The Crow 1/2 : Dragons Rising

By

Darkangel98

Disclaimer

Darkangel98s and Dark Angel Studios do not own the rights to nor challenge the rights of the copyrighted materials within this work of fan fiction. This is a work of non profit love. Don't sue me, cause all I have is my laptop, and you REALLY don't want my Mac. Besides, it is my wife's anyway.

Authors notes will follow the chapter.

Chapter 9

Unhappy Dreams and a little bit of the old Ultra Violence.

Ukyou looked up at Ranma from beneath the rapidly cooling body of her recently found love Konatsu, and she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. He towered over her, dark blue jacket hanging low hiding his hands, the silver dragon on his black silk shirt seemed to writhe on his chest glowing in the fading sun light like fire. It seemed to match the fire of hate and rage that filled Ranma's eyes. He took a slow step forward, and she began to whimper.

Her hands wrapped in Konatsu's hair, and she hugged her face to him.

"... Please...please... don't... Don't be dead... Don't hurt us... "

"That is how Akane begged, as they cut her face, as they raped her." He took another step forward. She began to cry in earnest, fear and sorrow overwhelming her. Her body shook hard with each sob, and her tears mixed with the blood from the head injury that had killed Konatsu and ran down her face in scarlet trails. "This is the fear that Akane felt as they killed me, and tried to kill her. The fear you and your friends put her through."

"NO! NO! I... I didn't! I never hurt her... I told everyone what was happening..." She felt Konatsu's body suddenly be torn from her grasp, and she had no choice but to look up, into the face of Ranma. He threw the dead body hard, and it slammed into the wall with a sickening thud, blood spraying from the head injury with the force of the impact, decorating the wall in a crimson fan, and she screamed. "Konatsu!!!"

She started to move, to rush to his body, when Ranma knelt down, seeming to appear before her like a ghost. She froze, looking into those eyes that gleamed like the flaming hells of Yoma, and she could not move. His hand slowly traced across her cheek, down the line of red tears, and she felt memories overwhelm her.

"You help us yes? Get rid of Akane, steal Ranma away. Then you and me fight to see who get Husband.."

She heard shampoo's voice, and looked over Ranma's shoulder. Her heart froze at the scene of her and Shampoo sitting on a bench in the park near her restaurant. They were looking over the pond near her restaurant as they talked. She remembered the day with aching clarity.

The memory Ukyou turned and looked at Shampoo and watched her for a moment. "That's it? We kidnap Ranma, then fight to see who keeps him. Doesn't seem very smart sugar. I don't think Ranma is going to go for us just stealing him away like that."

Shampoo looked at her and smiled brightly. "Is no problem. Me have magic potion that make Ranma love whomever kiss him first. Ranma love on of us after fight."

Ukyou smiled at the though to Ramna all to herself finally, but before she agreed, she had one more question. "How are you going to get rid of Akane. I don't really like her, but I would feel bad if something happened to her."

"Again, is no problem, silly spatula girl. The Kuno's help us with Akane." She remembered the strange smile on Shampoo's lips, and she saw her memory self shudder at it.

Ranma suddenly grabbed her hair, and twisted her face back to his. His eyes held that strange fiery glow still, and he was grinning rather morbidly. "You are a martial artist. Trained to read people, to sense when something was not right. You felt it then. YOU KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG!"

"I..I.. I didn't!"

"YOU KNEW!"

Ranma wrenched her head back around, to look behind them again. She saw the school grounds, and she was talking to a friend of hers when she saw Kuno. They memory people were only a few feet behind Ranma, and she could see everything in such detail. Kuno looked strange, and even the real her could sense the strange aura rolling of the swordsman. He was staring off into the distance, at something. Ukyou's friend seemed creeped out and excused herself.

Ukyou was curious, however, and walked over to where Kuno stood. "Hey Kuno... What's up?" She turned to stare in the direction where Kuno was looking, and saw Ranma and Akane leaning against the wall near the school gate, talking. She felt a brief flash of anger. She was fixing to say something about it to Kuno when he turned and looked at her. The real Ukyou knew exactly what the memory Ukyou was seeing that made her take a step back. Madness. She had never seen it before, not like this, but she had recognized it immediately. He stared at her, and she braced for an attack, but he simply turned and walked away, slowly, as if in a dream.

Ranma's hand was around her throat, and she was lifted into the air. He snarled into her face, and she felt her heart race even as her breath was cut off. Her hands made a feeble attempt to fend him off, beating his overwhelming strength like a dying birds wings. "Strike two Ukyou. You knew something was very wrong. We were right there, you could have told us what they were planning right then."

She watched as blood suddenly began to run down his face, pouring slowly across his face, and she suddenly realized he looked like the broken and dead body they had found when they had broken into the warehouse and fought off the Kuno siblings and Mousse. His eyes were glassy and lifeless except for that flame in their depths. He was a corpse again, choking the life from her, and she felt the room spinning. She heard the crow cry out, it's voice like a dagger into her heart, and she heard Akane scream. No memory people walked out to do a play this time. She simply saw in her minds eyes as she walked around the corner to the meeting place where they were going to ambush Akane, and she saw with a chilling clarity Shampoo dodge the furious Akane's attacks, leap over the girl and before the Tendo could track her, lash out with a brutal kick that nearly bowed Akane in half. Her heart died as the audible crack of Akane's spine filled the air, and the girls scream as pain overwhelmed her.

Mousse and Sansuke had both been there, watching. She had panicked, afraid of fighting all of them, afraid of what they might do to her if she tried to stop them.. She ran away, ran to get help, ran to fix the mistake she had made.

Ranma suddenly released her, and she hit the floor with a resounding thud, and turned and walked away, his head was split open, and he was a gruesome and horrifying sight. He glanced back at her, and pain exploded from her wrists, and the deep cuts she made there in her suicide attempt were suddenly open again, and her life blood flowed free.

"I can not do more to you than what you have done to yourself. Your sins have been redeemed in my eyes. You with have to deal with what you have done on your own." The crow was on his shoulder in a flutter of wings, and it looked at her with the eyes of the dead. She began to drag herself across the floor, body quivering with sobs, bleeding profusely, vision blurry. She tried to reach Konatsu, tried to take him in her arms, and hold her as the end came."

"Ukyou..." She froze, and slowly looked around. Ranma was gone. "Ukyou..." She slowly turned her head, and looked to Konatsu. His head slowly turned to look at her, and his eyes were those of the crows. "Ukyou!"

She screamed.

Konatsu was shaking Ukyou, trying to wake her up from her bad dream when she suddenly screamed and bolted upright. She saw him, and screamed even louder, and he wrapped his arms around her. After a moments hesitation her arms wrapped around him, and held him tight. He sat there, holding her as she cried, body almost convulsing as she wept. He had no idea what was happening, but he was doing his best to be what she needed.

Ryoga and Soun rushed in, the younger man's arm in a sling. Both froze when they saw the couple crying, and Konatsu motioned for them to leave. They watched them for a moment, and then backed out quietly. Her held her close, and waited for her to calm down. They stayed that way for close to a half hour, before she pulled her self from his arms. She looked into his eyes, and ran a hand though his hair. She hit a lump on the back of his head, and he winced, and she traced around it gently. "You... Your alive."

"Yes. I don't think Cologne wanted anyone but Akane." He saw her look of confusion. "Cologne. She came here and attacked us. I hate to say it, but we really got our butts kicked. She took us all out, and took Akane with her."

She still looked confused, and he reached up his own hand, and brushed her cheek and she felt a stab of pain. "I am not surprised that you don't remember. She hit you first, and took you out of the fight." He smiled weakly. "I did not last much longer."

"She took Akane?"

"Yea. Ryoga is pretty sure that she did it to lure Ranma to her. As bad a mistake as that is going to be."

Ukyou was silent for a moment, before looking at him. "I have something to tell you. I have to tell you about what I did to Akane and Ranma." He started to speak, but she put a finger to his lips. "Ranma knows. I think... I think the dream I had was part of him that touched me. It made me face what I had done. He let me live..." She kissed him suddenly, softly. "You have given me a reason to live... But I need know if you can except me for what I did."

He nodded and Ukyou took a deep breath, and began to confess to him.

Cologne sat watching an angry Akane as she sat in a corner, hands and feet bound. She smiled at the girl, and puffed on a long, slender pipe, before sipping some tea from the cup beside her. She had changed cloths from the green and red dress she usually wore, and now wore a dark green blouse and pants similar in style to Shampoo's, meant more for fighting than her normal cloths. She looked overly pleased with herself.

"Well, girly. You don't seem too worried that a dangerous old women like myself has you in her hands." She blew a smoke ring and grinned at Akane again. "I would certainly be scared if I were in your place."

"It doesn't matter what you do to me. Torture me, kill me. You can do all of that. You can't avoid justice however, and what ever you do to me, Ranma will repay on you a thousand fold, ya old ghoul." Cologne poured herself some more tea, and added a teaspoon of honey to it, stirring it slowly as she watched the girl.

"Would you like to hear a story about my childhood?"

"What?"

"A story from three hundred years ago, from my days in China. It is a an old story, but one I am sure you will find relevant, given our current situation." Akane said nothing, simply glared at her, and she chuckled softly. "I feel really silly for not remembering it in the first place, but then again, as I said earlier, it was three hundred years ago. It took these recent events and a few special dreaming techniques to remember it fully, but I am sure you will see why it is so important."

She sent another puff wafting towards the ceiling, and tapped the pipe out on an ashtray nearby. "Smoking is such a nasty habit. Shortens your days. Not that that will be a problem soon, if I have my way. But I get off topic."

She sipped the hot tea and smiled. "I was a beautiful woman once. Quite the catch." Akane snorted, and Cologne glared, before continuing. "I was desired by all the men in my village, but it was one that took my heart. He defeated all challengers, and beat me in fair combat, though it had been close. It was decided that he would be allowed to court me, as his strength would add to our clan's own. This was before it was law that you had to marry anyone who beat you in fair combat. At the time it earned you a chance to woo the woman."

"It was Happosai, wasn't it?" Akane look at her, curious despite her hate of the woman, and having heard a little of the story.

Cologne nodded. "He was a different man then. Strong, proud, honorable. He was a letch even then, but it was more the burning of a young man in his prime that the perversion it is today. And he was strong in a way few were. Martial arts were his passion, and he was a gifted and capable fighter." She smiled faintly at the memory. "I was actually quite taken by him, and he with me. He did his best to win me over, by showing me his strength, romancing me, and he treated me as an equal. This was quite a different thing for a woman of my tribe. This was a man who would stand his ground, argue with me and not back down. It was quite an... arousing difference." Akane made a disgusted face, and Cologne ignored it.

"Happi made my heart glad, and I wanted to show him how much I loved him." She sipped the tea again, and her face took on a more somber tone. "I took him to see our tribes treasures, the magical artifacts we had made and taken over the years. I even, in my naivete, gave him one, as a token of my love."

"What it did was not important, but it was very precious to my tribes elders. My mother, the chief of the tribe at the time raged, and in my fear I told them that Happosai had stolen the artifact. I was afraid, and in my panic I condemned him to death." She began to pack the pipe again, and Akane was watching her.

"It was not my intention to do this, but it happened. The best warriors of my clan set out, with me in tow, and we hunted my beloved. When we found him, he greeted me with open arms. The treasure, a bracelet, was on his arm, and they screamed for his death. He was surprised, but a brilliant fighter, and he managed to fend them off for a long time. He went down, and from the place where I had watched them beat him mercilessly, I leapt and fended off a mortal blow to be delivered from my mother. I was badly injured, and could not stop them as they beat his to death, slowly."

"WHAT!?!"

"Happosai was beaten to death. Are you deaf, girly?"

"But..." Akane looked shocked and confused.

"You see, while I was recovering from my injuries, I became ill from infection. The fever made my memories about the time a little blurry, but I remember some of it." She smiled sadly. "Happosai came back from the dead, much like our Ranma has. The crow and all. He came back for revenge, and began killing plowing through or villages best forces. He came for me, had me at his mercy as my village burning around us. And he did not kill me. His love stayed his hand, and he did spare me..." She looked at Akane then, and she saw the evil that had grown in the woman over the years. She grinned. "I saw something then. Something very important you see. I saw Happosai's weakness. It is Ranma's weakness as well. I watched Happosai sever his ties to the afterlife... I watched him kill his crow."

Akane's eyes were wide with fear as she watched the old woman cackle.

Kuno sat staring at his newly hired assassins and smiled briefly. They were a ragged and varied lot, but they would serve him very well. They were, after all, the very best money could , just as a Kuno deserved.

He looked them over carefully, ignoring the sounds of his sister as she went at it with several of the guards. There was the big American in light tan military uniform with one of those little Australian hats that folded up on one side. He was very impressive with massive minigun. Then there was a fellow Japanese swordsman, he was styled like a traditional Samurai, although he was currently loading bullets into a gun built into his sheath. There were those two fellow on the end dressed in matching silver and gold leotards and masks. The carried only metal gauntlets, and had not said a word since they had arrived. Speaking of not speaking, the same could be said of the two blond German twins. They were both dressed in black, both blond and pale skinned. Only the fact that one was huge and the other short even by Asian standards made them different. The last was a small, scowling man with wild spiked black hair, dressed in a blue tanktop and matching pants, long white gloves, and heavy armored white boots. He made, by far, the most impressive specimen, with ki pretty much rolling off of him.

He waved his hand, and they all turned and left, and he smiled as he walked over to his sister. He grabbed her hair and twisted her head up, tongue probing deep in her mouth, hands running over her sweaty body as she fucked the man beneath her. It was good to be the bad guy...

Ranma stood before the Kuno compound gates, and grinned. He could hear the men inside. Could sense the guards nervousness and fear. They knew he was coming, and were worried what was going to happen when he arrived. They had heard about the ninja's. Good. He was itching for a fight.

He pressed his hand against the door, and closed his eyes, focusing his ki. It spilled around him and through him. Where ever the crow was, lack of its presence was not effecting his power. Just his healing. With his new speed and strength, it would take a thousand armed guards to stop him. Ki flared through his arms, through his hands , and he shoved outwards with both hands.

The gate exploded off of its hinges. They flew through the air and plowed into the ground. One bounced up, slamming straight through a house wall and inside. The other slammed into the ground, digging up dirt and rock like a bulldozer. The dirt and debris covered poor guard as he stood there, waiting to die from the doors impact. As the dirt settled he looked up, and the massive wood and iron door had stopped moving only inches from him. He felt warm urine trickle down his leg, and he fell down, legs collapsing from fright. He crab crawled away from the door as it tipped, and it creaked and collapsed slamming into where he had just standing.

Ranma watched with a certain perverse satisfaction, and slowly he began to walk forward. His head was down, his bangs hiding his face, his arms were held straight out to his side at shoulder height. He walked forward, ignoring as the guards cocked numerous guns. His stride never wavered. His face was split in a wild grin as the excitement began to overtake him. All the martial artists he had touched and absorbed something from were filling him, flowing through him. A joy and lust for the fight, especially against so many, swelled up. He would get to finally go all out, fight at his full potential here. If they surrendered, he would let them. But if they attacked.

"I have come only for Tatiwaki and Kodachi. There lives are mine for the sins they have done..." He slowly walked up a small foot bridge that crossed a Koi pond and he stopped moving. "I will let you leave in peace. Your sins are not mine to reckon with. It you seek to stop me, however... I will not let you leave. None of you..." He threw up his head and laughed, and several took a step back. His voice roared with power. "What is your choice?"

A man in the back lifted a small box, and twisted the plunger sitting on the top. He shoved it in with great force, and in the silence following Ranma's question made the sharp electrical pop from the box very loud in contrast. The bridge detonated with a sudden spray of wood and water. Everything was disintegrated in the blast.

The men cheered, and relief filled their voices. They had slain the beast. They were patting each other on the back, and smiling.

"I see you have made your choice..." Everyone went silent suddenly, and turned slowly. They found Ranma, now in girl form, the short, well build redhead bleeding from shrapnel and cuts standing on the wall. Her face had the same wild gleeful look the male had. Fear ran through them. "And you have left me no choice..."

Their guns opened fire, but Ranma was no longer there. She had thought he was fast as a man, but his girl half was faster by far. Her movement left a blurred after image of herself as she lunged sideways. She dropped off the wall and was on top of the closest guards before they full knew what was happening. She grabbed the first gun, twisting the pistol back, snapping his finger, and punched the goons arm at the elbow, shattering it. The man was just beginning to scream when Ranma fired two shots from the mans gun, which was still tied up in his broken finger, killing the man at the rear. She Kicked a new man right in front of her in the knee, breaking it and dropping him down. She twisted the gun, broken finger and arm around, putting another round in the kneeling man. She turned spinning the in a circle, hearing the wet ripping sound of bone grinding through flesh, and jammed the gun under it's owners jaw, and put a bullet though his brain. She turned a circle, throwing the body by the arm and a small group of guards across the way, Spying a guard on the main houses roof trying to follow her, she let the gun fly with all of her strength, and was rewarded by a wet explosion from the man as it crushed his face.

"Yes!" Ranma pumped her arm, and spun. It felt good to cut loose. She looked over the remaining guards, and found them all pointing their guns at her. She dropped into the traditional Saotome school fighting posture, and held one hand out, and motioned for them to attack. Their guns opened up, and Ranma did not move.

She tracked the bullets as they moved, fast but dodgeable in small numbers. There were hundreds being fired. Ranma jerked to the side as fast as she could, tearing up huge trails of dirt at the super fast movement as the first bullets began to tear through where she was. Her hand shot out, and a Moko Takabishi ripped forth, tearing into a cluster of guards. Someone had a rocket launcher and fired it, the explosion blowing Ranma off course, in the air. Several bullets clipped her, burning white hot trails through her flesh. The blast blew dust and smoke around her, hiding her from view, and the guards continued to open fire, many reloading as others emptied their clips.

Ranma was lost in the haze, and someone started throwing flashbang grenades. The blinding flashes and deafening reports made the smoke worst, and they just continued to rain firepower into where their foe was. It took them several moments to stop. Most having run low on ammo, and sliding home the last of their ammunition. They looked through the air filled with the smoke of so many rounds being fired, and were confident they had killed the strange boy/girl.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" The battle cry tore the air, and they saw the raging red flare of Ranma's battle aura sweep up, and snap out like huge wings, blowing the smoke clear. She stood there, Crimson energy swirling around her,, bleeding now from a dozen would, and they broke, trying to flee. She roared again, and fell upon the. They tried shooting, but she was among them, every punch and kick shattering bone and taking life. They could no run, as she released Moko Takabishi one after the other, ran them down, broke them like kindling,.

With a final punch, low to the stomach that bent the man in half, and blew blood and fluid from his body from all openings, spraying her body with it's hot wetness, and her blood soaked body flowed, changing into the man he had started as. He stood there for a moment, heart racing, breath coming in long draws, and looked up at the main compound.

"KUNO!!!"

The guard who had survived the door ran out the main gate, barely escaping notice. He had made it where all of his friends had died. He was going to survive. He did not even notice when Mousse appeared beside him, and in a graceful spin, took his head clean from his neck. The sword did a quick dance across the mans shirt before he had managed to collapse to clean off the blood. It disappeared where all the rest of Mousse's weapons seem to go, and he turned to look at the destroyed wall, and Ranma standing among the dead.

"Go on, dog. Kill the Kunos. Kill them all. And after you are done, I'll be here to pick up the leftovers. I'll Take your still warm head to my new pet, and let her know what happens when you cross Me.."

Authors notes

Sorry this took a year. I wrote three versions of this story, and had all three destroyed. Very sorry. It is VERY hard for me to write something I have written already again, and try four took a lot longer than any of the others.

Authors Poll for this story is just a simple question. Do you think that the U.S. is going to give Naruto the royal Rogering it gave One Piece?