Disclaimer: Oh if only I owned these characters. . . why they would prance about in a field all day, skippling merrily to and fro and singing "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay! I sleep all night and I work all day!" However, no characters do I own in this (except for a couple, but it will be apparent as to whom those characters I own are) and thus no skippling takes place.



Rating: I'm breaking tradition with my earlier stories. This is going to be rated R for graphic violence and implicit sexual situations. REALLY outta the ordinary for me. O_O And my, this actually has a PLOT! *gasp*



Author's Notes: This fanfic is extremely dark. It is positively, absolutely NOT for the squeamish or those who easily get ideas in their heads. Yes, there will be blood and mature themes, so please read with your own discretion.



Now that THAT'S out of the way, I'd like to say a big big BIG thanks to Naomi Athena for her help on this story. She helped as a beta reader, and all around muse and inspiration for one of the characters in this story (I assure you this is not a self-insertion though!), and she's just been great help. Without her, I don't think I would have really bothered to follow through on this. Also:



Italics are thoughts

//~*~// indicates the beginning/end of a dream sequence

*=*=* indicates next scene of a story



Summary: Kuno begins to manifest a strange power that he's not sure he can control. Can anybody help him in time? What's this strange new clan that shows an interest in Kuno? The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High must face the biggest challenges of his lifetime if he wishes to save the lives of his friends and himself.



And lo, Chibikat presents. . .



Pandora





This was his chance. Finally, inexorably, he could rid the world of true evil to free the purity that was enslaved to such a lowly man. Finally, they would be emancipated from the iron fist that was depravity and could run without fear into his waiting arms. Finally, they would see beyond the haze of their captor and into the searing love in his heart.

This was Kuno's chance to finally defeat Saotome. Akane and the Pigtailed Goddess would be his in one stroke of his wooden sword. He would prove to them once and for all that it was he, not Saotome, that was truly deserving of their caresses! It was this emotion called love that drove one Tatewaki Kuno to rage his own war on the man he believed was keeping him from achieving his ultimate goal: to date Akane Tendo and the Pigtailed Girl. The audacity of that coward Ranma to keep him from what was his! The sheer effrontery!

Those kinds of thoughts fueled Kuno's rage continuously. They were the drive behind each immense sword stroke, the power in each thrust and jab, the force behind his enormous strength. The thoughts and raw emotions powered him to such a degree; he fought with his heart, not with his head.

Sadly, it was always his downfall. When Kuno challenged Ranma, it was always for the love of two of the most beautiful women on earth. When Ranma accepted, it was out of sheer boredom or necessity. Kuno saw Ranma as the precise obstacle in his life that kept him from utopia; Ranma saw Kuno as a poetry-spouting punching bag who was a good way to release negative tension and stress. Kuno swung his sword, Ranma dodged, Ranma kicked or punched, Kuno was knocked on the ground unconscious. It was really a fixed daily routine, much to Ranma's chagrin. While Kuno unintentionally helped Ranma to develop his skills, the pigtailed boy was also getting quite annoyed with his constant challenges and claims that Ranma was keeping his Pigtailed Goddess hidden away from the world. Ranma Saotome almost pitied the kendoist; he had no idea that his true love and worst enemy were one and the same. Surely if he ever found out, he'd be crushed.

Of course, with Kuno's current train of thought, he wouldn't be finding out or accepting the truth any time soon.

He stood his battleground with confidence; his bokken held steadfast in his right hand, his left foot forward slightly. The wooden sword was somewhat behind Kuno's back, with his left hand clenched in a fist by his waist. He looked contemptuously at the boy before him, and lovingly at the blue-haired beauty by his side.

"Ranma Saotome, today is the day you fall by my sword of justice!" Tatewaki yelled, dramatically pulling his bokken from behind his back and grasping the hilt with both of his hands. Its blade pointed directly between the eyes of a certain pigtailed martial artist.

Knowing a fight was imminent, Ranma tossed aside his school valise.

"Give it a rest, will ya Kuno? Ya do this every morning, and it always ends up the same way!" Ranma told him, completely exasperated by Kuno's immensely thick head. Akane sighed, and told Ranma that she was going inside the gates so she wouldn't be late. The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High simply scoffed.

"Ah, confident are we? Defeat preys on such aplomb and I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall teach you that lesson!" Kuno cried, lifting his sword and bringing it down in a large, swooping arc. Ranma jumped with cat-like grace (although he would never describe it that way) onto the branch of a nearby tree. Kuno was perturbed that the sword strike hit nothing but air instead of its intended target. He swung his head around to said cherry blossom tree. He smirked in annoyance.

"A game of cat and mouse, Saotome? Stop playing your childish games and fight me like a man!" he bellowed, readying himself for Ranma's oncoming attack, bokken up front. The kendoist gritted his teeth in preparation for his enemy's strike.

Ranma, on the other hand, sighed in resignation. He couldn't very well just walk away now; Kuno would be on his case all day. I guess I'll just have to get this over with as quickly as possible, the pigtailed boy thought, readying himself to jump and attack.

He sprung from the branch with ease, flipping forward off of Kuno's head and twisting his body around in mid-air so that his foot connected solidly with the brunette's skull. Ranma landed gracefully; such was a different story for Kuno who fell like a pile of bricks onto the lush grass of Furinkan High's front field. The pigtailed martial artist sighed and looked down at the pathetic mess that was Tatewaki Kuno.

"Now do ya get it? You're not gonna beat me anytime soon, so stop challenging me every morning. You're making me late," Ranma said indignantly, picking up his school briefcase. The black haired boy didn't expect - or want - Kuno to respond in kind, seeing that he was in dream land courtesy of Ranma's well placed kick. He started off for Furinkan High, when he heard a slight shuffle behind him.

"R-Ranma Saot-t-tome. . . I. . . f-fight on. . ." a voice weakly said. Ranma, absolutely astounded that Kuno was extra bullheaded this particular morning, turned around to see the Blue Thunder stand shakily on his legs, supported by his splintering bokken. No sooner did Kuno utter something along the lines of 'prepare to die Saotome' did Shampoo crash onto Tatewaki's head with her bicycle, accenting her rather violent and sudden arrival with a cheerful 'Nihao!'

Kuno had embraced the blackness of unconsciousness once more.



//~*~//



Anger. It flowed around him like a blazing current, illuminating the blackness that surrounded him. Beautiful fire raged about him, whipping his yukata about angrily, yet never searing it with its intense heat. Rather than feeling frightened of the flames around him, he felt as if the dancing, scorching element was a part of his very being. It felt deliciously invigorating, yet an eerie feeling crawled up his spine as the fire twined around Tatewaki's body that made him shudder involuntarily. It was almost draining.

It had to be Ranma Saotome's fault. Somehow that evil cad was making Kuno feel so weak! It was always his fault somehow!

The fire around Kuno grew larger and larger. It lit the darkest of the dark around him, and like a great bird the fire swooped in an eminent circle around his head, slowly spiraling down his body, giving him power yet attenuating his strength greatly. Suddenly, an image of the man that Tatewaki Kuno loathed appeared shimmering in front of him.

Ranma was there to taunt him, Kuno knew it for sure. Gloat, would he? Kuno was angered beyond belief.

The fire curved around Kuno's form in a tighter and thicker circle, until it was as if Kuno was a pillar of solid flame.

You're so weak, Kuno! You can't beat me, Kuno! You're so pathetic Kuno! he heard Ranma say, although his lips weren't moving. Kuno cried out in rage, unable to take Saotome's insults any longer, and so decided to act on his feelings. A steady column of fire burst out at the image of Ranma, ripping it in two blazing halves. The illumined Ranma slowly dissipated, leaving nothing behind but embers that were also beginning to die.

The flames were gone; disappearing with the image of Saotome. It was dark once more, and Kuno was weak and tired. So tired. . .



//~*~//



The kendoist's eyes flickered open to the harsh light of the fluorescent lights directly above him. They stung his already blurry vision, and so he decided to look away and around at the rest of his surroundings. The room he was in was completely white, save the beige curtains to his left and a small vase of pink carnations on a bedside table beside him.

Where am I. . .? Tatewaki thought dazedly, blinking his eyes in a vain attempt to regain perfect vision. He realized that he was also extraordinarily warm, even in his light and airy samurai garb that he constantly wore. Kuno wasn't wearing any large covers or blankets, so he assumed it must've been the room temperature that was making him feel so sweltered.

Though his vision was temporarily impaired, his ears picked up the sound of hard shoes clacking down the hallway adjacent to the creamy white wood door opposite his bed. A few seconds later, a woman entered wearing a nurse's attire. She had long black hair that fell around her back, and a warm, inviting presence. She smiled prettily at Tatewaki.

"How are we feeling?" she asked, walking over to a table and wringing out a washcloth in a basin full of cold water. Kuno attempted to sit up to respond, but found himself to be terribly weak and unable to hold himself up by his own willpower. He flopped back down on the bed heavily, his hair matted against his forehead with sweat. The nurse took notice of this and rushed over to his side, pressing the cool, white washcloth against his heated forehead. Kuno let out a shocked gasp at the precise coldness of the water, but found he couldn't respond coherently.

"Oh my, it seems you have quite the fever. I'll be right back with some medicine,"she told him, a worried expression present in her clear grey eyes. She gave him a slight smile, although her eyebrows were knotted in concern for the boy. Quickly, she left the room to fetch the medicines to give the sick boy.

A fever? But I never get this sick. . . Tatewaki thought, his mind in a complete haze. He couldn't quite think straight, his only other thought wondering when the pretty nurse was going to turn the heat down in the room. His yukata was beginning to cement itself to his body, which was drenched in sweat. He breathed in and out heavily, trying to keep focus on the world around him which, annoyingly enough, just wouldn't stop spinning. He felt his heavy eyelids close just as the nurse entered with a tray of strange and vile-smelling chemicals that could be considered medication.



*=*=*=*=



"Sick? That's impossible, I was just fighting him this morning!" Ranma said in surprise, shoving a piece of his bento lunch into his mouth. Nabiki smirked.

"Not impossible Ranma, they carted him off to the hospital about a half hour ago," Nabiki told him, looking over the contents of her own lunch. Akane didn't have time to cook that morning, so Kasumi had prepared her sister's lunch. Nabiki sighed in relief; she wouldn't be joining Kuno in the hospital today.

"But he seemed himself this morning; I mean, if anything, he was extra healthy. Didn't go down until Shampoo landed on him with her bike," Ranma told Nabiki, trying to remember if anything was wrong with Kuno that morning. Nothing unusual came to mind.

"What did Shampoo want, anyway?" Nabiki asked, curious. Ranma shrugged.

"I dunno. Wanted to show me how great a wife she'd be with this new item at the Cat Café she cooked up," he began, pushing around the contents of his lunch with his chopsticks, "good thing Mousse showed up and ate it."

"Why, what happened to him?" the middle Tendo sister asked.

"I think it was a love potion mixture. Couldn't really tell though; Mousse is always going crazy over Shampoo," the pigtailed boy sighed. There was a beat of silence.

"Well, Kuno's a freak, and freak accidents and diseases happen to freaks," Nabiki said cooly, getting back to the topic at hand while eating some white rice lightly doused in soy sauce. It wasn't a nice statement, but it was the only thing Nabiki could come up with at the time.

"What? What happened?" Akane inquired of the two, approaching them with her own lunch box. It was a beautiful day outside, so the students were eating outdoors for the most part. Quite the coincidence that Ranma, Nabiki, and now Akane were sitting under the very tree that Kuno and Ranma were fighting near. The broken branch still sat on the opposite side of the tree trunk.

"Kuno's been shipped off to the hospital for a fever or something," Nabiki informed her younger sister, elegantly eating a piece of delicious sushi. Akane was a bit surprised.

"Really? He seemed okay this morning," Akane stated, opening up her own bento and breaking apart her chopsticks. Nabiki shrugged.

"That's what I said too, but stranger things have happened in Nerima, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal. Besides, it's Kuno. He'll get over it and be ready to get his butt kicked again by me tomorrow!" Ranma exclaimed. Nabiki and Akane couldn't help but agree (although both were annoyed by Ranma's cockiness, as per usual), and chatted about whatever came to their minds as they munched on their meals under the protective branches of the cherry tree.



*=*=*=*=*=



Kodachi watched as her brother slept in the hospital bed. She had received a call at St. Herbereke's at lunch about the condition of her brother, and was excused from school to pay a visit to the hospital. The doctors said they couldn't reach their father; not that it would have mattered anyway. Kodachi figured that he wouldn't have come if called anyhow, most likely too busy conjuring up more ways to terrorize the students of Furinkan High and practicing his faux Hawaiian accent. It was depressing; but at least the Kuno siblings had each other to depend on. Most of the time. Stalking Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome respectively took up much of Tatewaki and Kodachi's time.

So, her thoughts wandering to a certain martial artist in a bright red Chinese shirt and a jet black pigtail, Kodachi sat by her brother's bed. It wasn't that she didn't care for Tatewaki; far from it, actually, but it was just so easy to let her thoughts linger on Ranma. His muscular build, his handsome face, the way his eyes glazed over when Kodachi slipped him some sleeping powder; it was almost as if God had sent one of his angels to live on earth. . .

The Black Rose's thoughts were disturbed by a quiet gasp emanating from the bed beside her. Kodachi quickly turned her head, to see her brother obviously in the throes of a nightmare. Tatewaki scrunched his eyes tightly, hurried breath escaping his mouth in ragged gasps. Beads of sweat began appearing on his forehead, beginning to drip down his face and neck. Kodachi looked at him with an almost maternal concern, resting her hand on his forehead. She gasped in surprise when her skin touched her brother's. For somebody with a fever of his caliber, his skin was cold.

Ice cold.



//~*~//



It was so cold all around him. His teeth chattered as he wrapped his arms tightly around his body in a vain attempt to keep warm. He took a step forward in the black room, the only light radiating from the ice that began to gather around his hands. He was desperately cold; yet couldn't imagine feeling any other way as of this moment. The frigid cold swept up and through his entire body, freezing the very blood in his veins. The cold and hollowness was deeply rooted within him, making the hairs on his arms and the nape of his neck stand briskly on end.

Why? Tatewaki thought blearily, blinking the snow flurrying around him out of his eyes. Where was the snow and cold coming from? Were they. . . were they coming from him? Kuno was confused beyond belief.

Until he saw a person in front of him. Tatewaki could only see a faint outline at first, his eyes couldn't distinguish any features. He took a step forward, the new ground beneath his outstretched foot freezing and crackling in a matter of seconds. Slowly but surely, the person came fully into view.

She had long, beautiful black hair that reached past her waist and billowed around her. Her skin was creamy and pale, and her eyes exotically dark. She wore a simple white gown, yet she somehow made it look elegant and beautiful. Her deep red lips were curved into a soft, loving smile. Tatewaki recognized the woman before him immediately.

"Mother. . .?" he asked, barely above a whisper, not believing what he was seeing. Kuno dreaded even the thought of making a sudden movement, for fear that she would be frightened away or disappear, and he would never see her again.

Rather, she seemed to be floating just a few inches above the ground. Her body was incased in a hushed white glow, her gown and hair flowing about her. She looked like an angel.

That's what she is though, Tatewaki thought sadly, looking at the woman before him. He desperately wanted to touch her, to be able to embrace her once again, to have her hold him in her protective arms. He reached his arm out slowly, tiny shards of ice crackling and falling at the movement, his joints complaining. They were nearly frozen to a halt; but Tatewaki had to be able to feel her once more.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. It looked, however, that she was attempting to call her son's name. Her hands motioned for him to come to her, smiling brightly so as to show Tatewaki her perfect white teeth and her blushed cheeks. Kuno took another step towards her, ice slowly entwining his form and surrounding his being. The boy could barely see beyond the blue haze of ice blocking his vision of his mother, but he pressed on determinedly. She was calling him. . .

Smiling the entire time, she beckoned her son forward. However, it seemed for every step Tatewaki took, she would slowly float backwards, always just out of his reach. The ice swirled around him constantly, beginning to sting his eyes, drawing tears that immediately froze to his cold face. Her mouth kept mouthing 'Tatewaki', though still no sound was heard. Kuno stumbled forward, desperate to reach his mother, who was beginning to fade.

"Mother. . ." Kuno managed to say between chattering teeth, his frost covered hand reaching out to her transparent form. Her dark brown eyes locked with Kuno's blue ones for a split second.

She smiled, but this time the warmth was replaced by another emotion: sadness. Closing her eyes, she began to disappear, the ivory light that surrounded her beginning to fade. Kuno tried with all his might to move, but his body was frozen, and could barely push forward as it was. Tatewaki fell to his knees, droplets of ice flitting around him, freezing his hair to his forehead. The ground beneath him was instantly turned into solid ice, a faint blue glow illuminating the distraught boy's face. He looked up at his mother's fading form.

With the mouthed words 'I love you', she dissipated completely. Tatewaki was utterly confounded. His hands wearily searched the air in front of him, the rings of ice beginning to encase his body and a faster rate. There was no trace of the woman left.

His mother was gone once more. He cried in anguish at the top of his lungs, giving up on supporting his weight and falling in a heap on the ground. He let the ice envelop him; it was so much easier that way. He couldn't even cry; the tears froze to his face before they even had a chance.

Tatewaki Kuno stayed in that fetal position, trapped inside a globe of ice, for what seemed to be an eternity. Slowly, he felt his vision begin to fade. His world turned to black, the image of his mother's angelic face ingrained in his mind's eye. Tatewaki heard a voice in the back of his head, pulling him away from his world of ice and darkness. . .



//~*~//



"Brother! Brother wake up!" Kodachi said quietly, shaking Tatewaki's shoulders slightly. She didn't want to hurt him, for she knew she had the strength, just wake him up from whatever bad dream he was having. It wasn't only the nightmare he was having that worried her though; when Tatewaki breathed she could see the vapor leaving his mouth with every puff, as if the temperature was sub-zero. On top of the icy skin, it didn't take a genius to figure out something was terribly wrong.

"Tatewaki, please wake up!" she cried, shaking her brother a bit harder this time. Kodachi bit her lip in alarm when he still didn't wake up. She ran to the doorway, calling for a nurse, doctor, or any medical professional that would listen. Hearing a groan from her brother's bed, Kodachi whipped her head around to see the Blue Thunder groggily opening his eyes. She ran over to his bed, joyed to see that he was conscious. Kodachi raised her hand to his forehead, and was also glad that it was rapidly returning to its original temperature; although she noticed that the sheets, which were now strewn about the bed messily, were frozen near the edges, although it was beginning to melt. Kodachi made sure to file that away mentally.

She looked back up to Kuno's head, which was turned towards the window and not her face. It looked almost as if he was searching for something.

"Brother," Kodachi started, her voice small, "what happened, Tatewaki?" She stroked the ebony ponytail that hung over her left shoulder with her hands in a gesture of nervousness, awaiting an answer from her distressing kin. He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath before turning his head to meet the face of his sister's.

His eyes held sadness, confusion and. . . was that fear that Kodachi saw? For a brief moment, indecision passed Kuno's face, wondering whether to tell Kodachi of what he saw in his dreams.

Would she be able to help me? Would she be able to understand? Tatewaki asked himself mentally, his sister searching his face for a clue as to what was going on. Kuno himself wished he knew.

Suddenly, a small legion of nurses entered the room, shooing Kodachi away from her brother's bedside and out into the stark, white hallway of the hospital. The Black Rose craned her neck to see what they were doing to her brother, but the nurses promptly shut the door in her face.

"Rude commoners," she muttered under her breath, masking the concern she felt for her brother. Leaning against the white wall, she waited beside his room for the nurses to be done their check-up on him.

Well, I was the one frantically calling for the doctors, I suppose they had to come sometime, she concluded, staring distantly into the void of the near-empty hallway. Kodachi attempted to sort out what was happening to her brother; first a high fever, then turning as cold as a corpse. . .

Cold as ice, he's not going to die, the Black Rose assured herself, biting her lip in frustration. She felt helpless at the moment; something she seriously was not used to.

If only Ranma darling could help! Kodachi thought wishfully, dreaming of her pigtailed prince, if only to distract herself from the situation at hand.



*=*=*=*=*=



Like a cat she scaled the tree, keeping herself hidden from the outside world in the green foliage. The wind whistled, tossing her hair about her green eyes, slightly obscuring her vision. She pushed her tress behind her ears, keeping it in place as best she could so she could see properly. The girl peered through the branches and leaves, and into the hospital window. There, sitting up in a bed, was a boy around the age of seventeen, looking blankly out the window and saying something, although the girl couldn't rightly tell what.

So. This is the boy that we've been looking for, she thought smugly, making a note of his basic features for future reference. From what she could tell, he looked a bit dazed, and pale.

It was going to be easier than she thought.



~*~*~*~



And that's about it for now. I hope you like it so far! This is only the beginning, so of course it's not going to be as interesting as the later chapters and, of course, it's twice as confusing. @_@ I'll try to make the next chapter longer for your enjoyment and sanity. ^^;; Well, I've always said that there needed to be more Kuno fics out there, so I actually decided to do something about it. This fic's for you, all you Kuno fans out there! :) Remember to review! ^_^