Author's Note: The overall weirdness of fic is the product of lack of sleep plus listening to too much Tom Waits during the writing. Nothing I had planned, but hey, it got it done! ;p

I can only hope my portrayal of Kuno and the rest of the cast is correct. I'm not really sure myself, but I find Kuno and his family to be fascinating people. So, have patience with me, and remember to drop of a couple of reviews when you're done, k? ^^

Disclaimer: Ranma½ and all it's characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sama. For the moment... *evil laughter*

Fighting Shadows

A Ghost Story™

Chapter I: The Stranger

It was a normal day in Nerima. That's to say, it wasn't normal at all.

The sun was shining, the breeze was mild and gentle and friendly clouds were creating interesting shapes for happy children to point and smile at.

Kimiko Makiuchi, age 11 and inheritor of the Makiuchi Clan Jashin No Yasha School of Martial Arts and Mysticism, was enjoying a stroll through the park while eating a strawberry flavoured ice-cream cone. The wind made her fiery orange hair dance and she was happily unaware of the fact that before the day was over, she would be possessed by an ancient cat-demon as well as destroying a local restaurant, fighting a certain pig-tailed aqua-transsexual and end up spending the rest of the week with the local Wrecking Crew, trying to save Tokyo from the Eldrich Horrors from Beyond the Void.

Like I said, a normal day.

This story isn't about her, though, but rather the blue-coloured, vaguely man-shaped meteor heading for her location.

"Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaouff!"

(THUD!)

Kimiko's sharp reflexes had her jump to the side right before a person in blue hakama hit the ground next to her at high speed, causing dirt and grass to fly everywhere as the impact tore a shallow trench in his path before he finally stopped in a pathetic heap.

Kimiko walked over to the broken figure. "Hey, mister? You okay?"

The strange man, who looked like something out of a Kurosawa-movie, raised his head and spoke.

"Thank you for flying Kuno Airlines. Please stay seated until the plane has stopped entirely. Oh, look! Birdies!"

Then he lost consciousness and returned to his pathetic heap-position.

Kimiko shrugged her shoulders and continued on her way. "This town has some really weird people," she mused as she continued to lick her ice-cream.

When Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High and Rising Star of the Kendo World returned to the land of the waking, he was rather disoriented. This was perfectly natural, since he had been thrown halfway across town. Once his head cleared, he recalled the last thing that he had seen before entering Lower Earth Orbit, namely Ranma's grinning face and a very unfriendly fist.

"Damn you, Saotome!" he shouted. "Once again has your foul magic denied me my righteous victory! And what is worse, you have once again separated me from fair Akane and my pig-tailed goddess! My fury shall burn as Hell itself and my vengeance shall be swift as the winds!"

After this proclamation he felt considerably better. Picking up his bokken, which he had dropped at the impact, he decided to locate Saotome with the intent of teaching him a lesson about fair play.

However, this presented him with a problem; he didn't really know where he was at the moment. But as the eternal optimist he was, this did not bother Kuno at all. He started walking at a random while fanaticising about Akane and the pig-tailed girl, who would naturally shower him with affection once the evil Sorcerer was justly obliterated.

Meanwhile, in a dark downtown ally not far away, a local gang of criminals had surrounded a lone man. The man looked like a normal businessman, dressed in a stylish brown suit with matching hat, white shirt and dark tie. He held a briefcase in his left hand and the other rested on a slender black cane. His short, neatly trimmed beard and moustache were white as snow and his eyes were unusually dark, even for a Japanese; like two holes into the endless void.

The gang estimated him as being an easy target and figured robbing him was a great idea. Had they known who and what he really was, swimming to China would have struck them as an even better one. However, they were blissfully unaware of the danger they were in, though Mr Sato -the would-be victim in question- was currently considering enlightening them.

"Well, look what we got'ere," said the gang-leader, a brutish thug of a man with a scar across his cheek, while waving his switchblade in Mr Sato's general direction. "Seems like someone took a walk in the wrong neighbourhood. You better hand over all yer cash if you know what's good for you, old man!"

Mr Sato turned his blacker-then-oil eyes towards the thug, who immediately felt slightly less sure of himself. "And if I don't?"

Now, these thugs weren't easily scared. You can't be a robber in Nerima if you aren't ready to take some chances. Unfortunately, blatant stupidity was a just as common trait as daringness. Come to think of it, in Nerima they are basically the same thing.

"You talkin' back, ya old fart?" the leader said. "I've killed people fer less then that! But if you apologise now, maybe we'll just mess you up allot, instead of guttin' ya!"

"Oh, but you are greatly mistaken." Mr Sato gently put his briefcase down and removed his glows with a cruel and quite disturbing grin on his face, like a wolf surrounded by sheep. "The only one who is going to be gutting people around here is me. I was going to let you go with a warning, since I wanted to avoid getting my clothes covered in blood, but if you're that eager to be vivisected, I don't see why I shouldn't…"

He was interrupted by a bokken-wielding young man in blue samurai-garb who entered their part of the ally, loudly cursing at a non-present enemy.

"Fie, thou loathsome wretch, Saotome! Curse you!" he shouted. "Clearly, a vile spell of your making has twisted my sense of direction to lure me astray in a vain attempt to escape thy well-deserved beating! But as long as my heart flames as the fiery highlights of my Pig-tailed Goddess' hair, I shall…"

"What the hell…?!" the gang-leader said. Mr Sato was quietly asking himself pretty much the same question. Everyone was staring that the hakama-clad young man, who stopped his monologue when he noticed them.

"What is this?" he asked. "Stand aside, peasants! You are in my path towards glorious victory!"

"What?" the gang-leader said, staring blankly.

"Silence!" Kuno shouted. Getting lost in the unfamiliar neighbourhood had annoyed him greatly and now his patience was growing thin. "You are in the presence of the mighty Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, knave!"

There was a short, awkward silence.

"Mighty Blue what?" one of the gang-members asked, looking positively perplexed.

"What the hell is a 'knave'?" said another one, scratching his head.

"Oh, iz an old medieval insult, ah'think," a third replied. "Y'know, like in Shakespeare?"

"You also like Shakespeare?"

"You too? Kickass!"

"Shut the fuck up!" the leader screamed. He pointed at Kuno with his knife. "Right, I don't care who the hell you are, but you better get your honourable ass out of here and forget you saw anything, or I'll make sure you'll be feeding through a goddamned tube for the rest of your miserable life!"

"Such insolence!" Kuno shouted. "You dare challenge me, Tatewaki Kuno? I shall not rest until you and your comrades have all been smote for this insult! Have at thee!"

With this, he leapt into the midst of the surprised gangsters, whacking and pummelling them with frightening speed.

Meanwhile, Mr Sato discreetly retreated away from the battle. Leaning towards a mildly comfortable wall, he watched the spectacle with growing amusement.

"He's insane! Run!"

"Not in the head! Not in the head!"

"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

"Come back, you fiends! Cowards, all of you!"

In the end, there was no doubt as for whom had won. When the last gangsters who could still walk limped away as fast as they possibly could, Kuno did not even bother pursuing them.

"The Blue Thunder stands victorious once again!" he said while triumphantly waving his bokken above is head. Thunder rolled in the background, despite the clear sky.

"Not bad," Mr Sato said, slowly clapping his hands for emphasis. "Neater then what I had in mind, anyway. I guess I owe you thanks, Kuno-san."

"There is no need for your gratitude, I was merely doing my duty," Kuno said. "And now, as the honour of house Kuno is redeemed, I can return to my original quest; the obliteration of the evil sorcerer Saotome!"

This sounds interesting, Sato thought. I'll play along and see where this leads. "Sounds like quite a tale, my mighty friend. Tell me more about this sorcerer."

"He is a beast in the guise of a man," Kuno said. "A demon who takes pleasure in cruelty and luring innocent women to him with his deceptive ways. His evil knows no bounds, and I have many time attempted to destroy him. Alas, he uses magic most foul in battle and constantly escapes my wrath through trickery."

"I see," Mr Sato said and nodded slowly. "But if he is that powerful, what makes you think you will succeed this time where you have failed before?"

"I am certain that he cannot keep avoiding the unavoidable for long," Kuno said firmly. "His defeat by my hands is our shared destiny. I must have faith in my formidable skills and in the purity of my heart."

Obviously. Mr Sato repressed an urge to roll his eyes. Then he grinned, for an idea had occurred to him. "That may very well be," he said. "But perhaps you require a weapon more fitting such a task?"

"Even a wooden sword is lethal in my hands," Kuno explained. "Besides, I own several blades of steel, but they do not seem to have any greater effect on him then my bokken have."

"My point exactly," Mr Sato said. "A great warrior fighting a great evil should wield an equally great weapon."

"You speak the truth, but where would I find such a blade?" Kuno asked.

"I was just coming to that!" Mr Sato quickly produced a pen and notepad. He scribbled something down and handed the note to Kuno. "Here is the address of the greatest swordsmith who has ever lived. Go there and tell the first person you meet that you wish to speak to Masamune-sama. Tell him Mr Sato sent you."

"And this Masamune will provide me with a weapon powerful enough to vanquish my enemy once and for all?" Kuno asked.

Sato grinned. "Oh, he will. I guarantee you."

"It is decided, then!" Kuno said. "I shall follow these instructions, old man. If they are correct, I shall be forever in your gratitude. But should they prove false, my vengeance shall be swift! Far thee well!"

Mr Sato watched as Kuno disappeared behind a corner. "About bloody time," he said as soon as he knew that the young swordsman was out of hearing-range. He then stuck his hand into his pocket and retrieved a small cell-phone. He quickly dialled a number and put the phone to his ear.

"Masamune?" he said. "It's Sato. Listen carefully…"