A Ranma ½ King of Fighters x-over fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and King of fighters. If I did, I'd give the word 'riot' a whole new meaning. MWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHA!!!! *WHAM* (Gets hit by mallet-sama) "BAKA!"

WARNING: Chapter is a little dark at first.

Flames of Destiny

By Luc

Chapter 2: A Hero's Life, Cursed Blood

A couple of months later…

It was a rainy night in Tokyo; everyone was running off to seek shelter from the sudden downpour. Well, almost everyone…

A lone figure is casually walking down the streets. Said figure is wearing a long dark cloak that completely covers the figure's face and body. His movements are refined; He walks in complete silence as if he seemingly glides across the pavement. He doesn't seem to mind the rain or the looks he has been getting from the people. He would've walked to the other end of town without a second thought if he hadn't heard someone crying. The cloaked man looked towards the small alleyway and saw three men looking down on someone with wicked eyes. The man's eyes narrowed when he saw the one on the ground. It was a girl, around 16-18 years old, with matching brown hair and eyes. She is wearing a standard school fuku that have seen better days. The girl was crying her eyes out, desperately trying to shout off a cry for help but nothing came out of her mouth. The hooded man changed his course and started walking towards the alley.

The three men looked down on the young girl before them. They all had malicious grins on their faces.

"Well lookie here! We got ourselves a fine catch boys!"

"Yeah! What a babe!"

"Heheh… Urk!!!"

The third thug didn't get to finish his bit as a hand appeared out of nowhere and started to choke the life out of him. He is lifted off the ground by someone and not less than a second later the thug's head was slammed into a brick wall. A loud crack can be heard coming from the man's skull. Unconsciousness followed suit.

The place where the thug once stood shimmered for a moment and then a man in a dark cloak came into view. He removes his hood and the petrified girl and the other thugs finally got a good look on who the man is. He has black hair that is tied in a loose ponytail, icy blue eyes and a look that promises pain to those who would dare piss him off.

The cloaked individual looked at the downed body of the thug for awhile, he then turned his gaze towards the other two thugs. If looks could kill, those two would've died a hundred times over. One of the thugs is shaking like crazy and there was a yellow stain visible on his pants.

"Leave… now…" the man said in a menacing tone.

The thug that wet himself quickly ran away screaming about ghosts and stuff. The other one pulled out a knife and pointed it towards the intimidating figure in front of him.

"You think that little trick scares me?" the ponytailed man just smirked at him. "You… I'll show you!"

He sprang forward intending to stab the cloaked man's chest.  

The man's hands blurred for a second and the thug was catapulted towards the end of the alley. He picked up the knife on the ground and marched forward to the 'pathetic piece of trash' as he calls it.

The hooligan was still trying to regain his senses when he felt a sharp pain on his leg. He yelled in agony as he saw the cloaked man twist the knife that was imbedded in his leg. The ponytailed man's hair changed from black to red for a second, then back to black. His cold blue eyes turned purple for a brief moment as well.

"Shi… ne… (1)"

The hooligan screamed in agony as his whole body was engulfed in purple flames. He stands up and begins to frantically run around in circles. Fortunately for him, his random arm swings broke a water pipe that soon washed the flames off of his body; he then drops to the ground out cold.

The cloaked man turned his attention to the girl. The poor thing just sat there in the corner motionless. A mixture of shock and fear evident in her eyes. He grabs her right shoulder and starts shaking her gently. The girl turned her head slightly and looked at him. Her eyes widened and she frantically screamed at his face. 

"Ge… GET AWAY FROM ME!!! YOU PERVERT! MONSTER! GET AW…" she didn't get the chance to finish her tirade as she suddenly dropped out cold by a pressure point to the back of her head.

The man lifted the girl up and cradled her in his arms. He exits the alley and out the streets. The rain picked up once more. The man looks up to the sky, he then closes his eyes and lets the heavy rain fall on his face. His hair changes into fiery red, he looses a bit of height but the most noticeable feature is the sudden expansion of his chest and his entire body became more curved and defined.  The intimidating man was now replaced by a busty red-haired girl. She opened her blue eyes, eyes that hold so much pain and suffering, and smiles sadly.

"Monster… maybe I am one…"

She and the brown-haired girl she was carrying faded from view afterwards.

The red-haired girl knocked on the front door of a local clinic in Tokyo. She was carrying the unconscious body of the girl she saved from those thugs. After knocking loudly a couple of times, she decided to leave the girl by the doorstep. She really doesn't need to be here anymore unless she wanted the doctor to call her a monster as well. Shaking her head, she starts walking away only to stop when she heard someone call her name.

"RANMA?!"

Dr. Tofu Ono sighed as he sat on his chair while drinking a cup of coffee. He has just returned from another visit to Nerima and he still couldn't believe what he saw and heard the first time he was asked to return there. 

****Flashback****

Everyone was gathered at the Tendo Dojo. The Amazons, the Tendo sisters, Nodoka along with Ukyou and Ryoga were seated at the Tendo living room. Soun and Genma were passed out drunk in front of the yard. Dr. Tofu was surprised to see that they were not attacking one another yet. Then he noticed that the girls were crying their hearts out. He almost lost it when he saw Kasumi but managed to remain calm because of the feeling of depression he sensed coming from each one of them. Composing himself, he clears his throat and starts to speak.

"Ahem! Um… Would anyone mind telling me what is going on here? Nabiki told me that something happened and I should come over right away. Why are you all looking like that? It's not like somebody died or anything." Though it was meant to lighten the mood, the group responded by crying and sulking even more than before.

Starting to panic, Tofu turned towards Nabiki. "Nabiki?"

Nabiki looked like hell. Her hair was a mess and her puffy red eyes clearly indicated that she was crying. It was rather an unusual sight to see the so called 'Ice queen' of Furinkan High in such a state. She turned towards Dr. Tofu and shakily answered.

"Ranma's dead."

Tofu blinked for a moment before his head finally caught up with the meaning behind those words. His eyes widen and his knees suddenly became weak. After a few moments, he finally regained his voice. "H-How?"

Cologne retold the story of what happened in Jusendo up to the last time they saw the pigtailed boy.

"Are you sure that he is dead? I mean he could've escaped not long after you did right?" Tofu asked, although it sounded like he was only trying to convince himself more than anything.

Taking a deep breath, Cologne answered. "His eyes…" Tofu raised an eyebrow at that. Cologne sighed a bit before continuing. "The look in his eyes told me that he will die first rather than run away. He knew that he wasn't coming out of the fight alive but he wanted to make sure that the rest of us got out of harm's way…" Cologne's voice was barely heard near the end.

Shaking his head in denial, Tofu started ranting. "But you don't know for sure right? I mean this is Ranma were talking about here! He has survived everything thrown at him before, why should this be any different?"

Cologne smacked Tofu on the head. It was clear that the news hit him as hard as the rest of the group. She couldn't blame him for his attitude though. In the past, Ranma fought long and hard against opponents that far outclassed him but he always managed to come up on top at the end. They have forgotten that Ranma is still human (2) and can be killed. What happened in Jusendo is a clear example of that.

"Foolish male! Not long after we escaped the entire Phoenix Mountain exploded! I assumed it was due to son-in-law and Saffron's clash of power. When we finally reached the bottom, the whole mountain was engulfed in flames!" Cologne snapped back.

"Ai… Airen too too brave. Great-grandmother organize team of Amazon warriors but… but…" Shampoo said in between sobs. 

"When we got there all we found was a mound of ash." Ryoga finished for the distraught Shampoo.

"Human ashes…" Mousse added quietly. Cologne went on to finish the story.

"The entire Phoenix tribe, son-in-law and even the Phoenix god Saffron were turned to dust. The only thing strange about the whole thing was that Saffron the immortal did not rise from his ashes like the legends foretold." Cologne then let off a dry chuckle. "Knowing son-in-law, I think he might have been the one behind that certain phenomenon."

Dr. Tofu couldn't handle much more of this and promptly fainted on the spot.

****End Flashback****

Tofu sighed yet again. Since he was Ranma's doctor in Nerima, he took care of Ranma's medical records and especially those in regards to the young man's death. They made a tomb in memory of the arrogant, chauvinistic yet kind and innocent young man. He would come back to Nerima once a month to check up on everyone. Most of the group is going be alright, but some are struck pretty hard by Ranma's death.

The Amazons were no stranger to people dying so they are the ones that recovered quickly. Cologne managed to sell the Nekohanten in a couple of week's time. They left for China a month ago, saying that they have no business to be in Japan anymore. Shampoo on the other hand, said that Nerima reminded her so much of her beloved Airen.

Ukyou shared similar thoughts with the purple-haired girl. She closed Ucchan's and left Nerima not long after the Amazons did. He found out from Nabiki that she was accepted back by her father saying that Ranma's death brought her honor back so she was declared female once more.

Soun and Genma, he really didn't know what to do with them. They were already getting drunk on a regular basis even before he left Nerima now those two seem to have gotten worse if that was possible.

Nabiki remained almost the same as before. Except she's a lot colder to everyone other than her family; it seems as if that she has shunned the rest of the world from her heart completely. She still does her 'stuff' at school but he thinks that she does it lackadaisically now. It appears that she has reinforced the barrier she made when her mother died years ago. He was beginning to wonder if Nabiki did have feelings for the pigtailed youth.

Kasumi, sweet Kasumi. He cursed himself for not being able to console her. He only heard from Nabiki that she does her household chores half-heartedly now. Her smile faded along with her enthusiasm.

Nodoka is a living wreck. She decided to go back to the Saotome residence and locked herself inside Ranma's old room. It took sometime to get her to come out and eat some food. At least Kasumi visits often to share the pain of losing someone dear to you.

Akane… Akane took it the worst. Just like Nodoka, she locked herself inside her room and refused to eat anything for a couple of days until her sisters got her out of it. Even when her so-called 'pet' P-chan comes by, she just ignores it and continues to sulk. When Kasumi said that she can cook for the day Akane just said that she was a lousy cook! Akane even malleted Ryoga for speaking badly about Ranma. Ryoga got pounded even more when Akane took P-chan to the bath with her.

In a way he was kind of glad that Akane now realizes her own faults and weaknesses. It is said that people grieve in different ways. He guessed that this was Akane's way of coping up with her loss.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard a loud knock on the door. He glanced at the clock, it was past midnight already. 'Who could it be at this time of the night?' thought Tofu as he unlocked the door.

He was shocked to see a young girl leaning on the wall beside his doorstep. He quickly checked the girl for her vitals and was glad that the girl was okay. He then started looking around to find out who brought the girl here. His eyes widened as he came upon a retreating figure with familiar bright red hair and a long ponytail. He could only utter a single word afterwards.

"RANMA?!"

Ranma-chan turned around slowly, her clear blue eyes widened upon seeing a familiar figure running up to her.

"Ranma?! Is it really you?!"

"D… doc…" That was all Ranma-chan could say before she was grabbed by the shoulders.

"It is you! But how? I heard from Elder Cologne that you died in China?!" Tofu shouted at Ranma-chan's face.

Ranma-chan slapped Tofu's hands off her shoulders. "I'd rather not talk about it…" Ranma-chan said in a harsh voice.

"In any case let's go inside my clinic to get out of the rain okay?" Dr. Tofu asked.

Ranma-chan hesitated but her desire to find out what happened to her friends and family made the decision for her.  "Hai…"

Ranma, now back in his male form sat across the table at the reception area of the clinic. His gaze has been fixed on the ground for quite some time now. Tofu sipped his coffee and begins to ask Ranma.

"Ranma, what really happened in China? The whole town of Nerima was in an uproar when they heard about your supposed death."

"I lived, they didn't. That's about it. Can we drop this already?" Ranma said in a cold hard tone. Tofu was shocked at the tone Ranma was using. In his stay in Nerima he never heard such a thing from the boy. Regardless, he needed to find out what caused him to turn out like this.

"Please Ranma, I am just curious to find out what really happened."

Ranma closed his eyes and stayed silent for a long time. 'Should I tell him? Will he understand? Or will he see me as a monster as well?' Tofu was one of a few people that he completely trust.

Ranma let out a heavy sigh, he decided to tell him. "Fine… Saffron got me beat, he was about to finish me off when  I felt my entire body in intense pain and something… powerful, it was like I was being torn apart from the inside out. Next thing I knew, I was on my feet and started beating the hell out of Saffron…" He paused and summons his flame. "With this… I really don't know what exactly this is but this is the one that set the mountain on fire…"

"Ranma..?"

Unshed tears can be seen in his eyes. He sobs every now and then but he continued telling the story. "I… I killed them… Every phoenix, male or female it didn't matter, I killed every last one of them… I burned them all while I was drunk with that mixture of pain and power. When I finally regained control of my body, I found myself in a forest a few miles away from Phoenix Mountain…"

Dr. Tofu goes to Ranma's side and gently grabs Ranma's shoulder to provide some comfort. "Ranma… It wasn't your fault. Whatever this power is, it was the one that made you lose control. I understand Ranma, you killed them… but that doesn't mean that you liked it."   

'I thought you understand?!'  "But I did like it…" his voice barely above whisper.

"What?" asked a stunned Tofu.

"I SAID I LIKED IT!!! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU UNDERSTAND?! I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IN CONTROL OF MY BODY BUT I SAW EVERYTHING I DID AND I LIKED EVERY SECOND OF IT!!! CAN YOU SAY THE SAME THING TO YOURSELF?!" that last statement shut Tofu up.

Tears burst forth and started falling down his face but he was smiling, it was not a normal smile rather it was a smile that a crazed person would've made.

"EVERYTIME THESE HANDS TORE THROUGH SAFFRON'S SKIN I WAS FILLED WITH A SENSE OF SATISFACTION! THEIR CRIES OF ANGER AND REVENGE ONLY AMUSED ME! THEIR SCREAMS AND PLEAS FOR MERCY WHILE I BURNED THEM ALIVE ONLY HIGHTENED MY DESIRE FOR BLOOD, FOR DEATH, FOR PAIN! I WANTED MORE! I WANTED MORE POWER AND I WANTED TO DESTROY EVERYTHING!!!"

He falls to his knees and stares at his hands. 'Soul of ice… Soul of ice…' "Since then, every time I fight, It slowly comes out… tempting me to do things that I never, not even in my wildest dreams, thought that I was ever capable of doing…"

Ranma puched the floor hard. "I… I don't even know what I am anymore…"

Tofu gave him a reassuring hug. A couple of seconds later Ranma started crying his heart out. Months of pain and suffering alone, without someone to ask for help or someone to confide in. His emotional barriers, amplified by the soul of ice technique, that turned him into a ruthless fighter finally shattered. He was finally able to remove some of the heavy burden he was carrying by himself.

Ranma collected himself a few moments later. Tofu then proceeded to tell him what has happened in Nerima while he was away.

"Is that the reason why you never did return to Nerima?" Tofu asked the ponytailed boy. Ranma just nods his head.

"I… I had no such control of my powers at the time. I couldn't risk losing control in Nerima. I'll never forgive myself if I hurt any of my friends and family… Fortunately, a kind Chinese couple provided me with food, clothes and some money to last for a few months. I finally gained some sort of control when I used the soul of ice to meditate. I can block out the urges but I will turn into a cold and heartless person instead. At least in that state, I have the power to stop myself from killing again. That's what the girl I rescued saw earlier." Ranma explained.

"In any case, I'll have to call everyone and tell them the news that your alive."

"NO! *ahem* No doc. Please don't tell them anything. If what you say is true then it's best if Saotome Ranma stays 'dead'. Promise me doc, promise me that you will not tell anyone without my consent."

"Alright… I promise but I'll have to call your mother okay? She is all alone and I think you'll agree that we don't like to see her in such a sad state right?" Tofu reasoned to the ponytailed boy.

"Only my mother, okay doc?" Ranma asked.

"Okay." Tofu then walked towards the phone. Ranma looked outside the window. The rain has stopped, he thought for a bit and then he stood up from the chair he was sitting in.

"I… I have to go doc. There is something I have to do first." Ranma said.

"Where are you going Ranma?" Dr. Tofu asked while picking up the receiver.

Ranma paused a bit before answering. "I'll be at the outskirts of Nerima in a couple of hours. You can meet me there later doc." He slammed the door shut before Tofu could get a word in.

'Ranma… I hope that you can find an answer there…' thought Tofu as he dialed the number to the Saotome residence. He did not notice that the door from the room where he placed the girl was slightly open nor did he see the pair of eyes that watched the heated exchange a couple of minutes ago.

Nerima

Ranma walked towards the town of Nerima. His entire body is cloaked in one of the Umisenken's techniques, the Goshin Dai Ryu Sei Fu (3). He looks around town, checking for changes since he left the place for that disastrous trip to China months ago. The town looks better than ever, the buildings are as good as new and there were no signs of recent damages. It seems that the fights by the Nerima Wrecking Crew stopped as well.

Ucchan's has been replaced by a ramen restaurant. Though he missed his old buddy and her okonomiyaki, he is glad that at least she is finally back with her family.

A pharmacy shop replaced the Nekohanten. Ranma suddenly feels as if he will be glomped any minute now. He really cares for Shampoo, but he only sees her as a friend. The same goes for his childhood buddy Ucchan.

'At least I got my rivals off my back (4). Knowing Ryoga, I think he'll concentrate on Akari now that his curse has been revealed to Akane. Either that or he'll start looking for my ghost or something to blame things on. Mousse will continue pestering Shampoo but I doubt he'll ever get a chance with her.'

He chuckles to himself. 'Who would have thought that those idiots were right? I did more good 'dead' than when I was alive.' 

With his supposed death, the fiancée trouble was no more. The reason he was… as Akane would put it 'leading them on' is because of the fact that the girls would be dishonored if he even choose one of them. Honor is the most important part of him. It is the one thing that was constant in his life so he values honor more than life itself.

Ukyou had to grow up as a boy and was ordered by her father to kill him and his pop or marry him in order to satisfy her honor. If she fails to accomplish one or the other then she will be disowned by her father. She can't run her okonomiyaki business if she is a ronin. With him 'dead' she can have her life back together with her family.

Shampoo already received a Jusenkyo curse as punishment for failing to kill his female side. If she fails to bring her Airen back into the tribe, her punishment at the very least would've been banishment from the Amazon tribe especially with Cologne assisting her on the quest. His death allowed Shampoo to go back to her tribe with her honor intact.

Ranma stops right in front of the Tendo dojo. He stares at the front door for quite sometime and then he turns around and leaves.

'Akane… I don't understand my feelings for her at all. The first time we met, she was so friendly and kind. She could be such a tomboy at times but that smile of hers makes me feel welcome. I… I guess I care about her a lot but I don't know if it is love. Heh, I don't even know what love is! Damn you pop, Damn you…  You made me like this; I can't even talk properly to anyone without messing things up.'

He arrived at the last place he planned to visit, his grave.

'Funny, never thought I'd be visiting my grave when I'm not even a ghost (5). I guess I'll leave a letter to mom to give to Akane later. I can't involve her in my life anymore but I certainly won't let her stay a sobbing wreck if what Tofu told me is true.'

He closed his eyes and summons his purple flames.

'Yes… It's best this way…' He was shaken out of his thoughts by a large gasp that came from behind him. He turns and looks at the person directly in the eyes.

"Akane…"

Back at the clinic

Kushinada Yuki closed the door to the room she was in. She really doesn't remember much of what happened when those hooligans dragged her into an alley. She only remembered that the man that saved her changed hair colors for a moment but she dismissed that fact and thought that it was the same red-haired man hell-bent on killing her boyfriend. She now regretted her words because of what she saw and heard a couple of minutes ago. She then noticed the door being opened.  

"Oh! You're awake!"

"Yes…" Yuki meekly replied.

"My name is Dr. Tofu; a friend of mine saved you from those men and brought you here. Yuki-san is it? Forgive me for prying but I took the liberty of contacting the number that was inside your purse."

"Umm… It's alright and… thanks." 'Uh oh…'

A loud crash was heard outside the room.

"YUKI!!!"

Two blurs darted past Dr. Tofu and towards the Kushinada girl.

"Yuki! Are you hurt? Are you injured? I promise I'll hunt every one of them down!" The first blur said in an arrogant tone that could rival Ranma's 'confidence' a few months ago.

"I'm glad you're okay Yuki dear." The second blur said.

"Kyo, Uncle Saisyu, I'm fine. I was saved before they could do anything to me."

"That's good… If my good for nothing son didn't forget to pick you up this would never have happened!" Saisyu said while Soun-like tears flow down his face.

"HEY! It's not my fault! You and you're ideas of training! My body was already spent by the time we got home!" Kyo snapped back.

"My pathetic son can't even admit his own mistakes!" wailed Saisyu.

"I'll show you! ARA GAMI!!!" Kyo lunged forward with a pretty decent right hook.

Tofu and Yuki sweat dropped while watching father and son 'talk' things through. Tofu has only one thing on his mind though…

'My clinic… NOOOO!!!'

Nerima cemetery

"R-Ranma..? Is… is it really you?" asked a much shaken Akane.

"Yeah… It's me…" Ranma calmly answered back. Inside though, he cringed. He was expecting Akane's mallet-sama to hit him for pretending to be dead. Instead, he was almost knocked off his feet by an affectionate hug from the mallet-wielding tomboy. It was just like the hug he got when he returned from his battle with Herb at Mt. Horaisan.

He noticed that Akane was crying. He never really saw her cry for real but seeing it for the first time nearly made him change his decision. But he had to do this; they both must let each other go.

"Oh Ranma! I'm so happy! I knew you were alive! I knew you would come back!" Akane said in between sobs.

Ranma gently pushes Akane away. "Akane… I… have to tell you something. I can't be with you anymore."

"WHY?! Why can't you go back with me?! What's wrong?!" A mixture of anger and denial was evident in her voice.

"I… I…" 'Damn it, focus! Soul of ice…' "Akane… I like you… I may even love you. I care for you so much… that's why I don't want you to be a part of my messed up life anymore."

"What do you mean Ranma? If you love me then why do you want to leave me?"

"Akane, think about Mt. Phoenix. You nearly died because you were connected to me. I can't always be there to protect you whenever a new threat appears." Ranma explained. 'Not to mention that I can't even protect you from myself. Oh boy! Here it comes…' He prepares himself from another emotional outburst.

"You're right… I am weak. I can't protect myself from those kinds of people. I… I just didn't want to admit it." Akane meekly replied.

"Eh?" Once again Akane has managed to surprise the ponytailed youth.

"Don't look at me like that Ranma! Wh… when you 'died', I was finally able to realize the truth. You were always there for me. You protected me every time I'm in danger. I did those things because I wanted to be near you. I wanted to be with the Ranma that I know and love…"

Ranma summons his purple flames. He looks at Akane with cold and uncaring eyes "Does the Ranma you know even thought about killing his opponent? Does the Ranma you know kill innocent women and children? Does the Ranma you know takes pleasure in killing people?!" Ranma shouted at her face.

Akane just stood there, stunned by Ranma's confession. "What?"

"That's right Akane. The Ranma that stands before you now is nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer." He pauses and points at the tombstone. "The Ranma that you and everybody else know rests here! He died the moment he gave in to the temptations of this flame!" His gaze softened and he stares at his hands.

"It calls to me everyday, even in my dreams. I have little to no control over it! If I finally lose to this curse, then I will be nothing more than a bloodthirsty monster." The ponytailed boy said.

Akane shook her head, trying to deny what she was hearing. "B-But I don't want you to go! I… I love you Ranma."

Tears are starting to flow down Ranma's face. "Please Akane, forget about me and move on with your life. You deserve a chance at a peaceful life."

Akane tries to protest but her mouth was silenced by Ranma's finger. "Please don't argue with me Akane… I've already made up my mind and I will not change it. It hurts me just as much as it hurts you but I have to do this. I can never forgive myself if I ended up killing you…"

Akane falls to her knees and begins to cry once more. Ranma knelt beside her and hugs her tight. They stayed there for a long period of time. Ranma slowly gets up; he looks at the quivering body of Akane and smiles sadly. He proceeds to walk away but his arm was suddenly grabbed by Akane, who was already up on her feet.

"Just this once… If… If I can't be with you then… then just this once…" Akane trailed off. She then closes her eyes and leans forward. Ranma leans forward as well and then their lips met. The two engage in a deep kiss that lasted for what seems like an eternity. Finally the two separate; they stared at one another with sad smiles on their faces.

"So long… tomboy…"

"Goodbye… baka…"

Ranma walked towards the outskirts of Nerima with a mixed expression of sadness and relief. He was sad that he had to part with someone he cared for deeply yet relieved that she will not get involved with the dangers involving his life anymore. He hopes that Akane can now go on with her life and find her own happiness. As he was nearing the end of the town, he spotted Dr. Tofu leaning on a wall and muttering something about damages and repairmen?

"Ready to go Ranma?" Tofu asked the young man. Ranma smiled ever so slightly which made the doctor wonder what he did in Nerima to get that kind of reaction from him. In any case, it seemed to have relieved some of the pain in his mind and heart to a certain degree but enough for him to get out of what the doctor felt like suicidal depression.

"Hai…" The two started walking and soon faded from view. Though Ranma may deny it, a part of him will always be in Nerima. Sure, the chaos and quarrels were non-stop, but Nerima was the only place he felt warm and welcome in his entire life. This was his first home, and no one can say anything to him otherwise.

Ranma Saotome's life as a martial artist finally comes to an end, his life as a warrior finally begins.

(1) – Die. 

(2) – Human… Riiiiiiiiiight…

(3) – Body Defense Shooting Star Cloth. It is basically an invisibility technique.

(4) – Oh, you have NO idea Ranma-kun! *evil grin*

(5) – Of course Ranma believes in those after encountering things such as Youkai's, Bake-neko's, and spirits.

# # #

AN: Whew! Another chapter done. R&R onegai! Thanks guys for reviewing this fic. I did not want to rush things with how Ranma is dealing with the flames of death. Ranma's Orochi power is a lot different from Iori's, that's all I can say for now. Sorry for the lack of fighting scenes but I wanted this chapter to be an emotional one. Don't worry; I'll make sure that the next chapter has a balance of both.

In this chapter I wanted to focus on Ranma's state of mind. It's not everyday that you kill hundreds of people, and like it to boot. I wanted to have some character development for our lovable (now slightly disturbing) pigtailed martial artist as he tries to fight the bloodlust inside him. I have downloaded some KoF manga's and have found out that when a person is induced with Orochi blood they show signs of unpredictability. Meaning they could switch from their original behavior into a bloody maniac *snaps fingers* just like that. Ask Iori, I mean for a guy that doesn't like violence he sure causes a lot of it.

What? You were expecting me to go with the 'Ranma's dead, months have passed, Akane moves on, gets Ryoga' or the 'Ranma comes back, bash, bash, bash, then leaves' routine? I'm not an avid supporter of Ranma/Akane matchups but you have to be blind (or just hate Akane) not to see that the two of them have feelings for one another (Both in the anime and manga). Whether it is infatuation or love at first sight (with a HUGE amount of denial on both parties) or whatever, I figured that those two should deserve at least a decent parting.

A death of a loved one can change a person's life in many ways or people grieve in different ways. I know this to be true because I've seen it happen one to many times. In Akane's case, she starts to think clearly and begins accepting her own faults and weaknesses. (Sounds to good to be true but work with me here ^_^;)

As for Kyo bashings… I will think about it. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing Kyo get beat up every now and then but I think that Red Priest's Tenth Hakkeshu took the fun out of it already. (40+ chapters of Kyo bashings @_@;) Besides, I like his mom! She packs a mean punch! ^^

Hmm… What else? Oh yeah! Now that Akane and the fiancée squad is out of the running (for the moment anyway), who am I gonna pair Ranma up with? I was thinking either Chizuru or Leona (I know she's been done already) because they are the only ones that seem to be near or the same age as Ranma (Early 20's and 18 years old respectively). Not to mention that they can relate to Ranma's problems. You could vote for one of the two or you could suggest another character. That's all for now, Ja ne!

- Luc

Next Chapter A Child at Heart

A child will be born with the power of the Orochi, and when he fully awakens, Orochi will be released into the world once again, and chaos will prevail.