Soot Stained Wings
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
By: Drougnor
E-mail: eddieth@hotmail.com
ICQ: 13830828
AIM: drougnor
Disclaimer: Ok, so I've seen just about every way of saying that I don't own anything, from humorous, to almost legalese. Rumiko Takahashi, no disrespect is intended, and if the Gods wish you to read this, I hope none comes across. I am merely a poor fan who is stretching my creative wings in your universe. That being said, Jhonus and a few others are MINE! ALL MINE!! Hands off, dammit!!!
If anyone sees enough potential in this story to want to help, by pre-reading, editing, or offering up suggestion, please feel free to contact me. C/C is always welcomed, but bitching, moaning and other stupidity will be ignored . . . Unless I'm in the mood for a good flame war . . . *evil grin*
Chapter 7 – Mastery of Fear
The mood in Tofu's office was a mixture of subdued anxiousness and excited movement, as Kasumi and Nabiki stood next to the two beds that held Ranma and Akane, with Jhonus standing at their heads, a faint blue glow extending from his hands where they lay on each of the teen's foreheads. Ranma, before going under, had also taken the time to take Akane's hand in his. Tofu and Cologne sped back and forth from one table containing some scrolls and books, and another covered with herbs and other medicines. Mousse had been summoned by Cologne to deliver certain rare herbs that they had in the restaurant, and he now sat against the wall, opposite of everyone, watching intently.
Ranma's face suddenly contorted in fear, and the blue aura flickered slightly, as he began muttering "N-n-n-n-no! Not a C-c-c-c-c-cat! Anything but C-c-c-c-c-cats!" Jhonus also visibly tensed, whispering to himself, apparently communicating with Uriel.
Nabiki took a worried step back, and looked up to Kasumi. "What are we going to do if he goes into the Cat Fist? Akane's the only one who can bring him out."
Kasumi shook her head, frowning. She reached out and placed a hand on Ranma's cheek, hoping that her presence would calm him down. As her hand entered the blue glow, she felt a wave of different emotions rolling over her, and she nearly fell to her knees at the suddenness. "Oh, MY!"
Tofu was by her side, immediately. "Kasumi, are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?"
Smiling at his tenderness, Kasumi nodded. "I'm fine. I just wasn't prepared to feel what they are going through in there. The purity of the emotions he feels for her . . ." She started tearing up momentarily, and Nabiki knelt by her side.
"I know, sis. It's just like how Mom and Dad felt for one another." Nabiki gently reached up and brushed the tear out Kasumi's eyes. "That's why I know everything's going to be alright, big sister. Ranma would die before letting anything really harm Akane."
Kasumi stood with the help of Tofu and Nabiki, and smiled at that. "Just be thankful, little sister, that this is something that Ranma has the power to help. Thankfully, father isn't here, or we'd be dealing with another one of his bouts of self blame for not being able to save mother."
Nabiki led her sister back to a chair by the tables, and smiled sadly. "Yes, but we all know that her problem was medical. There was nothing he could do, but love her unconditionally."
The two girls smiled and hugged at the memories, when Jhonus's voice spoke up. "Things just got a bit more difficult in there. It seems one of Akane's fears that the demon is using centers around Ranma being trapped in the Cat Fist. He and Ranko are currently dealing with it."
As one, all five people turned towards the young man, who's eyes were now open. "Ranko?" they asked.
Jhonus nodded. "Apparently the original training for the Cat Fist did more than just leaving him with severe Ailurophobia. It split a part of his personality off, too. The part that dealt with being easily able to open up emotionally, mostly. The Curse gave more to that part, and allowed it to have some freedom, at times. That's why he seems more comfortable being emotional as a girl." He cocked his head to the side for a moment as if listening. "Uriel seems to think that she is the key for Ranma finally mastering the Cat Fist."
Cologne nearly dropped the mortar and pestle she was using to grind some ingredients up. "But that is impossible! Mastery would mean . . ."
"Uriel is well aware of what it is you speak, Cologne. He thinks that Ranma can handle the next step, as the magic of the Jusenkyo curse seems to provide a safety net." Jhonus closed his eyes once again, to refocus on maintaining contact with Uriel
*****
Ranma ran, frantically, Ranko pushing him ahead of her. A constant stream of profanity peppered the air around Ranma as he struggled to ignore the sounds the cat version of himself was making, as it followed. Ranko was busy keeping her eyes open for a possible hiding spot, and suddenly pushed Ranma towards a metal door, in the side of the school. With luck, this would be the only way in.
Ranma hit the door, and turned the knob frantically, quickly letting himself and Ranko in, slamming it behind them. He leaned on it heavily, as his cat self slammed into it, yowling furiously. Looking around, he found himself standing in one of the small storage rooms, used by the groundskeepers. Only one exit existed, with no windows. 'At least the lights are on' he thought to himself.
"Ranma, bar that door, and come over here." Ranko quickly passed him several heavy objects, which he carefully piled in front of the door, balancing them so any pressure from the outside would only jam them tighter.
Slowly, he backed away from the door, and the hideous cat sounds on the other side, and started when he bumped into Ranko. "Ranma, relax! It can't get to us right now." She reached out and pulled him to the floor, sitting next to him, looking him in the eyes. "Besides, you can't be afraid of it right now, big brother."
Ranma looked at her like she had suddenly sprouted a new head. "What do you MEAN, I can't be afraid of it?? It's not like I'm imagining this here!"
Ranko's laugh pierced through the small room, echoing back on them. "Actually, yes you are. You just need to relax for a minute and listen to me."
Ranma closed his eyes, and slowly fought to find his center. After a moment, his eyes shot back open. "What the hell? You're right!"
Nodding, Ranko prepared to explain. "Remember what I said about my being a splinter of your personality?" She waited for his nod. "Well, big brother, that part that carries your fear of cats is in me. But I don't react to it as a fear. More of an anger, at your father. It's your memories that make you react to it as a fear."
Ranma's brows furrowed as he thought about this. "So, as long as you are separated from me, I can't fear cats." He started to stand, cracking his knuckles, a glimmer of defiance now in his eyes.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ranma smirked. "Gonna go kick that things ass, that's what I'm doing."
Ranko shook her head, and forcefully pulled him back to the floor. "More like going out to get slaughtered."
Ranma sputtered for a moment. "Slaughtered? You just told me . . ."
"That you won't be afraid of it." Ranko reached out and took one of his hands, her eyes locking onto his. "Without your fear, right now, you can't access the Cat Fist, and that's the only way to beat it." She lowered her eyes for a moment. "There is a way, but it could be dangerous, Ranma."
Ranma looked down to where she was now holding his hand as if afraid to let go. "Dangerous how?"
"I can unlock the doors in your mind that only allow you to access the Cat Fist without going berserk, but in doing so, I will significantly weaken myself. If we don't do this just right . . . I might kill us." She sniffled a bit, a single tear falling from her eye onto their hands.
"Kill 'US'? What do you mean?"
Wiping her eyes, she looked back up. "If this isn't done right, I might sever the ties that keep the portions of your personality that I have linked to you. If they were to just disappear forever, I would cease to be, and that, in turn, would kill you. Slowly."
Ranma nodded. "You mean that my mind would bleed to death."
"Essentially."
Ranma looked towards the door, the pile shuddering as the Cat version of him kept trying to push the door open. "We gotta get through that thing to get to Akane. How certain are you that you can do this right?"
Ranko looked away, thinking deeply. "I don't know, Ranma. Like I said, it'll take a lot outta me. If I become too weakened before I finish . . ."
Ranma nodded for a moment, then reached out towards her, his hand cupped as if holding water. He closed his eyes, and concentrated, a small blue ball forming in his palm. As he fell deeper into concentration, the brighter and more concentrated the ball became. As it neared whiteness in it's intensity, he finally opened his eyes, looking a little tired. "Here, since we are pretty much the same person, use this."
Ranko reached out slowly, running her fingers over the surface of the ball of chi he was handing to her. "I . . . Don't know what to say, Ranma."
"Don't say anything. Just use it, and get us the hell outta here."
Ranko smiled and placed her hand in his, curling her fingers, and absorbing the energy. "Ok, this is going to feel really strange to you, so just close your eyes and relax."
*****
Uriel paced the room slowly, tapping the communication device he had created worriedly. It had been five minutes since it had gone dead, but there was nothing happening to provide him with enough detail to know what was happening, beyond them being trapped with the demon created Cat Ranma. He also hoped that Ranko would be able to help Ranma break through some of his emotional barriers on his own. Suddenly, the communication device buzzed static in his ear.
"Ranma, Ranko, is that you?"
A gruff, yet powerful voice answered, much to Uriel's surprise and joy.
"Bite your tongue, wing-boy. I came as fast as I could, and am hiding out nearby. What seems to be your little bind this time?"
Shaking his head, Uriel had to smile. Finally, one of his oldest, yet strangest allies had finally answered his summons. Perhaps the kids wouldn't mind an additional hand in here.
"Doing some emergency mind surfing to clean out a demon. Care to join in?"
The grizzled voice replied almost instantly. "Why didn't ya say so to begin with? I'll be in as soon as I can get myself secured."
The line went dead, but Uriel couldn't help but smile viciously. Looks like this demon that fed on fear was about to get a good healthy dose of it himself.
*****
Ranko's voice was soothing and steady as she spoke to Ranma, reaching into his mind as she went. "Ranma, just breath and relax. Picture yourself standing at the edge of the pit your father used." As he started suddenly, she reached out and tapped a calming pressure point on his neck. He kept his eyes closed, thankfully, and slowed his breathing once again. Ranko let out a sigh of relief, and went back to work.
"You are standing there, much as you were as a child, Ranma, but with the abilities you have now. What you need to do is sink yourself into the 'Soul of Ice'.
Ranma looked confused for a moment. "Do you mean in my mind, or right now?"
Ranko smiled slightly. "Either or, Ranma. If you feel more comfortable actually summoning it, I can handle the chill." She pushed deeper into his mind, coming up against the first wall. She waited patiently for a moment, feeling him gather himself, and then the chill as he locked his soul down. The next stage would be one of the touchiest.
"Ok, Ranma. You are standing at the edge of the pit, covered in fish sausages. Your father has just told you that it is to learn an ultimate technique, so even though you are worried, you understand that you will be stronger for this." Ranma nodded slightly, grimacing. She felt the chill pulse a bit as he pulled the Soul of Ice tighter.
Mentally, she reached out and lay a palm against the first wall, and felt irrational fear. Pushing, she pictured a doorway in the surface of the wall. Slowly, white lines of light formed from the ground up the wall, drawing out a the doorway. As she felt a little give, she continued to coach Ranma.
"Ok, big bro. Dad's about to push you in, and you can hear the cats. You have the Soul of Ice as armor this time. What I need you to do is relax a little, and tell me how you would react now, if you didn't fear cats, once you landed."
Ranma took a deep shaky breath, feeling several different things pushing down on him at once . . .There was the memory of the fear pushing at him, but the armor of the Soul of Ice allowed him to force it back. The chill of his armor allowed him to see beyond his obvious distaste, and he felt regret for hating an animal he once cherished. Lastly, was the odd tugging sensation that he felt in his head. Blocking out the sensations, he remembered how he used to love cats, and imagined rebuilding that into his current personality. "So, I land in this pit full of starving cats, and I'm covered in food. Well, I'm sure not sitting around while they have their fun with me." He chuckled a bit, almost feeling Ranko smile at him. "I'm unwrapping myself as fast as I can, and tossing the sausages into a corner, letting the cats eat what they want."
Ranko almost shouted in joy as the wall practically fell away from her, the doorway flashing with a pulse of light. "That's exactly what I needed to hear, big brother!" She mentally walked ahead, going to the next obstacle and once again placed her hand against it, feeling a smaller brush of fear mixed with deep regret. She smiled to herself, knowing exactly what it was he regretted.
"Ok, bro, the cats have calmed down a bit, but your father seems to have taken off. You're currently too small to get out of the pit just yet, so you sit down to wait. A large black cat wanders over, limping slightly. He cautiously approaches you."
Ranma tensed a little, his memory of the fear trying to push back in again. Pushing it aside, once again, he frowned thoughtfully, thinking very deeply. "Can I see what's wrong with him? Is there a visible reason that he's limping?"
Ranko smiled again, and began pushing against the wall, visualizing another door. "Yah, there is. There's a long wound on one of his hind legs, caused by another of the cats trying to get food."
Ranma grimaces in distaste, mentally launching into a tirade at his father for allowing this to happen. "Sis, there's only one thing for me to do. I'm gonna try to befriend it, so I can at least bind the wound. Clean it up a little, ya know?"
Ranko let out a small shout of victory this time, as the wall once again fell away, this time in a shower of sparks. She could feel Ranma strengthening his resolve as he fell deeper into the imagery. Nodding to herself, Ranko continued forward to find one more barrier in her path. Looking around, she realized that the plain landscape she had chosen was slowly changing to reflect the pit, as Ranma slipped deeper into the visualization. She looked off to the side, and saw an image of an eight year old Ranma sitting in the pit full of cats, tearing a strip off of his gi, and using the cloth to clean the wound she had described. Suddenly, she heard Genma's voice and realized that all she needed to do was watch, and open this last gate at the right time. She put her hands to the wall and almost shrank back from the anger that radiated out from it.
"Boy, I'm coming down! Get ready!"
Ranma looked up from tending to his new friends wound, and grimaced in distaste as his father lowered a rope. Before Genma had a chance to begin climbing down, Ranma had cradled the cat in one arm, and was up the rope in a shot, and staring down his father.
"How could you? Don't you realize that I could'a been killed down there?" Ranma felt the Soul of Ice slipping a bit, as he confronted his father. Genma, for his part, stared in open shock at his son.
"Boy, what are you doing up here? You're supposed to be down there, blacked out from fear . . ." He stopped, as he realized what he had just said.
Ranma froze and his battle aura began leaking through his control, anger blazing slowly. "What did you say, you stupid panda? I thought you didn't read the next part until AFTER you did the damage to me!"
The phantom Genma backed up a little in fear, Ranma's aura blazing now with sun like intensity.
Ranko looked on, shaking her head. "No, Ranma! This isn't the right way!" She watched in growing frustration as Ranma appeared to ignore her. Suddenly, the answer came to her, as she saw the now trembling form of the black cat. Calmly and gently, she began speaking again, trying to reassert control. "Ranma, your new friend, your cat is in pain. You need to get him somewhere to get him help, and quickly."
Ranma raised his fist, intending to teach his father the lesson of all lessons, when he felt something snag at his sleeve. That something also let out a sound of pain and discomfort. Awareness and control came flooding back to Ranma as he realized what was going on. The last wall was his anger at his father. Turning slowly, Ranma slammed control back into the Soul of Ice, his aura dissipating almost instantly, as he began crooning gentle words to his friend.
"Ya ain't worth it, old man. I gotta get him to the vet before the wound that was caused by your stupidity gets any worse"
Ranko let out a loud whoop of joy and pushed the wall away from her, giddy as it fell away, and the landscape changed again, becoming a plain white room. In the center of this room, a huge tiger who stood nearly five feet at the shoulder, paced around in a cage.
Ranma blinked at the new scene, glancing to the cage before looking to Ranko. "Is that?"
Ranko nodded slowly. "Ranma, this is your essence of the Cat Fist." She walked towards the cage, making soft soothing sounds. The great cat sniffed at her, and sat, staring at the both of them, raising a paw against the door of the cage, and pushing. Ranko frowned as the door clanked against a very solid looking lock.
Ranma came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and grimaced. "Why is the cage locked, sis?"
Ranko reached a hand into the cage and gently ruffled the neck of the great cat, and sniffled at the sadness in the creatures eyes. "This is the last barrier, Ranma. The reason that technique for teaching the Cat Fist was banned was because it caused the Cat Fist to be locked away by terror, like you, or it caused insanity. Your young mind, especially without the benefit of the Soul of Ice technique, would have snapped completely if you had been anyone else. This is a representation of the fracture of your personalities. To get past it, you must displace any kind of fear towards any cats."
Ranma hunkered down in front of the cage, getting a better look at the cat within. What he saw, instead of the clawed demon's he remembered, was replaced by a sadness that such a great and powerful beast should be locked away, instead of allowed to roam free. Reaching down inside of himself, he released the Soul of Ice completely, allowing himself to face the cat unprotected.
Ranko knelt beside him, taking one hand for support, as she felt the chill leave him. This would be the hardest part for him, analyzing that fear, and placing it into a proper prospective.
Internally, Ranma felt the old sensation of wanting to hide crawling back up his spine, but he sidetracked it by slipping into another mode of thought. If I fail here, I lose three very important things. I lose the connection to my wholeness. I lose my abilities to ever have a chance to control the Cat Fist. And . . . And I lose Akane. His eyes locked onto that of the great tiger, and he realized what was it was he was really looking at. The tiger, to him, represented strength, but it also seemed to represent yet another part of his personality. One filled with courage, and unflagging determination. The one that he only truly felt in contact with when he needed to fight to save Akane.
Reaching out slowly, he slid his hand through the bars of the cage and let the great cat sniff it. "Ranko, I was always terrified, wasn't I?"
Ranko shot a sideways look, surprised by the question. "What?"
"All those times I fought against the odds, I never felt as if I had a choice. The stupid challenges, Ryoga, Happosai . . . None of those battles were really fought without my being terrified of failing. I can only remember three times that there was no fear for myself. The three times I fought only to save Akane." He took a deep breath, and reached in further to run his hands through the fur of the tiger, enjoying the warmth and strength he felt. "The Cat Fist isn't about the strength and speed of a cat, Ranko. Not to me. It's the tiger's courage. His unwillingness to give something up when he really wants it. His ability to wait patiently for the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place before making a move. All qualities I have only ever known when it came to fighting to save Akane. And I can have those qualities back again, because cats aren't something for me to fear. Losing her is!"
Suddenly, Ranma let out a roar and pulled his arm back, turning it to grab one of the bars, and pulled with all his strength. For a moment, Ranko watched as his muscles bulged almost to the ripping point against the steel, and fought off a moment of fear that he was going to fail, when his aura flared to life, boosting his strength again. She felt something changing inside of her, and smiled, knowing that he was going to win. She called forth her own aura, and reached out to grasp another bar, adding her strength to his. Their aura's mingled, and the bars began to move.
The caged tiger gave a small growl of satisfaction, and rested his head against the bars, adding his own strength to the struggle. The groaning of steel filled the air, and suddenly the white room disappeared in a flash of white light.
*****
Akane woke to find that she was bound, rather uncomfortably, to the top of a large stone surface. She opened her eyes, but only found a single bright light source, focused down on her, cutting off any chance of her making out any details from her surroundings. Groaning, she tried to sit, but only found that whoever had her had taken the liberty of shackling her by her wrists, ankles, and with two chains across her chest and hips. Unless something happened, she was not going anywhere.
"So, the human girl finally awakens," a very familiar silky voice spoke, seeming to come from anywhere. Akane's nerves jumped at the sound, and her memories conjured up one being to fill that voice.
"Saffron!" Her voice came out rough and gravelly. She took quick stock of the situation, a small part of her brain trying to tell her that this was another trick, but she was caught back up in the past. Trying to hide her fear, she continued. "Ranma killed you once, you freak, he'll do it again."
"Ahh, child, that is where you are wrong." The voice came closer, now coming from a specific direction. Akane turned her head slowly, straining her eyes. "For you fail to understand one thing: I am immortal. I can not die." The figure drifted closer, taking shape in the darkness to reveal the figure of her worst nightmares, standing now dressed in a heavy armor made from a blood red material. The gloves seemed to have been made to enhance the already dangerous claws, giving him a purely animalistic look. "Just like the Phoenix that my people take their name from, I only come back stronger."
Akane stifled back a scream as Saffron reached out slowly, drawing one of the claws across her chin, using the outside of the claw. She turned her head to try to remove the touch, but he merely reached over and carefully placed his hand on the top of her head, forcing her to look into his eyes, eyes that now flared with a smoky red. Falling back into herself, she tried summoning up her version of the Soul of Ice, and felt a small purchase of calm taking hold. "Do what you will to me, Saffron, but Ranma will only make this death all that much more painful."
A vile smirk spread across the face of the Phoenix king as he chuckled. "You don't seem to understand, human, that your beloved Ranma will fail this time, just as he should have last time." He leaned in at the waist, his four wings now covered in a light armor, flaring out behind him. "You see, I will not be fighting your beloved this time. His heart will lead him to his own doom."
Akane struggled again at her bonds, anger now flowing through her veins. "Whatever, you freak. Just wait until he arrives." She sagged back again, and tried one last tactic to free herself. She knew she needed to focus her chi into only one of her hands, and to do that, she would have to be calmer. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, bringing forth a mental picture of Ranma. She felt the calmness seeping in slowly, and forced herself to remember what it was he felt like, not only physically, but what his chi felt like. As she continued her exercise, she felt something. Her eyes shot open, looking to see where Saffron was, and relaxed at seeing that he was merely standing now at the edge of the light.
Closing her eyes again, she started searching for that feeling again, and nearly cried out in happiness as she felt Ranma in the midst of a chi spike, and nearby! Reaching deeply within herself, she prepared to unleash a small bolt of herself as a beacon, when suddenly she felt Saffron's hands again, this time attaching a band of metal meant to silence her. Her eyes flared open as he faded into the shadows, with a mocking laugh. "Just so you don't spoil my surprise for your 'Beloved', child. Relax, for the show is just beginning."
As Saffron disappeared from all of her senses, she heard light footsteps coming from the opposite direction. "Akane? Is that you?" The footsteps came closer and revealed Ranma standing there, concern written over his face. "Oh God! Akane!! Hold on a minute, I'll have you free in no time!"
Akane started shaking her head, trying to scream as loudly as he could. NO! You idiot! Saffron's here, and he's going to kill you! WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME??
Ranma didn't seem to pay attention to what Akane was doing, apparently mistaking her worry for relief, and hurried to try releasing her. Akane kept thrashing, hoping to make his job difficult, and allowing him a chance to sense his hidden opponent. Ranma, just think about it! It's a trap! SAFFRON'S HERE!! Why isn't he even trying to figure this out?
Ranma suddenly gave a strangled yelp of pain, as blood blossomed from his stomach, and the entire chamber flooded with light, revealing Saffron standing behind him, his right hand shoved through the young martial artists back, the glittering metal claws protruding from his stomach. He raised the other hand slowly, and brought it to Ranma's chin, grasping him by the throat. "So, child, now you see why he was to fail this time. Love weakens you humans. It distracts you. And now, you have cost your love his very existence." With a sickening grin, he drew the claws of his left hand quickly across Ranma's throat, spilling his life blood across his chest.
Akane's entire body tightened in terror, and she screamed into the gag, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Vainly, she struggled to break free again, wanting nothing more than to hold Ranma, to comfort him in his last moments. She wanted to look away, but found that she could only watch in horror as Ranma bled to death in front of her.
Ranma, released from Saffron's claws, fell to his knees, gurgling through the blood. "Ak . . k . . . kane . . . . Why didn't you warn . . ." He collapsed suddenly, his blood pooling on the floor, somehow staying in perfect view of Akane from where she lay.
Trying one last desperate gamble, Akane fell into herself again, trying to sense Ranma, hoping that he was faking to pull Saffron into a mistake. But there was nothing. A void. Just like the void growing in her heart. She felt Saffron removing the gag, and instead of trying to attack him, she threw her head back and screamed a scream of pure torture. Her reason for living was gone. The only thing she could do now was wait to join him.
*****
Uriel was shocked when suddenly a tremor struck the safe haven, knocking all pictures of Ranma off the wall. He stood in silence as the large portrait that had once been in a place of honor shattered against the floor, only to reform, showing an image of Ranma, dead, lying in a pool of blood. He reached for his communicator one more time, hoping to raise Ranma and Ranko, when there was a sudden flash of light behind him. He turned slowly, reaching for his blade, and was greeted by the site of The one thing that could possibly turn this all around. His friend, Vincent.
The giant figure stood at nearly seven feet tall, and appeared to be nearly half that height wide in the shoulders. The huge frame was topped with a long mane of unruly blond hair, a piercing set of ice blue eyes, strong Nordic features, and an outfit best described as formal combat wear. The man smiled widely, revealing a set of unnaturally long upper canines. "So, before you cut me in half, you gonna point me in the right direction?" the deep and powerful voice rumbled out.
"It's about time you got here. I think the demon finally got to her, Vince. She's going to be fading fast." Uriel released the grip on his sword, and walked to his friend, clapping him on the shoulder. "Out that door. If things are as bad as I think, you'll have plenty of signs to follow."
Vincent smiled as he walked to the door, bending at the waist to duck under the frame. "I won't let ya down, Angel. Just make sure that the girl is broken free and I'll do the rest."
Uriel nodded as his friend loped off, watching as he rapidly disappeared into the distance. He had had close calls in the past during this type of extermination, but he had a feeling that this one would be taking the record painfully close for his taste.
Thumbing the controls on the communication device again, he tried contacting Ranma and Ranko one more time.
*****
The Cat-Ranma paced at the door where the two humans had disappeared into, sniffing the ground again. Time and time again he had tried to break the door in, but they had somehow blocked it. They had been talking, and there was a bright flash of light from under the door, but now there was silence. The primitive part of his mind had no idea what had happened, but he knew that moving was not going to be an option. He began circling back to gain anther run at the door, hoping to break it down again, when he heard it fly open, and smelled the female running, but there was a new scent, a mixture of the boy's and his own, but stronger. His hackles bristled instinctively, and he spun, only to see a nine foot tall humanoid tiger crouching in the door way, the ears flipped back in anger.
"Ranko, go find Akane, and do what you can to help her until I get there." The rough booming voice of the man-tiger spit out, spurring the female into running even faster. Cat-Ranma watched her for a moment before turning back to the man-tiger, and hissing a challenge. The man-tiger responded with a roar that shook the very ground, and then sprang. Cat-Ranma knew that something bad was going to happen to him, but only knew that he had to protect the master.
*****
Ranko found a corridor of darkness nearby, and stopped quickly, thumbing her communicator worriedly. "Uriel, are you there?" She listened to the returned static for a moment before trying again. "Uriel, this is Ranko, are you there?"
" . . . . ko? I ca . . . . rely hear . . u. Where . . . . . . . you?"
Fiddling with the knobs on her device, Ranko tried to clear up the signal. "Uriel, try again!" She nearly screamed in happiness when he replied clearly.
"Ranko! I'm so glad you got the communicator working! What's going on? "
She leaned against the wall, looking down the corridor. "Well, Ranma's got the Cat-Fist mastered, and he's taking care of a little pet that the demon left for us. Do you know how Akane's doing?"
She heard a worried sigh on the other end. "She's not doing good, Ranko. She's convinced that she saw Ranma die."
"Oh Jeeze! That means . . ."
"That the demon's finally worn her defenses down, and is trying to bond permanently, yes."
She sagged to the ground, sadness for her brother nearly overwhelming her.
"What can I do, Uriel?"
"Well, Ranko, there is only one way to do this, but it's only if you accept the cost."
Ranko stood up slowly, and started cautiously walking down the corridor, scanning with her chi for any hidden foes.
"And what cost is that?"
Uriel paused, and Ranko had worried that she had lost her connection with him again. "Ranko, in order to save Akane, it means that Ranma may have to give you up."
Ranko smiled to herself, and chuckled lightly. "Hun, mastering the Cat-Fist started that process. I'm weakening slowly, as my personality traits are reintegrating themselves into his again." She glanced back over her shoulder, and spotted Ranma, back in human form, dragging the unconscious Cat-Ranma behind him. "He can't hear us, can he?" she whispered.
"No, no. As soon as I figured out it was you, I made sure only you were hearing this. It's going to be hard enough for him to back down from the upcoming fight to help stabilize Akane. There's no need to worry him about this." Ranko nodded to herself, and waited for Ranma to catch up with her. As he neared, she turned back down the corridor, steeling herself for what needed to be done.
Ranma reached out ahead of them with his senses, eyesight, hearing and smell now enhanced due to reaching master of the Cat-Fist, and growled to himself when he scented Akane ahead of them. "She's there, Ranko, but she's not alone. I'll go in first to draw whatever it is out."
Ranko nodded, and let him take the lead, staring down at the wounds that now decorated the body of the cat creature he was dragging, amazed at the brutality that Ranma's man-tiger form was capable of. She nearly fell over the body when Ranma came to a sudden stop, looking out into the middle of a huge stone room.
The shape of the room was very similar to a coliseum , perfectly round, with a domed ceiling that stretched up at least eighty feet, the center of the room sitting below the entrance's level by a good five feet, stone steps leading down to it. In the center of the floor sat a marble altar, with Akane's form tied firmly to it. In front of the alter lay a body that could have been Ranma's, a pool of blood spread out from it. Behind the alter, however, was what caused him to stop. The form of Saffron was still apparent, but he had his hands raised over Akane's body, drawing out her aura. Saffron's features were blurred, becoming a sick hybrid of the Phoenix King and the Dredge Wolfe.
Ranko broke the silence, quietly. "Ranma, you get him away from her, and I'll see what's been done, k?" Ranma nodded, tightening his grip around the scruff of the dead creature in his hand, and stepped out.
"DEMON!" he yelled, breaking into a run towards the creature. "Leave her alone and come face me!!" He punctuated the last by heaving the creature's remains straight at the demon.
The Wolfe glanced up in irritation at Ranma at the first yell, then found he had to break away from his feast, in order to dodge the carcass heading straight for his head. "You only delay the inevitable, human. She has given up, and I will be reborn into her body." He flexed the wings of this new form, lifting off the ground slightly.
Ranma grinned darkly, and reached down once again to find the soul of the tiger that inhabited him, pulling it to the surface. The change flowed over him, much like the Jusenkyo curse. His limbs strengthened and lengthened, fur covering his body, and he felt his head changing shape. "You'll find, demon, that I'm a lot harder to dismiss than that." Coiling, he leapt, roaring his terrible roar.
Ranko sprinted across the floor, and created a small axe from her chi, swinging at the chains, shattering them and freeing Akane. In one swift movement, she gathered the unconscious girl's body to her, and darted towards the opposite end of the room from where Ranma was now locked into brutal combat with the demon.
Gently, she sat Akane's body on the floor, and scooted in to set Akane's head on her lap, taking a quick reading of her chi. "Uriel, can you hear me?"
Uriel's voice responded with some hope. "Yes, Ranko. I assume you have Akane with you?"
"Yes. Her soul's weak, though, Uriel. What do I do?"
"You need to reinforce her, enough to wake her up and show her that Ranma's still alive."
Ranko nodded to herself, and began concentrating, much like she had when she helped Ranma free the tiger. She felt her aura spreading out gently, caressing and joining with Akane's. She could feel anger, sorrow and pain, and sent out soothing thoughts to the young woman who she loved more than life itself. It seemed to take ages, but she felt a response. Akane's energy rose slightly, tugging at hers as if questioning. 'I'm Ranko, love, but Ranma is here with me. He's fighting the demon for you, hun.'
'No! Ranma's dead!'
Ranko sighed, and continued to push gently. "Uriel, you're right. How do we fix this?"
Before the angel had a chance to answer, there was a second roar, and Ranko turned to see a monster of a man leap across the room, grabbing the demon, and pinning it to the ground. "Ranma, git yer ass over there and help yer lady! I'll take care of the light work!"
Uriel chuckled slightly. "Ok, Vincent is there. Good. Make sure that Ranma speaks to Akane in his normal form. She's going to need to hear his voice. Oh, he's going to have to help you strengthen her."
Ranko smiled sadly, waving Ranma over. He frowned as he looked to the new man easily holding the demon to the ground, shrugging off it's efforts to wound him. He let the Cat-Fist drop, and sprinted, sliding to a stop at Akane's side.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked. Ranko felt another pull from Akane's aura and smiled.
"Just keep talking to her, and give me your hand. I need a hand stabilizing her."
Ranma nodded, letting Ranko place his hand over Akane's heart, and started talking as she placed her own hand over his.
Ranko blurred the conversation out slightly, focusing on what had to be done. "Uriel, what now?" she whispered, pushing more of herself through Ranma now, pulling part of him with her.
Uriel's voice took on a hint of sadness. "Now, it's up to you. Akane will always have a part of you with her because of this, and Ranma will have his memories. But you have one last choice. You can live on in Ranma, to a small extent, and help him break the curse."
Ranko smiled at that. "How?"
"Reach into Ranma and give the tiger your heart, dear. If you bring it to a level of consciousness, the power that it has will shatter the Jusenkyo bond, and the Tiger will be able to come out into the real world, using the left over magic. You won't have any level of reasoning above knowing and trusting Ranma, but you won't be completely gone."
Ranko's smile grew slightly as she began using the link into Ranma to pour some of herself into the tiger.
"The last thing you need to do, is once you KNOW that it's time, tell Vincent to finish the demon. The rest of the process will happen on its own."
Ranko gave a small affirmative and allowed her senses to come back slightly, looking down at Akane's body, and Ranma worriedly talking to her. She noticed a small change happening to Akane, slight enough that Ranma may have missed it for now, but a locke of Akane's hair, just behind her right ear, was beginning to change color, from her blue-black to a red that matched her own. She then noticed that Akane was waking up, and shifted herself so that instead of getting in the way of the inevitable hug, she would end up supporting Akane.
Ranma kept talking, not noticing anything but the slight pull upon his chi as Ranko focused on healing Akane. He failed to notice as his female side shifted slightly. He failed to see Akane's eyes flutter open. But what he didn't fail to notice is he was suddenly pulled into a hug that threatened to crush his ribs.
"Ranma! It's really you! You came for me!" Akane pushed the words out betweens sobs of joy. Ranma had come too his senses and wrapped his arms around her, whispering to her his love, and promises that nothing like this would ever happen again.
Ranko looked up to see Vincent now holding the demon so it was facing the trio. "You see, creature, that you can never win? That power that is maintaining them? That is love. You never have and never will understand that feeling, or it's power." He looked down to Ranko, who looked more and more haggard and worn as the process went on. She nodded slightly and then placed one hand on each of the others.
"Ranma, if you ever need me again, all you need to do is call my name." She said, as she pushed the remainder of her chi out at the two of them. Ranma's eyes opened in shock, as she fell to the floor, fading from view.
Vincent nodded and pulled the demon's head to the side, sinking his teeth into the creatures throat, severing the ties it had to Akane's soul, by absorbing it into his own.
There was a swirl of light . . .
*****
Ranma awoke with a start, his hand still firmly holding Akane's. He turned to look at her quickly, then up to the surrounding people. Tofu smiled and nodded. "She's fine, Ranma. Other than one interesting sign of this whole encounter, she'll be fine."
Ranma turned quickly, looking at the love of his life. "What sign . . ." The question died on his lips as he saw the lock of bright red hair that now spread from Akane's right temple to just behind her right ear. He looked up to Jhonus, who was staggering over to a chair. "Ranko's gone, isn't she?"
Jhonus settled back, gingerly. "No, Ranma, she'll always be with you. You just need to call her forth." He smiled slightly, before his head sagged back, and he began snoring gently. Nabiki walked over to him with a blanket, and gently covered him up.
He turned to look to any of the others for any information but suddenly felt exhausted. Cologne nodded to him, knowingly. "We have much to discuss, Ranma. Sleep now, and watch over your love as she dreams." As he fell asleep, he was vaguely aware that Akane curled up next to him, and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
By: Drougnor
E-mail: eddieth@hotmail.com
ICQ: 13830828
AIM: drougnor
Disclaimer: Ok, so I've seen just about every way of saying that I don't own anything, from humorous, to almost legalese. Rumiko Takahashi, no disrespect is intended, and if the Gods wish you to read this, I hope none comes across. I am merely a poor fan who is stretching my creative wings in your universe. That being said, Jhonus and a few others are MINE! ALL MINE!! Hands off, dammit!!!
If anyone sees enough potential in this story to want to help, by pre-reading, editing, or offering up suggestion, please feel free to contact me. C/C is always welcomed, but bitching, moaning and other stupidity will be ignored . . . Unless I'm in the mood for a good flame war . . . *evil grin*
Chapter 7 – Mastery of Fear
The mood in Tofu's office was a mixture of subdued anxiousness and excited movement, as Kasumi and Nabiki stood next to the two beds that held Ranma and Akane, with Jhonus standing at their heads, a faint blue glow extending from his hands where they lay on each of the teen's foreheads. Ranma, before going under, had also taken the time to take Akane's hand in his. Tofu and Cologne sped back and forth from one table containing some scrolls and books, and another covered with herbs and other medicines. Mousse had been summoned by Cologne to deliver certain rare herbs that they had in the restaurant, and he now sat against the wall, opposite of everyone, watching intently.
Ranma's face suddenly contorted in fear, and the blue aura flickered slightly, as he began muttering "N-n-n-n-no! Not a C-c-c-c-c-cat! Anything but C-c-c-c-c-cats!" Jhonus also visibly tensed, whispering to himself, apparently communicating with Uriel.
Nabiki took a worried step back, and looked up to Kasumi. "What are we going to do if he goes into the Cat Fist? Akane's the only one who can bring him out."
Kasumi shook her head, frowning. She reached out and placed a hand on Ranma's cheek, hoping that her presence would calm him down. As her hand entered the blue glow, she felt a wave of different emotions rolling over her, and she nearly fell to her knees at the suddenness. "Oh, MY!"
Tofu was by her side, immediately. "Kasumi, are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?"
Smiling at his tenderness, Kasumi nodded. "I'm fine. I just wasn't prepared to feel what they are going through in there. The purity of the emotions he feels for her . . ." She started tearing up momentarily, and Nabiki knelt by her side.
"I know, sis. It's just like how Mom and Dad felt for one another." Nabiki gently reached up and brushed the tear out Kasumi's eyes. "That's why I know everything's going to be alright, big sister. Ranma would die before letting anything really harm Akane."
Kasumi stood with the help of Tofu and Nabiki, and smiled at that. "Just be thankful, little sister, that this is something that Ranma has the power to help. Thankfully, father isn't here, or we'd be dealing with another one of his bouts of self blame for not being able to save mother."
Nabiki led her sister back to a chair by the tables, and smiled sadly. "Yes, but we all know that her problem was medical. There was nothing he could do, but love her unconditionally."
The two girls smiled and hugged at the memories, when Jhonus's voice spoke up. "Things just got a bit more difficult in there. It seems one of Akane's fears that the demon is using centers around Ranma being trapped in the Cat Fist. He and Ranko are currently dealing with it."
As one, all five people turned towards the young man, who's eyes were now open. "Ranko?" they asked.
Jhonus nodded. "Apparently the original training for the Cat Fist did more than just leaving him with severe Ailurophobia. It split a part of his personality off, too. The part that dealt with being easily able to open up emotionally, mostly. The Curse gave more to that part, and allowed it to have some freedom, at times. That's why he seems more comfortable being emotional as a girl." He cocked his head to the side for a moment as if listening. "Uriel seems to think that she is the key for Ranma finally mastering the Cat Fist."
Cologne nearly dropped the mortar and pestle she was using to grind some ingredients up. "But that is impossible! Mastery would mean . . ."
"Uriel is well aware of what it is you speak, Cologne. He thinks that Ranma can handle the next step, as the magic of the Jusenkyo curse seems to provide a safety net." Jhonus closed his eyes once again, to refocus on maintaining contact with Uriel
*****
Ranma ran, frantically, Ranko pushing him ahead of her. A constant stream of profanity peppered the air around Ranma as he struggled to ignore the sounds the cat version of himself was making, as it followed. Ranko was busy keeping her eyes open for a possible hiding spot, and suddenly pushed Ranma towards a metal door, in the side of the school. With luck, this would be the only way in.
Ranma hit the door, and turned the knob frantically, quickly letting himself and Ranko in, slamming it behind them. He leaned on it heavily, as his cat self slammed into it, yowling furiously. Looking around, he found himself standing in one of the small storage rooms, used by the groundskeepers. Only one exit existed, with no windows. 'At least the lights are on' he thought to himself.
"Ranma, bar that door, and come over here." Ranko quickly passed him several heavy objects, which he carefully piled in front of the door, balancing them so any pressure from the outside would only jam them tighter.
Slowly, he backed away from the door, and the hideous cat sounds on the other side, and started when he bumped into Ranko. "Ranma, relax! It can't get to us right now." She reached out and pulled him to the floor, sitting next to him, looking him in the eyes. "Besides, you can't be afraid of it right now, big brother."
Ranma looked at her like she had suddenly sprouted a new head. "What do you MEAN, I can't be afraid of it?? It's not like I'm imagining this here!"
Ranko's laugh pierced through the small room, echoing back on them. "Actually, yes you are. You just need to relax for a minute and listen to me."
Ranma closed his eyes, and slowly fought to find his center. After a moment, his eyes shot back open. "What the hell? You're right!"
Nodding, Ranko prepared to explain. "Remember what I said about my being a splinter of your personality?" She waited for his nod. "Well, big brother, that part that carries your fear of cats is in me. But I don't react to it as a fear. More of an anger, at your father. It's your memories that make you react to it as a fear."
Ranma's brows furrowed as he thought about this. "So, as long as you are separated from me, I can't fear cats." He started to stand, cracking his knuckles, a glimmer of defiance now in his eyes.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ranma smirked. "Gonna go kick that things ass, that's what I'm doing."
Ranko shook her head, and forcefully pulled him back to the floor. "More like going out to get slaughtered."
Ranma sputtered for a moment. "Slaughtered? You just told me . . ."
"That you won't be afraid of it." Ranko reached out and took one of his hands, her eyes locking onto his. "Without your fear, right now, you can't access the Cat Fist, and that's the only way to beat it." She lowered her eyes for a moment. "There is a way, but it could be dangerous, Ranma."
Ranma looked down to where she was now holding his hand as if afraid to let go. "Dangerous how?"
"I can unlock the doors in your mind that only allow you to access the Cat Fist without going berserk, but in doing so, I will significantly weaken myself. If we don't do this just right . . . I might kill us." She sniffled a bit, a single tear falling from her eye onto their hands.
"Kill 'US'? What do you mean?"
Wiping her eyes, she looked back up. "If this isn't done right, I might sever the ties that keep the portions of your personality that I have linked to you. If they were to just disappear forever, I would cease to be, and that, in turn, would kill you. Slowly."
Ranma nodded. "You mean that my mind would bleed to death."
"Essentially."
Ranma looked towards the door, the pile shuddering as the Cat version of him kept trying to push the door open. "We gotta get through that thing to get to Akane. How certain are you that you can do this right?"
Ranko looked away, thinking deeply. "I don't know, Ranma. Like I said, it'll take a lot outta me. If I become too weakened before I finish . . ."
Ranma nodded for a moment, then reached out towards her, his hand cupped as if holding water. He closed his eyes, and concentrated, a small blue ball forming in his palm. As he fell deeper into concentration, the brighter and more concentrated the ball became. As it neared whiteness in it's intensity, he finally opened his eyes, looking a little tired. "Here, since we are pretty much the same person, use this."
Ranko reached out slowly, running her fingers over the surface of the ball of chi he was handing to her. "I . . . Don't know what to say, Ranma."
"Don't say anything. Just use it, and get us the hell outta here."
Ranko smiled and placed her hand in his, curling her fingers, and absorbing the energy. "Ok, this is going to feel really strange to you, so just close your eyes and relax."
*****
Uriel paced the room slowly, tapping the communication device he had created worriedly. It had been five minutes since it had gone dead, but there was nothing happening to provide him with enough detail to know what was happening, beyond them being trapped with the demon created Cat Ranma. He also hoped that Ranko would be able to help Ranma break through some of his emotional barriers on his own. Suddenly, the communication device buzzed static in his ear.
"Ranma, Ranko, is that you?"
A gruff, yet powerful voice answered, much to Uriel's surprise and joy.
"Bite your tongue, wing-boy. I came as fast as I could, and am hiding out nearby. What seems to be your little bind this time?"
Shaking his head, Uriel had to smile. Finally, one of his oldest, yet strangest allies had finally answered his summons. Perhaps the kids wouldn't mind an additional hand in here.
"Doing some emergency mind surfing to clean out a demon. Care to join in?"
The grizzled voice replied almost instantly. "Why didn't ya say so to begin with? I'll be in as soon as I can get myself secured."
The line went dead, but Uriel couldn't help but smile viciously. Looks like this demon that fed on fear was about to get a good healthy dose of it himself.
*****
Ranko's voice was soothing and steady as she spoke to Ranma, reaching into his mind as she went. "Ranma, just breath and relax. Picture yourself standing at the edge of the pit your father used." As he started suddenly, she reached out and tapped a calming pressure point on his neck. He kept his eyes closed, thankfully, and slowed his breathing once again. Ranko let out a sigh of relief, and went back to work.
"You are standing there, much as you were as a child, Ranma, but with the abilities you have now. What you need to do is sink yourself into the 'Soul of Ice'.
Ranma looked confused for a moment. "Do you mean in my mind, or right now?"
Ranko smiled slightly. "Either or, Ranma. If you feel more comfortable actually summoning it, I can handle the chill." She pushed deeper into his mind, coming up against the first wall. She waited patiently for a moment, feeling him gather himself, and then the chill as he locked his soul down. The next stage would be one of the touchiest.
"Ok, Ranma. You are standing at the edge of the pit, covered in fish sausages. Your father has just told you that it is to learn an ultimate technique, so even though you are worried, you understand that you will be stronger for this." Ranma nodded slightly, grimacing. She felt the chill pulse a bit as he pulled the Soul of Ice tighter.
Mentally, she reached out and lay a palm against the first wall, and felt irrational fear. Pushing, she pictured a doorway in the surface of the wall. Slowly, white lines of light formed from the ground up the wall, drawing out a the doorway. As she felt a little give, she continued to coach Ranma.
"Ok, big bro. Dad's about to push you in, and you can hear the cats. You have the Soul of Ice as armor this time. What I need you to do is relax a little, and tell me how you would react now, if you didn't fear cats, once you landed."
Ranma took a deep shaky breath, feeling several different things pushing down on him at once . . .There was the memory of the fear pushing at him, but the armor of the Soul of Ice allowed him to force it back. The chill of his armor allowed him to see beyond his obvious distaste, and he felt regret for hating an animal he once cherished. Lastly, was the odd tugging sensation that he felt in his head. Blocking out the sensations, he remembered how he used to love cats, and imagined rebuilding that into his current personality. "So, I land in this pit full of starving cats, and I'm covered in food. Well, I'm sure not sitting around while they have their fun with me." He chuckled a bit, almost feeling Ranko smile at him. "I'm unwrapping myself as fast as I can, and tossing the sausages into a corner, letting the cats eat what they want."
Ranko almost shouted in joy as the wall practically fell away from her, the doorway flashing with a pulse of light. "That's exactly what I needed to hear, big brother!" She mentally walked ahead, going to the next obstacle and once again placed her hand against it, feeling a smaller brush of fear mixed with deep regret. She smiled to herself, knowing exactly what it was he regretted.
"Ok, bro, the cats have calmed down a bit, but your father seems to have taken off. You're currently too small to get out of the pit just yet, so you sit down to wait. A large black cat wanders over, limping slightly. He cautiously approaches you."
Ranma tensed a little, his memory of the fear trying to push back in again. Pushing it aside, once again, he frowned thoughtfully, thinking very deeply. "Can I see what's wrong with him? Is there a visible reason that he's limping?"
Ranko smiled again, and began pushing against the wall, visualizing another door. "Yah, there is. There's a long wound on one of his hind legs, caused by another of the cats trying to get food."
Ranma grimaces in distaste, mentally launching into a tirade at his father for allowing this to happen. "Sis, there's only one thing for me to do. I'm gonna try to befriend it, so I can at least bind the wound. Clean it up a little, ya know?"
Ranko let out a small shout of victory this time, as the wall once again fell away, this time in a shower of sparks. She could feel Ranma strengthening his resolve as he fell deeper into the imagery. Nodding to herself, Ranko continued forward to find one more barrier in her path. Looking around, she realized that the plain landscape she had chosen was slowly changing to reflect the pit, as Ranma slipped deeper into the visualization. She looked off to the side, and saw an image of an eight year old Ranma sitting in the pit full of cats, tearing a strip off of his gi, and using the cloth to clean the wound she had described. Suddenly, she heard Genma's voice and realized that all she needed to do was watch, and open this last gate at the right time. She put her hands to the wall and almost shrank back from the anger that radiated out from it.
"Boy, I'm coming down! Get ready!"
Ranma looked up from tending to his new friends wound, and grimaced in distaste as his father lowered a rope. Before Genma had a chance to begin climbing down, Ranma had cradled the cat in one arm, and was up the rope in a shot, and staring down his father.
"How could you? Don't you realize that I could'a been killed down there?" Ranma felt the Soul of Ice slipping a bit, as he confronted his father. Genma, for his part, stared in open shock at his son.
"Boy, what are you doing up here? You're supposed to be down there, blacked out from fear . . ." He stopped, as he realized what he had just said.
Ranma froze and his battle aura began leaking through his control, anger blazing slowly. "What did you say, you stupid panda? I thought you didn't read the next part until AFTER you did the damage to me!"
The phantom Genma backed up a little in fear, Ranma's aura blazing now with sun like intensity.
Ranko looked on, shaking her head. "No, Ranma! This isn't the right way!" She watched in growing frustration as Ranma appeared to ignore her. Suddenly, the answer came to her, as she saw the now trembling form of the black cat. Calmly and gently, she began speaking again, trying to reassert control. "Ranma, your new friend, your cat is in pain. You need to get him somewhere to get him help, and quickly."
Ranma raised his fist, intending to teach his father the lesson of all lessons, when he felt something snag at his sleeve. That something also let out a sound of pain and discomfort. Awareness and control came flooding back to Ranma as he realized what was going on. The last wall was his anger at his father. Turning slowly, Ranma slammed control back into the Soul of Ice, his aura dissipating almost instantly, as he began crooning gentle words to his friend.
"Ya ain't worth it, old man. I gotta get him to the vet before the wound that was caused by your stupidity gets any worse"
Ranko let out a loud whoop of joy and pushed the wall away from her, giddy as it fell away, and the landscape changed again, becoming a plain white room. In the center of this room, a huge tiger who stood nearly five feet at the shoulder, paced around in a cage.
Ranma blinked at the new scene, glancing to the cage before looking to Ranko. "Is that?"
Ranko nodded slowly. "Ranma, this is your essence of the Cat Fist." She walked towards the cage, making soft soothing sounds. The great cat sniffed at her, and sat, staring at the both of them, raising a paw against the door of the cage, and pushing. Ranko frowned as the door clanked against a very solid looking lock.
Ranma came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and grimaced. "Why is the cage locked, sis?"
Ranko reached a hand into the cage and gently ruffled the neck of the great cat, and sniffled at the sadness in the creatures eyes. "This is the last barrier, Ranma. The reason that technique for teaching the Cat Fist was banned was because it caused the Cat Fist to be locked away by terror, like you, or it caused insanity. Your young mind, especially without the benefit of the Soul of Ice technique, would have snapped completely if you had been anyone else. This is a representation of the fracture of your personalities. To get past it, you must displace any kind of fear towards any cats."
Ranma hunkered down in front of the cage, getting a better look at the cat within. What he saw, instead of the clawed demon's he remembered, was replaced by a sadness that such a great and powerful beast should be locked away, instead of allowed to roam free. Reaching down inside of himself, he released the Soul of Ice completely, allowing himself to face the cat unprotected.
Ranko knelt beside him, taking one hand for support, as she felt the chill leave him. This would be the hardest part for him, analyzing that fear, and placing it into a proper prospective.
Internally, Ranma felt the old sensation of wanting to hide crawling back up his spine, but he sidetracked it by slipping into another mode of thought. If I fail here, I lose three very important things. I lose the connection to my wholeness. I lose my abilities to ever have a chance to control the Cat Fist. And . . . And I lose Akane. His eyes locked onto that of the great tiger, and he realized what was it was he was really looking at. The tiger, to him, represented strength, but it also seemed to represent yet another part of his personality. One filled with courage, and unflagging determination. The one that he only truly felt in contact with when he needed to fight to save Akane.
Reaching out slowly, he slid his hand through the bars of the cage and let the great cat sniff it. "Ranko, I was always terrified, wasn't I?"
Ranko shot a sideways look, surprised by the question. "What?"
"All those times I fought against the odds, I never felt as if I had a choice. The stupid challenges, Ryoga, Happosai . . . None of those battles were really fought without my being terrified of failing. I can only remember three times that there was no fear for myself. The three times I fought only to save Akane." He took a deep breath, and reached in further to run his hands through the fur of the tiger, enjoying the warmth and strength he felt. "The Cat Fist isn't about the strength and speed of a cat, Ranko. Not to me. It's the tiger's courage. His unwillingness to give something up when he really wants it. His ability to wait patiently for the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place before making a move. All qualities I have only ever known when it came to fighting to save Akane. And I can have those qualities back again, because cats aren't something for me to fear. Losing her is!"
Suddenly, Ranma let out a roar and pulled his arm back, turning it to grab one of the bars, and pulled with all his strength. For a moment, Ranko watched as his muscles bulged almost to the ripping point against the steel, and fought off a moment of fear that he was going to fail, when his aura flared to life, boosting his strength again. She felt something changing inside of her, and smiled, knowing that he was going to win. She called forth her own aura, and reached out to grasp another bar, adding her strength to his. Their aura's mingled, and the bars began to move.
The caged tiger gave a small growl of satisfaction, and rested his head against the bars, adding his own strength to the struggle. The groaning of steel filled the air, and suddenly the white room disappeared in a flash of white light.
*****
Akane woke to find that she was bound, rather uncomfortably, to the top of a large stone surface. She opened her eyes, but only found a single bright light source, focused down on her, cutting off any chance of her making out any details from her surroundings. Groaning, she tried to sit, but only found that whoever had her had taken the liberty of shackling her by her wrists, ankles, and with two chains across her chest and hips. Unless something happened, she was not going anywhere.
"So, the human girl finally awakens," a very familiar silky voice spoke, seeming to come from anywhere. Akane's nerves jumped at the sound, and her memories conjured up one being to fill that voice.
"Saffron!" Her voice came out rough and gravelly. She took quick stock of the situation, a small part of her brain trying to tell her that this was another trick, but she was caught back up in the past. Trying to hide her fear, she continued. "Ranma killed you once, you freak, he'll do it again."
"Ahh, child, that is where you are wrong." The voice came closer, now coming from a specific direction. Akane turned her head slowly, straining her eyes. "For you fail to understand one thing: I am immortal. I can not die." The figure drifted closer, taking shape in the darkness to reveal the figure of her worst nightmares, standing now dressed in a heavy armor made from a blood red material. The gloves seemed to have been made to enhance the already dangerous claws, giving him a purely animalistic look. "Just like the Phoenix that my people take their name from, I only come back stronger."
Akane stifled back a scream as Saffron reached out slowly, drawing one of the claws across her chin, using the outside of the claw. She turned her head to try to remove the touch, but he merely reached over and carefully placed his hand on the top of her head, forcing her to look into his eyes, eyes that now flared with a smoky red. Falling back into herself, she tried summoning up her version of the Soul of Ice, and felt a small purchase of calm taking hold. "Do what you will to me, Saffron, but Ranma will only make this death all that much more painful."
A vile smirk spread across the face of the Phoenix king as he chuckled. "You don't seem to understand, human, that your beloved Ranma will fail this time, just as he should have last time." He leaned in at the waist, his four wings now covered in a light armor, flaring out behind him. "You see, I will not be fighting your beloved this time. His heart will lead him to his own doom."
Akane struggled again at her bonds, anger now flowing through her veins. "Whatever, you freak. Just wait until he arrives." She sagged back again, and tried one last tactic to free herself. She knew she needed to focus her chi into only one of her hands, and to do that, she would have to be calmer. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, bringing forth a mental picture of Ranma. She felt the calmness seeping in slowly, and forced herself to remember what it was he felt like, not only physically, but what his chi felt like. As she continued her exercise, she felt something. Her eyes shot open, looking to see where Saffron was, and relaxed at seeing that he was merely standing now at the edge of the light.
Closing her eyes again, she started searching for that feeling again, and nearly cried out in happiness as she felt Ranma in the midst of a chi spike, and nearby! Reaching deeply within herself, she prepared to unleash a small bolt of herself as a beacon, when suddenly she felt Saffron's hands again, this time attaching a band of metal meant to silence her. Her eyes flared open as he faded into the shadows, with a mocking laugh. "Just so you don't spoil my surprise for your 'Beloved', child. Relax, for the show is just beginning."
As Saffron disappeared from all of her senses, she heard light footsteps coming from the opposite direction. "Akane? Is that you?" The footsteps came closer and revealed Ranma standing there, concern written over his face. "Oh God! Akane!! Hold on a minute, I'll have you free in no time!"
Akane started shaking her head, trying to scream as loudly as he could. NO! You idiot! Saffron's here, and he's going to kill you! WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO ME??
Ranma didn't seem to pay attention to what Akane was doing, apparently mistaking her worry for relief, and hurried to try releasing her. Akane kept thrashing, hoping to make his job difficult, and allowing him a chance to sense his hidden opponent. Ranma, just think about it! It's a trap! SAFFRON'S HERE!! Why isn't he even trying to figure this out?
Ranma suddenly gave a strangled yelp of pain, as blood blossomed from his stomach, and the entire chamber flooded with light, revealing Saffron standing behind him, his right hand shoved through the young martial artists back, the glittering metal claws protruding from his stomach. He raised the other hand slowly, and brought it to Ranma's chin, grasping him by the throat. "So, child, now you see why he was to fail this time. Love weakens you humans. It distracts you. And now, you have cost your love his very existence." With a sickening grin, he drew the claws of his left hand quickly across Ranma's throat, spilling his life blood across his chest.
Akane's entire body tightened in terror, and she screamed into the gag, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Vainly, she struggled to break free again, wanting nothing more than to hold Ranma, to comfort him in his last moments. She wanted to look away, but found that she could only watch in horror as Ranma bled to death in front of her.
Ranma, released from Saffron's claws, fell to his knees, gurgling through the blood. "Ak . . k . . . kane . . . . Why didn't you warn . . ." He collapsed suddenly, his blood pooling on the floor, somehow staying in perfect view of Akane from where she lay.
Trying one last desperate gamble, Akane fell into herself again, trying to sense Ranma, hoping that he was faking to pull Saffron into a mistake. But there was nothing. A void. Just like the void growing in her heart. She felt Saffron removing the gag, and instead of trying to attack him, she threw her head back and screamed a scream of pure torture. Her reason for living was gone. The only thing she could do now was wait to join him.
*****
Uriel was shocked when suddenly a tremor struck the safe haven, knocking all pictures of Ranma off the wall. He stood in silence as the large portrait that had once been in a place of honor shattered against the floor, only to reform, showing an image of Ranma, dead, lying in a pool of blood. He reached for his communicator one more time, hoping to raise Ranma and Ranko, when there was a sudden flash of light behind him. He turned slowly, reaching for his blade, and was greeted by the site of The one thing that could possibly turn this all around. His friend, Vincent.
The giant figure stood at nearly seven feet tall, and appeared to be nearly half that height wide in the shoulders. The huge frame was topped with a long mane of unruly blond hair, a piercing set of ice blue eyes, strong Nordic features, and an outfit best described as formal combat wear. The man smiled widely, revealing a set of unnaturally long upper canines. "So, before you cut me in half, you gonna point me in the right direction?" the deep and powerful voice rumbled out.
"It's about time you got here. I think the demon finally got to her, Vince. She's going to be fading fast." Uriel released the grip on his sword, and walked to his friend, clapping him on the shoulder. "Out that door. If things are as bad as I think, you'll have plenty of signs to follow."
Vincent smiled as he walked to the door, bending at the waist to duck under the frame. "I won't let ya down, Angel. Just make sure that the girl is broken free and I'll do the rest."
Uriel nodded as his friend loped off, watching as he rapidly disappeared into the distance. He had had close calls in the past during this type of extermination, but he had a feeling that this one would be taking the record painfully close for his taste.
Thumbing the controls on the communication device again, he tried contacting Ranma and Ranko one more time.
*****
The Cat-Ranma paced at the door where the two humans had disappeared into, sniffing the ground again. Time and time again he had tried to break the door in, but they had somehow blocked it. They had been talking, and there was a bright flash of light from under the door, but now there was silence. The primitive part of his mind had no idea what had happened, but he knew that moving was not going to be an option. He began circling back to gain anther run at the door, hoping to break it down again, when he heard it fly open, and smelled the female running, but there was a new scent, a mixture of the boy's and his own, but stronger. His hackles bristled instinctively, and he spun, only to see a nine foot tall humanoid tiger crouching in the door way, the ears flipped back in anger.
"Ranko, go find Akane, and do what you can to help her until I get there." The rough booming voice of the man-tiger spit out, spurring the female into running even faster. Cat-Ranma watched her for a moment before turning back to the man-tiger, and hissing a challenge. The man-tiger responded with a roar that shook the very ground, and then sprang. Cat-Ranma knew that something bad was going to happen to him, but only knew that he had to protect the master.
*****
Ranko found a corridor of darkness nearby, and stopped quickly, thumbing her communicator worriedly. "Uriel, are you there?" She listened to the returned static for a moment before trying again. "Uriel, this is Ranko, are you there?"
" . . . . ko? I ca . . . . rely hear . . u. Where . . . . . . . you?"
Fiddling with the knobs on her device, Ranko tried to clear up the signal. "Uriel, try again!" She nearly screamed in happiness when he replied clearly.
"Ranko! I'm so glad you got the communicator working! What's going on? "
She leaned against the wall, looking down the corridor. "Well, Ranma's got the Cat-Fist mastered, and he's taking care of a little pet that the demon left for us. Do you know how Akane's doing?"
She heard a worried sigh on the other end. "She's not doing good, Ranko. She's convinced that she saw Ranma die."
"Oh Jeeze! That means . . ."
"That the demon's finally worn her defenses down, and is trying to bond permanently, yes."
She sagged to the ground, sadness for her brother nearly overwhelming her.
"What can I do, Uriel?"
"Well, Ranko, there is only one way to do this, but it's only if you accept the cost."
Ranko stood up slowly, and started cautiously walking down the corridor, scanning with her chi for any hidden foes.
"And what cost is that?"
Uriel paused, and Ranko had worried that she had lost her connection with him again. "Ranko, in order to save Akane, it means that Ranma may have to give you up."
Ranko smiled to herself, and chuckled lightly. "Hun, mastering the Cat-Fist started that process. I'm weakening slowly, as my personality traits are reintegrating themselves into his again." She glanced back over her shoulder, and spotted Ranma, back in human form, dragging the unconscious Cat-Ranma behind him. "He can't hear us, can he?" she whispered.
"No, no. As soon as I figured out it was you, I made sure only you were hearing this. It's going to be hard enough for him to back down from the upcoming fight to help stabilize Akane. There's no need to worry him about this." Ranko nodded to herself, and waited for Ranma to catch up with her. As he neared, she turned back down the corridor, steeling herself for what needed to be done.
Ranma reached out ahead of them with his senses, eyesight, hearing and smell now enhanced due to reaching master of the Cat-Fist, and growled to himself when he scented Akane ahead of them. "She's there, Ranko, but she's not alone. I'll go in first to draw whatever it is out."
Ranko nodded, and let him take the lead, staring down at the wounds that now decorated the body of the cat creature he was dragging, amazed at the brutality that Ranma's man-tiger form was capable of. She nearly fell over the body when Ranma came to a sudden stop, looking out into the middle of a huge stone room.
The shape of the room was very similar to a coliseum , perfectly round, with a domed ceiling that stretched up at least eighty feet, the center of the room sitting below the entrance's level by a good five feet, stone steps leading down to it. In the center of the floor sat a marble altar, with Akane's form tied firmly to it. In front of the alter lay a body that could have been Ranma's, a pool of blood spread out from it. Behind the alter, however, was what caused him to stop. The form of Saffron was still apparent, but he had his hands raised over Akane's body, drawing out her aura. Saffron's features were blurred, becoming a sick hybrid of the Phoenix King and the Dredge Wolfe.
Ranko broke the silence, quietly. "Ranma, you get him away from her, and I'll see what's been done, k?" Ranma nodded, tightening his grip around the scruff of the dead creature in his hand, and stepped out.
"DEMON!" he yelled, breaking into a run towards the creature. "Leave her alone and come face me!!" He punctuated the last by heaving the creature's remains straight at the demon.
The Wolfe glanced up in irritation at Ranma at the first yell, then found he had to break away from his feast, in order to dodge the carcass heading straight for his head. "You only delay the inevitable, human. She has given up, and I will be reborn into her body." He flexed the wings of this new form, lifting off the ground slightly.
Ranma grinned darkly, and reached down once again to find the soul of the tiger that inhabited him, pulling it to the surface. The change flowed over him, much like the Jusenkyo curse. His limbs strengthened and lengthened, fur covering his body, and he felt his head changing shape. "You'll find, demon, that I'm a lot harder to dismiss than that." Coiling, he leapt, roaring his terrible roar.
Ranko sprinted across the floor, and created a small axe from her chi, swinging at the chains, shattering them and freeing Akane. In one swift movement, she gathered the unconscious girl's body to her, and darted towards the opposite end of the room from where Ranma was now locked into brutal combat with the demon.
Gently, she sat Akane's body on the floor, and scooted in to set Akane's head on her lap, taking a quick reading of her chi. "Uriel, can you hear me?"
Uriel's voice responded with some hope. "Yes, Ranko. I assume you have Akane with you?"
"Yes. Her soul's weak, though, Uriel. What do I do?"
"You need to reinforce her, enough to wake her up and show her that Ranma's still alive."
Ranko nodded to herself, and began concentrating, much like she had when she helped Ranma free the tiger. She felt her aura spreading out gently, caressing and joining with Akane's. She could feel anger, sorrow and pain, and sent out soothing thoughts to the young woman who she loved more than life itself. It seemed to take ages, but she felt a response. Akane's energy rose slightly, tugging at hers as if questioning. 'I'm Ranko, love, but Ranma is here with me. He's fighting the demon for you, hun.'
'No! Ranma's dead!'
Ranko sighed, and continued to push gently. "Uriel, you're right. How do we fix this?"
Before the angel had a chance to answer, there was a second roar, and Ranko turned to see a monster of a man leap across the room, grabbing the demon, and pinning it to the ground. "Ranma, git yer ass over there and help yer lady! I'll take care of the light work!"
Uriel chuckled slightly. "Ok, Vincent is there. Good. Make sure that Ranma speaks to Akane in his normal form. She's going to need to hear his voice. Oh, he's going to have to help you strengthen her."
Ranko smiled sadly, waving Ranma over. He frowned as he looked to the new man easily holding the demon to the ground, shrugging off it's efforts to wound him. He let the Cat-Fist drop, and sprinted, sliding to a stop at Akane's side.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked. Ranko felt another pull from Akane's aura and smiled.
"Just keep talking to her, and give me your hand. I need a hand stabilizing her."
Ranma nodded, letting Ranko place his hand over Akane's heart, and started talking as she placed her own hand over his.
Ranko blurred the conversation out slightly, focusing on what had to be done. "Uriel, what now?" she whispered, pushing more of herself through Ranma now, pulling part of him with her.
Uriel's voice took on a hint of sadness. "Now, it's up to you. Akane will always have a part of you with her because of this, and Ranma will have his memories. But you have one last choice. You can live on in Ranma, to a small extent, and help him break the curse."
Ranko smiled at that. "How?"
"Reach into Ranma and give the tiger your heart, dear. If you bring it to a level of consciousness, the power that it has will shatter the Jusenkyo bond, and the Tiger will be able to come out into the real world, using the left over magic. You won't have any level of reasoning above knowing and trusting Ranma, but you won't be completely gone."
Ranko's smile grew slightly as she began using the link into Ranma to pour some of herself into the tiger.
"The last thing you need to do, is once you KNOW that it's time, tell Vincent to finish the demon. The rest of the process will happen on its own."
Ranko gave a small affirmative and allowed her senses to come back slightly, looking down at Akane's body, and Ranma worriedly talking to her. She noticed a small change happening to Akane, slight enough that Ranma may have missed it for now, but a locke of Akane's hair, just behind her right ear, was beginning to change color, from her blue-black to a red that matched her own. She then noticed that Akane was waking up, and shifted herself so that instead of getting in the way of the inevitable hug, she would end up supporting Akane.
Ranma kept talking, not noticing anything but the slight pull upon his chi as Ranko focused on healing Akane. He failed to notice as his female side shifted slightly. He failed to see Akane's eyes flutter open. But what he didn't fail to notice is he was suddenly pulled into a hug that threatened to crush his ribs.
"Ranma! It's really you! You came for me!" Akane pushed the words out betweens sobs of joy. Ranma had come too his senses and wrapped his arms around her, whispering to her his love, and promises that nothing like this would ever happen again.
Ranko looked up to see Vincent now holding the demon so it was facing the trio. "You see, creature, that you can never win? That power that is maintaining them? That is love. You never have and never will understand that feeling, or it's power." He looked down to Ranko, who looked more and more haggard and worn as the process went on. She nodded slightly and then placed one hand on each of the others.
"Ranma, if you ever need me again, all you need to do is call my name." She said, as she pushed the remainder of her chi out at the two of them. Ranma's eyes opened in shock, as she fell to the floor, fading from view.
Vincent nodded and pulled the demon's head to the side, sinking his teeth into the creatures throat, severing the ties it had to Akane's soul, by absorbing it into his own.
There was a swirl of light . . .
*****
Ranma awoke with a start, his hand still firmly holding Akane's. He turned to look at her quickly, then up to the surrounding people. Tofu smiled and nodded. "She's fine, Ranma. Other than one interesting sign of this whole encounter, she'll be fine."
Ranma turned quickly, looking at the love of his life. "What sign . . ." The question died on his lips as he saw the lock of bright red hair that now spread from Akane's right temple to just behind her right ear. He looked up to Jhonus, who was staggering over to a chair. "Ranko's gone, isn't she?"
Jhonus settled back, gingerly. "No, Ranma, she'll always be with you. You just need to call her forth." He smiled slightly, before his head sagged back, and he began snoring gently. Nabiki walked over to him with a blanket, and gently covered him up.
He turned to look to any of the others for any information but suddenly felt exhausted. Cologne nodded to him, knowingly. "We have much to discuss, Ranma. Sleep now, and watch over your love as she dreams." As he fell asleep, he was vaguely aware that Akane curled up next to him, and wrapped her arms around him tightly.