Retro's thoughts: Whoa that was a loooong time to put out a chapter, but again I have been really busy with other stuff. No matter I'm already working on nine.
Chapter 8
America let a small sigh escape his lips, leaned back in his seat, and rubbed his temples. He wiped his reading glasses on his shirt and put them back around his red, irritated, eyes. He had been working day and night trying to find more information on this whole ring deal. He scanned the reports coming in from Japan lying on the table before him about the recent discoveries. America gazed lazily at the paper until he got to the third sentence when his jaw dropped and he rubbed his eyes again as if he hadn't read it right. He read the line a second and third time and his eyes grew wider.
Britain read the same notice, removed his glasses, and started to chew on them, lost in thought. The council all shared and read the same notice, while the reactions from them varied. A member coughed in the distance and brought the council back to reality abruptly.
There was now all 184 delegates seated before the head nine in the same room Happosai and Cologne had visited before. America adjusted his glasses and spoke to the council. The stuttering was a little unnerving at first but he freed up his mind and began to speak with an unexpected fervor.
"Delegates I take it by now we have all read Japan's notice and I'm sure we are all surprised." He had understood the ring would grant invisibility, but power? He seriously underestimated this boy's resolve in overcoming the ring. He would have to deal with this swiftly. "We must act quickly. Japan, I want a full dossier on this boy's life ASAP."
Japan smiled slightly, reached into his briefcase, and removed several papers. He closed the briefcase and passed them down the table to America while speaking. "Already done. It was quite hard trying to find out this boys records below the age of nine, probably because him and his father traveled much, but I found it."
"Excellent, dispatch a squad to find this boy and bring him to a secure location. Give them each a copy of this dossier so they know what they're going up against. Set up a perimeter around Tokyo and contain it until further notice. Ke..."
"But sir you can't just quarantine a city off, just like that." France snapped his fingers for emphasis.
"Make up some B.S. answer to keep them satisfied. Drugs, epidemic, or maybe something to do with the alleged earthquake, I don't care. Send a second two-man team to keep a close eye on the boy from a distance. Tell them not to interfere with the squad, and to send me tabs hourly. I want this ring!" America slammed his fist on the desk a little melodramatically.
"I don't think this would be such a good idea sir." The council went dead silent as America squinted and looked at the small plaque that lay before who was speaking and read it as "Switzerland." "I mean, should we really be trying to take the ring. I think we should probably find a way to destroy it so it doesn't cause any more problems."
America smiled as he exited his seat, got down off his stand, and walked over to Switzerland. "Oh, that is what you think." America stood before a very worried and sweating young man. The man was spouting gibberish and talking nonsense trying to make up excuses as America loomed at him.
"THAT is what YOU think?!" America hoisted him in the air by his collar and pulled him across the table in to the wide-open space. He threw him down onto the ground and took off his glasses, sliding them neatly into his pocket
"If I recall I believe you are new here?" Switzerland fumbled to his feet and stood looking around at the numerous pairs of eyes fixated on him. "I'll make this brief and quick." America shot a bolt of white electricity from the palm of his hand. The streams of white bright light wrapped around the man's neck as he was hoisted into the air. He could feel his body tingle all over with pain, but what bothered him most was the constriction of his throat from the rope-like electricity surrounding his neck. The other members felt his silent cry of pain, as they looked on grateful it wasn't them.
America's eyes were no longer red but in another world as they turned pale white. His aura encompassed his entire body as he cast the man against the wall behind him. Calming down, America staggered to the podium and dismissed the council. The young Swiss man stumbled to his feet and ran to the elevators quicker than most would have expected.
America, now alone in the dark chamber, exhaled deeply and returned with a deep breath. The pain is increasing steadily, he thought to himself, The fits are becoming more constant, and I can't control them. I need this ring to survive.
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Ranma moved away from a crater of smoldering ash and minute fires. He moved with a menace that had never been there before as his form reared over his ex-master. Ranma chuckled and he walked past the smoking old man. Ranma had taken two steps before a weak hand clamped itself on his ankle. A strained voice from a bleeding mouth choked out a few words before the grasp loosened.
"How? Why?" The voice was a very hoarse whisper, but it was all that could come from the man whose insides were either crushed or burned, or both.
Ranma smirked and shook off the old man's hand and lifted him up to his own height. "I believe I'm done with you 'Sensei'." Ranma placed the man's head against his palm with his fingers wrapped around it and called out his move. "MOKO TAKABISHA!"
Ranma's hand seemed to charge up as the ki shot out the palm of his hand sending the man soaring like a bullet into a collapsing wall on the far end of the parking lot. The man hit the wall like a bird would hit a car windshield. He moved a little before slumping to the ground, life nonexistent in his once powerful body. Ranma re equipped himself with his smirk and closed his eyes as he put his hands in his pockets, turned, and walked away. He had a date with Kuno that he sure wasn't going to be late to. Ranma walked past a squirming Nabiki under a bench. Nabiki had been hiding underneath a bench where a piece of concrete had fallen on top of her legs; how convenient. Ranma took a knee next to Nabiki and smiled at her while he shook his head and clicked his tongue.
"My dear Nabiki, you look a little stuck there. Here let me help you." Ranma started picking random heavy pieces of rubble and placing them on top of the slab of concrete that caused Nabiki her inability to move. "Well Nabiki it's been real, but sadly I have to go kill Kuno now. Wish you could be there to watch, but hey we all can't have our way. Well, except for me of course." Ranma laughed at his own joke as he started to walk away with his hands in his pockets again.
"You bastard. Kuno's gonna kick your ass then we'll see how funny it is." Nabiki screamed. It was the only thing she could think of to stall Ranma so someone, anyone could come help her. She knew that Kuno would never be a match for Ranma from what she just saw. Hell, he never was to begin with.
Ranma stopped dead, and slowly turned around and looked at Nabiki with a look that sent chills down her spine. He walked back to her and knelt next to her again. She still had a fiery scowl on her face as he grabbed her cheeks and forced her into a kiss. Her eyes shot wide open as her mind froze right there and then, but before she could do anything he broke the kiss and slapped her with the force of a truck doing fourty.
"Don't worry your pretty little head over it. I'll see that your grave is right next to his Nabiki." Nabiki's eyes grew wider as she saw the serious expression he had on his face. He walked away again with the same confidence he had before.
Once he was out of sight Nabiki tried as hard as she could to budge the piece of rubble off her legs, but the attempt proved feudal. She wasn't supposed to do this, people were supposed to do it for her, but she was stuck in the situation so now she had to get out of it. Her legs were bleeding, her face stung, and her left arm was unmovable, but she continued to devise a way out of this so that she could help Kuno, and everyone else.
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Ryouga rushed into the chanoma to see Soun on the ground unconscious with a panda trying to wake him from his unintended slumber. Ryouga, satisfied that Saotome had everything under control rushed into the kitchen. Ryouga looked on stunned to see Kasumi huddled in a corner with her hand placed firmly on the floor and a knife holding it there with it's sharp metal embrace.
"Kasumi!" Ryouga cried as he rushed to her side and assessed the situation. He moved his fingers over the knife and looked back to Kasumi. She nodded lightly and bit on her apron while shutting her eyes fiercely. Ryouga pulled the knife out and Kasumi let out a small yelp while he stuck the knife on the counter and helped Kasumi up.
Ryouga helped Kasumi walk into the chanoma where she could sit down. He watched as Soun came to and laid his eyes right on Kasumi's wound. A flash flood filled the room as Soun wailed and cried at the cut she had. Soun turned to Ryouga with deadly seriousness, the tears forgotten, the flood lost. "Ryouga, you must take Kasumi to Dr. Tofu right away. This is of the utmost importance."
"But, Akane is still out there." Ryouga protested. Soun got a dark look in his eyes and stared Ryouga down.
"You can look for Akane AFTER you take Kasumi to the clinic." Soun said. It might have been the weapons or the demon head but Ryouga immediately changed his mind for the better and helped Kasumi up to go to the clinic.
Soun sighed, reverting back to his normal form and slumped against a wall as Panda Genma looked at him. "You know Saotome my friend, I have a feeling that things have just changed for the worse." Genma merely nodded his approval.
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"Holy shit! Check that out Karl." A man in heavy body armor and equipped enough to take down a strip mall said to the man sitting opposite to him, known as Karl. Karl looked out his chopper door to the flaming and smoking ward of Nerima.
"Hot damn looks like a tornado came through here." Karl said whistling. He looked back to his friend Tom who sat checking his M16 Assault weapon. The helo pilot spoke to the sergeant and handed him something and the sergeant relayed the message to his troops.
"We'll be dropping in the Warehouse district to pick up a kid named Ranma Saotome. This is his picture. Now this ain't no normal 16 year old, I want you all to read this report Intel sent us." Sergeant Higgins passed around six papers to his troops as they read on. Some laughed and some gasped but all eyes stayed locked on the report.
Tom laughed and gave his paper back to the sergeant. "Sergeant it's just not possible what they're saying this kid can do." Karl nodded to him and so did several others.
"I know, but someone up high wants him alive and we're going to do our job whether this is true or not." The sergeant leaned back into the cockpit as the pilot told him something and again told his troops. "We'll be landing in thirty minutes so get ready. You're not to intercept the target unless on my order. Got that?"
'Yes sir' rang through the cockpit as the Sergeant turned his gaze back down to the report and to the smiling photo of the proud Ranma Saotome lost in thought as the helicopter pilot led them to their destination.
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Emergency Ambulances raced to and from Furinkan High loaded with injured. Several police officers stood quarantining the area off. Akane and Ukyou sat under a tree silently, speaking only when the officer asked them questions.
"And just how many do you believe were still in the building when you two exited?"
"About five hundred, I guess." Akane said looking at the ground in front of her, her energy drained and lifeless. Ukyou was no different as she sat next to Akane also staring at the ground.
"O.K. that's pretty much all I need to know. Thanks for your cooperation. You sure you two don't want a ride home." The policeman asked turning back around and indicating his car with his thumb. Akane just got up and dusted herself off telling the police officer she'd be fine. The officer turned to Ukyou and received the same response so left the two girls.
"Are you going home now?" Akane asked her. Ukyou looked up and shrugged her response. "Well in case it's...you know, you can come stay with us." Ukyou looked up and whispered her thanks, but she might as well have been lip-syncing.
Akane walked home along the canal and let out a large sigh. She raised her head to the couple approaching her to recognize Mousse and Shampoo. She stopped and looked at the two who had stopped and rested against a wall. Mousse comforted Shampoo as Akane approached them asking if they would be all right, but decided against it. Akane admired Shampoo to have such a kind heart to always be there. She thought immediately of Ranma and wondered where he was during a thing like this. Probably at.. She corrected herself knowing that he couldn't go to the Neko-Hanten or Ucchans because of the earthquake. Besides this is the new Ranma, she thought, he wouldn't do something like that. Akane turned to walk down a side street when Mousse spotted her. He gently let go of Shampoo and ran up to her.
"Um..Akane..well you see we..uh..I mean could we..kind of...ahh"
"Of course you could Mousse." Akane said with a comforting smile. The first in awhile.
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Ryouga walked into the clinic and a living morgue. The stench of death attacked Ryouga's nose as he looked around at what was literally a room full of dead and dying. People laid on top of people who laid on top of people as several nurses from the hospital helped Dr. Tofu treat the wounded. Tofu glanced at the newcomers through the door and his glasses immediately fogged up. "Ka..Ka..Kasumi my how are you?" Tofu asked making hand gestures and puppets.
"Oh my, I'm so clumsy. I seem to have gotten a cut on my hand here." Ryouga helped her unwrap the bandage on her hand to show the good Doctor. Dr. Tofu's glasses unfogged instantaneously as he examined the cut on her hand.
"Kasumi, my god, this is deep please come into my room." Tofu led her to the back room as Ryouga tapped on his shoulder. "Uh, if you don't need me anymore Doctor can I go?"
"Why yes of course Ryouga." Dr. Tofu continued in leading Kasumi to the back room. Ryouga leaped out the door and raced in the opposite direction of Furinkan.
Ryouga ran as fast as he could down the street calling Akane's name. "Where the hell am I?" Ryouga sat down on the sidewalk next to a smoldering car as he cursed himself for his sense of direction. Ryouga stretched his back as he heard a scream. He leaped to his feet and darted towards the sound. He leaped over another smoldering car in a car park only to land in a five-foot deep ditch. He stumbled a little; stood up, and looked around realizing that he was in the biggest crater he'd ever seen. He leapt out, returned on his course to the scream, and turned a corner to see Nabiki stuck under bench with a slab of concrete on her legs. Ryouga jogged over to her and stood in front of her.
Nabiki looked up and thanked god. "Ryouga get me out of this we have to stop Ranma." Ryouga pulled his hand back and extended his pointer finger. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" The concrete exploded and Ryouga helped Nabiki out from under the bench. "Now what's all this about stopping Ranma? Did he do something to Akane!?" Ryouga clenched his fist and started running-probably in the wrong direction-before Nabiki grabbed his collar and stopped him.
"Listen Ryouga you can't defeat him. Not now, not ever. He's more powerful then anyone here in Nerima, maybe even Happosai and Cologne." Nabiki pointed out sitting down on the bench and checking her legs for cuts.
Ryouga scratched his head and looked off in the distance. "I did notice he had *ahem* been training a little bit." The memory of Ranma crushing him in their spar returned sharply to his state of mind. Ranma hadn't even tried, he thought painfully, if he's gotten more powerful; well that will be the end of it.
Nabiki nodded noticing Ryouga's silent conformation of Ranma's power. She got up and walked over to the crater with Ryouga behind her. "See this?" she gestured with her hands around the car park, "This is all Ranma's doing. He created that earthquake with the power he has, and from what I heard he has a couple other powerful moves."
"No way. Ranma couldn't do all this, and even if he had the power, he still wouldn't do it. This just isn't Ranma; not the Ranma who saves Akane all the time." Ryouga hoped silently in the back of his mind that he was in fact right and that Ranma hadn't gone nuts on them, but the memory of Ranma almost destroying him in a battle hit him like a ton of bricks. "So what do you propose to do?"
Nabiki sighed and grabbed Ryouga's hand running at a brisk pace to the Tendo Dojo. "We have to warn everyone before Ranma gets them." Nabiki inwardly prayed that Kuno could hold his own before help came to him.
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Retro's thoughts: Well here's chapter eight for you. Working on Chapter nine now. Peace! ^-^
Chapter 8
America let a small sigh escape his lips, leaned back in his seat, and rubbed his temples. He wiped his reading glasses on his shirt and put them back around his red, irritated, eyes. He had been working day and night trying to find more information on this whole ring deal. He scanned the reports coming in from Japan lying on the table before him about the recent discoveries. America gazed lazily at the paper until he got to the third sentence when his jaw dropped and he rubbed his eyes again as if he hadn't read it right. He read the line a second and third time and his eyes grew wider.
Britain read the same notice, removed his glasses, and started to chew on them, lost in thought. The council all shared and read the same notice, while the reactions from them varied. A member coughed in the distance and brought the council back to reality abruptly.
There was now all 184 delegates seated before the head nine in the same room Happosai and Cologne had visited before. America adjusted his glasses and spoke to the council. The stuttering was a little unnerving at first but he freed up his mind and began to speak with an unexpected fervor.
"Delegates I take it by now we have all read Japan's notice and I'm sure we are all surprised." He had understood the ring would grant invisibility, but power? He seriously underestimated this boy's resolve in overcoming the ring. He would have to deal with this swiftly. "We must act quickly. Japan, I want a full dossier on this boy's life ASAP."
Japan smiled slightly, reached into his briefcase, and removed several papers. He closed the briefcase and passed them down the table to America while speaking. "Already done. It was quite hard trying to find out this boys records below the age of nine, probably because him and his father traveled much, but I found it."
"Excellent, dispatch a squad to find this boy and bring him to a secure location. Give them each a copy of this dossier so they know what they're going up against. Set up a perimeter around Tokyo and contain it until further notice. Ke..."
"But sir you can't just quarantine a city off, just like that." France snapped his fingers for emphasis.
"Make up some B.S. answer to keep them satisfied. Drugs, epidemic, or maybe something to do with the alleged earthquake, I don't care. Send a second two-man team to keep a close eye on the boy from a distance. Tell them not to interfere with the squad, and to send me tabs hourly. I want this ring!" America slammed his fist on the desk a little melodramatically.
"I don't think this would be such a good idea sir." The council went dead silent as America squinted and looked at the small plaque that lay before who was speaking and read it as "Switzerland." "I mean, should we really be trying to take the ring. I think we should probably find a way to destroy it so it doesn't cause any more problems."
America smiled as he exited his seat, got down off his stand, and walked over to Switzerland. "Oh, that is what you think." America stood before a very worried and sweating young man. The man was spouting gibberish and talking nonsense trying to make up excuses as America loomed at him.
"THAT is what YOU think?!" America hoisted him in the air by his collar and pulled him across the table in to the wide-open space. He threw him down onto the ground and took off his glasses, sliding them neatly into his pocket
"If I recall I believe you are new here?" Switzerland fumbled to his feet and stood looking around at the numerous pairs of eyes fixated on him. "I'll make this brief and quick." America shot a bolt of white electricity from the palm of his hand. The streams of white bright light wrapped around the man's neck as he was hoisted into the air. He could feel his body tingle all over with pain, but what bothered him most was the constriction of his throat from the rope-like electricity surrounding his neck. The other members felt his silent cry of pain, as they looked on grateful it wasn't them.
America's eyes were no longer red but in another world as they turned pale white. His aura encompassed his entire body as he cast the man against the wall behind him. Calming down, America staggered to the podium and dismissed the council. The young Swiss man stumbled to his feet and ran to the elevators quicker than most would have expected.
America, now alone in the dark chamber, exhaled deeply and returned with a deep breath. The pain is increasing steadily, he thought to himself, The fits are becoming more constant, and I can't control them. I need this ring to survive.
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Ranma moved away from a crater of smoldering ash and minute fires. He moved with a menace that had never been there before as his form reared over his ex-master. Ranma chuckled and he walked past the smoking old man. Ranma had taken two steps before a weak hand clamped itself on his ankle. A strained voice from a bleeding mouth choked out a few words before the grasp loosened.
"How? Why?" The voice was a very hoarse whisper, but it was all that could come from the man whose insides were either crushed or burned, or both.
Ranma smirked and shook off the old man's hand and lifted him up to his own height. "I believe I'm done with you 'Sensei'." Ranma placed the man's head against his palm with his fingers wrapped around it and called out his move. "MOKO TAKABISHA!"
Ranma's hand seemed to charge up as the ki shot out the palm of his hand sending the man soaring like a bullet into a collapsing wall on the far end of the parking lot. The man hit the wall like a bird would hit a car windshield. He moved a little before slumping to the ground, life nonexistent in his once powerful body. Ranma re equipped himself with his smirk and closed his eyes as he put his hands in his pockets, turned, and walked away. He had a date with Kuno that he sure wasn't going to be late to. Ranma walked past a squirming Nabiki under a bench. Nabiki had been hiding underneath a bench where a piece of concrete had fallen on top of her legs; how convenient. Ranma took a knee next to Nabiki and smiled at her while he shook his head and clicked his tongue.
"My dear Nabiki, you look a little stuck there. Here let me help you." Ranma started picking random heavy pieces of rubble and placing them on top of the slab of concrete that caused Nabiki her inability to move. "Well Nabiki it's been real, but sadly I have to go kill Kuno now. Wish you could be there to watch, but hey we all can't have our way. Well, except for me of course." Ranma laughed at his own joke as he started to walk away with his hands in his pockets again.
"You bastard. Kuno's gonna kick your ass then we'll see how funny it is." Nabiki screamed. It was the only thing she could think of to stall Ranma so someone, anyone could come help her. She knew that Kuno would never be a match for Ranma from what she just saw. Hell, he never was to begin with.
Ranma stopped dead, and slowly turned around and looked at Nabiki with a look that sent chills down her spine. He walked back to her and knelt next to her again. She still had a fiery scowl on her face as he grabbed her cheeks and forced her into a kiss. Her eyes shot wide open as her mind froze right there and then, but before she could do anything he broke the kiss and slapped her with the force of a truck doing fourty.
"Don't worry your pretty little head over it. I'll see that your grave is right next to his Nabiki." Nabiki's eyes grew wider as she saw the serious expression he had on his face. He walked away again with the same confidence he had before.
Once he was out of sight Nabiki tried as hard as she could to budge the piece of rubble off her legs, but the attempt proved feudal. She wasn't supposed to do this, people were supposed to do it for her, but she was stuck in the situation so now she had to get out of it. Her legs were bleeding, her face stung, and her left arm was unmovable, but she continued to devise a way out of this so that she could help Kuno, and everyone else.
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Ryouga rushed into the chanoma to see Soun on the ground unconscious with a panda trying to wake him from his unintended slumber. Ryouga, satisfied that Saotome had everything under control rushed into the kitchen. Ryouga looked on stunned to see Kasumi huddled in a corner with her hand placed firmly on the floor and a knife holding it there with it's sharp metal embrace.
"Kasumi!" Ryouga cried as he rushed to her side and assessed the situation. He moved his fingers over the knife and looked back to Kasumi. She nodded lightly and bit on her apron while shutting her eyes fiercely. Ryouga pulled the knife out and Kasumi let out a small yelp while he stuck the knife on the counter and helped Kasumi up.
Ryouga helped Kasumi walk into the chanoma where she could sit down. He watched as Soun came to and laid his eyes right on Kasumi's wound. A flash flood filled the room as Soun wailed and cried at the cut she had. Soun turned to Ryouga with deadly seriousness, the tears forgotten, the flood lost. "Ryouga, you must take Kasumi to Dr. Tofu right away. This is of the utmost importance."
"But, Akane is still out there." Ryouga protested. Soun got a dark look in his eyes and stared Ryouga down.
"You can look for Akane AFTER you take Kasumi to the clinic." Soun said. It might have been the weapons or the demon head but Ryouga immediately changed his mind for the better and helped Kasumi up to go to the clinic.
Soun sighed, reverting back to his normal form and slumped against a wall as Panda Genma looked at him. "You know Saotome my friend, I have a feeling that things have just changed for the worse." Genma merely nodded his approval.
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"Holy shit! Check that out Karl." A man in heavy body armor and equipped enough to take down a strip mall said to the man sitting opposite to him, known as Karl. Karl looked out his chopper door to the flaming and smoking ward of Nerima.
"Hot damn looks like a tornado came through here." Karl said whistling. He looked back to his friend Tom who sat checking his M16 Assault weapon. The helo pilot spoke to the sergeant and handed him something and the sergeant relayed the message to his troops.
"We'll be dropping in the Warehouse district to pick up a kid named Ranma Saotome. This is his picture. Now this ain't no normal 16 year old, I want you all to read this report Intel sent us." Sergeant Higgins passed around six papers to his troops as they read on. Some laughed and some gasped but all eyes stayed locked on the report.
Tom laughed and gave his paper back to the sergeant. "Sergeant it's just not possible what they're saying this kid can do." Karl nodded to him and so did several others.
"I know, but someone up high wants him alive and we're going to do our job whether this is true or not." The sergeant leaned back into the cockpit as the pilot told him something and again told his troops. "We'll be landing in thirty minutes so get ready. You're not to intercept the target unless on my order. Got that?"
'Yes sir' rang through the cockpit as the Sergeant turned his gaze back down to the report and to the smiling photo of the proud Ranma Saotome lost in thought as the helicopter pilot led them to their destination.
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Emergency Ambulances raced to and from Furinkan High loaded with injured. Several police officers stood quarantining the area off. Akane and Ukyou sat under a tree silently, speaking only when the officer asked them questions.
"And just how many do you believe were still in the building when you two exited?"
"About five hundred, I guess." Akane said looking at the ground in front of her, her energy drained and lifeless. Ukyou was no different as she sat next to Akane also staring at the ground.
"O.K. that's pretty much all I need to know. Thanks for your cooperation. You sure you two don't want a ride home." The policeman asked turning back around and indicating his car with his thumb. Akane just got up and dusted herself off telling the police officer she'd be fine. The officer turned to Ukyou and received the same response so left the two girls.
"Are you going home now?" Akane asked her. Ukyou looked up and shrugged her response. "Well in case it's...you know, you can come stay with us." Ukyou looked up and whispered her thanks, but she might as well have been lip-syncing.
Akane walked home along the canal and let out a large sigh. She raised her head to the couple approaching her to recognize Mousse and Shampoo. She stopped and looked at the two who had stopped and rested against a wall. Mousse comforted Shampoo as Akane approached them asking if they would be all right, but decided against it. Akane admired Shampoo to have such a kind heart to always be there. She thought immediately of Ranma and wondered where he was during a thing like this. Probably at.. She corrected herself knowing that he couldn't go to the Neko-Hanten or Ucchans because of the earthquake. Besides this is the new Ranma, she thought, he wouldn't do something like that. Akane turned to walk down a side street when Mousse spotted her. He gently let go of Shampoo and ran up to her.
"Um..Akane..well you see we..uh..I mean could we..kind of...ahh"
"Of course you could Mousse." Akane said with a comforting smile. The first in awhile.
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Ryouga walked into the clinic and a living morgue. The stench of death attacked Ryouga's nose as he looked around at what was literally a room full of dead and dying. People laid on top of people who laid on top of people as several nurses from the hospital helped Dr. Tofu treat the wounded. Tofu glanced at the newcomers through the door and his glasses immediately fogged up. "Ka..Ka..Kasumi my how are you?" Tofu asked making hand gestures and puppets.
"Oh my, I'm so clumsy. I seem to have gotten a cut on my hand here." Ryouga helped her unwrap the bandage on her hand to show the good Doctor. Dr. Tofu's glasses unfogged instantaneously as he examined the cut on her hand.
"Kasumi, my god, this is deep please come into my room." Tofu led her to the back room as Ryouga tapped on his shoulder. "Uh, if you don't need me anymore Doctor can I go?"
"Why yes of course Ryouga." Dr. Tofu continued in leading Kasumi to the back room. Ryouga leaped out the door and raced in the opposite direction of Furinkan.
Ryouga ran as fast as he could down the street calling Akane's name. "Where the hell am I?" Ryouga sat down on the sidewalk next to a smoldering car as he cursed himself for his sense of direction. Ryouga stretched his back as he heard a scream. He leaped to his feet and darted towards the sound. He leaped over another smoldering car in a car park only to land in a five-foot deep ditch. He stumbled a little; stood up, and looked around realizing that he was in the biggest crater he'd ever seen. He leapt out, returned on his course to the scream, and turned a corner to see Nabiki stuck under bench with a slab of concrete on her legs. Ryouga jogged over to her and stood in front of her.
Nabiki looked up and thanked god. "Ryouga get me out of this we have to stop Ranma." Ryouga pulled his hand back and extended his pointer finger. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" The concrete exploded and Ryouga helped Nabiki out from under the bench. "Now what's all this about stopping Ranma? Did he do something to Akane!?" Ryouga clenched his fist and started running-probably in the wrong direction-before Nabiki grabbed his collar and stopped him.
"Listen Ryouga you can't defeat him. Not now, not ever. He's more powerful then anyone here in Nerima, maybe even Happosai and Cologne." Nabiki pointed out sitting down on the bench and checking her legs for cuts.
Ryouga scratched his head and looked off in the distance. "I did notice he had *ahem* been training a little bit." The memory of Ranma crushing him in their spar returned sharply to his state of mind. Ranma hadn't even tried, he thought painfully, if he's gotten more powerful; well that will be the end of it.
Nabiki nodded noticing Ryouga's silent conformation of Ranma's power. She got up and walked over to the crater with Ryouga behind her. "See this?" she gestured with her hands around the car park, "This is all Ranma's doing. He created that earthquake with the power he has, and from what I heard he has a couple other powerful moves."
"No way. Ranma couldn't do all this, and even if he had the power, he still wouldn't do it. This just isn't Ranma; not the Ranma who saves Akane all the time." Ryouga hoped silently in the back of his mind that he was in fact right and that Ranma hadn't gone nuts on them, but the memory of Ranma almost destroying him in a battle hit him like a ton of bricks. "So what do you propose to do?"
Nabiki sighed and grabbed Ryouga's hand running at a brisk pace to the Tendo Dojo. "We have to warn everyone before Ranma gets them." Nabiki inwardly prayed that Kuno could hold his own before help came to him.
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Retro's thoughts: Well here's chapter eight for you. Working on Chapter nine now. Peace! ^-^