Author's note: Sorry this took a while!! I had a major bout of writer's
block, work overload and of course a seasonal cold to top it off.
Hopefully I can get them out quicker in the future.
===================
Act 2, Quest 3
The Tainted Son
Herb screamed with rage and pain as the spear was removed from his chest. Even the monsters that followed in the hideous army cringed at the sounds. Deep black blood poured from the wound and onto the floor. But after a few seconds, the wound began to close.
"It was that bitch Amazon that did this," Herb said through pained breath. "I'll make her pay for this!"
A black robed hand reached out and carefully touched the open wound. Herb screamed in pain as thin tendril of smoke left his chest.
"Rest now," the horrific voice of his master hissed. "Mint will take care of them. Lime you will go ahead and seek the lesser evil that resides in the deserts of Lut Gholeim. We will need his help in our journey."
With small bows, Lime and Mint quickly took off, melting into the shadows.
* * *
Ranma looked up at the sky, enjoying the early night. Had it not been for the unnatural circumstances behind the eclipse, he might have been impressed with the length of the eclipse. But his father and Cologne seemed worried and had been talking with some of the village elders ever since they returned.
Mousse and Shampoo had been silent ever since she went out to look for him. They wanted to talk to Cologne first before they told anyone else what had happened. Akane was off studying with that sorceress crone Kin and Ukyo was busy cooking dinner. The only one left was Ryoga.
With a smile, Ranma jumped up and went to find Ryoga. He needed a good fight to take his mind off things. But before he could get across the camp, Hiroshi and Daikasu caught him by the arm.
"Hey Ranma!" Daikasu said. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," Ranma smiled. Well, these guys were better conversationalists that Ryoga anyway.
"Great!" Hiroshi replied. "Listen, we wanted to ask you something."
"Sure!" Ranma replied. Before he could react, Daikasu whipped out a bucket of cold water and splashed Ranma with it.
"Okay," Daikasu asked. "Which one of us would you rather go out with?"
"Me right?" Hiroshi said. "I'll get you a great dinner at the inn…"
"Don't be stupid, she wants to go out with me. I look twice as good as you ever could."
Ranma-chan seethed for a little bit. Apparently, she had not explained clearly what her curse was. She cracked her knuckles and decided to make sure they understood this time around.
* * *
Akane held up her hands and cast Fire Wall again, surprised at the ferocity of it. As soon as it faded she turned to her teacher and smiled. The older woman nodded sternly.
"Very good, your control has improved greatly. It be perfectly honest, there's very little left I could teach you."
"I've already learned so much," Akane said, bowing deeply. "I can't thank you enough."
Kin nodded. "Well, the real test will come when you go out to fight again. Akane…"
"Yes?" Akane asked, a smile on her face.
Kin looked at her and shook her head. "Never mind dear. Go find your father," she said. Akane nodded enthusiastically and dashed out of the tent. Kin sighed as she disappeared. There was something haunting that girl.
Akane was only about three steps out the door when she felt someone grab her arm. She whipped around quickly and found Mousse staring at her. Akane let out a little sigh. "I figured you would show up sooner or later."
"Then you know we need to talk." Akane nodded slowly. The two of them started walking.
"So, he offered you the spell," Mousse said suddenly. "What did he ask in return?"
Akane stopped quickly. "Nothing. He never asked for anything from me." She looked at him. "What did he offer you?"
Mousse laughed a bit. "It's not important now." They started walking again, passing by the open market. Though it was late at night, there was still some activity, mostly from cloth and spice traders make the air ripe with exotic smells.
"It's strange though," Mousse said. "I don't understand why they would give you something freely. It seems against what they tried with me."
"Do you think the others are in danger?" Akane asked.
"It would seem only natural," he said. "But we know they exist now so everyone will be on their guard."
* * *
Ryoga rounded the next corner and found himself facing another dead end. With a slow curse he turned back the way he came and tried to retrace his steps. Not that it would matter. He could never find his way back.
If he just had a sense of direction, then this would never happen. At least there were four walls to trap him inside though that had hardly stopped him when he had wandered out of Harrogath.
He wondered how they were all doing up there. It had been the dead of winter when he left ten years ago and they were preparing to battle. He remembered want to join them but his father had told him he was too young.
Ryoga knew the truth. He would just get lost before they even got to the battlefield. He was always getting left behind with his mother to help 'hold down the fort'. His father had loved his son too much to tell him the truth.
Ryoga was cursed. He was cursed from the day he was born. And while he always maintained the idea that he ran away from home though he really knew that he had just gotten lost when they left the front gate open.
"Are you lost?"
Ryoga drew out his big battle axe at the sound. Turning he saw a small child, now quivering in the shadows. Quickly he put his axe away.
"Sorry," Ryoga said, laying a heavy hand down on the little boy.
The boy quivered some more and then looked up. " 'Sokay," he said, sniffling a bit. "You just looked lost. I'm lost too. Do you know where the palace is?"
Ryoga sighed. "I saw it but… look kid, I'm not going to be able to help you. I'm not good with directions."
The little boy looked at him with a smile. "My mommy used to help me to help me when I needed to go somewhere. Only now, she's lost in the palace cellar."
"Really? Oh, I really wish I could help but like I said, I…"
"Just try," the little kid said softly. "I know you'll find the way."
Ryoga smiled and started walking. Well the sooner they got this over with the better. After all, a couple of rounds around the block would prove to this kid that following him would only get them even more hopelessly lost.
"Here we are!"
Ryoga stopped and blinked. Sure enough, there was the palace. The kid looked at him with a big smile. "I told you you'd find it."
"But… but…" Ryoga started.
"See, mom showed me how to always find the way to where I wanted to go. And if you help me, I'll teach you too."
Ryoga paused and looked down that the little kid. Now he may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer but he was in no way stupid enough to ignore what Mousse had said about someone who would make an offer too good to refuse.
"I think," Ryoga said slowly reaching for his axe, "that we should go back to camp and get a few of my friends to help us look."
"Why would we do that?" the little boy said, seeing Ryoga's hand moving. "What are you doing?"
"Just stay right there," Ryoga said, trying not to sound too nervous. You're crazy! This is just a little boy. But if Mousse was right…
"I don't understand," the little boy said. "I was just trying to help… you…" the last two words were drawn out as the little boy's voice turned to pure venom.
A moment later, Ryoga realized he had been right. A moment after that, he was really starting to wish he hadn't been.
* * *
Ukyo carefully tested the water before adding the final ingredients. This would show Ranma-honey that she was the best fiancée. She knew how much the boy loved it eat.
She walked over to her chest of supplies to get some more herbs when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She didn't pause but walked straight towards the edge of the tent where her spatula lay.
In the blink of an eye, Ukyo had her weapon in hand and was facing the other direction with the deadly instrument pointed at…
A sack of potatoes?
What the… Ukyo thought. Carefully she began to circle the bag, wondering if this was what Mousse had warned them about. Maybe it was a sack of never-ending potatoes so she could make dinner for Ranma for the rest of her life.
Yeah, like that was what she really wished for.
Carefully, she poked the bag with her spatula. Much to her surprise it groaned. Convinced that it was cursed, Ukyo prepared to strike it but before she could move, it glomped her.
Shampoo chose that moment to walk in. On the ground, she saw Ukyo wrestling with what appeared to be a sack of potatoes. Shampoo smiled.
"Have problem, Spatula girl?"
"GET IT OFF!!" Ukyo cried.
Shampoo walked over and effortlessly picked up the sack. "Shampoo think Ukyo hear too many scary sto… OOF."
The bag twisted from Shampoo's hands and landed on the ground. A second later, a head popped out of the top. A blonde hair girl laughed.
"Ukyo! I've missed you!"
Ukyo got her spatula off the ground and pointed it at the sack. "Tsubasa Kurenai!!! I swear I'll kill you this time for real!"
"Ooooh… Spatula girl have girl friend?" Shampoo said. "So why chase after Ranma all time?"
"THAT IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Ukyo said pointing at the sack.
"But Ukyo…" Tusbasa disappeared back into the disguise and the sack began to sob.
"Now Ukyo hurt sack feeling," Shampoo said. She stopped and repeated the last phrase to herself, trying to see if it made any sense the next time around.
"Look, just don't get involved," Ukyo said to Shampoo. "I had enough problem getting rid of…"
There was a wail. Ukyo and Shampoo both looked at the sack. The sack shook its head. "As hurtful as what you were about to say was…"
The wail continued. It began to fill the room. And they suddenly realized that it wasn't a wail of lament or sorrow. But one of pain and misery.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ukyo and Shampoo took off, following the sound. Eventually they came up to the side of the palace. It appeared to be deserted but Ukyo and Shampoo never let down their guard as they began to round the corner to get to the front entrance.
With weapon's drawn they prepared to attack but were surprised to find both Mousse and Akane reading to cast spells in their direction. With a strangled cry, Shampoo and Ukyo leapt out of the way as a fireball and a bone spear came heading straight towards them.
"Sorry!" Akane yelled as she ran over to them.
"Oh my dear Shampoo!" Mousse said grabbing Ukyo and hugging her close. "I can't believe I almost hit you!"
"Dumb duck boy not hit side of barn," Shampoo said, wrenching him away from Ukyo.
"So you heard it too?" Akane asked as she helped Ukyo to her feet.
"I think we all heard it," Ranma-chan said as she hit the ground next to them. "But I don't know where it came from. Let's fan out and search around the pala…"
"Pig-tailed girl!" Glomp.
"This is not a good time Kuno," Ranma-chan said, firmly planting a foot into his face.
"But," he said through a slightly smashed mouth, "I thought I heard you cry out in despair over our not being together."
Ranma-chan threw up her hand in disgust and belted Kuno into the wall. As he slumped down to the ground, he looked up. "Ah, Akane Tendo. I thought I heard you cry out in despair over our not being together."
The group stared at Kuno for a moment longer before turning away to follow Ranma's plan. Mousse and Shampoo headed off in one direction, Ranma-chan and Akane move in the opposite direction while Ukyo moved to the roof of the surrounding building to get a better glimpse of what was going on.
"Hey Ranma," Akane said. "Where's Ryoga?"
Ranma-chan snorted. "Probably lost somewhere in…"
Ukyo cried out. Ranma-chan looked up and saw her pointing. She moved quickly over towards a shaded area near the stairs leading to the palace. She saw the walls first. A thin red liquid was splattered on them.
"Akane, stay back!" Ranma-chan cried, afraid of what she would see next. There was a long pause.
"Ranma?" Akane said after a few moments of silence. Shampoo and Mousse stopped right next to her.
"Go get Cologne, now."
* * *
The snow had fallen early this year and heavily. Ryoga's little feet were completely buried as he tagged along beside his mother. He had a firm grip on her fur coat so that he wouldn't get lost. It was hard because he was constantly being jostled by the crowd.
Suddenly his mother was gone and Ryoga was in the middle of the market without her. He cried out a few times but no one was paying attention to him. He started to walk away from them, knowing that this was exactly what his parents had told him not to do.
He wandered into a back alley. It appeared to be a dead end, save for a door at the far left of it. Carefully he walked towards there and pushed it open with his little hand.
The smell of incense hit him first, overwhelming his senses. He tried to take in the environment but it was just a swirl of colors mixed with the smoke from the incense.
"Hello?"
Ryoga jumped. He looked over to where the voice was coming from. There was a woman seated upon several cushions.
"Are you lost little boy?"
* * *
Cologne carefully tied the bandage. "I have not seen damage like this in many year," she said softly. "It's as if he tried to face a horde of tigers by himself. I don't have the supplies to…"
"We can help."
Cologne turned and saw Ranma's two friends, Hiroshi and Daikasu. They slowly began to empty their pockets of potion vials, herbs and several indescribable animal parts. Cologne smiled slowly and began to sift through them.
"You boys have a lot of good things here," Cologne said. "But there's something missing."
"Tell me what it is," Ranma demanded. "I'll go get it."
"I need the fang of a Claw Viper," she said.
"We saw those," Akane said. "It's the last place we went when we were looking for Mousse."
"I remember that," Mousse said. "I don't know how many of those things are left living though."
"We'll find one," Ranma said.
* * *
"Are you lost little boy?"
Ryoga ran away and hid behind a table on the other side of the room. The old woman chuckled. "I can still see you."
Ryoga peeked out from his hiding spot. Slowly, he walked towards the woman until he could see that her eyes were clouded over by blindness. The woman laughed.
"Well, I can tell that you are there anyway," she said. "So do you need my help?"
Ryoga shook his head and said no.
"Are you sure?" she smiled. "What about getting the perfect gift for the chieftain's daughter? That's why you were shopping today isn't it."
Ryoga's face filled with awe. "Can you read minds?"
The woman smiled. "Something like that. I can see your future. And my dear little Ryoga, your future is very troubled indeed."
* * *
"Here," Ranma said, still completely out of breath. He had run the rest of the way back, leaving most of the group in his dust. "We brought as many as I could find."
"Excellent," Cologne said taking them. She crushed them into a powder using a mortar and pestle and then added them to the cauldron that was being stirred by Hiroshi and Daikasu. "This should do it."
There was a long pause. "I don't understand… it should have worked." She looked into the cauldron at the bubbling liquid.
"What if you added flour?" Daikasu asked. Cologne paused. "We use that to thicken up our potions sometimes."
"Yes," Cologne said. "That might work. But where are we going to get flour in the middle of the night."
"Ask and ye shall receive," Kuno said as he joined the group. He shot an angry glance at Ranma. "Not for you but because he appears to be the friend of Akane Tendo." Kuno snapped his fingers and a servant took off towards the palace.
"You found him by the palace?" Kuno asked. Ranma nodded slowly. "Then I will have to investigate this myself. My servant will return shortly."
* * *
"Ryoga, your future is very troubled indeed."
Ryoga climbed on a pillow next to the woman. "How did you know my name?"
"I know a lot of things Ryoga," she said. "I know that you are covered with a taint that no one can see but which causes you to lose your way often. But while you get lost in the physical world, you're heart and soul must never stray from goodness. Someday, that will mean more than you can imagine."
"Will daddy be proud of me?"
"Oh yes, as will your mother and the rest of your tribe. And the young girl you like so much."
Ryoga blushed. "Will I get to fight monsters?"
"You'll fight so many of them," the woman said. "But you won't fight alone. But sometimes, the greatest monster will be the ones you can't even see."
"Ryoga!"
Ryoga turned, hearing his mother's voice. He jumped down off the cushion and started to walk away but stopped. Turning back, he ran to the old woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
She laughed. "Be careful, my boy. And remember that you are never truly lost to the ones who love you. Only… temporarily misplaced."
Ryoga jumped down and headed towards the door out into the bright sunlight. It blinded him and he turned to return to the room he had just left. But there was only a stone wall. Had he gotten that lost already?
"Ryoga…"
He heard her voice again and ran towards the light, to where he could see the silhouetted form of his mother. "Ryoga… come home…"
* * *
"Ryoga? Ryoga can you hear me?"
Akane gripped his hand tighter. "Please Ryoga wake up."
Ranma sat crouched next to her. Mousse and Shampoo kept watch at the door waiting for Ukyo to return with some broth. "Did it work?" Ranma asked tentatively.
Akane shook her head slowly. "I don't know." She reached down and lay two fingers on the green paste that had been spread across Ryoga's wounds. It had harden since they placed it there.
Ryoga moaned slightly at the touch causing Akane to bring her hand back quickly. "Ryoga?" she asked.
"Ryoga!" Ranma said getting a firm grip on Ryoga's shoulder. "Come on man, wake up."
"…just a few more minutes, mom," he said softly.
Ranma and Akane smiled at each other. Cologne hopped over and looked at the green shell. Carefully she pulled it back, revealing pink but healing skin. "He'll be fine," she said.
"Hey, is there any more of that stuff," Ukyo said as she reached the tent. " Cause we're going to need a whole lot of it," she finished, dumping Kuno's battered body onto the ground.
===================
Act 2, Quest 3
The Tainted Son
Herb screamed with rage and pain as the spear was removed from his chest. Even the monsters that followed in the hideous army cringed at the sounds. Deep black blood poured from the wound and onto the floor. But after a few seconds, the wound began to close.
"It was that bitch Amazon that did this," Herb said through pained breath. "I'll make her pay for this!"
A black robed hand reached out and carefully touched the open wound. Herb screamed in pain as thin tendril of smoke left his chest.
"Rest now," the horrific voice of his master hissed. "Mint will take care of them. Lime you will go ahead and seek the lesser evil that resides in the deserts of Lut Gholeim. We will need his help in our journey."
With small bows, Lime and Mint quickly took off, melting into the shadows.
* * *
Ranma looked up at the sky, enjoying the early night. Had it not been for the unnatural circumstances behind the eclipse, he might have been impressed with the length of the eclipse. But his father and Cologne seemed worried and had been talking with some of the village elders ever since they returned.
Mousse and Shampoo had been silent ever since she went out to look for him. They wanted to talk to Cologne first before they told anyone else what had happened. Akane was off studying with that sorceress crone Kin and Ukyo was busy cooking dinner. The only one left was Ryoga.
With a smile, Ranma jumped up and went to find Ryoga. He needed a good fight to take his mind off things. But before he could get across the camp, Hiroshi and Daikasu caught him by the arm.
"Hey Ranma!" Daikasu said. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," Ranma smiled. Well, these guys were better conversationalists that Ryoga anyway.
"Great!" Hiroshi replied. "Listen, we wanted to ask you something."
"Sure!" Ranma replied. Before he could react, Daikasu whipped out a bucket of cold water and splashed Ranma with it.
"Okay," Daikasu asked. "Which one of us would you rather go out with?"
"Me right?" Hiroshi said. "I'll get you a great dinner at the inn…"
"Don't be stupid, she wants to go out with me. I look twice as good as you ever could."
Ranma-chan seethed for a little bit. Apparently, she had not explained clearly what her curse was. She cracked her knuckles and decided to make sure they understood this time around.
* * *
Akane held up her hands and cast Fire Wall again, surprised at the ferocity of it. As soon as it faded she turned to her teacher and smiled. The older woman nodded sternly.
"Very good, your control has improved greatly. It be perfectly honest, there's very little left I could teach you."
"I've already learned so much," Akane said, bowing deeply. "I can't thank you enough."
Kin nodded. "Well, the real test will come when you go out to fight again. Akane…"
"Yes?" Akane asked, a smile on her face.
Kin looked at her and shook her head. "Never mind dear. Go find your father," she said. Akane nodded enthusiastically and dashed out of the tent. Kin sighed as she disappeared. There was something haunting that girl.
Akane was only about three steps out the door when she felt someone grab her arm. She whipped around quickly and found Mousse staring at her. Akane let out a little sigh. "I figured you would show up sooner or later."
"Then you know we need to talk." Akane nodded slowly. The two of them started walking.
"So, he offered you the spell," Mousse said suddenly. "What did he ask in return?"
Akane stopped quickly. "Nothing. He never asked for anything from me." She looked at him. "What did he offer you?"
Mousse laughed a bit. "It's not important now." They started walking again, passing by the open market. Though it was late at night, there was still some activity, mostly from cloth and spice traders make the air ripe with exotic smells.
"It's strange though," Mousse said. "I don't understand why they would give you something freely. It seems against what they tried with me."
"Do you think the others are in danger?" Akane asked.
"It would seem only natural," he said. "But we know they exist now so everyone will be on their guard."
* * *
Ryoga rounded the next corner and found himself facing another dead end. With a slow curse he turned back the way he came and tried to retrace his steps. Not that it would matter. He could never find his way back.
If he just had a sense of direction, then this would never happen. At least there were four walls to trap him inside though that had hardly stopped him when he had wandered out of Harrogath.
He wondered how they were all doing up there. It had been the dead of winter when he left ten years ago and they were preparing to battle. He remembered want to join them but his father had told him he was too young.
Ryoga knew the truth. He would just get lost before they even got to the battlefield. He was always getting left behind with his mother to help 'hold down the fort'. His father had loved his son too much to tell him the truth.
Ryoga was cursed. He was cursed from the day he was born. And while he always maintained the idea that he ran away from home though he really knew that he had just gotten lost when they left the front gate open.
"Are you lost?"
Ryoga drew out his big battle axe at the sound. Turning he saw a small child, now quivering in the shadows. Quickly he put his axe away.
"Sorry," Ryoga said, laying a heavy hand down on the little boy.
The boy quivered some more and then looked up. " 'Sokay," he said, sniffling a bit. "You just looked lost. I'm lost too. Do you know where the palace is?"
Ryoga sighed. "I saw it but… look kid, I'm not going to be able to help you. I'm not good with directions."
The little boy looked at him with a smile. "My mommy used to help me to help me when I needed to go somewhere. Only now, she's lost in the palace cellar."
"Really? Oh, I really wish I could help but like I said, I…"
"Just try," the little kid said softly. "I know you'll find the way."
Ryoga smiled and started walking. Well the sooner they got this over with the better. After all, a couple of rounds around the block would prove to this kid that following him would only get them even more hopelessly lost.
"Here we are!"
Ryoga stopped and blinked. Sure enough, there was the palace. The kid looked at him with a big smile. "I told you you'd find it."
"But… but…" Ryoga started.
"See, mom showed me how to always find the way to where I wanted to go. And if you help me, I'll teach you too."
Ryoga paused and looked down that the little kid. Now he may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer but he was in no way stupid enough to ignore what Mousse had said about someone who would make an offer too good to refuse.
"I think," Ryoga said slowly reaching for his axe, "that we should go back to camp and get a few of my friends to help us look."
"Why would we do that?" the little boy said, seeing Ryoga's hand moving. "What are you doing?"
"Just stay right there," Ryoga said, trying not to sound too nervous. You're crazy! This is just a little boy. But if Mousse was right…
"I don't understand," the little boy said. "I was just trying to help… you…" the last two words were drawn out as the little boy's voice turned to pure venom.
A moment later, Ryoga realized he had been right. A moment after that, he was really starting to wish he hadn't been.
* * *
Ukyo carefully tested the water before adding the final ingredients. This would show Ranma-honey that she was the best fiancée. She knew how much the boy loved it eat.
She walked over to her chest of supplies to get some more herbs when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She didn't pause but walked straight towards the edge of the tent where her spatula lay.
In the blink of an eye, Ukyo had her weapon in hand and was facing the other direction with the deadly instrument pointed at…
A sack of potatoes?
What the… Ukyo thought. Carefully she began to circle the bag, wondering if this was what Mousse had warned them about. Maybe it was a sack of never-ending potatoes so she could make dinner for Ranma for the rest of her life.
Yeah, like that was what she really wished for.
Carefully, she poked the bag with her spatula. Much to her surprise it groaned. Convinced that it was cursed, Ukyo prepared to strike it but before she could move, it glomped her.
Shampoo chose that moment to walk in. On the ground, she saw Ukyo wrestling with what appeared to be a sack of potatoes. Shampoo smiled.
"Have problem, Spatula girl?"
"GET IT OFF!!" Ukyo cried.
Shampoo walked over and effortlessly picked up the sack. "Shampoo think Ukyo hear too many scary sto… OOF."
The bag twisted from Shampoo's hands and landed on the ground. A second later, a head popped out of the top. A blonde hair girl laughed.
"Ukyo! I've missed you!"
Ukyo got her spatula off the ground and pointed it at the sack. "Tsubasa Kurenai!!! I swear I'll kill you this time for real!"
"Ooooh… Spatula girl have girl friend?" Shampoo said. "So why chase after Ranma all time?"
"THAT IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Ukyo said pointing at the sack.
"But Ukyo…" Tusbasa disappeared back into the disguise and the sack began to sob.
"Now Ukyo hurt sack feeling," Shampoo said. She stopped and repeated the last phrase to herself, trying to see if it made any sense the next time around.
"Look, just don't get involved," Ukyo said to Shampoo. "I had enough problem getting rid of…"
There was a wail. Ukyo and Shampoo both looked at the sack. The sack shook its head. "As hurtful as what you were about to say was…"
The wail continued. It began to fill the room. And they suddenly realized that it wasn't a wail of lament or sorrow. But one of pain and misery.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ukyo and Shampoo took off, following the sound. Eventually they came up to the side of the palace. It appeared to be deserted but Ukyo and Shampoo never let down their guard as they began to round the corner to get to the front entrance.
With weapon's drawn they prepared to attack but were surprised to find both Mousse and Akane reading to cast spells in their direction. With a strangled cry, Shampoo and Ukyo leapt out of the way as a fireball and a bone spear came heading straight towards them.
"Sorry!" Akane yelled as she ran over to them.
"Oh my dear Shampoo!" Mousse said grabbing Ukyo and hugging her close. "I can't believe I almost hit you!"
"Dumb duck boy not hit side of barn," Shampoo said, wrenching him away from Ukyo.
"So you heard it too?" Akane asked as she helped Ukyo to her feet.
"I think we all heard it," Ranma-chan said as she hit the ground next to them. "But I don't know where it came from. Let's fan out and search around the pala…"
"Pig-tailed girl!" Glomp.
"This is not a good time Kuno," Ranma-chan said, firmly planting a foot into his face.
"But," he said through a slightly smashed mouth, "I thought I heard you cry out in despair over our not being together."
Ranma-chan threw up her hand in disgust and belted Kuno into the wall. As he slumped down to the ground, he looked up. "Ah, Akane Tendo. I thought I heard you cry out in despair over our not being together."
The group stared at Kuno for a moment longer before turning away to follow Ranma's plan. Mousse and Shampoo headed off in one direction, Ranma-chan and Akane move in the opposite direction while Ukyo moved to the roof of the surrounding building to get a better glimpse of what was going on.
"Hey Ranma," Akane said. "Where's Ryoga?"
Ranma-chan snorted. "Probably lost somewhere in…"
Ukyo cried out. Ranma-chan looked up and saw her pointing. She moved quickly over towards a shaded area near the stairs leading to the palace. She saw the walls first. A thin red liquid was splattered on them.
"Akane, stay back!" Ranma-chan cried, afraid of what she would see next. There was a long pause.
"Ranma?" Akane said after a few moments of silence. Shampoo and Mousse stopped right next to her.
"Go get Cologne, now."
* * *
The snow had fallen early this year and heavily. Ryoga's little feet were completely buried as he tagged along beside his mother. He had a firm grip on her fur coat so that he wouldn't get lost. It was hard because he was constantly being jostled by the crowd.
Suddenly his mother was gone and Ryoga was in the middle of the market without her. He cried out a few times but no one was paying attention to him. He started to walk away from them, knowing that this was exactly what his parents had told him not to do.
He wandered into a back alley. It appeared to be a dead end, save for a door at the far left of it. Carefully he walked towards there and pushed it open with his little hand.
The smell of incense hit him first, overwhelming his senses. He tried to take in the environment but it was just a swirl of colors mixed with the smoke from the incense.
"Hello?"
Ryoga jumped. He looked over to where the voice was coming from. There was a woman seated upon several cushions.
"Are you lost little boy?"
* * *
Cologne carefully tied the bandage. "I have not seen damage like this in many year," she said softly. "It's as if he tried to face a horde of tigers by himself. I don't have the supplies to…"
"We can help."
Cologne turned and saw Ranma's two friends, Hiroshi and Daikasu. They slowly began to empty their pockets of potion vials, herbs and several indescribable animal parts. Cologne smiled slowly and began to sift through them.
"You boys have a lot of good things here," Cologne said. "But there's something missing."
"Tell me what it is," Ranma demanded. "I'll go get it."
"I need the fang of a Claw Viper," she said.
"We saw those," Akane said. "It's the last place we went when we were looking for Mousse."
"I remember that," Mousse said. "I don't know how many of those things are left living though."
"We'll find one," Ranma said.
* * *
"Are you lost little boy?"
Ryoga ran away and hid behind a table on the other side of the room. The old woman chuckled. "I can still see you."
Ryoga peeked out from his hiding spot. Slowly, he walked towards the woman until he could see that her eyes were clouded over by blindness. The woman laughed.
"Well, I can tell that you are there anyway," she said. "So do you need my help?"
Ryoga shook his head and said no.
"Are you sure?" she smiled. "What about getting the perfect gift for the chieftain's daughter? That's why you were shopping today isn't it."
Ryoga's face filled with awe. "Can you read minds?"
The woman smiled. "Something like that. I can see your future. And my dear little Ryoga, your future is very troubled indeed."
* * *
"Here," Ranma said, still completely out of breath. He had run the rest of the way back, leaving most of the group in his dust. "We brought as many as I could find."
"Excellent," Cologne said taking them. She crushed them into a powder using a mortar and pestle and then added them to the cauldron that was being stirred by Hiroshi and Daikasu. "This should do it."
There was a long pause. "I don't understand… it should have worked." She looked into the cauldron at the bubbling liquid.
"What if you added flour?" Daikasu asked. Cologne paused. "We use that to thicken up our potions sometimes."
"Yes," Cologne said. "That might work. But where are we going to get flour in the middle of the night."
"Ask and ye shall receive," Kuno said as he joined the group. He shot an angry glance at Ranma. "Not for you but because he appears to be the friend of Akane Tendo." Kuno snapped his fingers and a servant took off towards the palace.
"You found him by the palace?" Kuno asked. Ranma nodded slowly. "Then I will have to investigate this myself. My servant will return shortly."
* * *
"Ryoga, your future is very troubled indeed."
Ryoga climbed on a pillow next to the woman. "How did you know my name?"
"I know a lot of things Ryoga," she said. "I know that you are covered with a taint that no one can see but which causes you to lose your way often. But while you get lost in the physical world, you're heart and soul must never stray from goodness. Someday, that will mean more than you can imagine."
"Will daddy be proud of me?"
"Oh yes, as will your mother and the rest of your tribe. And the young girl you like so much."
Ryoga blushed. "Will I get to fight monsters?"
"You'll fight so many of them," the woman said. "But you won't fight alone. But sometimes, the greatest monster will be the ones you can't even see."
"Ryoga!"
Ryoga turned, hearing his mother's voice. He jumped down off the cushion and started to walk away but stopped. Turning back, he ran to the old woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
She laughed. "Be careful, my boy. And remember that you are never truly lost to the ones who love you. Only… temporarily misplaced."
Ryoga jumped down and headed towards the door out into the bright sunlight. It blinded him and he turned to return to the room he had just left. But there was only a stone wall. Had he gotten that lost already?
"Ryoga…"
He heard her voice again and ran towards the light, to where he could see the silhouetted form of his mother. "Ryoga… come home…"
* * *
"Ryoga? Ryoga can you hear me?"
Akane gripped his hand tighter. "Please Ryoga wake up."
Ranma sat crouched next to her. Mousse and Shampoo kept watch at the door waiting for Ukyo to return with some broth. "Did it work?" Ranma asked tentatively.
Akane shook her head slowly. "I don't know." She reached down and lay two fingers on the green paste that had been spread across Ryoga's wounds. It had harden since they placed it there.
Ryoga moaned slightly at the touch causing Akane to bring her hand back quickly. "Ryoga?" she asked.
"Ryoga!" Ranma said getting a firm grip on Ryoga's shoulder. "Come on man, wake up."
"…just a few more minutes, mom," he said softly.
Ranma and Akane smiled at each other. Cologne hopped over and looked at the green shell. Carefully she pulled it back, revealing pink but healing skin. "He'll be fine," she said.
"Hey, is there any more of that stuff," Ukyo said as she reached the tent. " Cause we're going to need a whole lot of it," she finished, dumping Kuno's battered body onto the ground.
