An Immortal Love (A Ranma 1/2 and Ah! Megumi-Sama! Crossover)
Chapter One
by Shea McIntee (Sunhawk)
Disclaimer: I don't own any sort of copyright to either Ranma 1/2 or Ah! Megumi-sama, no do I have any right to receive any sort of material benefit from my borrowing of ideas from the two series. I worship their creators, and beg them not to strike me with lightning bolts from heaven for my presumption... unless I do a horrible job, in which case I should probably commit seppuku to restore my honor. I'm merely attempting to show my supreme worship of, and, let's be perfectly frank, my complete obsession with, anime, and Ranma 1/2 in particular.
An Immortal Love - Chapter One
"Be Careful What You Wish For..."
Ranma stared up at the stars in a cloudless sky from his vantage-point on the Tendo roof.
'It's been almost a month since Jusendo, and the wedding, and everyone seems determined to keep things from changing. Shampoo, Kuno, Kodachi, Ukyo, Pop, Mr. Tendo, Akane, Nabiki, everyone else; they all act as if it's "business as normal" around here. Kuno still attacks me every morning. Shampoo is still stalking me and trying to scare everyone else away. Uccha- Ukyo still practically forces okonomiyaki with hearts on it down my throat...'
He chuckled somewhat ruefully. '... not that she really needs to force me to eat...'
He frowned. 'I never even got any sort of apology from any of them for wrecking the wedding... I still donno if I would've wanted to, but they went way to far with the explosive food, baring steel, and Kodachi's black wedding dress. Shampoo claimed it was her duty and right, and Ukyo just told me that she was 'doing it for my own good'...'
He sighed. 'I know I love Akane; after what I went through at Jusendo, I know that beyond anything else. When I thou-thought that she... died...'
He paused, and a slow tear, glistening with reflected moonlight and sorrow, trickled down his cheek.
He shook himself. 'Man, do I sympathize with Mr. Tendo now... I know I love her, but I don't think either of us are ready to marry yet. I'm not even sure if she loves me. I mean, she hits me all the time and yells at me, but then she'll turn around and LOOK at me...'
He grimaced. 'Before I even think of marriage, I need to solve my current... problems, and preferably without hurting anyone. I can't see any real way to do it, though; Ukyo is unpredictable, and could either try to hunt me or Akane down, or accept it; Shampoo and the old ghoul won't give up without a fight, and Kodachi...'
He shuddered. 'Kodachi is just plain crazy. I wish things would get better for Akane and me...'
He stood and stretched, and jumped off the roof. A decent sleep would help his mood.
*****
In an office, plain and white, with a picture of a globe on one wall, the sun shone through a window, highlighting a desk, a chair, and a figure. The light seemed to create a halo around the chair and it's occupant, as he sat in front of a terminal. On the screen were a pair of listings.
' Name: Ranma, cat-god, war-god ' ' Name: Akane, fire goddess '
' formerly patron of healers ' ' war-goddess, deceased '
' Status: Incarnate ' ' Status: Deceased/Incarnate '
' Locus: Japan, Tokyo, Nerima ' ' Locus: Japan, Tokyo, Nerima '
He smiled, and changed 'Incarnate' and 'Deceased/Incarnate' to 'Active'. It was time for two of his children to finish growing up... again. Some guidance may be needed for the two...
His smile broadened, and he called up another file, with a locus similar to the ones before. Yes, she'll do admirably.
*****
He stood on a field scarred with battle. Around him were signs of a struggle of epic proportions. It seemed quiet to him... too quiet.
He held his heart in his arms; he could feel the life ebbing with each frantic beat. Inside he cried and raged, feeling helpless. Outside, though, he stood, a silent monument to utter dispair, a lone tear making it's way down his face. He could hear a voice begging her to stay, begging death to wait, begging anyone, anything to listen to him.
He gathered in his rage, his fears that now seemed reality, his love of her, his hatred of he who had done this to her, his despair of living without her, and, throwing back his head, screamed her name in a voice that rocked the heavens.\
But it made no difference. He felt her grow cold and heavy.
His heart... was no more.
He sat up sharply, panting harshly.
'Just a dream, just a dream.' he thought. Ever since Akane nearly died at Jusendo, he'd had nightmares about what might've happened...
He shuddered. 'Just another nightmare... just another nightmare,' he told himself, trying to calm down.
He looked outside. Still dark; he should get back to sleep.
After tossing and turning for a few minutes, he drifted off to more pleasant dreams, of living with Akane in peace.
*****
Pain.
It was everywhere; the entire world seemed focused on agony.
She could dimly feel him, holding her.
She could feel his tears, hot and wet, dripping on her face. Crying.
She wondered, distantly, why he was crying. She was the one hurting.
Maybe he was crying for her.
That would make sense, she supposed.
She tried to tell him to stop crying, but the words seemed... distant... alien.
The pain seemed to grow less, and she felt as if she was floating, yet she could still feel his arms around her. The world seemed much dimmer, and for some reason, someone had apparently turned off the sound, since that, too, was growing fainter.
Sleep.
She was tired. She didn't want to leave him, but she felt so sleepy.
****
Morning started in the Tendo household with a yell and a splash, followed by the sounds of vigorous fighting.
Akane blearily opened her eyes and glanced at an alarmclock. Far too early. She stuffed her head back under her pillow and resumed her attempts to catch the sandman.
Five minutes later she gave up, and went downstairs to get something to eat.
A little black piglet dragging a pack many times larger than itself came out of the closet, muttering to itself. If one could perhaps understand what it was saying, one would have heard something about 'barbeque' and 'Canada.' It wandered out the open door, down the hall, and entered the bathroom.
Two minutes later, it was nowhere near the bathroom, the house, or even in Nerima anymore.
"Come on, Ranma! We're going to be late for school, you stupid baka!"
"Alright, alright! Jeez... settle down, will you?"
Akane ran out the door, followed by a fence-walking Ranma.
****
As they got to school, both Ranma and Akane noticed a common sight; a certain kendoist with a slight ... ahem... delusional mentality standing in the middle of the courtyard, bokken upraised as if he were posing for some painter for an incredibly tacky portrait entitled 'Delusions of Grandeur.'
As he saw Ranma, Kuno promptly burst into song... err... speech.
"Foul Sorcerer, on this day you shall taste the true righteous wrath of the noble Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, isasmuch for I have been ordained by the shining heavens to rid the world of your black magics ere the sun shall set, leaving myself triumphant over your evil ways!"
Ranma rolled his eyes. Typical Kuno. This just made his day complete.
"Whatever, Kuno. Can'tcha think of something original for once?"
Kuno suddenly disappeared, and reappeared in front of Akane.
"Be not worried, o beautious Akane, for once I defeat that foul saotome, your light shall shine force in all it's glory and splendor, and then, at last, I will allow you to date with me!"
He paused, probably to take a breath.
"But, soasmuch as you will be grieved at the sorcerer's demise if you are still under his spell, I will free you with a stroke of my mighty blade (get your minds OUT of the gutters, berks), and, in gratitude and love towards my most noble self, you will go out with me."
Akane snorted.
"And what makes you think-"
Kuno, for once not waiting for her rely, lunged at her with his bokken, and she hastily dodged back, settling into a combat stance.
"Kuno, what the hell do you think-"
WHAM!
Ranma's arm lashed out, sending Kuno flying... as usual. Akane turned, ready to yell at Ranma for interfering with HER fights. Truthfully, she almost exected it by now, but that didn't mean she liked it.
And then she stoed.
Kuno was flung against a tree, unconscious. This wasn't articularly noticable; it happened all the time.
But the tree in question was almost 50 feet away. THAT was unusual. And the four parallel horizontal slashes across his chest, showing up as red against the while hakima, was most definitely out of place.
She stared at Ranma. He seemed perfectly normal, and acted like this was nothing strange.
"C'mon Akane; let's go before we're late."
****
The huntress stalked forward, intent on her prey. Her weapons in her hand; a box of chinese take-out in her right hand, and a small flask in her left, filled with a light yellow liquid, swirling with sparkles. Perfect.
She advanced towards the school. It was lunchtime for her prey, and he never refused a meal. All she would have to do is get it too him.
Then he would be hers.
She crept up to a tree, and then made a great leap.
"Nihao, Airen!"
Ranma spun to see one of the last people he wanted to see.
'Would a nice quiet lunch with Akane really be too much to ask for?'
Shampoo landed and bounced towards him, trying to execute the Secret Female Technique: the Amazon Glomp. However, her target wasn't there.
She blinked, and tried again.
Missed again.
She frowned, and shrugged. She leaned towards him and held out the takeout box.
"Shampoo brought too delicious ramen for Airen!"
"Err..." Ranma said, desperately looking at Akane for a save. No help there; she was busy fuming.
"No thanks. I'm not really that hungry."
Both Shampoo and Akane stared at him.
"Airen feel sick? Ramen help. Eat!" Shampoo said, trying to force the ramen down his throat. He HAD to eat this!
Ranma's nose twitched. A small piece of his mind was screaming 'DANGER' and, for once, he listened to it.
"No, really. I'm just not hungry."
Shampoo changed tactics, and tried to give him the Secret Technique: The Gaze of Kawaii, but he simly frowned, pushed her away, and walked over to Akane.
"C'mon; let's get back to class."
And he walked the rather startled girl away, towards the school, leaving behind a comletely shocked and disappointed Amazon.
She frowned. This was something that that pervert-girl did, she was sure. She would have to resort to more... drastic measures. Tonight, before Great-Grandmother came back from her trip to the village. She probably wouldn't aprove.
****
Akane sat at her desk, doing her english homework. Today was... odd. First there was Ranma's reaction to Kuno. He had never hit him that hard, and hadn't drawn blood before... and what had happened? Ranma didn't have a weapon in his hand, and he wasn't under the neko-ken, so how had he done that?
And then there was lunch. Ranma had never refused free food before. Maybe he was coming down with something? She scowled. Stupid baka.
Suddenly she heard a 'clunk' and looked up to see a small round cannister on her desk in front of her, making a slight hissing sound. She frowned. Where had that... come... from?
She felt so tired. Maybe a nap would...
'Gas!' Someone's... yawn trying to... gas...'
As her vision blurred and faded, she saw a familiar sillhouette aproaching her.
Then all was dark.
****
Kasumi stuck her head in the living room.
"Ranma, could you tell Akane that dinner is ready?"
He sighed and stood up.
'Always me. If I'm unlucky, she'll be dressing just as I get there and she'll deck me. Great...'
He knocked at her door. No sense in provoking something.
No answer. He frowned. She went in there only fifteen minutes ago. He knocked again.
He cracked the door open.
"Akane?"
Nothing.
He opened the door and looked around. Nothing. She wasn't there. He was about to check the bathroom, but then he noticed the open window.
He frowned, and crossed over to her desk to shut it, and stopped. There was a note on her desk, addressed to him. With a funny sinking sensation in his stomach, he read:
Ranma,
If you wish to see her alive, come to abandoned warehouse beside empty lot two blocks south of Nekohanten alone.
The missive was carefully written, and was on a plain sheet of paper. He scowled and carefully put it back on the desk. Another kidnapping. This was all he needed.
He raced downstairs to where Kasumi was setting the table for dinner.
"Ranma? Did you find Akane?"
"Nah, someone kidnapped her."
"Oh, my. Please be careful, Ranma."
He ran out the door and down the street, looking for the warehouse mentioned in the letter. It was getting dark out, and he had a bad feeling about this.
He arrived at the warehouse with the sun almost all the way down the horizon. It was only a warehouse by courtesy; it was obviously old, quite broken down, and was small for such a building. As he entered, he spotted a shadowly figure in a hood standing in the middle of the empty building.
He walked slowly towards it, his senses wary.
"Nihao, Airen," came Shampoo's voice from the hooded figure, and delicate hands pulled the hood off to reveal purple hair framing a familiar face. Her voice was softer and sadder than usual, and seemed to hold a tinge of desperation in it.
Ranma stopped.
"Sh-shampoo? What are you doing here?"
His voice became suddenly harder.
"Where's Akane?"
She made a faint gesture off to the left, and he saw an intimately familiar silhouette lying limply on the ground. His gaze sharpened, and, straining, he could just make out the fain rise and fall of her chest. His gaze snapped back to Shampoo.
"Shampoo-" he began, his voice underlaid with a faint rumbling.
"Ranma come back home with Shampoo, yes?" Shampoo asked.
"I told you, Shampoo, there's no way in - "
"Ranma belong to Shampoo, not to pervert-girl!"
"Listen, -"
Shampoo suddenly drew out a small ovoid object, resembling a largish chicken egg, and threw it on the floor, where it cracked and fell apart, bursting into flames as it did so. Ranma backed up warily.
'Great... what now?'
The flames turned dark purple, and suddenly reached almost to the ceiling. Ranma started and shifted into a defensive stance as a figure stepped out.
A day ago, Ranma would be out the dor by now, for the figure, radiating an almost visible aura of pure unadulterated evil, looked like a humanoid cat, except with patches of scales on it's arms and legs. It stood amost six feet tall, and it's clawed feet seemed to sink into the smoking floor.
It turned to Shampoo. "What do you require, mortal?" the figure hissed.
"I free you... you do service for me, yes?" It was more a demand than a question.
The demon snarled. "What is it, then?"
She pointed imperiously to Ramna.
"Make Ranma mine!"
"Huh?" was all Ranma had time to say, before a deep burle blast washed over him, sapping his strength and eroding his will. As the world grew hazy around him, he heard them still speaking.
"Mere freedom is not enough payment... I require a mortal... playtoy... to seal the bargain."
Ranma could almost hear the indifferance in Shampoo's reply.
"Take pervert-girl. Shampoo have no more use for her."
"Very well. I accept"
Ranma had one last thought before swirling darkness overwhelmed him.
"No!"
Shi-men was exultant. Three thousand years ago, his was almost fatally wounded in an ill-advised ambush on the kami, and he fled to the mortal plane to recuperate. Unfortunately, in his weakened state, he was easily captured by an amazon sorceress, and had been imprisoned in an egg.
But now, a mortal, and an amazon at that, had broken his prison, and had given him a mortal soul for his entertainment.
"Very well," he smirked. Such a small task, really; to bind one mortal to another's will was a piece of cake to such as he.
He frowned in slight concentrationg, and threw his spell at the shining figure, glowing with the light of his paralysis trap. A brilliant flare of light marked the impact, and he smirked again at the mortal who had summoned him.
"It is done."
And then he heard it, a low growling sound; the sound that had haunted his restless dreamy existance while he was imprisoned, and which had been the focus of his fears ever since that long-ago battle.
The sound that he had heard once, right before a successful ambush turned into a complete failure. Right before he...
He whirled suddenly, and then stared in horror as a long, low figure paced out of the flaming light, and for the second time in his existance Shi-men felt absolutely terrifid.
It was larger than any mortal tiger now living, and it's stripes were red and black, rather than the more common orange or white. It's teeth and claws gleamed as if they were polished, and it's stance radiated power and fury.
But it's most distinctive feature was it's eyes, which blazed a burning blue, seeming to burn with unsupressed rage and freeze with an impacable hatred. Those eyes made an unspoken promise.
Shi... ne.
He tried to run, tried to escape the fate he saw in those merciless orbs, but was frozen in lace, somehow paralyzed by the sheer intensity reflected in his slayer's soul.
He never saw the lunge and blurring strike that slammed him into the wall, cracking it, altohugh he had time to feel it. He barely had a second more to confront his own sudden mortality before the follow-up with the claws that tore apart his body and shredded his spirit past any redemption, and sent him to oblivion in pain.
Ranma-neko roared his triumph; Here was one of the ones who killed Mate, and now he had his revenge.
He paused, and sniffed the air. He heard two heartbeats, one quick with panic, one slow with sleep. He smelled furylustdesperationfear in the air, and something... familiar. Tantalizing.
He sniffed.
... Mate? Mate was here? Mate was alive??
He shifted and raced over to a limp figure. Gathering Akane in his arms his vanished, bound for a safe place. He felt better than her ever had for the ast 3,000 years; his Akane was alive!
Shampoo stood, stunned. It seemed that Ranma was at last her's, and then...
Well, first Ranma was replaced by the largest cat she had ever seen, and then suddenly there was a blur, and the demon was dead against the wall, and then the tiger had paused, looking around.
She thought that maybe it would go after her next, but instead, it seemed to sniff the air, and then bounded towards Akane, somehow blurring into a pig-tailed figure by the time he reached her, and he icked her up and faded in a flash of light.
The last impression she was was that of three red marks glowing on his face and cat-slitted eyes.
***************
Author's Notes:
Okay... I had to do some revisions here, and there are a couple parts that still seem a bit rushed and rough, but I think this'll do for chapter one. C&C welcome, deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com , www.geocities.com/thesunhawk. Reviews appreciated.
Shea McIntee
Chapter One
by Shea McIntee (Sunhawk)
Disclaimer: I don't own any sort of copyright to either Ranma 1/2 or Ah! Megumi-sama, no do I have any right to receive any sort of material benefit from my borrowing of ideas from the two series. I worship their creators, and beg them not to strike me with lightning bolts from heaven for my presumption... unless I do a horrible job, in which case I should probably commit seppuku to restore my honor. I'm merely attempting to show my supreme worship of, and, let's be perfectly frank, my complete obsession with, anime, and Ranma 1/2 in particular.
An Immortal Love - Chapter One
"Be Careful What You Wish For..."
Ranma stared up at the stars in a cloudless sky from his vantage-point on the Tendo roof.
'It's been almost a month since Jusendo, and the wedding, and everyone seems determined to keep things from changing. Shampoo, Kuno, Kodachi, Ukyo, Pop, Mr. Tendo, Akane, Nabiki, everyone else; they all act as if it's "business as normal" around here. Kuno still attacks me every morning. Shampoo is still stalking me and trying to scare everyone else away. Uccha- Ukyo still practically forces okonomiyaki with hearts on it down my throat...'
He chuckled somewhat ruefully. '... not that she really needs to force me to eat...'
He frowned. 'I never even got any sort of apology from any of them for wrecking the wedding... I still donno if I would've wanted to, but they went way to far with the explosive food, baring steel, and Kodachi's black wedding dress. Shampoo claimed it was her duty and right, and Ukyo just told me that she was 'doing it for my own good'...'
He sighed. 'I know I love Akane; after what I went through at Jusendo, I know that beyond anything else. When I thou-thought that she... died...'
He paused, and a slow tear, glistening with reflected moonlight and sorrow, trickled down his cheek.
He shook himself. 'Man, do I sympathize with Mr. Tendo now... I know I love her, but I don't think either of us are ready to marry yet. I'm not even sure if she loves me. I mean, she hits me all the time and yells at me, but then she'll turn around and LOOK at me...'
He grimaced. 'Before I even think of marriage, I need to solve my current... problems, and preferably without hurting anyone. I can't see any real way to do it, though; Ukyo is unpredictable, and could either try to hunt me or Akane down, or accept it; Shampoo and the old ghoul won't give up without a fight, and Kodachi...'
He shuddered. 'Kodachi is just plain crazy. I wish things would get better for Akane and me...'
He stood and stretched, and jumped off the roof. A decent sleep would help his mood.
*****
In an office, plain and white, with a picture of a globe on one wall, the sun shone through a window, highlighting a desk, a chair, and a figure. The light seemed to create a halo around the chair and it's occupant, as he sat in front of a terminal. On the screen were a pair of listings.
' Name: Ranma, cat-god, war-god ' ' Name: Akane, fire goddess '
' formerly patron of healers ' ' war-goddess, deceased '
' Status: Incarnate ' ' Status: Deceased/Incarnate '
' Locus: Japan, Tokyo, Nerima ' ' Locus: Japan, Tokyo, Nerima '
He smiled, and changed 'Incarnate' and 'Deceased/Incarnate' to 'Active'. It was time for two of his children to finish growing up... again. Some guidance may be needed for the two...
His smile broadened, and he called up another file, with a locus similar to the ones before. Yes, she'll do admirably.
*****
He stood on a field scarred with battle. Around him were signs of a struggle of epic proportions. It seemed quiet to him... too quiet.
He held his heart in his arms; he could feel the life ebbing with each frantic beat. Inside he cried and raged, feeling helpless. Outside, though, he stood, a silent monument to utter dispair, a lone tear making it's way down his face. He could hear a voice begging her to stay, begging death to wait, begging anyone, anything to listen to him.
He gathered in his rage, his fears that now seemed reality, his love of her, his hatred of he who had done this to her, his despair of living without her, and, throwing back his head, screamed her name in a voice that rocked the heavens.\
But it made no difference. He felt her grow cold and heavy.
His heart... was no more.
He sat up sharply, panting harshly.
'Just a dream, just a dream.' he thought. Ever since Akane nearly died at Jusendo, he'd had nightmares about what might've happened...
He shuddered. 'Just another nightmare... just another nightmare,' he told himself, trying to calm down.
He looked outside. Still dark; he should get back to sleep.
After tossing and turning for a few minutes, he drifted off to more pleasant dreams, of living with Akane in peace.
*****
Pain.
It was everywhere; the entire world seemed focused on agony.
She could dimly feel him, holding her.
She could feel his tears, hot and wet, dripping on her face. Crying.
She wondered, distantly, why he was crying. She was the one hurting.
Maybe he was crying for her.
That would make sense, she supposed.
She tried to tell him to stop crying, but the words seemed... distant... alien.
The pain seemed to grow less, and she felt as if she was floating, yet she could still feel his arms around her. The world seemed much dimmer, and for some reason, someone had apparently turned off the sound, since that, too, was growing fainter.
Sleep.
She was tired. She didn't want to leave him, but she felt so sleepy.
****
Morning started in the Tendo household with a yell and a splash, followed by the sounds of vigorous fighting.
Akane blearily opened her eyes and glanced at an alarmclock. Far too early. She stuffed her head back under her pillow and resumed her attempts to catch the sandman.
Five minutes later she gave up, and went downstairs to get something to eat.
A little black piglet dragging a pack many times larger than itself came out of the closet, muttering to itself. If one could perhaps understand what it was saying, one would have heard something about 'barbeque' and 'Canada.' It wandered out the open door, down the hall, and entered the bathroom.
Two minutes later, it was nowhere near the bathroom, the house, or even in Nerima anymore.
"Come on, Ranma! We're going to be late for school, you stupid baka!"
"Alright, alright! Jeez... settle down, will you?"
Akane ran out the door, followed by a fence-walking Ranma.
****
As they got to school, both Ranma and Akane noticed a common sight; a certain kendoist with a slight ... ahem... delusional mentality standing in the middle of the courtyard, bokken upraised as if he were posing for some painter for an incredibly tacky portrait entitled 'Delusions of Grandeur.'
As he saw Ranma, Kuno promptly burst into song... err... speech.
"Foul Sorcerer, on this day you shall taste the true righteous wrath of the noble Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, isasmuch for I have been ordained by the shining heavens to rid the world of your black magics ere the sun shall set, leaving myself triumphant over your evil ways!"
Ranma rolled his eyes. Typical Kuno. This just made his day complete.
"Whatever, Kuno. Can'tcha think of something original for once?"
Kuno suddenly disappeared, and reappeared in front of Akane.
"Be not worried, o beautious Akane, for once I defeat that foul saotome, your light shall shine force in all it's glory and splendor, and then, at last, I will allow you to date with me!"
He paused, probably to take a breath.
"But, soasmuch as you will be grieved at the sorcerer's demise if you are still under his spell, I will free you with a stroke of my mighty blade (get your minds OUT of the gutters, berks), and, in gratitude and love towards my most noble self, you will go out with me."
Akane snorted.
"And what makes you think-"
Kuno, for once not waiting for her rely, lunged at her with his bokken, and she hastily dodged back, settling into a combat stance.
"Kuno, what the hell do you think-"
WHAM!
Ranma's arm lashed out, sending Kuno flying... as usual. Akane turned, ready to yell at Ranma for interfering with HER fights. Truthfully, she almost exected it by now, but that didn't mean she liked it.
And then she stoed.
Kuno was flung against a tree, unconscious. This wasn't articularly noticable; it happened all the time.
But the tree in question was almost 50 feet away. THAT was unusual. And the four parallel horizontal slashes across his chest, showing up as red against the while hakima, was most definitely out of place.
She stared at Ranma. He seemed perfectly normal, and acted like this was nothing strange.
"C'mon Akane; let's go before we're late."
****
The huntress stalked forward, intent on her prey. Her weapons in her hand; a box of chinese take-out in her right hand, and a small flask in her left, filled with a light yellow liquid, swirling with sparkles. Perfect.
She advanced towards the school. It was lunchtime for her prey, and he never refused a meal. All she would have to do is get it too him.
Then he would be hers.
She crept up to a tree, and then made a great leap.
"Nihao, Airen!"
Ranma spun to see one of the last people he wanted to see.
'Would a nice quiet lunch with Akane really be too much to ask for?'
Shampoo landed and bounced towards him, trying to execute the Secret Female Technique: the Amazon Glomp. However, her target wasn't there.
She blinked, and tried again.
Missed again.
She frowned, and shrugged. She leaned towards him and held out the takeout box.
"Shampoo brought too delicious ramen for Airen!"
"Err..." Ranma said, desperately looking at Akane for a save. No help there; she was busy fuming.
"No thanks. I'm not really that hungry."
Both Shampoo and Akane stared at him.
"Airen feel sick? Ramen help. Eat!" Shampoo said, trying to force the ramen down his throat. He HAD to eat this!
Ranma's nose twitched. A small piece of his mind was screaming 'DANGER' and, for once, he listened to it.
"No, really. I'm just not hungry."
Shampoo changed tactics, and tried to give him the Secret Technique: The Gaze of Kawaii, but he simly frowned, pushed her away, and walked over to Akane.
"C'mon; let's get back to class."
And he walked the rather startled girl away, towards the school, leaving behind a comletely shocked and disappointed Amazon.
She frowned. This was something that that pervert-girl did, she was sure. She would have to resort to more... drastic measures. Tonight, before Great-Grandmother came back from her trip to the village. She probably wouldn't aprove.
****
Akane sat at her desk, doing her english homework. Today was... odd. First there was Ranma's reaction to Kuno. He had never hit him that hard, and hadn't drawn blood before... and what had happened? Ranma didn't have a weapon in his hand, and he wasn't under the neko-ken, so how had he done that?
And then there was lunch. Ranma had never refused free food before. Maybe he was coming down with something? She scowled. Stupid baka.
Suddenly she heard a 'clunk' and looked up to see a small round cannister on her desk in front of her, making a slight hissing sound. She frowned. Where had that... come... from?
She felt so tired. Maybe a nap would...
'Gas!' Someone's... yawn trying to... gas...'
As her vision blurred and faded, she saw a familiar sillhouette aproaching her.
Then all was dark.
****
Kasumi stuck her head in the living room.
"Ranma, could you tell Akane that dinner is ready?"
He sighed and stood up.
'Always me. If I'm unlucky, she'll be dressing just as I get there and she'll deck me. Great...'
He knocked at her door. No sense in provoking something.
No answer. He frowned. She went in there only fifteen minutes ago. He knocked again.
He cracked the door open.
"Akane?"
Nothing.
He opened the door and looked around. Nothing. She wasn't there. He was about to check the bathroom, but then he noticed the open window.
He frowned, and crossed over to her desk to shut it, and stopped. There was a note on her desk, addressed to him. With a funny sinking sensation in his stomach, he read:
Ranma,
If you wish to see her alive, come to abandoned warehouse beside empty lot two blocks south of Nekohanten alone.
The missive was carefully written, and was on a plain sheet of paper. He scowled and carefully put it back on the desk. Another kidnapping. This was all he needed.
He raced downstairs to where Kasumi was setting the table for dinner.
"Ranma? Did you find Akane?"
"Nah, someone kidnapped her."
"Oh, my. Please be careful, Ranma."
He ran out the door and down the street, looking for the warehouse mentioned in the letter. It was getting dark out, and he had a bad feeling about this.
He arrived at the warehouse with the sun almost all the way down the horizon. It was only a warehouse by courtesy; it was obviously old, quite broken down, and was small for such a building. As he entered, he spotted a shadowly figure in a hood standing in the middle of the empty building.
He walked slowly towards it, his senses wary.
"Nihao, Airen," came Shampoo's voice from the hooded figure, and delicate hands pulled the hood off to reveal purple hair framing a familiar face. Her voice was softer and sadder than usual, and seemed to hold a tinge of desperation in it.
Ranma stopped.
"Sh-shampoo? What are you doing here?"
His voice became suddenly harder.
"Where's Akane?"
She made a faint gesture off to the left, and he saw an intimately familiar silhouette lying limply on the ground. His gaze sharpened, and, straining, he could just make out the fain rise and fall of her chest. His gaze snapped back to Shampoo.
"Shampoo-" he began, his voice underlaid with a faint rumbling.
"Ranma come back home with Shampoo, yes?" Shampoo asked.
"I told you, Shampoo, there's no way in - "
"Ranma belong to Shampoo, not to pervert-girl!"
"Listen, -"
Shampoo suddenly drew out a small ovoid object, resembling a largish chicken egg, and threw it on the floor, where it cracked and fell apart, bursting into flames as it did so. Ranma backed up warily.
'Great... what now?'
The flames turned dark purple, and suddenly reached almost to the ceiling. Ranma started and shifted into a defensive stance as a figure stepped out.
A day ago, Ranma would be out the dor by now, for the figure, radiating an almost visible aura of pure unadulterated evil, looked like a humanoid cat, except with patches of scales on it's arms and legs. It stood amost six feet tall, and it's clawed feet seemed to sink into the smoking floor.
It turned to Shampoo. "What do you require, mortal?" the figure hissed.
"I free you... you do service for me, yes?" It was more a demand than a question.
The demon snarled. "What is it, then?"
She pointed imperiously to Ramna.
"Make Ranma mine!"
"Huh?" was all Ranma had time to say, before a deep burle blast washed over him, sapping his strength and eroding his will. As the world grew hazy around him, he heard them still speaking.
"Mere freedom is not enough payment... I require a mortal... playtoy... to seal the bargain."
Ranma could almost hear the indifferance in Shampoo's reply.
"Take pervert-girl. Shampoo have no more use for her."
"Very well. I accept"
Ranma had one last thought before swirling darkness overwhelmed him.
"No!"
Shi-men was exultant. Three thousand years ago, his was almost fatally wounded in an ill-advised ambush on the kami, and he fled to the mortal plane to recuperate. Unfortunately, in his weakened state, he was easily captured by an amazon sorceress, and had been imprisoned in an egg.
But now, a mortal, and an amazon at that, had broken his prison, and had given him a mortal soul for his entertainment.
"Very well," he smirked. Such a small task, really; to bind one mortal to another's will was a piece of cake to such as he.
He frowned in slight concentrationg, and threw his spell at the shining figure, glowing with the light of his paralysis trap. A brilliant flare of light marked the impact, and he smirked again at the mortal who had summoned him.
"It is done."
And then he heard it, a low growling sound; the sound that had haunted his restless dreamy existance while he was imprisoned, and which had been the focus of his fears ever since that long-ago battle.
The sound that he had heard once, right before a successful ambush turned into a complete failure. Right before he...
He whirled suddenly, and then stared in horror as a long, low figure paced out of the flaming light, and for the second time in his existance Shi-men felt absolutely terrifid.
It was larger than any mortal tiger now living, and it's stripes were red and black, rather than the more common orange or white. It's teeth and claws gleamed as if they were polished, and it's stance radiated power and fury.
But it's most distinctive feature was it's eyes, which blazed a burning blue, seeming to burn with unsupressed rage and freeze with an impacable hatred. Those eyes made an unspoken promise.
Shi... ne.
He tried to run, tried to escape the fate he saw in those merciless orbs, but was frozen in lace, somehow paralyzed by the sheer intensity reflected in his slayer's soul.
He never saw the lunge and blurring strike that slammed him into the wall, cracking it, altohugh he had time to feel it. He barely had a second more to confront his own sudden mortality before the follow-up with the claws that tore apart his body and shredded his spirit past any redemption, and sent him to oblivion in pain.
Ranma-neko roared his triumph; Here was one of the ones who killed Mate, and now he had his revenge.
He paused, and sniffed the air. He heard two heartbeats, one quick with panic, one slow with sleep. He smelled furylustdesperationfear in the air, and something... familiar. Tantalizing.
He sniffed.
... Mate? Mate was here? Mate was alive??
He shifted and raced over to a limp figure. Gathering Akane in his arms his vanished, bound for a safe place. He felt better than her ever had for the ast 3,000 years; his Akane was alive!
Shampoo stood, stunned. It seemed that Ranma was at last her's, and then...
Well, first Ranma was replaced by the largest cat she had ever seen, and then suddenly there was a blur, and the demon was dead against the wall, and then the tiger had paused, looking around.
She thought that maybe it would go after her next, but instead, it seemed to sniff the air, and then bounded towards Akane, somehow blurring into a pig-tailed figure by the time he reached her, and he icked her up and faded in a flash of light.
The last impression she was was that of three red marks glowing on his face and cat-slitted eyes.
***************
Author's Notes:
Okay... I had to do some revisions here, and there are a couple parts that still seem a bit rushed and rough, but I think this'll do for chapter one. C&C welcome, deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com , www.geocities.com/thesunhawk. Reviews appreciated.
Shea McIntee
