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 13: Angel of Vengeance
The tournament matches have already begun in Kowloon, China. Chizuru, Mai and King have won the first bout via default. Their supposed opponents, a guy named Shingo Yabuki and his team was nowhere in sight. The judges assumed that Mr. Yabuki and his team, if he had any, must've been left behind when they left Japan.
We will now begin the second match. Will the fighters please step into the arena…
Chris, Yashiro and Shermie entered the arena along with their opponents Ryo, Robert and Yuri. The latter team had a serious look in their eyes as they studied CYS while the band members have various looks on their faces. Yashiro had a scowl even before stepping inside. Apparently that headache was still bugging him.
Shermie had a cute smile plastered on her face as she gazed at her opponents, though Ranma's training has helped her significantly, she's still a little more comfortable in using her somewhat unorthodox fighting style against her enemy. Chris was… well, he was all smiles as he waved to the crowd, blatantly ignoring the Art of Fighting Team.
"Guys…" Yashiro said to the two, causing them to look at him in question. "I'm sorry for acting like a jerk, I admit that the words that I said were uncalled for and… I just want to tell you two that I'm sorry."
Chris smirked. "We know that, we just wanted to see you kicking yourself like an idiot. I wish I had a camera… your expression was priceless Yashi-kun! 'I'm sowy for acting wike a jerk' Bwahahah!"
Before Yashiro could even wring Chris' neck, Shermie placed a hand on his shoulder. "All jokes aside, we're just glad to have you back. Now, let's get on with this shall we?"
"Heh, you took the words out of my mouth." Yashiro grinned, yanking at his glove as he and his team prepare for their first ever King of Fighters match.
The next fight, the Art of Fighting Team vs. the New Face Team! Let the match begin!
Ranma grimaced in pain as he was sent down hard to the ground when Kiima forcibly removed her sword from his body. He tried getting up but the phoenix woman simply kicked him back down. The white-haired woman shrieked, flapped her wings and kicked him once more in the stomach but this time with such force that it caused Ranma's body to jerk up high. She followed it with several sword slashes to various parts of his still airborne body before hitting his head with the hilt of her sword.
Kiima flew up and quickly channeled her ki into her wings. She curled up as she arched back her wings then she flapped it towards Ranma. A number of vacuum blades struck the Orochi half-breed, making his still fresh wounds wider and deeper as the assault continues. She flapped her wings once more before pausing in her attack. She slowly walked towards the bloody boy and stabbed him in the leg, making him scream out loud. Ranma limply dropped back onto the ground moments later.
"What's wrong, monster? Why aren't you fighting back? I know you want to kill me too!" she yelled.
Ranma could do nothing but look at her through blurry eyes. He tried getting up but this time, his wounds were just too much for even someone with Orochi blood to take. Kiima 'helped' him get to his feet though, right before she slammed his defenseless body to the side of a mountain. He slumped against it and slowly slid to the ground.
"Monster… Fight me!"
"No… I don't want to fight you…"
Kiima snarled and stomped harder on Ranma's open wound. "That's a load of crap and you know it Saotome! I saw your smile that day, when you ripped our phoenix god to pieces and I was there to witness first hand when you proceeded to tear through my people with that sick smile! Admit it! You enjoyed killing my people! You loved every second of it, you murderer!"
Ranma was about to respond when Kiima slapped him hard on the face. "Had you spared those children Saotome, I would have forgiven you and left you to your fate… but you just had to do it, didn't you?" Tears were starting to flow down her face. "What did they ever do to you?! I know and I admit that my people became selfish in those times but those children had nothing to do with it!"
The scarred woman stomped on his head. "You… did you enjoy burning them alive?! Did that satisfy you?! Damn you to hell Saotome! You sick bastard!"
She was about to cut off his head when her eyes widened at the scene before her. Crying? He's… crying? Kiima couldn't believe her eyes but her mind was already set, she will not be fooled by such petty tricks. That's all it is, a measly trick to try and get to her emotions.
"Yes…" Ranma began, causing Kiima to pause in mid-strike. "I did enjoy killing them… I did enjoy burning them alive… even when I wasn't in control of my body, it is still no excuse. I saw and felt everything my body did, and I liked every single one of them…" His tears began anew. "You're right… I am nothing more than a monster, I'm a freak, and I'm a murderer… I'm not even human." His voice was now devoid of all hope.
Kiima snarled, her scarred face showing mixed emotions. She hesitated, tightening her grip on her sword with each passing second. She then began taking quick breaths before she screamed to the heavens, her scream echoing throughout the valley of Jusenkyo. She raised her sword and stared directly towards Ranma's lifeless violet eyes.
"Shi~ne!"
*Clang*
Kiima was pushed back when her sword collided with another sword that seemingly came out of nowhere. She took a guarded stance and immediately narrowed her eyes at the unknown figure standing in front of the downed Orochi half-breed.
"I will not allow you to hurt my airen!"
'Darn… why do I feel weak all of a sudden?' Chris thought while dodging Yuri's punches with a lot more difficulty than he expected. 'If this keeps up she'll get to me sooner or later.' "Sorry about this…"
Chris buried his finger on the ground, making the floor explode upon impact. He then punched the rocks that flew up towards Yuri with his Amaguriken speed, repeatedly hitting the young girl all over her body. He quickly went for the finishing move when he placed his hands on the middle part of Yuri's chest, despite him blushing like crazy, and concentrated. A bluish ki burst came out of his palm and knocked his opponent down to the ground.
"Oh well… at least it's a start." He shrugged to himself. What he wanted to do was a long range ki blast like Ranma's Mouko Takabisha but he found out earlier that he could only do a small burst with his current level.
He blinked when Yuri got up, albeit shakily, and grabbed him by the shirt. He opened his mouth to speak but he received a very big and unwanted surprise when the energetic girl slapped him several times, causing his cheeks to redden from the attack.
Chris frowned, leaping back as he forcefully removed her grip on his shirt. He rubbed his cheeks for a few moments and then he stuck his tongue out to the young girl, making her even madder than before. He taunted her several times after that, using his speed to evade most of her attacks and to top things off, he began to snap his fingers repeatedly, producing an upbeat tune along with it. "I can do this all day, you know."
Yuri fumed. She cupped her hands and concentrated, a ball of ki formed moments later and then she chucked it towards the happy-go-lucky teenager. It was fast but not fast enough when Chris merely sidestepped to avoid the projectile, oh and he's still snapping his fingers and stomping his foot while he was at it. Yuri gathered her energy once more and sent it towards the blue-eyed boy's location, only to find out that he's not there anymore.
"I'm up here girly!"
Yuri looked up, only to meet Chris' foot. The force behind it was enough to send the girl head first to the floor, finally knocking her out. Chris dusted his hands and sighed a little bit in relief.
"Darn, why am I so tired already? I only feel like this after Ranma's training." He muttered to himself. He tool one glance at his teammates before shrugging and sitting down at a corner to rest.
"Shampoo…" Kiima snarled, tightening her grip on her sword.
The purple-haired amazon quickly took a defensive stance, holding her sword diagonally in front of her to prevent any surprise attacks. "Kiima, you will not lay one finger on Ranma. Do so and I promise as an amazon warrior that your head will roll on the ground."
Kiima chuckled darkly. "Well DAUGHTER, I doubt you can match me now. Besides, the laws of my tribe must be upheld! You of all people should now that in these lands tribal laws must be followed, that's how the amazon, the musk and the phoenix tribes survived all these years. He killed my people and his punishment shall be death! Now move out of the way or face the consequences."
"No I will not back down Kiima, you and your tribe were selfish in taking all of the Jusenkyo water for yourselves. Not only that, you dare have the nerve to manipulate an amazon warrior back then and now you're trying to kill the man that I love?! Do you really think that I'd allow that, MOTHER?!" Shampoo retorted.
"I see, but there is something you need to know about your airen and I'd love to be the one to break it to you amazon, your beloved is not human! If you had arrived a little earlier, you would've seen his true face! Do you have any idea how dangerous that monster is?! He's a monstrosity that needs to be destroyed! He even admitted it himself just now!"
Shampoo glared at Kiima. "You lie! It's you who's the monster! You used me, turned me against him and you almost killed Akane when you formed her spring! You really deserve to be punished for your actions and Ranma just carried it out! That's all there is to it phoenix woman!"
Kiima jumped at Shampoo but the purple-haired girl quickly blocked her sword strike. The two women were at a stalemate as their swords clashed.
"You will not interfere with my tribe's vengeance!" she screamed, rapidly flapping her wings that caused the amazon to close her eyes, giving Kiima just enough time to nick her on the shoulder.
Shampoo hopped back and performed a slashing motion to prevent any further attack from the phoenix woman. She landed roughly beside Ranma's bloody form.
'I have to lead her away from Ranma.' Shampoo thought as she clutched her shoulder wound. She knew the guide and his daughter were lurking around somewhere near the area because she literally bumped into them while they were running like bats out of hell. So all she needs to do now is to draw Kiima out of Jusenkyo for Ranma to be treated by those two.
She jumped over the scarred woman, spun around and kicked her in the back of the head as she was about to land. Shampoo followed it up with a kick to the back of Kiima's knee, forcing her to lose her balance.
Kiima countered by hitting the amazon on the face with her now outstretched wing. She flapped her wings and began to fly a few feet away from her opponent, obviously trying to distance herself and perhaps she was preparing to send another set of vacuum blades towards them but before she could do so, Shampoo met her in midair and the two engaged in an aerial sword fight.
Both warriors traded blows, with Shampoo landing on the ground every few seconds just to recover before jumping back up and resuming her attack. Kiima was so caught up with her fight with the amazon that she was totally unaware that they were now outside the training ground. The purple-haired girl was fully aware though, that's why she kept on attacking and pushing her opponent back, not minding at all if Kiima would get a hit or two in.
Their airborne battle lasted for a few more minutes before Kiima managed to stab Shampoo on her upper thigh, she continued the assault by twisting her still buried sword and kicking the amazon on the face, sending her crashing to the ground.
Shampoo sat up and immediately tended to her wound, tearing a part of her clothing and wrapping it around the wound as soon as possible. She quickly rolled to the side when Kiima threw her sword towards the amazon. Her mobility was now greatly reduced thanks to the stab wound. Kiima dove down to grab her sword and then resumed her assault on the amazon.
It was now Shampoo's turn to be pushed back, and she could do nothing but defend the entire time. Kiima laughed as she pressed on with her fast and accurate attacks. Kiima and Shampoo's swords clashed once more but the scarred woman quickly spun her weapon, forcing the amazon to finally lose her grip on the sword.
"You're finished!" Kiima screamed, preparing to do a sword thrust to the defenseless amazon.
Shampoo's eyes widened when she found herself being shoved to the side, barely able to avoid the oncoming sword thrust. Her unexpected savior was not so lucky, she looked up and her eyes widened even more when she saw blood, large amounts of blood, coming out of her airen's body. What's worse is that the force of the impact caused Ranma to be sent backwards, just enough to send him over the edge of the cliff…
"NO!" The purple-haired girl shrieked, immediately running towards Ranma in hopes of saving him from what looks like certain death. She dove for Ranma's falling body and managed to grab his left hand but she was obviously losing her grip on it fast and to top things off, Kiima was starting to walk towards her with a sick smile.
"Why don't you follow your 'husband' to HELL!!!" Kiima yelled, stabbing the purple-haired girl's arm, forcing her to slowly loosen her grip on the dark-haired boy.
"No… Ranma… hold on!" Shampoo yelled but she froze when she saw the look on his face.
Ranma was obviously trying to ignore the pain in his body as he gave the purple-haired girl a sad smile. Before Shampoo or Kiima could even react, he summoned his purple flame onto the hand Shampoo was holding, causing the amazon to instinctively release her grip. 'I won't let you die because of me… if this is my fate then so be it.' His last thought as he fell into the dark abyss.
"RANMA!!!"
"Since this is my first time, please be gentle…" Shermie said in a playful and flirtatious voice that caused her opponent to blink in surprise, leaving himself wide open. 'It actually worked!' she thought as she ran towards Ryo, ducked down to prevent his oncoming punch, grabbed his shoulder from behind and performed a handstand on it. She continued by driving her knee to Ryo's face, sending both of them down, with her opponent's head slamming hard on the floor.
The red head leapt backwards and twirled a couple of times before facing her opponent with that cheerful demeanor of hers. She giggled when she saw Ryo's face. Her opponent's nose was bleeding and it was a little bit flattened from her initial attack.
Ryo cupped his hands and threw a very large ki blast to the CYS member. Shermie giggled as she jumped up to avoid the attack and then she twirled a couple of times in midair before landing gracefully in front of Ryo. She smiled at her dumbfounded opponent before spinning around and delivering a kick to his face. Ryo skidded back but quickly recovered to perform a rising uppercut which Shermie barely avoided by bending her body back just in time before the blow connected.
Shermie countered by clamping her legs around his waist and throwing him head first to the side. She followed it up with another kick to his face while they were still on the ground. Ryo recovered in time to grab her leg, he stood up and spun the redhead around before releasing his grip on the leg, sending Shermie flying across the area. She grimaced when she landed with such force that sent her sliding across the pavement.
Ryo jumped up and tried to punch the dazed girl in the midsection. Shermie rolled back, allowing Ryo to punch the concrete instead. She immediately grabbed his head, placed it in between her legs and twisted it slightly, just seconds before twirling around in midair, with Ryo's head still clamped between her legs, and then she slammed her opponent's head onto the floor.
She hopped back and blinked when she saw Ryo's face. His face indicated that he's in extreme pain, perhaps from her last attack, but there was a silly smile on his face as well. She sighed loudly and muttered something to herself. She slowly helped him up, went behind him and performed a series of German suplexes to her opponent, knocking him out, maybe for a long time.
"1… 2… 3… Owari!"
Shermie got up and stared at Ryo's unconscious form for awhile. She was brought back to reality when her phone rang, she grabbed it and smiled widely, it was her friends from France. They were watching her live on television so she waved and blew kisses to the monitor. She kept on talking to them as she went over to Chris' spot and stood beside him while they wait for Yashiro.
Shampoo involuntarily shivered as she gazed at the dark bottom of the cliff. Tears were starting to form in her eyes as she knelt down and grasped some of the dirt on the ground with her trembling hands. Her sadness soon turned to uncontrollable rage when she snarled, gritted her teeth and began to ignore the pain in her body. She quickly grabbed her sword, turned around and viciously glared at the phoenix woman.
Kiima was taking a long glance at the dark chasm. She had a feeling that Ranma will not go down that easily but she quickly reasoned with herself. "Even if he manages to survive, his wounds shall finish the job for me but I'll check his body right now just to be sure and besides, I also want his head." She said with a smug smile before sensing the anger a certain amazon was emitting.
"You'll pay for what you've done phoenix!!!"
The amazon's strikes and slashes were a lot more powerful now than ever before. Kiima's block was being broken almost every time, allowing little to no time for the phoenix woman to recover to block the next one. Kiima tried using her wings but with a surprising burst of speed that rivals even that of Ranma's, Shampoo managed to get behind her and proceeded to mercilessly cut off her wings, causing her to scream loudly.
Kiima rolled forward, distancing herself from Shampoo. She was at a kneeling position when she raised her sword above her head to block Shampoo's downward strikes. The problem at hand is that her sword was beginning to crack from the force and number of blows it was receiving.
It took a while but it was finally split in two when Shampoo used both hands to deliver her latest attack, doubling the force behind it. The amazon's attack slashed her face and it continued down and ripped her clothes open, revealing a fresh perpendicular wound in the middle of her chest.
"I won't forgive you." Shampoo said in a cold, hard tone as she readied her weapon for the finishing blow. She angled her sword with the intent of driving it through Kiima's heart. She froze when the scarred woman smiled darkly.
Kiima gripped the blade with her hand and stared directly into Shampoo's eyes. "No… you amazons will never have the privilege of killing someone from my tribe!" she exclaimed as she pulled out her dagger from her clothes.
Shampoo struggled to free her sword from Kiima's grasp but she stopped when she saw the unexpected happen. Kiima raised the dagger up high and then she drove it into her own chest. The phoenix woman chuckled slightly as she dropped to the ground.
"I fulfilled my promise… that monster will die soon enough. My tribe has finally been avenged…" Tears slowly fell from her eyes as they began to close. "Everyone… it's over… we can… finally rest in peace. Saffron-sama… it's over my lord… it's ov…er…" Her eyes were soon devoid of life as she breathed her last breath.
Shampoo dropped her weapon moments later. She kneeled down and stared at Kiima's corpse with sad eyes. She can't explain it but there was a slight pain in her heart as she watched her die, maybe a part of her still thought of the scarred woman as her mother, even after all this time. She brushed Kiima's hair to the side and she slowly closed the woman's eyes, not minding that a few tears were starting to trickle down her face.
"Don't be too serious, pal. It's bad for you." Yashiro said with a smirk.
Robert frowned. He knew he was outmatched physically by Yashiro but even if he does win this fight, there are still two more to deal with now that his teammates are down for the count and he doesn't really think that he can pull it off with those kinds of odds. "Let's just get this over with!"
Yashiro and Robert dashed at each other, exchanging blows as they did so. Yashiro grinned. He has the advantage in this one. His blows were hurting his opponent even if he blocks them so it's only a matter of time. That's what he thought until the pain in his head came back stronger than ever.
Mind and Body…
"Get out of my head!" He screamed as he clutched his head. He began to randomly move around. Obviously, he forgot that he still has a fight to finish.
Robert capitalized on Yashiro's current state and performed consecutive punches and kicks to certain parts of his body. He finished it off with a summersault that sent Yashiro up high and finally, he cupped his hands and sent a huge projectile towards the blonde that hit him on the chest, sending him across the area and onto the crowd. Robert cupped his hands once more and delivered yet another ki blast to Yashiro's body even before it hit the ground.
He walked up to Yashiro's downed body and tried to see if he's knocked out. It proved to be a very big mistake when he received the mother of all punches, sending him way back. Robert's body stopped when it collided with several walls along the area. He slumped down and fell unconscious afterwards.
"Stay down!!!"
That which has been separated shall be joined once more…
Shermie and Chris waited for Yashiro to finish his match, that or they're waiting for him to lose the match, you never could tell with their actions. The red-head was still busy talking to her friends on the phone but she would steal a glance or two whenever the fight wasn't going towards Yashiro's favor and Chris was watching the fight ever since he was through with his opponent but he had a bored look most of the time.
"So… who do you like more? Sensei or Yashi-kun?" Chris asked out of the blue, not taking his eyes off of their moody team leader.
Shermie fumbled with her phone, causing it to fall to the ground a few moments later. She knelt down to pick it up but not before glaring daggers at her 'little brother'. "What ever gave you that idea?! I-I don't think of them that way…"
Chris was still staring at Yashiro with his hands placed behind the back of his head. "Oh? Then can you tell me why are you blushing like crazy? I know you Shermie. You never, ever blush like that even when someone hits on you after our performance. So who is it?"
"I… er… um…" she sputtered.
The young teen rolled his eyes. "Never mind, you can keep it to yourself. But you have to tell the lucky guy soon or else you might just lose him to someone else, just a little added thought." Chris said, his words lacking his easy going tone. He suddenly brought a hand infront of his face and from his change in expression it seems that he is in pain over something.
"Hey Chris, are you alright?" Shermie immediately asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that sometimes I feel that I'm in some sort of pain even when I know that I'm not. Do you remember the incident on the plane? I really have no idea what it is but what I do know is that it's getting stronger now. I don't understand it at all, it's just that I feel that I should be doing something, anything to help whoever or whatever it is… what?! Shermie look!!!"
Shermie looked to where Chris was pointing at and gaped at the scene. Yashiro was still beating Robert to a pulp even though it was very clear that the poor man was already unconscious. "No! Stop it Yashiro!"
Death…
Resurrection…
Chaos…
Destruction…
Armageddon…
'Dead? Am I dead?' He first thought as he opened his eyes and was greeted by a bright light. He attempted to move his body but he couldn't feel a thing, he was numb all over the place. He can't even tell if his body is still intact or not, hell, for all he knows he could already be missing a limb or two. Everything was a blur to him, his surroundings, the light, everything. No matter how hard he tried to focus his eyes, his vision remained a constant blur. The only thing that caught his attention was a tall figure walking closer to him.
"Drink… don't worry, it's safe." A soft voice said reassuringly.
Ranma hesitated but soon took small sips of the liquid until he finished it all. Ever so slowly, his feelings started to come back. Although part of him wished that they didn't. As soon as he got some of his feeling back, he was greeted by an intense amount of pain that seemed to course through his entire body. He tried to scream but nothing was coming out of his mouth, the only conclusion he could come up with is that his throat must have been damaged from the fall. Though he doesn't know if it is permanent or not.
"Rest now, you'll need all the strength you can get."
He doesn't know if it was fatigue, the pain or the figure's words but after those words were said he immediately fell woozy from the place he was currently lying on. For awhile, he resisted the strong urge to fall asleep because he doesn't even know who the person watching him is and you can add to that his awareness of his current helpless state but soon enough, he found himself slowly succumbing to a peaceful slumber.
"Stop it Yashiro! You're going to kill him!" Chris and Shermie both shouted, running towards their team leader.
Yashiro had a neutral look as he gazed at his teammates. He turned his attention back to his opponent and continued to mercilessly pound him to the ground. Very soon, his neutral expression slowly turned into a manic one. He held Robert by the hair and resumed punching his opponent's already bruised and battered face. His punches held so much force that a few moments later, horrid sounds of bones cracking were being heard by everyone in the area.
Shermie and Chris immediately clung onto his arms in an attempt to stop this very disturbing side of Yashiro that they have never seen before. Sure, he was temperamental but he never, in all the time they have been together, did something like this. Yashiro tried to harm his teammates as he struggled to get free. He even elbowed Shermie in the stomach, forcing the redhead to release her grip.
Chris practically snarled when he saw the unconscious body of the redhead woman. "Damn it, Yashiro! Did you lose it?! Wake the hell up!" he yelled, punching the man hard on the face, pushing him a few feet away.
The blue-eyed boy was far from finished. He quickly performed his Amaguriken on Yashiro's midsection, making their leader reel back from the impact but to Chris' horror, Yashiro recovered almost instantly as he grabbed the boy's head and slammed it to the ground. Chris, thanks to the training he received, immediately countered by kicking the blonde on his chin, making his head jerk up but not before getting a kick in to the blue-eyed boy's stomach.
Chris kneeled from the pain but he never removed his glare at Yashiro, who was now walking slowly towards him in a casual manner. Just when he thought it was the end of him, he suddenly felt the ground tremble before hearing Yashiro's deafening roar. It lasted for several seconds until Yashiro stopped yelling and by some odd coincidence, the tremors stopped as well.
Yashiro staggered back and forth before dropping to the ground, unconscious. Chris sat down heavily, eyes wide open the entire time. What in the world just happened? Almost everyone in the area asked themselves the very same question, except for two women who were grinning from ear to ear. They have found yet another one… and another potential Heavenly King, no less.
T-The winner of the match, the New Face Team…
"Uhn…"
"Welcome back to the land of the living."
Ranma tried moving his body once more but he found out the hard way that he can't move any part of his body without being introduced to a healthy dosage of pain. He did manage to turn his head to the side to look at the figure watching over him. Now that his vision wasn't impaired, he could see that it was a woman, she was probably in her late forty's, she has long silver hair and she was dressed in old and bedraggled Chinese clothes. "Where you the one that saved me…?" he asked, his voice was still a little jagged.
"Yes, I was the one that saved you sonny. You had me worried there, I thought that you were dead when I found you and I was about to throw you back to the river when you suddenly clamped onto my dress!" she exclaimed, showing him the torn part of her dress.
The long-haired boy tried to let off a chuckle but his stab wounds made him cough nonstop instead. He didn't know what happened next but he thought that he felt the old lady place her hands on his chest and after that, the pain subsided but it gradually started to return moments later. "Ugh… what did you do lady?"
"Don't move too much. It's a numbing technique. It'll allow you a few minutes to recover before the pain comes back again."
Ranma relaxed somewhat after hearing that but a part of him was wary of her voice for some reason he couldn't put his finger in. "How… how long was I out?"
The old lady pondered on it. "Hmm… I think you were out for about five days straight since I found you. I-"
"Five days?!" he exclaimed before screaming in pain because of his sudden movements. 'Dammit, did they already left? Did they leave me behind? Sigh… I guess there is no point in panicking now…' "Uh… May I know your name lady?"
The woman had a glazed look in her eyes and her mouth started to quiver, as if trying to suppress her emotions. "My name…? I… I don't have one, not anymore…"
"What do you mean 'not anymore'?"
"I told you, I don't have one and besides, it's not like it matters to me anymore sonny." She quickly interrupted. "But I'll tell you this much, it has been 15 years since I was up there amongst my people. Do you really think that somebody will still remember me let alone care for a weak and dirty old hag?" she asked with an amused chuckle.
Ranma went silent after that. 'Still… why does she look so familiar? I know I've seen her before… back when… back when… when… I was still in Nerima… Herb! Herb's cursed form! Then that could mean…' "Um, miss? Can you at least tell me if you are from the Musk Dynasty?"
That produced the desired effect. The old lady froze and quickly turned her head towards the wounded boy. "Did you say… musk dynasty?" she asked, albeit hesitantly.
Her reaction was enough to convince Ranma. "I knew it. I knew you reminded me of someone I met from that kingdom. If you were a few years younger, you would have been an exact double of that person or should I say… that person would have been your exact double, him being a girl at the time and all that stuff."
The lady had an incredulous look on her face. "What?"
"You're Herb's mother." He said bluntly.
The white-haired lady was by his side in an instant. Her eyes held so much hope and longing and she somehow knew that this boy in front of her is the one that will put her mind at ease after all these years. "Yes… yes… I am Herb's mother." She admitted. "Do… do you know my son? How is he? Did he receive a Jusenkyo curse? Please tell me all you know about my baby!"
Ranma proceeded to talk about his encounter with Herb in Nerima up to their fight just a few days ago in Jusenkyo. He noticed the woman was on the verge of tears as she listened to his story but he can relate to that, being apart from your son or your mother for so many years will do that to you.
A few more days have passed and Ranma can now walk and move around a little, the old lady's concoctions really works, just don't ask what was in them. He never really got her name, she was just so stubborn, saying that no one remembers her anyway, perhaps not even her own child because it has been 15 long years since they last saw each other. Ranma found a few scrolls too but it wasn't a scroll on fighting techniques like he first thought but rather it was an old legend about a spirit of sorts. When he asked the old lady about it, he got more than he bargained for…
"I'll start from the beginning. It was said that a child of dragon descent will someday lead his people to either paradise or destruction. It all depends on the path that child takes. For years, the people of the royal bloodline prayed to our dragon god to bring us our savior. And our prayers were answered 22 years ago…
I was giving birth to my child, Herb, when the palace room was suddenly engulfed in a blinding light. Next thing I knew, my baby was already out of my womb and he was floating right in front of me while being surrounded by that bright light. The rest of the royal family knew what was happening. They rejoiced and thanked our god for giving us the chosen child.
My husband, the King of the Musk, was ecstatic. He boasted our child to just about everyone within the kingdom, saying that he is their savior and they must bow to him forevermore. He was so full of himself, and that's the main reason for our kingdom's slow but sure downfall."
***
"Downfall…? I don't think the Herb I saw awhile ago would ever do anything to make his people suffer. Sure he was arrogant and stubborn just like me in the past but he would never do that…"
The old lady was teary-eyed. "Herb was the sweetest child you could ever hope to have. He cares for the well-being of his people more than anything else. But it soon ended as the burden he carried took its toll on his seventh year."
***
"The power he carried was great, greater than anything we have ever seen. But his body couldn't contain this power for long and soon enough, Herb became extremely ill. Our most renowned healers couldn't do anything for my child, not even one lousy technique to ease his suffering.
What was worse is that my damned husband kept pushing my son to his limits. Everyday he would train Herb in channeling his ki for him to be able to control the dragon spirit within him but his methods were brutal and inhuman, no one should go through that."
***
"Wait a sec, dragon spirit?" 'Why do I get the feeling that it has something to do with my vision earlier…'
"Ah, it has been foretold since I could remember…"
***
"The dragon spirit is a mystery to most of the people in the kingdom. Many have tried deciphering the scriptures and many have failed. But we do know that it lies inside the body of the chosen one which, of course, was Herb.
It is said that a white dragon came from the heavens to help a few deserving humans in their time of need. As time passed, the humans came to think of the dragon as their protector and savior, their god. We, the musk were one of those people.
But all good things came to an end. Our god encountered one of equal footing with him and they began a battle that neither one could win. Who or what was his opponent? It was an enormous beast with eight serpent heads and it has been called in history as the legendary monster…"
***
"Orochi…"
The old lady shot him a questioning glance. "Oh? Do you know Gaia's herald?"
"Unfortunately yes… I know all about what happened 2000 years ago up to this time." Ranma replied sullenly.
"Only 2000 years? Don't you want to know what happened before that time?"
"What…?"
***
"I'll tell you, Orochi is said to be the protector of Gaia. Orochi basically loved this world, the plants and animals, the peaceful blue sky, that sense of tranquility that seemed to go on forever and yes, even the humans. But then the humans began to change, and their changes caused an immediate reaction to everything else around them. The harmony and balance of the world Orochi loved was disrupted forever…
As time passed by, the humans slowly but surely began to care less for the rest of Gaia's children. They became selfish, conceited and arrogant. They believed they are the superior beings and the rulers of this world but in reality, we humans were nothing but fools.
Orochi had only one being to blame for this, and it was our god. The white dragon disrupted the harmony by aiding those humans and the end result was man's so-called evolution, but at the cost of nature's destruction. Gaia's herald immediately sought out the white dragon and the two proceeded to fight from that point on.
The battle was said to have lasted for seventeen days, neither one truly gaining the upper hand. It was decided on the final blow that resulted in both creatures dying. Orochi died but only in body, his spirit eventually went back to Gaia. This incident also was the turning point for what happened 2000 years ago. A few humans saw his display of power and decided to make the serpent their god. They began traveling the world, creating miraculous healings and such. If memory serves, I think that they called themselves the Orochi cult.
Anyway, the white dragon died but it got to speak with my ancestors and a few other people before he met his demise. The dragon told them not to fear, for he shall be watching them from the heavens. He said that he does not blame us for going astray, and then he told us of the legend:
As my body turns to dust, my spirit shall be set free. But when a child of my blood, one of innocence and virtue, comes to this world, my spirit will merge with his so he may lead his people to either their happiness or their destruction. It is my atonement for my failure…"
***
"I see…" 'Was that the reason for me going into the Riot? Did Orochi want to settle the score?' "But where do you fit in to all of this? Why are you in a place like this anyway?"
"Well sonny, I have told you about Herb and the dragon spirit within him. I also told you about his suffering with that power…"
***
"Herb tried, he really did. He wanted to make his people happy, he wanted to lead them to a life without pain and suffering, but in the end he couldn't handle the pain. The only option his father gave him was to force him to harness the power or he will die trying but there was a way out for Herb and I was the only one capable of doing it.
I hesitated on using that technique but I simply couldn't stand seeing my baby suffer everyday of his life, no mother could. That's why I took him one night and brought him to our ritual grounds and performed a long ritual that forced the spirit out of my son's body, thus turning him into just a normal boy of the musks. I never did find out what happened to the dragon spirit, but my guess is that it's gone now, lost to my people forever.
My husband saw the last part of the ritual and was enraged by my actions. He cared only about himself and his reputation, nothing more, and if this incident got out it will surely be the end of him. He humiliated me inside the palace, throwing fruits at my face and at night he would beat Herb to an inch of his life all the while saying to my baby's face that he is a coward and a failure.
Finally, his anger and hatred finally took over, he pressed a few shiatsu points and blocked a few nerve points while I was asleep that permanently disabled my abilities and then he 'banished' me out of the kingdom. Basically he threw me off the cliff, and I wouldn't be surprised if he killed those that witnessed what he did to me. I somehow ended up here, I had no means to call for help and my ability to fly has been disabled but as you can see, I managed to survive all these years even without my inborn abilities."
***
"Herb…" 'I was right… He was trying to help me.' "I don't understand ma'am, I fought Herb recently and he's very strong, and he's far more skilled than me in terms of ki manipulation." Ranma said with respect.
"He is?" she said with a bit of surprise, she could sense that this young man in front of her has a high amount of unfocused ki so if he said that her son is powerful… "So, he did find another way after all. Herb promised me that after the spirit is removed, he would find a way to get stronger. He said that he'll save his people in his own way. Sigh… that's enough storytelling for now, you should get some rest sonny."
Meanwhile, things have become pretty hectic inside the tournament ship. It has been more than a week already and Ranma hasn't come back yet. The fighters were expecting the sponsors to just leave the young man behind but Chizuru knew all too well that Geese would take care of that minor problem. And he did, the sponsors decision was to stay in China until all of the fighters are accounted for.
One problem that remained unresolved was the one between the Hakkeshu members and the Kagura priestess. With Ranma's disappearance, Mature has been a bit edgy lately and a heated encounter with the head of her most hated clan just took her right over the edge. Fortunately, Vice was the level-headed of the two this time so she decided to hold her partner back before she could blow all of their plans out in the open.
"Why don't you just stay the hell out of our way Kagura? I'm trying my best to control myself so that I won't accidentally kill you right now but keep meddling in our affairs and I will surely rip out that pretty little head of yours!"
Chizuru stared into the blonde's eyes and found nothing but absolute hatred directed towards her. She involuntarily took a step back at the intensity of the gaze but soon strengthened herself and matched Mature's look with one of her own. "I know you hate the Kusanagi clan just as much as I hate the Orochi clan, but what I don't understand is why do you hate my clan so much? I can clearly 'see' that your hatred has nothing to do with what happened 1800 years ago at all…"
Mature laughed while being held back by Vice. "You sure you want to know, little princess? You might be surprised when I tell you everything about your beloved Yata clan. Fine, fine… if you want to find out why then ask your bastard of a father… Oh! That's right!" she exclaimed, smiling maniacally at the priestess. "How could I have forgotten, he's dead. He died along with your dear sweet sister and your whore of a mother! Come to think of it… that's the only thing I'm grateful to Goenitz for doing!"
The Kagura priestess' eyes widened before she scowled and recklessly charged at the grinning blonde, totally unaware that Vice has already released Mature and that the blonde was more than prepared for the attack but it never did came. Chizuru looked to her sides and saw her partners, Mai and King, holding both of her arms to prevent her from continuing her charge. The dark-haired woman screamed in pure rage and cursed the Hakkeshu as she struggled to get out of her partners' grasp.
"That's right, call me whatever you want. You obviously don't know what your parents and fellow clan members have done in the past. Believe what you wish princess, but I saw what I saw and nothing will ever change that. Best if you find out the truth as fast as you can, you… all of you… are going to be living in hell soon enough." Mature said in an eerily calm tone, making a few fighters shudder at the possible meaning behind those words.
# # #
AN: Yatta! I finally finished the darn thing. I got stuck with a few scenes for so long that I decided to ignore finishing this chapter until I got my act together. Yes, that spirit was from the Psycho Soldiers Team ending in 2001 (Yes, I know… that was a dark year for all KOF fans… brrr…).
I think I'll do another chapter of Dark Ascension first before I get back to this. Ja ne!
Next Broken Souls I: The Light's Sorrow
"Who were they?! Damn you, answer me!"
"T-They were… the Yata clan…"