A Ranma ½ King of Fighters crossover fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and King of Fighters characters. Especially some macho chick! That's built like a stick! Dumb as a brick! Thighs are too thick! Can't even kick! *WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!* Ugh… shutting up now… oi…
Flames of Destiny
By Insane Blight
Chapter 12: The Dragon and the Serpent
"That should do it. I hit a couple of nerve points that should neutralize the pain in your right arm. You should fully recover within a week or so if you don't participate in any impromptu fights during that time span."
Ranma nodded. "Thanks doc, I remembered that you're clinic is somewhere in this area so I figured that you should have a look at this injury, you're the best as far as I can tell."
"Thanks for the compliment Ranma." he paused before continuing. "By the way, I heard what took place a couple of weeks back as well as your talk with Kuonji-san… are you sure you're alright?" Tofu asked carefully.
The ponytailed boy hung his head. "I don't know. I mean, I do feel terrible on how it all came down to that, I guess I really couldn't take anymore of the things they were forcing me to do. The same goes for Kuonji, I never was a possession doc but they seem to forget that I'm a person too dammit."
Ranma sat down hard on the sofa. "I told you that this is what I feared when I came back a couple of months ago doc but… regardless, there is one thing good that came out of this. After what they saw me do to them and to their loved ones, I'm pretty sure that they'll avoid me from now on, and I hope it stays that way because I… I… I don't think that I'll stop at just beating the hell out of them…" he said in a serious tone, his eyes turning purple for a brief moment.
If Tofu noticed the change in Ranma's eyes he did not show any indication of it. "So, what are you planning to do now Ranma?" he inquired.
"I don't know… I'm only in this tournament because somebody blackmailed me. They said that they'll ruin the lives of the Tendo's, the Kuonji's and anybody else close to me if I don't join. I might as well go along with it and probably beat the hell out of the ones that did this to me." he growled out, his flames involuntarily appeared.
"Calm down Ranma! Calm down!" Tofu pleaded.
Ranma glanced at the frantic doctor before he became aware of what he was doing. "I'm sorry doc. I just can't control myself like I used to even when I apply the soul of ice. Like I said before doc, I don't know what I am anymore. I don't know then and I'm certainly nowhere near in finding out the answer to it now."
Silence ensued, both men seemingly in deep thought. Ranma's shoulders slumped as he suddenly says farewell to Tofu while the good doctor merely looked at the boy's retreating figure with sad eyes. 'Too much… it's too much of a burden for someone of his young age to carry. I fear that there will come a time where he might truly lose it completely… his sanity and his humanity… I pray that does not happen.'
Dr. Tofu was about to go back to his work when he heard a knock on the clinic door. 'Huh? I guess Ranma must've forgotten something…' He immediately went to the door and opened it to reveal a certain smiling white-haired teen.
"Hello sir, you wouldn't happen to be Dr. Ono Tofu, ne?" Ash asked innocently. His smile widened when the doctor nodded in response. "Good! I'd like to ask you one thing…"
Leona sighed as she sat up from her hospital bed. She grumbled slightly, wondering why she had to stay a week in a hospital. Yes, it has been a week since she regained her memories and she was both happy and sad at the whole thing. She has killed her fellow villagers, her friends and her parents. She can admit that to herself now rather than deny it like what she always did before she was reunited with Ranma. She's not proud of that fact, but because she has begun to accept it, she feels that she can now start to move on with her life.
Another thing that was good for her was the talk she had with her father figure, Heidern. She never could lie to him so she ended up telling him everything about her past up to the point when he found her all those years ago. He understood quite well and he said that he was sorry for bringing her into this line of work but she replied with a hug and said that she would never had survived without him and his support as a father throughout the years. She snapped out of her musings when she heard the door opening.
"Hey."
Leona's features brightened considerably, a smile quickly formed on her face. "Ranma!"
Ranma smiled back as he approached Guidel's daughter. "What's the matter? Can't stand staying at a hospital for a long time?" he teased.
The blue-haired girl bopped him on the head. "Don't you start with me again Ranchan and stop teasing me like that! You know I hate it when you do that…" she said, trying to sound angry and failing miserably. "What brings you here today, other than to tease me?"
"Oh not much, I just brought along someone that I thought you might want to see." Ranma said, going to the door and opening it slowly.
Leona's eyes widened when a familiar auburn-haired woman carrying a long bundle stepped inside the room. "Um… Auntie? Is that really you?"
"Yes dear, it's me. My, you've grown into a very fine lady Leona-chan." Nodoka said with a smile. She sat on a chair and began to talk to the enthusiastic blue-haired girl.
Ranma quietly left the room, not wanting to disturb their time together and he slowly closed the door behind him. He gently leaned on it and let off a sad sigh, the smile he had earlier was now replaced by a miserable frown.
"Human…"
***
An image of a woman being tortured to death…
***
Ranma clutched his head as he leaned on the wall for support. "I do understand… so… stop it already… I don't want to see it anymore." The pain intensified for a couple of seconds before it finally disappeared. Ranma took a few deep breaths to regain his composure. "Human… if those murderers are what you call human…"
The Orochi half-breed had his head down as he walked towards the exit. He opened the door but stopped midway when he noticed a female figure standing infront of him. 'Déjà vu… might as well get this over with. There is only one fiancée left that I know of anyway.' "Look, I don't want to be forced to marry anyone, I also don't want to be forced to be a slave in your tribe and I'm certainly not going to agree to anything you say, got that Shampoo?!"
"Excuse me but what are you talking about? What does marriage have to do with a hair product?"
Ranma quickly looked up and saw Chizuru standing there with a bewildered expression. The ponytailed boy had the decency to look embarrassed at his earlier outburst. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." he quickly explained. He took a semi-guarded stance, trying to see if this woman was an illusion or not.
The Kagura priestess noted the wary look in Ranma's face. "You can relax… I'm not here to fight, though I'd like to have a word with you in private, Ranma Saotome." she requested hesitantly.
Ranma raised an eyebrow at the woman in front of him, wondering if this was the same woman who unceremoniously attacked him a few weeks ago. In the end, he finally sighed and decided to go along with the whole thing for now. Besides, he really needed to focus on something else right about now. "Sure…"
She led the Orochi half-breed to the building rooftop. The Kagura priestess went towards the railing and had a distant look on her face as she gazed at the street below them. After staying there for what seemed like hours, Chizuru finally turned and faced Ranma.
"Why…?"
Ranma gave her a puzzled look. "Why what?"
Chizuru looked down. "Why did you save me? You simply could've just allowed me to be fall to the bottom of the cliff. I know that I would've done it to you at that time…"
The ponytailed boy sighed and looked up to the sky, as if waiting for an answer from the gods… hell, any god other than his clan's at this moment. "Why? I dunno…"
"What do you…" she was cut off when Ranma placed a hand in front of her.
Ranma gave her a sad smile and began to walk away. He opened the door and said one last thing to her. "I guess… I'm still trying to be human, no matter how hopeless it may be."
Next Day, Docks
'China… I never thought that I'll be going back there under these circumstances, but I guess I have no choice.' Ranma watched as the ship began to set sail. He stared down at the thousands of fans wishing their favorite fighters farewells and good luck. He then noticed two people staring at him. 'She's… awake…?'
Nodoka was standing there at the side while supporting Akane, who was currently sitting in a wheelchair, tightly clutching a letter in her hands.
The two stared at each other until they were out of sight. Akane cried and clutched the letter closer to her chest while Ranma closed his eyes, turned around and did a simple wave. 'Ja na… it was never meant to be.'
He opened his eyes and it turned violet along with the sudden coldness in his face. "I have to find that place if I want to at least have some peace of mind…"
***
An image of Ranma facing the eight-headed monster Orochi…
***
Ranma was twisting and turning in his chair, mumbling his clan's name in his sleep.
***
The same image except Ranma was now replaced by a young boy…
***
Ranma woke up when he felt that he was being shaken by someone. He looked up and saw a certain red-head trying to get him up and going. "Wha? Shermie? Why? What's wrong?"
Shermie pouted. "Ranma! You said that you're going to train me today and here I find you sleeping, wake up!" she yelled, although she was trying to suppress her laughter at the way Ranma's hair was standing up.
The ponytailed boy rapidly scratched his head from irritation, earning a mirthful laugh from Shermie. He stared at her in wonder before he looked at himself through of a mirror. He paused for a minute and then started laughing along with her. "Fine… I'll meet you at the deck in ten minutes. Wait for me there, okay?
The twin ponytailed woman smiled and left his room afterwards. He chuckled a little bit more before sobering up, recalling the dream he just had.
'What's happening to me…?"
One man shared similar thoughts with the ponytailed boy…
"Damn it, what is happening to me?!"
Yashiro sat up from his bed, rubbing his head in pain. He really has no idea what was going on with him. He has been having these blurry yet consistent images in his dreams since last week and his head started throbbing since that time as well. He got up and put on some new clothes. He swallowed yet another aspirin and drank the whole glass of water in an instant.
He shook his head in dismay. He really was a total jerk this week. He screamed at his two members a few days ago and said to their faces that he doesn't need their pity. He remembered Shermie and Chris' hurt look and cringed, he really has done it now. 'I'm sorry you two… I just don't want you to worry about me… ahhh!!!'
The pain intensified anew, forcing him to aimlessly walk around the room, breaking everything he could get his hands on. He began coughing violently, his red eyes flashing in an instant. He repeatedly punched into the air, as if trying to fight an invisible enemy. He finally sat down and threw up on the floor, the pain has not subsided and he feels as if that it is getting stronger.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh! I can't take much more of this!" Yashiro was too busy minding the pain to notice that a large tremor occurred in sync with his shouting a moment ago…
Deck
"Hiyah!"
Ranma blocked Shermie's high kick. "That's good, but you should relax a bit more. Right now, you're too tense to successfully perform the move." 'I don't believe it… I'm actually training a girl properly. If this happened a few months ago, Shermie here would've malleted me like someone I know.'
The red-head nodded and took a few deep breaths. She took a standard Anything Goes stance and performed a straight left punch followed by a high kick then a crouching leg sweep that got past Ranma's defense, causing him to fall to the floor. Shermie immediately celebrated by jumping up and down while raising her fist in the air.
For his part, Ranma simply smirked at the jumping red-head and swept her off her feet, making her fall on top of him. He locked gazes with her and smiled. "Anything Goes Shermie, you should watch your opponent's movements… you never know when they'll make their move."
Shermie giggled and poked Ranma's nose. "I'll be sure to remember that, sensei."
Ranma sighed as they got up. 'I wonder if we'll ever get past the basics, she can be so playful at times. But I have to say that her cheerful demeanor is really nice to have around.' He dusted himself off and was about to resume training her when the tremor struck.
"Ah!"
"Whoa!"
*Crash!*
Chris walked onto the deck, mostly out of boredom. Ranma already said that those two techniques that he has were enough to get him going in his matches, the rest will all be up to him. He really was amazed at his own stamina right now as his stomach can take a few hundred of Ranma's Amaguriken punches right now even though his master was holding back some of his power. He sighed from boredom and was about to go back down when the tremor struck, causing him to lose his balance. "Ow…"
He rubbed his bottom as he got up. He was about to go downstairs again when he saw the scene at his side. His eyes widened and a grin quickly formed on his face. "Ohoho! I never would have thought that you have the guts to do this, in public no less, sensei!" he whistled, catching the attention of the two.
Chris blinked when he noticed the two dumbly looking at him. "Huh? Don't mind me, please continue with what you're doing!" he said excitedly. 'I guess I didn't have to resort to that after all.'
Both Shermie and Ranma blinked at Chris' remark, they looked at each other and blinked again before they realize the position they were in. Shermie was currently sprawled on the floor; her arms were inadvertently being pinned to the ground by Ranma's hands and their legs were intertwined in a very provocative position.
Ranma's eyes slowly began to widen along with his mouth, Shermie's were even more so, and her face was as bright as a tomato. The ponytailed boy quickly mumbled his apologies, got up from his position and hastily ran after his grinning student. "You're not interrupting anything! Chris! Come back here!"
"Hey, let's go sightseeing when we arrive in China, Kyo." Yuki exclaimed, grabbing Kyo's arm.
"I told you that this isn't a vacation Yuki…" 'I'm starting to regret bringing her along in this tournament.' Kyo thought with a slight twitch. He blinked when he noticed a blue and black blur running past him. "What the…"
"Come back here you little runt!"
Kyo and Yuki stared at Ranma's literally flaming figure that was shooting a flame blast past them. Kyo stared dumbly at Ranma's back while the brown-haired girl has grown quite a sweat drop. "That's the guy that saved you from those thugs?" he asked incredulously. 'Great! I have to thank a Yagami! Geez…'
Yuki nodded, still staring at the ponytailed boy's back. "Errr… yes. C'mon, let's go someplace else Kyo… Kyo?" she asked, tugging his shirt. She looked up and saw the scowl on the Kusanagi heir's face, she glanced at where he was staring at and froze.
Iori was casually leaning on a wall wearing a black trench coat and shades over his normal clothes, staring at the two with an amused expression. He chuckled slightly and summoned his purple flames before standing up and walking away, causing Kyo's scowl to deepen.
Blue Mary leaned forward on a railing and gazed at the sunset. She didn't know how long she zoned out but she knew that she made someone wait for her to snap out of her stupor. "Sorry about that, I kind of have gotten caught up in the moment. I have a tendency of doing that sometimes."
Terry shrugged, leaning on the railing as well. "It's no big deal. So… why did you take the dive? And what's this about Geese planning something?"
"I don't know much about the details but Geese has plans for this so called Orochi blood that has been the talk of most of the fighters in this tournament."
"How is this any different from what he has planned before?" The ponytailed blonde calmly asked.
Blue Mary frowned. "It's not much different except for one thing… Geese isn't getting any younger…"
Terry quickly tilted his head to the side. "What?"
"You heard me. He and his half-brother Krauser want that blood without its so-called 'side effects'. If the Yagami clan was doomed to have a short life span because of it then maybe it can be reversed. Knowing Geese, I think he might be crazy enough to actually try it. I don't know any more details about the side effects but it's clear that they want it for themselves.
I had my suspicions about them before but I never really did paid much attention to them because I originally entered this tournament to find a woman named Diana, she's wanted mostly for hacking into top secret facilities in America. Last I heard she now works for an unknown group doing God knows what." Mary explained.
The ponytailed blonde contemplated on it. 'Eternal life? Geese, you're way over your head if that's what you're planning. Side effects… could it be the one that Yagami went through last year? Are you willing to take that big a risk?'
Hakkeshu Team Room
"It was a misunderstanding, that idiot."
Ranma quietly entered his team's room, muttering curses along the way. He removed his shirt and shoes as he heads toward the shower. "Shower… yeah. I think I'll take a shower, I guess that should do the trick." he nervously said to himself. 'Still… those eyes… so…'
The ponytailed boy shook his head rapidly. "No, don't go there Ranma. You have enough problems already."
He entered the shower room, dropping his clothes at the corner, not noticing another pile of clothes already in there. The blue-eyed boy was about to remove his pants when a cough caught his attention. He turned his head to the side to see a certain blonde in her naked glory.
Ranma blinked once, twice and then a third time before finally realizing what he was staring at. He froze at the sight and gibberish was the only thing coming out of his mouth right now. He fought the urge to run when he saw the slightly serious look on his partner's face.
Mature on the other hand, internally smirked at the nervous man infront of her. She slowly began to approach him, her calm façade turning into a seductive smile. "My… Ranma, I didn't know you were this straightforward…" she purred, causing the ponytailed boy to stammer even more.
"I-It's not what it looks like! I'm not a pervert or anything… eep!" he squeaked in surprise when Mature seemingly was trying to wrap her arms around his neck just as he was starting to back up. That's why he let off a huge sigh when the blonde showed him the bathrobe that she grabbed from behind him.
Mature covered herself up. "Ranma…" she began, making the boy tense once more. "Please tell me if you're going to do this again… so I can wait for you inside the shower next time." she whispered into his ear. She then gave him a smile and a wink as she got out of the room.
Ranma stayed frozen even after Mature left the room. He then sat down hard on the tiled floor, his eyes still wide from shock. He nervously laughed to himself as he spoke. "This is not my day…"
China
It's been 2 days but the King of Fighters Tournament has finally arrived in China. The fighters immediately got out of the ship and onto dry land, eager to participate in the next matches. Athena was supporting Kensou into the nearest town. The teenage boy was obviously in some pain while Chin was being transported to a local hospital.
Andy got out of his room and was being supported by Mai, with Terry and Joe following closely behind. Apparently he hasn't fully recovered from those stab wounds from his previous match with Yamazaki.
Chizuru was talking to her other partner, King along with her servant Reiko, perhaps planning on their upcoming match. Iori seemed to have vanished to who knows where, so did Yashiro while and Kyo, Benimaru and Goro were dragged by Yuki inside the town for some sight seeing. The same goes for Chris, who got roped into showing Shermie around town since he did visit this place not too long ago.
"China… it's been so long." Ranma finished sadly.
Mature noticed the disturbed look on her partner's face. She gently nudged Ranma to get his attention. "Is something bothering you Ranma? You look out of it since we arrived here."
Ranma didn't answer her nor did he even look at her, he just hung his head. Mature got irritated by the lack of response and was about to grab Ranma's shoulder but the ponytailed boy started walking away from the ship and into the town.
"Mature, I'll be gone for a day or two. We don't have any matches in our week of stay here so it should be no problem, right?" he said, glancing at Mature over his shoulder.
"Ah… right." was all she could say.
Vice stood by the blonde's side a couple of minutes later. "Now where is he going? Hey, Mature! Where is your partner headed? Sight seeing? Huh? Hey, snap out of it!" she shouted, waving a hand at the blonde's face.
Mature glanced at her. "I don't know, but I guess we can leave him be for now."
The red-head shrugged. "Yes… for now. By the way, how do you feel after your match? Any changes?" she asked curiously.
"Not much, but I am feeling a bit refreshed after fighting the Ikari Team." Mature chuckled.
"I see…" Vice chuckled back.
Mt. Kensei
"Listen, our orders were to observe Vice and Mature along with anyone who has come into contact with them the most, that being Saotome and Yagami." Clark raised a hand infront of Guidel's daughter before she could even voice out her protest. "Leona, I know this doesn't seem right to you, him being your friend and all but orders are orders, we cannot disobey them especially if the lives of innocents are at stake."
Leona thought about it and glumly agreed. "I understand sir but our orders are to watch his movements, we will not get involved directly, am I right?"
Clark nodded. "That's right. If he does not prove to be a threat then we will back off but we'll still watch him carefully, you'll never know what they might do."
"Yeah, the Orochi clan sure can be merciless killers!" Ralf idiotically added in, causing Clark to elbow his sides. He turned to Leona and saw the hurt look on her face. "I-ah…"
The blue-haired girl shook her head. "It's all right, I know what I am and what clan I came from." she whispered before she walked away.
Clark removed his shades and he smacked Ralf on the head with his cap. "Idiot! You heard the story commander Heidern told us and you were still stupid enough to go and say something like that! You should go after her and apologize you dolt… that's an order."
Ralf hung his head for his stupidity and went after the other Orochi half-breed.
Jusenkyo, China
"Oh! Kind sir! Welcome again to Jusenkyo!" The guide happily said in his native tongue.
"Hello, it is good to see you too." Ranma replied in perfect Chinese.
After leaving the kind couple that took me in, I wandered around China for who knows how long and somehow ended right back here at Jusenkyo. The guide and his daughter Plum immediately prayed to purify the evil spirits or something like that when they first saw me but a quick slap on his face was proof enough that I'm not dead.
"Are the springs…?"
The guide nodded. "Yes, a lot of springs are going back to normal and I think that nannichuan has been restored too. Wait a minute please… I'll get the barrel for you."
Jusenkyo dried up because of Saffron but it seems that my fight with the Phoenix god and that dragon tap ended up getting back the water but to the point that it overflowed, flooding the entire area. The spring water mixed with each other, making it impossible to get a cure that time but now the guide says that the springs are going back to normal and a few springs were actually useful now.
Ranma crossed his arms. "What about the amazons? They're not causing you any trouble are they?"
The guide came back with a barrel of nannichuan. "No kind sir, we kept our mouth shut from the whole thing. I can't thank you enough for what you've done."
Oh, the amazons never did find out about me from them. I helped them get a few rare gems from Mt. Kensei and in return, they'd shut up about this whole thing. You can add to that deal the small chat we had which I recall saying to his face that I single-handedly destroyed Mt. Phoenix, I guess it worked.
"Here is the nannichuan. You will be cured from your curse at last."
"Wait… Are you sure this will cure me? I mean, Taro said that he splashed his back with another curse and it mixed with his first, it did not cancel the first one at all." he informed the guide, shuddering at the thought of what the outcome might be if he splashed himself with nannichuan.
The guide nodded. "Ah I see, that Taro boy. Nannichuan will cure you because it is your true from before you were cursed. The curses will only mix when you get splashed by another curse, one that isn't your original form."
The ponytailed boy nodded in understanding. 'I see… if I get splashed by the spring of drowned hawk, I'll turn into a human… errr… demon female with wings and maybe then some.' Ranma stared at the barrel. "Thank you but please keep it for me a little longer, I still have one place left to go to before I return…" he finished sadly, staring at the flowers in his hand.
"I understand, take care."
Normally, I would be jumping for joy that I finally have nannichuan in my grasp. I guess when you found out that you're only half-human (Though I'm having my doubts if that panda is really human at all), being cured of having a gender-changing curse doesn't seem all that great to me now.
Mt. Phoenix Ruins
Ranma had his hair untied as he entered Mt. Phoenix, his hair covering most of his face. He could still feel it, the hunger he felt at that time and their useless cries for help. He could still remember the stench of death all over his very being after everything was over.
***
"What kind of monster are you?!"
***
Ranma knelt infront of the mountain ruins, causing his hair to cover his entire face. He chuckled slightly as he stared at the bouquet of flowers he was currently holding in his hands, what a pitiful attempt at redemption. He knew that he will never be forgiven for his crimes to these people yet a part of him, the one trying to be human, wanted to at least show these people that he was suffering as well.
***
"Spare my child! I beg you! Ahhh!"
***
The wind picks up and moved his hair to the side to reveal his sorrowful violet eyes. The one thing that continued to haunt him even now was those children. Their terrified looks when he approached them and their cries of pain and pleas for mercy echoed deep within his very soul. 'They were just children… they didn't deserve to die… no one did. A part of me mourned for them yet another part of me wanted them dead.'
***
"What are you really? Make up your mind Ranma…" a voice in his head whispered.
***
Ranma placed one hand on his face while the other was on the cold ground grasping some of the dirt and his body was trembling slightly. He couldn't hold it anymore, tears started to fall down his face as he recalled the incident like it happened only yesterday. 'What am I? Somebody… please… help me…'
"What am I?"
***
"Ranchan?"
"Yeah?"
"You said that you can recall the things that you did when you go through that Riot of Blood. Do you… remember everything when you were in that state?"
"Yeah… I remember everything. From the look of fear in their eyes to the blood curling screams they made as they die… everything… in fact, we're headed there right now… in China…"
***
"Ranchan…" Leona was about to go to Ranma's side but stopped when she was grabbed from behind by Clark. She struggled at first but soon sighed dejectedly, a mission is still a mission.
"Leona…" Clark began.
The blue-haired girl nodded. "I know sir, this mission takes priority. It's just that… he's had it worse than me, he's suffering a whole lot worse than what I used to do…" she said sadly.
Ralf had a curious look. "Why is that?"
"He can actually remember everything his body was doing when he goes into the Riot of Blood. He recalls his time in that state very clearly, unlike me so he knew what he did and he was forced to look into the eyes of the people he killed… I want to help him! He got my life back for me and I want to do everything I can to do the same for him!" she yelled, unaware of the tears falling down her face.
Clark adjusted his shades and shook his head. "No… we can't get involved. It is a direct order from Commander Heidern so we have to follow it to the last detail." he said, although he wished that he hadn't.
Leona clenched her fists tightly before slumping back. "Understood… but there is nothing more to see here sir. Ranma Saotome was just placing flowers at the place where he killed a race of people while he was under the influence of the Riot of Blood so I request we leave now sir." she said bitterly.
Ralf winced at the tone Leona used and so did Clark. "Yeah, I guess we'll fallback. Right, Clark?" he said with a glare to the cringing man beside him.
"Uh, yes, you're right. Let's go back to our quarters for the time being."
Leona took one last look at the sulking figure kneeling on the ground. "Ranchan…"
Jusenkyo
Ranma walked back to the cursed training grounds of Jusenkyo. He stopped and stared at the figures that suddenly appeared infront of him. One has tiger skin wrapped around his waist and he has striped shoulder and leg guards. Another wore simple Chinese clothing, he was wearing a small furry animal hat and he had a large sword strapped at his back. The last one was wearing regal dragon scale armor complete with a long cape; he stood there at the middle, smirking at him as he studied them one by one.
"Oh this is rich! I never thought that the power I felt long ago was coming from you."
"Herb…" he snarled, blue-eyes flashing. 'Did I ever hate him this much?'
The dragon prince stepped forward, crossed arms and all. "It's been a long time, Ranma Saotome. Though I'd never expected you see you here in China and I truly never would have expected you to have demon's blood flowing inside your body." he calmly said.
"How did you?"
Herb just laughed at Ranma's shocked face. "Hahaha! I am a ki master Saotome, or have you forgotten that little fact? When Mt. Phoenix was destroyed, the entire place reeked of demonic aura, similar to the one I sensed long ago. At first I thought that insolent child Saffron must've barked up the wrong tree and challenged a demon lord to a fight but now that I've seen you and your… shall we say 'changes', I now know what really happened at Mt. Phoenix. You were the one that killed them, right? You killed the entire Phoenix race and in such a spectacular fashion too. I mean… fire pillars? The whole mountain light up like a light bulb! It was a sight to see, especially their ashes… quite fitting for a Phoenix."
"SHUT UP!" Ranma shouted, summoning his purple flames. His eyes looked like they'd burn a hole through the dragon prince's soul. "Herb, you have no right to speak to them that way…"
"Oh, and you have a right to kill them?" Herb snorted. "Don't try to be all divine and holy with me Saotome. Personally, I really don't blame you for what you did. That power hungry brat Saffron has been a thorn on these lands for a long time now so it's not surprising if he got on your nerves that easily. In any case, I'm pretty sure that the entire Musk dynasty and even the Joketsuzoku are very grateful to you for doing them a favor."
Herb quickly held a palm up to deflect Ranma's ki blast. "Oh? You not only have the demon's blood, you have received its strength too. Last time we met, you barely could even scratch me with any of your tricks." he said, gazing intently at his slightly burnt hand. "You only won because I was careless. You won Saotome, because of my foolish mistake."
'I don't understand… why does he irritate me so much?!' "I just got better, we call it training Herb. Maybe you could use some of it yourself… you're pathetic as far as I can tell. Are you sure you're the one that kicked my ass a few months ago? If so then shut up and prove it once more, dragon prince. Or are you really just all talk?" he taunted, his hand motioning for Herb to make the first move.
Mint and Lime were ready to strike the Orochi half-breed but was stopped by Herb's outstretched arm. "This is my fight. No one shall interfere, understood? Mint, Lime, make sure that no one else is in the area. I have a feeling that Jusenkyo may never be the same after this is over."
Both Musk warriors nodded and immediately carried the Jusenkyo guide and his daughter away from the cursed springs.
Herb shot Ranma a cold glare. "You dare insult me, you obnoxious insect? Very well, I'll take pleasure in seeing you writhe in pain!"
"Aiyah! They're starting!" Plum exclaimed, pointing at the floating dragon prince.
Herb flew up and threw a ki blast at one of the newly restored springs, causing the water in it to head towards the irate ponytailed boy.
Ranma summoned his flames and hit the oncoming water with everything he's got, causing it to simply disperse in the air. Like what Herb does to his ki, Ranma aimed his hand below the hovering dragon prince and shot his flame there. He then willed it to go up, like a ricochet, and managed to burn Herb's cape.
The dragon prince glided to the side and landed on the ground, removing his burnt cape. "This is interesting, I never did get a chance to face you as a male, I guess now is good a chance as any." Herb said with a smirk. The white-haired man summoned his ki towards his right hand and a blade made out of pure ki soon formed around it. "Whenever you're ready…"
Ranma dashed forward. He spun and performed a roundhouse kick which Herb casually blocked with his free arm and countered with a sword lunge with his energy covered arm, grazing the Orochi half-breed at his upper left arm.
Herb flew up and attempted a downward slash but Ranma hopped backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. The Orochi half-breed quickly countered with a series of rights and lefts to Herb's defenseless face and finished it up with a spinning kick that sent the dragon prince flying towards one of the springs. Herb regained his senses just in time to glide over the spring and land safely on the ground. "I guess that's enough of the warm-up… now for the real thing!"
The Orochi half-breed frantically jumped all over the place, trying to avoid Herb's barrage of homing ki blasts. He found himself backed up in a corner so he covered his entire body with his sacred flame and allowed the ki blasts to do their damage.
Herb noticed that Ranma was only partially wounded at his assault. He tensed when Ranma cupped his hands and began to run towards him but was surprised when Ranma seemed to slow down midway.
'What?!'
***
In a place controlled by darkness, two figures can barely be seen at the middle. One is an eight-headed serpent, its heads clamping onto what looks like a body of a large animal which soon revealed itself as a magnificent white dragon, its teeth mercilessly gnawing on the serpent's body…
***
Ranma screamed, stopping midway through his charge. He began to randomly walk around, all the while screaming and shaking his head. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"
'So, it's taking over. Hmph, it's not much different than what we of animal descent go through.' Herb thought, his face suddenly darkening. He raised a questioning eyebrow when the sky darkened just as the boy's aura did but he paid no real heed to it.
The Orochi half-breed kneeled down and repeatedly slammed his fists onto the ground. "I don't want it! I don't want it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" 'No, no, no, no!'
When he calls, one must respond…
"Gwaaaahhhhh!" Ranma screamed, his body arching backwards. Blood gushed out of his mouth, his hair changed to crimson with a tint of white at the tip. His eyes took a soulless violet hue, his teeth and fingers noticeably sharpened and his skin started to turn pale. Riot of Blood Ranma howled, looking up to the heavens all the while spewing his own blood all over his body.
Mint and Lime took a step back. Obviously their instincts knew better than to face this hybrid, it has some similarities to their animal blood yet it is different at the same time. The Jusenkyo Guide and his daughter just ran away in fear. They knew about this certain condition since Ranma already told them about it a few months back but they didn't realize that it was this serious, he's acting like a crazed animal and they could tell that his only true desire is to kill.
Herb, for his part, watched the transformation with curiosity more than anything else. 'So this is what one with demon blood goes through.' He thought solemnly.
***
"You… Failure! You pathetic child! I told you to get it right this time!"
"I don't want to do it anymore father! I can't control it! It's burning me!"
"No excuses Herb! You are of Dragon's blood, you will learn to control yourself or you will DIE trying! I refuse to have such a pathetic weakling for a child!"
***
The dragon prince clenched his teeth, his fists shaking with rage upon recalling that horrid memory. "Come on Saotome! Attack me! Show me that power that flows within you! Hit me with everything you've got!"
Riot of Blood Ranma jumped at him but Herb evaded it by casually gliding to the side. Ranma landed hard on the ground, causing a few nearby springs to send out their cursed water upwards like a geyser. He snarled and turned around, only to receive a large ki blast courtesy of the dragon prince. He quickly recovered and did a back flip to avoid landing in one of the springs, he looked up and growled at his opponent.
"What's wrong? Is one with dragon's blood too much for you Ranma?" Herb taunted while floating in front of the Orochi berserker. Herb's gloating stopped when Ranma howled at the same exact time that the earth trembled. His curiosity getting the better of him, Herb swooped down and carefully observed the howling boy. He stayed at that spot long enough to allow the boy to cover him in a pillar of fire, Herb screamed as he crashed onto the ground.
Ranma hunched over, his breathing was heavy and steam was literally coming out of his mouth. He slowly looked to his side and saw that the nearby springs were producing steam as well due to his last attack. He then turned towards Herb but all he saw was a blur going right past him.
"Ryu Sei Hisho! (1)"
Herb spun and faced the berserker's back, who was currently receiving simultaneous blows to his sides. His eyes widened slightly when Ranma merely shrugged off the attacks like they were nothing.
The Orochi berserker growled, making the ground shake once more. He raised his arms in the air and summoned his purple flames, he snarled as he slammed hands on the ground. His sacred flame spread around the cursed springs, the height of the flames rising by the second, trapping both warriors inside Jusenkyo… inside a flaming prison.
"What a foolish and ignorant move Saotome. You basically created your own grave, though I can't blame you, especially with your lack of sanity right now. Thanks for making this a lot easier for me!" Herb shouted as he begins a familiar spiral motion, gliding over the springs as he did so.
Ranma followed Herb around the spiral. He was able to catch Herb very quickly but the dragon prince continued the spiral motion, dragging the Orochi berserker along for the ride. Ranma roared as he latched onto Herb from behind and literally bit the dragon descendant on the shoulder, breaking a part of Herb's shoulder guard in the process.
Herb screamed when Ranma sunk his teeth deeper into his skin. His eyes went blank when Riot of Blood Ranma chewed a chunk of his skin out and spat it to the side. Ranma was about to bite him again but he quickly placed a hand in front of the berserker's face and blasted him a couple of times with small energy bursts, making the berserker stagger slightly.
The dragon prince ignored the pain on his shoulder and the pain he was feeling on his body when Ranma sunk his fingers deeper into his other arm and into his stomach, like an animal refusing to let go of his prey. Herb struck Ranma's face with his elbow a couple of times until it finally forced the berserker to let go of his hold. He managed to smirk when he planted his feet on the ground, right at the center of a spiral…
"Die with your own move, Hiryu Shoten Ha!"
The hurricane was enormous, sucking in the flames, the water at a nearby cursed spring into it and the hurricane was now heading towards the other springs. Herb immediately flew out of the hurricane, leaving Ranma alone inside it. He hovered in front of the tornado with his arms glowing with ki. "It's over! Hito Ryu-zan Ha! (2)"
A number of arc shaped ki blades went inside the hurricane. Herb smiled when the hurricane turned into a mixture of purple flames, cursed water and thick crimson blood. Although that smile soon faltered as he heard an inhuman howl coming from inside the hurricane. 'Impossible! Didn't the Jusenkyo water hit him?!'
A very wet and female Ranma did a swinging motion with her arms that swiftly split the hurricane apart, canceling it out before it got the chance to suck up anymore spring water. She snarled before kneeling down, obviously in great pain. Large cuts and gashes were all over her body, and their depth was nothing to laugh at either.
Herb though, began laughing his head off at the sheer irony of it all. "Of all the stupid luck… it just had to be the spring of drowned girl that got sucked up into that hurricane. I must admit that I was kind of hoping that you'll be cursed to be a frog or a snake… anything other than a curse that you already have but it seems that fate has already decided!"
Blood Riot Onna-Ranma tried to stand up but the wounds acted up, making her fall face first to the ground. She tried one more time, and met the ground one more time. She kept doing this over and over. It seems that her only real desire now is to fight and kill the one she fights and she will not stop until she either does it or she'll die trying.
***
"Well done but you don't have what it takes to rule, failure! Obviously you're as weak as your mother!"
"Damn you! Die!"
"Gwah! You'll never have the throne you weakling! Even if I perish, you will live the rest of your miserable life as the failure that you are!"
***
Herb sobered, grasping his injured shoulder. He walked up to Onna-Ranma and stomped on her head. "Pathetic, you can't even control your instincts. If you can hear me Saotome, know this…whether it is dragon's blood or demon's blood, it makes no difference! You will live a life of suffering if you can't control yourself but if this is the limit of your abilities… that only proves that you're nothing but a failure! You're nothing but a weakling! You don't even deserve to walk this world!"
'I see myself in you…'
"You coward…is it convenient to run away and let this…monster out? If that's the case then you really don't deserve to live… I'll do the world a favor and end your life right now." Herb had a maniacal look as he summoned his energy sword. He raised his arm and was about to chop Onna-Ranma's head off when he heard a very loud heartbeat. He looked down to see Onna-Ranma trying to get up once more and Herb noticed that Onna-Ranma's energy was fluctuating, it was changing every heartbeat.
Onna-Ranma shook off Herb's foot off her head. "I…am not…A COWARD!!!"
'Yes, you're not a coward… not like me… damn you father…'
Herb was pushed backwards. "Ugh… you actually did it… you regained your senses…" he said as blood trickled down his mouth. "You're not… a… coward… after all…" Large amounts of blood suddenly gushed out of his body. His clothes and armor were torn and he had four huge and deep diagonal slashes to his chest along with a couple of small cuts on his entire body. His eyes went blank as his body fell lifelessly to the ground.
Onna-Ranma fell back to the ground as well, her vision slowly darkening. The last thing she saw was two figures running up to their downed bodies.
"HERB!!!"
Ranma timidly opened his eyes and found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He groaned when he tried to move his body, apparently his wounds were not so giving.
"You're awake already?!"
The blue-eyed boy turned to his side and saw a smiling Mint looking down at him. "Mint? What are you doing? What happened? Where am I?" he muttered, trying to ignore the pain he was feeling.
Mint sighed. "We're at the Jusenkyo guide's house, did you forget already? You were only knocked out for a few minutes! How can you not remember what happened?"
Ranma stared at Mint before it kicked in. "Right… the battle… oh! What happened to Herb?! Is he all right?!" he immediately asked in concern, not noticing that he was already up on his feet.
"See for yourself…"
Herb was resting on the guide's bed, severely wounded. Lime did a pretty good job patching the dragon prince up considering the lack of medicinal items at the house.
"I'm sorry…" Ranma whispered.
Lime placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Don't be… Ranma, take a good look at Herb's face. In all our time together, we never saw that look on his face, and we thank you for that."
Ranma's eyes widened as he stared at the sleeping prince. Herb had a small smile on his face, he looked so content with himself, so… at peace. It was nothing like the angry dragon prince he remembered when he was still under the influence of the Riot of Blood. Mint and Lime walked out of the house a few minutes later, carrying the unconscious Herb by the shoulders with Ranma following closely behind.
"Although Prince Herb will not admit it, you are a worthy adversary Ranma. I hope we can meet on a more… peaceful atmosphere next time." Lime said. Respect was evident in his words.
Ranma managed a smile. "Yeah, I hope so. I would like to know you guys better as friendly rivals, not as enemies." he said. The Orochi half-breed was still in extreme pain, his breathing was still erratic and he could sense that his ki was still drained to its limit. 'I'm not surprised. Considering how this battle turned out…'
"We hope so too. Thank you once again Ranma." Mint replied, bowing to the ponytailed boy.
"Yeah! You sure you're alright?" Lime asked, eyeing the deep gashes on the half-breed's body.
Ranma chuckled. "I'll live… so don't worry about me but I think you should bring Herb to a healer quickly." Mint and Lime nodded and carried the unconscious Prince by the shoulders and back to the Musk Kingdom. Ranma watched as the three vanish from sight. 'Thank you…'
"Ranma." a voice called out from behind.
Ranma turned around, his body jerked back as a sword went into his stomach and out his back. His eyes were wide in shock, his vision immediately blurred when he felt the full brunt of the attack. His hands trembled as he instinctively grasped the long blade; blood started spilling out the wound and began to flow down the sword and onto the hilt. He took a couple of steps back and focused his eyes on the crouching cloaked figure.
"Die!"
The figure's cloak was suddenly ripped off from behind. Ranma's eyes widened even more when the figure stepped up and looked at him with those murderous eyes. He trembled in shock when he saw the scarred face of someone he knew, someone who has all the rights in the world to kill him.
"Kiima…"
The sound of wings fluttering echoed throughout the cursed springs of Jusenkyo…
(1) – Ryu Sei Hisho Dragon Spirit Flight (Emphasis on 'spirit' ^^; for those that got it, good job)
(2) – Hito Ryu-zan Ha Flying Blades Dragon Slice Wave
# # #
AN: Really sorry for taking this long, had some RL problems. The fic is becoming a lot more serious and a bit dark now, especially in the next few chapters, where more secrets regarding certain characters will be revealed. The next update will be in about a day or two. Ja ne!
Next Interlude III: Unforgivable Sin
Please! Let this be all a dream! Please!