Prices Paid 11: The Evil that men do.
"Mom?" Ranma called as he arrived home. It was night-time still and yet there were no lights on. As he arrived at the door he found it ajar, he lock clearly broken. He cautiously stepped inside, trepidation rising. When he called out he didn't do it so much to call Nodoka as to prompt any lurkers to move.
He felt them shift. Three other people, all mortal but with diminished souls. They were hiding in the darkened recesses of the ground floor, and clearly well accustomed to night work. A new scent reached Ranma's brain, more than one of them had left a blood scented trail behind them. The other end of the trail led to Ranma's mother, a quick sensory check revealed that she was not going to answer, not ever again. Her soul had already left the mortal world. Anger roiled.
"You are all going to pay for what you have done" he called in a quiet yet resounding, gravely voice, "You are going to talk, you will beg, and when I am finished with you then you will be allowed to die"
That was enough for one thug, he leapt out of hiding, levelling his heavy revolver on the silhouetted form making the threats. He never got the chance to pull the trigger, a searing pain exploded across his gut, a pain that tore right through his body, eclipsing his world with its intensity. He screamed, and kept screaming.
"We're sorry about the broad," another cried, checking his own gun. "She pulled a blade on us, didn't leave us no choice. We're just here to talk." There was a slight quaver in his voice, he was a lot less confident than he sounded. Suddenly the man's protests were cut off, two clawed hands pushed through the wall behind him and dragged him back through with them.
Covered in fragments of the wall the man sailed through the darkened living room, to impact into another wall. The wall folded around him, lasting just long enough to shatter the man's spine and most of his ribs. He went into shock in an instant, his body shutting down in an ill-conceived plan to limit the damage. Then, through the sudden darkness a lance of pain appeared. Ranma brutally swept aside the clouds surrounding the man's mind.
"Not yet filth" he whispered, "You've got a lot of pain to feel before you die."
"Die!" commanded the voice of the third thug, screaming at the top of his lungs as he lunged out of hiding, pistol levelled. The weapon barked, small crashes of thunder in rapid series. In Ranma's hand the second thug twitched, his body forced into spasms by each impact. The demon-touched revenant dropped the now limp thug to the floor.
"I had plans for him" he growled, glaring at the last thug past heavy brows. The man in question, besides having bladder problems, was desperately fumbling with his pistol, trying to reload.
Ranma stretched onto his toes then took two rapid steps, clearing the room in an instant, stepping clear over the screaming form at its centre. The final thug found his vision filled with angry son. A lazy left smacked the pistol from the man's now broken hand. A powerful right palm lifted him clear off the floor, stretching his spine to snapping point. And a hideous lashing kick drove him out into the yard, through the shoji door.
"Please, please, please," the man babbled, crawling across the grass, an endless litany of entreaties that came through the haze of his terrified tears.
"No!" Ranma replied, stamping his foot through the man's skull.
Finally Ranma turned back to the first man where he was still lying, screaming on the floor. With a hard toe he turned the man onto his back. The man sprawled out as if crucified to the floor, breathing laboriously. Then Ranma placed his foot on the man's ruined gut and pushed just a little.
"Now we are going to talk" he informed the thug, and he was believed.
o
o
o
The three Senshi made no attempt to hide their smiles as the plane touched down in Narita. They were once more dressed in civvies and shades. But the recent excursion to sunnier climes was not what made them smile. For the first time in what seemed a lifetime they had succeeded, alone. They had gone after the artefact without the help of their new allies and retrieved it by their own efforts. With their newfound edge and superior teamwork they had beaten the shrine's youma guardians and recovered the Trident of Neptune.
Walking towards the bullet train that would take them back to the city proper the three girls were walking arm in arm, triumph radiating form their every action. Even Ami, so withdrawn of late was a part of it.
Suddenly she stopped, her silver eyes staring at a distant point.
"Oh my" she exclaimed, stopping the others.
"What is it Ami?" Michuru asked, still clutching the heavily wrapped bundle in her arms.
"It seems there have been developments" she replied, as her eyes began scanning from side to side.
"Explain?" Setsuna prompted.
"In a bungled housed invasion Saotome Nodoka was killed" Ami supplied in a voice that was not her own, "the scene showed significant signs of a struggle and police are working on DNA samples found at the site."
"When?" Setsuna prompted again.
"Two days ago" Ami replied, "I was running a routine scan when-"
"What about Ranma?" Michuru broke in, anxious for her mentor.
"Nothing yet" Ami replied, her eyes still flicking from corner to corner. The other girls waited with baited breath. "I have something" the smallest Senshi added. "Mr Phawst, a prominent business man, was found today dismembered in his private estate. At the same time police discovered evidence of many illegal activities that the man appeared to be fronting through his web of business contacts. Indictments are predicted to follow.
"Ranma" Setsuna observed. Michuru nodded, just as certain.
"Nothing more direct than that" Ami offered.
"We should go to the house," Setsuna offered.
"Agreed" Ami and Michuru chorused.
O
O
O
The house looked gloomy and beaten. Even from the road it had a palpable aura of sorrow around it. If a house could indeed have a Wa then this one's was broken and beat. Even the sunlight of the day didn't seem to reach the inside of its curtain wall. A stream of yellow tape surrounded the edifice and a lazy looking policeman was stood by the entrance.
"Whoa" murmured Michuru.
"He's here," Setsuna muttered.
"I'm not detecting him" Ami said, her cyber-self scanning the area. No lights were on, and there appeared to be a complete lack of signals from within.
"He's here," Setsuna asserted, now looking for sign of their mentor. She could feel his own brand of darkness nearby, feel it all the way down her spine. Steeling herself she crossed the line and headed for the door. The other girls looked at each other for a moment then fell in behind. The policeman saw the three approaching and pulled his earphones out of his ears before heading on an intercept course.
"Ladies," he began in his best authoritative tone, "You can't be-" he was cut off by Setsuna's sudden hand. She raised it palm towards him within inches of his face, and kept walking. The other girls smirked and followed on. Behind them the young man was gasping like a fish out of water.
"You can't go in there" he called from behind, much less certainly. At the same time he reached for his radio. Setsuna heard the crackle and stopped. She turned slightly towards Ami.
"If you would?" she asked , Ami nodded her reply and jammed his communication. Meanwhile Setsuna opened the doors to the oddly dark interior. As the three of them stepped into the mourning home the policeman fell in behind.
Around the ground floor could be seen the detritus o the fight, scraps of ruined shoji, plaster and dark smears of bloodstains. Presiding over it all was Ranma. He was knelt, face towards the floor, poised in the middle of the clear space, shadows embracing him all around. The one exception, the one source of illumination, was a flickering red glow, sourced apparently underneath him.
"Ranma?" Setsuna asked, her voice loud in the unearthly stillness. Slowly he raised his face, revealing the source of the glow. His eyes were bright slits of fire. His whole face had taken on the draconian aspect they had only ever seen hints of before. Now they were confronted by it in all its hate. Staring back at the senshi and their unintentional tail was the very picture of man's earliest fears, a dragon incarnate still thirsting for life. Michuru gasped, Ami beeped and the policeman filled his shorts. Setsuna just stared. Matching the gaze with her own, seeking the core of him behind the gaze.
"Ranma" she called, coaxing. He blinked and rose, shadows forming dark claws and wings around him. His fanged mouth opened and the same unearthly fire could be seen burning within. He took one step forward.
Everything changed. The policeman ran, and didn't stop; Ami gasped at her unbelievable readings; Michuru readied her new trident and Setsuna pushed its point to the floor. "Ranma" she called again as the darkness approached.
There he was, destruction cloaked around flesh, pouring out an ancient hatred and yet somehow she knew. She knew they were safe, this was still Ranma, their mentor, their teacher, the man who had fought through hell and self only to take the time to save them along the way.
He took another step forward and she could feel the heat rolling off of him, feel the fire of the energies that burned inside of him.
In the Background Ami was muttering something about dreams of dead dragons and tapping ancient power but Setsuna only had eyes for those burning slits. She could see past them now, could see deep into the person that would trade a part of their soul for such power and yet not use it before now.
"Ranma" she called again as he took up position in front of her, his clawed hands slightly raised. But he hadn't struck. Slowly she reached out a hand, stopping as his draconic growl flared louder and then restating when he calmed.
Her touch was like water to the desert. No sooner had her slender fingers touched the young man's face than the fires seemed to pull back. As if recalled by a great vacuum they sucked back into the young man, the glow dying. For the briefest of moments Setsuna saw the blue-grey eyes of the boy Genma had sold then the vista fell.
Michuru watched as the eldest senshi caught their mentor and gently lowered him to the floor, settling him into her lap. For an instant jealousy replaced fear and then it was gone as she too reached down to help the man that life had once again kicked in the teeth.
"Tomorrow night" he whispered.
"What?" Setsuna asked, already suspecting the answer. "What happens tomorrow night?"
"Hell" the man replied through parched lips, "We're going to hell."