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 14: Broken Souls I: The Light's Sorrow
Ladies and Gentlemen, due to some unavoidable circumstances, the tournament will remain here in China for a few more days. However, that does not mean that the fights will be delayed as well, we will now proceed with the next tournament match, it is also the start of the quarter-finals. Fighters, please step into the arena…
King, Mai and Chizuru stepped up and studied their opponents. Said opponents do not even need introduction because almost every KOF fan out there was chanting their names. Kyo, Benimaru and Goro stepped up after the Women's Team with the latter two in their somewhat lax and casual poses. Kyo, on the other hand, was staring directly at the Kagura priestess with determined eyes. 'We all need to grow up… I think I now know what you were implying Kagura.'
Chizuru must've caught the message behind the stare because she began to walk towards the Kusanagi heir. Kyo did the same and decided to meet her midway.
"You've… changed. The arrogance I saw in you has been toned-down quite a bit since we left. May I ask what made you decide to take this matter seriously?" Chizuru asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
Kyo bowed his head slightly, just enough for his hair to cover his eyes. "I hate to admit it but you're right, I can't win this fight alone, Yagami's display of power showed me that much. I don't know much about the Orochi or the Hakkeshu except for what my father and mother told me, and I realized that could very well be my undoing."
Chizuru nodded in understanding. "You thought that having inadequate knowledge of your enemy before facing them will cost you someday. Very good, you're learning from your mistakes. Keep in mind that you did not defeat Goenitz by yourself… if Yagami did not step in to help you out, you'd be dead by now. Goenitz is merely a Hakkeshu, if Orochi's servant has that much power, how much power do you think Orochi itself has?"
The Kusanagi heir remained silent, part of him wanted to protest but another part knew she was right. This isn't some two-bit smuggler like Rugal in '94, their enemy isn't even human. He shook his head, all this worrying was getting him nowhere. "That's perfectly okay with me. I could show you that I do mean business if you'd like…"
Chizuru held a hand up in front of Kyo as she got into her fighting stance. "Interesting, let's see if that power of yours is enough for Orochi and his servants…"
The next match is between the Hero Team and the Women's Team! Let the match begin!
King and her kunoichi partner Mai ran towards the tag team of Benimaru and Goro. King leapt forward and spun around before launching a light blue projectile from her leg towards Benimaru while Mai jumped up high and immediately threw a barrage of fans at the powerhouse of the Hero Team, Goro Daimon.
Benimaru nullified the projectile by creating a circular electric barrier in front of him, surprising the short-haired blonde. That pause in King's attack was enough for Beni to dash forward to do a spinning handstand, knocking King off of her feet. Just as Beni was about to stand up, he barely had time to avoid another one of King's venom strike. He brushed his hair, smirked and blew a kiss to his female opponent.
"Hey baby… why don't we stop fighting and go somewhere else? I can show you how to have a good time… a very good time." Beni said smoothly to King, who was slowly making her way towards him. She smiled seductively and wrapped her arms around his neck before saying something into his ear.
"Men!"
King kicked the flirt on the stomach, okay… a little below the stomach, just enough to send Benimaru to his knees. Then she punched the living daylights out of the still dazed teen. "You're obviously just like those men that treat women like some prize to be won!" she shouted, every single punch she delivered connected to Benimaru's face.
On the side, the rest of the fighters winced in sympathy when they heard a couple of loud cracks coming from Beni's face, that can't be good. If the blood oozing from the long-haired blonde's face isn't enough indication, they don't know what is. Chris smirked a little when he recalled Ranma's life in Nerima. 'Prize to be won? You have no idea lady, no idea at all if Ranma was telling the truth. Where is he anyway?'
"Surprise Rose!"
She launched Benimaru in the air with a kick to the chin, with her following closely behind. She finished it with multiple kicks starting with his chest, and going all the way to Benimaru's already damaged face. He crashed head first onto the floor moments later, knocking him out. "Hmph, pathetic…"
Meanwhile, Mai has her hands full fighting Goro Daimon. Everytime she tries to get a hit in, Daimon would grab her by either the arm or the leg and would proceed to repeatedly slam her body to the floor until she can escape his hold. Her fans don't work, Daimon would just parry them to the side like they were nothing.
Daimon attempted a shoulder tackle but Mai swiftly rolled to the side. She got behind him, rolled forward and charged at him with her elbow. "Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi! (1)"
She struck Daimon's back but it didn't affect him as well. He turned around, looked down on the sweating kunoichi, and slammed his hands on the ground, knocking Mai and the oncoming King off their feet. "A two on one match, huh? Not bad… not bad at all. But you girls really should stay at home and leave the fighting to us."
'Who does he think he is?!' Mai thought angrily. King was sharing similar thoughts about Daimon's arrogance. Daimon's words struck a nerve, mostly Mai's, that's the same thing Andy said to her just before the tournament began.
"Tornado kick!"
"Ryu En Bu!"
Daimon tried to block Mai's attack but he still got burned by her flames, making him lose his guard and allowing King to get a hit in on his face. He endured the pain as he quickly grabbed both women on the legs. He spun them in the air and slammed their bodies on the ground several times. "…give it up ladies, its over."
"No, it isn't over yet, you big oaf!" The two irate women yelled.
Mai promptly ran around Daimon, as if she was waiting for the perfect time to strike. King on the other hand, went straight at him then she backflipped, performed a handstand and flipped back towards the confused Daimon. "Here I go!"
King attacked Daimon with consecutive, fast punches and kicks to his legs, sides, chest, and head. He blocked the first few strikes but he let down his guard a few moments later. The force behind them wasn't much but it did give Mai enough time to fully concentrate on her attack.
"Hitotsu! Futatsu! Miitsu!" Mai yelled, throwing three flaming fans to Goro's back. "The finale! Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi!" She rolled forward, and charged at Daimon from behind, her body totally covered in flames. She drove her elbow into his back, allowing Mai to engulf him in flames as well.
Daimon screamed in pain. He randomly walked around as he swung his arms back and forth in an attempt to put out the flames. That's why he didn't see both women jumping up and diving at him with a kick to his chest and head. He staggered but seemed to recover from the attack. Mai and King were tired already but they were ready to attack if it comes down to it but it proved unnecessary as the powerhouse fell to the ground seconds later with a loud thud.
King sighed, pulling a white handkerchief from her pocket and wiping some blood, mostly Benimaru's, off of her slightly bruised face. "Do you think she needs help?"
"I don't know but I want to get in on their fight too! We never did get the chance to fight in the first round." Mai reasoned out.
The short-haired blonde shook her head. "Nah, let her have some fun. We'll only help her if she's in any sort of trouble okay?"
Mai pouted a little but nodded in response.
"I won't be fooled by your illusions this time! I know you're right there, Kagura!" Kyo sent a wave of fire to his left, burning the priestess alive.
"No, I'm over here, Kusanagi." Chizuru answered rather calmly, appearing a few feet behind the wide-eyed Kusanagi heir. She casually struck him on the back of the head and on his lower back simultaneously. "For someone who just said that you meant business, you aren't doing that good a job."
Kyo quickly turned around and grabbed Chizuru by her clothes and lifted her up in the air. "Illusion or no, I'm sure you'll feel this one. Burn!" For those that admire the young fighter, they already knew what move Kyo did but imagine their surprise when it didn't just sent the crimson flames towards the opponent; it produced an unexpected effect as well, creating a circular wall of flames that slowly moved outward. It only stopped after traveling a couple of feet from their position.
The one Kyo grabbed did turn out to be another illusion, but Chizuru herself was not fast enough to evade the wall of flames that came out. Her sleeves were burned, so was a good portion of her upper clothing. "Impressive. But unfortunately not good enough."
Chizuru stood up straight, performed a series of motions with her hands and began chanting, but it was too faint to hear. Another illusion leapt out of her body and attacked the surprised Kusanagi heir. "Harau! Utsu! Sore! To finish it off, my illusions… come forth!"
Kyo received a blow to the head, a sharp, finger strike to his chest and a hard strike to his right cheek. He spat some blood before he looked up to see Chizuru leap back, leaving an illusion to where she was standing at. Said illusion kicked him in the chin, stomped on his foot and then delivered an upward palm strike, sending him way up.
He flipped in midair and glared down at the illusion through blurry eyes, but the illusion on the ground merely gave him a small smile as she pointed to a few feet from his position. He looked up and cursed when he saw another illusion in front of him, and gave him a kick to the back of the head, sending back down.
Chizuru walked towards the huge indention on the floor and looked at Kyo with a raised eyebrow. "It's almost the same as last year, except you do not have your teammates to back you up anymore."
"Kagura, do… do you really t-think that… they'd go down that easily?"
Chizuru let off a startled gasp when she heard the screams of her teammates. She turned and saw that King was being electrocuted by a bloody Benimaru while Mai was being swung in the air by a kneeling Daimon. She immediately beckoned for her illusions to help the two women.
The illusions did manage to neutralize both Benimaru and Daimon but the damage has already been done to her teammates. King struggled to get up but her wounds finally caught up with her. Her clothing was charred as well as the rest of her body. What happened to Mai? Chizuru already expected a few broken ribs from those inhuman throws by Daimon so it's a no-brainer as to what condition she's currently in.
The priestess' eyes widened when she felt a strong surge of power right behind her. 'How careless of me…'
"Never turn your back on your opponent, heh, this will… settle it!" Kusanagi performed one flame-covered punch that hit nothing but air. Chizuru quickly turned and took this opportunity to finish the match but her attack was stopped when a wave of crimson flames surprisingly followed Kusanagi's punch.
Chizuru screamed as she was swallowed whole yet again in those crimson flames. Her screams came to an end when she fell limp to the ground. Kyo shakily stood up and went over to the priestess to put out the fire but she was nowhere in sight. He spun around and saw Chizuru standing a few feet behind him. He called out his flame and rushed at her, only to stop in shock when she muttered something.
"I step down."
Kyo seethed. "What? Why?! Our fight isn't over yet!"
Chizuru clutched her chest, gasping for air. "I have exhausted myself in summoning those illusions. I don't have the power to fight you anymore, that's why I'm stepping down. Kusanagi, perhaps you do have what it takes after all."
The winners of the match… the Hero Team!
'Kami-sama… not again… where the hell am I no-heh, I'm not Ryoga.' Ranma thought with a slight smirk as he starts to wake up. He opened his eyes and quickly raised eyebrows when he found himself inside a fairly large hut. What the hell was he doing again and how did he ended up in this unfamiliar place? Then it all came back to him…
He talked with Herb's mother about him planning to create his own way out of that place. He really wanted to take the old woman with him. He really thought that she should be reunited with her son, his past experience with his own mother taught him that much. But the stubborn old prune just had to reason with him again, saying that she is not needed there anymore and that Herb may have forgotten about her after all this time.
In the end, he was forced to leave the woman there but not before saying that she could come up anytime when he was through making his own passageway. He smiled when he recalled the rather thoughtful look on her face before he finally left the area. After a couple of Mouko Takabisha's and Bakusai Tenketsu's, he managed to create a passageway up the cave that leads to a small forest, a few miles from Jusenkyo. He only walked a couple of meters before he collapsed from exhaustion and next thing he knew, he somehow ended up in this place.
Ranma stretched a little as he got up but soon winced when he was painfully reminded of his injuries. He looked to his side and saw his slightly bloodied shirt. 'Hmm… the wound must've opened up again while I was out.'
He sighed and decided to do some light exercises while he wait for the owner of the house, the place was certainly large and spacious enough for him to perform a few of his 'normal' katas. Just as he was in the middle of his kata, his concentration broke when he finally noticed an all too familiar weapon placed at a corner of the room. 'No, I don't need this, not now.'
He walked towards the corner and picked up the weapon, a large bonborri. 'It's hers alright, I guess I'm in my worst nightmare… no, wait… having Orochi blood is my worst nightmare, being inside the amazon village is a close second.'
"Airen!"
Ranma shuddered when he heard Shampoo's bubbly voice. His already injured body was almost crushed from her patented amazon glomp seconds later. "C-can't breathe… S-Shampoo… my s-spine…!"
Shampoo reluctantly let go off her beloved and looked at him with teary eyes. "Ranma, I knew you were still alive! I knew if I searched hard enough, I would find you again."
"Y-Yeah…"
Shampoo sat on the bed along with a slightly hesitant Ranma. The two remained silent for awhile until Shampoo decided to lighten the mood a bit. "Oh, right! You're speaking in Chinese! When did you start learning it?
"After Saffron."
"Oh…" 'So much for lightening the mood.'
The two went silent after that. The stayed that way until an amazon barged inside and immediately began speaking to Shampoo, thinking that the outsider male can't understand the language. "What do you mean Cologne is dying? That old ghoul could live till she's a thousand!"
Shampoo hung her head. "Great-grandmother really is dying, she fought a few Chinese soldiers to save the amazon children and she… she got hit by one of their weapons…" her body trembled as she finished. She was about to curl up when she surprisingly found herself on the receiving end of a hug, from someone whom she thought would run away at the slightest female contact.
"I-I'm s-so sorry to hear that. Hey, Shampoo, can you take me to her, please? I'd really like to speak to her about something." Ranma whispered to the amazon.
"A-Alright." She whispered back. She was still unsure what to think of this side of Ranma.
"Elder Cologne, your great-granddaughter is here… and she has brought the outsider with her." An amazon healer said to the dying woman.
Cologne coughed a few times before nodding and motioning to let the two in. Shampoo quickly ran to her side and asked if she was feeling any better. She lied of course, saying that she was well on her way back to her old self; it was all she could do to put her great-granddaughter at ease. "You look like someone who was been dragged to hell and back, son-in-law."
Ranma chuckled slightly, trying to appease the dying woman. "I just had a little run-in with Herb a couple of days ago Elder, and hey, I thought you already stopped calling me that."
"An old ghoul can still hope for her great-granddaughter, right?"
"Great-grandmother…" Shampoo whispered.
Cologne chuckled slightly. "I know child, now is not the time to talk about such things. Shampoo, can you leave us alone for a little while? Son-in-law and I have a lot to talk about."
Shampoo glanced at both Cologne and Ranma; both had serious looks on their faces. She reluctantly agreed to her great-grandmother's request and quietly left the room.
Ranma stared at the door before turning back to Cologne. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Yes, yes I did. You can learn many things if you have lived as long as I have."
"Why didn't you tell me that I wasn't human before that incident at Mount Phoenix? Why?" He asked in a low, menacing voice. If Cologne's wound doesn't kill her, Ranma's flames will. That is if he doesn't get the answer he wants to hear from her.
Cologne coughed a little. "Son-in-law, son-in-law, would you have believed me after everything I have put you through? I first noticed it when that Kumon boy challenged you to a duel for… hmm… oh yes! Your father's forbidden techniques. Despite what you may think, you ARE human son-in-law."
Ranma sat beside her and buried his face in his hands. "Human? Murderer or monster is more like it. I had to keep doing that despicable cheerful attitude to those that doesn't know what I am and what I've been through, just so as to keep them from running away from me."
"Oh? And have you even tried telling them about your pain?" She saw him shook his head. "There lies your problem, you assume too much son-in-law. Not everyone will run away from you. In fact, you'll find the most trustworthy of friends if they accept you for who you are. Being human can mean a lot of things, it all comes down what you do in the end, never let others tell you what you are…"
Again, a series of coughs from the old amazon, Ranma held her wrinkled hand and knelt beside her. "Funny, I always thought that I'd die by a warrior's hand, not by some modern equipment. Son-in-law, I-I don't have much time, come closer please…"
Cologne whispered a few things to his ear. "…I'm sorry for what I put you through, and I… hope… you… find… it… someday… Ranma…"
"Cologne…? Stop joking around! Hey, this isn't funny old ghoul! C'mon, stop this joke this instant elder! Elder!!!"
Ranma dejectedly got out of the Cologne's hut. A few of the amazons noticed that he was emitting a very depressing aura and they could tell that whatever it is that he was about to say will not be any good at all.
"Elder Cologne has left this world." He began, causing an immediate uproar within the crowd. "Before she passed on, she told me that I have two choices: One is to willingly submit to Amazon law and take her great-granddaughter and your fellow amazon warrior Shampoo as my bride. And the other choice is to fight for my freedom, freedom to all Amazon laws."
There was almost absolute silence within the amazon populace except for the amazon elders whispering amongst themselves and Shampoo's somewhat mute gasp. She already knew what Ranma was going to choose. Although it pains her to admit it, even after all this time, Ranma does not love her the same way she loves him and it seems that her great-grandmother told him the only way to escape her tribe's law without losing their honor.
"And I choose to fight, to rid myself of all amazon laws!"
"Very well outsider." One of the elders began. "You shall partake in a duel of honor tomorrow at dawn. Your opponent shall be announced at the said time, be prepared by then." 'This amazon is a nuisance but the skills are there…'
It was a moonlit night that evening, Ranma gazed at the full moon from the roof of Shampoo's hut with a thoughtful look on his face. Cologne's dead. It looks like he's losing everyone he cared for back when he was still known as just the arrogant martial artist, not as the murderer, demon, and monster that they have labeled him now.
Don't let others tell you who you are, huh? It's not as easy as it sounds. Not when it feels as if that the whole world is against you, even yourself.
His musings were cut short when he saw Shampoo jump up, walk towards him and sat down beside him. "H-Hey, how are you holding up?"
Shampoo curled up, shoulders slumping slightly. "I guess I'm alright. Great-grandmother's death didn't hit me as hard as I thought it would. I guess having people die around you does that to a person."
Silence resumed between the two, there was really nothing else to say to each other. That is of course until Ranma remembered the incident with Kiima. He hesitated at first but he really couldn't help himself, he wants to find out what happened to the last of the phoenix tribe. "Hey, Shampoo?"
"What is it?"
Ranma fidgeted. "I was just wondering, um… errr… about… what happened to… Kiima…"
Shampoo curled up even more and her body started to tremble, making Ranma very uneasy. "She's dead. She killed herself even though she had the chance to kill me first."
"I see… I'm sorry to hear that. And I know you're hurting now that she's gone…"
"What do you mean?!"
Ranma sighed, looking back up at the full moon. "You can't fool me Shampoo, even when you looked at yourself in the mirror to remove the imprinting, to make you dependent on yourself again, you still cared for her. You just hid it so well so that the others may never find out."
The purple-haired girl laughed, but it was a mirthless one. "Airen got it in one. She never admitted it but she really cared for me like a mother would do to her child. When we were alone, she would always make me laugh and her face during those times were completely different from the ones she took with her outside that room.
Maybe it's just a dream, or an illusion, or some other effect of the Surikomi eggs. But I can't forget about that, no, never. When she pulled the knife from her clothes, she looked at me the same way she did back when I was still under her control. I cared for her, and I now know that she cared for me…"
"…Shampoo, there is one other thing I want to talk to you about…"
"I know, and I hate you for it."
Ranma turned to her and he got slapped for his troubles.
"I hate you for not seeing me for what I am, I hate you for not returning my affections, I hate you for stringing me along and I hate you for making me fall in love with you!" Shampoo said hotly, tears steaming down her face. She leaned into Ranma and grabbed a hold of his shirt. "I hate you… I hate you… I hate you…"
Ranma eyes brimmed with unshed tears as he watched Shampoo cry her heart out. What can he say? What can he do? Nothing can take away the pain that Shampoo has and with him fighting for his freedom, she maybe left all alone once more. 'Why? Why does everyone that knows me have to suffer?'
Dawn finally came. Ranma stood, eyes closed, at one side of the wooden log, with Shampoo right behind him. He was alerted by the elders' presence when he heard Shampoo's 'aiyah'. He opened his eyes and immediately narrowed his eyes on the tall amazon amongst the elders. "Mousse…"
Shampoo tapped Ranma on the shoulder. "Be careful Ranma, he's not the same anymore since returning from our stay in Japan. Some of these elders trained him to rely on his other senses other than his eyesight, so he's much more improved than before." She warned before she leapt down the log.
"We do things differently around here Saotome. This is no longer a childish game like the ones we do in Nerima. If you have been caught in your cursed form the very first day you arrived, your head would've been mounted onto one of the poles near the entrance to the Amazon village." Mousse explained calmly.
"Yeah, I noticed." Ranma replied dryly, gazing at the human skeletal remains around the front gate. "Let's get this over with Mousse. I still have a lot of things to do before I even think of dying now." He said, matching Mousse's tone.
Mousse bowed in respect to his opponent. "I have to warn you that I will not hold back Saotome. Injury or no, I will give it all I have so do not expect any mercy from me." The male amazon stated, his voice gaining confidence by the minute.
"Good… I wouldn't want it any other way…" Ranma said, blue eyes narrowing. The air around him was quickly turning colder and denser, as if to match his cold demeanor. He, of course, was nowhere near a hundred percent but he will fight. It is clear that the amazons will never take no for an answer and you cannot get out of their grasp unless you find a way around their goddamn laws, a way that Cologne has told him, and he was thankful for that.
What was supposed to be a regular warrior battle suddenly became a whole lot serious when the elders decided to add in one little stipulation. "The fight between the Amazon male Mu Tsu and the outsider Saotome Ranma shall now begin. The only way to win the battle… is to kill your opponent."
"Mommy! Mommy, look at what I've found!" a cute and cheerful ten year old blonde girl shouted.
The young girl's mother went inside the room with a peaceful smile. "Yes dear, what did you…? Oh, what a cute little puppy!" she exclaimed, picking the puppy up from her daughter's arms. "Where did you find him, angel?"
"I found him all alone outside the school and then when I got home, he was tugging at my socks mommy. He must've followed me home, can we keep him? Can we? Can we? Can we?" the little girl asked in succession.
The mother's smiled faltered a bit. "I don't know dear, I don't think you're ready for the responsibilities in having a pet and we don't know if this cute puppy already has an owner or not. I think-" she stopped when she saw the look on her daughter's face. 'My little angel and that puppy do look a lot alike when she's like that.'
"Please! Please! Pleeeeeeaaaaaaassseee! Please?"
The older girl shook her head. "Alright dear, I'll go check the neighborhood for his owner. If he doesn't have one then you get to keep him as your pet but you have to promise me to take good care of your puppy, now, do I have your word for it?"
"I promise mommy! Wai! Wai! Wai! I finally have a pet! Wai!" The little girl squealed in delight. She spun around in place, puppy in tow, and began talking about the puppy's place to stay, food, and others while her mother could only watch the scene with a small sweatdrop and also with a wide smile.
-----
Mature let off a mirthless chuckle upon recalling that childhood memory. She was currently sitting on the sofa inside her room, obviously drunk. She poured herself another glass of wine and proceeded to gulp it down in one go.
-----
"I… I don't want to follow our clan's orders anymore, I want to live among these humans… I-I'm finally starting to see why the tribe of the sacred flame defied Orochi-sama's wishes." Mature's mother whispered to her husband. She looked to her side and gazed at her little angel, who was currently leaning on her shoulder as she slept together with her little puppy.
The man smiled at his wife. "I know what you mean. Guidel and his tribe are also starting to see things in a different light. We'll find a way, we'll find a way out of this war."
The couple leaned against each other, content with the way they are living at the moment. They want it so badly, freedom from this unending battle between religious clans. Their happiness was short-lived when their door suddenly broke down, revealing a number of men and women in ceremonial clothing. "What is the meaning of this?! What do you people want?!"
"Orochi filth…" One of them began, "…your kind has to be stopped for the world to be safe. We are the ones that were appointed in carrying it out. Grab them! And the child too!"
Mature's father tried to fight them but they were just too many of them while her mother was caught rather easily as she was knocked out cold by a blow to the head. Mature tried to fight them as well but there really wasn't anything she could do at her young age, her poor dog took a bite out of them and got impaled for his troubles.
"No! Mommy! Daddy!"
-----
"Damn them…" Mature said through clenched teeth. "Damn them all to hell!"
-----
"Y-You promised us! We told you everything we know about our tribe of the light!" Mature's mother yelled, grabbing a woman by her sleeves. "You promised to let us go!"
The woman kicked her back down. "We only keep our word to those that deserve it, and your kind certainly has not earned that right. This one is the first to receive his punishment."
Mature's eyes widened when they brought in the dead body of her father. She and her mother rushed beside him and began to weep over his death. That was the beginning of a little girl's worst nightmare…
-----
"Honorless bastards…"
-----
It has been around four months since her father was tortured and murdered by those people. Surprisingly, she and her mother were released a few days after her father's death. Her mother went silent since then, she never talked to her anymore and she seemed to be in a constant state of depression. Mature knew that her parents loved each other, and she couldn't imagine what her mother must be feeling right now.
Tears were threatening to fall but she managed to keep her emotions in check. If she broke down, who would take care of her mother? She was now the only one she has in this world and she doesn't know if she could go on without her. She sighed and continued to prepare her mother's meal.
A few minutes later, she went upstairs, food in tow, to feed her ever so depressed mother. She knocked once but she got no answer. She opened the door and peeked inside, her mother wasn't at the bedroom so she must be taking a soak in the tub. She placed the food on a table and went to get her mother.
"Mom, I brought you some… MOM! NOOOOO!!!"
Mature rushed to her mother's side and dragged her out of the tub but it was too late. No matter how hard she tried, her mother would never come back. She hugged her mother tightly as she rocked her back and forth. "Mom…? Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me all alone?"
-----
The sound of glass breaking was heard by the fighters who were passing by the Hakkeshu Team room.
"Kagura!!! I swear I will bring all of you down!"
-----
"Who were they?! Damn you, answer me! Who killed my father?!" A twenty year old Mature demanded. Oh, how she hated this method. Using her looks and her body to lure a few chosen individuals and then forcing information out of them.
"T-They were… the Yata clan…"
Mature leaned in closer and whispered a 'thank you and goodbye' right before she slashed his throat with a knife. She stared coldly at the man's body before wiping her face.
"Magnificent! That bloodlust for these humans! You truly are from the Orochi clan."
The blonde turned and threw her knife, which to her surprise, was caught easily by a tall man in some type of military clothing. She pulled out another knife as she asked, "Who are you?!"
The man took a deep bow. "My apologies, I am the Hakkeshu of Wind, also one of the four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, Goenitz. And you, my dear, are from the same clan as I."
"You're Orochi too?"
Goenitz smiled. "Indeed. I have an offer for you, join me and I promise you that the Yata clan, and each and every one of the human filth in this world shall be destroyed by our god, Orochi!"
"What's the catch?"
"Nothing much, just devote yourself to Orochi and his will. You must've felt it too, right? You know you want to do this; surely your father wants you to do this for him! Now, what shall it be?"
Her lips quivered, and her hands were clenching and unclenching. She closed her eyes and allowed a few tears to fall, it may probably be the last time she'll ever allow her emotions to come up, and nodded to Goenitz. "Alright, let me join you in killing these humans."
-----
It was too late, she has already chosen her path the moment she accepted Goenitz' proposal. She wanted revenge so badly for losing her parents and she didn't quite grasp the consequences of her actions. She had killed so many people that she even came to like it after awhile.
She would have continued to do so if Ranma hadn't showed up, there was something about him, something hidden within himself that makes you want to follow him, something that makes you want to believe in him. Regardless, it was too late for her, she has made her choice and there is no going back.
'Damn it…'
"What did you say?!" Mousse and Ranma yelled at the same time.
One of the elders stepped up. "You heard us, this is a fight to the death. That is the only way for one of you to win this battle. Refuse to do so and I promise that you will suffer the consequences."
Mousse gritted his teeth, what a typical reaction from the elders. If they can't have the god-killer, no one outside their tribe would. It also wouldn't hurt to get rid of their expendable 'weapon' that causes them nothing but trouble now that he's strong enough battle one of them. It was a win-win situation for these old prunes. He knew that no matter who wins this fight, the elders will make sure that both of them are eliminated.
True, Mousse can make such outlandish assumptions at times, but at least he got this one right.
Ranma snarled at the wide grins on the elders' faces. The things he would've done to them by now if he was only at full strength. If that's what they want then he will not fight, he will not be used yet again!
Shampoo was practically seething from the sides. If it wasn't for some of the younger amazons holding her back, she would have already charged recklessly at the elders and maybe in doing so, would've wasted her life.
"Do you refuse to fight? Well, we kind of expected this to happen, so we have decided to have some sort of plan. Bring the other outsiders here!"
Ranma's eyes widened when the amazons dragged four people into the area. Two men, one woman and the last one was but a mere child. He suddenly felt a sense of dread as he looked at their faces, it was clear that they have recently been tortured, but the one he was focused on was the child. The little girl's eyes were full of fear as she looked right back at him, it was a look that haunted him ever since the destruction of Mt. Phoenix.
"You… you people are no better than the humans that killed my ancestors… is this what your tribe stands for?! Do you have to follow these backwatered laws your whole life?! Do you honestly think that your tribe can survive with these laws? I have just been here twice and I can already tell that your tribe is doomed to fall if you continue living like this! Wake up! The world does not revolve around you, these damned elders, or your pathetic amazon laws!"
"Shut up outsider!" All of the elders shrieked. "Do you want to talk or do you want to fight?! Remember that the lives of these people all depend on you!!!"
"Shut up and let's go, Saotome!"
Mousse threw several knives at Ranma's direction which he evaded by jumping up. Mousse smirked, bringing out a set of chains from his sleeves and launching them at the airborne half-breed. "Too easy, Saotome!"
Ranma struggled to get out of the chains but he had little to no time to even scream when he found himself being slammed back to the log several times. He flipped back up but he received a number of stab wounds from Mousse's knives for his troubles, one in the leg, one in the arm and one in the primary wound Kiima gave him.
The blind amazon released his hold on the chains and brought out a set of scythes that were attached to his arms. He dashed forward and began slashing at the ponytailed boy. His attacks were fast and accurate; he's not like the Mousse that Ranma had known in Nerima. Mousse did not stop until he nicked Ranma on the chest. He took in one deep breath as he detached the scythes from his arms. "It's over Saotome, you lost."
Ranma scowled. "Don't be so full of yourself. Just one scratch can't bring me-" Blood surprisingly started to trickle down his mouth, his breathing suddenly became erratic and his vision turned blurry. "What? P-Poison?"
"Correct. A poison made by combining several other poisons, a person like you will die in about half an hour after it has entered your body. Elders! As you can see, I have clearly won this duel! Release the captives right now! We do not kill innocents!"
One elder snarled. "Who are you to order us? You're just a tool used to spy on the Musks and other neighboring tribes! You have no right to demand anything from us, amazon male!"
"Bastards!"
"I knew it, come out, my flame!"
Purple flames quickly encircled the two fighters AND the elders along with their four captives, creating a wall of flames around them. Ranma walked towards the elders with cold, blue eyes. "Now, we do things my way."
"Insolent fool, do you really think that you can take on all of us? You had your hands full with Cologne and now that you have been poisoned, what can you possibly do against four elders of the Joketsuzoku?"
"Watch… and maybe you stubborn old fools might learn something."
Ranma ran, or more precisely, glided to the side. He got behind one elder and backhanded her towards the flames and out to the crowd. The second elder lunged at him with her staff, he angled his body just enough for it to miss him by a hair. The third and the fourth performed simultaneous Amagurikens at him. Ranma was fast but he failed dodging the punches halfway, his body mostly taking the brunt of their attacks.
Mousse was frozen from where he stood. He sensed that Ranma took the punches like they were nothing but he felt a slight change in his aura afterwards, looks like the poison was taking effect, or so he thought. Ranma swiftly kicked both elders and then he drove his elbow to the second elder's face. It was clear to Mousse that whether the poison was starting to take effect or not, Ranma was not showing any indication of it.
The first elder jumped back into the wall of flames and tried to trip him up.
"What are you aiming at? I'm over here." Ranma said off-handedly, appearing behind the first elder. "Hmph, do you honestly think that you're stronger than Cologne? Aho! Keep on dreaming."
"Maybe so, but we're as crafty as her… now their lives are ours for the taking."
Ranma turned and saw rest of the elders run towards the captives. A step forward was as far as he got when the elder behind him pressed his paralyzing point. His body fell limp and he could only watch the scene in front of him with abject horror. 'No, not again, please… not again!'
One elder jumped and began to lunge at the captives with a sharp blade. "Death to all outsiders!"
"Mousse…" Ranma mumbled in shock.
Mousse had his chains wrapped around the three elders as he stood in between them and the captives. "You've finally shown your true colors now that the person capable of keeping you inline is gone. You're a disgrace to the amazons! You don't deserve to be called elders!"
"Hmph, it's too easy amazon male!" The three broke free of the chains and continued their lunge at Mousse and the captives. "Mu Tsu, you should know your place!"
Mousse grabbed the captives via chains and leapt out of harms way. What he did not sense was the child that was nearby the flames. It wasn't until he was far enough from the elders that he began to notice it. He dropped the captives to one side and hurried back to the little girl.
For his part, Ranma struck the preoccupied elder beside him. It was too painful to move under the shiatsu point but he simply will not let that child die, not if he can do something about it. He punched the ground and a wave of flames traveled to the three remaining elders, splitting them up. Unfortunately, those flames also blocked Mousse path towards the girl. Ranma saw this so he got up and hobbled towards the location of the child.
"Hey, don't worry. I won't hurt you…" Ranma said to the frightened girl. The girl hesitated at first but the flames behind her made the decision easy enough. She latched onto his shirt and closed her eyes. "I'll get you out of here, promise."
The ponytailed boy jumped up but the flames, normal or not, was getting out of hand. He could hear the rest of the amazons trying their best to put out the fire. He jumped a few more times, hazy eyes and all but all he found himself was cornered by four enraged elders.
"This way!"
Ranma gritted his teeth, clutched the girl tighter, and ran through the flames towards the source of the voice. 'Dammit, go for broke…' he thought with a frown. His instincts tell him to follow the voice so he's betting everything on it. The combined purple and crimson flames caused a large explosion, burning a couple of houses as it did so.
"Ranma!!! Mu Tsu!!!" Shampoo screamed in horror as she watched the flames go bigger.
A few miles from the village
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Thank you mister!"
Ranma and Mousse were leaning on a couple of trees as they sensed the hostages take their leave. Both were totally exhausted, gasping for air. Ranma turned to Mousse. "Thanks for helping me and that girl back there. I really appreciate it."
"Oh, can it will you?" Mousse snapped, leaning harder on the tree. "If it was up to me, I'd already cut off your head, you womanizer. Dammit, I know I'm gonna regret this but… here." he said, throwing something at the ponytailed boy.
Ranma caught it and looked at it with narrowed eyes. It was a small, bamboo container…? "What is-?"
"It's the antidote. It will take some time to take effect, so you'll probably have a fifty-fifty chance of surviving it now that the poison has been inside your body for quite some time. Frankly, I hope you die from the poison."
The half-breed sighed and drank the antidote. No words were exchanged afterwards. Ranma sighed and turned to leave, looking at Mousse one more time and muttering one final word to the amazon. "I'm so sorry."
The myopic amazon couldn't help but chuckle at that. He watched Ranma's retreating figure with a small smile. He stepped away from the tree for a moment to reveal a large, deep, slanting wound on his back that was bleeding profusely. He leaned back on the tree and a few tears escaped his eyes.
"Xian Pu…" he mumbled, his eyes slowly became devoid of life.
Ranma trudged forward, ignoring the fact that he could barely see anything at this point in time. Mousse's poison has been inside his body for a very long time and it seems that the antidote was not in effect yet. By all rights, he should be dead by now if he correctly recalled the effects of the poison from a medicinal book he once read at Dr. Tofu's. The only conclusion he could come up with is that because of the Orochi blood flowing within him, it must've saved him yet again.
"Ranma…? Ranma, is that you?"
The Orochi half-breed was relieved as soon as he heard that voice, a shy, hesitant voice that could only come from his childhood friend. "Leona-chan… can you give me a hand? I… I can't see anything…"
Leona immediately rushed to her friend's side while already pulling out her emergency med kit from her pack. She quickly looked over Ranma's injuries and did not like what she saw. "Oh my god, what happened to you Ranchan? Multiple stab wounds to your stomach and leg area… not to mention those fresh scratches and bruises all over your body. Wait a sec… is this poison?! You've been poisoned too?! We've got to get you to a doctor quickly!"
Ranma didn't respond anymore, he has already passed out on Leona's arms the moment she came to his aid. Leona wrapped Ranma's arm around her neck for support as she slowly walked towards the ship. "Help! Somebody help us!"
By some odd coincidence, both Mature and Chizuru were outside the ship when they heard the call for help. Mature could've cared less but one look at the person Leona was supporting sent that thought right out the window. The two women seemingly ignored everything else around them as they rushed to the blue-haired girl's side and try to help the wounded boy in any way they can.
Most of the fighters came out of their rooms to see what was going on and most of them gasped at the sight of a bruised, battered, stabbed, and poisoned Ranma. Shermie had a worried look but seemed hesitant to approach Ranma and the three women carrying him. Iori smirked at the sight, can you blame him? It's not everyday you see the ponytailed boy bloodied and unconscious, he could attest to that. Geese and Krauser feigned disinterest but they were really curious as to what happened to the Orochi half-breed.
A few minutes later, Ranma was now placed inside the infirmary. The doctor already gave him a healthy dose of serum to counteract the poison that was still inside his system, it is up to fate to decide whether or not it will work, but the girls somehow knew that he'll pull through. This was also the time when Mature and Chizuru finally noticed that they were standing next to each other, both women glared at each other before going their separate ways.
Leona stayed behind and watched her best friend. She cursed herself every now and then for following Commander Heidern's orders. If she stayed behind then she would have been able to help Ranma in whatever trouble he got into. She kept watch a little longer before she inevitably went into a deep slumber, just missing the brief change in Ranma's body. Ranma muttered something in his sleep before reverting back to his normal form.
Inside another room, a certain sleeping, brown-haired boy went through that brief change in appearance as well. His hair turned white, an abstract mark glowed brightly on his chest and he muttered the same thing Ranma said a little while ago. "Orochi…"
(1) – Deadly Ninja Bees, but I guess you already knew that.
AN: Whew, another one done. I should probably let all of you now that my updates starting next month or so may become slow… not just slow, waaaay slow. I have some huge RL problems that need to be resolved and you can add school to that list. Gomen nasai! Oh yeah, I'll probably finish this one before that slow update thing happens, there's only a couple of chapters left in the Orochi saga, so expect a lot of updates from me this month.
Anyway, this is one of three parts which revolves around three characters, Mature, Chizuru and Shermie. The voting between the latter two shall resume after the third part. Till next time, Ja ne!
Next Broken Souls II: Mirror's Reflection
"Maki! Take Chizuru and get out of here!"
"Mother! Father!"
"Hm hm hm, why bother? You'll never make it alive anyway. It is best that you stick together as a family and start praying to your god!"