Disclaimer: I do not Ranma ½. Short, sweet, and to the point. Like me. Bwahahahahaha

Author's Notes: Last chapter before the epilogue. Why do I tell you this? It's just to let you know I do have these things planned out somewhat. Oh well, enough with explaining myself. Let's get on with the show!

Demon's Crossing

Chapter 9

Amaguriken speed is a wonderful thing, Kyoko concluded as she watched the ocean seem to race beneath their craft. Her brother so far had shown no signs of stopping and looked to be enjoying himself immensely. The two hadn't said much the entire time they were traveling, but some things didn't need to be said. However, she did realize that if she didn't let him rest then he wouldn't be fighting fit when they landed. Therefore, after much cajoling and pleading, she got to row the boat. While she may not be as fast as him, she could keep the craft going with surprisingly powerful strokes that almost made up for her lack of speed. Ranma grinned at her infectiously and was even happier when she returned it. He amused himself by using the Amaguriken to catch fish, skinned and boned them, and somehow managed to make a small fire to cook them without burning up the boat. The only thing making Ranma unhappy was that he was currently a she and could little about it. Her green-eyed sister rolled her eyes.

"Try heating some water over the fire." She suggested, the redhead flushed at not thinking about that herself.

"Thanks sis." The girl said sheepishly before doing just that. When the fish was done, Ranma ate at light speed while simultaneously tossing food into Kyoko's mouth. This went on until all the fish was gone. The only problem would be water, they concluded, until it began to rain. The sudden redhead growled at the sky while her sister laughed her head off.

Several days later…

They had rigged some canvas to collect the water from the rainstorm to drink, but that was running out. Ranma had given it another go at rowing while Kyoko steered the little boat. Not surprisingly, they reached China in record time. Fortunately, there was no one around to see their spectacular feat. The two teens collapsed on the beach in relief. As nice as it would be to pass out with soft sand beneath their heads, the duo managed to make it off the beach and into a small cave. The first thing Ranma noticed was that it was full of crabs then he noticed a small spring. She was having some serious thoughts about this being some kind of bizarre trap, but shrugged it off as her own paranoia. The neko hanyou beside her smiled as she happily began spearing crabs with small sticks. The pigtailed girl sighed before joining her sister in her little project.

"No sense fighting on an empty stomach! Right lil' bro?" she said cheerfully as a nice bonfire got started with dry debris from the beach.

"None at all, but why do I feel like this is all a setup?" the blue-eyed girl (now boy) asked. That caused Kyoko to pause, briefly, a one-hundredth of a second pause, before she went back to roasting crabs.

The ingredients for disaster are all in place. Stir vigorously and serve warm, or in this case, roasted.

The two found themselves feeling sleepier then they did even after reaching the beach. They barely had enough time to pile fronds under their heads for pillows before falling into a deep slumber. The crabs resting nicely in their bellies and the water having helped their parched throats. In this state of total comfort, they completely failed to sense the Amazon war party as they crept into the little cave quietly. They also didn't notice when they were bound tightly or that they were being smuggled out of the cave and being taken back to the village as fast they could go.

A few hours later…

Ranma awoke with a start. His eyes were hurting and so was his head. The boy tried to remember the last thing before he fell asleep, but drew a blank. The martial artist knew he was stuck inside of a room with a stone floor covered in straw. Bamboo bars covered the windows and he could detect only one guard outside the door. Well, it was always a good idea to check your surroundings before leaping to conclusions. His eyes roamed the small room he was confined in, his heightened sense of smell picking up the scent of decay and depression. What really got his attention was that he wasn't alone. He sidled over quietly to the figure in the corner and almost screamed in terror at the mummy before him, until he recognized Cologne. The old woman looked terrible. Her hair was tangled and matted with blood caked in, her chest was barely rising. She appeared so weak and frail that Ranma felt sympathy for her, true sympathy.

"Hey ya old ghoul. Don't give up now." He whispered to her as he set about checking her injuries. The old woman's body gave a jolt as if electrified and her eyes opened to see the young man so busy tending her injuries.

"Hello there Son-in-Law." She said weakly, but with some good humor. How could she not feel better with the Godslayer so close? The pigtailed boy gave her his trademark grin as he finished the last of his examination.

"Nothin' too bad. Most that's wrong with ya is no food and little water. Oh yeah and you're old." He smirked. The old woman began laughing until it was interrupted by a fierce hacking fit. The guard from outside shouted.

"Keep it quiet in there!" before returning to her idle contemplation of how she would have her way with the young man in the cell. Cologne noticed something was different about Sonny Boy. His body seemed more mature, even more graceful then before. What really gave her pause was when she detected the trace of youma in him. She had sensed it when they first met, but had discarded the notion. Now his slaying of Saffron made sense.

"First things first. I need to find my sister." He said to the woman, who stared at him in shock. He chuckled softly before explaining all about his sister. The old ghoul cackled at the idea that there were two of them now. Ranma peered out the window and stared in growing shock and horror. It was Kyoko, strapped to a what looked like a bamboo cross, and they were trying to force something into her mouth. Obviously, they had used a few pressure points on her because not even her neko ears were up.

"Kuso! I don't need to look far, but they're tryin' to cram somethin' in her mouth!" his language was degenerating as rapidly as his temper. The former Matriarch swore softly.

"Go on and save her. That's Ghoul Powder. The same thing they did to my Shampoo." The old woman tried not to cry, but was failing.

"I'll save her, but before I go. Shampoo is fine and coming here with the whole NWC. I guess it was stupid to come here alone." He finished softly. He didn't fail to notice the old woman's look of hope at the news and vowed to keep it there. Without any preamble, the wall blew out as if it was little more then paper. The gathered assemblage was shocked as a mere male stalked towards them. The only thing that kept them from attacking was the look of absolute fury on his face. His sister smiled happily before crying out.

"Ranma!" but her cry of happiness turned to a look of horror as the Ghoul Powder was finally forced down her throat. The wrathful martial artist stopped and stared as the bonds began to snap. Her ears snapped up as her eyes grew to evil slits. She hit the ground without a sound, crouched on one knee. The foolish Amazons cheered at this latest edition. As the elders of the village came up to welcome their new sister, something strange happened. The massive cloud overhead seemed to coalesce into a single sphere of darkness. The sun was shining brightly upon the gathering, but that black orb still radiated enough menace to make a man weak in the knees. Ranma wasn't an ordinary man, but seeing his sister become this brought tears to his eyes. The girl raised a hand to the sky and summoned down the darkness.

"Well, this has certainly been interesting. It has been almost fifteen hundred years since my last revival and that bitch isn't here to stop me now! It is time that I reclaimed my power!" the manic neko youma cried to the sky as she slammed the darkness into her chest. It expanded outward before transforming into body hugging black bodysuit before turning into layered plates. Her chocolate brown hair turned a deep crimson, almost black. Her smile revealed a mouth full of fangs, his worst nightmare come to life in his own sister. She looked upon the assembled Amazons with that feral smile. They stared back at her in awe and fear.

"My warriors! Partake of the powder and grow strong!" she encouraged them. The ignorant elders also telling them to do so.

"No! Don't do it! She'll control you if you do!" Ranma shouted, not sure how he knew that. The warriors' resolve was hardened, especially from hearing a male condemn it, and did as they were told. The pigtailed boy acted fast, revealing his neko ears and going into hanyou form. Several of the girls were startled before a lightning fast blur of red and black knocked them out, destroying their vials in the process. The Amazon warriors couldn't mount an effective offense against someone moving their whole body at near Amaguriken speed. Even the possessed Kyoko was surprised as they were dropped left and right. Ranma was sure nothing could go wrong until a powerful punch found its way into his gut, the breath exploding from his lungs. His bleary gaze found its way up to the face of his sister, but the eyes were definitely not hers. The remaining warriors downed their vials, mutating before their eyes into hideous monstrosities of varying sizes and types. It looked as if the entire Musk tribe had suddenly shown up, until the utter lack of humanity was felt. An assorted cacophony of roars, howls, hisses, and other animal noises deafened the boy.

"That was almost good. Almost. Too bad this girl's memories clearly remember your strategies and even your attacks. I know everything about you. If you manage to defeat me, I'll leave and never return. Fail, she is mine for eternity. Deal?" the demonic girl asked her new toy. The blue-eyed boy snarled in a definitely feline manner.

"You're on!" he roared before flipping into a ready stance. The transformed Amazons formed a circle around the two combatants. The two just stared at one another, waiting for the signal to begin. A war waged between them as they attempted to stare the other one down. It was obvious that Ranma didn't want to fight his sister, but he had no choice. He had to save her. To his surprise, all he could see was an afterimage just before she struck him, folding him in half and flinging him into the crowd. He was tossed back in roughly, determined to not be caught off guard again. Ranma readied himself for the next attack. Again, she seemed to disappear, but found her attack blocked. A counter punch to the head was smoothly dodged as she released a roundhouse kick. Ranma saw the attack coming and went to stop it before suddenly finding himself flat on his back. She was moving so fast that he was only reacting to her afterimages! He rolled backwards to avoid the stomp, but was hurled into the air by a punt. He tumbled into a ready position before firing a Mouko Takabisha at her. The girl easily dodged the attack, but failed to notice that the blast was a feint to distract her from the sudden leg drop. The neko youma flew into the primitive water tower, snapping out the supports. The water washed over the battlefield, flooding out the warriors. Girl Ranma was smiling at her opponent, a smile of pure confidence.

"Wh-what are you smiling about?" her foe gasped before she used Kyoko's memories to access about the curse. Her look of horror was plain on her face before a snarl dispelled it. The fight moved up a notch as the two combatants began moving at speeds previously unseen in any battle. The two neko girls bounded off of anything available, houses, buildings, anything that could be used as a springboard. Their battle was almost entirely in the air, legs flashing and fists flying. No one could see the battle except for the frozen afterimages of particularly powerful blows. Ranma wondered when the girl would prove that she knew her attacks and instantly regretted thinking that. The battle quickly moved from "Insane" to "Total Chaos" as all the skill and knowledge of Ranma was used against her from everything her sister had seen. The redhead really wished that the girl wasn't such a quick study. Everything Ranma did, there was a counter and a painful landing. She needed a new plan and fast, especially after the green-eyed youma drew the Aura Sword. The blue-eyed girl knew her time was up until she saw the blade sputter but not ignite.

"Heh… Of course… You're not… Kyoko so…it won't obey you." She gasped painfully as she brought herself back to a standing position.

"No matter. I can finish you with a lesser weapon." The evil one replied calmly as she hefted a Chinese broadsword. If she knew all of Ranma's tricks, then there was nothing she could do… Wait! The Nameless Sword! With a smirk, she drew the Saotome family blade and smirked at the stunned expression.

"You don't use swords!" she protested.

"Always a first time for everything, ne?" the girl replied before gasping as a wave of dizziness passed over her. Her eyes suddenly brought everything into focus as if they were magnifying glasses, all her senses became much more acute, she felt her reflexes increase. She disapproved of power-ups on principle, but this was a special case. Her opponent suddenly looked much less sure of herself.

"Th-that sword… It can't be, but it is… The sword that she used to banish me!" she cried out in shock. Ranma wished she could play poker against this girl, she has no emotional control at all. "B-but that doesn't matter. No, of course not. I can still destroy you easily. You can't use the power of the sword." She stated confidently. Ranma just shook her head in disbelief.

"How can you stop me?" she asked, bewildered.

"Simple. Screw this honor crap, I've had enough! All of you maggots attack!" she gestured sharply, the demons surging forward to fight. This was certainly not expected, she reflected. The powerful beasts may have been slow, but there were a lot of them. As she braced for battle, she heard something welcoming to her drooping ears.

"Gaia's Hammer!" "Breaking Point!" came a dual cry as the ground erupted in dirt and rocks that quickly turned into huge balls of earth that hurled her attackers to the ground. She was never so happy to see someone in her life as she watched her friends arrive on the scene. Her mother was standing there with her kimono loosened, showing that she wrapped her chest in classic style, hands gripping a finely crafted samurai sword. Any beast that got too close found themselves hurled away by a powerful burst of chi enhanced wind. Ryoga and Soun were fighting side by side, the tank knocking down the heavier enemies while the reborn man kept anyone from attacking him from behind. The neko hanyou watched as the assembled Amazons went down under their combined might. Her opponent looked vaguely distressed before directing a harsh gaze towards Ranma. Mousse, Kodachi, Kuno were handling things nicely until they were surrounded by massive turtle looking youma, but were quickly rescued by Sasuke, Konatsu, and Happosai. Mr. Green Turtle was snapping at any demon that came too close, his broad back supporting Ms. Hinako as she sucked their chi away before blasting them with it. Akane and Kasumi were set upon by another group of demons, mallet and staff flailing about and striking them into submission. As one appeared behind them, it fell down dead after being speared with a nodachi. The girls turned to stare in shock at Nabiki of all people. The mercenary just gave her sisters a wink before returning to the fighting. Shampoo and Ukyou whirled in a dance of death, back to back and turning around and around. One would parry while the other would attack before reversing the process. The result was a lot of devastated enemies.

Ranma just shook her head at the needless waste of lives. The neko youma noticed the distraction and decided to capitalize on it. Without a sound, she rushed at her prey, ki claws extending from her fingertips before releasing them in a flurry of slashes. Only her heightened senses saved her from becoming sliced thinner then cheese. The girl dodged to the side before rolling back into a ready stance, the sword held in a way unfamiliar to her. She knew how to wield a sword, but something seemed different this time. With a sudden flash of insight, she knew what to do. There was no more room for thought, this was the last attack. There would be nothing beyond this. She gathered in her energy, clenching her will in tightly. It was time. Her opponent actually wasn't surprised, but she was determined to win. Her wide grin as she readied herself for her next attack suddenly turned to surprise.

"I won't let you hurt my brother!" Kyoko screamed in the vaults of her mind. The neko youma tried to move, but found her stolen body paralyzed. All she could do was watch as Ranma assumed the stance that had been her bane all those years ago.

"This is divine punishment! Seraphic Law!" she cried before rushing at her enemy and ramming the somehow insubstantial blade through the evil one's chest.

"Nooooo!" she screamed in utter defeat as she felt her soul banished back to the darkness once again. She tried to clutch at the wrist of the one killing her, but couldn't even do that. As the evil youma disappeared, Kyoko reverted to her own form before collapsing against her brother-turned-sister. With their leader gone, the evil youma howled one last time before vanishing and leaving tired Amazons in their place. The brightly shining sun was blessing their victory. It would be a great day, Ranma thought with a smile as she put her sword away. She sighed in resignation.

"Time to see about the casualties." She said before going over to join her celebrating friends.

End Chapter 9

Author's Notes: The next chapter is the conclusion! What can I possibly do to wrap this all up in a neat package? Am I even going to bother? Send in your suggestions for the Ranma pairing cuz I honestly had no idea who I would put him with. Well, enjoy your day and ja ne!