Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½. I think constantly repeating it is silly, but getting sued is sillier.
Author's Notes: This is the moment we've been waiting for! The epic battle at the Nekohanten is waged here! Who will show up to do battle? Enough with hype and let's get ready to rumble! Mwa ha ha ha! Oh hello doctor, is it time for my medication now...?
Demon's Crossing
Chapter 7
Nodoka once again was amazed at the sheer amount of food that a martial artist could pack away and still keep their fighting figure. Mousse and Ryoga were eating voraciously as Ranma explained the situation. It didn't take them long to plan out a course of action. They did have to be reigned in at a frontal assault. Sure, they had power, but they could be much more effective in a sneak attack. The Saotome matriarch took that time to call over to the Tendo house to talk to Soun. The Tendo patriarch agreed to come over. It was the least he could do after everything that Ranma had done for them he said. When she came back in, she almost tripped over Ryoga's combat umbrella. The fanged young man looked sheepish as he pulled it back over. She chuckled as she once again resumed her place at the table. Her "manly son" looked curiously at her.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I figured you could use some back up, so I called Soun." she replied easily. Kyoko grinned, if Soun was there with his restored skills and techniques, then they stood a better chance. The blind boy and the pig were still in a state of shock from hearing about the Tendo patriarch's return. Shampoo kept sneaking looks at Ukyou. The chef girl, for her part, was trying not to be too obvious. So much was going on that it was agreed that they should all take a breather. Nodoka smiled as her green-eyed daughter helped her clear the table.
"Shampoo scared for Grandmother." the purple-haired girl said quietly. The chef girl sat beside her, legs stretched out in front of her. The two girls had decided to sit in the backyard together. The once proud Amazon was still in tatters. She felt there was no one who could understand what it meant to lose control. Yet even as she thought that, she remembered how Ranma loses control during the Neko-ken. Maybe one person would understand, she amended. Ukyou looked over at her.
"Don't worry, we'll save her. How can anyone stop us? You're the best warrior in your village for your age group. Ranma is a neko hanyou, but before that he was the best martial artist of his generation as well as a literal Godslayer. I happen to be a great fighter as well. Mousse is the Master of Hidden Weapons. Ryoga is a tank, just point and say "Destroy". Not to mention Soun is coming as well as Akane. Between all of us, Cologne will be saved easily." she smiled in confidence. Shampoo sat with stars in her eyes over Ukyou's speech before glomping her startled companion. "Ack!" the chef girl said intelligently as the Amazon girl nuzzled into her chest happily. "Is this how Ranma felt?" she thought fuzzily, but couldn't deny it felt pretty good to have her own personal humanoid octopus.
Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga were sitting on the roof. They "accidentally" overheard the two girls talking. Ranma and Ryoga were snickering over the thunderstruck expression on the blind master's face.
"I lose one rival for her affections and gain another. This time a woman of all things!" he spluttered until he realized how ridiculous he sounded. As suddenly as one flipping off a light switch he's snickering as well.
"You could win an award for your acting talent." Ryoga said with some amazement. The Amazon boy grinned in response. Ranma's ears twitched slightly.
"Tendo's here." he said to them, but still didn't want to move. A light thump was heard as Akane jumped up to them easily. The three young men jumped before laughing sheepishly. The youngest Tendo girl gave them a sunny smile before sitting near Ranma.
"Whatcha talkin' about?" she asked cheerfully. Her clothing looked like a skin tight, black ninja outfit with a long handled warhammer on her back. If they couldn't guess the implications then are as dense as people think.
"Takin' a breather. Kinda hard to think when about eleven different things goin' on." Ranma replied.
"Isn't always hard for you to think?" she said without thinking before blushing. "Uhm... Sorry." Akane apologized sheepishly. Ranma just waved it off easily. "I need to talk to you alone for a few minutes." she said shyly. The pigtailed boy nodded, not quite understanding. The other two boys looked at each other in mutual, if in this case misplaced, understanding and jumped down from the roof. The two teens looked at each other in silence for what seemed like forever. Finally, Ranma spoke.
"So, what did ya wanna talk about?" he asked.
"I wanted to apologize for how I've been." she began.
"No need, I know I was a jerk and..."he tried to say, but was cut off.
"A lot of what I did you didn't deserve. You wanted to be my friend and I never gave you the chance. Could we try to be friends, please?" Ranma looked shocked at her question, but wisely didn't laugh.
"Of course, but I thought we were friends." he said to her. The girl favored him with a beautiful smile before hugging him tightly, which he returned warmly.
"I already know someone who would really like to be your fiancée." she said mischievously.
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"Nabiki. Every time someone mentions you she blushes and gets all nervous." Akane giggled. The blue-eyed boy looked speculative.
"I'll think about it after we get through one crisis." he smirked. The Tendo girl merely rolled her eyes before the two jumped down from the roof.
Once again Mousse and Ryoga "accidentally" overheard what was being said. Ryoga was grinning wide enough to split his face.
"I can finally tell Akane how I feel!" the Lost Boy nearly whooped until the blind master clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Do you really want them finding out we were listening?" he asked rhetorically. Bandanna Boy still shook his head anyway. "Now that you know, I suggest you hold off anyway. Ranma has a good point, one thing at a time. We need to win at the Nekohanten before we think of anything else." Once again, Ryoga was in perfect agreement. He hated to see girls cry and anyone who made a friend cry was going to feel the full weight of his power.
Soun was waiting impatiently outside for everyone to gather. He was sure that Ranma had a special idea for the Tendo patriarch and found himself strangely thrilled by the notion. He heard a soft noise behind him and spun around to find Happosai staring intently at him. The old master used to frighten him, but somehow he felt no fear. The little pervert nodded in approval.
"I heard what happened. Welcome back, student." he said cheerfully.
"Whatever it is, I will have no part in it." Soun said to the diminutive man. Happosai grinned as if he expected that.
"Actually, I'm here to help with the assault. Ranma asked me to come to provide distraction." he said. Tendo couldn't help but smirk.
"You certainly can be distracting indeed." he answered. As everyone met out front, it was apparent that this wasn't just a simple little get together, but a war party. Before they set out, Ranma had a few final orders.
"Alright, we're splitting into teams. Tendo, you will go in the front and act like a customer to distract them long enough for the second phase of the frontal assault. Happosai, this is where you come in. I don't need to tell you what to do since you are a master of distraction." Buttering up the old pervert would only help them. "Ukyou and Mousse. You two are good at stealth so you sneak in through the roof, Shampoo will go with you to provide muscle." the three in question nodded. "Konatsu, help Ukyou." he didn't need to know the male kunoichi nodded. Everyone jumped in surprise except for Ukyou. "Finally, me, Ryoga, and Akane will go in through the back. A distraction from the front, an assault from behind, and a sneak attack from above should demoralize them enough to make this a quick battle. Oh yeah and Kyoko? Just help out wherever you can." Everyone stared in astonishment at Ranma's grasp of tactics. The young man sheepishly grinned "I got addicted to a game called Final Fantasy Tactics." Once again everyone was in shock. Ranma playing a videogame was unthinkable! Finally the braided martial artist grew testy with the looks his friends and family were giving him. "If you're finished." His eyes dared anyone to comment. "We have work to do. Let's go!" no sooner did he say go, then everyone disappeared in a cloud of dust as they all kicked off at the same time. Even Ryoga's directional curse was powerless against his desire to help.
The Nekohanten in the past has been a place where you could enjoy a good bowl of ramen and the sight of a busty Chinese girl waiting tables. All that innocent fun is gone now. In its wake is a feeling of darkness and an ominous presence. Soun Tendo actually felt sweat break out from his forehead, but wiped it away. He needed to be focused. After all, he was the decoy and the perverted master was nearby, ready to have some fun. The door was locked and the front windows were boarded up. He thought of many ways he could do this, but decided on the most demoralizing and the most fun. With barely any effort, he drew in power for another secret attack before slamming his palms flat on the door before him and calling out "Gaia's Fury!" The attack unleashed a massive wave of pure, green energy that was drawn from the land and his own reserves. The Amazons inside scrambled for cover as the destructive blast tore through the front entrance. The one responsible merely stepped through the opening, dusting himself off as if it were nothing.
"Could I get an order of ramen to go?" he inquired politely with a smile. The smile would have frozen magma. The warriors vaulted to their feet with their weapons in hand before rushing at the intruder with intent to kill. However, before they reached him, a small blur began hurtling at them with tremendous speed, but doing no damage. It wasn't until he revealed himself (with a pile of undergarments next to him), that they realized what had happened. In righteous fury they attacked the perverted little gnome, but found they were only hitting each other as he led them on a merry chase. The ones fighting Soun were growing exasperated as he merely dodged or redirected their attacks. Such a fine figure of a warrior would make one of them an excellent husband despite his age! Tendo knew it was only a matter of time before he made a slip. He was only human after all and it didn't help that these young girls all had to be rather busty (or healthy as he would have said). He had no choice but to keep going. The other teams would be there soon. Until then, he ran the very real risk of slipping in the blood from a sudden nosebleed.
The roof was heavily fortified, Perfume had taken into consideration the people of Nerima's roof hopping hobby. The marvelously trained Amazons were stationed secretly on the roof, waiting for action. If only they knew that the action they were expecting had discreetly swept on by them, in full view of the warriors, and that some of their warriors were unconscious. The stealth team knew that one wrong move would bring the whole place down on their heads, but they couldn't deny the exhilaration of the mission. As they passed, warriors decided to "take a nap" or disappear entirely. Konatsu was truly in his element. No one saw the deathly quiet kunoichi slip by and send them into darkness. Ukyou was experienced at disguises and hiding who she was. What they hadn't realized was the Mandarin she had picked up from just visiting the Nekohanten. Mousse had enough Amazon weapons to outfit everyone and was carrying Ukyou's battle spatula. He wanted to finally prove to Cologne that he wasn't a weak male. Shampoo's thoughts weren't as bleak as they had been. The time had come for revenge on the woman who had ruined her life and stripped her of her humanity. Being a cat wasn't so bad, but the loss of control from the Ghoul Powder was inexcusable.
Perfume sneezed and looked around for what could have caused it.
Ranma gritted his teeth as they waited at the back door for the chaos to start. It was a simple plan, really, so he wasn't worried about them following it. The loud crash from the front was the signal to move. The pigtailed boy signaled Ryoga, who merely nodded in response before unleashing a Bakusei Tenketsu that not only ripped out the back, but sunk the kitchen into the basement. The fanged boy smiled sheepishly at his friends before the trio leapt at the startled Amazons who looked like ants after their hill was ripped open. Panic seemed to be the pervading emotion as the teens set about them with powerful blows. Ranma bouncing around the room like a ping pong ball on speed, knocking heads together, tripping people, and generally causing chaos. Ryoga really was a tank as Ukyou had proclaimed him, shrugging off blows that would have killed a normal man before delivering strikes powerful enough to smash down mountains or at least really big hills. Akane was amazing the two boys as she used her warhammer with skill and dexterity not usually associated with that weapon. She was parrying, blocking, and even fencing with her opponents before a well timed swing would remove several Amazons from the fight at a time. Things were going well for the attackers as the three groups joined up once again, surrounded by the broken and battered Amazon troops. Then their leader appeared.
"Well that was certainly unexpected. You have done so well. It is a shame I can't just take you all back to the village, but this game ends now." Perfume snarled out venomously.
"Game? Sorry, but we're dead serious. You mess with one of us and you mess with all. Shampoo n' I have problems, sure, but I hope we can be friends. I won't let you take away my chance at that! Surrender ya old mummy and give us back our old mummy!" he shouted. He was sure it sounded good, but the end of it may have needed work. The boy had spoken with such eloquence that they began thinking he'd been kidnapped and replaced by a clone, until that last bit. At least some things don't change.
"Give me back my grandmother!" Shampoo shouted in mandarin. How impressive would it have sounded in Japanese with the too-too cute voice? No, there was a certain level of drama that must be maintained. The Amazon Matriarch snarled out evilly.
"Stupid children will only get what they deserve and nothing more. You have walked right into my trap, by the way." With a wave of her staff she signaled the warriors to use their "Extreme Measures". As one, they poured the contents of the vials in their hands down their throats. Perfume joined them in the fun with her own larger vial. The confidence the Nerima Wrecking Crew had felt was rapidly disintegrating as their enemies turned into ferocious demons. The once beautiful women and old crone became gruesome caricatures of humanity. In a voice from the abyss the former Elder turned Demon Lord ordered them to attack. She sneered in anticipation of their screams and death cries, but didn't realize what had kept her warriors alive through the initial assault. They had been human. Now that they were demons, restraints were removed and the terrible slaughter was entirely one-sided as demons were destroyed left and right. Ranma was leading several into a small circle before unleashing a concentrated Hiryuu Shoten Ha that rocketed several demons into the upper stratosphere. Happosai's Fire Burst and mysterious knowledge left demons broken and dying in his wake. Ukyou and Konatsu seemed to have vanished and were playing the demons off of one another. Akane was happily hammering her point home, industriously braining her opponents with ruthless efficiency. Mousse and Shampoo were fighting back to back. He would snare and she would dispatch. There was nothing that could get at them. Soun was incensed at what he was seeing. Innocent people who didn't know what they were doing, blindly following orders, and they're paying for it with their lives. In that moment he decided to put their souls to rest. All fighting stopped as the Tendo patriarch roared in total fury and unleashed his Gaia's Hammer attack, destroying the remaining demons. The Elder visibly panicked, her demon body trembling violently as human instincts overrode demonic thoughts of conquest. Without another thought, she ran.
Kyoko was biding her time until she was needed. The casual disregard for life that the Amazon elder displayed enraged the girl to unprecedented levels. Her ears poked out from her head and her eyes transformed. It was time to do what she had come to do. The panicking demon didn't realize anyone was following her until a kick to the back of the head hurled her through a wall and into the alley. The green-eyed warrior found herself staring down a youma well over seven feet tall. The elder assumed a combat stance that would have worked well if she was the same height. Youma who tried using their human thoughts were vastly less dangerous then those who let their instincts kick in. There was no bluster, no bravado, only the Aura Sword winking into existence and the Elder's life force winking out.
"Truly pathetic. Your crimes have earned you a place in Hell." She spat on the decapitated body before staring off into the sky. The girl noticed a heavy storm rolling in. The lightning was purple and the clouds were glowing with silver light. The unnatural phenomenon made her hair stand on end.
"What awaits us in China?" she mused aloud before heading inside to her friends.
End Chapter 7
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay but the dreaded writer's block knocked all thoughts from my head. Luckily I was able to get my thoughts together enough to finish this chapter. All reviews are welcome. I do my best not to make my story seem rushed, but that seems to be something I can't unlearn. I will strive my utmost to do so, but please be kind. No flames either. Oh well, enjoy your evening and as always, ja ne!
