Spirit Guradian

By D'Fused

Disclaimer: Something goes here. Something about Ranma 1/2 and characters and copyrights. You can fill in the blanks

Chapter 5
Tempting Bait

Charlie watched the boy from across the table, using the excuse of sipping the tea he was offered to think things over. He sent an image of him and repressed the inclination to laugh as he got a returning emotion from her. Mild annoyance and interest, both much duller than what they were usually; for all her intentions of staying awake when he was, she had been dozing just now.

What made this boy so hard to track, he thought. There was nothing that didn't seem so ordinary about Ranma. Then again, as he looked at the side of his vision, a panda sitting down and sipping on tea wasn't that ordinary either.

"So, Mr. Frepp," Nodoka started.

"Please, call me Charlie," their guest interupted.

"Charlie, she continued smoothly, "is there anything we can help you with? Akane said that you were looking into the odd happenings here."

"Yes, just the shear destruction of the surrounding areas when I came to this neighborhood is a fair indication that who and what I am looking for is here." He looked at each of the residents of the Tendo house before returning to Ranma's mother. "Am I guessing right in saying that the chaos surrounds one or two people here?"

"You could say that," Nabiki said, sarcasm rolling off her voice.

Looking to her, Charlie smiled inwardly, but asked the question he had the answer to anyway. "And who is that?"

"Ranma."

"Ranma."

Ranma, the sign tha panda held said.

"Ranma."

"Oh my, it would be Ramna, wouldn't it?"

"My son here."

The son in question just looked around as everyone said his name. "Hey, it's not like it's all my fault!"

Akane looked at him with a sense of amazement, but it her sister that responded first. "No, but things seem to happen whenever you are near, Ranma." She pulled out a notebook from a pocket as she said it, flipping through the pages. "Ryoga would never had anything to do with our family had you stayed away, as well as Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne, Ukyo, and quite a few others." She looked up and gave the martial artist a hard look. "Should I also tell about how much it costs people when you and someone else fight in the streets, nevermind the expenses we have in repairs, electricity and water bills?"

Charlie's eyebrow lifted in curiosity; if the last two were mention specifically, there must be a reason for it. His head turned to look at the panda again. He had done it three times already, trying to figure out why everyone in the household took such a thing in stride. Slowly, a dawning suspicion came to him, and before he could ask, Ranma answered it for him.

"I can't help it if I'm cursed. He's the one you should be talking to about it," he said, pointing to the panda, who suddenly whisked out a beach ball and started playing with it. The elder lady - Nodoka? - frowned at the panda briefly. Suddenly the panda was back sitting at the table, somehow meeker as he sat beside her.

"Wait a minute," Charlie said before anyone had time to reply to the young man. "Cursed? As in...Jusenkyo?" Gods, he privately thought, it would be ironic that a guardian canididate would be cursed.

Ranma nodded mutely even as the eldest girl, who had gone to the kitchen as a whistling sound was heard, came out with a kettle of hot water, pouring it over the panda. Charlie watched as the panda seemed to dissolve and turn into a man, pushing his glasses up as he sat cross-legged. "The training grounds of Jusenkyo. Me and Ranma traveled there to...." The rest was lost as he transformed back into a panda, cold water managing to hit only him and nothing and noone else. Said panda turned to the source of the water, namely Ranma holding an once-full bucket by the bottom and handle.

"He doesn't need to hear all of it, old man," he said loudly as he set the pail down. Kasumi came out from the kitchen and changed Ranma's father back with water from the same kettle before Charlie thought of changing him back himself. He stood up, his mouth open with a retort as he took one step towards his son. Whatever he was about to do or say was lost as his wife put a hand on his stomach, the other hand moving down under the table to her side as she shook her head. Charlie inwardly smiled as he mentally pictured several images of what just happened. Concern was the responding emotion, although there was a hint of amusement mixed in there as well. His attention was brought back to the people he was having tea with when Akane shook her head, then turned to him. "You know about Jusenkyo, Mr. Frepp?"

"Please, Ms. Tendo, call me Charlie. And yes, I know about it."

Nabiki bent forward over the table as her eyes grew intent on him. "How much do you know of it," she questioned, obviously wanting to know more.

"Oh, enough not to go close to it," he answered evasivly.

Her eyes narrowed at the response she got, understanding the reply for what it was, but couldn't follow-up as her father nodded at what he said. "So why do you have such an interest in Ranma," he asked, sipping his tea briefly. His oldest daughter came from the kitchen and sat down at the only space available, between her father and Ranma, while everyone waited for a reply.

"Actually," Charlie started, "It might not be Ranma. Who I am really looking for is someone who had a dream."

"Everyone dreams," Nabiki deadpanned. While tempted to reply, Charlie ignored her response.

"I might be wrong," he continued, "but I think someone in the neighborhood has had a specific dream a little while ago." he made eye contact with everyone around the table before addiing, "something to do about an Universal Gear."

Charlie mentally checked off people as he looked around the table at their reactions to what he said. Soun and Nodoka frowning immediately stroked them off his list. Genma trying to look like he knew about it almost made him grimace at the thought of someone lying to him about an experience like that. Nabiki's concerned frown gave him a slight pause before striking her off. Akane made him think. There was something in the way she suddenly widened her eyes that intrigued him. Thinking about it, he wasn't sure if she knew about the dream or not. Undecided, Charlie moved on to Ranma.

The pig-tailed boy in question seemed very quiet after he had started talking about the Gear. He was looking downward, not really meeting anyone's gaze. As Charlie was to ask him, Kasumi turned and saw Ranma's expression as well. "Ranma," she began, "Do you know something?"

Everyone's attention turned to Ranma as he just looked down, then slowly looked to Kasumi, the turned to meet everyone's eyes all but one awaited his response. The sole exception was Charlie, as he was already sending Ranma's image with the Universal Gear outlined around him, his mouth turned into a smile that slowly melted away.

"Yes, I have." His answer was quiet and subdued, answering more like how Kasumi would than anything, which surprised the people sitting around the table. Everyone soon relaxed as he jumped from the table to his feet. "Why me! Why does everything happen to...." Ranma's voice trailed off as he sensed something, looking around as he tried to pinpoint the location where the sensation came from.

He wasn't the only one. Charlie was instantly on his feet, head turning left and right before running out into the backyard. His rapier, before sheathed and covered in a cloth, was in his hands as he studied the surrounding area intently. Ranma, after a brief shock of the feeling he had, also jumped beside their visitor, intent on fighting any and all challengers who opposed him. The two families inside didn't blink at his reaction, instead content to turn where they sat to look out and watch the action.

Slowly, a dark shaped seperated itself from the shadow of the tree it had been hiding by for the last few seconds. Gelatinous in shape, it moved forward as it was almost rolling, a mass of ooze lifting itself up from the back, then over itself as it moved forward.

Towards Ranma.

"Get into the house! Now!" Charlie yelled as he stepped sideways, putting himself between Ranma and the ooze. The thing quivered as it stopped, seemingly realising what was happening. Changing direction, the blob increased its pace as it tried to get around the obstacle in its way, planninng to attack its next victim by hiding under the house and attack when and where it would be least expected.

Charlie wasn't fooled for a second at the danger it posed to Ranma right now. He turned so he was parralel to the house, his rapier extended down to the grass as he concentrated innerly and on his sword at the same time.

What Ranma saw next was a new experience. There was no preemptive warning what would happen; no style or attack name called as it happened, no bending of the ki lines around the dojo to make it happen. One second Charlie had the weapon in his hands pointing to the earth, then the next, it was upwards. Nothing changed, but the ooze...stopped, refusing to go past a certain point near the house. It moved a little to the left and right along that invisible line, but it still kept away from the building.

The shock of being told not to fight something for once had finally wore off, and, not listening to what he was told to do, simply moved aways to the side of the visitor as he watched the blob intently.

"No!" The word was ripped from Charlie as he realised who else was in the yard. The blob stopped and turned as well, then dashed across the ground towards the teen. Ranma wondered what was so scary about a glump of goo like that. He could shred the thing with the speed of his hands and it wouldn't know what hit it. With all intent to do so, he stepped forward to meet the thing that was coming towards him.

For Charlie, those seconds when his newly found charge insisted of helping were the longest. Ranma had no idea how deep he was trying to swim when he had barely gotten wet. Almost as if he could see everything happen in slow motion, he saw Ranma dash right towards the enemy with no thought of why it was intent on him. His hand holding the rapier was dropping so he put a wall between it and the boy before he was lost to him, but his arm was coming down too slow. It wouldn't be in time, he suddenly percieved with a clarity that had had to come from Brita. He had to stop them from getting too close another way. He held his left hand out and pointed a finger half-way between the Lure and the candidate, then concentrated on what he needed..

Lightning hit the turf two steps in front of Ranma, causing the boy to jump almost straight up and back to avoid being hit by the turf flying into the sky. Everything reverted back to normal speed as his sword touched the ground mere microseconds after the ooze crossed the blackened circle Charlie had made to keep the two apart. His hand came straight up as he drew on his bond and sent the spiritual energy through his sword as it touched the earth. Whipping the sword up, he focused the spiritual energy with enough force to send it running along the ground, straight towards the Lure.

Everyone looked at amazement as their guest refused to let Ranma get involved with the fight, oblivious to any idea that there might be a good reason for it. Akane was the first to her feet, a scowl on her face as she moved to the entrance to the backyard. Genma followed after his wife gave him a look that said he'd better get up and help as well. When Ranma landed on the edge of the screen doorway, the two were on either side of the martial artist, with a reluctant Soun following to stand beside his long-time friend. Nabiki was sitting down, knowing that it was better to stay where she sat than trying to join the group outside. Nodoka had the same idea thereabouts, although she was wanting to get up and help her son if she knew she wasn't just going to be in the way. Of all of them, it was Kasumi that seemed to have little worry about how things were going, confident Ranma will know the right thing to do in the end.

For those who knew Ranma well, they could always tell when he took an opponent serious. The set of jaw, the look of concentration on his face, his fighting stance, his tone of voice and other, miniscule differences that changed him from an egotistical teenager to a martial artist prodigy. All of those little changes were evident in Ranma right now as he faced against the man who kept him away from fighting. The part of him that would be usually concentrating on the new opponents at the moment seemed to be...numb...as he tried to understand what was going on. By all reasoning, he should be angry or frustrated at Charlie, but, even as he was about to yell at him, something told him the man outside was protecting him from the creature. Finally, his mind seemed to shake the numbness away as a feeling of helplessness came over him, forced to watch the fight instead of being in it personally. Anger at being a spectator came as he watched the glob turn one direction, only to stop as Charlie brought his weapon down, then flick it upwards across the path where it would have gone. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, jumping onto the ground, an equal distance away from both stranger and monster.

"Ranma, what are you doing?" Ranma watched as Charlie's head whipped about to look at him, only to whip back as the glob turned away from the direction it was going to face the pig-tailed martial artist. He saw the sword-wielding stranger point two fingers towards him, somehow calling upon lightining to strike where he was standing even as his sword came down then straight up again, making the thing he was squaring off against stop where it was. Jumping into the air, Ranma did a seemingly lazy backflip, landing on the wall surounding the Tendo residence. Slowly he gathered his ki together, knowing he could beat this small thing. He ignored the nagging voice inside of him, knowing that listening to it would make him doubt, and he couldn't afford to doubt at that moment.

"I've never seen Ranma fight defensively before like this," Soun remarked, watching as a second scorch mark appeared on his lawn. Back at the table, Nabiki nodded her agreement as she jotted something down in the notebook from before.

"Ranma never runs from a fight," Akane disagreed as her head swiveled between the man she had met today and the martial artist standing on the wall.

"The boy has something planned," Genma added, knowing his son too well to know there had been a purpose to jumping onto the wall.

Charlie muttered a curse under his breath as he tried to pay attention to both the candidate and the creature Instability sent. There was no doubt who the Lure was going for, especially after it had tried for Ranma twice while being here. The boy seemed to know it was after him, but didn't understand why he couldn't beat it. Mentally he sighed; he couldn't blame anyone but himself, since he hadn't said anything about it, especailly with the boy's parents and the other family nearby. He watched as his last spirit wall dissapate, allowing the monster to move towards his target again. Bringing down his rapier, he set up his line of sight so the wall would be a few feet in front of where it was currently, trying to buy the time he desperatly needed to explain things. Just before he released the wave, he noticed a slight change in the monster's direction. Rather than going towards Ranma, the Lure moved away from him, which threw Charlie off until he understood exactly what was happening.

'Of course,' he thought. 'It must be weakening.' Judging the angle it is traveling, ah.' Charlie side-stepped left to make the next wall come between the Lure and the shadow of the tree. Something in the bond made him wait a second before releasing the wall, something he had long ago learned to heed. Sure enough, the Lure changed directions, not going towards the tree, but for the shadows below the house. Charlie grinned as he turned on the ball of his foot, turning to stop the monster from getting anywhere near the house as he created a wall along the edge of the house, timing it perfectly to defeat with the safety of the shadows out of it reach. It would only be seconds before it was dead after that, not enough time to change directions to the next nearest shadow. And without anywhere to go -

It would have nothing to lose in an all-or-nothing charge at Ranma.

Charlie saw immediately where he erred. He had assumed the first feint was the only feint this thing would do, especially with it running out of time, thus forgetting its true objective was still out there, unprotected. Running towards the wall, Charlie made a quick evaluation of the location of Ranma and the Lure to himself. Even with the monster slowing down, it would reach his charge before he would reach either of them. Then he looked at Ranma again, frightened at what he might be doing, his hands cupped outward from his body. Instictively he knew Ranma was trying a ki attack against the Lure.

In hindsight, what he did next was something he would have done differently. Rather than call upon the electric or heat currents in his body and form them into something for Ranma to dodge, Charlie shifted his grip on his rapier, holding it over his shoulder even as he moved across the yard. Using his best javelin-toss, he threw the sword through the air, hoping it would be enough of a distraction for his target to lose his concentration.

Indifferently, Ranma jumped sideways, avoiding the weapon as it sailed over and down the other side of the wall. He drew on his confidence to make the ki-ball bigger, wanting to make sure the thing would die. He still ignored the part of him that doubted the idea was a good one, even though it was being insistent to be heard.

Akane chanced to look at Charlie and the expression on his face as Ranma readied to attack the thing. Her confidence in her fiancee's tactic waned as she started to think there was more to the situation than what meets the eye and that Charlie knew what they didn't. Inside, as everyone's eyes were on Ranma, Kasumi's usually sunny disposition turned to a small frown, almost as if she found a stain that refused to be wiped clean.

The ball of ki in Ranma's hands melted away as all confidence inside turned to doubt. Watching the thing coming to him, he reeled at the sensation, slowly moving away from it as he ran along the wall and jumped neatly onto the patio, feeling goosebumps as he landed. Slowly, he turned around as whatever the creature was outside tried to turn towards him, then seemed to flop onto the ground, a sill pool of shadow blackness with no source whatsoever. Idly, he noticed it didn't have a shadow, even though it rested in the middle of the backyard, with the afternoon sun overhead.

The spirit guradian sighed with relief as he saw the Lure in its death throes. Turning to the martial artist, Charlie took two steps before stopping as he saw everyone's attention turn to him. Nabiki and Nodoka had stood up and joined their respective father and husband at some point when he wasn't looking, and the group looked at him with expressions ranging between distrust to hatred.

"Why," Ranma was the first to ask, everyone silently knowing that he had the most right to ask the question. "Why did you attack me? I could have taken that thing easily."

Charlie let the breath he had been unconsciously holding out. That had been the last thing he had been worried about. "I'm glad you said that staement the way you did," he said, indicating to where the ooze was. Even as he spoke, it was dissolving, literally melting away in an audiable sizzle. "What we just saw is called a Lure. It's sole purpose is to seek out a potential guardian, attack it, and purposely die."

"Purposely die?" Some of the edge in Ranma's voice went away as he tried to contemplate that. "You mean it was bait?"

"Yes. It's meant to be defeated, to give the unsuspecting candidate a sense of over-confidence, making them easy prey for whatever comes for them next. The only thing it needs to do is touch them, or, in your case, touch a ki blast, which it would backtrack to the person. Once it touches, the person would be poisoned, with a seductive sensation so sweet it is impossible to shrug off. Thus why we call it a Lure." Charlie stepped onto the wooden flooring as the tension slowly lessened. "Mind if I have some tea while I tell you everything? It's easier to talk around a table instead of on our feet, and I have a feeling we have a bit to discuss."

I haven't fogotten about this story, but with a few other ideas going through my head, it's sometimes hard to work on the ones you want to the most. I had most of this mentally figured out for a while, just needing to type it down when I had a chance. Sigh. So many ideas, so little time.