Disclaimer: I don't own the Ranma 1/2 casts but I do own the fanfic. This
fanfic is a little dark and it's serious, contain violence and blood shed. If you
can't handle that, please do NOT read this. Please don't say I didn't warn ya!
^_^
Sorry peoples, but this is NOT the last part. *Dodges angry readers* Ahem,
anyway, like I said, this is NOT the last part. There will be one more part
after this. If I calculate correctly, it'll be pretty short, but unless you want a
sad ending, then you better read it. Anywayz, hope you enjoy this! I spend
quite a bit of time on this, so you BETTER enjoy it! *waves mallet
threateningly* Oh yeah, and no taking of this fic without permission, or I'll
send Achan after ya! *glares at audience*
Night Owl
Part Four
By: Silver Star
Pain. So much pain. She cried out, wishing someone could come and
take that pain away, but there was no one. No one but herself. No one to
come and save her, no one to come and take the unbearable pain away, no
one to come and love her, no one.
Nothing.
And a wail of anguish sounded, but it was never heard past the door.
The creature stared at the male in front of her curiously. He was
doing nothing, just standing there like a statue with both his arms up in an
useless defensive position. There was finality to his stance, almost as if he
expected to die the next movement.
Perhaps he was, perhaps he was not, the creature did not know nor did
she really care. The only thing she knew is that she wants this male in front
of her. She wanted him in a way she had never wanted another male before.
She was completely foreign to this feeling. It was same, yet different, from
the way the insatiable hunger felt. There was a need, a want that wasn't
there before. And this need was fully centered upon the male standing
before her.
But one thing she knew, she wanted him, and she would have him.
And then, the pain came.
The man stared at the scene before him with a sardonic half-smile on
his face. He could feel the creature trying to break from his grasp, but he
was too powerful, too skilled, to be easily taken care of. There was nothing
the creature could do to escape, and the man knew it. And with another
disgusted smile, he tightened his mental hand around the creature's mind.
There was a high shriek of pain and then it fell silent into a whimpering
heap.
The man narrowed his eyes, and his smile broadened. Everything was
according to plan. Now all he need was for the pin to drop.
And when that happens, she would be his.
The pain lessened until she could finally be able to bear it. She didn't
know why that happened, but she was grateful for the break. Her body
relaxed a fraction, and her strained pale face no longer showed pain. A
relieved sigh escaped from her pale, trembling lips.
But this is not the end, she knew.
Ranma.
She had to go help Ranma. Slowly she stood up, fingers clutching at
the wall like a lifeline, legs buckling under her, threatening to give away.
But she held on. She had to if she want to help Ranma.
Ranma. Yes, she had to help Ranma. She had to.
And with those thoughts, Akane Tendo slowly crawled out of the
destroyed room.
Nabiki hated being helpless.
Unfortunately, this was the case, since she didn't know a thing about
martial arts, despite the fact that she was born in a dojo. Usually this didn't
dent her cool ulterior. She did have, after all, a brain, a brilliant brain at
that, and she used that to fill in the gap. However, this time, she had no
information that her brain could process, and there's also no way she could
get any, no matter how much she tried. She hated it, but she had to admit;
this was utterly beyond her.
A sound reached her ears from behind her, but she ignored it, her full
attention was on the scene below the hole. There was something not right.
Her mind and instinct both said that she was missing something, and she
learned long ago not to ignore her instinct, but she just couldn't figure out
what.
Damn. Nabiki REALLY hate to be helpless.
For a long moment, there was no sound. Then a pain filled shriek
filled the night, shocking Ranma out of the downward spiral that he was
sinking into. His head snapped up, eyes contained a wild and almost crazed
look, his body automatically assumed a defensive stance, the one he liked
the most.
His eyes fixed upon the quivering heap before him. The creature that
scared him so much, it's in pain, and he had no idea why.
"My, my, you are quite rude, if I do say so myself, ignoring me like
that," an amused male voice sounded in the darkness, somewhere beyond the
quivering heap.
Ranma's eyes snapped away from the cat creature and scanned the
surrounding area for the unknown person who spoke just a few seconds
before. Despite his amazing ki sense, he could not detect anyone beside the
ones he already knew are there. A loud gasp from the place where he left
Shampoo sounded and he snapped around to see her conscious, eyes wide
and staring at something behind the still quivering cat creature.
Instinctively, Ranma probed out with his ki sense, but once again, he
felt nothing. He let his eyes swept across the darkness beyond the cat
creature again, but this time, instead of seeing nothing, he saw a flash of
silver. Immediately, he focused his mind, and also his ki, upon that flash,
and slowly, almost too slow for him, a form began to take shape.
The cat creature hissed, in pain and also what seemed to be hatred, but
Ranma was too focused upon the figure to notice, even if the sound came
from the thing that he feared most.
"Who are you," Ranma finally said, breaking the tension filled silence.
"And what do you want here?"
The man's lips tilted slightly. "Heh. Humans are so amusing, don't
you think so my dear Ignira?" A hiss of agreement sounded behind Ranma,
and he spun around to see a woman wearing what seems to be RIBBONS,
carrying an unconscious Shampoo in her arms.
"HEY! LET HER GO!" Ranma screamed, launching himself at the
woman without a fore thought. The woman smiled, showing a pair of sharp
fangs, and leapt clear of the wild attack.
Ranma spun around to face the woman, who landed near where the
man is, but didn't attack this time. He had to get himself under control. If
you get out of control, there's no way he could defeat both of them. Slowly,
cautiously, he shifted into a tight defensive stance that allowed no opening
whatsoever.
The man seemed to be amused, and he let out a soft chuckle. Slowly,
he stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Ranma stared. A
collective gasp from the hole above and behind him confirmed what he saw.
The man was extremely handsome, no; beautiful seems to be the
better word to describe him. His eyes were the color of amethyst, and they
gleamed under the bright moonlight. His hair was silver, and the long
strands flowed behind the man, each strand seemed to glow. Under the dark
cloak, he wore white silk tunic and loose black pants. The clasp of the cloak
was bejeweled with a silver dragon entwined upon it. It was also the object
that caught Ranma's eyes in the beginning.
No matter how beautiful the man was, Ranma was not very interested.
He just doesn't swing that way. Besides, he already got a girl that he lo-
liked.
The man bowed mockingly from the waist and smiled, flawless white
teeth flashing. Ranma tensed. "I am Reilion. I have a business proposition
for you, Ranma Saotome. I do not wish for trouble if I can help it." Ranma
remembered the flash of the teeth, and decided to discard that last sentence.
This Reilion definitely does wish for trouble. Of that, he was positive.
"Oh? Is that so," he replied, fighting to keep his voice casual. His
stance had loosened into his usual fighting stance as he gained his control
back once again. To his observers, he was standing casually as if he was
doing nothing except chatting with some old friends.
He would not allow this man to see his fear and weakness. He is
going to protect his family and friends, even if it's going to kill him. He
smiled grimly to himself at the last line. It seems like his promise just might
be tested this night.
Reilion smiled again, a nasty looking smile that contained excitement
and greed. A greed for what, Ranma did not know, but he took a good guess
and that guess was power. Unfortunately, he was right. "You see," the
silver-haired man started, gesturing to the limp form of Shampoo still in the
arms of the woman, "I have a need for this young woman here. She has a
power that was almost unseen of. And I want it."
Above, in the ruined guestroom, Nabiki frowned as Reilion's words
drifted to her ears. She was surprised that he said the truth, and it was
indeed the truth that he said. Unless, of course, he knew he can't loose...
Nabiki's frown deepened. Damn. This is not good.
Ranma was not a businessman, like Nabiki. He lacks both cunning
and finesse, and without those two, he is like a baby against a seasoned
warrior in a business deal. However, while he lacks in brains, he fills in
with his Martial Arts. While he could not think up tricks, he could use
different techniques to deceive his opponent. And one of those techniques is
called Soul of Ice. He can't keep a poker face, he knew that, but the Soul of
Ice helped to keep him calm and controlled, and with that control, he could
keep himself from betraying his emotions to his enemy.
"I see," he replied calmly, coldly. Inside, he was quivering with rage
and fear. "And what if I say no?"
Reilion grinned, obviously been waiting for this. "Well, there is this
little pretty thing here," he said, gesturing to the cat creature, who is still
sprawled across the ground. The cat creature raised its head and glared at
Reilion with hatred and pain, while Ranma stared at it. "I know you are in
love with this girl, Saotome, or at least have some feelings for her." Reilion
turned back to Ranma and his eyes narrowed. His lips quirked a millimeter.
"I control her right now. If you don't let me have that girl," he raised his
left hand and gestured at the limp form of Shampoo, "I will kill her."
Suddenly, the smirk turned into a full-blown smile. "Or better yet, I could
order her to kill you. It will be so amusing to see you kill the one you
loved."
Ranma clenched his teeth, wanting to kill the bastard, but not daring
to at the same time. He knew he couldn't let Reilion have Shampoo. But
that cat creature...it looked so much like Akane. And besides, how could he
know that isn't the real Akane?
And suddenly, he remembered. He knew this is not the real Akane,
because he saw her in her trashed room. And there's no way she could've
gotten here before him, so the cat creature HAD to be an imposter. The
more he thought about it, the more it made sense. he realized, hands balling into fists. With clenched
teeth, Ranma dove toward Shampoo and the woman whom Reilion had
called Ignira. Somewhere, from the back of his mind, he hoped he had not
made a mistake.
And then, a wail of anguish sounded.
Akane could feel her heart breaking as she watched the man she loved
dove to safe another woman. She stood within the doorframe, shoulders
slumped, pale hands clutched at the wood of the framing like a lifeline, eyes
filled with pain and anguish. She knew that it isn't his fault, that he had to
keep Shampoo away from the silver-haired man, but she could still feel the
pain of his rejection. Less than twenty feet away, directly in front of her,
the cat creature raised it's head and screeched.
"Akane!"
She could not see her sister whom the shout had came from, nor could
she see anything at all. Tears obscured her vision, falling endlessly from her
eyes in a blurry trail. One, two, then three drops of the salty crystal water
fell upon the dirt; three evidences of the anguish she felt that could not be
described.
And then, there were no more tears. She felt light as a feather and she
realized with numb surprise that she was floating within a great bubble of
light. She did not hear the scream of surprise from her sisters and her father,
nor did she hear the fearful cry from her fiancée. Her full attention was
fixed upon the black heap less than twenty feet before her.
Her legs moved in a walking motion and the bubble followed her
command, floating forward toward her destination. The cat creature had
stopped screaming and was now staring at the approaching bubble of light
with both anticipation and fear. There was less than ten feet between Akane
and the cat creature now, but neither of them started to back off. Soon there
was only three feet separates them, then two, then one, then there was
nothing between them. The bubble of light began to increase in size,
enfolding the cat creature within its brightness.
Ranma watched in horror and fascination as Akane began to sink into
the cat creature's body. Along with Akane went the bright bubble of light,
and for a moment, the cat creature's body was glowing so brightly that he
had to look away.
When he finally looked back, he had the horrifying thought that the
cat creature had somehow kidnapped Akane. Then, he saw a dark lump
beginning to rise from the ground, forming slowing into a human shape.
And as the head of the shape began to rise, Ranma saw the glowing eyes of
Akane Tendo.
/Come to me, my dear.../
The voice was soft, masculine, beautiful, and Akane hated that voice
more than anything in the world. She could picture him now, standing with
a smug and arrogant look on his beautiful face, amethyst eyes shining greed
and lust, silver hair swirling around him like writhing tentacles, reaching for
her and clawing at her with viciousness that could make Kodachi seem like a
child.
she screamed back with all her might, trying to break away.
/Don't be afraid, trust me.../
/So? What does that matter?/
/But I can give you power./
I don't care!
/I can make you the most powerful person in the world. Don't you
want to be better than Ranma, Akane? Don't you always wish to be better
than him?/
she replied uncertainly. She hated the person
that is talking to her right now, but his offer tempted her a great deal. She
wanted power, she wanted control, and she wanted to be able to protect her
family when trouble comes. For a long time, she was the best at Nerima, no
one could defeat her, and for the moment, she was satisfied.
But then, Ranma came along with his entourage of trouble, and Akane
Tendo was reduced to a mere prize, given to whomever that won the battle.
She hated to be defenseless like that, and all her old fears and doubts came
back. That was why she always bashed Ranma like that, to convince herself
that she could beat the unbeatable Ranma Saotome, even though those
mallet bashing were nothing to him compare to some of the injuries he
endured.
She hated him, for making her doubt herself like that, for making her
fear again. But she also loved him, for protecting her and her family, for
pushing back her fears of being hurt and reassuring her that he would always
be there to rescue her.
Deep down, buried under her fears and doubts, she knew that she
could never touch him if he hadn't allowed her to. But she continued to fool
herself into thinking that she was better than him and continued to beat him
everyday like a punching bag. She took him for granted, but she didn't care.
Everyday was like a routine; Ranma would insult her and she would
get angry at him for bringing up her fears. Then she would bash him into
next week, and her doubts and fears were satisfied that if she could do that to
the unbeatable Ranma Saotome, then she could take on anyone. For a while,
it was enough.
And then, her illusions were shattered by the arrival of Shampoo and
Ukyou. Both of them were better at Martial Arts. Both of them were more
beautiful than her. Both of them were better cooks, and both would be better
as a wife for Ranma. She just could not compete. For the first time since
the two Saotomes' arrival, Akane entertained the idea of Ranma leaving her
for someone else.
She couldn't take that, especially with her fears of not being able to
protect her family, so she took it out on Ranma, bashing him each day more
times than five days combined. Their lives continued to go that way, and
after a while, she got used to it, and the fears receded slightly. She had just
starting to feel comfortable in her role in life again when her illusion was
once again shattered.
She had been kidnapped.
It was something she had not wanted to endure more than once, but it
happened again and again after that. She did not know how she had even
managed to live through those times with her sanity intact, but she had
survived it.
After all those things that happened to her, she finally admitted to
herself that she wasn't as good as she had thought. After the confession, her
life had become a little better. The battles waged on still, and the constant
competition for Ranma's affection never stopped, but Akane had finally
began to accept what was happening. Her old life had been gone for a long
time, and she needed to move on, for her family if not for herself. And
finally, she began to accept Ranma into her life.
Through all that, she managed to hold on to one hope; Ranma would
always save her, no matter what.
But now, that hope, that dream, was shattered. Ranma didn't try to
save her, but decided to save Shampoo instead. There will be no one to save
her and her family anymore. Could she take that?
But...Reilion had offered her power. If she had power she could be
powerful, perhaps even more powerful than Ranma. She could finally be
able to protect herself and her family. But could she take Reilion's offer?
Could she receive help from the person she hated the most?
(Akane...)
The voice was soft, feminine, and oddly comforting. It was
a beautiful voice, filled with love that was often missing in Akane's life. The
warmth within the voice spread through her body, warming her almost
frozen limbs.
(Akane, my beautiful daughter...)
Akane realized with a start. With that realization, she
remembered where she had heard that voice before. It was a hazy memory,
she was only 5 years old, and she was cradled within her mother's arms. Her
mother was singing a beautiful song, a lullaby that always seemed to be able
to make her go to sleep while others could not.
(Yes, Akane...it's certainly been a long time, hadn't it? I'm glad you
had not yet forgotten me.)
I can never forget you! How can you say that?!
Her mother did not answer, but a warm chuckle sounded. (My dear,
dear Akane... May I ask you something?)
(Do you want your Ranma to die?)
the question was not what Akane had expected, and it
certainly showed in her voice.
(Do you truly believe that Reilion will offer you power for free?
After you receive his power, he will surely command you to kill Ranma.
Can you kill him? Can you, my daughter?)
Akane was silent. Her mother was right, Reilion wouldn't just give
her power with nothing in return. So could she kill Ranma?
/Don't listen to her, my dear,/ Reilion's voice sounded. /She is not me.
She could not know what I want./
(But I know you well enough, Reilion. I know you well enough...)
Akane hesitated, torn between the two choices she was given. Could
she kill Ranma?
she realized, I couldn't kill Ranma. I lo- I care for him too
much. And I need him. He has been in my life for too long, too long for me
just to kill him in cold blood.
/But my dear, if you have power, you can protect your family AND
him. He'll never leave you, ever again./
(Do you love him?)
(Do you love him?) her mother repeated patiently.
/And he's leaving you to save another woman,/ Reilion's voice rang
out. /But with the power I give you, you can make him stay with you
forever!/
(If you truly love him, does it matter if he stays with you or not, as
long as he is happy?) Images flashed within Akane's mind, of Ranma with
Shampoo, or Ranma with Ukyou. Could she take that? Could she just let
Ranma go?
If you truly loves him, does it matter if he stays with you or not, as
long as he is happy?
...As long as he is happy?
...he is happy?
Akane realized.
/Damn you all!/ Reilion's voice screamed, and Akane felt his presence
disappeared from her mind.
At that exact moment, she felt power filling her, powers she had never
imagined existed, flowing through her body like a tidal wave. It filled the
very core of her being. She felt light as a feather as the wind carried her
along its course.
(This is your power, Akane.)
(Yes, your power. It is the power within your blood, the blood of the
Priestess.)
(Only the one who has the power of the Priestess had the chance of
ever hoping to vanquish someone as powerful as Reilion.)
(There are others, but very few, who had the power of the Priestess.)
Images flashed through Akane's mind; a girl who looked surprisingly like
her with a half-demon for a companion. A redhead around the age of 11 or
12 who loves water. A black haired girl who sprouts justice speech
wherever she goes. And a short brown haired girl with glasses in love with a
boy who only cares about treasure hunting. (But we do not have the time to
seek them. It is up to you, Akane, to destroy Reilion.)
(I will not lie to you, my daughter. Reilion is one of the most
powerful demon lords, and you may very well die in this battle. Will you
still do it?)
(I am so very proud of you, Akane. I am honored to call you my
daughter.)
(Yes, but please make it quick. We are running out of time.)
In the physical world, Akane raised her head and opened
her glowing eyes.
Reilion screamed in his mind, as his astral body
was thrown out of Akane's mind. His carefully thought-out plans were
unraveled right in front of his eyes, all because of one mistake, one
underestimation of a girl he had thought was harmless. He never thought the
girl was so powerful, that she was one of those girls who had the blood of
the Priestess flowing through her veins. And now he had to pay for his
mistake.
And with one more enraged curse, Reilion prepared for a battle that
could take his life.
Ignira narrowed her eyes, and hissed in shock as she felt the power
radiate from Akane. The power sears like fire for demons, and she is no
exception, even though she had the protection of her lord, Reilion.
Ignira might be loyal to her master, but she is not stupid. She knew
when it's a battle they couldn't win, especially if what they are going against
is one of the Priestess blood. Her master might be able to take on the ones
of the Priestess blood, but she knew she could not. She couldn't think of
even helping, because of her demon heritage, she would either be torn apart
by the power or burned to ashes. She couldn't do anything to prevent that.
She was helpless.
/Ignira./
she stammered, not used to her lord's voice within her
mind. He had never done that before, even though all high lords know how
to talk mentally, and she had always thought he couldn't.
/Ignira, go./ The voice was beautiful and haunting as usual, if not
more so within her mind, but it was tainted with anger, fear, and strain.
/I said GO!/ she shrank back as she felt the full blow of her lord's
anger. /Listen to me Ignira, I might not be able to survive this battle. If I
am still alive after this, then I need someone I can completely trust, and the
only one I trust that much is you. And if I don't survive, then I want
revenge./
/Do you hear me, Ignira? I want the little bitch to pay dearly for this./
/Good. Now go./
I will see you again, my lord. Ignira smiled slightly at the form of
the beautiful man and without another word, disappeared without a trace.
One minute Ranma was standing staring at the glowing eyes of
Akane, the next, he was standing in some kind of plane. The ground and the
sky were the same shade of gray and with his bright red shirt and black
pants, he stood out like a sore thumb.
"Ranma..." He spun around when he heard his name and saw Akane
standing behind him with a soft smile on her face. She looked absolutely
beautiful as usual, and there was some kind of light surrounding her, making
her look like some kind of divine being.
She was wearing what appeared to be the exact replica of what the cat
creature was wearing earlier. The black Chinese silk shirt hugged her torso,
telling him that she is definitely a female. A pair of black silk pants, like
his own, encased her long legs, and her delicate looking feet were adorned by a
pair of black tai chi shoes. Her arms were bare, and that's when he realized
that the gold cuffs were gone. Around her wrists was a pair of black wrist
guards. On her right wrist guard was a design of a long Chinese dragon
entwined around the dark cloth, stitched in silver thread. On her other wrist
was a design of a phoenix, stitched in gold. She had on ankle guard as well,
the only difference is that the dragon is on her left ankle and the phoenix is
on her right. Around her throat was a black choker with the design of both
the phoenix and the dragon, one in silver one in gold. Hanging from the
choker is a single teardrop shaped gem and it pulsed the seven colors of the
rainbow.
"Akane..." he whispered unconsciously, drinking in the sight of her
like a hungry man. His eyes suddenly widened. "AKANE!!" He tried to go
to her, to touch her so he could be sure that she is alright, but something
stopped his hand inches from her.
"Don't worry, Ranma, I'm fine," she said, reading his mind. She
smiled again and Ranma felt his worries melt, along with his heart.
"Akane, what's going on? Where are we? And how-"
Akane held up a hand and cut off Ranma before he could finish his
sentence. "We are in the Astral Plane right now, the plane of the spirits.
And as for how, well, I brought you here..." she took a deep breath,
knowing all too well that he will not like what she is about to say. "I
brought you here so I can say goodbye."
Ranma stared at her stupidly for a second, not comprehending what
she had said. Then the words sank in. "WHAT?!?!" He tried to grab her, to
demand where she is going, and why, but once again, the invisible barrier
stopped him.
"Ranma, please listen to me," she said softly, refusing to look at the
boy, no, man, in front of her. She took a deep breath and began to tell
Ranma about her heritage.
"No way! You can't take on that guy alone, Akane, even if you are
one of the Priestess blood, or whatever you call yourself," Ranma yelled
when the last of the words came out of her mouth. "I won't let you!"
Akane's head snapped up, and fire flickered within her brown eyes.
"Dammit, didn't you hear me, Ranma?! You can't beat Reilion, no matter
how powerful or good you are! I'm the only who can do this, because I am
the only one here with the blood of the first Priestess flowing through my
veins! And even then, I just might *DIE*!!!!"
Ranma froze. After a few minutes of frozen silence between them,
Ranma raised both of his hands and grabbed her shoulder. He was faintly
surprised to realize that there was nothing to stop him like before.
"What do you mean you just might die?" he grounded out between his
clenched teeth.
Akane's head was bowed and her bangs covered her eyes. "I'm sorry,
Ranma. There is no other option." As she said that, something began to
force Ranma's hands off of her shoulder.
Ranma gasped sharply as Akane's form began to fade, and with a start,
he realized he was fading also.
"I'm going to take Reilion to the spirit plane so our battle will not hurt
anyone. Please don't try to stop me, Ranma." She raised her head and
smiled through the tears that gathered within her eyes. She brought Ranma's
head closer then closed her eyes and kissed him fully on the lips.
Ranma started as he felt her lips on his. It felt so real, and with a
sinking heart, he realized that it was not a dream.
Akane broke away and smiled again at him. "I love you, Ranma. I
just wish I could tell you earlier." And then, she was gone.
Ranma blinked once then immediately began to look for Akane, but
she was nowhere to be found.
She was gone.
"Akane...no..." he whispered brokenly and fell to his knees. She's
gone...she's gone and he had no way to get her back. And he never told her
that he...loves her. He laughed bitterly at the word. It came so easily now,
but she will never get to hear them. She didn't even know and now she's
gone. Gone forever.
"No..." he whispered again, voice filled with pain and anguish.
"Akane...don't go..."
And then the tears fell.
The plane of the spirits, or astral plane as some people calls it, is a
place where neither darkness nor light reigns. It is a neutral place with the
color of gray.
Akane let her eyes swept across the endless gray before her, and then
landed upon the white figure surrounded by a dark aura.
Reilion.
She knew without even seeing his features; his aura gave him away
easily. On the contrary, her aura was of the light, with a taint of the
grayness of the astral plane within them.
She is of the Priestess blood, and she has powers, yes, but no matter
how much raw power she has now, they are raw powers. She couldn't
control them that well; she was too new in the business. But Reilion was
not. He knew his powers. He knew his limits, and with his knowledge, he
could easily win the battle.
Which was the reason she brought him to the astral plane. Those with
the true Priestess blood are not fully of the Light, nor are they of the
Darkness. They are the neutral powers between the Light and the Darkness,
and because of this, the astral plane makes their powers stronger simply
because the astral plane is neutral also.
Within the astral plane, Akane's powers intensified while the dark
powers of Reilion decreased. This is her domain, and while she was within
this world, she had a better chance of winning.
Of course, she could loose, too. If she used small amount of her
powers to hit him, like small ki induced blasts; she might not be able to wear
him out, especially with his experience. More likely, it'll wear HER out, and
when that happens, all would be lost.
I have to take him down with one big blast, she realized. A single
bead of sweat ran down from her forehead to her cheeks, but she ignored it,
knowing that if she took her eyes off of Reilion for one second, he would
strike.
"You're not going to win, Akane Tendo," Reilion's voice sounded
within the vast nothingness. Akane gritted her teeth as she heard the
beautiful voice. A superior smirk appeared, and she wanted nothing more
than to wipe that stupid smirk off of his beautiful face.
"Oh? Is that so?" Akane replied, fighting to keep the anger, hatred,
and fear out of her voice. "This is my realm, Reilion, and my powers are
superior over yours while you are within my domain." As she said those
words, she began to gather the power within her, from her head, from her
arms, from her torso, from her legs, everywhere. She let the power gather at
her chest, and she used her arms to shield it, preventing Reilion from
discovering what she is about to do.
"But I had more experience than you ever did. I'm sure I can think of
something," he replied. His right hand raised and a small ball of crackling
black electricity began to grow.
Akane gritted her teeth and fought against the urge of running over
and pounds him to the ground with her mallet. She hated him. She hated
him so much that she even wanted to kill him, to tear him apart, to inflict
upon him the pain he inflicted upon others.
*(But I know you well enough, Reilion. I know you well enough...)*
her mother's words echoed within her mind. She wondered what Reilion
had done to her mother, trying to distract herself from the thoughts of killing
him.
But that just fueled her anger, knowing that the man standing before
her had caused her mother pain. He had caused HER pain, not just
physically, but mentally as well. He had planted that demon seed within her,
tearing her soul into two; one human and one demon. It had hurt; it had hurt
so much that she had even entertained the idea of killing herself so she
wouldn't be able to feel that pain anymore. He had made her want to do
something that would have hurt her family and the people she loved.
She won't let him get away. There's no way she'll let him go without
the proper punishment for what he had done. She is, after all, one of the
Priestess blood, and she have the power to punish those who she judged as
unfit to live.
Slowly, with clenched teeth, she drew upon the powers of her blood
from every inch of her body. She felt her arms starting to strain as the
strength drained from them, and she let them fell to her side, no longer care
of Reilion saw what is doing anymore.
At the sight of the glowing ball of light gathering at her chest,
Reilion's now pitiful looking black electricity disappeared as his face paled
in shock and fear.
Akane bared his teeth in a parody of a grin as she saw the fear within
his eyes. She let the rage, the hate, the fear, and the uncertainty roll off of
her in great waves and then collected them into her ball of power. Emotions
are some of the greatest source of power, as she had found out quite a while
ago when she was attacked by every single male within Furinken High.
As she let her senses extend; she saw the fear that rolled off of
Reilion. She was surprised that the great Demon Lord, Reilion, could be
scared of anything, but she was also glad and relieved. Glad because he is
getting some of the things he had done back; relieved because she now
knows she stood a chance against him.
She brought Reilion's fear into her energy ball also, and she fought to
keep down the bile that threatened to rise to her throat as she "touched" the
disgusting emotion coming from the person she hated the most.
She could feel the ball growing as she gathered the power within her,
and a single tear escaped from her eyes, dropping into the glowing ball of
power.
She felt surprisingly calm, almost as if she was detached from her
body, watching herself gathering powers into the rapidly growing ball of
light. More tears fell, but she was too numb to care. She felt so tired, her
body felt as if it is about to collapse. Despite her weariness, her voice rang
clear and sliced through the air like a blade.
"I am of the Priestess,
Her essence flows through me,
Her powers fills me,
Her voice is mine,
Her dreams comes true through me,
I am her, she is me,
I am the Judge. I am the Punisher.
My voice is power, my words are rules.
And with this, I now take what is rightfully mine!"
With all the hatred that fills her, with all the rage that threatens to
consume her, Akane Tendo throws the ball of power at Reilion.
There was nothing at first, just a bright ball of light moving rapidly
toward the shocked and pale Reilion. And then, a blinding light filled the
gray space, until there was no gray that could be seen at all, and white hot
pain filled her, ripping her apart from the inside, inch by inch.
A scream sounded, and it took a moment for her to realize that she
was the one screaming. The pain intensified, and for a detached moment,
she wondered if her blast had backfired, and came back to killed her instead
of Reilion.
But before she could worry, the pain became too much, and the
blissful darkness came.
To be continued...
First of all, I'd like to thank MWhalK (MWaleK@aol.com) for prereading
this for me (and also correct my grammer mistakes) and offering me ideas
on what I should do. Thank you very much, MWhaleK!! ^_^
Well, I hoped you all enjoyed this part! In the beginning, I planned to cut it
off at the part where Akane disappeared and Ranma was crying, but I
decided not to and give you the extra parts, mostly to make up for lying to
you guys last time. The next part will be the last part (I promise this
time!!!). It's gonna be pretty short, because I put about 20% of part five in
this part. At the end of the last part will be a few short paragraphs that
allows me an opening for the sequel, "Twilight Dreams" which continues
into Ignira's revenge for her Master.
About the other of the Priestess blood, if you haven't guess who they are, I'm
telling you now.
The girl who looked like Akane with a half-demon for companion: Kagome
from the newest hit series by our favorite Rumiko Takahashi-sama, "Inu-
Yasha". And the half-demon is none other than Inu-Yasha, our favorite half
dog-demon! ^_^
A redhead around the age of 11 or 12 who loves water: Misty (or Kasumi if
you're talking about the Japanese version) from Pokemon! She's another one
of my favorite female characters in the world of Anime, and the ONLY
female character that made it to the -sama category in Pokemon.
A black haired girl who sprouts justice speech wherever she goes: Amelia
from Slayers! She's the youngest princess of Sailoon, and also the heir to
the city's throne. She had an older sister, but the series never told what us
really happened. She worships her father, Prince Phil, and is a justice freak.
A short-brown haired girl with glasses in love with a boy who only cares
about treasure hunting: this one you might not know too well. Her name is
Mari and she's from the not very well known series, "Princess Rane". The
series is HILARIOUS, and unfortunately, only the first volume of the series
was ever English subtitled and made it to US. She likes her best friend Go,
but he's too into treasure hunting to notice. One of her father's assistants
Takuma Senzuin (I think) is madly in love with her, and he also talks in
gibberish (Seriously, I'm not kidding!!). It's a really funny series, and if you
find it in a store, make sure you rent it or buy it, I assure you, you won't be
disappointed! ^_^
And of course, if you have any questions, comments, and all that stuff, send
'em to bailuli@hotmail.com All flames will be pounded out by Achan and
her trusty mallet!
And don't forget to visit my Ranma 1/2 fanfic page, Ryuuzaki no Arashi! If
you don't wanna read my fanfics, at least take a look at the graphics on my
page? I made 'em and I'm darn proud of 'em! ^_^ Anywayz, here's the
address:
Ryuuzaki no Arashi
Storm of the Dragon Blossom
http://www.angelfire.com/anime/kei/
fanfic is a little dark and it's serious, contain violence and blood shed. If you
can't handle that, please do NOT read this. Please don't say I didn't warn ya!
^_^
Sorry peoples, but this is NOT the last part. *Dodges angry readers* Ahem,
anyway, like I said, this is NOT the last part. There will be one more part
after this. If I calculate correctly, it'll be pretty short, but unless you want a
sad ending, then you better read it. Anywayz, hope you enjoy this! I spend
quite a bit of time on this, so you BETTER enjoy it! *waves mallet
threateningly* Oh yeah, and no taking of this fic without permission, or I'll
send Achan after ya! *glares at audience*
Night Owl
Part Four
By: Silver Star
Pain. So much pain. She cried out, wishing someone could come and
take that pain away, but there was no one. No one but herself. No one to
come and save her, no one to come and take the unbearable pain away, no
one to come and love her, no one.
Nothing.
And a wail of anguish sounded, but it was never heard past the door.
The creature stared at the male in front of her curiously. He was
doing nothing, just standing there like a statue with both his arms up in an
useless defensive position. There was finality to his stance, almost as if he
expected to die the next movement.
Perhaps he was, perhaps he was not, the creature did not know nor did
she really care. The only thing she knew is that she wants this male in front
of her. She wanted him in a way she had never wanted another male before.
She was completely foreign to this feeling. It was same, yet different, from
the way the insatiable hunger felt. There was a need, a want that wasn't
there before. And this need was fully centered upon the male standing
before her.
But one thing she knew, she wanted him, and she would have him.
And then, the pain came.
The man stared at the scene before him with a sardonic half-smile on
his face. He could feel the creature trying to break from his grasp, but he
was too powerful, too skilled, to be easily taken care of. There was nothing
the creature could do to escape, and the man knew it. And with another
disgusted smile, he tightened his mental hand around the creature's mind.
There was a high shriek of pain and then it fell silent into a whimpering
heap.
The man narrowed his eyes, and his smile broadened. Everything was
according to plan. Now all he need was for the pin to drop.
And when that happens, she would be his.
The pain lessened until she could finally be able to bear it. She didn't
know why that happened, but she was grateful for the break. Her body
relaxed a fraction, and her strained pale face no longer showed pain. A
relieved sigh escaped from her pale, trembling lips.
But this is not the end, she knew.
Ranma.
She had to go help Ranma. Slowly she stood up, fingers clutching at
the wall like a lifeline, legs buckling under her, threatening to give away.
But she held on. She had to if she want to help Ranma.
Ranma. Yes, she had to help Ranma. She had to.
And with those thoughts, Akane Tendo slowly crawled out of the
destroyed room.
Nabiki hated being helpless.
Unfortunately, this was the case, since she didn't know a thing about
martial arts, despite the fact that she was born in a dojo. Usually this didn't
dent her cool ulterior. She did have, after all, a brain, a brilliant brain at
that, and she used that to fill in the gap. However, this time, she had no
information that her brain could process, and there's also no way she could
get any, no matter how much she tried. She hated it, but she had to admit;
this was utterly beyond her.
A sound reached her ears from behind her, but she ignored it, her full
attention was on the scene below the hole. There was something not right.
Her mind and instinct both said that she was missing something, and she
learned long ago not to ignore her instinct, but she just couldn't figure out
what.
Damn. Nabiki REALLY hate to be helpless.
For a long moment, there was no sound. Then a pain filled shriek
filled the night, shocking Ranma out of the downward spiral that he was
sinking into. His head snapped up, eyes contained a wild and almost crazed
look, his body automatically assumed a defensive stance, the one he liked
the most.
His eyes fixed upon the quivering heap before him. The creature that
scared him so much, it's in pain, and he had no idea why.
"My, my, you are quite rude, if I do say so myself, ignoring me like
that," an amused male voice sounded in the darkness, somewhere beyond the
quivering heap.
Ranma's eyes snapped away from the cat creature and scanned the
surrounding area for the unknown person who spoke just a few seconds
before. Despite his amazing ki sense, he could not detect anyone beside the
ones he already knew are there. A loud gasp from the place where he left
Shampoo sounded and he snapped around to see her conscious, eyes wide
and staring at something behind the still quivering cat creature.
Instinctively, Ranma probed out with his ki sense, but once again, he
felt nothing. He let his eyes swept across the darkness beyond the cat
creature again, but this time, instead of seeing nothing, he saw a flash of
silver. Immediately, he focused his mind, and also his ki, upon that flash,
and slowly, almost too slow for him, a form began to take shape.
The cat creature hissed, in pain and also what seemed to be hatred, but
Ranma was too focused upon the figure to notice, even if the sound came
from the thing that he feared most.
"Who are you," Ranma finally said, breaking the tension filled silence.
"And what do you want here?"
The man's lips tilted slightly. "Heh. Humans are so amusing, don't
you think so my dear Ignira?" A hiss of agreement sounded behind Ranma,
and he spun around to see a woman wearing what seems to be RIBBONS,
carrying an unconscious Shampoo in her arms.
"HEY! LET HER GO!" Ranma screamed, launching himself at the
woman without a fore thought. The woman smiled, showing a pair of sharp
fangs, and leapt clear of the wild attack.
Ranma spun around to face the woman, who landed near where the
man is, but didn't attack this time. He had to get himself under control. If
you get out of control, there's no way he could defeat both of them. Slowly,
cautiously, he shifted into a tight defensive stance that allowed no opening
whatsoever.
The man seemed to be amused, and he let out a soft chuckle. Slowly,
he stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Ranma stared. A
collective gasp from the hole above and behind him confirmed what he saw.
The man was extremely handsome, no; beautiful seems to be the
better word to describe him. His eyes were the color of amethyst, and they
gleamed under the bright moonlight. His hair was silver, and the long
strands flowed behind the man, each strand seemed to glow. Under the dark
cloak, he wore white silk tunic and loose black pants. The clasp of the cloak
was bejeweled with a silver dragon entwined upon it. It was also the object
that caught Ranma's eyes in the beginning.
No matter how beautiful the man was, Ranma was not very interested.
He just doesn't swing that way. Besides, he already got a girl that he lo-
liked.
The man bowed mockingly from the waist and smiled, flawless white
teeth flashing. Ranma tensed. "I am Reilion. I have a business proposition
for you, Ranma Saotome. I do not wish for trouble if I can help it." Ranma
remembered the flash of the teeth, and decided to discard that last sentence.
This Reilion definitely does wish for trouble. Of that, he was positive.
"Oh? Is that so," he replied, fighting to keep his voice casual. His
stance had loosened into his usual fighting stance as he gained his control
back once again. To his observers, he was standing casually as if he was
doing nothing except chatting with some old friends.
He would not allow this man to see his fear and weakness. He is
going to protect his family and friends, even if it's going to kill him. He
smiled grimly to himself at the last line. It seems like his promise just might
be tested this night.
Reilion smiled again, a nasty looking smile that contained excitement
and greed. A greed for what, Ranma did not know, but he took a good guess
and that guess was power. Unfortunately, he was right. "You see," the
silver-haired man started, gesturing to the limp form of Shampoo still in the
arms of the woman, "I have a need for this young woman here. She has a
power that was almost unseen of. And I want it."
Above, in the ruined guestroom, Nabiki frowned as Reilion's words
drifted to her ears. She was surprised that he said the truth, and it was
indeed the truth that he said. Unless, of course, he knew he can't loose...
Nabiki's frown deepened. Damn. This is not good.
Ranma was not a businessman, like Nabiki. He lacks both cunning
and finesse, and without those two, he is like a baby against a seasoned
warrior in a business deal. However, while he lacks in brains, he fills in
with his Martial Arts. While he could not think up tricks, he could use
different techniques to deceive his opponent. And one of those techniques is
called Soul of Ice. He can't keep a poker face, he knew that, but the Soul of
Ice helped to keep him calm and controlled, and with that control, he could
keep himself from betraying his emotions to his enemy.
"I see," he replied calmly, coldly. Inside, he was quivering with rage
and fear. "And what if I say no?"
Reilion grinned, obviously been waiting for this. "Well, there is this
little pretty thing here," he said, gesturing to the cat creature, who is still
sprawled across the ground. The cat creature raised its head and glared at
Reilion with hatred and pain, while Ranma stared at it. "I know you are in
love with this girl, Saotome, or at least have some feelings for her." Reilion
turned back to Ranma and his eyes narrowed. His lips quirked a millimeter.
"I control her right now. If you don't let me have that girl," he raised his
left hand and gestured at the limp form of Shampoo, "I will kill her."
Suddenly, the smirk turned into a full-blown smile. "Or better yet, I could
order her to kill you. It will be so amusing to see you kill the one you
loved."
Ranma clenched his teeth, wanting to kill the bastard, but not daring
to at the same time. He knew he couldn't let Reilion have Shampoo. But
that cat creature...it looked so much like Akane. And besides, how could he
know that isn't the real Akane?
And suddenly, he remembered. He knew this is not the real Akane,
because he saw her in her trashed room. And there's no way she could've
gotten here before him, so the cat creature HAD to be an imposter. The
more he thought about it, the more it made sense. he realized, hands balling into fists. With clenched
teeth, Ranma dove toward Shampoo and the woman whom Reilion had
called Ignira. Somewhere, from the back of his mind, he hoped he had not
made a mistake.
And then, a wail of anguish sounded.
Akane could feel her heart breaking as she watched the man she loved
dove to safe another woman. She stood within the doorframe, shoulders
slumped, pale hands clutched at the wood of the framing like a lifeline, eyes
filled with pain and anguish. She knew that it isn't his fault, that he had to
keep Shampoo away from the silver-haired man, but she could still feel the
pain of his rejection. Less than twenty feet away, directly in front of her,
the cat creature raised it's head and screeched.
"Akane!"
She could not see her sister whom the shout had came from, nor could
she see anything at all. Tears obscured her vision, falling endlessly from her
eyes in a blurry trail. One, two, then three drops of the salty crystal water
fell upon the dirt; three evidences of the anguish she felt that could not be
described.
And then, there were no more tears. She felt light as a feather and she
realized with numb surprise that she was floating within a great bubble of
light. She did not hear the scream of surprise from her sisters and her father,
nor did she hear the fearful cry from her fiancée. Her full attention was
fixed upon the black heap less than twenty feet before her.
Her legs moved in a walking motion and the bubble followed her
command, floating forward toward her destination. The cat creature had
stopped screaming and was now staring at the approaching bubble of light
with both anticipation and fear. There was less than ten feet between Akane
and the cat creature now, but neither of them started to back off. Soon there
was only three feet separates them, then two, then one, then there was
nothing between them. The bubble of light began to increase in size,
enfolding the cat creature within its brightness.
Ranma watched in horror and fascination as Akane began to sink into
the cat creature's body. Along with Akane went the bright bubble of light,
and for a moment, the cat creature's body was glowing so brightly that he
had to look away.
When he finally looked back, he had the horrifying thought that the
cat creature had somehow kidnapped Akane. Then, he saw a dark lump
beginning to rise from the ground, forming slowing into a human shape.
And as the head of the shape began to rise, Ranma saw the glowing eyes of
Akane Tendo.
/Come to me, my dear.../
The voice was soft, masculine, beautiful, and Akane hated that voice
more than anything in the world. She could picture him now, standing with
a smug and arrogant look on his beautiful face, amethyst eyes shining greed
and lust, silver hair swirling around him like writhing tentacles, reaching for
her and clawing at her with viciousness that could make Kodachi seem like a
child.
she screamed back with all her might, trying to break away.
/Don't be afraid, trust me.../
/So? What does that matter?/
/But I can give you power./
I don't care!
/I can make you the most powerful person in the world. Don't you
want to be better than Ranma, Akane? Don't you always wish to be better
than him?/
she replied uncertainly. She hated the person
that is talking to her right now, but his offer tempted her a great deal. She
wanted power, she wanted control, and she wanted to be able to protect her
family when trouble comes. For a long time, she was the best at Nerima, no
one could defeat her, and for the moment, she was satisfied.
But then, Ranma came along with his entourage of trouble, and Akane
Tendo was reduced to a mere prize, given to whomever that won the battle.
She hated to be defenseless like that, and all her old fears and doubts came
back. That was why she always bashed Ranma like that, to convince herself
that she could beat the unbeatable Ranma Saotome, even though those
mallet bashing were nothing to him compare to some of the injuries he
endured.
She hated him, for making her doubt herself like that, for making her
fear again. But she also loved him, for protecting her and her family, for
pushing back her fears of being hurt and reassuring her that he would always
be there to rescue her.
Deep down, buried under her fears and doubts, she knew that she
could never touch him if he hadn't allowed her to. But she continued to fool
herself into thinking that she was better than him and continued to beat him
everyday like a punching bag. She took him for granted, but she didn't care.
Everyday was like a routine; Ranma would insult her and she would
get angry at him for bringing up her fears. Then she would bash him into
next week, and her doubts and fears were satisfied that if she could do that to
the unbeatable Ranma Saotome, then she could take on anyone. For a while,
it was enough.
And then, her illusions were shattered by the arrival of Shampoo and
Ukyou. Both of them were better at Martial Arts. Both of them were more
beautiful than her. Both of them were better cooks, and both would be better
as a wife for Ranma. She just could not compete. For the first time since
the two Saotomes' arrival, Akane entertained the idea of Ranma leaving her
for someone else.
She couldn't take that, especially with her fears of not being able to
protect her family, so she took it out on Ranma, bashing him each day more
times than five days combined. Their lives continued to go that way, and
after a while, she got used to it, and the fears receded slightly. She had just
starting to feel comfortable in her role in life again when her illusion was
once again shattered.
She had been kidnapped.
It was something she had not wanted to endure more than once, but it
happened again and again after that. She did not know how she had even
managed to live through those times with her sanity intact, but she had
survived it.
After all those things that happened to her, she finally admitted to
herself that she wasn't as good as she had thought. After the confession, her
life had become a little better. The battles waged on still, and the constant
competition for Ranma's affection never stopped, but Akane had finally
began to accept what was happening. Her old life had been gone for a long
time, and she needed to move on, for her family if not for herself. And
finally, she began to accept Ranma into her life.
Through all that, she managed to hold on to one hope; Ranma would
always save her, no matter what.
But now, that hope, that dream, was shattered. Ranma didn't try to
save her, but decided to save Shampoo instead. There will be no one to save
her and her family anymore. Could she take that?
But...Reilion had offered her power. If she had power she could be
powerful, perhaps even more powerful than Ranma. She could finally be
able to protect herself and her family. But could she take Reilion's offer?
Could she receive help from the person she hated the most?
(Akane...)
The voice was soft, feminine, and oddly comforting. It was
a beautiful voice, filled with love that was often missing in Akane's life. The
warmth within the voice spread through her body, warming her almost
frozen limbs.
(Akane, my beautiful daughter...)
Akane realized with a start. With that realization, she
remembered where she had heard that voice before. It was a hazy memory,
she was only 5 years old, and she was cradled within her mother's arms. Her
mother was singing a beautiful song, a lullaby that always seemed to be able
to make her go to sleep while others could not.
(Yes, Akane...it's certainly been a long time, hadn't it? I'm glad you
had not yet forgotten me.)
I can never forget you! How can you say that?!
Her mother did not answer, but a warm chuckle sounded. (My dear,
dear Akane... May I ask you something?)
(Do you want your Ranma to die?)
the question was not what Akane had expected, and it
certainly showed in her voice.
(Do you truly believe that Reilion will offer you power for free?
After you receive his power, he will surely command you to kill Ranma.
Can you kill him? Can you, my daughter?)
Akane was silent. Her mother was right, Reilion wouldn't just give
her power with nothing in return. So could she kill Ranma?
/Don't listen to her, my dear,/ Reilion's voice sounded. /She is not me.
She could not know what I want./
(But I know you well enough, Reilion. I know you well enough...)
Akane hesitated, torn between the two choices she was given. Could
she kill Ranma?
she realized, I couldn't kill Ranma. I lo- I care for him too
much. And I need him. He has been in my life for too long, too long for me
just to kill him in cold blood.
/But my dear, if you have power, you can protect your family AND
him. He'll never leave you, ever again./
(Do you love him?)
(Do you love him?) her mother repeated patiently.
/And he's leaving you to save another woman,/ Reilion's voice rang
out. /But with the power I give you, you can make him stay with you
forever!/
(If you truly love him, does it matter if he stays with you or not, as
long as he is happy?) Images flashed within Akane's mind, of Ranma with
Shampoo, or Ranma with Ukyou. Could she take that? Could she just let
Ranma go?
If you truly loves him, does it matter if he stays with you or not, as
long as he is happy?
...As long as he is happy?
...he is happy?
Akane realized.
/Damn you all!/ Reilion's voice screamed, and Akane felt his presence
disappeared from her mind.
At that exact moment, she felt power filling her, powers she had never
imagined existed, flowing through her body like a tidal wave. It filled the
very core of her being. She felt light as a feather as the wind carried her
along its course.
(This is your power, Akane.)
(Yes, your power. It is the power within your blood, the blood of the
Priestess.)
(Only the one who has the power of the Priestess had the chance of
ever hoping to vanquish someone as powerful as Reilion.)
(There are others, but very few, who had the power of the Priestess.)
Images flashed through Akane's mind; a girl who looked surprisingly like
her with a half-demon for a companion. A redhead around the age of 11 or
12 who loves water. A black haired girl who sprouts justice speech
wherever she goes. And a short brown haired girl with glasses in love with a
boy who only cares about treasure hunting. (But we do not have the time to
seek them. It is up to you, Akane, to destroy Reilion.)
(I will not lie to you, my daughter. Reilion is one of the most
powerful demon lords, and you may very well die in this battle. Will you
still do it?)
(I am so very proud of you, Akane. I am honored to call you my
daughter.)
(Yes, but please make it quick. We are running out of time.)
In the physical world, Akane raised her head and opened
her glowing eyes.
Reilion screamed in his mind, as his astral body
was thrown out of Akane's mind. His carefully thought-out plans were
unraveled right in front of his eyes, all because of one mistake, one
underestimation of a girl he had thought was harmless. He never thought the
girl was so powerful, that she was one of those girls who had the blood of
the Priestess flowing through her veins. And now he had to pay for his
mistake.
And with one more enraged curse, Reilion prepared for a battle that
could take his life.
Ignira narrowed her eyes, and hissed in shock as she felt the power
radiate from Akane. The power sears like fire for demons, and she is no
exception, even though she had the protection of her lord, Reilion.
Ignira might be loyal to her master, but she is not stupid. She knew
when it's a battle they couldn't win, especially if what they are going against
is one of the Priestess blood. Her master might be able to take on the ones
of the Priestess blood, but she knew she could not. She couldn't think of
even helping, because of her demon heritage, she would either be torn apart
by the power or burned to ashes. She couldn't do anything to prevent that.
She was helpless.
/Ignira./
she stammered, not used to her lord's voice within her
mind. He had never done that before, even though all high lords know how
to talk mentally, and she had always thought he couldn't.
/Ignira, go./ The voice was beautiful and haunting as usual, if not
more so within her mind, but it was tainted with anger, fear, and strain.
/I said GO!/ she shrank back as she felt the full blow of her lord's
anger. /Listen to me Ignira, I might not be able to survive this battle. If I
am still alive after this, then I need someone I can completely trust, and the
only one I trust that much is you. And if I don't survive, then I want
revenge./
/Do you hear me, Ignira? I want the little bitch to pay dearly for this./
/Good. Now go./
I will see you again, my lord. Ignira smiled slightly at the form of
the beautiful man and without another word, disappeared without a trace.
One minute Ranma was standing staring at the glowing eyes of
Akane, the next, he was standing in some kind of plane. The ground and the
sky were the same shade of gray and with his bright red shirt and black
pants, he stood out like a sore thumb.
"Ranma..." He spun around when he heard his name and saw Akane
standing behind him with a soft smile on her face. She looked absolutely
beautiful as usual, and there was some kind of light surrounding her, making
her look like some kind of divine being.
She was wearing what appeared to be the exact replica of what the cat
creature was wearing earlier. The black Chinese silk shirt hugged her torso,
telling him that she is definitely a female. A pair of black silk pants, like
his own, encased her long legs, and her delicate looking feet were adorned by a
pair of black tai chi shoes. Her arms were bare, and that's when he realized
that the gold cuffs were gone. Around her wrists was a pair of black wrist
guards. On her right wrist guard was a design of a long Chinese dragon
entwined around the dark cloth, stitched in silver thread. On her other wrist
was a design of a phoenix, stitched in gold. She had on ankle guard as well,
the only difference is that the dragon is on her left ankle and the phoenix is
on her right. Around her throat was a black choker with the design of both
the phoenix and the dragon, one in silver one in gold. Hanging from the
choker is a single teardrop shaped gem and it pulsed the seven colors of the
rainbow.
"Akane..." he whispered unconsciously, drinking in the sight of her
like a hungry man. His eyes suddenly widened. "AKANE!!" He tried to go
to her, to touch her so he could be sure that she is alright, but something
stopped his hand inches from her.
"Don't worry, Ranma, I'm fine," she said, reading his mind. She
smiled again and Ranma felt his worries melt, along with his heart.
"Akane, what's going on? Where are we? And how-"
Akane held up a hand and cut off Ranma before he could finish his
sentence. "We are in the Astral Plane right now, the plane of the spirits.
And as for how, well, I brought you here..." she took a deep breath,
knowing all too well that he will not like what she is about to say. "I
brought you here so I can say goodbye."
Ranma stared at her stupidly for a second, not comprehending what
she had said. Then the words sank in. "WHAT?!?!" He tried to grab her, to
demand where she is going, and why, but once again, the invisible barrier
stopped him.
"Ranma, please listen to me," she said softly, refusing to look at the
boy, no, man, in front of her. She took a deep breath and began to tell
Ranma about her heritage.
"No way! You can't take on that guy alone, Akane, even if you are
one of the Priestess blood, or whatever you call yourself," Ranma yelled
when the last of the words came out of her mouth. "I won't let you!"
Akane's head snapped up, and fire flickered within her brown eyes.
"Dammit, didn't you hear me, Ranma?! You can't beat Reilion, no matter
how powerful or good you are! I'm the only who can do this, because I am
the only one here with the blood of the first Priestess flowing through my
veins! And even then, I just might *DIE*!!!!"
Ranma froze. After a few minutes of frozen silence between them,
Ranma raised both of his hands and grabbed her shoulder. He was faintly
surprised to realize that there was nothing to stop him like before.
"What do you mean you just might die?" he grounded out between his
clenched teeth.
Akane's head was bowed and her bangs covered her eyes. "I'm sorry,
Ranma. There is no other option." As she said that, something began to
force Ranma's hands off of her shoulder.
Ranma gasped sharply as Akane's form began to fade, and with a start,
he realized he was fading also.
"I'm going to take Reilion to the spirit plane so our battle will not hurt
anyone. Please don't try to stop me, Ranma." She raised her head and
smiled through the tears that gathered within her eyes. She brought Ranma's
head closer then closed her eyes and kissed him fully on the lips.
Ranma started as he felt her lips on his. It felt so real, and with a
sinking heart, he realized that it was not a dream.
Akane broke away and smiled again at him. "I love you, Ranma. I
just wish I could tell you earlier." And then, she was gone.
Ranma blinked once then immediately began to look for Akane, but
she was nowhere to be found.
She was gone.
"Akane...no..." he whispered brokenly and fell to his knees. She's
gone...she's gone and he had no way to get her back. And he never told her
that he...loves her. He laughed bitterly at the word. It came so easily now,
but she will never get to hear them. She didn't even know and now she's
gone. Gone forever.
"No..." he whispered again, voice filled with pain and anguish.
"Akane...don't go..."
And then the tears fell.
The plane of the spirits, or astral plane as some people calls it, is a
place where neither darkness nor light reigns. It is a neutral place with the
color of gray.
Akane let her eyes swept across the endless gray before her, and then
landed upon the white figure surrounded by a dark aura.
Reilion.
She knew without even seeing his features; his aura gave him away
easily. On the contrary, her aura was of the light, with a taint of the
grayness of the astral plane within them.
She is of the Priestess blood, and she has powers, yes, but no matter
how much raw power she has now, they are raw powers. She couldn't
control them that well; she was too new in the business. But Reilion was
not. He knew his powers. He knew his limits, and with his knowledge, he
could easily win the battle.
Which was the reason she brought him to the astral plane. Those with
the true Priestess blood are not fully of the Light, nor are they of the
Darkness. They are the neutral powers between the Light and the Darkness,
and because of this, the astral plane makes their powers stronger simply
because the astral plane is neutral also.
Within the astral plane, Akane's powers intensified while the dark
powers of Reilion decreased. This is her domain, and while she was within
this world, she had a better chance of winning.
Of course, she could loose, too. If she used small amount of her
powers to hit him, like small ki induced blasts; she might not be able to wear
him out, especially with his experience. More likely, it'll wear HER out, and
when that happens, all would be lost.
I have to take him down with one big blast, she realized. A single
bead of sweat ran down from her forehead to her cheeks, but she ignored it,
knowing that if she took her eyes off of Reilion for one second, he would
strike.
"You're not going to win, Akane Tendo," Reilion's voice sounded
within the vast nothingness. Akane gritted her teeth as she heard the
beautiful voice. A superior smirk appeared, and she wanted nothing more
than to wipe that stupid smirk off of his beautiful face.
"Oh? Is that so?" Akane replied, fighting to keep the anger, hatred,
and fear out of her voice. "This is my realm, Reilion, and my powers are
superior over yours while you are within my domain." As she said those
words, she began to gather the power within her, from her head, from her
arms, from her torso, from her legs, everywhere. She let the power gather at
her chest, and she used her arms to shield it, preventing Reilion from
discovering what she is about to do.
"But I had more experience than you ever did. I'm sure I can think of
something," he replied. His right hand raised and a small ball of crackling
black electricity began to grow.
Akane gritted her teeth and fought against the urge of running over
and pounds him to the ground with her mallet. She hated him. She hated
him so much that she even wanted to kill him, to tear him apart, to inflict
upon him the pain he inflicted upon others.
*(But I know you well enough, Reilion. I know you well enough...)*
her mother's words echoed within her mind. She wondered what Reilion
had done to her mother, trying to distract herself from the thoughts of killing
him.
But that just fueled her anger, knowing that the man standing before
her had caused her mother pain. He had caused HER pain, not just
physically, but mentally as well. He had planted that demon seed within her,
tearing her soul into two; one human and one demon. It had hurt; it had hurt
so much that she had even entertained the idea of killing herself so she
wouldn't be able to feel that pain anymore. He had made her want to do
something that would have hurt her family and the people she loved.
She won't let him get away. There's no way she'll let him go without
the proper punishment for what he had done. She is, after all, one of the
Priestess blood, and she have the power to punish those who she judged as
unfit to live.
Slowly, with clenched teeth, she drew upon the powers of her blood
from every inch of her body. She felt her arms starting to strain as the
strength drained from them, and she let them fell to her side, no longer care
of Reilion saw what is doing anymore.
At the sight of the glowing ball of light gathering at her chest,
Reilion's now pitiful looking black electricity disappeared as his face paled
in shock and fear.
Akane bared his teeth in a parody of a grin as she saw the fear within
his eyes. She let the rage, the hate, the fear, and the uncertainty roll off of
her in great waves and then collected them into her ball of power. Emotions
are some of the greatest source of power, as she had found out quite a while
ago when she was attacked by every single male within Furinken High.
As she let her senses extend; she saw the fear that rolled off of
Reilion. She was surprised that the great Demon Lord, Reilion, could be
scared of anything, but she was also glad and relieved. Glad because he is
getting some of the things he had done back; relieved because she now
knows she stood a chance against him.
She brought Reilion's fear into her energy ball also, and she fought to
keep down the bile that threatened to rise to her throat as she "touched" the
disgusting emotion coming from the person she hated the most.
She could feel the ball growing as she gathered the power within her,
and a single tear escaped from her eyes, dropping into the glowing ball of
power.
She felt surprisingly calm, almost as if she was detached from her
body, watching herself gathering powers into the rapidly growing ball of
light. More tears fell, but she was too numb to care. She felt so tired, her
body felt as if it is about to collapse. Despite her weariness, her voice rang
clear and sliced through the air like a blade.
"I am of the Priestess,
Her essence flows through me,
Her powers fills me,
Her voice is mine,
Her dreams comes true through me,
I am her, she is me,
I am the Judge. I am the Punisher.
My voice is power, my words are rules.
And with this, I now take what is rightfully mine!"
With all the hatred that fills her, with all the rage that threatens to
consume her, Akane Tendo throws the ball of power at Reilion.
There was nothing at first, just a bright ball of light moving rapidly
toward the shocked and pale Reilion. And then, a blinding light filled the
gray space, until there was no gray that could be seen at all, and white hot
pain filled her, ripping her apart from the inside, inch by inch.
A scream sounded, and it took a moment for her to realize that she
was the one screaming. The pain intensified, and for a detached moment,
she wondered if her blast had backfired, and came back to killed her instead
of Reilion.
But before she could worry, the pain became too much, and the
blissful darkness came.
To be continued...
First of all, I'd like to thank MWhalK (MWaleK@aol.com) for prereading
this for me (and also correct my grammer mistakes) and offering me ideas
on what I should do. Thank you very much, MWhaleK!! ^_^
Well, I hoped you all enjoyed this part! In the beginning, I planned to cut it
off at the part where Akane disappeared and Ranma was crying, but I
decided not to and give you the extra parts, mostly to make up for lying to
you guys last time. The next part will be the last part (I promise this
time!!!). It's gonna be pretty short, because I put about 20% of part five in
this part. At the end of the last part will be a few short paragraphs that
allows me an opening for the sequel, "Twilight Dreams" which continues
into Ignira's revenge for her Master.
About the other of the Priestess blood, if you haven't guess who they are, I'm
telling you now.
The girl who looked like Akane with a half-demon for companion: Kagome
from the newest hit series by our favorite Rumiko Takahashi-sama, "Inu-
Yasha". And the half-demon is none other than Inu-Yasha, our favorite half
dog-demon! ^_^
A redhead around the age of 11 or 12 who loves water: Misty (or Kasumi if
you're talking about the Japanese version) from Pokemon! She's another one
of my favorite female characters in the world of Anime, and the ONLY
female character that made it to the -sama category in Pokemon.
A black haired girl who sprouts justice speech wherever she goes: Amelia
from Slayers! She's the youngest princess of Sailoon, and also the heir to
the city's throne. She had an older sister, but the series never told what us
really happened. She worships her father, Prince Phil, and is a justice freak.
A short-brown haired girl with glasses in love with a boy who only cares
about treasure hunting: this one you might not know too well. Her name is
Mari and she's from the not very well known series, "Princess Rane". The
series is HILARIOUS, and unfortunately, only the first volume of the series
was ever English subtitled and made it to US. She likes her best friend Go,
but he's too into treasure hunting to notice. One of her father's assistants
Takuma Senzuin (I think) is madly in love with her, and he also talks in
gibberish (Seriously, I'm not kidding!!). It's a really funny series, and if you
find it in a store, make sure you rent it or buy it, I assure you, you won't be
disappointed! ^_^
And of course, if you have any questions, comments, and all that stuff, send
'em to bailuli@hotmail.com All flames will be pounded out by Achan and
her trusty mallet!
And don't forget to visit my Ranma 1/2 fanfic page, Ryuuzaki no Arashi! If
you don't wanna read my fanfics, at least take a look at the graphics on my
page? I made 'em and I'm darn proud of 'em! ^_^ Anywayz, here's the
address:
Ryuuzaki no Arashi
Storm of the Dragon Blossom
http://www.angelfire.com/anime/kei/
