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 6 – Blemished Memories
Tofu was putting the finishing touches on his daily files when the phone rang. Hoping that there wasn't an emergency, he answered. "Tofu's Clinic. How may I help you?"
"Oh, Tofu, I'm glad I caught you!"
Tofu felt the old familiar clouding affect begin to work through the walls of control he tried to maintain. Hearing Kasumi's voice filled him with such love, though, he doubted that his techniques could hold. He quickly fell back on Jhonus's lesson, and struck several of his own pressure points.
"Kasumi, what a pleasure. How are you this evening?"
He could almost hear the smile enter her voice, as she responded.
"I'm doing wonderfully, Tofu. I was wondering if you had time to talk for a bit."
Smiling now himself, he quietly closed the last file, and put it away. "Certainly, Kasumi. I was just finishing up for the day, anyway."
"I'm glad I didn't interrupt anything."
Tofu laughed a little. "Trust me, Kasumi, you'd never be interrupting. I'm glad you called, because I've been meaning to talk to you."
Surprise registered in her voice. "Really? What about?"
He reached into a pocket in his uniform, and pulled out an envelope, flipping it open to look at the tickets inside. "Well, there is a wonderful stage show opening in a few days, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me. One of my friends is the lead actor."
Kasumi gasped, shocked momentarily. "I . . . I . . . I'd love to go!" She practically shouted, no doubt drawing the attention of anyone in the Dojo.
Before Tofu could respond, however, the sound of running feet distracted him. "Kasumi, I think there's someone here. I'll . . ." The door flew suddenly off it's rail as Ranma rushed in, holding Akane in his arms. "Kasumi, something's wrong. I need you to get here as soon as possible." Hanging up before she could respond, he rushed over to Ranma, and began checking on Akane.
Ranma's face was streaked with tears, and contorted with worry and anger. "Tofu, please, you gotta help!"
Gently leading the youth to an examining room, Tofu convinced him to put her down, and began probing the wound with both his chi and medical knowledge. "What happened?"
"Shampoo saw us kissing, and freaked out, but before anything could really happen, Jhonus showed up, and Uriel told her to go warn Cologne that he was coming. We all went, and as Akane and I were leaving, we were attacked by a demon."
Tofu nodded, having seen descriptions of the kind of damage he was now detecting. "Do you know why the poisoning is slowed down this much, Ranma?" he asked, trying to calm Ranma down, and encouraging him to focus again.
"That was Cologne. I tried helping Akane by giving her some of my chi, but the damage was happening too quickly. She slowed the poison, but couldn't stop it." He wiped his eyes, and took Akane's hand, squeezing it lightly. "Doc, please help her."
Tofu nodded, as he dashed off to gather up some herbs and a scroll. "I'll do what I can, Ranma."
*****
Uriel watched in satisfaction as the remains of the Dredge Wolfe began to burn, releasing an oily black smoke. Cologne had removed the creatures head, and produced a glass vial from her robe, collecting as much of the remaining poison as she could. Looking up to the Angel, she smiled. "The good Doctor will need to know exactly what to mix to counter act this, physically, and I can help him with that, but only if we have enough to work with."
Uriel nodded, smiling under his faceplate. "Yes, but you will have to hurry to him with that sample, because the poison will become harmless as time goes by. Without the direct life force of the demon keeping it potent, I figure you have about an hour to do anything with it."
Shampoo watched the exchange, still edgy from the encounter, but with some of the exhaustion of the day starting to push it's way through. Not waiting for them respond, she turned, and looked sharply at Mousse.
Mousse put on a worried look, as he followed after her.
Shampoo continued to walk, but smiled to a little to herself. 'I know, Mousse, I know.' she thought.
Uriel watched them walk away for a moment, before reaching down to take the skull of the creature into his hand. "Your Great-Granddaughter is a strong woman, but there is something that I mistrust about Mousse."
Cologne shot a look at the parting pair, and nodded. "Yes, he has been chasing blindly after her affections since they were children. I only wonder if his concern for her now is genuine or not." Turning to glance at the pile of ashes that were the only remains of the demon, she prepared to get moving. "Come, for the survival of us all depends on saving the life of Akane."
Shifting to his non armored form, Uriel sprang into the air, hovering for a moment. "Keep up with me if you can, Elder!"
Cackling, Cologne burst into movement, heading directly towards Tofu's clinic, grateful that Uriel had the ability to bring some laughter to calm her nerves.
*****
Pacing in the waiting room had quickly worn out for Ranma, but Tofu had insisted he wait there for Kasumi. He was long past tears now, frustration and anger ruling his body. He needed to strike out against something, and badly. "Wish Ryoga was here . . ."
A sudden gasp at the doorway stole his attention. Turning, he saw Kasumi and Nabiki, both very worried, staring at the remains of the door. As one, they rushed in. Grabbing Ranma by the shoulders, Kasumi tried not to cry when she saw the pain in his eyes.
"Ranma, what happened? Where's Akane?"
Pointing to the examination room, Ranma could only shake his head, not trusting himself to talk. Kasumi rushed in, leaving Nabiki who looked Ranma in the eye.
"Saotome, if it wasn't for the fact that I know you loved her as much as you do, I'd be threatening the truth out of you. So, as your future sister-in-law, I have to ask, what happened?"
Ranma closed his eyes, and clenched his fists, trying to maintain control. He heard Kasumi gasp quietly before asking Tofu how she could help, the sound of her voice carrying his fears. He took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"It almost happened again, Nabiki." Fighting to stay calm, he opened his eyes, to see a look of concern on Nabiki's face, barely covering a look of growing rage.
"What happened?" Her voice was tight with control, not giving away the fear her eyes reflected.
"We were ambushed, Nabiki. I tried stopping it by myself, and told her to go get Jhonus. But she didn't leave, and took a hit meant for me. It should be me lying in there, not her!" More tears began rolling down his face, as he fell to the floor in defeat. "Akane's facing death again, and this time, I'm helpless!"
Nabiki froze, not used to seeing this much emotion from Ranma. Even when they first came back from China, after the Saffron incident, he didn't show this much pain. 'I wonder how much he's been holding back from the rest of us,' she thought idly, as she kneeled down next to him. Reaching out slowly, she gently pulled him into a hug.
"Shhhhhhh, Ranma. You did all that you could, and now Tofu's going to make sure that she's ok."
Ranma tried pulling away. "Don't touch me! Your sister is dying because I didn't run like Uriel wanted us to. It's my fault, and I can't fix it this time!"
"That's not true, Ranma." Uriel's bell like voice startled them both. He had converted back to his non armored form, and was now holding the head of the demon. Cologne followed him into the room, looking ready for anything.
Ranma looked up in shock. "What? You know how to deal with the poison?"
Uriel nodded, slowly. "Yes, but I'm going to need your help. As I was dealing with the Demon, I discovered that there was a trace of it's life force that was out of my reach. It had somehow bonded with Akane, preventing me from destroying it completely."
"But how can I help you with it?" Ranma asked, more than willing to face the impossible, but still skeptical.
Cologne stepped forward and looked him in the eye. "Ranma, in all of the time that I have known you, you have shown greater strength than any of us thought possible. What is needed now, is the strength of your love for Akane." She saw the confused look on his face, and smiled. "Uriel is going to take you inside Akane's mind, child, and you are going to help her fight off the poison. Only she can destroy it, but you are the only one here that we think she will trust to help."
"But why me? I failed once already. I can't handle twice in one night . . ." Suddenly, his head was rocked with a sharp slap, and Nabiki put her nose against his, staring deep into his eyes.
"That, dear brother-in-law, is why you WON'T fail! I can't believe I'm standing here, listening to you WHINE! You BOTH made a mistake tonight, and because of that, she got hurt. The least you can do is make sure that that mistake doesn't turn into a fatal one."
The look of anger in her eyes quickly convinced Ranma to stop arguing. "Yah, yah, ok. What're we gonna do?" he asked, standing again, a spark slowly relighting itself in his eyes.
Uriel smiled slightly at that. "Cologne is going to help Tofu isolate most of the physical poison, and purge it from her system. I'm going to enter Akane's mind first, to assess the kind of damage it is trying to do, and to find a good anchor spot for you to start in."
"Anchor?" Ranma asked, confused, as Cologne went to begin working.
"Entering someone else's mind isn't just as simple as it sounds. You must first find a spot in their mind that will allow you to establish a presence. Once you have that presence, then you can explore, but only the area's that they will allow you into, if they have control. I suspect that the demon is trying to wrest control from Akane, therefore leaving much of it open to exploration." He paused for a moment, letting this sink in. "But, if my suspicions are correct, that may also mean that you will end up facing a much greater resistance than normal."
Ranma nodded, returning to his normal self. "Yah, but I have a feeling that you think I'm ready for this resistance."
Nabiki turned him to face her, before Uriel had a chance to reply. "Ranma, you had better be up to the challenge, because, I swear to the gods that if you don't return with my sister with you, you are going to wish you had never been born."
Seeing the challenge in her eyes, Ranma could only fall back on his pride. "Nabiki, if I fail, I'll be handing myself to you, deal?" He gave a wry grin, trying to look ready, but both Uriel and Nabiki could see through it.
Hugging him suddenly, Nabiki almost cried in happiness. "That's what I wanted to hear, Ranma. Now I know that you'll do it!"
*****
They stood around Akane's slumbering form, Uriel at her head, Ranma holding onto her right hand, Kasumi her left, while Cologne and Tofu worked nearby on putting together a poultice to draw the poison out. Nabiki stood behind Uriel, watching worriedly. Reaching out gently, Uriel placed his hands on her temples and closed his eyes.
"I have no idea how far the demon's magick has reached, Ranma. It could take me a few minutes to locate a safe spot for you to enter." There was a moment of silence, then a pale blue light began forming around the angel's hands, lightly surrounding Akane's head. Her breathing changed slightly, calming for a moment, then returning to the shallow pattern that she had been in since Tofu had gotten her stable.
Squeezing her hand, lightly, Ranma whispered to her. "Don't worry, love. We're on the way."
He nearly leapt for joy when she squeezed back, her mouth twisting momentarily into a smile. "Ranma . . ."
*****
Akane stood in a disturbingly familiar room. Looking around, she could see that it was the main entrance to Tokyo General Hospital, but the decor was changed from what she remembered on her last visit. Things seemed out of date, but she couldn't figure out just why.
She started wondering around, looking for anyone, but the entire place seemed deserted. Even the omnipresent intercom traffic was missing, making every step she took echo. There was a definite sense of wrongness, but she just couldn't place her finger on it. Then, as she turned a corner, it hit her like a ton of bricks . . .
She wasn't seeing the hospital as it was the last time she was there, in her early teens, she was seeing it as it was when she was six years old . . . when her mother had passed away. She took things in with greater attention, now, and realized that she was also seeing it through the eyes of a six year old, tables and chairs seeming to be huge. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, before opening them again, to look down at herself. She nearly fell to her knees in shock. She was wearing the same scarlet jumper that she had worn that day. "No, not again. Not again!" she whispered to herself, tears running down her cheeks.
The deathlike quiet was shattered suddenly as the intercom directly behind her crackled to life, repeating the message that had spelled the early end to her child hood. "Doctor Tomobuki to Room 310." There was a new tone to the voice, this time . . . flat and lifeless, matching the feeling in the air.
Akane started at the sudden noise, and felt herself running, almost against her will, towards that room. She entered the elevator, the specter of her memories filling the shapes of her sisters and father. She could almost hear her father's worried mumbling again, and was almost smelling Kasumi's favorite perfume of the time.
The doors slid open to the familiar hallway, and Akane stepped out, slowly. The elevator doors slid slowly shut behind her, and she leaned against them for support, the flood of memories threatening to wash her away with them. She closed her eyes, trying to force the tears away. "Please, God, not again. I can't handle seeing her die again. I don't want her to see me cry!" She flashed back on the last thing she ever heard her mother say. 'Akane, my beautiful baby, you need to be strong for me, and for our family.'
She swallowed thickly, taking marginal control, halting the tears for now. If she had to face this situation again, she was going to do so on her own terms. Reaching out to find the wall as a guide, she took an unsteady step before opening her eyes. The sight that greeted her when she did made her stumble back again.
Somehow, the hallway had shortened, the door to her mother's room now a mere foot in front of her, instead of the forty that she remembered. She looked it over, and noticed that the sterile yellow light that had been there the first time was now streaming under from under the door with a sickly reddish hue. The name plate next to the door, instead of the pristine, crisp black printing, had been replaced with a scrap of paper, her families name now written messily in a reddish brown color. And the smell . . . There was an odor on the air that replaced the familiar medical smell and turned her stomach, even as she strove to place it.
Shaking, she reached out to touch the door handle, waiting for something to happen, to take the edge off what was happening. She had gone far enough beyond simple fear that she needed to finish this, to get it all over with. Finding nothing but cold steel beneath her fingertips, she took a firm hold and turned the knob, pushing gently.
As the door opened, flashes of that horrible day pulsed through her memory: Her mother crying out in pain; the doctor's pushing them out of the room; the sound of the defibrillator charging and releasing it's voltage; the look on her father's face as the doctor came out to apologize; the feel of her mother's cooling hand, as she held it, begging for her to wake up; the sounds of her sisters crying when the hospital staff finally came to remove her mother's body; the sounds of her own screams as she fought to stay with 'momma'.
Akane swallowed again, as she entered, keeping her eyes down, afraid to look. She got two steps into the room, when she first saw the blood smeared on the floor. She then noticed the sickening crunching and tearing sounds coming from behind the curtain that surrounded her mother's bed. Looking up in terror, she could only scream. Her sisters and father were strewn around the room, torn apart by some unknown beast, their blood covering everything, including the lights. As she dropped to her knees, the curtain was ripped clean from it's hangers to reveal the wolf demon, standing over the remains of her mother, fresh gore dripping from it's mouth.
"Soooo, the prrrretty young one comes to join her family." It shook it's head with a feral laugh, and slowly stepped off the bed and onto the floor, licking it's jaws clean. "You should have come earrrrlierrr, so you could have enjoyed the scrrrreams, child. Yourrrrr motherrrrr was upset that you werrrrrren't herrrrre to join herrrrrrr." It slowly advanced towards Akane, it's eyes boring into hers. "And the otherrrrrs . . . . their fear tasted so wonderrrrrful. Just like yourrrrrs will."
A small part in Akane's terrified brain began urging her to move, her instincts finally reacting to the sights around her. She began back peddling towards the door, the blood making her efforts to slide painfully slow. "No!! Get back! You can't have me!! This isn't happening! This isn't how it happened!!! Momma died of natural causes! Not because of you!!!"
The demon chuckled, a foul sound. "No, child, that is wherrre you are wrrrrong. This is yourrrr rrrreality now. Therrrre is nowherrre you can go to hide. Give yourrrself to me, and I will make yourrrr end quick." It stopped advancing, the twisted version of fur on it's shoulders and neck raising. "If I have to hunt you, yourrrr sufferrrrrring will be grrreaterrr than that of yourrrr family!"
She felt the door behind her, and reached up blindly, searching for the handle. Finally finding it, she grasped it tightly and pulled herself to her feet, trying to turn it. The handle, however, would not turn. Desperate, Akane turned away from the demon and began pounding. "NO!! OPEN UP!! Please! Let me out of here! Someone PLEASE!!!!"
"Cease your strrruggles, child. You can not escape me . . ." The last was nearly a whisper, it's breath rustling the hair of Akane's neck, as she kept pounding the door in fear.
"NO! You can't hold me! If you do ANYTHING, Ranma will KILL YOU!!!" She pushed herself against the door, and squeezed her eyes shut, pulling to her mind every thing that Ranma had just been teaching her about building up a barrier. She felt the demon's muzzle beginning to brush her hair and blocked the sensation out as much as possible, taking a deep breath, focusing her thoughts on her fiance and screaming, "RANMA!!!!!!!!!"
Suddenly, the resistance in the door disappeared, and she felt herself falling. She could hear the demon howling above and behind her, the sound quickly fading. Her thoughts stayed locked on her love as she faded into unconsciousness.
*****
The falling sensation seemed to last for hours. Visually, there was a tunnel of multicolored light, streaking and swirling gently, almost soothingly. But what made things the worst, though, was the complete lack of sound. It was enough to drive someone mad. Luckily, Ranma had years of training in meditation, and was able to cope with the silence.
Suddenly, the falling ceased, and Ranma felt solid ground beneath his feet, the colors starting to form into familiar shapes. Closing his eyes for a moment, he refocussed his energies and reached out gently, probing with his chi. He found the familiar aura of Uriel standing nearby. Opening his eyes, he found that he was now standing in a room very similar in design to Akane's bedroom, but the decor seemed off. Looking more closely, he discovered why.
The room was now decorated with many photos and memorabilia from their past adventures, as well as a great deal more of events that he could only guess at having occurred in her past. "Where are we?" he asked, turning towards the angel.
Uriel's general form was identical to what Ranma had last seen in Tofu's clinic, but his facial features were far more striking. Both calm and reflective, yet sharp and full of power. The classic example of a god or an angel. "We are in the one safe place in Akane's mind, Ranma. This is where she locks away her most cherished memories. Every human has a place like this."
Ranma looked around a bit, seeing images of Akane's childhood all the way through to now. His focus was taken by one wall in particular. On it were only five pictures, one of her entire family, one of a woman he assumed was her mother by herself, one of the time they held hands in Ryugenzawa, one of the time they first saw each other dressed up for the failed wedding, and one of the night he finally proposed to her.
Uriel noticed Ranma's focus and smiled, putting a hand on the youth's shoulder. "Yes, Ranma. You do mean more to her than even her family does at this point. Had we come here before you two met, I'm certain that this wall was overcrowded with memories of her family, but now they are scattered in amongst the rest of the memories she holds most precious."
Ranma smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Thank you for showing me this, Uriel." He looked around the room once again, smiling at the look of joy that seemed to never leave the face of his beloved. Steeling himself, he walked to the one door in the room, resting his hand on the handle.
"Before you go, Ranma, there is something I must tell you. Out there, the Demon reigns for now. You will be traveling through it's perverted versions of Akane's memories, and if she harbors anything that even resembles a fear to use against you, you are guaranteed to encounter it." Ranma tensed a bit, and Uriel nodded. "You have to be prepared to face anything, but you will not be alone in this."
"You're coming with me?"
Uriel shook his head at the question. "No, Ranma, I must stay here and maintain the link with the help of Jhonus. If I were to leave this room, you would become stranded until Tofu and Cologne managed to find a way to help us. My nature allows me to leave when I need to, but the strain of maintaining contact will not allow Jhonus's body to allow me to make another attempt until he rests." Raising his hand to Ranma, a small communication device meant to go around the ear appeared. "We can communicate using this, though. What I meant, Ranma, is by the nature of your curse, you have a unique gift in the mindscape, should you chose to use it."
Ranma fastened the device to his ear, looking puzzled. "What do you mean?"
A hauntingly familiar voice from behind him caused Ranma to jump, entering a defensive stance. "He means me, Ranma." Ranma looked on in disbelief as his female half materialized in front of him, attaching a similar device to her ear. "You can call me Ranko, big brother."
Ranma looked from Ranko to Uriel in amazement. "What? How is this possible?"
Ranko laughed and motioned for him to sit. "You see, Ranma, when your father 'trained' you in the Cat-Fist, part of your mind splintered away to deal with your new fear. It took with it a good third of your personality at that point, mostly your playfulness, and childish immortality. When you got your curse, the magic allowed that portion to of your personality to develop a personality of it's own, though very controlled by the you. I'm the reason you feel you can cry as a girl more freely than you can as a guy."
Ranma smiled slightly as understanding crept in. "So, in other words, the curse actually kept me from becoming clinically insane by allowing that part of my personality to come to light from time to time, right?"
Uriel smiled again. "That is correct, Ranma. Now, here, where the only real rules are those you chose to make yourself, Ranko can come and go as she pleases. In the real world, she is still bound by your dominant personality. This means that, effectively, you are two different people, but share the same heart and soul. If you work together, you should be able to defeat anything you come across in the mindscape."
Ranko pulled Ranma up and pulled him into a huge hug, shocking the young martial artist. Finally releasing him, she smiled cutely. "Sorry, but I've been wanting to do that ever since you got the curse. You have NO idea what it's like being locked away with your fear of cats."
Ranma twitched mildly at the mention of cats, but smiled. "Hey, no problem. But we're wasting too much time here. We got ourselves an Akane to save!"
Ranko laughed melodically, reaching for the door. "After you, oh great savior!"
*****
Akane came out of the darkness, walking down a familiar street, towards Furinkan High. Looking around in confusion, she noticed that she was now dressed in her school uniform, and carried her familiar bag. None of the sights seemed strange to her, in fact, it appeared to be a very normal morning. Those thoughts changed as she approached the gates to the school, though.
Through the gates, she could see the normal morning gathering of the Hentai Horde, but instead of watching for her, they were focused on a demonic mockery of Tatewaki Kuno, standing on the main steps, giving a speech. She stopped short once she was able to make out what the twisted version of Kuno was saying.
"On this day, let it be known that those who help me defeat the bitch known as Akane Tendo will also be allowed to join me in taking her. She is an object, not to merely be looked at, but to be taken from the shelf from time to time, and enjoyed . . . Fully." The demonic visage twisted into a feral smile as he continued, more dread sinking into Akane's heart.
"Remember, that when she is finally brought down to her knees, that I am the first to enjoy her maidenhood, but those who assist in taking her down will given their chances at carnal pleasure as well."
Fury built in Akane's heart, pushing some of the fear aside. How DARE he?? Calling her an object?? Something to be taken from a shelf? An angry red aura began building around her, as she dropped her bag and began stalking towards the gathering. She'd show THEM what it meant to be an object.
"Lo, gentlemen, for the worthless bitch has arrived to challenge our divine right as MEN to partake of her femininity! Go forth and show her the penalty for teasing us, for raising our desires without reciprocating!!" As one, the Horde turned, and Akane's anger nearly fled as she saw what it was that now faced her. The normal boys she had been expecting were just as twisted as Kuno, reptilian features marring some, patches of fur and dead skin, others. They all had grossly muscled bodies, with fangs and claws. Her common sense nearly won out, but her fury merely swatted it aside, causing her favorite hammer to materialize in her hands.
"You want a piece of me, you sick bastards?" Akane tightened her grip on her hammer, taking up a position just outside the gates, hoping to use the narrow space to limit how many could get at her at once. "Come and try to take some!"
The Horde howled as one, surging forth. As Akane had anticipated, the gate provided a sufficient choking point, allowing her to begin swatting them away, many of them taking fatal damage in the bargain. Several had made it into hand to hand range, but her experience of fighting off the real Horde for weeks on end gave her a definite edge, allowing her to twist and evade their grasps, slamming more and more of them into the ground, or into the air, away from her.
The battle stretched on for a full ten minutes before Akane realized that the numbers were not thinning as she had counted on. More and more creatures waited to squeeze through the gates to get at her. Mentally, she shrugged, and pushed even harder, clearing out her personal space momentarily. "See, how she continues to flaunt her body at us? She is BEGGING for one of us to make a woman out of her!"
At the sound of Demon Kuno's voice, she turned, unfortunately slipping on something, falling on her back, allowing the horde to swarm over her. Several took hold of her limbs, pinning them down, one even having the foresight to strip her of her hammer. She thrashed and pulled, seeking to free herself, as the wall of creatures parted, allowing Demon Kuno to approach.
"Akane, I told you that you couldn't run from me . . ." Kuno's voice faded, becoming that of the Demon Wolf from before. "You tease us with your youthful beauty for so long, how can we not help but want to taste your inner treasures for ourselves?"
Akane strained as she tried to kick out at him, managing to pull away from the creatures holding her right leg, caving one of their skulls in, in the process. Three more leapt forward, pinning that leg more thoroughly. "I don't know who you are, but making me live through twisted versions of my memories is doing nothing but making me want to destroy you!!" She spat towards the Demon Kuno, catching him in the eye, her own eyes, flaring with determination.
"Well, this attitude certainly will not do, miss Tendo. You see, these are merely not a twisting of your memories, child, but a baring of your worst fears through out your life. The more you fight against me, the more fears I will have to dredge up. The more fears I pull out of you, the more I feed, and the stronger I get." He reared his head back, laughing in a very Kuno-like manner. "Your time is limited in this body, Akane."
Narrowing her eyes, Akane tried pulling free again. "What are you talking about?"
The Demon laughed as it now stood at her feet. "You see, when I wounded you, part of my essence was transferred by the poison. Had your fiance not acted so quickly, it would have killed you outright, but in saving your life, he also saved mine." He reached down and slowly started undoing the top button of her blouse. "You see, child, by allowing you to live, he also allowed my essence to take hold and begin gaining in strength. I am afraid that no matter what happens now, you are going to die." He finished with the first button and moved down to the second, pulling his hand away as she suddenly lurched, trying to bite his hand. He made a quick motion, and several hands caught her hair, slamming the back of her skull to the pavement, dazing her slightly.
"Now, you can either lay there, and let me finish the process quickly, and relatively painlessly for you, or you can continue to fight and struggle, making the process that much harder, and not to mention the final result that much more deadly for your friends." He smiled down at her as she blinked away the dizziness and tried to focus again. Putting a finger to her lips, he stopped her next question. "You see, Miss Tendo, if I take over your body now, I will have to hide myself, and grow slowly, and your friends and family will not be in as much danger. But if you insist on making me gain more and more strength from your fears, well, I shall burst out of your body, returned to my form with full power, likely catching several people that you care about." He grinned as he went back to opening her the second button again. "The decision is yours, child. . . Lie here and let me have my way, and go on to the next life knowing that you just saved several lives, or you can fight, die anyway, and go on to the next life burdened by guilt."
Akane felt his hands move down to the third button on her blouse, the scaled and dry skin of his hands brushing against the revealed part of her chest, making her shake in revulsion. She retreated within her self, seeking a way to gain her freedom, and not jeopardize the safety of her loved ones. If what the demon said was true, they were now in her own mind. Somehow, she had to wrest control back long enough to find a way to combat this creature, on her own terms. She reached even further into her memories, seeking out any roll or twist that might free her for the moment when she was reminded clearly of Ranma. She smiled a little, thinking that if he were in this situation, he would somehow make the impossible reality. If only he were here. . . .
The demon's attention was suddenly stolen at the sound of twin battle cries, and the sight of several of his constructed slaves going flying by his head. Looking up, he recognized the young man who had tried to stop him on the street. With him was a smaller redhead, who shared his aura. Reaching out briefly, he realized that this was not merely a summoned memory, as he had first expected, but somehow, the boy had found a way into Akane's mind.
"Get the hell offa her!!" Ranma screamed, as he began plowing his way through the creatures. "Let her go, or I'm gonna turn you into shredded meat, ya freak!!!"
The Demon stood, gathering a bit of its aura, preparing to strike out, when the creatures that were holding his prey began to shout in surprise. He ventured a quick look down, and was infuriated upon seeing Akane beginning to fade out of view. Somehow, she had managed to elude him again.
Ranko used several of the creatures as a launching strip, gaining speed and height by running across their heads, and leapt to deliver a devastating kick to the twisted Kuno, when he threw his head back and laughed, fading out, leaving her heading straight towards an extremely confused but royally pissed off Ranma. He made a quick movement to the side, twisting one of the creatures into her path, as he began venting his pain out among those who were unfortunate to have been left behind by their master. The ending of the battle was startlingly brutal, but a forgone conclusion. Ranma and Ranko both slumped to the ground, leaning on each other, when it was done.
Ranko sniffled a bit as she looked around. "Ok, I KNOW that those are just figments of her imagination brought to life by that THING, but this is the most horrible feeling in the world."
Ranma quietly put his arm around her and squeezed. "Lucky for you that I wasn't stuck in the Cat Fist when I had to kill Saffron." He looked around a bit. "It's still hard to deal with these things, but knowing they aren't real does help." Looking towards where Akane was, he clenched his other fist. "I can't believe that he got away with her!"
Ranko looked up at her other half, seeing the anguish on his face. "I don't think he took her, Ranma."
"What?" he asked, a confused look on his face.
"The only reason I went for that kick was the fact that he got distracted by her disappearing." Ranma nodded after a moment of though, then hit the communication device he wore.
"Uriel, you hearing this?"
The device crackled like a radio for a moment and Uriel's voice came back. "Yes, Ranma. It sounds like she's learned how to run from the demon on instinct." Ranma smiled to Ranko at that. "BUT, he now knows that you're here, he will stop at nothing to try to stop you. You can bet that he's digging out the worst fears of Akane's to throw at you as we speak."
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Great. Just great. Now I gotta worry about finding him as well as . . ." Ranma got cut short as Ranko was tapping him on his shoulder.
"Ummmm, Ranma, I think he just found something. You might want to follow me away from the school."
Ranma looked at her in annoyance. "What do you mean 'follow you away from the school'."
Ranko began pulling on his arm, leading him away. "Just trust me on this one, Ranma, unless you think you can keep from . . ."
Ranko was cut off by a very feline growling from behind them, and Ranma blanched as he recognized the voice as his own. Turning, he locked eyes with one of his personal fears.
Striding from the school, on all fours was a larger version of him, wearing strips of cloth that used to be his typical red and black uniform, his features and body taking on a more feline shape, fur sprouting from the body in tufts. Sniffing the air, he hunched down, preparing to pounce.
Back at Akane's shrine of memories, Uriel reached out the best he could, trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing he heard before the communications went to static were Ranko screaming for Ranma to get moving, and Ranma's worried voice.
"Oh SHIT!"
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 6 – Blemished Memories
Tofu was putting the finishing touches on his daily files when the phone rang. Hoping that there wasn't an emergency, he answered. "Tofu's Clinic. How may I help you?"
"Oh, Tofu, I'm glad I caught you!"
Tofu felt the old familiar clouding affect begin to work through the walls of control he tried to maintain. Hearing Kasumi's voice filled him with such love, though, he doubted that his techniques could hold. He quickly fell back on Jhonus's lesson, and struck several of his own pressure points.
"Kasumi, what a pleasure. How are you this evening?"
He could almost hear the smile enter her voice, as she responded.
"I'm doing wonderfully, Tofu. I was wondering if you had time to talk for a bit."
Smiling now himself, he quietly closed the last file, and put it away. "Certainly, Kasumi. I was just finishing up for the day, anyway."
"I'm glad I didn't interrupt anything."
Tofu laughed a little. "Trust me, Kasumi, you'd never be interrupting. I'm glad you called, because I've been meaning to talk to you."
Surprise registered in her voice. "Really? What about?"
He reached into a pocket in his uniform, and pulled out an envelope, flipping it open to look at the tickets inside. "Well, there is a wonderful stage show opening in a few days, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me. One of my friends is the lead actor."
Kasumi gasped, shocked momentarily. "I . . . I . . . I'd love to go!" She practically shouted, no doubt drawing the attention of anyone in the Dojo.
Before Tofu could respond, however, the sound of running feet distracted him. "Kasumi, I think there's someone here. I'll . . ." The door flew suddenly off it's rail as Ranma rushed in, holding Akane in his arms. "Kasumi, something's wrong. I need you to get here as soon as possible." Hanging up before she could respond, he rushed over to Ranma, and began checking on Akane.
Ranma's face was streaked with tears, and contorted with worry and anger. "Tofu, please, you gotta help!"
Gently leading the youth to an examining room, Tofu convinced him to put her down, and began probing the wound with both his chi and medical knowledge. "What happened?"
"Shampoo saw us kissing, and freaked out, but before anything could really happen, Jhonus showed up, and Uriel told her to go warn Cologne that he was coming. We all went, and as Akane and I were leaving, we were attacked by a demon."
Tofu nodded, having seen descriptions of the kind of damage he was now detecting. "Do you know why the poisoning is slowed down this much, Ranma?" he asked, trying to calm Ranma down, and encouraging him to focus again.
"That was Cologne. I tried helping Akane by giving her some of my chi, but the damage was happening too quickly. She slowed the poison, but couldn't stop it." He wiped his eyes, and took Akane's hand, squeezing it lightly. "Doc, please help her."
Tofu nodded, as he dashed off to gather up some herbs and a scroll. "I'll do what I can, Ranma."
*****
Uriel watched in satisfaction as the remains of the Dredge Wolfe began to burn, releasing an oily black smoke. Cologne had removed the creatures head, and produced a glass vial from her robe, collecting as much of the remaining poison as she could. Looking up to the Angel, she smiled. "The good Doctor will need to know exactly what to mix to counter act this, physically, and I can help him with that, but only if we have enough to work with."
Uriel nodded, smiling under his faceplate. "Yes, but you will have to hurry to him with that sample, because the poison will become harmless as time goes by. Without the direct life force of the demon keeping it potent, I figure you have about an hour to do anything with it."
Shampoo watched the exchange, still edgy from the encounter, but with some of the exhaustion of the day starting to push it's way through. Not waiting for them respond, she turned, and looked sharply at Mousse.
Mousse put on a worried look, as he followed after her.
Shampoo continued to walk, but smiled to a little to herself. 'I know, Mousse, I know.' she thought.
Uriel watched them walk away for a moment, before reaching down to take the skull of the creature into his hand. "Your Great-Granddaughter is a strong woman, but there is something that I mistrust about Mousse."
Cologne shot a look at the parting pair, and nodded. "Yes, he has been chasing blindly after her affections since they were children. I only wonder if his concern for her now is genuine or not." Turning to glance at the pile of ashes that were the only remains of the demon, she prepared to get moving. "Come, for the survival of us all depends on saving the life of Akane."
Shifting to his non armored form, Uriel sprang into the air, hovering for a moment. "Keep up with me if you can, Elder!"
Cackling, Cologne burst into movement, heading directly towards Tofu's clinic, grateful that Uriel had the ability to bring some laughter to calm her nerves.
*****
Pacing in the waiting room had quickly worn out for Ranma, but Tofu had insisted he wait there for Kasumi. He was long past tears now, frustration and anger ruling his body. He needed to strike out against something, and badly. "Wish Ryoga was here . . ."
A sudden gasp at the doorway stole his attention. Turning, he saw Kasumi and Nabiki, both very worried, staring at the remains of the door. As one, they rushed in. Grabbing Ranma by the shoulders, Kasumi tried not to cry when she saw the pain in his eyes.
"Ranma, what happened? Where's Akane?"
Pointing to the examination room, Ranma could only shake his head, not trusting himself to talk. Kasumi rushed in, leaving Nabiki who looked Ranma in the eye.
"Saotome, if it wasn't for the fact that I know you loved her as much as you do, I'd be threatening the truth out of you. So, as your future sister-in-law, I have to ask, what happened?"
Ranma closed his eyes, and clenched his fists, trying to maintain control. He heard Kasumi gasp quietly before asking Tofu how she could help, the sound of her voice carrying his fears. He took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"It almost happened again, Nabiki." Fighting to stay calm, he opened his eyes, to see a look of concern on Nabiki's face, barely covering a look of growing rage.
"What happened?" Her voice was tight with control, not giving away the fear her eyes reflected.
"We were ambushed, Nabiki. I tried stopping it by myself, and told her to go get Jhonus. But she didn't leave, and took a hit meant for me. It should be me lying in there, not her!" More tears began rolling down his face, as he fell to the floor in defeat. "Akane's facing death again, and this time, I'm helpless!"
Nabiki froze, not used to seeing this much emotion from Ranma. Even when they first came back from China, after the Saffron incident, he didn't show this much pain. 'I wonder how much he's been holding back from the rest of us,' she thought idly, as she kneeled down next to him. Reaching out slowly, she gently pulled him into a hug.
"Shhhhhhh, Ranma. You did all that you could, and now Tofu's going to make sure that she's ok."
Ranma tried pulling away. "Don't touch me! Your sister is dying because I didn't run like Uriel wanted us to. It's my fault, and I can't fix it this time!"
"That's not true, Ranma." Uriel's bell like voice startled them both. He had converted back to his non armored form, and was now holding the head of the demon. Cologne followed him into the room, looking ready for anything.
Ranma looked up in shock. "What? You know how to deal with the poison?"
Uriel nodded, slowly. "Yes, but I'm going to need your help. As I was dealing with the Demon, I discovered that there was a trace of it's life force that was out of my reach. It had somehow bonded with Akane, preventing me from destroying it completely."
"But how can I help you with it?" Ranma asked, more than willing to face the impossible, but still skeptical.
Cologne stepped forward and looked him in the eye. "Ranma, in all of the time that I have known you, you have shown greater strength than any of us thought possible. What is needed now, is the strength of your love for Akane." She saw the confused look on his face, and smiled. "Uriel is going to take you inside Akane's mind, child, and you are going to help her fight off the poison. Only she can destroy it, but you are the only one here that we think she will trust to help."
"But why me? I failed once already. I can't handle twice in one night . . ." Suddenly, his head was rocked with a sharp slap, and Nabiki put her nose against his, staring deep into his eyes.
"That, dear brother-in-law, is why you WON'T fail! I can't believe I'm standing here, listening to you WHINE! You BOTH made a mistake tonight, and because of that, she got hurt. The least you can do is make sure that that mistake doesn't turn into a fatal one."
The look of anger in her eyes quickly convinced Ranma to stop arguing. "Yah, yah, ok. What're we gonna do?" he asked, standing again, a spark slowly relighting itself in his eyes.
Uriel smiled slightly at that. "Cologne is going to help Tofu isolate most of the physical poison, and purge it from her system. I'm going to enter Akane's mind first, to assess the kind of damage it is trying to do, and to find a good anchor spot for you to start in."
"Anchor?" Ranma asked, confused, as Cologne went to begin working.
"Entering someone else's mind isn't just as simple as it sounds. You must first find a spot in their mind that will allow you to establish a presence. Once you have that presence, then you can explore, but only the area's that they will allow you into, if they have control. I suspect that the demon is trying to wrest control from Akane, therefore leaving much of it open to exploration." He paused for a moment, letting this sink in. "But, if my suspicions are correct, that may also mean that you will end up facing a much greater resistance than normal."
Ranma nodded, returning to his normal self. "Yah, but I have a feeling that you think I'm ready for this resistance."
Nabiki turned him to face her, before Uriel had a chance to reply. "Ranma, you had better be up to the challenge, because, I swear to the gods that if you don't return with my sister with you, you are going to wish you had never been born."
Seeing the challenge in her eyes, Ranma could only fall back on his pride. "Nabiki, if I fail, I'll be handing myself to you, deal?" He gave a wry grin, trying to look ready, but both Uriel and Nabiki could see through it.
Hugging him suddenly, Nabiki almost cried in happiness. "That's what I wanted to hear, Ranma. Now I know that you'll do it!"
*****
They stood around Akane's slumbering form, Uriel at her head, Ranma holding onto her right hand, Kasumi her left, while Cologne and Tofu worked nearby on putting together a poultice to draw the poison out. Nabiki stood behind Uriel, watching worriedly. Reaching out gently, Uriel placed his hands on her temples and closed his eyes.
"I have no idea how far the demon's magick has reached, Ranma. It could take me a few minutes to locate a safe spot for you to enter." There was a moment of silence, then a pale blue light began forming around the angel's hands, lightly surrounding Akane's head. Her breathing changed slightly, calming for a moment, then returning to the shallow pattern that she had been in since Tofu had gotten her stable.
Squeezing her hand, lightly, Ranma whispered to her. "Don't worry, love. We're on the way."
He nearly leapt for joy when she squeezed back, her mouth twisting momentarily into a smile. "Ranma . . ."
*****
Akane stood in a disturbingly familiar room. Looking around, she could see that it was the main entrance to Tokyo General Hospital, but the decor was changed from what she remembered on her last visit. Things seemed out of date, but she couldn't figure out just why.
She started wondering around, looking for anyone, but the entire place seemed deserted. Even the omnipresent intercom traffic was missing, making every step she took echo. There was a definite sense of wrongness, but she just couldn't place her finger on it. Then, as she turned a corner, it hit her like a ton of bricks . . .
She wasn't seeing the hospital as it was the last time she was there, in her early teens, she was seeing it as it was when she was six years old . . . when her mother had passed away. She took things in with greater attention, now, and realized that she was also seeing it through the eyes of a six year old, tables and chairs seeming to be huge. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, before opening them again, to look down at herself. She nearly fell to her knees in shock. She was wearing the same scarlet jumper that she had worn that day. "No, not again. Not again!" she whispered to herself, tears running down her cheeks.
The deathlike quiet was shattered suddenly as the intercom directly behind her crackled to life, repeating the message that had spelled the early end to her child hood. "Doctor Tomobuki to Room 310." There was a new tone to the voice, this time . . . flat and lifeless, matching the feeling in the air.
Akane started at the sudden noise, and felt herself running, almost against her will, towards that room. She entered the elevator, the specter of her memories filling the shapes of her sisters and father. She could almost hear her father's worried mumbling again, and was almost smelling Kasumi's favorite perfume of the time.
The doors slid open to the familiar hallway, and Akane stepped out, slowly. The elevator doors slid slowly shut behind her, and she leaned against them for support, the flood of memories threatening to wash her away with them. She closed her eyes, trying to force the tears away. "Please, God, not again. I can't handle seeing her die again. I don't want her to see me cry!" She flashed back on the last thing she ever heard her mother say. 'Akane, my beautiful baby, you need to be strong for me, and for our family.'
She swallowed thickly, taking marginal control, halting the tears for now. If she had to face this situation again, she was going to do so on her own terms. Reaching out to find the wall as a guide, she took an unsteady step before opening her eyes. The sight that greeted her when she did made her stumble back again.
Somehow, the hallway had shortened, the door to her mother's room now a mere foot in front of her, instead of the forty that she remembered. She looked it over, and noticed that the sterile yellow light that had been there the first time was now streaming under from under the door with a sickly reddish hue. The name plate next to the door, instead of the pristine, crisp black printing, had been replaced with a scrap of paper, her families name now written messily in a reddish brown color. And the smell . . . There was an odor on the air that replaced the familiar medical smell and turned her stomach, even as she strove to place it.
Shaking, she reached out to touch the door handle, waiting for something to happen, to take the edge off what was happening. She had gone far enough beyond simple fear that she needed to finish this, to get it all over with. Finding nothing but cold steel beneath her fingertips, she took a firm hold and turned the knob, pushing gently.
As the door opened, flashes of that horrible day pulsed through her memory: Her mother crying out in pain; the doctor's pushing them out of the room; the sound of the defibrillator charging and releasing it's voltage; the look on her father's face as the doctor came out to apologize; the feel of her mother's cooling hand, as she held it, begging for her to wake up; the sounds of her sisters crying when the hospital staff finally came to remove her mother's body; the sounds of her own screams as she fought to stay with 'momma'.
Akane swallowed again, as she entered, keeping her eyes down, afraid to look. She got two steps into the room, when she first saw the blood smeared on the floor. She then noticed the sickening crunching and tearing sounds coming from behind the curtain that surrounded her mother's bed. Looking up in terror, she could only scream. Her sisters and father were strewn around the room, torn apart by some unknown beast, their blood covering everything, including the lights. As she dropped to her knees, the curtain was ripped clean from it's hangers to reveal the wolf demon, standing over the remains of her mother, fresh gore dripping from it's mouth.
"Soooo, the prrrretty young one comes to join her family." It shook it's head with a feral laugh, and slowly stepped off the bed and onto the floor, licking it's jaws clean. "You should have come earrrrlierrr, so you could have enjoyed the scrrrreams, child. Yourrrrr motherrrrr was upset that you werrrrrren't herrrrre to join herrrrrrr." It slowly advanced towards Akane, it's eyes boring into hers. "And the otherrrrrs . . . . their fear tasted so wonderrrrrful. Just like yourrrrrs will."
A small part in Akane's terrified brain began urging her to move, her instincts finally reacting to the sights around her. She began back peddling towards the door, the blood making her efforts to slide painfully slow. "No!! Get back! You can't have me!! This isn't happening! This isn't how it happened!!! Momma died of natural causes! Not because of you!!!"
The demon chuckled, a foul sound. "No, child, that is wherrre you are wrrrrong. This is yourrrr rrrreality now. Therrrre is nowherrre you can go to hide. Give yourrrself to me, and I will make yourrrr end quick." It stopped advancing, the twisted version of fur on it's shoulders and neck raising. "If I have to hunt you, yourrrr sufferrrrrring will be grrreaterrr than that of yourrrr family!"
She felt the door behind her, and reached up blindly, searching for the handle. Finally finding it, she grasped it tightly and pulled herself to her feet, trying to turn it. The handle, however, would not turn. Desperate, Akane turned away from the demon and began pounding. "NO!! OPEN UP!! Please! Let me out of here! Someone PLEASE!!!!"
"Cease your strrruggles, child. You can not escape me . . ." The last was nearly a whisper, it's breath rustling the hair of Akane's neck, as she kept pounding the door in fear.
"NO! You can't hold me! If you do ANYTHING, Ranma will KILL YOU!!!" She pushed herself against the door, and squeezed her eyes shut, pulling to her mind every thing that Ranma had just been teaching her about building up a barrier. She felt the demon's muzzle beginning to brush her hair and blocked the sensation out as much as possible, taking a deep breath, focusing her thoughts on her fiance and screaming, "RANMA!!!!!!!!!"
Suddenly, the resistance in the door disappeared, and she felt herself falling. She could hear the demon howling above and behind her, the sound quickly fading. Her thoughts stayed locked on her love as she faded into unconsciousness.
*****
The falling sensation seemed to last for hours. Visually, there was a tunnel of multicolored light, streaking and swirling gently, almost soothingly. But what made things the worst, though, was the complete lack of sound. It was enough to drive someone mad. Luckily, Ranma had years of training in meditation, and was able to cope with the silence.
Suddenly, the falling ceased, and Ranma felt solid ground beneath his feet, the colors starting to form into familiar shapes. Closing his eyes for a moment, he refocussed his energies and reached out gently, probing with his chi. He found the familiar aura of Uriel standing nearby. Opening his eyes, he found that he was now standing in a room very similar in design to Akane's bedroom, but the decor seemed off. Looking more closely, he discovered why.
The room was now decorated with many photos and memorabilia from their past adventures, as well as a great deal more of events that he could only guess at having occurred in her past. "Where are we?" he asked, turning towards the angel.
Uriel's general form was identical to what Ranma had last seen in Tofu's clinic, but his facial features were far more striking. Both calm and reflective, yet sharp and full of power. The classic example of a god or an angel. "We are in the one safe place in Akane's mind, Ranma. This is where she locks away her most cherished memories. Every human has a place like this."
Ranma looked around a bit, seeing images of Akane's childhood all the way through to now. His focus was taken by one wall in particular. On it were only five pictures, one of her entire family, one of a woman he assumed was her mother by herself, one of the time they held hands in Ryugenzawa, one of the time they first saw each other dressed up for the failed wedding, and one of the night he finally proposed to her.
Uriel noticed Ranma's focus and smiled, putting a hand on the youth's shoulder. "Yes, Ranma. You do mean more to her than even her family does at this point. Had we come here before you two met, I'm certain that this wall was overcrowded with memories of her family, but now they are scattered in amongst the rest of the memories she holds most precious."
Ranma smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Thank you for showing me this, Uriel." He looked around the room once again, smiling at the look of joy that seemed to never leave the face of his beloved. Steeling himself, he walked to the one door in the room, resting his hand on the handle.
"Before you go, Ranma, there is something I must tell you. Out there, the Demon reigns for now. You will be traveling through it's perverted versions of Akane's memories, and if she harbors anything that even resembles a fear to use against you, you are guaranteed to encounter it." Ranma tensed a bit, and Uriel nodded. "You have to be prepared to face anything, but you will not be alone in this."
"You're coming with me?"
Uriel shook his head at the question. "No, Ranma, I must stay here and maintain the link with the help of Jhonus. If I were to leave this room, you would become stranded until Tofu and Cologne managed to find a way to help us. My nature allows me to leave when I need to, but the strain of maintaining contact will not allow Jhonus's body to allow me to make another attempt until he rests." Raising his hand to Ranma, a small communication device meant to go around the ear appeared. "We can communicate using this, though. What I meant, Ranma, is by the nature of your curse, you have a unique gift in the mindscape, should you chose to use it."
Ranma fastened the device to his ear, looking puzzled. "What do you mean?"
A hauntingly familiar voice from behind him caused Ranma to jump, entering a defensive stance. "He means me, Ranma." Ranma looked on in disbelief as his female half materialized in front of him, attaching a similar device to her ear. "You can call me Ranko, big brother."
Ranma looked from Ranko to Uriel in amazement. "What? How is this possible?"
Ranko laughed and motioned for him to sit. "You see, Ranma, when your father 'trained' you in the Cat-Fist, part of your mind splintered away to deal with your new fear. It took with it a good third of your personality at that point, mostly your playfulness, and childish immortality. When you got your curse, the magic allowed that portion to of your personality to develop a personality of it's own, though very controlled by the you. I'm the reason you feel you can cry as a girl more freely than you can as a guy."
Ranma smiled slightly as understanding crept in. "So, in other words, the curse actually kept me from becoming clinically insane by allowing that part of my personality to come to light from time to time, right?"
Uriel smiled again. "That is correct, Ranma. Now, here, where the only real rules are those you chose to make yourself, Ranko can come and go as she pleases. In the real world, she is still bound by your dominant personality. This means that, effectively, you are two different people, but share the same heart and soul. If you work together, you should be able to defeat anything you come across in the mindscape."
Ranko pulled Ranma up and pulled him into a huge hug, shocking the young martial artist. Finally releasing him, she smiled cutely. "Sorry, but I've been wanting to do that ever since you got the curse. You have NO idea what it's like being locked away with your fear of cats."
Ranma twitched mildly at the mention of cats, but smiled. "Hey, no problem. But we're wasting too much time here. We got ourselves an Akane to save!"
Ranko laughed melodically, reaching for the door. "After you, oh great savior!"
*****
Akane came out of the darkness, walking down a familiar street, towards Furinkan High. Looking around in confusion, she noticed that she was now dressed in her school uniform, and carried her familiar bag. None of the sights seemed strange to her, in fact, it appeared to be a very normal morning. Those thoughts changed as she approached the gates to the school, though.
Through the gates, she could see the normal morning gathering of the Hentai Horde, but instead of watching for her, they were focused on a demonic mockery of Tatewaki Kuno, standing on the main steps, giving a speech. She stopped short once she was able to make out what the twisted version of Kuno was saying.
"On this day, let it be known that those who help me defeat the bitch known as Akane Tendo will also be allowed to join me in taking her. She is an object, not to merely be looked at, but to be taken from the shelf from time to time, and enjoyed . . . Fully." The demonic visage twisted into a feral smile as he continued, more dread sinking into Akane's heart.
"Remember, that when she is finally brought down to her knees, that I am the first to enjoy her maidenhood, but those who assist in taking her down will given their chances at carnal pleasure as well."
Fury built in Akane's heart, pushing some of the fear aside. How DARE he?? Calling her an object?? Something to be taken from a shelf? An angry red aura began building around her, as she dropped her bag and began stalking towards the gathering. She'd show THEM what it meant to be an object.
"Lo, gentlemen, for the worthless bitch has arrived to challenge our divine right as MEN to partake of her femininity! Go forth and show her the penalty for teasing us, for raising our desires without reciprocating!!" As one, the Horde turned, and Akane's anger nearly fled as she saw what it was that now faced her. The normal boys she had been expecting were just as twisted as Kuno, reptilian features marring some, patches of fur and dead skin, others. They all had grossly muscled bodies, with fangs and claws. Her common sense nearly won out, but her fury merely swatted it aside, causing her favorite hammer to materialize in her hands.
"You want a piece of me, you sick bastards?" Akane tightened her grip on her hammer, taking up a position just outside the gates, hoping to use the narrow space to limit how many could get at her at once. "Come and try to take some!"
The Horde howled as one, surging forth. As Akane had anticipated, the gate provided a sufficient choking point, allowing her to begin swatting them away, many of them taking fatal damage in the bargain. Several had made it into hand to hand range, but her experience of fighting off the real Horde for weeks on end gave her a definite edge, allowing her to twist and evade their grasps, slamming more and more of them into the ground, or into the air, away from her.
The battle stretched on for a full ten minutes before Akane realized that the numbers were not thinning as she had counted on. More and more creatures waited to squeeze through the gates to get at her. Mentally, she shrugged, and pushed even harder, clearing out her personal space momentarily. "See, how she continues to flaunt her body at us? She is BEGGING for one of us to make a woman out of her!"
At the sound of Demon Kuno's voice, she turned, unfortunately slipping on something, falling on her back, allowing the horde to swarm over her. Several took hold of her limbs, pinning them down, one even having the foresight to strip her of her hammer. She thrashed and pulled, seeking to free herself, as the wall of creatures parted, allowing Demon Kuno to approach.
"Akane, I told you that you couldn't run from me . . ." Kuno's voice faded, becoming that of the Demon Wolf from before. "You tease us with your youthful beauty for so long, how can we not help but want to taste your inner treasures for ourselves?"
Akane strained as she tried to kick out at him, managing to pull away from the creatures holding her right leg, caving one of their skulls in, in the process. Three more leapt forward, pinning that leg more thoroughly. "I don't know who you are, but making me live through twisted versions of my memories is doing nothing but making me want to destroy you!!" She spat towards the Demon Kuno, catching him in the eye, her own eyes, flaring with determination.
"Well, this attitude certainly will not do, miss Tendo. You see, these are merely not a twisting of your memories, child, but a baring of your worst fears through out your life. The more you fight against me, the more fears I will have to dredge up. The more fears I pull out of you, the more I feed, and the stronger I get." He reared his head back, laughing in a very Kuno-like manner. "Your time is limited in this body, Akane."
Narrowing her eyes, Akane tried pulling free again. "What are you talking about?"
The Demon laughed as it now stood at her feet. "You see, when I wounded you, part of my essence was transferred by the poison. Had your fiance not acted so quickly, it would have killed you outright, but in saving your life, he also saved mine." He reached down and slowly started undoing the top button of her blouse. "You see, child, by allowing you to live, he also allowed my essence to take hold and begin gaining in strength. I am afraid that no matter what happens now, you are going to die." He finished with the first button and moved down to the second, pulling his hand away as she suddenly lurched, trying to bite his hand. He made a quick motion, and several hands caught her hair, slamming the back of her skull to the pavement, dazing her slightly.
"Now, you can either lay there, and let me finish the process quickly, and relatively painlessly for you, or you can continue to fight and struggle, making the process that much harder, and not to mention the final result that much more deadly for your friends." He smiled down at her as she blinked away the dizziness and tried to focus again. Putting a finger to her lips, he stopped her next question. "You see, Miss Tendo, if I take over your body now, I will have to hide myself, and grow slowly, and your friends and family will not be in as much danger. But if you insist on making me gain more and more strength from your fears, well, I shall burst out of your body, returned to my form with full power, likely catching several people that you care about." He grinned as he went back to opening her the second button again. "The decision is yours, child. . . Lie here and let me have my way, and go on to the next life knowing that you just saved several lives, or you can fight, die anyway, and go on to the next life burdened by guilt."
Akane felt his hands move down to the third button on her blouse, the scaled and dry skin of his hands brushing against the revealed part of her chest, making her shake in revulsion. She retreated within her self, seeking a way to gain her freedom, and not jeopardize the safety of her loved ones. If what the demon said was true, they were now in her own mind. Somehow, she had to wrest control back long enough to find a way to combat this creature, on her own terms. She reached even further into her memories, seeking out any roll or twist that might free her for the moment when she was reminded clearly of Ranma. She smiled a little, thinking that if he were in this situation, he would somehow make the impossible reality. If only he were here. . . .
The demon's attention was suddenly stolen at the sound of twin battle cries, and the sight of several of his constructed slaves going flying by his head. Looking up, he recognized the young man who had tried to stop him on the street. With him was a smaller redhead, who shared his aura. Reaching out briefly, he realized that this was not merely a summoned memory, as he had first expected, but somehow, the boy had found a way into Akane's mind.
"Get the hell offa her!!" Ranma screamed, as he began plowing his way through the creatures. "Let her go, or I'm gonna turn you into shredded meat, ya freak!!!"
The Demon stood, gathering a bit of its aura, preparing to strike out, when the creatures that were holding his prey began to shout in surprise. He ventured a quick look down, and was infuriated upon seeing Akane beginning to fade out of view. Somehow, she had managed to elude him again.
Ranko used several of the creatures as a launching strip, gaining speed and height by running across their heads, and leapt to deliver a devastating kick to the twisted Kuno, when he threw his head back and laughed, fading out, leaving her heading straight towards an extremely confused but royally pissed off Ranma. He made a quick movement to the side, twisting one of the creatures into her path, as he began venting his pain out among those who were unfortunate to have been left behind by their master. The ending of the battle was startlingly brutal, but a forgone conclusion. Ranma and Ranko both slumped to the ground, leaning on each other, when it was done.
Ranko sniffled a bit as she looked around. "Ok, I KNOW that those are just figments of her imagination brought to life by that THING, but this is the most horrible feeling in the world."
Ranma quietly put his arm around her and squeezed. "Lucky for you that I wasn't stuck in the Cat Fist when I had to kill Saffron." He looked around a bit. "It's still hard to deal with these things, but knowing they aren't real does help." Looking towards where Akane was, he clenched his other fist. "I can't believe that he got away with her!"
Ranko looked up at her other half, seeing the anguish on his face. "I don't think he took her, Ranma."
"What?" he asked, a confused look on his face.
"The only reason I went for that kick was the fact that he got distracted by her disappearing." Ranma nodded after a moment of though, then hit the communication device he wore.
"Uriel, you hearing this?"
The device crackled like a radio for a moment and Uriel's voice came back. "Yes, Ranma. It sounds like she's learned how to run from the demon on instinct." Ranma smiled to Ranko at that. "BUT, he now knows that you're here, he will stop at nothing to try to stop you. You can bet that he's digging out the worst fears of Akane's to throw at you as we speak."
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Great. Just great. Now I gotta worry about finding him as well as . . ." Ranma got cut short as Ranko was tapping him on his shoulder.
"Ummmm, Ranma, I think he just found something. You might want to follow me away from the school."
Ranma looked at her in annoyance. "What do you mean 'follow you away from the school'."
Ranko began pulling on his arm, leading him away. "Just trust me on this one, Ranma, unless you think you can keep from . . ."
Ranko was cut off by a very feline growling from behind them, and Ranma blanched as he recognized the voice as his own. Turning, he locked eyes with one of his personal fears.
Striding from the school, on all fours was a larger version of him, wearing strips of cloth that used to be his typical red and black uniform, his features and body taking on a more feline shape, fur sprouting from the body in tufts. Sniffing the air, he hunched down, preparing to pounce.
Back at Akane's shrine of memories, Uriel reached out the best he could, trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing he heard before the communications went to static were Ranko screaming for Ranma to get moving, and Ranma's worried voice.
"Oh SHIT!"