, because Rumiko Takahashi owns them. I do own Suiren and Keimara, so, yeah.
Author's Notes: This is chapter seven, and hopefully my computer won't delete it like it did last time! Anyway, I'm gonna finish this story soon, because school just let out, so I've got more time… but then there's my Neopets…
~
Nodoka stirred. She didn't know where she was, but she was aware of her bonds and the darkness surrounding her. She heard a low, throaty laugh. Something wasn't right. She struggled against her bonds, but all was in vain. The knots were tied too tightly. She heard the laugh again, but this time a voice followed it.
"So, you're awake. Good, we have…business to discuss." The laugh again. This time, the laugh stopped abruptly, and was followed by a moan of pain.
'Where am I? Where's Ranma and Suiren?'
~
Ranma sat in the living room, nursing his bruises. Suiren was sitting on the roof, planning how to get their mother back. His father was upstairs, trying to rest a bit. The Tendos sat around the house, nervous and fidgety. No one could sleep, the thought of Keimara coming back was too…scary. Ranma pushed a stray strand of his hair out of his face, and stared at the ladder propped against the house. Finally, Suiren slowly climbed down the ladder.
Her face was down, her shoulders slumped. When she looked up at Ranma, her expression was dark, her eyes hard. "Ranma, get Dad. What we have to do only evolves the three of us."
"But Suiren," protested Akane, "we want to help."
"You can help by not getting I the way. I know that sounds like a dumb cliché, but if you come, you'll only provide more hostages for Keimara. I know the way his mind woks, and it's not pretty." Suiren walked upstairs and into Ranma and Genma's room. She sat on the floor and stared at the floorboards.
"Suiren, what are you planning to do?"
Suiren looked up at her father. "It's quite simple, really. All we have to do is…" Suiren stopped suddenly. She stared out the window, at the tree outside. Wordlessly, she stood and ran down the stairs and outside. She kicked the tree, and a man in black clothes fell from the branches. Before he could run away, Suiren had him by the shirt collar. She hoisted him up. He struggled, but Suiren only tightened her grip on his shirt.
"I won't talk!"
"I'm sure you won't." Suiren dragged him inside and dragged him up the stairs, ignoring his cries and groans of pain. She threw him on the floor in front of her father and Ranma. "Keimara's spy. He claims he won't talk, but I'm sure we'll be able to make him say something." The man tried to escape, but Suiren knocked him to the floor by slamming her foot on his neck. "You sure you're not gonna talk?" Suiren applied more pressure to her foot, cutting off the man's air supply.
"I'll talk," he gasped, "just take your foot off my neck!" Suiren took her foot off his neck. He rubbed his neck, where soon he would have a nasty bruise.
"Why does Keimara want my wife?"
"Suiren told you already. He only wants those techniques."
"Wrong, he wants revenge."
"Suiren…what do you mean?" asked Ranma.
"Let's go back in time. To ten years ago, when I first escaped from Keimara. He wasn't about to let me go without getting those secrets, so he hunted me down. Keimara was the one who found me in a dark alley. He approached me, anger blazing in his eyes. I tripped, and landed on the ground, hard. He walked faster, more intent on catching me." Suiren closed her eyes against the horrible memories from so long ago. "I felt around for a weapon, something, anything would do. I found a jagged piece of glass, and I hid it in my hand, until Keimara was almost upon me. Before he could grab me, I slammed the glass deep into his chest. As Keimara fell, I ran as fast as I could." She opened her eyes and looked at Ranma. "I told you I needed speed, and that was one of the first times." Suiren returned her focus to telling the story at hand. "But I ran blindly, and crashed into one of Keimara's men, and he took me back to the hideout."
"Yes, I remember that. You kicked and screamed the whole way. You even bit my hand. I still bear that scar, you know."
Suiren reached out and grabbed his long, blonde ponytail. She yanked his head backward. "So, you're the one who took me back!"
"Yes, why do you think I was assigned to spy on you?"
"Jackass! I didn't scream or kick! You knocked me out! I bit your hand when you first grabbed me!"
"Oh yeah…"
"Jackass." Suiren pushed him away.
"Do you know why Keimara still wants revenge after all these years? He still has that glass piece in his chest! Our doctors were unable to remove it, in fear he wouldn't make it through the operation. And we couldn't take him to a hospital, because of his police record. That glass causes him great agony, and reminds him each day of what you did to him!"
"Oh, shut up! Keimara was only a powerful leader, because he scared the shit out of his army! That's the only reason you follow him, you're scared!"
"I…. That's a lie! Keimara is a powerful leader because….because…he…um…"
"Scares the shit out of you guys. You are nothing but pitiless puddles of quivering flesh! You obey his every command in order to spare your own worthless lives!" The man didn't respond. "Anyway, where is Keimara right now? He can't be far."
"You're right. He's right here in Nerima. In an old warehouse. But that's all I'm telling you." With that, the man stood, and ran out the window, shattering the glass and sending jagged fragments over the three Saotomes. Suiren jumped up and ran to the window, but the man was not on the ground. He was nowhere to be seen.
"Suiren, what's this with the glass?"
"Keimara is a stubborn mule, to say the least. When he goes out for revenge, he does everything in his power, and other people's power, to get what he wants. He's even willing to risk his life for it. I never thought he would take it this far." Suiren leaned her head against the window frame, and was silent. A single tear slid down her cheek. "I never should have come here, not until I had defeated him. I've just put my entire family I danger without even realizing it," she whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Suiren, there's nothing to be sorry about. We'll get Mom back, and beat Keimara, and we'll do it together, as a family. Right Pop?"
"Yes. We're sticking together, and we're going to pull through this."
"Alright, then. Here's my plan."
~
The man ran as fast as he could. He approached the warehouse, and had second thoughts about what he was going to say to Keimara. He would surely lose his life…no matter. Keimara needed to know. He slipped into the warehouse, and called out to the shadows. "Sir? I have a report." Kei's purr rumbled through the building, sending shivers down the man's spine.
"Proceed."
"Sir, Suiren found me in the tree…and she forced me to talk."
"Did you tell her where we are?"
"I only told her you were in an old warehouse here in Nerima, nothing more." The man prepared for the outburst. But it didn't come.
Instead, Keimara said, "Very well. She'll find us faster, and we want that, don't we Kei?" The purr became louder, if that was possible. "Don't bother going back, there's nothing more to find out. Stay here, and assemble the troop. But only one. We don't want to scare her off, now, do we?"
"No, Sir." The man left to gather the army.
~
Suiren unfolded a map of Nerima. She had circled all the abandoned warehouses in Nerima. "This one is the closest one to the edge of the ward, and knowing Keimara, that's where he most likely is."
"But why that one?"
"So if the police come, he can make a fast getaway from here, and not be caught. It's all very simple, little brother."
"Well, sorry. I'm not the one who lived with a criminal for eight years."
"Yes, and in those eight years, I learned a lot about the way Keimara's twisted mind works. That's the vital component to this whole ordeal." Ranma just shrugged. "Alright, we'll move out in the morning, which isn't too long from now. We'll take the rooftops to the warehouse, but don't count on ambushing them. That spy that was here a little while ago has probably already reported to Keimara everything we discussed here. Keimara will have his army waiting for us. Now, every single one of them is a trained and ruthless martial artist, and they would have no regrets about snapping your neck clean off. It's what they do. Now, let's rest up as best we can. We need all the energy possible to pull this through." Suiren stood and left the room. Instead of going to Akane's room, she went back outside and to the roof. 'He's still holding that glass shard against me? I thought he had already hurt me enough as payment. But then, Keimara's as sharp as a needle, but he's as thick as a brick. He doesn't know pity when it's staring him in the face. Everything is revenge or conquest to him. He won't rest until one of us is dead.'
~
A few hours later, Suiren, Ranma, and Genma were racing from rooftop to rooftop to the warehouse. They had to be fast. About a block away from the warehouse, Suiren called a halt.
"The atmosphere is different here…Keimara's waiting for us inside. But be careful for any traps. And Dad, no going Panda. We need your help." Genma nodded. "Good, let's go." They crept up on the building, and they heard the ominous purr. Ranma froze. "What's wrong?"
"Does he have a-a-a- c-c-cat-t-t?"
"Yes, one named Kei. Why?"
Ranma groaned. Genma spoke up. "The Cat-Fist will come in handy, no one can beat you once you've gone 'cat.'"
"Cat-Fist? Oh yeah. Still, be wary of Kei. He's a huge, white cat, and he's just as evil as Keimara, almost his feline counterpart. Trust me on that. And that cat can fight and defeat even the largest dogs. So be really careful." As they approached the door, Suiren noticed the guards were missing from their posts. Ranma noticed too.
"Maybe he's not here. There are no guards out here."
"They're inside. Keimara's welcoming us into his trap." Suiren opened the heavy door, and the door swung slowly open on rusty hinges. The three stepped inside. Suiren's eyes adjusted quickly to the lack of light. She peered into the shadows, and saw twenty men standing in perfectly arranged lines. The men looked as if they were fresh from a photocopier. Each man wore tight black clothes, and had a long blonde ponytail. They each wore the same hard, expressionless face, but each and every man looked ready to fight at a moment's notice. Keimara's training methods hadn't changed one bit. Suiren smiled a bit. She addressed the men. "We don't want to deal with you. I have a score to settle with Keimara, and I plan on doing that without wasting time."
One man, the leader, stepped forward. "You have to get through us first." He took up a ready stance, and Suiren was just about to attack him when Keimara's voice called out.
"No, she doesn't. Well, Suiren. Long time no see."
"Yes, thank God."
"I'll ignore that. So, I see you've brought some friends. Oh, no, wait, I'm sorry…"
"Like hell you are! You're never sorry about anything!"
"I guess you're right. As I was saying, I see you've brought you're family along for the ride. Tell me, have you not figured out yet that I'll just hurt them, maybe even kill them, or are they just here for emotional support?"
"For the moment, they're just emotional support," she held up her hand to stop Ranma's protest, "but if you cheat, or if anyone of your men steps into our fight in anyway, they're here to kick you ass!"
"Ah, I see. Would you like to speak with your mother? She's been waiting for you to come."
"Shut up, Keimara. I'm here to fight you and settle our long-standing score!"
"Fine, if you win, I'll return your mother…"
"And if you win, you can have the secrets to Umisen-ken and Yamasen-ken."
"And can I kill you as well?"
"This is a fight to the death. You would have to kill me to win."
"Works for me. Men, fall back!" As his voice echoed through the building, the men cowered a bit, but the stepped back. Keimara stepped from the shadows. He hadn't changed a bit either. He was still tall, with rugged features and a long, blonde ponytail with a blood-red streak. He had less muscle than eight years before. The glass shard must have prevented him from practicing. All the better for Suiren. "You've named one rule, now let me name one. Anything goes. There are no illegal moves or attacks."
"There is nothing in this world that you find illegal Keimara. And one more thing. Your men can't interfere or step in in anyway, and that includes harming my family. Or else you forfeit."
"I'm not all for the forfeiting part, but…"
"Do you agree or not?"
"Yes, I agree."
"Then let's begin." The two took up ready stances. Keimara attacked first. He jumped into the air. "Guess what, Suiren. I've learned some new attacks since the last time we met!"
"So have I, Keimara, so have I." Keimara attempted to kick Suiren from the air, but Suiren read his moves and easily dodged his attack. "You're getting sloppy, Keimara! I could see that one coming!"
"Could you, now? Well, how about this one!" He attacked for the ground this time. He released a number of punches at top speed. Suiren jumped up, and kicked out, striking Keimara in the back of the head.
"Yup. Too easy. You need to practice more."
"If you hadn't shoved that goddamned piece of glass in me, I would be killing you right now!"
"Ha! Just you try! You know what, Keimara? I feel like ending this now!"
"How? You couldn't beat me in a million years!"
"I can, with my secret attack! The Dance of the Dragon!"
"Well, guess what. I don't want to end this! I'm gonna wear you down, then I'm gonna…" Keimara stopped in mid step. His eyes bulged as he clutched his chest.
Suiren seized the opportunity. "I'm ending this!" Suiren jumped backward. She checked that Ranma and her father were behind her and Keimara's men were in front of her. She didn't want her family caught in this deadly attack. Suiren planted her feet on the ground. She noticed the doctor pushing his way through the crowd. "Ah ah ah," she scolded, "no interfering!" She crossed her arms over her chest, and began forming white chi energy. Sweat rolled down her face as she concentrated. She was putting all her energy into this move. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated harder.
Nodoka watched safely from the shadows as Suiren fought Keimara. She watched Suiren concentrate her chi. 'What's she doing?'
Keimara also watched in amazement. He had never seen anyone use a chi attack before, and Suiren was putting a great deal of effort into this one attack. If he could, he would attack her, kill her while she was distracted from the fight, but he couldn't move. He had expended too much energy on his earlier attacks, he had reached his limit.
Suiren opened her eyes, her attack now fully formed. "This is it, Keimara! May you burn in Hell! DANCE OF THE DRAGON!!!" Suiren jumped in the air and uncrossed her arms, releasing her attack. White chi energy spiraled out into a widening circle. White chi in the form of discs raced through the air. The chi engulfed Keimara and his army in a blinding flash of white light. Suiren landed on the ground with a thud.
Ranma raced to her side, while Genma raced to free his wife. Ranma held Suiren in his arms. "Suiren, Suiren, you did it. You beat Keimara and his entire army!"
Suiren moaned softly and opened her eyes. "Finally. Ranma, do you know what attack that was?"
"No."
"That was the deadly Dance of the Dragon. Another hate technique. It's deadly to whoever comes I contact with the actual chi, and the one who releases the chi." Nodoka and Genma crouched at her side.
"No, Suiren, you can't die," sobbed Nodoka.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"What have you got to be sorry about?"
"I got the three of you in danger. I ruined you happiness. Ranma…promise me something."
"What, Suiren?"
"Marry the one you love. Not a girl you're forced to marry. Promise me this Ranma, please."
"I promise."
"I just want you to be happy. I love all of you." Suiren closed her eyes, her breath slowed, and finally, it stopped. Nodoka cried on Genma's shoulder. A tear slid down Ranma's cheek, and he bent over his sister's still form and sobbed.
~
The Tendos waited for the return of the Saotomes. Nabiki saw them first, and she called from her bedroom window. "They're here! They're here!" The four Tendos ran to greet the Saotomes. But only three of the Saotomes were standing.
Ranma was carrying his sister's body, and Nodoka was still crying softly.
"What's wrong with Suiren?" asked Akane.
Ranma choked back a sob, and said, "She's dead." Akane looked at his tear stained face and knew he wasn't lying. The happy mood quickly shifted to sad.
~
Seven people stood in the Tendo garden, out by the koi pond. They stood in front of a rectangular patch of freshly dug dirt. Everyone was crying. Suiren had just been buried, with a very sad goodbye. Everyone turned to head back into the house, but Ranma stayed out by the grave. Akane stopped, and went back to Ranma. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. Akane had never seen him like this before.
"I can't believe I just lost her. We had just met…"
"I miss her too. She was great to be with."
"She was, wasn't she. And she understood my curse. Why did she have to use that technique?"
"Just think, if she hadn't, she would most likely still have lost to Keimara, and we wouldn't be burying her in one piece."
"Yeah, I know." Ranma looked up at the sky. "She made me promise her something. And I'm going to do it, no matter what."
"What?"
"She made me make a promise, kind of like a dying wish. She made me promise to marry the one I loved. She just wants me to be happy." Ranma smiled a bit. "You know, she said she destroyed our happiness. What do you think?"
"I think she made our lives a little brighter, and she made our lives happier, if that's possible. She left a part of herself with each and everyone of us. She made a big impact on our lives. We're never going to be the same again."
"Yeah, you're right."
~
Author's Notes: **sobsob** It's so sad! (Yes, I'm crying!) I still can't believe I killed Suiren! Originally, I was going to make this a happy, sappy fic, but then Keimara popped up…and next thing you know, Suiren's dead! Oh well, I guess I like the fic better this way. Tell me what you think. Either review here, or e-mail me at horsecrazy217@hotmail.com