You know the drill: If you got something to vent at me, send it here:
oddball22@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: I deny it all. There is no country called Japan. America?
Never heard of it either. Earth? Nope. It's all a figment of your
imagination. Ranma? Fancfic? What are these things? What are you talking
about? Go away, you bother me. Who am I? That's top secret...
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Winds of Change
Chapter 8
Kenji awoke to see Ukyo's tear-streaked face staring down at
him. "Did we do it? he asked weakly.
"Yes, you did it," she said.
[If we did it, why are you crying?] he wanted to ask, but he
blacked out again.
This latest wind blast had been his biggest so far. After he
did the one against Ryoga, Ranma had told him that he'd need to build up
his ki in order to use it more effectively. Otherwise, it would drain
him everytime he tried it.
[Where am I now?] was his first conscious thought as Kenji
awoke.
Getting up, a quick check confrimed that he was currently in
lupine form(much to his disgust), and confined in a small wire cage that
left little room to maneuver. The cage was sitting on top of a sturdy
wooden table in a small brick room with only a single visible exit, a
heavy wooden door on the far side of the room. The only light came from
four flickering torches along the walls.
"Ah, he awakes!" came an all-too familiar voice.
Kenji looked up straight into the face of the Lord of Fire. His
hatred and anger peaked immediately, causing the small animal to growl
and lunge in an attempt to bite the face, but his target was out of
reach. His nose slammed into the cage, causing him to whimper in pain.
"Naughty, naughty, " he scolded. "Can't have you injured before
I kill you!"
Kenji growled, then barked what he hoped was a menacing bark.
"What's that? Why don't I kill you now? Well, there are two very
good reasons for that. Well, first of all, this gives your friends a
chance to save you. We'd have a pretty pathetic plot otherwise. And the
second reason is, well, allow me to explain..."
"He wants Kenji's power."
"Excuse me?" Ukyo blinked.
Cologne sighed. "I said he wants Kenji's power."
The group now numbered ten, since Ukyo, Konatsu, and Ryoga had
joined. They were also traveling on board a south-bound train.
The gang had found Ukyo and Ryoga shortly after fire guy had
made his exit. They revived Ukyo and transformed Ryouga back to normal
(Ranma was able to change him back without anyone noticing, of course).
At first they were just going to leave Ukyo at home to recuperate, but
she insisted on coming along and nobody wanted to say no to a ticked-off
Ukyo wielding her mega-spatula. Konatsu insisted on coming along to
protect Ukyo.
Secretly, Ranma was worried about his old friend. She was
trying her best to hide it, but he could tell the whole experience had
her shaken up pretty good. For all he knew, she probably still somewhat
in shock. From a certain standpoint he understood, since the chef had
never really been a part of their stranger events that Ranma, Akane, and
the rest had been involved with, like Herb, Pink and Link, and
Saffron...
Ryoga wanted come along to protect Akane, since she had
convinced Ranma she was coming, too. Also, he still wanted his revenge
against Kenji, the `snot-nosed punk who blasted me.' And he couldn't do
that if his opponent was dead.
"Perhaps you better start at the beginning," Soun offered.
Cologne took in a deep breath. "Long ago, there was a small
sect of wizards that lived in the Tibetan mountains. The wizards
discovered that by specializing in a specific element, they could become
very powerful. They soon turned into four sects, one for each element:
Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. The leader of each sect became known as
the Lord of that group.
"I don't know how it began, but eventually the four tribes
started fighting against each other to determine which was superior. In
reality, none was better than the other except in this order: Fire could
beat water, water beat earth, earth beat wind, and wind beat fire."
"So who was the weakest?" Ryoga asked.
Everybody face-faulted and Ranma whacked Ryoga.
"What'd I say?" complained Ryoga.
Cologne cleared her throat. "In time, the Lords realized that
if they were to continue fighting, they would wipe themselves out. So
they universally declared that no group may fight the others. Any to be
found doing so, would be immediately punished. The only exception were
the duals. Now, fast forward to the present. The groups still exist and
have about 30 members per sect."
"That's about, um let's see..." Ranma started. "Carry the two,
subtract the one..." He stopped when Akane whacked him.
"It's 120, baka." Akane grinned and Ranma looked stunned. "Try
keeping up on your math homework."
"A-hem!" Cologne cleared her throat again. "May I continue? As I
was saying, they still exist, though they live largely in secrecy. New
members are born to the current ones, and that's how the ranks are
maintained, passing on and strengthening the elemental bloodline through
the new child. They have become so adept with their chosen element, that
they are considered to be more elemental than wizard, but still can
wield general magical power.
Cologne took a breath and waited to see if anyone would
interupt. No one did, so she continued. "Kenji is a child of the Wind
Sect and was somehow dragged from where he was, and plopped onto your
doorstop with no memory. I don't know exactly what's going on, but since
only the Fire Lord has appeared, I'm assuming the other Lords are either
in agreement with his actions, which I highly doubt, or have been
neutralized somehow. Also, since Ukyo-san and Kenji-san were attacked by
only three members-earth, water, and fire-I'm assuming the wind sect has
either been wiped or driven out. Probably because they are strongest
against fire and if you're a Lord of Fire, it's just getting rid of a
potentially deadly enemy. Since fire is now the strongest, the other
sects most likely fell in line, lest they be wiped out as well.
"Now, the reason Kenji was captured and not killed, is probably
because the Lord of Fire wants Kenji's powers. There are only a few way
of transferring magical abilities, and most of that knowledge has been
lost with time. Since he wants Kenji alive, we can assume he's found a
way. With both fire and wind, and possibly the others as well, at his
command, he could become quite powerful. Although I'm guessing he's more
half-elemental since I didn't sense it in him when I first visited." She
shrugged. "I still don't know why he's after Kenji instead of just
taking another member of the wind sect."
"So, he cursed him, to make him easier to get," a logical
thought crossed Ranma's brain.
"Most likely, since Kenji could still put up quite a struggle in
his human form," Cologne commented, then frowned. [There's another
reason he's cursed, but I can't tell them yet.]
"But where did he get the Jusenkyo water?" Mousse asked. "I
thought it all got mixed and was rendered useless when the pools were
flooded."
"Must be some reserves the sect collected before then," Cologne
answered. "Wizards naturally keep a lot of magical items stocked."
The cursed ones conjured up an image of finding the spring of
drowned man (or woman for Shampoo) reserves and turning back to normal.
Wicked grins appeared on their faces.
"Just think..." Ryoga started.
"We could..." Mousse followed.
"Finally be..." Genma was next.
"CURED!" Ranma finished up.
Ukyo whacked the four with her spatula. "We're here to rescue
Kenji-kun first!" She sighed. "So, how's he going to get Kenji's power?"
Ukyo asked thoughtfully.
Cologne shifted on her stick. "There's probably some ritual or
spell that needs to be done that takes awhile to accomplish. Him being
cursed could have something to do with it. I'm guessing it'll be
accomplished at the end of the 6 hours, in which case Kenji will be no
more. That puts the deadline at midnight tonight."
"What time is it now?" Akane asked nervously.
Genma glanced at his watch. "9:30pm," he said solemnly.
Just then, the whistle blew for the next stop.
"Okay, this where we get off," Cologne informed them.
"Just one more thing old ghoul," Ranma asked as they got off the
train. "Why are you helping us?"
Cologne blinked. "Because it's the right thing to do."
"Yeah, right," Ranma laughed.
The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Also because if he isn't
stopped, his power will grow to be enormous and there's only two things
someone with a lot of power wants: more power and revenge. The Amazons
stopped the sect when they attempt to conquer part of China long ago.
They were supposed to remain in China as part of their defeat. I'm
guessing the Lord of Fire will remember this and will use his extra
power to wipe out the Amazons. With the only group capable of stopping
him out of the way, he will be free to unleash his power on the world."
"Wouldn't China or some other nation just send in their army, or
hit them with a Nuke or something?" Akane asked.
Cologne turned to her. "Remember, these are powerful wizards we
are dealing with. Imagine the offending nation having their entire
stockpile of weapons explode at once. Imagine missles in flight being
magically redirected.. With enough power at his disposal, the Fire Lord
could do just this."
She shook her head. "No, the only way to stop him is to face
him down directly, now, before it's too late."
"So you see now?" the Fire Lord asked Kenji. He had just gotten
through explaining basically the same thing Cologne did. "It's nothing
personal, I just want your power. When the ritual is finished, you will
just be a mindless animal.
"Whenever I tried to capture a member of the wind sect, they
killed themselves before I could absorb their power. When they found out
what I was up to, the rest went into hiding, somehow shielding
themselves from my attempts to find them. That's when I learned of your
family, and knew at least one of you would make the perfect sacrifice."
He grinned maliciously, "You see, you are the last one I need."
Kenji watched in horrid fascination as the Fire Lord made a few
hand gestures. Promptly, the moisture in the air surrounding them
condensed into a small ball of water that floated in mid-air between the
Fire Lord's hands. With a twist of the wrist, he pitched the water ball
into a wall. A few more hand gestures and part of the rock in the wall
separated, forming a small golem. It walked over to the cage, waved,
then fell apart.
The Fire Lord drew himself up to his full height. "There is
legend among us mystics, that the one who can control all the elements,
will gain access to the fifth and greatest power: Void." His eyes
suddenly seemed to burn with an ebony flame, and Kenji involuntarily
took a step back.
"Woof, woof!"
"Why did I invite your friends and tell them where to find me?"
the Lord of Fire grinned. "Simple, I want to absorb their power, too.
Especially Saotome. He's quite powerful. And since they've only seen me
do fire tricks, they'll underestimate me. I wouldn't worry about them
actually saving you, however, I've got more than enough troops here to
ensure my success." He looked at his watch. "Well, 2 hours to go! Have
to wait until the moon is in the proper position and the cooking pot is
brought to the proper temperature."
"Woof!"
"Naw, I'm not gonna eat you, just getting dinner ready for my
victory celebration. And don't worry about your girlfriend. She doesn't
have any power I want, so I'll just kill her." He turned to go, then
stopped suddenly. "Oh, I think I should tell you that one of your so-
called friends helped me to find you. Next time you see icequeen, thank
her for me, for posting all your information on the internet!"
Kenji's heart sank as the Fire Lord moved off, leaving him
alone with a pair of guards. [Ice Queen? I don't know anybody named
that. Unless it's somebody's nickname. Who, though?] Anger flashed
through him. [I should've known I couldn't trust them! If I ever get out
of here, I'll make them pay!]
He sighed and layed back down. [I've got more important things
to worry about now.] He sighed. [Ranma, Akane, and possibly Ukyo, if
they are coming for me, are walking into a trap and there's nothing I
can do about it.] He began to whine. [Unless you don't show up.] A scene
of Akane saying they wanted to help him flashed through his mind. [Did
she really mean it, though? What if they do come?]
Kenji came to a decision. [No, I'll just have to escape first
and prove I don't need anybody's help.] He paced in his cage. [First
I'll have to get out of this cage and I think I can manage that,
provided I haven't lost any ablities in this form.] He tried a minor
experiment and was rewarded when a cup on another table fell over.
[Now I just have to wait for the right opportunity...]
2 hours to go.
The small group of ten had made it to the mountain and spent a
half-an-hour to boil some water. Everybody carried a thermos which would
be used to reverse the effects of the curses, should they encounter any
water mages. Ukyo was sitting next to the fire by herself when Ranma
noticed her. She had been quite withdrawn ever since they left the
train, so he used the oppurtunity to walk over and sit down next to her.
"Heya Ucchan, how are ya?" he asked tentatively.
"I'm fine," she answered automatically while studying the
flames.
Ranma frowned, knowing she didn't look fine, but not knowing
how to help her. He had a feeling that the fight he knew was coming
would be out of her league, not having faced magical opponents before.
She was still somewhat in shock, and he knew that would also work
against her in the upcoming battle.
"Look, Ucchan, this ain't gonna be easy," Ranma started. "Maybe
you should head back to the train station and-"
"NO!" Ukyo practically exploded at him, her eyes beginning to
glisten. Out of the corner of his own eye, Ranma saw that Akane had
noticed them and was walking their way. "T-There's no way in hell I'm
running away now! I-I'm not scared! I"m not gonna let that guy scare me
away! I-"
By this point, Ukyo was very nearly to tears, and becoming
increasingly incoherent as the events of several hours ago finally took
their toll. A girl's tears always unnerved Ranma, as he hadn't the
slightest clue what to do. Thankfully he was saved when Akane sat down
on the other side of the chef and threw her arms around her, wrapping
her in a hug. As if Akane were a lifeline, Ukyo grabbed ahold tightly of
the youngest Tendo and sobbed into her shoulder, her whole body
trembling.
Akane raised her eyes and met Ranma's, and he got the message.
Slowly, his arms went around her as well, while Ukyo cried herself out.
After several minutes, her tears slowly dried out and she hastily pulled
herself away.
"G-Gomen, I didn't really mean to lose control like that," Ukyo
apologized, while drying her eyes on her sleeve.
"It's okay, Ukyo-chan," Akane said, her hand on the chef's
shoulder. "The first time stuff like this started happening to me, I was
pretty shaken up, too. You'll get over it."
Ukyo stared at the other girl incredously. "What do you mean,
`stuff like this'?"
The edges of Akane's lips turned upward in a slight smile as
she held a hand up and began to count down items. "Well, I've been
abducted, imprisoned, attacked, turned into a doll twice, possessed, ,"
She switched hands and began to count fingers on her right, "fought
dragons, phoenixes, giant animals, drowned twice, and several times I
almost died."
The chef blinked at the youngest Tendo, suddenly very aware she
hadn't the slightest idea what Ranma and Akane's lives were really like.
She just assumed most of their adventures were against other martial
artists, like the three ugly women that Konatsu used to live with. She
had been captured during that episode, and hadn't like one little bit.
But if Akane were to be believe, and Ranma wasn't contradicting
her, then ever since her fiance entered her life, the two of them had
been in the center of a chaotic whirlwind. [If that's the kind of life
that Ranma leads and if I married him, could I live that way?] She
didn't know, but she had serious doubts she could handle it as well as
Akane.
After all, it only took a couple of actual magic wielders to
shake her foundations of reality. She paused for a second, then turned
back to the fire and sighed. "Why can't these things ever be easy? They
took him, and they're was nothing I could do about it. That wizard could
have killed me. I've just never felt that helpless or scared before."
"Hey, don't worry, we'll find him!" Ranma told her, mustering as
much bravodo as he could. "After all, you've got the world's greatest
martial artist on your side!"
"Thanks, Ranchan, thanks Akane-chan," She smiled as she looked
at her two friends, then frowned. "Now you didn't tell me anything about
him having a jusenkyo curse."
Ranma sighed. "That's because, he wasn't cursed until recently.
And, uh, it's kinda my fault."
Ukyo stared at him. "What do you mean?"
Ranma took a deep breath. "Kenji was lured out last night, and
I followed him. I arrived just as the Fire Lord was talking about the
deaths Kenji was supposedly responsible for. In that instant, I
remembered Nabiki's doubt about Kenji, so I decided to listen further
and see if was really bein' straight with us. I thought she might be
right..." He paused. "I didn't jump in and do something. If I had, Kenji
wouldn't be cursed."
A few moments of silence passed while Ukyo ingested this new
information, then she sighed.
"We will get him back," Akane tried to reassure her.
Ukyo watched the fire for a few seconds. "I know," she said
quietly.
Ranma stood up and stretched. "Ok, I'm going to do a little
recon with Mousse."
"And I should see how the other preparations are coming along,"
Akane added.
Ukyo nodded as Ranma and Akane moved off.
[Kenji, we will save you...]
60 minutes to go.
Mousse the duck (As opposed to Howard the duck... sorry) flew
overhead to recon the area. The sect's lair was to the north of them and
consisted of the top half of the mountain. He counted about 20 or so
people mulling around outside as guards. From the outside, it seemed to
be a pretty big place, but there were only two visible entrances, so
they decided to split into two groups for the assault. There may have
been more ways to get in, but none that could be seen, and time was not
on their side.
Ranma, Soun, Genma, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse would attack
head on the larger west entrance and get the enemy's attention. Ukyo,
Akane, Konatsu, and Cologne would attempt to sneak in the east entrance
when the first attack was underway. With any luck, they could find Kenji
and escape while all the attention was diverted outside.
It was a very simple plan and therefore had the best chance of
working.
At the east edge, the sneak team gathered and awaited the start
of the battle. They managed to avoid the few patrols, but Cologne knew
it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
Patrol's consisted of three people wearing the same dark brown
hooded cloaks that the three who attacked Ukyo and Kenji wore. [You can
barely see the faces in those hoods,] Ukyo remarked to herself. That
gave her an idea which she quickly relayed to the others.
"That just might work," Cologne said thoughtfully. "Good
thinking."
They backed away from the entrance, which was also guarded by
three people, and went patrol hunting. They found their targets and set
the plan in motion. Ukyo took a deep breath, gathered her courage, then
walked out into the open to where they could see her clearly. They
called out for her to halt.
"I'm Kuonji Ukyo," she told them. "I think you were told to
expect me and Saotome Ranma."
The three exchanged glances, confirming the fact that they had.
"You will come with us and offer no resistance if you want to see your
friend alive," the middle one instructed her.
Ukyo nodded and fought down her apprehension as they
approached her. When they got to within a few feet, the trap was sprung.
Cologne dropped down from a tree where she was hiding and landed on the
middle guy, striking a few vital points. The man went limp and fell.
Konatsu jumped out from some bushes nearby and flung a couple of wire
bolas that wrapped around his target, pinning the arms to his opponent's
sides. In the confusion, Akane stepped up and landed a series of
powerful blows that sent her target to dreamland.
Within a couple of seconds, all three were neatly subdued.
Ukyo smiled. "I didn't offer any resistance, however, I didn't
say anything about
my friends!"
Working quickly, they stripped the three of their cloaks and
tied them up. Cologne hit their paralysis points, to prevent them from
calling for help. Ukyo, Akane, and Konatsu donned the cloaks and pulled
the hoods over, obscuring their faces.
"Perfect!" Ukyo said. "Now we can sneak in posing as them!"
"What about you, Cologne?" Akane asked.
She shook her head. "Do not worry child, I'll be right behind
you. I can move more quietly when I'm alone anyway."
They nodded, then approached the entrance once more and awaited
the signal. The small group didn't have to wait long.
"Ok, Ryoga," said Ranma, "We stick to the plan."
Ryoga nodded. In the trees nearby, Mousse, Shampoo, Genma, and
Soun lay hidden. Ranma cupped his hands together and felt his ki gather
into a blue ball. Ryouga acted likewise. When they sensed the energy
sufficient, Ranma gave the signal.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!"
"SHISHI HOUKODEN!"
A yellowish beam of energy lanced out from Ryoga and plowed
into the ground around the entrance. The impact point exploded in a
shower of rocks and dust, tossing bodies around while causing general
confusion and panic. The huge blue ki-blast from Ranma hit a split
second later, enlarging the effect. The confusion didn't last long.
The alarm was raised and the counter attack launched. Cries to
rally were heard and soon fireballs, earth spikes, and hydro blasts were
launched at the two attackers. Ranma and Ryoga nodded to each other as
the wizards and golems charged. They promptly turned and ran as fast as
they could, with multiple blasts hounding them.
The wizards and golems reached the edge of the clearing and
entered the forest, so intent on punishing the attackers, that they
didn't notice the figures hiding high the branches of the trees. A count
of five was reached when the first mage passed underneath, then the four
hiding above dropped and attacked as one at close range.
Mousse was firing daggers, shuriken, chains and other
miscellaneous objects off as fast as could. Shampoo's twin bonbori were
a blur as they flew around her body crushing arms and heads. Soun
brought a naginata with him and was twirling it around him with deadly
efficiency, while Genma was using his massive strength to pick up
unlucky wizards left and right and slam them together.
Slowly, the elementals pursuing Ranma and Ryoga heard their
brothers' and sisters' cries of pain come from behind and they turned to
assist. That was their second mistake.
When Ranma realized they were no longer pursued, he and Ryoga
stopped and launched a few more ki attacks while closing the distance
and joining the massive melee free-for-all.
Deep in the compound, Kenji felt the earth around him tremble.
He rose from where he had been laying and tried to figure out what was
going on, watching as several cloaked figures ran passed the doorway to
the room he was in. One of the men guarding him stopped one of those
rushing by and asked him what was going on.
"Big explosion at the entrance!" he yelled excitedly. "I think
we're under attack!" The guard let go and the guy ran off.
[So, they have come for me,] he thought glumly. Strangely, he
couldn't decide whether to feel happy or sad about that. [Now, to set my
escape plan in motion. I can't handle three guards, though...] Another
explosion rocked the earthen room and the guards looked at each other
apprehensively.
"Hey, maybe one of us should go make sure everything is ok?"
guard #1 suggested.
"What about him?" guard #2 asked, pointing to Kenji.
All three looked at him.
"He can't escape and he's helpless at the moment," guard #3
reasoned. "Besides, it would be easier to stop the attack before they
got here anyway."
That seemed to make sense to the others. "All right, I'll go,"
guard #1 volunteered. "Be right back."
"I'll go too," guard #2 added.
They took off down the hall. [Well, this might work! It's gotta
be now or never!] He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the wind
gather. He had to be careful not to use too much, or he would be too
drained to escape. Not enough, and it wouldn't work. When he felt he had
generated the right amount, he backed up and rammed the cage with his
body. His lupine form reverberated with pain from the impact, but it did
move the cage several inches [Two more strikes should do it.] He took a
deep breath and rammed it again.
"Hey!" guard #3 exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
He got up and walked over to the cage. [Come on, closer,
closer... NOW!] When he bent down to look at him, Kenji released.
The sudden blast of wind roared past the small wolf and struck
guard #3 head on, sending him flying back into a wall. He tumbled
through the table and chairs before hitting his head on the stone wall.
Kenji rammed the cage again and it fell off the table. The shock of the
impact rocked the hapless wolf as the caged danced around before
settling on its side.
Recovering, Kenji was pleased to see the impact with the ground
had forced a small opening in the wire cage. Now all he needed to was
enlarge it.
The sneak team felt the explosions also from where they hid in
the undergrowth. The robed wizards guarding the small entrance motioned
to each of the patrols as they returned.
"Did you feel that?"
"What was it?"
"Sounds like it came from the other entrance."
"Hey, we're under attack!"
That last voice came from someone inside the cave and had the
effect of exciting the small group and galvanizing them into action.
They promptly filed in, leaving only the three orginial guards.
With prodding from Cologne, the small, hidden group ran towards
the entrance, in full view of the guards. Naturally, the wizards just
assumed that it was another patrol returning to help.
"Hurry up!" one of the guards motioned. "They need your help at
the main entrance! We're..."
He didn't get the chance to finish as Ukyo, Konatsu, and Akane
attacked simultaneously. All three guards were promptly subdued and
rendered unconscious, one way or another. Without further ado, they
entered the wizards' lair.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes:
One thing that occured to me in conversation with another author, is
that Ukyo has been largely absent from the vast majority of battles and
strangeness that have plagued Ranma, Akane, and the Amazons. Hence, once
she gets up close and personal with the more mystic and mythic aspects
of their life, it's going to affect her more than the others. Martial
arts are one thing, but magic and magical beings are something she's
never had to deal with before.
oddball22@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: I deny it all. There is no country called Japan. America?
Never heard of it either. Earth? Nope. It's all a figment of your
imagination. Ranma? Fancfic? What are these things? What are you talking
about? Go away, you bother me. Who am I? That's top secret...
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Winds of Change
Chapter 8
Kenji awoke to see Ukyo's tear-streaked face staring down at
him. "Did we do it? he asked weakly.
"Yes, you did it," she said.
[If we did it, why are you crying?] he wanted to ask, but he
blacked out again.
This latest wind blast had been his biggest so far. After he
did the one against Ryoga, Ranma had told him that he'd need to build up
his ki in order to use it more effectively. Otherwise, it would drain
him everytime he tried it.
[Where am I now?] was his first conscious thought as Kenji
awoke.
Getting up, a quick check confrimed that he was currently in
lupine form(much to his disgust), and confined in a small wire cage that
left little room to maneuver. The cage was sitting on top of a sturdy
wooden table in a small brick room with only a single visible exit, a
heavy wooden door on the far side of the room. The only light came from
four flickering torches along the walls.
"Ah, he awakes!" came an all-too familiar voice.
Kenji looked up straight into the face of the Lord of Fire. His
hatred and anger peaked immediately, causing the small animal to growl
and lunge in an attempt to bite the face, but his target was out of
reach. His nose slammed into the cage, causing him to whimper in pain.
"Naughty, naughty, " he scolded. "Can't have you injured before
I kill you!"
Kenji growled, then barked what he hoped was a menacing bark.
"What's that? Why don't I kill you now? Well, there are two very
good reasons for that. Well, first of all, this gives your friends a
chance to save you. We'd have a pretty pathetic plot otherwise. And the
second reason is, well, allow me to explain..."
"He wants Kenji's power."
"Excuse me?" Ukyo blinked.
Cologne sighed. "I said he wants Kenji's power."
The group now numbered ten, since Ukyo, Konatsu, and Ryoga had
joined. They were also traveling on board a south-bound train.
The gang had found Ukyo and Ryoga shortly after fire guy had
made his exit. They revived Ukyo and transformed Ryouga back to normal
(Ranma was able to change him back without anyone noticing, of course).
At first they were just going to leave Ukyo at home to recuperate, but
she insisted on coming along and nobody wanted to say no to a ticked-off
Ukyo wielding her mega-spatula. Konatsu insisted on coming along to
protect Ukyo.
Secretly, Ranma was worried about his old friend. She was
trying her best to hide it, but he could tell the whole experience had
her shaken up pretty good. For all he knew, she probably still somewhat
in shock. From a certain standpoint he understood, since the chef had
never really been a part of their stranger events that Ranma, Akane, and
the rest had been involved with, like Herb, Pink and Link, and
Saffron...
Ryoga wanted come along to protect Akane, since she had
convinced Ranma she was coming, too. Also, he still wanted his revenge
against Kenji, the `snot-nosed punk who blasted me.' And he couldn't do
that if his opponent was dead.
"Perhaps you better start at the beginning," Soun offered.
Cologne took in a deep breath. "Long ago, there was a small
sect of wizards that lived in the Tibetan mountains. The wizards
discovered that by specializing in a specific element, they could become
very powerful. They soon turned into four sects, one for each element:
Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. The leader of each sect became known as
the Lord of that group.
"I don't know how it began, but eventually the four tribes
started fighting against each other to determine which was superior. In
reality, none was better than the other except in this order: Fire could
beat water, water beat earth, earth beat wind, and wind beat fire."
"So who was the weakest?" Ryoga asked.
Everybody face-faulted and Ranma whacked Ryoga.
"What'd I say?" complained Ryoga.
Cologne cleared her throat. "In time, the Lords realized that
if they were to continue fighting, they would wipe themselves out. So
they universally declared that no group may fight the others. Any to be
found doing so, would be immediately punished. The only exception were
the duals. Now, fast forward to the present. The groups still exist and
have about 30 members per sect."
"That's about, um let's see..." Ranma started. "Carry the two,
subtract the one..." He stopped when Akane whacked him.
"It's 120, baka." Akane grinned and Ranma looked stunned. "Try
keeping up on your math homework."
"A-hem!" Cologne cleared her throat again. "May I continue? As I
was saying, they still exist, though they live largely in secrecy. New
members are born to the current ones, and that's how the ranks are
maintained, passing on and strengthening the elemental bloodline through
the new child. They have become so adept with their chosen element, that
they are considered to be more elemental than wizard, but still can
wield general magical power.
Cologne took a breath and waited to see if anyone would
interupt. No one did, so she continued. "Kenji is a child of the Wind
Sect and was somehow dragged from where he was, and plopped onto your
doorstop with no memory. I don't know exactly what's going on, but since
only the Fire Lord has appeared, I'm assuming the other Lords are either
in agreement with his actions, which I highly doubt, or have been
neutralized somehow. Also, since Ukyo-san and Kenji-san were attacked by
only three members-earth, water, and fire-I'm assuming the wind sect has
either been wiped or driven out. Probably because they are strongest
against fire and if you're a Lord of Fire, it's just getting rid of a
potentially deadly enemy. Since fire is now the strongest, the other
sects most likely fell in line, lest they be wiped out as well.
"Now, the reason Kenji was captured and not killed, is probably
because the Lord of Fire wants Kenji's powers. There are only a few way
of transferring magical abilities, and most of that knowledge has been
lost with time. Since he wants Kenji alive, we can assume he's found a
way. With both fire and wind, and possibly the others as well, at his
command, he could become quite powerful. Although I'm guessing he's more
half-elemental since I didn't sense it in him when I first visited." She
shrugged. "I still don't know why he's after Kenji instead of just
taking another member of the wind sect."
"So, he cursed him, to make him easier to get," a logical
thought crossed Ranma's brain.
"Most likely, since Kenji could still put up quite a struggle in
his human form," Cologne commented, then frowned. [There's another
reason he's cursed, but I can't tell them yet.]
"But where did he get the Jusenkyo water?" Mousse asked. "I
thought it all got mixed and was rendered useless when the pools were
flooded."
"Must be some reserves the sect collected before then," Cologne
answered. "Wizards naturally keep a lot of magical items stocked."
The cursed ones conjured up an image of finding the spring of
drowned man (or woman for Shampoo) reserves and turning back to normal.
Wicked grins appeared on their faces.
"Just think..." Ryoga started.
"We could..." Mousse followed.
"Finally be..." Genma was next.
"CURED!" Ranma finished up.
Ukyo whacked the four with her spatula. "We're here to rescue
Kenji-kun first!" She sighed. "So, how's he going to get Kenji's power?"
Ukyo asked thoughtfully.
Cologne shifted on her stick. "There's probably some ritual or
spell that needs to be done that takes awhile to accomplish. Him being
cursed could have something to do with it. I'm guessing it'll be
accomplished at the end of the 6 hours, in which case Kenji will be no
more. That puts the deadline at midnight tonight."
"What time is it now?" Akane asked nervously.
Genma glanced at his watch. "9:30pm," he said solemnly.
Just then, the whistle blew for the next stop.
"Okay, this where we get off," Cologne informed them.
"Just one more thing old ghoul," Ranma asked as they got off the
train. "Why are you helping us?"
Cologne blinked. "Because it's the right thing to do."
"Yeah, right," Ranma laughed.
The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Also because if he isn't
stopped, his power will grow to be enormous and there's only two things
someone with a lot of power wants: more power and revenge. The Amazons
stopped the sect when they attempt to conquer part of China long ago.
They were supposed to remain in China as part of their defeat. I'm
guessing the Lord of Fire will remember this and will use his extra
power to wipe out the Amazons. With the only group capable of stopping
him out of the way, he will be free to unleash his power on the world."
"Wouldn't China or some other nation just send in their army, or
hit them with a Nuke or something?" Akane asked.
Cologne turned to her. "Remember, these are powerful wizards we
are dealing with. Imagine the offending nation having their entire
stockpile of weapons explode at once. Imagine missles in flight being
magically redirected.. With enough power at his disposal, the Fire Lord
could do just this."
She shook her head. "No, the only way to stop him is to face
him down directly, now, before it's too late."
"So you see now?" the Fire Lord asked Kenji. He had just gotten
through explaining basically the same thing Cologne did. "It's nothing
personal, I just want your power. When the ritual is finished, you will
just be a mindless animal.
"Whenever I tried to capture a member of the wind sect, they
killed themselves before I could absorb their power. When they found out
what I was up to, the rest went into hiding, somehow shielding
themselves from my attempts to find them. That's when I learned of your
family, and knew at least one of you would make the perfect sacrifice."
He grinned maliciously, "You see, you are the last one I need."
Kenji watched in horrid fascination as the Fire Lord made a few
hand gestures. Promptly, the moisture in the air surrounding them
condensed into a small ball of water that floated in mid-air between the
Fire Lord's hands. With a twist of the wrist, he pitched the water ball
into a wall. A few more hand gestures and part of the rock in the wall
separated, forming a small golem. It walked over to the cage, waved,
then fell apart.
The Fire Lord drew himself up to his full height. "There is
legend among us mystics, that the one who can control all the elements,
will gain access to the fifth and greatest power: Void." His eyes
suddenly seemed to burn with an ebony flame, and Kenji involuntarily
took a step back.
"Woof, woof!"
"Why did I invite your friends and tell them where to find me?"
the Lord of Fire grinned. "Simple, I want to absorb their power, too.
Especially Saotome. He's quite powerful. And since they've only seen me
do fire tricks, they'll underestimate me. I wouldn't worry about them
actually saving you, however, I've got more than enough troops here to
ensure my success." He looked at his watch. "Well, 2 hours to go! Have
to wait until the moon is in the proper position and the cooking pot is
brought to the proper temperature."
"Woof!"
"Naw, I'm not gonna eat you, just getting dinner ready for my
victory celebration. And don't worry about your girlfriend. She doesn't
have any power I want, so I'll just kill her." He turned to go, then
stopped suddenly. "Oh, I think I should tell you that one of your so-
called friends helped me to find you. Next time you see icequeen, thank
her for me, for posting all your information on the internet!"
Kenji's heart sank as the Fire Lord moved off, leaving him
alone with a pair of guards. [Ice Queen? I don't know anybody named
that. Unless it's somebody's nickname. Who, though?] Anger flashed
through him. [I should've known I couldn't trust them! If I ever get out
of here, I'll make them pay!]
He sighed and layed back down. [I've got more important things
to worry about now.] He sighed. [Ranma, Akane, and possibly Ukyo, if
they are coming for me, are walking into a trap and there's nothing I
can do about it.] He began to whine. [Unless you don't show up.] A scene
of Akane saying they wanted to help him flashed through his mind. [Did
she really mean it, though? What if they do come?]
Kenji came to a decision. [No, I'll just have to escape first
and prove I don't need anybody's help.] He paced in his cage. [First
I'll have to get out of this cage and I think I can manage that,
provided I haven't lost any ablities in this form.] He tried a minor
experiment and was rewarded when a cup on another table fell over.
[Now I just have to wait for the right opportunity...]
2 hours to go.
The small group of ten had made it to the mountain and spent a
half-an-hour to boil some water. Everybody carried a thermos which would
be used to reverse the effects of the curses, should they encounter any
water mages. Ukyo was sitting next to the fire by herself when Ranma
noticed her. She had been quite withdrawn ever since they left the
train, so he used the oppurtunity to walk over and sit down next to her.
"Heya Ucchan, how are ya?" he asked tentatively.
"I'm fine," she answered automatically while studying the
flames.
Ranma frowned, knowing she didn't look fine, but not knowing
how to help her. He had a feeling that the fight he knew was coming
would be out of her league, not having faced magical opponents before.
She was still somewhat in shock, and he knew that would also work
against her in the upcoming battle.
"Look, Ucchan, this ain't gonna be easy," Ranma started. "Maybe
you should head back to the train station and-"
"NO!" Ukyo practically exploded at him, her eyes beginning to
glisten. Out of the corner of his own eye, Ranma saw that Akane had
noticed them and was walking their way. "T-There's no way in hell I'm
running away now! I-I'm not scared! I"m not gonna let that guy scare me
away! I-"
By this point, Ukyo was very nearly to tears, and becoming
increasingly incoherent as the events of several hours ago finally took
their toll. A girl's tears always unnerved Ranma, as he hadn't the
slightest clue what to do. Thankfully he was saved when Akane sat down
on the other side of the chef and threw her arms around her, wrapping
her in a hug. As if Akane were a lifeline, Ukyo grabbed ahold tightly of
the youngest Tendo and sobbed into her shoulder, her whole body
trembling.
Akane raised her eyes and met Ranma's, and he got the message.
Slowly, his arms went around her as well, while Ukyo cried herself out.
After several minutes, her tears slowly dried out and she hastily pulled
herself away.
"G-Gomen, I didn't really mean to lose control like that," Ukyo
apologized, while drying her eyes on her sleeve.
"It's okay, Ukyo-chan," Akane said, her hand on the chef's
shoulder. "The first time stuff like this started happening to me, I was
pretty shaken up, too. You'll get over it."
Ukyo stared at the other girl incredously. "What do you mean,
`stuff like this'?"
The edges of Akane's lips turned upward in a slight smile as
she held a hand up and began to count down items. "Well, I've been
abducted, imprisoned, attacked, turned into a doll twice, possessed, ,"
She switched hands and began to count fingers on her right, "fought
dragons, phoenixes, giant animals, drowned twice, and several times I
almost died."
The chef blinked at the youngest Tendo, suddenly very aware she
hadn't the slightest idea what Ranma and Akane's lives were really like.
She just assumed most of their adventures were against other martial
artists, like the three ugly women that Konatsu used to live with. She
had been captured during that episode, and hadn't like one little bit.
But if Akane were to be believe, and Ranma wasn't contradicting
her, then ever since her fiance entered her life, the two of them had
been in the center of a chaotic whirlwind. [If that's the kind of life
that Ranma leads and if I married him, could I live that way?] She
didn't know, but she had serious doubts she could handle it as well as
Akane.
After all, it only took a couple of actual magic wielders to
shake her foundations of reality. She paused for a second, then turned
back to the fire and sighed. "Why can't these things ever be easy? They
took him, and they're was nothing I could do about it. That wizard could
have killed me. I've just never felt that helpless or scared before."
"Hey, don't worry, we'll find him!" Ranma told her, mustering as
much bravodo as he could. "After all, you've got the world's greatest
martial artist on your side!"
"Thanks, Ranchan, thanks Akane-chan," She smiled as she looked
at her two friends, then frowned. "Now you didn't tell me anything about
him having a jusenkyo curse."
Ranma sighed. "That's because, he wasn't cursed until recently.
And, uh, it's kinda my fault."
Ukyo stared at him. "What do you mean?"
Ranma took a deep breath. "Kenji was lured out last night, and
I followed him. I arrived just as the Fire Lord was talking about the
deaths Kenji was supposedly responsible for. In that instant, I
remembered Nabiki's doubt about Kenji, so I decided to listen further
and see if was really bein' straight with us. I thought she might be
right..." He paused. "I didn't jump in and do something. If I had, Kenji
wouldn't be cursed."
A few moments of silence passed while Ukyo ingested this new
information, then she sighed.
"We will get him back," Akane tried to reassure her.
Ukyo watched the fire for a few seconds. "I know," she said
quietly.
Ranma stood up and stretched. "Ok, I'm going to do a little
recon with Mousse."
"And I should see how the other preparations are coming along,"
Akane added.
Ukyo nodded as Ranma and Akane moved off.
[Kenji, we will save you...]
60 minutes to go.
Mousse the duck (As opposed to Howard the duck... sorry) flew
overhead to recon the area. The sect's lair was to the north of them and
consisted of the top half of the mountain. He counted about 20 or so
people mulling around outside as guards. From the outside, it seemed to
be a pretty big place, but there were only two visible entrances, so
they decided to split into two groups for the assault. There may have
been more ways to get in, but none that could be seen, and time was not
on their side.
Ranma, Soun, Genma, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse would attack
head on the larger west entrance and get the enemy's attention. Ukyo,
Akane, Konatsu, and Cologne would attempt to sneak in the east entrance
when the first attack was underway. With any luck, they could find Kenji
and escape while all the attention was diverted outside.
It was a very simple plan and therefore had the best chance of
working.
At the east edge, the sneak team gathered and awaited the start
of the battle. They managed to avoid the few patrols, but Cologne knew
it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
Patrol's consisted of three people wearing the same dark brown
hooded cloaks that the three who attacked Ukyo and Kenji wore. [You can
barely see the faces in those hoods,] Ukyo remarked to herself. That
gave her an idea which she quickly relayed to the others.
"That just might work," Cologne said thoughtfully. "Good
thinking."
They backed away from the entrance, which was also guarded by
three people, and went patrol hunting. They found their targets and set
the plan in motion. Ukyo took a deep breath, gathered her courage, then
walked out into the open to where they could see her clearly. They
called out for her to halt.
"I'm Kuonji Ukyo," she told them. "I think you were told to
expect me and Saotome Ranma."
The three exchanged glances, confirming the fact that they had.
"You will come with us and offer no resistance if you want to see your
friend alive," the middle one instructed her.
Ukyo nodded and fought down her apprehension as they
approached her. When they got to within a few feet, the trap was sprung.
Cologne dropped down from a tree where she was hiding and landed on the
middle guy, striking a few vital points. The man went limp and fell.
Konatsu jumped out from some bushes nearby and flung a couple of wire
bolas that wrapped around his target, pinning the arms to his opponent's
sides. In the confusion, Akane stepped up and landed a series of
powerful blows that sent her target to dreamland.
Within a couple of seconds, all three were neatly subdued.
Ukyo smiled. "I didn't offer any resistance, however, I didn't
say anything about
my friends!"
Working quickly, they stripped the three of their cloaks and
tied them up. Cologne hit their paralysis points, to prevent them from
calling for help. Ukyo, Akane, and Konatsu donned the cloaks and pulled
the hoods over, obscuring their faces.
"Perfect!" Ukyo said. "Now we can sneak in posing as them!"
"What about you, Cologne?" Akane asked.
She shook her head. "Do not worry child, I'll be right behind
you. I can move more quietly when I'm alone anyway."
They nodded, then approached the entrance once more and awaited
the signal. The small group didn't have to wait long.
"Ok, Ryoga," said Ranma, "We stick to the plan."
Ryoga nodded. In the trees nearby, Mousse, Shampoo, Genma, and
Soun lay hidden. Ranma cupped his hands together and felt his ki gather
into a blue ball. Ryouga acted likewise. When they sensed the energy
sufficient, Ranma gave the signal.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!"
"SHISHI HOUKODEN!"
A yellowish beam of energy lanced out from Ryoga and plowed
into the ground around the entrance. The impact point exploded in a
shower of rocks and dust, tossing bodies around while causing general
confusion and panic. The huge blue ki-blast from Ranma hit a split
second later, enlarging the effect. The confusion didn't last long.
The alarm was raised and the counter attack launched. Cries to
rally were heard and soon fireballs, earth spikes, and hydro blasts were
launched at the two attackers. Ranma and Ryoga nodded to each other as
the wizards and golems charged. They promptly turned and ran as fast as
they could, with multiple blasts hounding them.
The wizards and golems reached the edge of the clearing and
entered the forest, so intent on punishing the attackers, that they
didn't notice the figures hiding high the branches of the trees. A count
of five was reached when the first mage passed underneath, then the four
hiding above dropped and attacked as one at close range.
Mousse was firing daggers, shuriken, chains and other
miscellaneous objects off as fast as could. Shampoo's twin bonbori were
a blur as they flew around her body crushing arms and heads. Soun
brought a naginata with him and was twirling it around him with deadly
efficiency, while Genma was using his massive strength to pick up
unlucky wizards left and right and slam them together.
Slowly, the elementals pursuing Ranma and Ryoga heard their
brothers' and sisters' cries of pain come from behind and they turned to
assist. That was their second mistake.
When Ranma realized they were no longer pursued, he and Ryoga
stopped and launched a few more ki attacks while closing the distance
and joining the massive melee free-for-all.
Deep in the compound, Kenji felt the earth around him tremble.
He rose from where he had been laying and tried to figure out what was
going on, watching as several cloaked figures ran passed the doorway to
the room he was in. One of the men guarding him stopped one of those
rushing by and asked him what was going on.
"Big explosion at the entrance!" he yelled excitedly. "I think
we're under attack!" The guard let go and the guy ran off.
[So, they have come for me,] he thought glumly. Strangely, he
couldn't decide whether to feel happy or sad about that. [Now, to set my
escape plan in motion. I can't handle three guards, though...] Another
explosion rocked the earthen room and the guards looked at each other
apprehensively.
"Hey, maybe one of us should go make sure everything is ok?"
guard #1 suggested.
"What about him?" guard #2 asked, pointing to Kenji.
All three looked at him.
"He can't escape and he's helpless at the moment," guard #3
reasoned. "Besides, it would be easier to stop the attack before they
got here anyway."
That seemed to make sense to the others. "All right, I'll go,"
guard #1 volunteered. "Be right back."
"I'll go too," guard #2 added.
They took off down the hall. [Well, this might work! It's gotta
be now or never!] He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the wind
gather. He had to be careful not to use too much, or he would be too
drained to escape. Not enough, and it wouldn't work. When he felt he had
generated the right amount, he backed up and rammed the cage with his
body. His lupine form reverberated with pain from the impact, but it did
move the cage several inches [Two more strikes should do it.] He took a
deep breath and rammed it again.
"Hey!" guard #3 exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
He got up and walked over to the cage. [Come on, closer,
closer... NOW!] When he bent down to look at him, Kenji released.
The sudden blast of wind roared past the small wolf and struck
guard #3 head on, sending him flying back into a wall. He tumbled
through the table and chairs before hitting his head on the stone wall.
Kenji rammed the cage again and it fell off the table. The shock of the
impact rocked the hapless wolf as the caged danced around before
settling on its side.
Recovering, Kenji was pleased to see the impact with the ground
had forced a small opening in the wire cage. Now all he needed to was
enlarge it.
The sneak team felt the explosions also from where they hid in
the undergrowth. The robed wizards guarding the small entrance motioned
to each of the patrols as they returned.
"Did you feel that?"
"What was it?"
"Sounds like it came from the other entrance."
"Hey, we're under attack!"
That last voice came from someone inside the cave and had the
effect of exciting the small group and galvanizing them into action.
They promptly filed in, leaving only the three orginial guards.
With prodding from Cologne, the small, hidden group ran towards
the entrance, in full view of the guards. Naturally, the wizards just
assumed that it was another patrol returning to help.
"Hurry up!" one of the guards motioned. "They need your help at
the main entrance! We're..."
He didn't get the chance to finish as Ukyo, Konatsu, and Akane
attacked simultaneously. All three guards were promptly subdued and
rendered unconscious, one way or another. Without further ado, they
entered the wizards' lair.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes:
One thing that occured to me in conversation with another author, is
that Ukyo has been largely absent from the vast majority of battles and
strangeness that have plagued Ranma, Akane, and the Amazons. Hence, once
she gets up close and personal with the more mystic and mythic aspects
of their life, it's going to affect her more than the others. Martial
arts are one thing, but magic and magical beings are something she's
never had to deal with before.