{Part 9- Sojourn into Darkness.}
Kuriimu winces as Lina rubs his most tender bruise yet with a cloth soaked in cold blood,
scratching a claw along the bone throne, causing a trail of sparks and a ear-killing screech that
would make nails on the blackboard music.
Lina calmly ignores the screeching and cares to his bruises with a slight longing shining in her
eyes.
Lina: "Careful there, Lord Kuriimu. Demon you may be, bruises still take time to heal."
Kuriimu: "It'd been better if she cut me up, at least I'd be in less pain!"
Lina: "Are you still considering having her, mi'lord?"
Kuriimu looks at Lina as if she were mad. He laughs out loud, this time sounding more like a
whole group of cats meowing at high pitch with only a slight melody to it.
Kuriimu: "Am I? Of COURSE I am! I've not had that much challenge from a human in centuries!"
As Lina tenderly applies the cold cloth to another bruise as she considers, Kuriimu goes on, pain
forgotten.
Kuriimu: "And that curse! Oh, goodness! It's so attractive I can't help myself everytime I think of
it! I just feel like-"
Lina suddenly applies a little excess pressure on one of his bruises in a flash of greeness, before
softly dabbing it again, almost apologetically. She calmly ignores Kuriimu's bug eyed expression
and massive drop of sweat on his head.
Lina: "Yes, we all know, mi'lord. Ah, here're the demons come back from losing her, right, you
sorry lot?"
Lina looks to the group of demons who've returned from trying to recapture Shampoo. Her eyes
are dangerous slits.
The whole bunch of demons murmur and examine their toenails or equivalents, not looking at
their master. Kuriimu eyes the lot of lesser demons contemptibly. He huffs angrily at them.
Kuriimu: "Useless, the lot of you! I at least expected you all to put a scratch of her! And what
happens? Not only
do you let her escape, you let her escape without even trying to pursue her out into the miserable
sun!"
The black demon, the one with the sunburned arm, walks forwards timidly.
Demon: "But mi'lord.... I tried! The sun's worse than it was before! It burned me the second I
stepped out! Look! It would've normally taken five minutes, but-"
The demon shows his injured arm to Kuriimu as he speaks. But before he can get any further,
Kuriimu cuts the arm off the demon with a splattering of brownish blood.
Kurrimu: "Well now, you won't be needing that arm then! As for the rest of you.... lower
demons...."
Giving them all stares that would have turned them to ashes if looks would kill, Kuriimu takes a
deep breath as he decides a proper fate.
Kuriimu: "All of you shall....."
A deep intake of breath.
Kuriimu: "Clean the toilets. For the next century. About time someone did something about that
place."
Everyone facefaults. Only the black demon looks sick, as thoughts of cleaning a place even a
demon would consider repulsive hits him. He quickly excuses himself on the grounds of finding
his missing arm.
-=-=-=-=-
Ranma: "Do what, Akane?"
Ryouga puts Ranma down none too gently as Akane points to the floor. She drifts up to him and
cups her palm to Ranma's face, feeling it. Ranma's face tickles from the unnaturally all too smooth
skin caressing it. After a while, Akane turns around and floats off towards the bushes, gesturing to
Ranma to follow.
Akane: "Ranma, follow me."
Ranma: "Huh?"
Ranma scratches his head in confusion as Akane hovers there, waiting. Screwing her face in
irritation, Akane shouts at him.
Akane: "Are you coming or what?!"
Ranma: "Oh all right, ya impatient kawaikunee tomboy!"
Running to catch up with Akane, Ranma disappears into the bushes with her. Ryouga scratches
his head and looks at Shampoo, pointing towards the spot Ranma disappeared into.
Ryouga: "I wonder what she's going to do?"
-=-=-=-=-
In her cave, Sekki sighs. Sitting on a stone chair, legs crossed, dressed in a black silken dress with
billowing skirt, Sekki sighs again. She turns to lean her elbows on the stone table and sighs once
more. Staring at the pilfered stone table (Yes, this was from Shampoo's camp), she runs a
fingernail along it, the painted and very sharp nail drawing a small scratch along the surface with
the lightest touch. She sighs again as she stares at her reflection in a crystal sphere, a relic from
another time of her existence. Onyx bats adorn the polished ebony stand, while a pair of carved
bat wings rim the sides of the crystal sphere, reaching upwards.
Sekki:
She rubs her eyes in frustration, then blows onto the sphere, watching her breath fog it for a
second before disappearing into the air. She stares into the depths of the object, and wills it to
bring Ranma into focus. She sighs enviously at the scene before her. It's rather..... interesting.
(Old Voice : Wowee! What's going on! Lemme see! / My Voice : No.)
Sekki: I knew Akane'd fall for the temptation. Ah well, fact one of being a succubus. You can't
help yourself.
Watching the show for a few more minutes, Sekki suddenly pays a lot more attention when Akane
turns Ranma around and examines the back of his neck.
Sekki:
Sekki watches as a look of extreme indignation crosses Akane's face. She smiles smugly, then
shrugs and ends the spell. She looks up at the exit above her, and shrugs again.
Sekki:
A quick change, and she disappears through the roof.
-=-=-=-=-
Reappearing through the bushes several long minutes later, Ranma is looking at Akane in a very
strange way.
Akane is looking back at Ranma with a slightly feral gleam in her eyes, but an otherwise totally
innocent face.
Ranma: "Geez, Akane, I wish you'd warn me first."
Akane: "Aw, come on! You're no fun, Ranma!"
With a long suffering sigh and equally suffering sounding voice, Ranma mumbles.
Ranma: *sigh* "Where have I heard that one before?"
Ryouga comes running up to Akane, already full of questions to ask her as they approach the
group.
Ryouga: "A-"
Akane: "Hold on, Ryouga. You DO know there're others to speak to as well?"
Ryouga watches disbelievingly as Akane brushes past him lightly, headed for the main group. He
compares her behavior now to her behavior previously and comes to a conclusion.
Ryouga:
Shampoo, wearing a spare set of salvaged clothes, is sitting with Kasumi and Sasuke, exchanging
some small talk with the three kappas. Apparently the kappas have told the two a very amusing
joke, because all of them are laughing when Ranma plops down heavily besides them. They stop
laughing and look at Ranma.
Shampoo: "Aiyah! What....ba... ah.... Akane tell Ranma!?"
Ranma looks at Shampoo for a while, then points a thumb to Akane as she comes up to join them.
Ranma: "Ask her."
All eyes turn to Akane as she sits down besides Ranma. Ryouga joins them a moment later.
Akane: "I was right about one thing. Ranma's got..."
Voice: "Akane-chan, you just had to spoil it for them, didn't you?"
Everyone turns to look at Sekki, just landed behind the group. Akane glares fireballs at Sekki as
she approaches the group. Everyone gets up again.
Akane: "Sekki, you-"
-=-=-=-=-
Lina is curled up provocatively on Kuriimu's abdomen as he rests on the bone throne, stroking his
chest as they speak.
Lina: "Mi'lord, are you sure you don't want to send a search party out?"
Kuriimu: "Of course not, Lina! Don't worry. If I know humans, they'll be back. Oh, they will, and
when that happens, I'll be waiting for them!"
Lina: "Of course."
Kuriimu: "You don't sound convinced, Lina."
Lina looks up at Kuriimu suddenly, surprise registering on it. Fake or not, it's impossible to tell.
Lina: "Mi'lord! Of course I'm convinced! I would-"
Kuriimu holds a clawed hand up to stop her in mid-speech, sighing.
Kuriimu: "Lina, I've lived as long as time itself. I've told more lies than even that Nabiki whose
soul I feasted on has, and my oh my, she has told a lot of them. Don't think I can't understand
what you're thinking."
Lina stares at him for a while, then moves off his abdomen and sits in mid air, hovering. She looks
at him with a little irritation, marring her features with a wrinkle on her forehead. Then her
features smoothen and takes on a serene visage as she sighs in resignation.
Lina: "Oh, fine then. You've found me out. I-"
Kuriimu: "Lina, Lina, Lina..... you must learn that you can never, ever, lie to me. I know you want
the souls of those humans as much as I do, but there's no need to hide that fact from me! Don't
worry, you'll get your due share. You've earned it."
Lina just stares at Kuriimu, mouth half open in speech, eye twitching, hair half standing, half
frazzled. A bead of bigsweat rolls down her head and she partially facefaults as she finishes her
sentence with an alternative ending.
Lina: "- I've always wanted some of those souls, yes...."
-=-=-=-=-
Sekki: "Yes, I did put my Mark on him...."
Akane stares at Sekki for a moment before her eyebrow begins to twitch, then twitch
dangerously. Grabbing Ranma by the pigtail, Akane drags him over to Sekki.
Ranma: "A...Ouch! Whoah!!! Hey!"
Swinging him around, Akane lifts his pigtail and shows Sekki his neck. Ranma is utterly,
completely confused.
Ranma: "Akane?"
Akane ignores him. Instead, she glares laser bolts at Sekki as she points to the little bat-shaped
mark on his neck.
Akane: "Look at this! Now you tell me what it means!"
Sekki crosses her arms and shrugs nonchalantly.
Sekki: "A bruise."
Akane: "Yeah, right."
Sekki: "Fine. So what if I Marked him?"
Akane: "Take it off, Sekki. You know what it means when you mark someone. You told me
yourself."
Sekki: "Akane, do you know how long all of us spirits and the like on this island have not had any
fun with humans?"
Akane: "I don't, and I couldn't care."
Sekki: "Fine."
Ranma: "Er.... girls...."
Akane: "Take it off, Sekki."
Ranma: "Er, excuse me?"
Sekki: "Not now, Akane."
Ranma: "Eeeeeeeeeeeexcuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeeeeee...........!"
Akane and Sekki finally notice Ranma's drawn out plea, and look at him. Ranma looks back,
dangling by his pigtail in Akane's hand. Looks like she unconsciously decided to lift Ranma off the
floor for no reason at all.
Ranma crosses his arms and sighs, using one folded hand to point towards the floor.
Ranma: "First of all, Akane, put me down."
Akane does.
Ranma: "Now, while the two of you are blabbering about some strange Mark....."
Akane and Sekki stare at him, expecting him to complete the sentence. Ranma looks at them for a
while, then sighs.
Ranma: "Don't we have some people to rescue?"
Akane staggers back suddenly, eyes wide. She slaps her head.
Akane: "I forgot! Damn!"
As Akane quickly trots to the middle of the group to finalize plans, Sekki forgotten, Ryouga
stares disbelievingly at her.
Ryouga:
Minutes later, the group is ready to go. However, the kappas, obviously not suited for much
combat nor wanting to fight, simply stay behind with Kasumi, offering to give her some
protection.
Fat Kappa: "Now, you all remember. There's another lake in the middle of the island. Don't go
near it, Centipede-Lady lives there. She's got a nasty temperment, and rather eat you for lunch
than gossip. Good luck!"
As the group disappears into the bushes, Sekki looks between the spot they disappeared into, and
at Kasumi.
Kasumi looks very worried and concerned, as do the three kappas looking at her knowingly, and
if Sekki wasn't a mind reader then, she's learning fast.
Sekki: "Oh, all right you lot. I get the message already! I'm going!"
-=-=-=-=-
Kuriimu sighs as he feels his powers growing by the minute after the consumption of that
honey-sweet soul. Too bad, he kind of liked her voice. Sharpening his fingernails on an unlucky
demon's back, Kuriimu begins to feel bored when a small flea-demon scout returns from duty.
Kuriimu's first indication is that annoying itch where the demon bit him.
*slap*
Looking at the mangled flea, Kuriimu stares at it with a yellow, baleful eye and growls.
Kuriimu: "Thank your lucky stars for your thick shell, now report!"
Flea-Demon: "T...t...they're.... coming, mi....milord. The purple-haired one too...."
Kuriimu tosses the flea-scout away where he's stepped on by a passing dog-demon, and purrs.
Kuriimu: "Soon.... soon you shall be mine again, little lovely cat. Mmmm....."
-=-=-=-=-
Sekki: "Here's the entrance. I hope Kuriimu's not found it yet."
Grunting with the effort, Sekki starts pulling the stone slab out of its slot in the mountainside on
the other side of the island. Ranma is still nursing that scratch he got from Lady Centipede's fangs,
while Ryouga is trying to clean the green stuff that spurted on him after cutting the demon into
half off his shirt. Akane however, like Sekki, is perfectly spotless. Well, that's because those two
hotheads decided to take on the Lady themselves, but.....
Akane: "That wound still hurt, Ranma?"
Ranma: "Itches like hell, but nothing serious."
Sekki pulls the whole slab out seconds later, and everyone crowds around the entrace. Shampoo
is the first to stick her face in front of the abysmally dark entrance, and she wrinkles her nose at
the smell.
Shampoo: "Eeyah! If Shampoo no smell before, Shampoo no know smell can be this bad!"
Sekki: "I never noticed. Then again, I can hold my breath for about an hour."
Everyone shrugs, and puts a clip on their nose before descending into the dark and smelly pit,
Sekki in the lead and all in a human/demon chain.
-=-=-=-=-
Genma looks at the two scarecrow-like figures on the grass pallets, shaking his head sadly.
Cologne tired tends to the cadaverlike figure of Ukyo, in as bad a condition as Nabiki.
Genma: "Akane's.... dead, we don't know where Ranma and Ryoga are, and I don't want to know
what happened to that Shampoo girl. We're next in line for that.... monster's dinner, and no way
out!"
Cologne shakes her head sadly as Genma begins to border on pure panic.
Cologne: "If only you hadn't taught your son that cursed Neko-Ken, we might have had a
chance."
Soun, Mousse and Kuno all look at Genma glaringly, as an aura of fire burns around the prison
for a moment.
Genma shrinks under the stares.
Genma: "I wanted to teach him a powerful skill, of course I had to make sacrifices....."
Kuno: "Sacrifices of sacrifices? Doubtful it stood, hopeless it seemed. Never shall we ever believe
thee again."
Soun: "Saotome-kun, there are times where I wonder.... would it be better to just keep Ranma
around."
As more and more accusing glares fall upon Genma, a commotion suddenly starts up in one of the
far reaches of the labyrinth. Demons, oni and everything in between start to flood out of the
chamber towards the noise.
Soun looks up, and notices the chamber is completely empty. He begins to cry and offering his
thanks to the Gods who are looking over him.
Soun: "We're unguarded! We can escape!"
Cologne nods approvingly.
Cologne : "Well then, why now? Mousse? About time you proved yourself as a warrior."
Mousse brightens up at the event. From his robes appear several dozen devices he intends to use
to break down the barriers.... well, not all of them are practical, but...
Mousse: "Leave that to me!"
Genma and Soun lift the two scarecrows up and sling them over their shoulders delicately, and
make with all due haste through the hole Mousse creates followed by Kuno and Cologne.
-=-=-=-=-
Sekki: "Damn, last time I was here, none of these would be on toilet duty!"
Akane: "Damn the last time you were here! How many centuries ago was that!?"
Sekki: "About a century or two."
Akane:
Akane sidesteps another set of claws from a mole-demon and proceeds to give him an off-target
manicure with a few quick slashes of her wings, followed by a jabbing lesson in rapid succession.
Sekki shields herself from the club of an oni before retaliating with a barrage of spiked tendrils,
causing gaping wounds in the ugly creature.
Elsewhere in the toilet, Ranma is busy hopping backwards to avoid the fat, slobby, pulsating arms
of a demon that is more of a living tub of lard than a demon. Its arm hits the floor with a wet
*splot*, and Ranma takes the chance to fire off a moko takabisha at it. The fireball dissipates
harmlessly off the thing's hide, and Ranma tries a Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken attack.
Ranma : "Eat my Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, lardie!"
*thud* *thud* *thud* *thud*
Ranma watches as the thing's belly bounces in and out, his punches taking no effect whatsoever.
Ranma : "?"
That's the last thing he says before another huge slab of fat crush Ranma underneath its bulk.
Fortunately, Ranma only gets a faceful of dirt and not the slime on the thing's skin. However,
Ranma also begins to feel rather down. The weight is too intense. Ranma can hear his bones
popping and feel himself suffocating.
Ranma :
He tries to lift himself off the floor, but fails miserably. Just as Ranma begins to black out from
oxygen loss, the weight suddenly disappears.
*thud*
Ranma : "?"
Looking up fromt the floor, Ranma sees Akane taking care of the demon. A high kick up its chin
sends the demon flying backwards into the skeletal one Ryouga is taking on. Ranma and Ryoga
can hear the sound of bones cracking, snapping and generally being grround into dust. The two
watch as Akane runs up to it and leaps, coming straight down at its belly with her wings wrapped
around her legs, spike at the tip. Ranma and Ryouga stop watching as the two point to demons
behind them and keep fighting.
-=-=-=-=-
In the throne room, the black shadow-demon is reporting the fracas to his Master.
Demon: "Mi'lord, there are intruders... human intruders in the toilets! Two of them anyway, the
other two are succubi. One of them is Sekki.... the other I can't recognize."
Lina, who was sitting on Kuriimu's lap, suddenly gets up, eyes ablaze. Kuriimu lets her vent her
anger first.
Lina: "Sekki!? Here!? Take me there, now!"
Demon: "B...b...but, mi'lord Kuriimu hasn't...."
The demon winces as he feels his arm go out from under him again, and crawls off to find the
missing limb, so handily tossed off in some unknown direction by Lina. Chuckling to himself as
Lina goes flying off towards the hotspot, Kuriimu slowly pulls himself off the throne and heads for
the prison area.
Kuriimu: "Well well well..... time to get a power snack. I feel an interesting battle coming."
Kuriimu winces as Lina rubs his most tender bruise yet with a cloth soaked in cold blood,
scratching a claw along the bone throne, causing a trail of sparks and a ear-killing screech that
would make nails on the blackboard music.
Lina calmly ignores the screeching and cares to his bruises with a slight longing shining in her
eyes.
Lina: "Careful there, Lord Kuriimu. Demon you may be, bruises still take time to heal."
Kuriimu: "It'd been better if she cut me up, at least I'd be in less pain!"
Lina: "Are you still considering having her, mi'lord?"
Kuriimu looks at Lina as if she were mad. He laughs out loud, this time sounding more like a
whole group of cats meowing at high pitch with only a slight melody to it.
Kuriimu: "Am I? Of COURSE I am! I've not had that much challenge from a human in centuries!"
As Lina tenderly applies the cold cloth to another bruise as she considers, Kuriimu goes on, pain
forgotten.
Kuriimu: "And that curse! Oh, goodness! It's so attractive I can't help myself everytime I think of
it! I just feel like-"
Lina suddenly applies a little excess pressure on one of his bruises in a flash of greeness, before
softly dabbing it again, almost apologetically. She calmly ignores Kuriimu's bug eyed expression
and massive drop of sweat on his head.
Lina: "Yes, we all know, mi'lord. Ah, here're the demons come back from losing her, right, you
sorry lot?"
Lina looks to the group of demons who've returned from trying to recapture Shampoo. Her eyes
are dangerous slits.
The whole bunch of demons murmur and examine their toenails or equivalents, not looking at
their master. Kuriimu eyes the lot of lesser demons contemptibly. He huffs angrily at them.
Kuriimu: "Useless, the lot of you! I at least expected you all to put a scratch of her! And what
happens? Not only
do you let her escape, you let her escape without even trying to pursue her out into the miserable
sun!"
The black demon, the one with the sunburned arm, walks forwards timidly.
Demon: "But mi'lord.... I tried! The sun's worse than it was before! It burned me the second I
stepped out! Look! It would've normally taken five minutes, but-"
The demon shows his injured arm to Kuriimu as he speaks. But before he can get any further,
Kuriimu cuts the arm off the demon with a splattering of brownish blood.
Kurrimu: "Well now, you won't be needing that arm then! As for the rest of you.... lower
demons...."
Giving them all stares that would have turned them to ashes if looks would kill, Kuriimu takes a
deep breath as he decides a proper fate.
Kuriimu: "All of you shall....."
A deep intake of breath.
Kuriimu: "Clean the toilets. For the next century. About time someone did something about that
place."
Everyone facefaults. Only the black demon looks sick, as thoughts of cleaning a place even a
demon would consider repulsive hits him. He quickly excuses himself on the grounds of finding
his missing arm.
-=-=-=-=-
Ranma: "Do what, Akane?"
Ryouga puts Ranma down none too gently as Akane points to the floor. She drifts up to him and
cups her palm to Ranma's face, feeling it. Ranma's face tickles from the unnaturally all too smooth
skin caressing it. After a while, Akane turns around and floats off towards the bushes, gesturing to
Ranma to follow.
Akane: "Ranma, follow me."
Ranma: "Huh?"
Ranma scratches his head in confusion as Akane hovers there, waiting. Screwing her face in
irritation, Akane shouts at him.
Akane: "Are you coming or what?!"
Ranma: "Oh all right, ya impatient kawaikunee tomboy!"
Running to catch up with Akane, Ranma disappears into the bushes with her. Ryouga scratches
his head and looks at Shampoo, pointing towards the spot Ranma disappeared into.
Ryouga: "I wonder what she's going to do?"
-=-=-=-=-
In her cave, Sekki sighs. Sitting on a stone chair, legs crossed, dressed in a black silken dress with
billowing skirt, Sekki sighs again. She turns to lean her elbows on the stone table and sighs once
more. Staring at the pilfered stone table (Yes, this was from Shampoo's camp), she runs a
fingernail along it, the painted and very sharp nail drawing a small scratch along the surface with
the lightest touch. She sighs again as she stares at her reflection in a crystal sphere, a relic from
another time of her existence. Onyx bats adorn the polished ebony stand, while a pair of carved
bat wings rim the sides of the crystal sphere, reaching upwards.
Sekki:
She rubs her eyes in frustration, then blows onto the sphere, watching her breath fog it for a
second before disappearing into the air. She stares into the depths of the object, and wills it to
bring Ranma into focus. She sighs enviously at the scene before her. It's rather..... interesting.
(Old Voice : Wowee! What's going on! Lemme see! / My Voice : No.)
Sekki: I knew Akane'd fall for the temptation. Ah well, fact one of being a succubus. You can't
help yourself.
Watching the show for a few more minutes, Sekki suddenly pays a lot more attention when Akane
turns Ranma around and examines the back of his neck.
Sekki:
Sekki watches as a look of extreme indignation crosses Akane's face. She smiles smugly, then
shrugs and ends the spell. She looks up at the exit above her, and shrugs again.
Sekki:
A quick change, and she disappears through the roof.
-=-=-=-=-
Reappearing through the bushes several long minutes later, Ranma is looking at Akane in a very
strange way.
Akane is looking back at Ranma with a slightly feral gleam in her eyes, but an otherwise totally
innocent face.
Ranma: "Geez, Akane, I wish you'd warn me first."
Akane: "Aw, come on! You're no fun, Ranma!"
With a long suffering sigh and equally suffering sounding voice, Ranma mumbles.
Ranma: *sigh* "Where have I heard that one before?"
Ryouga comes running up to Akane, already full of questions to ask her as they approach the
group.
Ryouga: "A-"
Akane: "Hold on, Ryouga. You DO know there're others to speak to as well?"
Ryouga watches disbelievingly as Akane brushes past him lightly, headed for the main group. He
compares her behavior now to her behavior previously and comes to a conclusion.
Ryouga:
Shampoo, wearing a spare set of salvaged clothes, is sitting with Kasumi and Sasuke, exchanging
some small talk with the three kappas. Apparently the kappas have told the two a very amusing
joke, because all of them are laughing when Ranma plops down heavily besides them. They stop
laughing and look at Ranma.
Shampoo: "Aiyah! What....ba... ah.... Akane tell Ranma!?"
Ranma looks at Shampoo for a while, then points a thumb to Akane as she comes up to join them.
Ranma: "Ask her."
All eyes turn to Akane as she sits down besides Ranma. Ryouga joins them a moment later.
Akane: "I was right about one thing. Ranma's got..."
Voice: "Akane-chan, you just had to spoil it for them, didn't you?"
Everyone turns to look at Sekki, just landed behind the group. Akane glares fireballs at Sekki as
she approaches the group. Everyone gets up again.
Akane: "Sekki, you-"
-=-=-=-=-
Lina is curled up provocatively on Kuriimu's abdomen as he rests on the bone throne, stroking his
chest as they speak.
Lina: "Mi'lord, are you sure you don't want to send a search party out?"
Kuriimu: "Of course not, Lina! Don't worry. If I know humans, they'll be back. Oh, they will, and
when that happens, I'll be waiting for them!"
Lina: "Of course."
Kuriimu: "You don't sound convinced, Lina."
Lina looks up at Kuriimu suddenly, surprise registering on it. Fake or not, it's impossible to tell.
Lina: "Mi'lord! Of course I'm convinced! I would-"
Kuriimu holds a clawed hand up to stop her in mid-speech, sighing.
Kuriimu: "Lina, I've lived as long as time itself. I've told more lies than even that Nabiki whose
soul I feasted on has, and my oh my, she has told a lot of them. Don't think I can't understand
what you're thinking."
Lina stares at him for a while, then moves off his abdomen and sits in mid air, hovering. She looks
at him with a little irritation, marring her features with a wrinkle on her forehead. Then her
features smoothen and takes on a serene visage as she sighs in resignation.
Lina: "Oh, fine then. You've found me out. I-"
Kuriimu: "Lina, Lina, Lina..... you must learn that you can never, ever, lie to me. I know you want
the souls of those humans as much as I do, but there's no need to hide that fact from me! Don't
worry, you'll get your due share. You've earned it."
Lina just stares at Kuriimu, mouth half open in speech, eye twitching, hair half standing, half
frazzled. A bead of bigsweat rolls down her head and she partially facefaults as she finishes her
sentence with an alternative ending.
Lina: "- I've always wanted some of those souls, yes...."
-=-=-=-=-
Sekki: "Yes, I did put my Mark on him...."
Akane stares at Sekki for a moment before her eyebrow begins to twitch, then twitch
dangerously. Grabbing Ranma by the pigtail, Akane drags him over to Sekki.
Ranma: "A...Ouch! Whoah!!! Hey!"
Swinging him around, Akane lifts his pigtail and shows Sekki his neck. Ranma is utterly,
completely confused.
Ranma: "Akane?"
Akane ignores him. Instead, she glares laser bolts at Sekki as she points to the little bat-shaped
mark on his neck.
Akane: "Look at this! Now you tell me what it means!"
Sekki crosses her arms and shrugs nonchalantly.
Sekki: "A bruise."
Akane: "Yeah, right."
Sekki: "Fine. So what if I Marked him?"
Akane: "Take it off, Sekki. You know what it means when you mark someone. You told me
yourself."
Sekki: "Akane, do you know how long all of us spirits and the like on this island have not had any
fun with humans?"
Akane: "I don't, and I couldn't care."
Sekki: "Fine."
Ranma: "Er.... girls...."
Akane: "Take it off, Sekki."
Ranma: "Er, excuse me?"
Sekki: "Not now, Akane."
Ranma: "Eeeeeeeeeeeexcuuuuuuuuuse meeeeeeeeeee...........!"
Akane and Sekki finally notice Ranma's drawn out plea, and look at him. Ranma looks back,
dangling by his pigtail in Akane's hand. Looks like she unconsciously decided to lift Ranma off the
floor for no reason at all.
Ranma crosses his arms and sighs, using one folded hand to point towards the floor.
Ranma: "First of all, Akane, put me down."
Akane does.
Ranma: "Now, while the two of you are blabbering about some strange Mark....."
Akane and Sekki stare at him, expecting him to complete the sentence. Ranma looks at them for a
while, then sighs.
Ranma: "Don't we have some people to rescue?"
Akane staggers back suddenly, eyes wide. She slaps her head.
Akane: "I forgot! Damn!"
As Akane quickly trots to the middle of the group to finalize plans, Sekki forgotten, Ryouga
stares disbelievingly at her.
Ryouga:
Minutes later, the group is ready to go. However, the kappas, obviously not suited for much
combat nor wanting to fight, simply stay behind with Kasumi, offering to give her some
protection.
Fat Kappa: "Now, you all remember. There's another lake in the middle of the island. Don't go
near it, Centipede-Lady lives there. She's got a nasty temperment, and rather eat you for lunch
than gossip. Good luck!"
As the group disappears into the bushes, Sekki looks between the spot they disappeared into, and
at Kasumi.
Kasumi looks very worried and concerned, as do the three kappas looking at her knowingly, and
if Sekki wasn't a mind reader then, she's learning fast.
Sekki: "Oh, all right you lot. I get the message already! I'm going!"
-=-=-=-=-
Kuriimu sighs as he feels his powers growing by the minute after the consumption of that
honey-sweet soul. Too bad, he kind of liked her voice. Sharpening his fingernails on an unlucky
demon's back, Kuriimu begins to feel bored when a small flea-demon scout returns from duty.
Kuriimu's first indication is that annoying itch where the demon bit him.
*slap*
Looking at the mangled flea, Kuriimu stares at it with a yellow, baleful eye and growls.
Kuriimu: "Thank your lucky stars for your thick shell, now report!"
Flea-Demon: "T...t...they're.... coming, mi....milord. The purple-haired one too...."
Kuriimu tosses the flea-scout away where he's stepped on by a passing dog-demon, and purrs.
Kuriimu: "Soon.... soon you shall be mine again, little lovely cat. Mmmm....."
-=-=-=-=-
Sekki: "Here's the entrance. I hope Kuriimu's not found it yet."
Grunting with the effort, Sekki starts pulling the stone slab out of its slot in the mountainside on
the other side of the island. Ranma is still nursing that scratch he got from Lady Centipede's fangs,
while Ryouga is trying to clean the green stuff that spurted on him after cutting the demon into
half off his shirt. Akane however, like Sekki, is perfectly spotless. Well, that's because those two
hotheads decided to take on the Lady themselves, but.....
Akane: "That wound still hurt, Ranma?"
Ranma: "Itches like hell, but nothing serious."
Sekki pulls the whole slab out seconds later, and everyone crowds around the entrace. Shampoo
is the first to stick her face in front of the abysmally dark entrance, and she wrinkles her nose at
the smell.
Shampoo: "Eeyah! If Shampoo no smell before, Shampoo no know smell can be this bad!"
Sekki: "I never noticed. Then again, I can hold my breath for about an hour."
Everyone shrugs, and puts a clip on their nose before descending into the dark and smelly pit,
Sekki in the lead and all in a human/demon chain.
-=-=-=-=-
Genma looks at the two scarecrow-like figures on the grass pallets, shaking his head sadly.
Cologne tired tends to the cadaverlike figure of Ukyo, in as bad a condition as Nabiki.
Genma: "Akane's.... dead, we don't know where Ranma and Ryoga are, and I don't want to know
what happened to that Shampoo girl. We're next in line for that.... monster's dinner, and no way
out!"
Cologne shakes her head sadly as Genma begins to border on pure panic.
Cologne: "If only you hadn't taught your son that cursed Neko-Ken, we might have had a
chance."
Soun, Mousse and Kuno all look at Genma glaringly, as an aura of fire burns around the prison
for a moment.
Genma shrinks under the stares.
Genma: "I wanted to teach him a powerful skill, of course I had to make sacrifices....."
Kuno: "Sacrifices of sacrifices? Doubtful it stood, hopeless it seemed. Never shall we ever believe
thee again."
Soun: "Saotome-kun, there are times where I wonder.... would it be better to just keep Ranma
around."
As more and more accusing glares fall upon Genma, a commotion suddenly starts up in one of the
far reaches of the labyrinth. Demons, oni and everything in between start to flood out of the
chamber towards the noise.
Soun looks up, and notices the chamber is completely empty. He begins to cry and offering his
thanks to the Gods who are looking over him.
Soun: "We're unguarded! We can escape!"
Cologne nods approvingly.
Cologne : "Well then, why now? Mousse? About time you proved yourself as a warrior."
Mousse brightens up at the event. From his robes appear several dozen devices he intends to use
to break down the barriers.... well, not all of them are practical, but...
Mousse: "Leave that to me!"
Genma and Soun lift the two scarecrows up and sling them over their shoulders delicately, and
make with all due haste through the hole Mousse creates followed by Kuno and Cologne.
-=-=-=-=-
Sekki: "Damn, last time I was here, none of these would be on toilet duty!"
Akane: "Damn the last time you were here! How many centuries ago was that!?"
Sekki: "About a century or two."
Akane:
Akane sidesteps another set of claws from a mole-demon and proceeds to give him an off-target
manicure with a few quick slashes of her wings, followed by a jabbing lesson in rapid succession.
Sekki shields herself from the club of an oni before retaliating with a barrage of spiked tendrils,
causing gaping wounds in the ugly creature.
Elsewhere in the toilet, Ranma is busy hopping backwards to avoid the fat, slobby, pulsating arms
of a demon that is more of a living tub of lard than a demon. Its arm hits the floor with a wet
*splot*, and Ranma takes the chance to fire off a moko takabisha at it. The fireball dissipates
harmlessly off the thing's hide, and Ranma tries a Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken attack.
Ranma : "Eat my Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken, lardie!"
*thud* *thud* *thud* *thud*
Ranma watches as the thing's belly bounces in and out, his punches taking no effect whatsoever.
Ranma : "?"
That's the last thing he says before another huge slab of fat crush Ranma underneath its bulk.
Fortunately, Ranma only gets a faceful of dirt and not the slime on the thing's skin. However,
Ranma also begins to feel rather down. The weight is too intense. Ranma can hear his bones
popping and feel himself suffocating.
Ranma :
He tries to lift himself off the floor, but fails miserably. Just as Ranma begins to black out from
oxygen loss, the weight suddenly disappears.
*thud*
Ranma : "?"
Looking up fromt the floor, Ranma sees Akane taking care of the demon. A high kick up its chin
sends the demon flying backwards into the skeletal one Ryouga is taking on. Ranma and Ryoga
can hear the sound of bones cracking, snapping and generally being grround into dust. The two
watch as Akane runs up to it and leaps, coming straight down at its belly with her wings wrapped
around her legs, spike at the tip. Ranma and Ryouga stop watching as the two point to demons
behind them and keep fighting.
-=-=-=-=-
In the throne room, the black shadow-demon is reporting the fracas to his Master.
Demon: "Mi'lord, there are intruders... human intruders in the toilets! Two of them anyway, the
other two are succubi. One of them is Sekki.... the other I can't recognize."
Lina, who was sitting on Kuriimu's lap, suddenly gets up, eyes ablaze. Kuriimu lets her vent her
anger first.
Lina: "Sekki!? Here!? Take me there, now!"
Demon: "B...b...but, mi'lord Kuriimu hasn't...."
The demon winces as he feels his arm go out from under him again, and crawls off to find the
missing limb, so handily tossed off in some unknown direction by Lina. Chuckling to himself as
Lina goes flying off towards the hotspot, Kuriimu slowly pulls himself off the throne and heads for
the prison area.
Kuriimu: "Well well well..... time to get a power snack. I feel an interesting battle coming."