Crow 1/2:Dragons Rising

Chapter 8:Dangers of Being One of the Heroes

By Darkangel98s

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. I just took a lot of familiar material and put it into a story of my design. Not doing this for profit, and if you try too sue me for money, I have just one thing to say to you. Blood from a turnip man. Blood from a turnip. So piss off.

Disclaimer P.S.: Well this is and angry story, so the disclaimer gets to be angry as well.

The Dojo was silent. The morning was cold, colder than this time of year should have been. Akane stood in the cold morning sunlight, long black hair blowing loose in the wind behind her, looking off into the sunrise, after the man she loved as he went about his dark task of redemption.

"Ramna…" Her silent prayers and wishes traveled with her whispered calling of his name.

"Akane! You're walking!" Her father had broken the silence of the others behind her, and she felt him more than anything as he and the other s ran forward, sweeping her up into their arms, hugs and tears from all. Her eyes never left the horizon.

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Cologne stood silently watching the events of that morning unfold, as Ranma left from the Tendo compound. And she studied him for the first time unmolested. She felt his energy, his dark power, and finally knew what it was. In her three hundred years of life, she had encountered the undead before, though none with the vitality and sheer presence of Ranma. Yet even as she thought that, images of her dreams, of that horrible day in here youth came back, and she shivered.

She hopped from her perch, and away, into the streets, heading to the back alley Chinese triad doctor she had associated with since coming to America. Her Shampoo's father still needed tending and she needed sleep and information. One she could get back at the doctors, the other, she feared would only be found within those memories she had long suppressed.

Shampoo must be rescued, and that damned Ranma put to rest for the final time. However he had managed it, she would make sure he never came back, and that he paid for every indignity he caused her great-granddaughter.

She cast one brief look back at the Tendo's and smiled wickedly. At least the undead fool had one weakness still. And she knew how to use that weakness already. With a morbid chuckle, she leapt away in a flickering blur, heading towards answers she hoped she were ready to face.

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Mousse sat grinning madly at the box before him, and it's small mewing purple package. Ranma had dropped it before entering battle with Sansuke and his ninjas, and now, after so very long, Shampoo was in his possession.

He was sitting in a small, dark little apartment near the waterfront. It was his home, being cheap and in a place where no one ever asks questions, no matter what they saw or heard. His kind of place, as of late.

He picked up his new package and winced at the pain in his chest from where Ranma had struck him. He wore no shirt, and had bandages tightly wound around his chest. The Kuno's doctor was no Ono Tofu, but he was not bad either. Mousse was already feeling better from the night's activities, and was already entertaining several wicked ideas for revenge. He shook the box and heard Shampoo mew louder as she bounced about. Revenge on more than just Ranma.

He tossed the box on the floor and scooped up the kettle of hot water he had heating on a hot plate beside him. He loved the fact that Shampoo never had cloths when she changed back to human. He dumped the water over the box, and grinned as her firm, very naked body burst forth from the box, showing him all of the assets he had dreamed of since she had first began to develop as a young woman.

He leered at her well rounded, almost goddess-like figure, and she blushed, untangling herself from the box fragments and chains that had kept her bound

*What do you think you are looking at Mu Shu. I do not know why you have saved me, but it doesn't give you the right to stare at my body, you stupid duck b…* She had been rising as she spoke, but was sent flying as Mousse struck her, for the first time for real.

Shampoo looked up at her former childhood friend, and wanna-be suitor, and was afraid of him for the first time. He had a hateful gleam to his eyes and a wicked smile on his face. *Mu Shu… What…?*

"Knock off the Chinese *Xan Pu*. You and that old woman made sure that I am no longer part of the tribe, I am no longer a Chinese Amazon. I am a man with no country, no past, and no future. I am no one…" He looked sad for just a moment, and lowered his eyes, slumping slightly, as if so tired from what life had done to him. A lot of that she had done to him herself.

She rose and padded to him silently, and ran a hand softly down one cheek. He looked up into her eyes. *Mu Shu, I am so sorry. For those things I did to you. For being who I was, and how I was for so long. I am sorry I could not return your love like you wanted.*

"Oh I know *Xan Pu*, just how sorry you are going to be…" He struck her a second time, moving so fast even she could not follow. "You know, I have been in darkness for this past year. First the murder of Ranma, then countless others for the Kunos. So many, even I have lost track. Theft, deception, paid killing."

She felt the blood running slowly down from her split lip, and looked up at a man who she very acutely aware of now as being stronger than she was. His eyes gleamed with a crazy lust that sent her scurrying away from him as he stalked towards her.

"There have been so many women since you *Xan Pu* Mainly while on business in China, but some here. Women willing to do anything for a few dollars, who looked like you, with your… bountiful gifts. Professional women, who knew what to do with men. And after I was finished… the urges came. And I showed them the monster I had become."

She swung at him, trying to hurt him, but he caught her fist in his, and grinned even wider, licking his lips. "Let me show you the monster I have become. Let me show you the monster that you have made me." He grabber her hair and pulled her into a fierce kiss. "You are mine in the only way I want you anymore."

No one came to her aid as her screams echoed down the hallway of the tiny apartment building. No one cared, no one wanted to care…

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Akane was in the dojo, sweat pouring down her face as she leapt into another attack against Ryoga. They exchanged a brief series of blows before she backed off. Ryoga had not even broken a sweat yet, but she was exhausted, pushed past her restored bodies strength. But she did not want to stop. It was like a dream come true, to be able to walk, to kick, to fight again.

She held up her hand, and laughed briefly. "Ok, ok. I give. I can't beat you. Not that I expected to." She fell over and lay down on the dojo's floor smiling up at the ceiling. Ryoga came and sat down beside her, cross-legged.

"Are you sure you should be pushing yourself so hard, Akane? I mean…" He went silent, not knowing how to say what he wanted to.

"Yes I am sure. Whatever happened between me and Ranma seems to have helped me recover, made me strong again. Maybe it had something to with how his new powers linked us last night. Maybe he just figured out how to share that healing you serious martial arts types all seem to have." She shrugged, and ran her hands down across her legs again. "It still feels weird, ya know."

He was watching her intently, noting the slight change in how she spoke. A few times since this morning, she had begun to use some of Ranma's mannerisms, and the first few times, it made him do a double take. Now he was getting a little worried. "So, what DID happen between the two of you last night?"

"We had sex."

She was so matter of fact, that it did not register for a moment. "Oh…WHAT!?!"

"Jeeze, Ryoga. You know I wasn't a virgin."

"Akane. I-I-I-I didn't mean…" He did not want to bring up her abuse by the Kuno's, but she looked up at him with eyes that were a little sad, but not like he would have thought.

"I know you didn't Ryoga. I know YOU of all people never would. But despite how I lost it, it was gone long before last night." She sat up and hugged her legs. "I loved Ranma with all of my heart. There were just so many people in the way between us, and too many stupid and childish hang ups between us."

"Akane…"

"I need to get this out Ryoga. Please, as my best friend." Her eyes were watery, but her voice strong, sure.



He nodded his assent, and patted her hand softly. "Of course Akane." He wrapped his arms around his own knees, and watched her carefully, unsure how to do anything but listen.

"Ranma, for so long was nothing but an annoyance to me. At least I always thought that. I mean, sometimes it seemed he would go SO far out of his way to be a jerk. He made me so mad on a daily basis, that for a while I though for sure that I hated him." She wiped her hand at a loose tear that ran down her cheek. "Maybe I did for a while. But then there were times that he would do things I could not understand. Put himself on the line, risk injury and death to protect me, rage against those that would hurt me or try and take me away from him.

"He loved me first. That pig headed jerk loved me before I loved him. Maybe he did from day one he did. But he didn't know how to express himself. I mean with Genma as a dad, could you blame him for not knowing how to act around a girl? Always traveling, always with men. A poor role model for a father figure. He only knew how to be the man his father was."

"But he tried. As hard as he could, to express his feelings for me, in the only way he knew how. Like his always fighting with me. Or his fighting with anyone who even remotely showed interest in me." She grinned a small, private little smile. "And he tried to figure out how to act around me. I remember after the fight with the Orochi, when he awkwardly took my hand, or the first Christmas present he gave me. Or when he finally said he loved me, after Saffron."

"I began to love him. More and more every day. And after the failed wedding, I could not see myself with anyone but Ranma. Some days I would just wish that we had made it, and had been married, so I could be his wife forever." She wiped one more tiny tear from her eyes, and looked him directly.

"I loved him with all of my heart. I would have spent my life with him. I wanted him, dreamed of him as my first. Some days I just wanted to drag him into a quiet place and be with him." She punched the floor, with some force. "Kuno and Kodachi took that from me, from both of us. Stole my gift to him, and stole him from me."

"Akane…"

"No. I have to finish. Last night… Last night was like it could have been a year ago. Should have been between Ranma and I. I made love to him, and had him hold me in his arms, and everything was right for just a brief while in both of our lives. I got to be with the man I love, truly with him in every since of the word."

"I probably won't get to see him again. He will finish with the Kuno's and Cologne, and and go back to being dead, and I will go back to being alone. But I can go on now. Live my life like I should have, before last year. I am only sad that I won't get a chance to grow old with him…"

"I don't Believe you will have to worry about growing old, with or with out Ranma, little girl."

Both Ryoga and Akane tried to rise to their feet at the sound of Cologne's voice, but it was too late, she was striking already, and Akane heard Ryoga scream in agony before blackness jumped up around her.

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Cologne left the Tendo home in shambles, and everyone in bad shape, Akane slung over one shoulder. She cleared the wall easily, leaping into the air, and away, towards her new base of operations, a small house that she had rented that had a very lovely basement, and skylights.

Her sleep had been very helpful, restoring her mind and body, as well as giving her the final clue to the puzzle. For she had seen the face of the man from long ago that had nearly wiped out her village, a man she had known intimately, whom had said he loved her like no other could, who she had ordered the death of. Happosai.

A little study of what she could gather from her books from the Neko Hanten had told her the rest of what she needed to know. She knew who and what she faced, she knew his strengths and weaknesses, all of his tricks. She also knew how to rob him of that power that death gave him. Maybe even take it for herself, if she were careful.

She needed only a little time to prepare, and then he could come, for she would be ready to put him to rest for good. Revenge was good.

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Mousse rose from the bed where he had been laying with the battered and naked Shampoo, and turned to give her a none to gentle smack on the ass. She mewed as she had as a cat, and scooted away from him, pulling tighter into a ball.



"Only two more people to take care of. The old bitch and the corpse. Those are going to be tougher than you were, but some how I doubt as much fun." He looked back at her and smiled. "I think I am ready again. Come here…." Her whimpering began anew, and he laughed. "No, not nearly as fun."

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Ukyou and Konatsu had just returned from the police station, where they had reported the destruction of Ucchan's and the horrid discovery of close to thirty dead ninja types around the burned out remains. The police bought it hook line and sinker with the distruscion of the Neko Hanten last night as well. They would be contacting them again soon with information for the insurance company.

With the ninja situation handled and Akane seemingly better, Ukyou had been looking forward to a little quiet time with her new boyfriend, but sadly that was never to happen. The old Amazon had appeared as if by magic, sliding between them lashing out to hurt, to maim. They did not stand a chance against her as she beat them. It was over truly before it even started.

As Ukyou regained her senses, head ringing from a sharp blow to the temple, she found it difficult to move, from weight pinning her down. She opened her eyes and found Konatsu in the Late evening sun streaming through the door. The blood pouring down from the wound across the back of his head had already soaked her shirt to the skin, sticking it to her and dried to thick crusts. His eyes were glazed and fixed on her, and she suddenly she felt a wave of horror and sorrow hit her like a knife to the chest.

"Your justice has been served Ukyou. For what you did, for what you were going to do, you have received exactly what you deserve." Tears filled her eyes like rivers, and she turned to face Ranma, who stood in the doorway, watching her with hate filled eyes. "You loose the one you love, just like you helped to do to

Akane. You loose Konatsu…"

Authors Notes:

Wow! Do I suck at putting these out or what? I think so. I am trying to rework the story process just a little, so that I am going to hit all the plot holes. Whoa... How am I going to do that? For the first time ever, I am going to do just a tiny bit of work before hand.

The story is also going to take a serious darker turn. I hope you understand why. THe next couple of episodes are also going to bring out a little bit more of the true personalities of the Ranma cast, just so I can stray back into character a little, so this will stay a Ranma story.

This chapter blows. Even I admit that. But there isn't a lot I can do about that. I worte it exactly like I wrote the others, just sat down and cranked out the whole thing in just a day. No editing, no pre-planning.

Oh yea. To those of you that don't like this story, and don't like it. TOO BAD! I don't care, and I am not going stop writing them just because some people don't like them. As a side note, if you think I have no writing talent, the look up my name on fanfiction.net . That is darkangel98s and the stories are what a day, and the way things were, both true to character Ranma stories, and EL-hazard: ancients dreams, which stays true to character for over a dozen characters at the same time, and is a wonderful story besides.

Oh yes. One other thing. I am going to start doing a readwer poll at the end of all my stories, just so I can find out a little about my readers. Please put your very brief response at the end of your review.

My comment is, with all of the Not too shabby superhero comics made movies that are coming out. WHich comics and or characters would you all like to see receive the Hollywood big screen treatment. Personally for me, I would think Ghostrider, or maybe Deaths Head. Both were entertaining comics.