Ranma/Metroid
Ill Gain





Kasumi walked along cautiously, through the parting sea of creatures towards the other side of the massive cavern. Every so often, she would feel one get trapped underfoot, and squish like a bag of gelatin as her weight came down upon it. She ignored the unsettling sensation, ensuring to keep her aura of near sub-zero temperature around her, and an eye out for any possible attacks.

All she could see were hundreds of the mantis like creatures that almost perfectly blended into the enviorment. As she peered closer, she saw their jaws had mandables that where rather thick, probably for holding tightly onto their prey and never letting go, but they extruded from the mouth so far that if it ere to catch its prey, there would have to be some means for it to... maybe devour it from the distance it was held from the mouth. Maybe tendrils from the oriface, or the tusks contracted into the creature to bring a meal closer.

What ever it was, the Space Hunter felt no inclanation to test the theory, and in fact decided to boost her aura a bit farther from her to give herself wider berth.

"[Your bio statistics have jumped.]"

"I've expanded my blizzard aura. The organisms here seemed to dislike it quite a bit."

"[If it is generating a negative responce, than I won't concern myself with it any further.]"

"Hmph, when was the last time you felt any sort of concern?" Kasumi thought to herself, as the exit to the corridor came into range. The sharp skittling sounds were now more abundant behind her than in front, as the creatures that made the cavern their hive enclosed back into the spaces that had quickly warmed back up. She fired at the blue door in front of her with her regular plasma beam, opening it for her escape. Many of the creatures attempted to exit with her, but ended up fleeing from the unfamiliar and uncomfortable coldness that radiated from the door.

The exit closed behind the Space Hunter, and she found herself standing in a tube bridge that was surrounded by molten lava that seemed to be descending. Probably falling towards the main pool that was several miles below her. Kasumi already surmised that she was at the planet's core. She had descended much farther than she realized. Just as well, it meant the planet was relatively newformed, as it still had a rather sizable molten core that hadn't yet cooled down so the molten ball of rock that was the center was signifigantly smaller.

"Nabiki, how old would you say this planet is?"

"[What signifigance does that question have in relation to our current mission?]"

"I'm just curious, its quiet at the moment, and I thought I'd strike a conversation with my loving sister."

"[You don't need any distractions at the moment, as you have pointed out earlier.]"

Kasumi's eyes widened slightly, as she walked down the bridge. The Space Hunter's expression grew remorseful under her helmet, "Nabiki, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. It just came at a bad time when you mentioned him."

"[All the more reason to keep our conversations to minimum. Don't concern yourself with my feelings as I agree with you.]"

Kasumi sighed in fustration, before speaking, "I think we can take a quick break."

"[You haven't even began to exert yourself, why...]"

"Nabiki, you're my sister, I love you beyond anything else, but shut up for a second. I have to ask, do you love me back?" Kasumi kneeled, and waited for an answer.

There came only silence from the other end.

"Nabiki, answer the question."

"[...]"

"NABIKI!!!" Kasumi bellowed both physically and otherwise; she needed to know emotionally how far gone her sister was. Over the years, she would not ask this question; she assumed it would be the case. Now, with the stress of their latest mission, which with the discovery that Mother Brain may have survived, pressure needed to be released somewhere. Kasumi couldn't 'assume' her sister's affection for her no longer. Her professionalism was at stake; if something wasn't aired out, she would probably soon crack under strain.

"[You need to get going.]"

Kasumi smiled wistfully. It was funny really, she felt strangely relieved. She stood back up, and continued down the glass corridor that held the molten rock that flowed around its outside at bay, "So, I'm the last of the human race, after all."
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The space pirates looked around in confusion, as they awaited their advisary to walk into the trap.

"What is 'Nabiki'?" one enquired to the other. The second almost golden-yellow mantis like creature responded in negative, having no idea itself.
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"Pardon?" Nabiki asked curiously, wondering on an intellectual level what her sister was talking about.

"[Nothing, nothing Nabiki. Don't worry about it.]"

The younger girl shrugged in response, "Okay." Nabiki went back to gazing outside, while idly tracing her finger along the control panel in slight boredom. As unphased by her sister's comment, she couldn't but wonder what her sister meant.
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The Space Hunter stepped through the blue door, and surveyed the large room she was in. It was lined with technology that was coated with some sort of glossy substance that was for what she presumed to protect the delicate microworks from the extreme temperatures that were waging around it. The ceiling was still of volcanic rock, and continued forward to the next door that was about seventy yards down the large hall.

On the cieling, two yellow mantis creatures were braced onto it; holding tightly lest they fall. They both turned a sinister glare towards their enemy, and launched into action.

Kasumi spun away from the dart kick that was aimed for her back, and retaliated with a thrust kick to her landed opponent. She then leapt over the rushing charge of the second one, leaving a rocket in its path.

The Space Hunter switched back to her ki-enhanced plasma rifle, as her rocket exploded. The first humanoid creature reeled back it's arm, and threw it at her. Kasumi ducked it, and followed it with her eyes, as it looped around like a boomerang, and headed back to its owner. She then leapt straight up, out of the way of the first one's eyebeams, turned upside down in the air, and braced her feet against the ceiling.

The two ambushing space pirates wound back to launch their razor sharp mantis arms at their opponent, and paused in surprise. Kasumi started to run towards them, on the cieling, and when she was above them, she crouched down, and launched herself at the first one. She landed hard on it, with both feet, attempting to crush it's hyperdense exoskeleton. She succeeded in cracking it, before she was forced to leap away from her downed opponent that she was about to finish off, as a boomerang projectile almost grazed her.

The Space Hunter performed a half-gator that caused her to face her two opponents. The first one pulled itself off the ground, and they both dashed at Kasumi. In unison, they leapt into the air, and performed darting dive kicks. Kasumi smiled, and went into a Saotome Ryuu stance, before leaping up to meet them.

She landed gracefully on her feet some distance away, as both her opponents landed hard on their backs. One of them quickly recovered, but now knew not to attempt another airstrike against someone who was so adept in mid-air combat. Its partner continued to lay on the ground; it's shell was now more than cracked, and shattering inward to puncture and crush vital organs.

The surviving Space Pirate took note of the other's condition, and instead of continuing to face their hated enemy, made a break for it. Kasumi blinked, and then took off after it, when it opened the door to exit the corridor.

She arrived just before it closed, and watched the Space Pirate go into light dash down the slight declining hill. Kasumi raced after it, going into her own light dash in order to catch up. Like two sprinters with everything on the line, they ran for whatever goal the first one intended.

They ran through weak barriers as if they were not there, and turned corridors on a pinpoint in their rush. The space pirate tried all it could to lose the hunter, but it was still slowly losing ground to the pursuer. It decided a sacrifice was in order if the rest was to survive.

The pirate turned, and flung its arm at its chaser, and Kasumi was forced to duck into a roll, causing her to lose her speeding momentum. The pirate could not recover its arm at the moment, and continued to run.

Kasumi put on her short distance speed, in hopes she could slow it down from a distance. By the time she caught up with it, she saw a purple door close. The Space Hunter cursed, and fired into the door with her ki-enhanced plasma cannon to open it, and paused curiously when she noted it flash like a shimmer of light passed over it, and then opened after a slight lag. She decided that it was not of importance, and rushed through.

Hanging from the ceiling, a one-armed humanoid creature watched its pursuer pass right under it, and into the next room.
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The room Kasumi found herself in was dark, exept for the pulsing of blue lights that traveled like a beads of water down a crevice along the walls. The Space Hunter could feel the pulse of energy in the room.

She turned around, and found her exit was now grayed, meaning she could not escape; it was apparent she walked into some sort of trap. Since it had not been sprung yet, Kasumi decided to gather information about her surroundings that may prove useful in whatever was about to happen.

"Nabiki, the energy floating around in this room, what do you make of it?"

"[It looks like it is the same ionic structure as your grappling beam, exept much more complex. It looks like its capable of varying its field in density and behavioral properties.]"

"So, what does that mean?" Kasumi enquired, cautiously surveying the room. Her attention was caught by a congesting sphere of blue light, and noticed out of the corner of her eyes that moe were melting from the walls and floor, and hovring in the air. Behind her in some distance, light blue energy began to coalese into a larger size, and shape itself.to form. Once it finished, it raised its arm canon, and took aim...
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"Now," started a something with a sinister smile that could be heard in its voice, while it watched the Space Hunter on the moniter before it, "it is time to be rid of you, designate; 'Gemeni'...."