LIAR!

INHERITAGE 0.5

THE TRUTH

We didn't eat QQQQSSSS…… I!

---

TODAY'S VEGETABLE IS: ARTICHOKE

---

TWO DAYS AFTER THE ATTACK

Ranma wasn't happy. Genma had stolen something from Ukyo's family, a food cart. Of course, Ranma had been knocked out and placed on top of the cart before he bolted with it.

Ranma and Genma were having another sparring match. Ranma knew that he was less skilled that Genma, but his speed allowed him to hold his own at least for a few minutes.

After about fifteen minutes though, the near misses and going at his human forms top speed without his hybrid forms stamina drained him. He was getting sluggish.

Something he had noticed from back when he fought the man with the rapier. The moves he had used to avoid the mans blade had never been taught to him. It wasn't Genma, because he hadn't been training long enough under him to do that stuff. And it wasn't the Neko-ken, since the Neko-ken was more of a list of abilities than actual moves or a style.

It must have come from the Gem. Ranma was starting to hate the thing. He didn't know what it did or what it was doing to him. Bastet said that it should be dormant, but it wasn't.

His thoughts were jerked away from the gem when he felt an elbow impact him. He flew uncontrolled into a nearby tree, falling to the ground after that.

"You're getting sloppy, boy," Genma said, "You must become stronger in order to fight off the demon."

That was also starting to get on Ranma's nerves. He wanted to yell out that he wasn't a demon, but he knew that Genma wasn't THAT stupid.

Ranma slowly stood up. Genma's eyebrow arched. Usually, a blow like that took the boy down. Hmm… maybe the boy wasn't so weak after all.

Ranma teetered from side to side unsteadily. Ranma's eyes shot open when he hear Genma's light footsteps rushing at him.

Ranma bent sideways as a fist flew past him. Ranma felt a tingle go through his body.

It was happening again. Luckily, he didn't feel any physical changes.

Genma was surprised when the boy started to weave through all of his attacks. He upped the ante, but only got to the point where the boy was now barely dodging the attacks.

Genma was getting mad.

Suddenly, Ranma felt a tingle in his neck. A split second after that, he found Genma's speed increasing to speeds even his hybrid form couldn't content with.

"Whoa!" Ranma said, panicking slightly, every time an attack barely missed, he repeated that comment, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"

FWAM!

Ranma found himself impacting the same tree again, this time with enough force to make it snap slightly.

Ranma coughed, staining the ground red.

"So you're back already," Genma said in a cold voice.

Ranma looked up.

"What?"

"Do not play games, demon," Genma said, walking forward, "You've come back to reclaim the boy I see…"

Ranma scrambled away from Genma.

"N-no!" Ranma shouted, "I'm not…! I mean…!"

The same tingling sensation came to the back of his neck.

Flipping backwards, he barely avoided a kick that Ranma had never seen before. Genma had kicked the ground so hard, it blew the soil skywards. A large crater now laid where Ranma had been.

ASGARD

Bastet was worried. Genma had come to the conclusion that 'the demon' was back sooner than expected. Ranma wasn't ready to fend him off yet. Bastet and Ranma both knew that if even one of those attacks connected, it would most likely kill the boy.

At this rate, Ranma would most assuredly die. Bastet thought as hard as she could. She had to be able to do something to save him. But what? She couldn't appear herself, that probably wouldn't help.

Hmm…

What if…?

Her train of thought broke as she heard someone walking up to her from behind. She turned to see who it was.

A woman with ivory colored hair walked towards her. She wore tight jeans, and shirt that stopped just above her belly button, and a long jacket over that. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

"Who are you?" Bastet asked in a commanding voice.

"Me?" The woman asked, smiling, "The names Ixiath. I'm here because Kami said you knew how to find a boy named Rhys."

"What do you want with him?" Bastet said.

"I heard that he happens to have one of my Chaos Gems," Ixiath smirked.

Bastet stared at the woman in shock.

JAPAN

Ranma found himself rocketing into another tree. Even when Genma's attacks missed him, they still sent him reeling backwards.

Ranma tried to get up, but his body protested. He couldn't summon the energy needed to stand up.

He watched as Genma neared him.

ASGARD

"You…" Bastet said, "But you…"

"Yep," Ixiath said, "I'm from across the border of reality. I'm here to get the Chaos Gems back to my reality. If they remain here… well, lets just say the world won't be very peaceful for very long."

JAPAN

Genma hefted Ranma up by the front collar of his shirt. Ranma couldn't do anything, being as weak as he was.

"And now, to send you back to hell."

ASGARD

"Hmm… seems to have gotten himself into a pickle," Ixiath said, looking down upon Ranma, "And I believe he has Kyros' Chaos Gem too. Hmm… Kami sure has a weird sense of humor."

Bastet just looked back and forth between the image of Genma holding Ranma up and Ixiath.

"It's drained, nearly completely," Ixiath said. She then smirked and looked at Bastet, "I wouldn't worry too much. Rhys is gonna be just fine."

JAPAN

Genma hesitated. He stared at the gem that had appeared on Ranma's forehead. It wasn't shining at all at first. But, slowly at first, and then quickly, it began to shine brighter and brighter.

Ranma's eyes snapped open; they shone the same green as the gem.

Ranma's hand snapped upwards and grabbed Genma's wrist. Genma suddenly yelled as electricity started to flow through his body.

Ranma dropped to the ground as Genma dropped him. Genma was blasted away from him by a sudden surge of electricity.

Landing; Genma slowly sat up to looked at the boy. The boy was laying there, not moving. Slowly, from the still shining Gem atop his forehead, energy poured out. It began to gather a few feet above him.

After a few seconds, there was a flash, and a shockwave was sent out, making birds in the trees for miles around take flight.

Floating above Ranma's still body was a ghostly image. A tall humanoid figure stood there. Its skin was like glass, and electricity ran through it. Its face was like a lions, with a thick mane and a small goatee. Its ears had three rings in them each. Its tail lashed behind it. Its eyes glowed the same green as the gem in Ranma's forehead.

Its eyes were also focused solely on Genma Saotome.

ASGARD

"What in the world is that?" Bastet said.

"That…" Ixiath smirked, "Is Kyros."

"Who is he?" Bastet asked, not looking away from the image.

"You are Bastet, goddess of children and felines. You are the mother of all felines, correct?" Ixiath asked, "Since Kyros there is, or used to be, a creature of pure Chaos Energy, he is my child."

JAPAN

Genma stared at the ethereal vision in front of him. His expression of shock slowly changed into one of determination.

"So you show your true form," Genma said, standing unsteadily, "Very well. I cannot permit you to control this child any longer."

Genma's confidence faltered slightly as he heard a soft chuckle from the creature.

"Heh," The creature said, "You couldn't beat me even if I wanted you too, pops."

Genma's face blatantly showed his anger.

"Oh ho," The creature said, "Don't get mad, pops. I have no beef with you. The Lady wants me to look after this boy, that' all."

"You have no right to possess the boy!" Genma yelled.

"Phhf," The creature said rudely, "Possess him? Heh, that's a good one."

"What do you want?" Genma asked.

"I told you before, ya dumb fart," The creature shook its head, "I'm only to look after this little dude. And with you pounding the living shit out of him, I had to come out and stop you."

"I do not believe you, creature," Genma growled.

"Whoa now, don't get feisty," The creature held up its hands, before it pointed down to Ranma's forehead, "You see that gem there? That's mine. If anything, he possesses me."

"You cause him to change into a monster!" Genma yelled.

"Damn you're stupid," The creature laughed.

Genma didn't respond or change facial expressions.

The creature looked at Genma again, and slowly stopped laughing.

There was a pause of silence.

"You don't know what he is… do you?"

"He is a normal human boy!"

"EEEH!" The creature was suddenly in Genma's face, holding up a sign with a huge red X on it, "Wrong! If this little guys a human, then I'm the Easter Bunny. You've never heard of a werecheetah?"

Genma looked slightly confused.

"Okay, looks like I'm gonna have ta spell it out for ya," It rubbed its temples, it crossed its legs as it sat down, still floating in midair, "You know what a werewolf is?"

Genma nodded dumbly.

"Werewolf, werecheetah, same thing," it explained, "And before you start ranting on about how I bit him or anything, he was born that way. I'm not a werecheetah. Fuck, I'm not even from Earth."

Genma glanced down to Ranma, and then up to the creature again.

"The little dude isn't evil in any way," It said, "He's just a boy. Now stop trying to kill him. You try again, and I'll come out and kick your ass, okay?"

The gem flashed once. The creature looked back to it. It flashed two more times.

"Hmph," The creature smirked, "Catch ya later, beef eater!"

The creature appeared to dive back into the crystal.

Genma just stood there dumbly.

ASGARD

"What was that?" Bastet asked.

"Rhys is asleep, so summon him here, I'll let you meet Kyros and we'll chat for a bit," Ixiath said, "I'm sure Rhys will want to meet his own guardian angel."

FINISHED

SUNDAY, MAY 15th, 2005

10:34pm

Ho ho! Ixiath cometh. Yes, Kyros (THE CREATURE) is where I get my signature from. He's my own personal character, but don't worry. It's not a self-insert fiction.

Oh, and the whole gem flashing thing. Heh heh. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!