Story Arc 2: "DEMON UNLEASHED"

Part 2: Fateful Encounter

Nerima was abuzz with gossip. The Japanese town had seen more than its share of strange events, even before Saotome Ranma and his "friends" moved in, but this was by far the juiciest gossip they had in ages.

The crazy, violent Amazons of the Nekohanten were gone. Rumors ranged from Shampoo eloping with Mousse to alien abductions. The truth, grossly exaggerated and circulated by the few witnesses to the event was also spread across the town: Ranma had literally torn down the door to the Nekohanten, threatening the Amazons to vacate. According to the scuttlebutt, Shampoo, in her latest attempt to win over her "Airen", had almost killed Akane by poisoning her food.

Spurring on the rumor mill was the obvious change in Ranma and Akane's behavior. In the aftermath of the failed wedding and the disappearance of the Amazons, it was clear that the most volatile couple of Nerima were actually getting along. The loud cries of "Baka" and "Kawaii-kune!" were rarely heard, and when they were apologies soon followed. Neighbors openly gawked as Ranma walked along side Akane, as opposed to his usual position on the fence. It was no longer unusual to catch them laughing together or even sharing an occasional smile.

Ranma walked casually down the street next to Akane, his hands in his pocket. It was a beautiful autumn day and so far the couple had yet to have a major quarrel. Not that they didn't have any quarrels – Due to the usual chaos that seemed to follow Ranma they had been late for school (again) that morning. Akane had, as usual, gotten upset with him. However, her temper did not explode out of control. She had simply given him a nasty glare and only a few heated words were exchanged. By lunch all was forgotten.

'Yup,' Ranma thought. 'Today is looking pretty good.'

Suddenly, dark clouds passed over the sky and a strong gust of wind hit Ranma square in the face. Ranma blinked. A stranger stood directly in front of them, blocking their path.

Ranma sighed. He should have known it was too good to last.

The young, darkly tanned man before them was completely bald. His feet were bare and the only clothes he wore were a black vest and thin, golden slacks. He seemed impervious to the autumn chill. The strangest feature about him, though, was his flat, broad nose. It was disproportionably large for his face, the nostrils overly wide.

"Saotome Ranma?" he asked. His silky voice was deep and dark, but there was a catch on the end of it that caused both Ranma and Akane to shiver.

"Uh, yeah, that's me." Ranma answered.

The man bowed in introduction. "I am called Kaimen."

Akane and Ranma returned the bow awkwardly, both sensing the need to be on guard. Inexplicably, Ranma felt the back of his skin crawl.

Akane starred at the man inquisitively. She heaved a sigh, knowing like clockwork the next words the stranger would speak.

Kaimen smiled and looked over Ranma as a housewife would peer into a butcher's shop. His amber eyes narrowed and seemed to bore right through him. "I challenge you to a duel," he declared.

Ranma stared at the guy as if he were insane. Could he possibly be serious? Kaimen was a whole foot shorter than Ranma and his frame was so skinny than Ranma could count his rips. From the boy's posture and stance it was obvious that he was untrained in the Art.

Ranma enjoyed a challenge, not beating up helpless strangers – no matter how creepy they were. "Listen, maybe you haven't heard, but I'm the best martial artist around and you'll just end up hurt."

Kaimen's face turned dark. "Fight me!" he demanded.

Ranma looked at Akane and shrugged. He handed his book bag to her.

"Ranma!"

"Don't worry, Akane. I'll go easy on him."

Akane sighed. That wasn't what she was worried about. Something about this guy felt horribly off.

Ranma took his typical relaxed fighter's stance. "Fine, come at me then."

Kaimen scowled. He needed Ranma to hit him, not the other way around. He would just have to provoke him.

Kaimen clumsily lunged and Ranma easily dodged. "C'mon, man. You're worse than Akane."

"Ranma!" Akane shouted.

Kaimen growled low in his throat. Ranma was merely playing with him and in his present state he was no match for the martial artist. Ranma avoided each attack with ease, while Kaimen felt the sweat trickle down his brow.

"I said I want you to fight me!"

Akane felt sympathetic for a moment. She understood how frustrating it was to spare with Ranma, an opponent who refused to fight back.

Kaimen backed off and watched the two young mortals before him. Although it appeared the girl was still fuming from Ranma's slight, he could read something else from both of their body languages. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the scents around him and smirked. The pheromones in the air confirmed his suspicions.

He feigned an attack at Ranma before turning at the last moment to lunge himself at the girl.

Akane had less than a second to react, but it was enough. She deflected his strike with her right arm and counterattacked with a hard kick to the stomach.

Kaimen was thrown by the force of her blow and landed hard on the pavement, winded. He never expected her to be able to fight back! She was nowhere near as fast as the boy, but the power in that kick tasted delicious, negating the pain he felt in his side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" screamed Ranma as he jerked the prone Kaimen to his feet. He lifted him by the collar of his vest.

Kaimen's feet were no longer touching the ground as Ranma brought him to eye level.

'Excellent,' thought Kaimen. He could feel the strength of his opponent radiate with protective anger.

"Ranma," it was the girl's voice. She touched the boy's arm gently, trying to calm him down. "It's over. Let's go home."

Ranma let out a deep breath and was brought back to his senses. He dropped Kaimen roughly to the ground. "Don't touch my fiancée again," he warned. His voice was low, the threat unspoken yet clearly stated. Ranma turned his back on Kaimen and continued his way home with Akane by his side.

Kaimen smirked at the departing figures. He had gained much and tomorrow would bring another day.

A/N: Please review. Both negative and positive comments greatly appreciated. I'm always eager to improve my stories.