e-mail: oddball22@hotmail.com
DISCLAIMER: All Ranma 1/2 characters are owned Rumiko Takahashi, Viz and
someone else I think. But mainly the goddess Takahashi. I'm only
borrowing them to use in a limited non-profit avenue, strictly for
entertainment purpose only. Did I get that right, Bob? (He's my lawyer)
Good. I guess I'll use this same disclaimer in the next chapter! (told
you I was gonna do the same one!)
And here we go...
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Winds of Change
Chapter 10
Who am I? the thought came unbidden. Or did it?
Shapes and images came and went, all of which seemed familiar,
but the amnesiac couldn't focus on any one of them. The rest was
swirling shades of black and gray.
What time is it? He found he couldn't focus on the passage of
time either.
Where am I? His body floated in a void of blackness, empty,
save for the few pictures and sounds that occasionally floated by.
Am I dreaming? If so, I should be able to wake up. He closed
his eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. He continued to float,
with no sense of direction and no points of reference.
He's waking up.
What was that? It almost sounded familiar. This was different
than the other voices, for he could hear it and process it. The others
were just gibberish.
Kenji...
That's my name, isn't it? Or maybe not. If I can't remember
anything about myself, how do I know that's my name?
Kenji, snap out of it man!
Wait a minute! That's... Ranma? Got to get out of here... Got
to wake up. Ohhhh, I don't feel so good. Wait a minute, I can feel
something? Concentrate on my hands... I feel something cold and hard?
He's not waking up...
Another voice, I don't recognize that one, do I? I think I've
heard it before...
Fight it son!
Yet another voice! Who are these people and why can I hear them
if I can't see them?
Kenji! Listen to me! What about Ukyo?
Ranma again. Ukyo? What happened to Ukyo? Gotta pull out of
this...
Kenji slowly opened his eyes and the world presented itself as
a big blur. He tried to move, but his arms and legs were restricted and
he was on his back. How about his voice?
"U-Ukyo?" He half-coughed and half-sputtered out.
"She's not here," came Ranma's female voice.
"Saotome?" he managed a little better.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Whe-where are you?" Kenji asked, his voice getting better.
"We're chained to some pillars nearby, I don't think you can see
us." There was a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry, man, we
tried, but it ain't over yet," Her voice trailed off.
"Where am I?"
"You're in a big cavern inside the mages' mountain, chained onto
a stone slab," Ranma explained. "Do ya remember anything?"
Kenji couldn't help but laugh, bitterly. "Fine thing to ask an
amnesiac." He then thought for a minute. "There was the fight with Ukyo.
I thought we won, but next thing I know, I'm in a cage and the Fire Lord
is there. I thought the explosions I heard came from you, so I tried to
escape. The next thing I know, I'm here." He laughed bitterly again. "It
seems I have a nasty habit of waking up in strange places with no idea
how I got there."
Kenji's eyes were beginning to clear. Looking up, he saw a
small hole in the high ceiling of the cavern, that opened to the night
sky. He could see part of the moon high up above.
"You haveta hold on, we got a plan ta get ya out of here," said
Ranma.
"Really?" a new voice entered. Kenji easily remembered it by the
elevated sense of fear it brought. "And what would that be?" He turned
his head to see the fire lord walking up to him. "Well, whatever it is,
you'd better hurry. In a few minutes, I begin the ceremony to extract
your essence, and it's not a pretty sight to behold!"
"Now I know what poor Ryoga-kun feels like," Akane said offhand.
"If seems like we've been walking for hours and I don't have a clue
where we are."
"I know what you mean, I..." Ukyo started but then was
immediately silenced by Konatsu. "What is it?" she whispered.
"Can't you feel it?" Konatsu asked silently.
Ukyo shook her head, but Akane stopped for a moment.
"Now that you mention it," she said slowly, a strange look on
her face. "I'm starting to feel a little funny. Like a strange vibration
reverberating off my body."
"It hasn't happened often," Konatsu said. "But I can sometimes
feel strong auras or powers. I think you can too, Akane-sama. Someone
very powerful is exercising their power nearby."
"Can you lead us to it?" Ukyo asked.
Konatsu thought for a moment, then nodded. He padded down the
hallway and took a right at the intersection, with Akane and Ukyo right
behind. Left, left, right, another left; Konatsu paused for a brief
section at each junction to get his bearings, then continued in the
direction he felt the big magic was in. Akane could feel the vibration
increasing and it scared her.
After a minute or two, the dull but steady beat of chanting
could be heard. They followed the sounds, the voices getting louder
until they came to a halt just at the entrance to a huge cavern. The
sight that greeted them caused all three to gasp.
In the center, on a slightly raised dais, was Kenji. He was
chained on his back and writhing in obvious pain. Ranma, Ryoga, Soun,
Genma, Shampoo, and Mousse were chained to individual pillars that
circled the dais. None of them appeared to be conscience. And floating
above Kenji, was the Fire Lord. He was chanting in some strange language
along with the dozen mages who stood on the ground.
"What in the..." Akane began. "Just what's going on in there?"
"I'm guessing the fire lord is attempting to absorb Kenji-sama's
power," Konatsu said flatly.
Ukyo grabbed her battle spat' with one hand and readied several
of her throwing spatula's in her other. "Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's stop this!"
Konatsu shook his head. "We're outnumbered. It would be
suicide." Would it really? Or do I just want Ranma and Kenji to go away
so Ukyo will love me? No, I'm not like that!
"Well, we have to do something!" Akane stated. "I'm with Ukyo,
we have to try and save them."
Konatsu inhaled deeply. "Ok, I'll slip in first and attempt to
distract the mages." He withdrew a sword from a sheath. "When I take out
the first one, you two start your attack. We have to try and free the
others if we're going to have a chance."
"Uh, Konatsu-kun, what's with the takemitsu?" Ukyo asked.
Konatsu stared at the bamboo sword in his hand. "Ahh! I forgot,
the real one is still in the pawn shop!" He shook his head. "Never mind,
this will have to do."
Ukyo and Akane nodded. The trio crept slowly to the entrance,
then Konatsu began moving stealthily inside. He crossed the distance in
a very short amount of time and without being discovered, probably due
to the fact that the mages were caught up in their spell. The two girls
tensed as Konatsu snuck up on his first victim. The mage never saw it
coming as Konatsu brought the weapon down on the man's head, knocking
him out.
That was their cue.
Ukyo and Akane broke from hiding and sprinted across the
ground. A flight of spatulas left Ukyo's hand and buried themselves into
another mage. Konatsu loosed a pair of wire bolas, tying up another. By
this time, the other mages and the Fire Lord realized something was
happening. The spell was weakening and, one by one, they came out of the
trance.
"INFIDELS!" the Fire Lord's voice boomed. "KILL THEM!" The
force of his voice shook the ground violently and several large cracks
opened up. If one were to look down them, they would not see a bottom.
The remaining wizards attacked. Fireballs were thrown, golems
created, and high pressure water blasts gushed forth. Konatsu artfully
dodged the blasts and took down another mage, a water one, then let
loose a whirlwind of ninja stars that sent several mages leaping out of
the way, several into those bottomless fissures.
Ukyo blocked a fireball with her battle spatula. While leaving
her unscathed, it was powerful enough to knock her off her feet and land
her on her butt. As soon as she hit the ground, she instinctively rolled
to the right, barely avoiding another fireblast. Then she was up and
running again, another flight of spatulas striking the attacking fire
wizard.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Akane yelled to an attacking golem while
leaping into the air. Her fist came down and smashed the golems `head',
spliting it partially down the middle before it crumbled. She took no
time to recover before she was on the move again. She sprinted and slid
between the legs of the next golem, then unleashed a vicious scissor
kick on the earth mage who was creating them.
Up above, the fire lord was not pleased at how easily the three
were taking out his minions. He decided to take a personal hand in the
matter. But which one? Ah, yes. The spatula wielding one from the other
night. She shall be the first.
He held out his hand and a burning sphere of flames began to
grow. When it was almost as large as his body, he released it. Ukyo
noticed it a moment too late and all she could do was attempt to hop
back. As soon as her feet left the ground, the fireball crashed into the
space she was occupying and the explosion engulfed her.
Ukyo screamed, but unlike any scream she had heard before.. It
echoed throughout the cavern, dampening all other sounds. Her wail, one
that would make a banshee flee, effectively radiated the pain she was
feeling. It was a scream so piercing, all present felt it resonate down
to their bones.
Then it was over and the smoking body was flying backward,
tumbling to rest near one of the larger fissures.
Kenji's body was slowly being torn apart, or at least that's
how it felt to him.
More accurately, it felt like someone had taken hold of one of
his internal organs and was slowly pulling it out of his body. Problem
was, all his organs were connected so they all came out, one right after
another like the magician's trick where he pulls a continuous line of
ribbons tied together from his wrist or mouth. No coherent thoughts
could be formed, prevented by the stream of agony forced upon him.
Then like a light switch being flicked, the pain was gone and
he nearly sobbed at the incredible relief his body felt.
Vaguely, he began to make out screams and explosions. A voice
above him yelled loudly, but Kenji couldn't make out the words. A female
voice yelled something else, followed by another crash.
Then he heard the scream.
It reverberated throughout his body, piercing his core, and he
instantly recognized the voice. Ukyo? Another voice, male, screamed
her name, then deep laughter could be heard from above. Ukyo's in
trouble, gotta help her, gotta do something!
Reaching down inside, he attempted to find the strength. There
wasn't much there, he found to his dismay. He attempted to dig even
deeper, routing every ounce of power available to him.
Then he hit the barrier again. There was some sort of internal
wall, unbreakable, yet he could feel power behind it. He could barely
move as it was; if he was going to save Ukyo, he needed that power.
A thought came unbidden to his mind, (Power comes with a
price.)
I'll pay any price if I can save Ukyo! he countered.
He gathered up his reserves and flung them at the wall. Once.
Twice. Three times. Nothing happened and Kenji exhaled. Then, a crack in
the wall appeared. Not much, but it began to grow. Then the dam burst
and Kenji found his senses snap awake, the power filling him.
"UKYO-SAMA!" Konatsu yelled as he made his way through the last
wizard towards her.
Ukyo was barely conscience and could just make out a form
floating in the air, burning, and moving towards her. There was some
activity on the ground a few yards away, a red shape was moving rapidly
in her direction.
"I've had enough of your games, child," the fire lord's voice
echoed loudly. "Time to die!"
He pointed his hand at the wall, and a large boulder emerged
from it. A flick of his wrist sent it arcing towards the fallen
okonomiyaki chef.
"NO!" Konatsu put on one last burst of speed and intercepted the
boulder above Ukyo's fallen form, pushing it out of the way. He cried
out as pain lanced through the impact with his shoulder, momentarily
stunning him. The forward momentum carried both him and the boulder past
Ukyo to plumment through the opening in the earth. He recovered just
enough to call Ukyo's name again as the blackness swallowed him up.
Ukyo's eyes snapped open and the sight filled her with much
sorrow and dread. "Konatsu..." she half-choked, half-whispered as she
watched the kunoichi disappear from view. Tears fell from her eyes when
she realized he was gone, sacrificing himself for her.
"Wake up, Baka!"
Akane had just taken out her last mage and was working on
breaking Ranma's chains when she witnessed the fireball that slammed
into Ukyo and sent her rolling along the ground.
She froze and could only watch helplessly, too far away to help
her, as the fire lord advanced. He spoke a few words, then Akane saw him
send the boulder with the intent on crushing her beneath it. Konatsu was
a blur as he intercepted it before it could hit its target. She watched
in horror as the ninja vanished into the earth.
For the next few seconds, she kept waiting for him to reappear,
but he did not
Ranma chose that moment to awaken and Akane gazed into her
eyes. She saw a smile form on her fiance's female lips, then it changed
into a frown. Akane was about to say something when she realized that
Ranma was no longer looking at her, but at something behind her. She
turned and beheld Kenji sitting upright on the dais. The chains were
gone and he was staring at Ukyo's fallen form.
"So ends the lives of all who oppose me!" the Fire Lord intoned.
"Now to finish the job."
"NO!" came Kenji's commanding voice.
The fire lord turned and looked at him. "Who are you, boy, to
challenge me?"
"Look Akane, look at his eyes..." Ranma-onna pointed out. Akane
gasped. Kenji's pupils and irises were gone, instead his eyes were now
entirely gray and his face was completely devoid of emotion.
"I am Soyokaze Kenji," he announced. "And this ends now." He
turned towards Ranma and Akane. "Get everyone out of here." Akane
started to say something, but Kenji cut her off with a very forceful and
commanding, "NOW!"
As Ranma and Akane worked on the chains of the others, they
couldn't help but notice a very cold wind begin to blow.
Ukyo looked up when she felt the wind. She inhaled sharply in
horror at Kenji's now-completely gray eyes and saw him begin to rise
into the air. Then, a painful convulsion wracked her body and the world
went black.
"They are going nowhere," the Fire Lord stated. As if to
underscore it, he formed half a dozen fireballs and prepared to launch
them at Ranma and Akane.
Kenji made a quick hand motion and a swift wind blew the
fireballs off in another direction where they smashed into the wall.
"No, you're fight is with me. HITOHUKI!" He thrust his hand out and a
blast of wind struck the floating Fire Lord and threw him into the
cavern wall. The wind currents began circulate faster around the cavern.
By this time, the others had been freed, but only Genma-panda,
Ryoga, and Mousse-duck had revived to consciousness. Soun and Shampoo-
neko were still out. Akane informed Ranma of Ukyo and they went to check
on her.
"Get out of here, all of you!" Kenji bellowed. A small tornado
could be seen forming around him, levitating him into the air.
"But what about you?" Akane yelled.
"Yeah, we ain't about to leave ya!" Ranma joined in.
"I've told you before that this is MY fight!" he snarled very
loudly. "Get Ukyo out NOW!"
Akane turned toward Ranma. "We better get them out of here. It
doesn't look like Kenji's in a mood to argue. Plus, we really need to
get Ukyo some medical attention."
Ranma reluctantly agreed and picked up the fallen chef.
Together, with Genma-panda carrying Soun and Ryoga carrying Shampoo-
neko, they hurried out of the cavern.
Ranma was last in line and he paused and turned around to
glance at Kenji, who was now floating several feet off the ground in his
own whirlwind. His eyes were locked with the fire lord's as they
approached one another. Ranma handed the Ukyo off to Akane, then turned
around.
Kenji, I'm going to help you whether you want it or not. He
stepped back into the cavern and began to gather his ki. Kenji turned to
face him.
"You will leave," came the disembodied voice of the floating
young man. It wasn't a command or a request, just a statement of fact.
Ranma shivered, because the tone was no longer one that he had come to
recognize from the amnesiac. It was almost... inhuman.
As the pig-tailed martial artist began to protest, Kenji held
up a hand and a powerful blast of wind picked Ranma up and tossed him
into the tunnel. Another blast hit the rock above the tunnel entrance
and succeeded collapsing the entrance.
With a last look, Ranma turned and hurried off to catch up with
the rest of the group. Kenji, I hope you know what you're doing... he
thought grimly.
In a room not so far away, Cologne was listening to the sounds
of battle as she continued to try and free herself. Small ki blasts had
just opened up a small hole in the sphere; well, it was open for a
second or two.
Cologne grinned and charged up. Another small ki blast reopened
the hole and she immediately sent a large one through it. The purple
beam struck one of the crystals powering the shield and it shattered.
The bubble destabilized and vaporized, letting the old woman drop to the
ground.
"Sorry sonny, you're 100 years too early to stop me," she said
to herself.
She quickly snagged the small statuette she attempted to grab
earlier and stuffed it in a pouch. Then she made her way to the door.
The ground around her began to shake violently and the very air seemed
to electrify. This isn't good... there is some major powers struggling
and it's tearing this mountain apart. It's time I made my exit.
Opening the door, she did just that.
Not far away, the small group of survivors were also trying to
make their exit.
"Anybody remember the path out of here?" Ranma asked through
forced breaths. A quick glance around at all the glum faces told him.
"Well that's just great..."
Suddenly, Akane's face brightened. "Look!" They turned to see
Akane pointing as a carved arrow on the wall. "Ukyo made those with her
spatula as we wandered around. If we follow them, we'll find the way
out!"
With renewed vigor, the small group picked up the pace as the
mountain cried out.
DISCLAIMER: All Ranma 1/2 characters are owned Rumiko Takahashi, Viz and
someone else I think. But mainly the goddess Takahashi. I'm only
borrowing them to use in a limited non-profit avenue, strictly for
entertainment purpose only. Did I get that right, Bob? (He's my lawyer)
Good. I guess I'll use this same disclaimer in the next chapter! (told
you I was gonna do the same one!)
And here we go...
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Winds of Change
Chapter 10
Who am I? the thought came unbidden. Or did it?
Shapes and images came and went, all of which seemed familiar,
but the amnesiac couldn't focus on any one of them. The rest was
swirling shades of black and gray.
What time is it? He found he couldn't focus on the passage of
time either.
Where am I? His body floated in a void of blackness, empty,
save for the few pictures and sounds that occasionally floated by.
Am I dreaming? If so, I should be able to wake up. He closed
his eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened. He continued to float,
with no sense of direction and no points of reference.
He's waking up.
What was that? It almost sounded familiar. This was different
than the other voices, for he could hear it and process it. The others
were just gibberish.
Kenji...
That's my name, isn't it? Or maybe not. If I can't remember
anything about myself, how do I know that's my name?
Kenji, snap out of it man!
Wait a minute! That's... Ranma? Got to get out of here... Got
to wake up. Ohhhh, I don't feel so good. Wait a minute, I can feel
something? Concentrate on my hands... I feel something cold and hard?
He's not waking up...
Another voice, I don't recognize that one, do I? I think I've
heard it before...
Fight it son!
Yet another voice! Who are these people and why can I hear them
if I can't see them?
Kenji! Listen to me! What about Ukyo?
Ranma again. Ukyo? What happened to Ukyo? Gotta pull out of
this...
Kenji slowly opened his eyes and the world presented itself as
a big blur. He tried to move, but his arms and legs were restricted and
he was on his back. How about his voice?
"U-Ukyo?" He half-coughed and half-sputtered out.
"She's not here," came Ranma's female voice.
"Saotome?" he managed a little better.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Whe-where are you?" Kenji asked, his voice getting better.
"We're chained to some pillars nearby, I don't think you can see
us." There was a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry, man, we
tried, but it ain't over yet," Her voice trailed off.
"Where am I?"
"You're in a big cavern inside the mages' mountain, chained onto
a stone slab," Ranma explained. "Do ya remember anything?"
Kenji couldn't help but laugh, bitterly. "Fine thing to ask an
amnesiac." He then thought for a minute. "There was the fight with Ukyo.
I thought we won, but next thing I know, I'm in a cage and the Fire Lord
is there. I thought the explosions I heard came from you, so I tried to
escape. The next thing I know, I'm here." He laughed bitterly again. "It
seems I have a nasty habit of waking up in strange places with no idea
how I got there."
Kenji's eyes were beginning to clear. Looking up, he saw a
small hole in the high ceiling of the cavern, that opened to the night
sky. He could see part of the moon high up above.
"You haveta hold on, we got a plan ta get ya out of here," said
Ranma.
"Really?" a new voice entered. Kenji easily remembered it by the
elevated sense of fear it brought. "And what would that be?" He turned
his head to see the fire lord walking up to him. "Well, whatever it is,
you'd better hurry. In a few minutes, I begin the ceremony to extract
your essence, and it's not a pretty sight to behold!"
"Now I know what poor Ryoga-kun feels like," Akane said offhand.
"If seems like we've been walking for hours and I don't have a clue
where we are."
"I know what you mean, I..." Ukyo started but then was
immediately silenced by Konatsu. "What is it?" she whispered.
"Can't you feel it?" Konatsu asked silently.
Ukyo shook her head, but Akane stopped for a moment.
"Now that you mention it," she said slowly, a strange look on
her face. "I'm starting to feel a little funny. Like a strange vibration
reverberating off my body."
"It hasn't happened often," Konatsu said. "But I can sometimes
feel strong auras or powers. I think you can too, Akane-sama. Someone
very powerful is exercising their power nearby."
"Can you lead us to it?" Ukyo asked.
Konatsu thought for a moment, then nodded. He padded down the
hallway and took a right at the intersection, with Akane and Ukyo right
behind. Left, left, right, another left; Konatsu paused for a brief
section at each junction to get his bearings, then continued in the
direction he felt the big magic was in. Akane could feel the vibration
increasing and it scared her.
After a minute or two, the dull but steady beat of chanting
could be heard. They followed the sounds, the voices getting louder
until they came to a halt just at the entrance to a huge cavern. The
sight that greeted them caused all three to gasp.
In the center, on a slightly raised dais, was Kenji. He was
chained on his back and writhing in obvious pain. Ranma, Ryoga, Soun,
Genma, Shampoo, and Mousse were chained to individual pillars that
circled the dais. None of them appeared to be conscience. And floating
above Kenji, was the Fire Lord. He was chanting in some strange language
along with the dozen mages who stood on the ground.
"What in the..." Akane began. "Just what's going on in there?"
"I'm guessing the fire lord is attempting to absorb Kenji-sama's
power," Konatsu said flatly.
Ukyo grabbed her battle spat' with one hand and readied several
of her throwing spatula's in her other. "Well, what are we waiting for?
Let's stop this!"
Konatsu shook his head. "We're outnumbered. It would be
suicide." Would it really? Or do I just want Ranma and Kenji to go away
so Ukyo will love me? No, I'm not like that!
"Well, we have to do something!" Akane stated. "I'm with Ukyo,
we have to try and save them."
Konatsu inhaled deeply. "Ok, I'll slip in first and attempt to
distract the mages." He withdrew a sword from a sheath. "When I take out
the first one, you two start your attack. We have to try and free the
others if we're going to have a chance."
"Uh, Konatsu-kun, what's with the takemitsu?" Ukyo asked.
Konatsu stared at the bamboo sword in his hand. "Ahh! I forgot,
the real one is still in the pawn shop!" He shook his head. "Never mind,
this will have to do."
Ukyo and Akane nodded. The trio crept slowly to the entrance,
then Konatsu began moving stealthily inside. He crossed the distance in
a very short amount of time and without being discovered, probably due
to the fact that the mages were caught up in their spell. The two girls
tensed as Konatsu snuck up on his first victim. The mage never saw it
coming as Konatsu brought the weapon down on the man's head, knocking
him out.
That was their cue.
Ukyo and Akane broke from hiding and sprinted across the
ground. A flight of spatulas left Ukyo's hand and buried themselves into
another mage. Konatsu loosed a pair of wire bolas, tying up another. By
this time, the other mages and the Fire Lord realized something was
happening. The spell was weakening and, one by one, they came out of the
trance.
"INFIDELS!" the Fire Lord's voice boomed. "KILL THEM!" The
force of his voice shook the ground violently and several large cracks
opened up. If one were to look down them, they would not see a bottom.
The remaining wizards attacked. Fireballs were thrown, golems
created, and high pressure water blasts gushed forth. Konatsu artfully
dodged the blasts and took down another mage, a water one, then let
loose a whirlwind of ninja stars that sent several mages leaping out of
the way, several into those bottomless fissures.
Ukyo blocked a fireball with her battle spatula. While leaving
her unscathed, it was powerful enough to knock her off her feet and land
her on her butt. As soon as she hit the ground, she instinctively rolled
to the right, barely avoiding another fireblast. Then she was up and
running again, another flight of spatulas striking the attacking fire
wizard.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Akane yelled to an attacking golem while
leaping into the air. Her fist came down and smashed the golems `head',
spliting it partially down the middle before it crumbled. She took no
time to recover before she was on the move again. She sprinted and slid
between the legs of the next golem, then unleashed a vicious scissor
kick on the earth mage who was creating them.
Up above, the fire lord was not pleased at how easily the three
were taking out his minions. He decided to take a personal hand in the
matter. But which one? Ah, yes. The spatula wielding one from the other
night. She shall be the first.
He held out his hand and a burning sphere of flames began to
grow. When it was almost as large as his body, he released it. Ukyo
noticed it a moment too late and all she could do was attempt to hop
back. As soon as her feet left the ground, the fireball crashed into the
space she was occupying and the explosion engulfed her.
Ukyo screamed, but unlike any scream she had heard before.. It
echoed throughout the cavern, dampening all other sounds. Her wail, one
that would make a banshee flee, effectively radiated the pain she was
feeling. It was a scream so piercing, all present felt it resonate down
to their bones.
Then it was over and the smoking body was flying backward,
tumbling to rest near one of the larger fissures.
Kenji's body was slowly being torn apart, or at least that's
how it felt to him.
More accurately, it felt like someone had taken hold of one of
his internal organs and was slowly pulling it out of his body. Problem
was, all his organs were connected so they all came out, one right after
another like the magician's trick where he pulls a continuous line of
ribbons tied together from his wrist or mouth. No coherent thoughts
could be formed, prevented by the stream of agony forced upon him.
Then like a light switch being flicked, the pain was gone and
he nearly sobbed at the incredible relief his body felt.
Vaguely, he began to make out screams and explosions. A voice
above him yelled loudly, but Kenji couldn't make out the words. A female
voice yelled something else, followed by another crash.
Then he heard the scream.
It reverberated throughout his body, piercing his core, and he
instantly recognized the voice. Ukyo? Another voice, male, screamed
her name, then deep laughter could be heard from above. Ukyo's in
trouble, gotta help her, gotta do something!
Reaching down inside, he attempted to find the strength. There
wasn't much there, he found to his dismay. He attempted to dig even
deeper, routing every ounce of power available to him.
Then he hit the barrier again. There was some sort of internal
wall, unbreakable, yet he could feel power behind it. He could barely
move as it was; if he was going to save Ukyo, he needed that power.
A thought came unbidden to his mind, (Power comes with a
price.)
I'll pay any price if I can save Ukyo! he countered.
He gathered up his reserves and flung them at the wall. Once.
Twice. Three times. Nothing happened and Kenji exhaled. Then, a crack in
the wall appeared. Not much, but it began to grow. Then the dam burst
and Kenji found his senses snap awake, the power filling him.
"UKYO-SAMA!" Konatsu yelled as he made his way through the last
wizard towards her.
Ukyo was barely conscience and could just make out a form
floating in the air, burning, and moving towards her. There was some
activity on the ground a few yards away, a red shape was moving rapidly
in her direction.
"I've had enough of your games, child," the fire lord's voice
echoed loudly. "Time to die!"
He pointed his hand at the wall, and a large boulder emerged
from it. A flick of his wrist sent it arcing towards the fallen
okonomiyaki chef.
"NO!" Konatsu put on one last burst of speed and intercepted the
boulder above Ukyo's fallen form, pushing it out of the way. He cried
out as pain lanced through the impact with his shoulder, momentarily
stunning him. The forward momentum carried both him and the boulder past
Ukyo to plumment through the opening in the earth. He recovered just
enough to call Ukyo's name again as the blackness swallowed him up.
Ukyo's eyes snapped open and the sight filled her with much
sorrow and dread. "Konatsu..." she half-choked, half-whispered as she
watched the kunoichi disappear from view. Tears fell from her eyes when
she realized he was gone, sacrificing himself for her.
"Wake up, Baka!"
Akane had just taken out her last mage and was working on
breaking Ranma's chains when she witnessed the fireball that slammed
into Ukyo and sent her rolling along the ground.
She froze and could only watch helplessly, too far away to help
her, as the fire lord advanced. He spoke a few words, then Akane saw him
send the boulder with the intent on crushing her beneath it. Konatsu was
a blur as he intercepted it before it could hit its target. She watched
in horror as the ninja vanished into the earth.
For the next few seconds, she kept waiting for him to reappear,
but he did not
Ranma chose that moment to awaken and Akane gazed into her
eyes. She saw a smile form on her fiance's female lips, then it changed
into a frown. Akane was about to say something when she realized that
Ranma was no longer looking at her, but at something behind her. She
turned and beheld Kenji sitting upright on the dais. The chains were
gone and he was staring at Ukyo's fallen form.
"So ends the lives of all who oppose me!" the Fire Lord intoned.
"Now to finish the job."
"NO!" came Kenji's commanding voice.
The fire lord turned and looked at him. "Who are you, boy, to
challenge me?"
"Look Akane, look at his eyes..." Ranma-onna pointed out. Akane
gasped. Kenji's pupils and irises were gone, instead his eyes were now
entirely gray and his face was completely devoid of emotion.
"I am Soyokaze Kenji," he announced. "And this ends now." He
turned towards Ranma and Akane. "Get everyone out of here." Akane
started to say something, but Kenji cut her off with a very forceful and
commanding, "NOW!"
As Ranma and Akane worked on the chains of the others, they
couldn't help but notice a very cold wind begin to blow.
Ukyo looked up when she felt the wind. She inhaled sharply in
horror at Kenji's now-completely gray eyes and saw him begin to rise
into the air. Then, a painful convulsion wracked her body and the world
went black.
"They are going nowhere," the Fire Lord stated. As if to
underscore it, he formed half a dozen fireballs and prepared to launch
them at Ranma and Akane.
Kenji made a quick hand motion and a swift wind blew the
fireballs off in another direction where they smashed into the wall.
"No, you're fight is with me. HITOHUKI!" He thrust his hand out and a
blast of wind struck the floating Fire Lord and threw him into the
cavern wall. The wind currents began circulate faster around the cavern.
By this time, the others had been freed, but only Genma-panda,
Ryoga, and Mousse-duck had revived to consciousness. Soun and Shampoo-
neko were still out. Akane informed Ranma of Ukyo and they went to check
on her.
"Get out of here, all of you!" Kenji bellowed. A small tornado
could be seen forming around him, levitating him into the air.
"But what about you?" Akane yelled.
"Yeah, we ain't about to leave ya!" Ranma joined in.
"I've told you before that this is MY fight!" he snarled very
loudly. "Get Ukyo out NOW!"
Akane turned toward Ranma. "We better get them out of here. It
doesn't look like Kenji's in a mood to argue. Plus, we really need to
get Ukyo some medical attention."
Ranma reluctantly agreed and picked up the fallen chef.
Together, with Genma-panda carrying Soun and Ryoga carrying Shampoo-
neko, they hurried out of the cavern.
Ranma was last in line and he paused and turned around to
glance at Kenji, who was now floating several feet off the ground in his
own whirlwind. His eyes were locked with the fire lord's as they
approached one another. Ranma handed the Ukyo off to Akane, then turned
around.
Kenji, I'm going to help you whether you want it or not. He
stepped back into the cavern and began to gather his ki. Kenji turned to
face him.
"You will leave," came the disembodied voice of the floating
young man. It wasn't a command or a request, just a statement of fact.
Ranma shivered, because the tone was no longer one that he had come to
recognize from the amnesiac. It was almost... inhuman.
As the pig-tailed martial artist began to protest, Kenji held
up a hand and a powerful blast of wind picked Ranma up and tossed him
into the tunnel. Another blast hit the rock above the tunnel entrance
and succeeded collapsing the entrance.
With a last look, Ranma turned and hurried off to catch up with
the rest of the group. Kenji, I hope you know what you're doing... he
thought grimly.
In a room not so far away, Cologne was listening to the sounds
of battle as she continued to try and free herself. Small ki blasts had
just opened up a small hole in the sphere; well, it was open for a
second or two.
Cologne grinned and charged up. Another small ki blast reopened
the hole and she immediately sent a large one through it. The purple
beam struck one of the crystals powering the shield and it shattered.
The bubble destabilized and vaporized, letting the old woman drop to the
ground.
"Sorry sonny, you're 100 years too early to stop me," she said
to herself.
She quickly snagged the small statuette she attempted to grab
earlier and stuffed it in a pouch. Then she made her way to the door.
The ground around her began to shake violently and the very air seemed
to electrify. This isn't good... there is some major powers struggling
and it's tearing this mountain apart. It's time I made my exit.
Opening the door, she did just that.
Not far away, the small group of survivors were also trying to
make their exit.
"Anybody remember the path out of here?" Ranma asked through
forced breaths. A quick glance around at all the glum faces told him.
"Well that's just great..."
Suddenly, Akane's face brightened. "Look!" They turned to see
Akane pointing as a carved arrow on the wall. "Ukyo made those with her
spatula as we wandered around. If we follow them, we'll find the way
out!"
With renewed vigor, the small group picked up the pace as the
mountain cried out.