The Road to Freedom

By The Senshi of Valis

Chapter 23

I don't own W.I.T.C.H. or Ranma 1/2

It was early morning Cedric realized as he walked down the near empty streets of Heatherfield. It looked like it was going to be a nice day which brought a small smile to his lips. He was hoping to see Taranee but he wasn't too sure what to do if he did. She was seeing that Nigel boy but Cedric could easily remove that little obstacle from his path but what would that accomplish? Making Taranee hate him even more? It wasn't a if the girl hated him enough as it was.

There was another alternative to the Nigel problem though, the two had been having problems lately and a large part of it was caused by Taranee's mother. The woman was a judge who hated Nigel with a passion. Nigel was caught along with his friends breaking into the muesem and was blamed for the damage Cedric himself had caused along with Vathek.

Speaking of Vathek, Cedric couldn't really blame the man for leaving and joining the rebels. Of course Cedric was furious when Vathek defected but after all this time to think and as Cedric's own feeling grew he came to understand why Vathek did it. Of course he would never admit it for fear of Phobos finding out but if Cedric himself left Phobos's army then…Actually he had no idea. It wasn't like the rebels would welcome him with open arms. Not after everything that he had done anyways.

Sighing, cedric kept moving while staying deep in thought.

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Ranma sat on the floor next to Will as Ryoga and Happosai who had just shown up after breakfast sat across from them. The little trouble maker was there to try and instruct Will on how to remove curses with the Heart and so far he seemed serious and was making sense which actually worried Ranma for some reason.

"Concentrate harder." Happosai said as Will squinted, her face full of concentration as the Heart floated just above the palm of her hand. "You should be able to see Ryoga's life force."

"I do…I think." Will said, breathing heavily as she expended more energy than she was used to. "It's greenish blue but…there's two black areas in it."

"Good. Those would be his curses. One Jusenkyo and the other his directional curse. Concentrate on one at a time. We might only be able to do one now until you build back up your strength. Concentrate on the blackness, pull it out away from the rest of Ryoga." Happosai instructed.

"Are you sure about this?" Ryoga asked nervously.

"Don't be such a wimp, boy. You won't feel a thing." Happosai said. Ranma shook his head as he watched. He could actually see it a little but he wasn't sure why he could never see the blackness in his aura before.

"I…I think I have it." Will said, her voice growing more exhausted and weary as the heart grew brighter.

"Good, now concentrate on the heart…send it's power into the darkness and destroy it." Happosai said.

Ranma watched as the smaller of the two black spots moved away from Ryoga then as a blast of power from the heart washed over the spot. For several seconds the pink and black struggled but the pink finally won and washed over the dark destroying it. Will dropped her hand and collapsed against Ranma breathing heavily. Ranma kissed the top of her head and held her closely.

"You okay?" Ranma asked softly.

"Y-Yeah…that just took a l-lot out of m-me." Will gasped.

"So how are you feeling boy?" Happosai asked.

"Strange…I don't feel the heaviness that I usually feel." Ryoga said. Happosai picked up a glass of water sitting next to him and dumped it on Ryoga. Ryoga disappeared in his clothes startling Will for a second until a small black piglet peaked out of the pile, glaring at Happosai.

"I guess Will cured you of your directional curse boy. My guess is that it's going to take a lot more power to remove the Jusenkyo curse though." Happosai said, then picked up another glass of water and dumped it on Ranma changing him into her. "I think a reward is in order. SWEETO!"

Ranma stood just as Happosai was jumping and kicked him before he could grab at her sending the little pervert crashing through Will's window and flying across the sky.

"My window!" Will cried out in surprise, "Mom is going to kil me."

"I'm sorry Will, I'll fix it don't worry." Ranma said as she sat back down next to Will as Ryoga sat there looking a little irritated.

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"So let me get this straight…You were going to kill the guardian leader's mother and the keeper herself to capture this Ranma who you claim is your property." Phobos asked as he stared at the old woman in front of him who was heavily shackled in chains. "And you defeated several of my troops even though you are severely wounded. Why are you so interested in this boy?"

"I was dishonored by him many times and I have to bring him back to the tribe to prove I am still worthy of being an elder." Cologne said slowly as she looked up at this man. His power was great, maybe even greater than the boys but if the legends were true then she didn't want to anger him. In her villages history there were stories of the guardians and also of the ruthlessness of Prince Phobos. If this was truly Prince Phobos then she would have to tread lightly.

"I think perhaps we can help each other out." Phobos said with a menacing smirk on his face, "You give me the guardian's head and I'll give you the boy."

"Why should I…once the elders find out about what happened I'll be a dead woman walking." Cologne said knowing it was true.

"Then stay here with me. Prove yourself to me and I'll make you one of my commanding officers. I'll even make you young again and give you power to fight the guardians. Destroy them and I'll give you anything you desire." Phobos said.

"You…You can really give me back my youth?" Cologne asked in shock. Phobos waved his hand and her shackles unlocked and fell away from her to the ground. Another wave of his hand made Cologne dizzy for a few moments but when she regained her equilibrium she felt…off. With yet another wave of his hand a full length mirror appeared before her. She was no longer the shrunken old woman but a tall, beautiful woman with dark purple hair and crimson eyes.

"Satisfied?" Phobos asked, a smile on his face as he studied the woman before him.

"Very much…When do I start?" Cologne asked, a malicious grin on her face.

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AN: A newly youthened Cologne who is willing to work for Phobos with threethousand years of Amazon history and three hundred years of experience behind her. Cedric is either going to either have a lot of help fighting the guardians or one dangerous enemy if he turns on Phobos. Thanks everyone for your kind words and I hope that you are enjoying this story so far.

Until Next Time,

Ja Ne