Chapter 3 'Nightmares of the Past & Present'
AN: I don't own any of Ranma ½ as that work belongs purely to its writer and creator who I have a great deal of respect for. I will claim the rights to any characters I myself create and use for this story.
This is a (AU/Continuation). My thanks to everyone out there who took the time to read and review. While the idea of the Neko-ken having connections to demons has been done before I was hoping to take that idea down a unique and dark path. I had no intentions to have Ranma become romantically involved with any of the various girls in the series. That does not mean I will not listen to suggestions made if a reason is given as to why a specific girl should end up with him. Last but not least my thanks go out to my bro Fallcourt for listening to my ideas and taking the time to proof- read my grammar and spelling.
A butterfly must go through many stages before it can take its final form.
So too does a man goes through stages before reaching adulthood.
But if one of those stages is changed what happens to the final form?
Fear... Mind numbing fear, the kind that could drive even the strongest willed to cry out for parents long gone ran rampant through him. It was after him, that dark shape that moved with fluid grace like water flowing over rocks. It had always been behind him taunting him with flashes of its blood red Furry hide. But it was not alone in its hunt, for many sets of glowing eyes from those creatures that had been in the pit were always right behind. Yowling like that of a thousand voices screaming out for vengeance echoed across the dark never ending plains that Ranma had found himself on.
"Rrrrrraaanma!" A voice Screamed as it seemed to gain in power from the fear starting to over power him. The voice had always been behind him, ever since the Neko-ken training it had been there. But it had only been a whisper until that day in china.
Running as if all the fiends in hell were behind him, Ranma looked for someplace that could act as a shelter from the little monsters that were leading IT to him.
'I can't let it catch me... If it finds me then... Then I will...' Those were the only thoughts going through his mind as a slim hope that someone would appear to chase away the darkness.
Running through a puddle the damn curse triggered turning the strong muscled body of Ranma into the shapely form of his cursed form. Only this time, something seemed to be wrong with it.
Not willing to take the time to slow down and figure out what was different Ranma-chan raced ahead of the Eyes that seemed to be gaining. 'Is that a building ahead... Kami let that be a building.'
Using the hope of a possible place to hid Ranma-chan poured on the speed and reached the doors of the Tendo Dojo with plenty of time to get inside. Glistening with sweat Ranma-chan dropped to her knees and tried to regain her breath. With the closing of the doors, the yowls of the pursuing C.ca... those things stopped.
"It's about time you found your way here brother... Or should I say sister?"
Spinning around and entering a defensive stance Ranma-chan turned to face the strangely familiar voice. "I'm a boy! You jerk! Who do you think you are calling me a girl!"
Ranma-kun stepped into the light from the darkness of the far wall of the dojo. Instead of the red silk shirt and black baggy pants. Ranma-kun was dressed in a blood red dogi with gold embroidery in the form of panthers. A black belt was wrapped around his waist with the kanji for Neko on one and Ken on the other.
"Why I'm you of course dear brother... The one you hid so long ago." Ranma- kun smirked at Ranma-chan.
Ranma-chan took a step back pushing her back into the doorway. The boy wearing her male form could not be real... this must all be some bad dream. "No! There is only one Saotome Ranma, and I'm it. If you think I am going to let some wana be shape-changer pretend to be me you're in for a world of pain!"
With those words Ranma-chan faked a right cross to the face before dropping into a sweep. The attack had been made at near Amaguriken speed, but resulted in nothing as Ranma-kun seemed to flicker before vanishing.
Pain exploded from Ranma-chans back as she was sent hurling across the dojo's floor. Spinning to use her legs like a spring Ranma-chan blasted back towards Ranma-kun.
"Shooting Star Kick!" Ranma-chan screamed as she blazed towards her doppelganger.
Ducking and rolling under the kick Ranma-kun dodged with cat-like grace. "Please, don't insult me with such weak attacks... If your going to fight me then you better go all out or I will have to teach you a lesson we will both regret" Ranma-kun boasted.
Landing back in front of the doors Ranma-chan grinned back at her male counterpart. "You're not too bad for a fake... But I'm just getting warmed up."
A slight blue glow could be seen forming around Ranma-chan before she rushed forward "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Hundreds of punches were thrown in seconds as Ranma-chan attempted to end the fight quickly.
Ranma-kun blurred once again but this time he did not vanish, instead he seemed to be weaving back and forth while moving backwards. "I warned you brother!"
With a casual swipe of his hand Ranma-chan was sent hurtling back into the nearby wall. Three slashes could be seen in the front of her shirt where blood was starting to poor out.
Clutching the wounds in an attempt to stop the flow of blood that burned with pain, Ranma-chan could only stare as realization settled in. "You're... the N..Neko-ken aren't ya?" Stepping closer towards his female form Ranma-kun shook his head. "No. I am the part of you that has been buried for the last 10 years. However you were the one who came to me for power when you were fighting that weak phoenix god."
Looking down at the hand that had wounded his other self. "Why do you hide from me now that I am free to help you?"
Still clutching the wounds, Ranma-chan staggered to her feet. "I'm not hiding from no one!"
With a growl Ranma-kun leaped forward and grabbed the front of Ranma-chan's shirt. "Don't lie to me! I know everything that you know. How you're afraid to face our mother, or to tell the girls how you really feel. I know all about the anger you feel every time one of those morons attacks us..."
"It. It was you that hurt pops, and Kuno. Wasn't it?" Ranma-chan muttered as she looked up into the purple cat-like eyes of Ranma-kun.
With a toothy grin Ranma-kun showed off the pointed fangs he had. "Yes! I'm the one who defended you from those two pieces of human filth. Why won't you accept my help? I'm not your enemy, I only want to protect us from the pain."
'Those eyes... so different from the blue-grey... and the fangs...' Ranma-chan started to thrash as the Neko-ken fear started to build up once more. The yowling that had been quiet up till now could be heard coming from everywhere as glowing eyes started to appear in the darkened corners of the dojo. "Nooooo! You're not me... I'm not a cat I don't want anything to do with you!"
Pulling the struggling Ranma-chan up, and spinning her around to face a large mirror that had not been there earlier Ranma-kun turned so they were both looking into the mirror.
Ranma-chan looked up and into the mirror where she saw red fur covering her entire body with small triangle shaped ears on the top of her Red haired head. Cat-like purple eyes and small fangs completed the look to the Cat- girl that was staring back from the mirror.
Shaking in absolute terror, Ranma-chan stared at the massive form of the one holding her. Huge muscles rippled like corded steel could be seen beneath the blood-Red fur. A long furry tail curled from behind its back where it wrapped itself around her waist. Large Hands with dark claw tipped fingers held her smaller wrists.
"You have no choice... Your already my child and heir." The deep rumbling voice proclaimed from above and behind.
It was with those words that the Hissing and Yowling cats poured forth from everywhere.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" Screamed Ranma-chan as she thrashed in bed before getting driven into the floor by a mallet to the back of her head. "Shut up you BAKA PERVERT! Some of us are trying to get some sleep." Akane yelled before turning and stomping back to her room.
'A dream... It was all a dream, I'm not a Cat-girl...' But those thoughts seemed hollow some how. Getting up and rushing to the Furo Ranma-chan turns on the light and looks into the mirror praying not to see fur.
Two ocean blue orbs stared back at her from a perfectly normal human face. The shock of the dream and emotional strain cause Ranma-chan to slump down to the floor before she can see the two small fangs that were visible from her open mouth.