Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: Well, it seems this story is pretty good judging by the favorable reviews. I would like to thank everyone for reading and I hope it remains at the level you have grown to expect.

Accident

Chapter 4: Rush Recklessly

Ryoga Hibiki is an engine of destruction that no ordinary martial artist or person can defeat. He is considered Ranma's greatest rival for a good reason. No matter where the Lost Boy gets lost he always comes back with devastating new techniques to kill the pigtailed boy. Now, his reason for fighting is dead, his rival Ranma is no more. Replaced by the desire to kill his nemesis is a thirst for revenge. Revenge against the one who killed the only person he realized was truly his friend as well as the only person who truly showed him respect. The warm glow of anger was replaced by cold resolve as he methodically removed his weighted clothing and gear. His backpack hit the ground with a mighty crash as well as the seemingly cloth bracers that struck the ground beside him. Nabiki had no idea that he carried that much weight on him even as he removed a weighted belt that joined the growing pile. After shucking off his shirt, he set about putting everything into his backpack. She wanted to ask how much all that weighted, but he seemed to be preparing for something. When he stood up, he snarled and flexed, his muscles popping out from his body, swelling him to seemingly three times his normal size before settling down.

"I'll punch the wall so you can get out." He said to the amazed girl, but to his shock she shook her head.

"No, I can't leave you here alone." She stated simply.

"If you don't go than I'll have to hold back and I can't afford that." Ryoga said reasonably. With a mighty shout, he delivered a brutal right to the wall and collapsed it. He was getting ready to usher her out when someone took a shot at him. Ryoga dived to the side out of the range of fire. Nabiki was shell shocked at the bullet storm that seemed to have started but Ryoga pulled her down by the front of her shirt and practically into his lap. The paralysis broken, she screamed in fright as Ryoga held her, shielding her with his body. As suddenly as it began, it ended.

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!" a voice said through a loudspeaker.

"What's going on?" Nabiki asked in a fear-filled voice. The Lost Boy's lips thinned into a line but he said nothing. After several seconds he answered.

"You said that you told the people there was a killer running loose, well, they probably assume that one of us is the killer. They're not gonna wait and see if we're innocent or not. I guess we need to get out of this on our own." He said. With a sigh, he rose to his feet, startling the girl since he basically got up holding her in one fluid motion. He wasn't as graceful as Ranma, but the sense of movement was almost nonexistent. Without hesitation, he ran for the door and somehow missed it, but luckily for her he was holding her and crashed through the wall. He turned and fired a strange one-handed ki blast into the room, turning it into rubble. The police were not their allies so he hoped it slowed them down. When he set her down, he wondered why Nabiki was still clinging to him. Her eyes were wide and she shakily pointed behind him. His grin was absolutely feral but it reassured the girl.

"Look out!" she screamed as Ranko whipped the scalpel forward. Her aim was straight and true, but it wasn't up to a martial artist's standard. Ryoga yanked off a bandanna and hurled it behind him, crumpled into a ball, catching the sharp object causing them both to fall to the floor.

"Wow Ryoga-kun I'm surprised! Eyes in the back of your head, ne?" Ranko chirped in a false amused tone. In reality, she was stunned speechless at the sheer level of skill he actually possessed. She had made the same mistake that Ranma had never made and that was to underestimate the powerful Lost Boy. When he turned to face her she recoiled in shock at the look of intense hatred on his face. She giggled a little nervously, but she was glad that she had all of Ranma's memories and skills or else this would be humiliating.

"You have no right to call me that you bitch. You took my friends away and for that I will kill you. Prepare to die!" he howled as he suddenly flung his hands out, hurling bandannas with each throw, but the girl surprised Nabiki when she simply leaned way back and almost to the ground to dodge several of the shuriken. Several flew at her legs forcing her to bring her leg up to dodge. She flipped sideways to avoid the low flying weapons before coming back up in a ready stance only to get shoulder rammed by the massive warrior. Her tortured body was flung down the hallway and sliding further upon contact with the ground.

"Whoa…" Nabiki was definitely amazed as Ryoga abruptly came back to her. She didn't know what he wanted but then he took the axe from her hands and strode back for his fallen opponent. The axe glowed with an intense red ki as his anger blazed into the weapon.

"H-hold on… We can…talk this over…" Ranko gasped painfully as she inched back from Ryoga. He looked like an Angel of Doom with his blazing halo of anger. Without a word he brought the axe up and prepared to destroy her with one blow, but she had backed up far enough. When he went to swing down, she suddenly scooted forward, kicking up with both legs and sending him over her head. With a grim smile, she stood up and looked back in time to see a furious little piggy make his way out of the water from the hose.

"That should teach you." She said with a smirk. Since he wasn't human at the moment it was pointless to eat him. With a wicked smile, she darted towards him, scooped up the axe, and swung it down with all her might. Her eyes widened to catch sight of the blood.

Kasumi had watched her little sister meet Ryoga with a sigh of relief. If she was with the Lost Boy than she was as safe as if she were with Ranma. That thought settled her and made her happier. When Ryoga took off his gear, her eyes widened as she could actually see his suppressed aura come out in a controlled swirl. If this was what Ranko had to face than she was more than happy enough to let him handle the problem. The incident with the police made her eyes burn, but she kept her peace. It was okay, her sister was safe, and nothing would change that.

Then came the trigger for his curse. Things had turned from good to bad quickly especially when that axe came into play. Ryoga could have turned hoof and ran, but he charged the crazy woman and knocked her down with a well placed head butt to the ankle. When she fell, the axe flew from her hands and embedded itself between Kasumi's legs. Thank goodness for being dead.

"You little shit! I'll kill you for that!" she screamed angrily as she brought her hands together and fired off a Mouko Takabisha at the little pig. Ryoga stared in wide eyed shock at the attack but the axe suddenly intercepted the attack. He was an animal and could clearly see Kasumi standing in front of him, the axe glowing with an otherworldly light. He assumed that Ranko couldn't see her so he knew for a fact that she was dead. She gripped the axe in a modified broadsword stance, her aura radiating off of her like a black force that made the helpless pig shudder.

"Don't worry, Ryoga-kun. I won't let her hurt you or Nabiki. Find hot water quick because I'm not supposed to actually kill her." Kasumi said clearly to the Lost Pig and turned her attention back to the redhead.

"Not again… It can't be you again… I won't let you stop me! You'll never stop me!" Ranko screamed crazily as she lunged for Nabiki. The startled girl cried out as she was snatched up and taken down the hallway. Kasumi muttered a quick expletive before taking off after them. The little pig knew that he had no time to waste and promptly ran off in the wrong direction.

-Ranma-

Gaining an audience with Death is difficult unless of course you're connected. Ranma has quite a connection with the supposed Lord of Doom. She wants him to replace her. The pigtailed boy was more than a little surprised to discover that Death was a woman. Then again, with how his life had gone, he wasn't surprised. He had no trouble appearing in the darkness since he had a ticket to go back at anytime.

"What a pleasant surprise." Shadow said to Ranma as she appeared behind him. The silver-haired girl smiled slightly when he whirled around in shock. She could tell by his anxious expression that he finally knew what she had been trying to tell him the first time.

"Can you help me?" he asked.

"Only if you will help me." She replied. It wasn't fair of her to drive a hard bargain like this, but this was important.

"Fine, anything!" he exclaimed. He must really be rattled to act like this. Death felt bad about doing this.

"Alright, but I'll give you the information you need first. What Ranko said is true. She was tricked by those she trusted and was drowned for all her work on their behalf. What she doesn't know is that she didn't come back to life or even take over a live body, which is why she has the craving for human flesh. She is a ghoul. Your beloved is quite a force to be reckoned with but if that twisted little redhead figures out what she is than it won't matter much. Dead can fight dead and since Ranko is Undead then she has an advantage of lessened damage." Shadow finished.

"A force to be reckoned with?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yes. Her suppressed anger and depression had festered below the surface all her life, but it was released in death. Kasumi Tendo loves her family above all else so those darker emotions are serving her right now in being able to fight a physical being." She replied. What she had said about Ranko being a ghoul made sense given the fact that she keeps eating hearts but how do you stop someone who's already dead?

"If I take the job, can I still go back?" he asked anxiously.

"Of course you can. That actually is a good idea. If you went back with your new powers than you can get experience in using your powers. Are you ready?" she asked the boy. With a resigned sigh, he nodded his head and got ready. Shadow held her hand in front of him with her eyes closed. Almost immediately the darkness of her world began to coalesce into his body and suffuse his being. The pigtailed boy stared upward in shock at how much it hurt and how good it felt at the same time. He looked down and saw the darkness creeping along his form, melting his clothes back into his soul, and replacing them with a black Chinese shirt and even darker kung fu pants. He didn't look much different except that his eyes seemed to glow with a great power. When the change was complete, he looked up just in time to catch Shadow as she fell.

"Waitaminute! What's going on?" he asked as he found her flickering as if she were a bad television reception.

"This is my time to go. When Death passes on the mantle he or she is reborn once more on Earth for a final time before the long wait in eternity. I'm glad to have met someone such as you with the profound strength of character that you possess. Take care…" she said one final time before vanishing without a trace. The pigtailed boy stared at where she had been before slowly coming back to his senses.

"I don't feel any different, but somehow… I can see the point of not feeling different. At least now I know what's going on and I can finally put an end to this once and for all." He vowed to put an end to this no matter what it takes before vanishing in darkness.

-Hospital-

Nabiki was terrified as she was borne along the passageway by the strange killer that was Ranko. The redhead was strangely quiet and kept sneaking looks back down the hall as she ran. She was waiting for the axe to round the corner. The girl knew that this couldn't just be a trick to scare her because it was just too real. Her fear of the specter chasing her was considerably greater than that of Ryoga even though he was the visible threat. She glared down at her captive even as the scared eyes worked their magic on the little conscience she had left. The hunger was so great but those eyes… She shook her head to clear the images from her mind of what it would feel like to dig her hands through the hot flesh and the taste of the fleshy heart before irritably clearing the images from her mind. Already she was starving even though she had just ate. The girl in her arms was begging and pleading with her to let her go, making her realize that she couldn't. The other victims didn't even have a chance to cry out or plead for their life. In disgust, Ranko tossed the girl to the ground.

"Oof! What's going on?" Nabiki gasped breathlessly. The fall had knocked the wind out of her but she recovered quickly. The redhead above her glared down with anger but it seemed more as if it was directed elsewhere. Without warning, another scalpel suddenly appeared in her hands.

"I can't live like this. This isn't me at all… I-I'm sorry for my selfishness…" Ranko said as she readied the knife. Kasumi rounded the corner with the axe held menacingly low only to stop and stare at the spectacle. In one fluid motion, the scalpel was brought up to her throat and slashed across the soft flesh. Blood exploded from the wound as her artery was severed. Nabiki screamed as the hot blood sprayed over her just before the redhead fell to her knees. Blood running from her lips and the wound on her neck.

"W-what's going on…?" Kasumi asked, startled, as she watched in amazement. The axe almost fell from her fingers, but she held fast. Something didn't feel right but she couldn't figure out what it was. She approached slowly as if stealth actually mattered. Nabiki was leaning over the body. Her sister grabbed the dead girl by the shoulder to get a better look when the legs suddenly kicked out convulsively. Kasumi raced forward with the axe and swung down on the neck as hard as she could, but a powerful aura gathered around the fallen one a split second before the axe struck. The aura was so powerful that it flung her and her sister away as if they were nothing.

Nabiki had been hurt in the fall, but even on weakened legs she would rather face this head on. If she was going to die then it would be with some dignity. The body on the ground was glowing a bright white as it slowly got back to its knees. The eyes were filmed over but the blue could still be seen regardless. Within those eyes was a mindless hunger that would not be denied. Her lips were peeled back in a horrible parody of a smile. Ranko got back to her feet; the arm holding the scalpel dangling loosely as she slowly approached her victim before a tremendous spasm wracked her body, her free hand gripping her head.

"N-no!" she cried out in a guttural voice, further distorted by the damage to her throat. The puckering wound fluttered as air was drawn through it, her coagulating blood still running down her chest. Her back suddenly arched so violently that it looked as if she was trying to snap her own spine as a howl burst from her lips. Her chest heaved spasmodically, her ribs pushing against the inside of her skin. Nabiki watched in revulsion and horror as her head came back down, her eyes glazed.

"L-listen… You don't have to do this…" Nabiki tried to reason with her but the scalpel suddenly lashed out, a searing pain lanced through her cheek from the wound. The Tendo girl stumbled backwards and fell heavily on her rear. Her tormentor leered down at her before dropping to her knees before her prey. She crawled towards Nabiki even as the girl scooted away from her, a firm grip on her ankle kept her from escaping. When the young girl struck out with her fists, the flashing scalpel cut her fingers, causing the girl to scream. Her control fled as the redhead pinned her down, the knife teasingly traced along her cheeks.

"Fear tastes good… Almost as good as blood…" Ranko giggled, the sound seeming to come from her slit throat. Her tongue snaking out to lap at the blood coming from the girl's cheek before a light snarl, sealing the small cut with her mouth and drinking greedily. Nabiki tried to push her off even as she viciously pounded away on her chest but nothing was working since it seemed the girl felt no pain.

"Help!" she screamed in terror. Little did she know that her desperate cry had been heard. Ranko suddenly found a hand gripping the back of her neck and lifting her into the air, the tightening grip threatening to snap her spine even as an axe bit deeply into her side. The Tendo girl slid back quickly as she watched the disturbing scene. Her tormentor was borne into the air easily. Whatever was attacking her was somewhat tall and had immense strength to make the axe penetrate like that, the girl managed to get to her feet just as the tortured monster howled and unleashed her full aura. The strength of the phantom blast was so powerful that the girl felt her consciousness fade instantly as she crashed violently into the far wall.

-Ranma-

He appeared in the hospital basement in a swirl of darkness. There was efficiency to this type of movement that he liked. His heightened senses kicked in just seconds before Ryoga bolted past him. The little pig skidded to a halt at the sight before him. There before him was his old rival as if nothing had happened. He was such a sight for sore eyes that the Lost Pig and butted his leg in a strangely affectionate manner.

"Hey Ryoga. Have you seen Nabiki?" Ranma asked the pig. The little animal nodded vigorously and immediately began looking around the area. When his head drooped in defeat, the pigtailed boy laughed softly.

"Don't worry. Your clothes are back the other way. I can heat the water with my ki to let you change back." He told his friend and rival before casually scooping him up. Anyone seeing the sight would think it was a pig flying in the air. The significance was not missed by anyone.

-Kasumi-

She found her mind drifting. Her body felt completely disconnected as she floated in the air. The axe had dropped from her fingers at the moment of impact with the powerful aura. Kasumi fought for control to stabilize her mind. When she finally managed to look over to her sister, she saw two Nabikis. The one was slumped against the wall where her back had struck and the other was standing up, albeit slowly. With a cry, the girl realized what had happened.

"Nabiki-chan!" she cried to her disoriented sister as she rushed over. The girl looked up and blinked a few times, startled.

"K-Kasumi-chan?" she replied as she was engulfed in a tight embrace. She returned the hug just as tight as Kasumi sobbed.

"I failed you… I tried to protect you but there was nothing I could do…" the gentle girl cried.

"You did your best. My only regret is that Akane has been left alone." Nabiki said. The sisters were brought out of their reverie by a weird howl coming from where Nabiki's body lay. When they turned, it looked as if the monstrous undead was going to tear the girl's body in half by seizing the ankles and pulling. The redhead was openly salivating at the prospect of her dinner but suddenly a shirtless man darted into the room and slammed Ranko in the side of the head. The force of the blow made her lose her grip on her meal and caused her to skid along the floor.

"Who is that?" Kasumi asked in surprise. The girl's watched as the hideous creature got to her feet and hissed at her foe in animalistic fury. The man looked a little surprised, but the sneer that passed over his face made her back down in surprise.

"So you're the thing that killed my friends. You're not so tough now that the tables are turned!" his bark of laughter was inhuman as he got ready to attack, unaware that Nabiki was not simply unconscious. As the undead leaped to the attack, the Lost Boy planted his feet and braced. He stepped back suddenly, surprising his foe, just before jumping forward again as a hole appeared in her guard and sent his fist crashing into her face. The inhuman nightmare crashed into the far wall with resounding force, crushing the wall with her body. Ryoga gave a slow flex and a grin as he saw her go down, but had to reassess his belief that she was defeated as the she demon crawled from the hole.

"Seems that he's winning." A calm voice remarked. Kasumi and Nabiki turned to see Ranma standing behind them. With a glad cry, Kasumi flung herself into his arms in relief. Ranma could fix everything. He always could.

"Saotome?" Nabiki asked with a raised eyebrow. If this was the afterlife at least she was in good company, she thought wryly.

"Nabiki's…Nabiki's…" Kasumi couldn't bring herself to say it, but his faintly amused look told her that he already guessed.

"Relax. She's not dead yet. If Ryoga can give her a chi infusion then she should live. I should know, I am Death." He grinned. It was about time that he was able to surprise the mercenary. Her stunned look was precious, but Ryoga's sudden yell drew their attention. They turned in time to see the undead monster slashing at Ryoga with Amaguriken speed. He was taking numerous cuts and slashes from the scalpel but he took it stoically.

"Your friend is dead! I wanted to eat her warm but not she's just carrion… Maybe I'll eat you instead!" she screamed as she brought her hands together to fire off a Mouko Takabisha created of anti-life energy, the same energy that created her.

"N-Nabiki's dead…" he muttered in shock as he looked down and saw the girl. He knew how sad Akane would be to lose another sister. The knowledge of Akane crying filled his mind as did the knowledge that bitch was responsible for all the bad that had happened. He brought his hands together to unleash his Shishi Hokodan.

"Mouko Takabisha!" she cried as the blast flew from her hands. The blue sphere looked strangely sickly.

"Shishi Hokodan…Perfect!" he cried as he allowed the despair to overwhelm him. The powerful attack flew through the air, larger than the ball of confidence ki. Life energy met anti-life, confidence met despair, the clashing powers joined and violently exploded. Ryoga saw the blast developing and hurled his own body across Nabiki's to protect her. Even the ghosts shielded their eyes as the blinding grey light exploded everywhere.

"Whew… I'm glad I don't gotta fight him anymore." Ranma remarked as he noticed the marked improvement in power.

The powerful Lost Boy got up slowly only to find the undead beast leaping onto his back, her body half-stripped of flesh. With agonizing slowness, she dug her skeletal fingers into his back before ripping downwards through his muscles. Ryoga cried out in pain from the attack before throwing her off with a mighty shake. He leapt back up to his full height, kicking her in her exposed stomach with lethal power, her spine snapped like a dry twig, but she continued to smile. It was easy to understand why considering that the skin covering her mouth and jaw was gone.

"I'm not…through yet…" she hissed at him. Ryoga looked around for anything that could end this fight just before his eyes rested on the axe. With a grin, he snatched it up, even if it was a little warped from the heat it would serve well. As the broken wreckage got to her feet, her snapped spine made standing straight difficult. When she managed to get her head up, it was just in time to see the mighty Lost Boy holding the axe over his head. The single working light in the area making him look like some sort of primeval barbarian god. His last words would forever be engraved on her soul.

"Hail to the King, baby." He said just before swinging the axe downward through her skull to her waist before giving the weapon a mighty wrench sideways, spraying blood and worse across the room. With a negligent flick, he hurled the axe into the wall where it stuck.

"Much better than I expected." Ranma remarked. Before Nabiki or Kasumi could respond, Death walked over to Ryoga and seemed to whisper something in his ear. As he came back over, a grin threatened to split his face. When they asked him what was going on he smirked and explained that since Ryoga's curse turns him into an animal then he's able to perceive the spirit world easier than a normal person. The Lost Boy could actually hear Ranma. They watched the boy kneel beside Nabiki's body and place his hands on her, one on her forehead, and with a blush on his face, one over her heart. His eyes closed in concentration.

"Please wake up… Akane needs ya…" he whispered as his aura began to glow. Unlike the usual one of depression, he radiated a faintly white one that seeped into the girl's body. The Nabiki beside Kasumi grasped her chest in shock, her eyes widening at her sister.

"Kasumi-chan…" she whispered as she hugged her big sister.

"I'll be watching over you." Kasumi smiled as she returned the hug. Ranma added his arms to the hug as well. At first Nabiki wanted to protest, but the tears in his eyes made her smile a little.

"You can bet that I'll be watching as well." He said with a smirk.

"Ranma!" Nabiki said scandalized as she slowly vanished, but not before hearing him laugh. He finally got one over on her. As she returned to wakefulness, the feeling of a hand where it should not be made her eyes fly open. When she saw that it was just Ryoga, the mercenary gave him a bright smile. What startled the Lost Boy was when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. The tears pouring down like rain from his eyes. As if caught in a trance, their lips drew together and they kissed. She smiled as she wondered just what life had in store for her. Suddenly the tears felt like ice cold water. She frowned, puzzled, as she shook her head to clear it of disorientation. When she looked at the person she was hugging she began to scream.

"Glad you're awake Nabiki-chan. I like your screams…" Ranko said, licking her lips as she lowered the scalpel for her eye…

The End…?

Author's Notes: Mwahahahahaha! I am totally evil. Who ever said that horror stories had to have happy endings? Well I hope I gave you what you were looking for and that was an entertaining story. Thank you for reading! Ja ne!