Disclaimer - again, all characters are created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: So, the battle(s) begin...again! Thank you again for continuing to read these humble attempts (and being so patient!). This next instalment follows 3 different events that crash into one due to the fact that I had a series of manga pictures in my head as I wrote this...

And now, have you ever wondered what would happen if Ranma met Kirara? Let's find out...

Ch.7: Here Kitty Kitty

The sun sank deep into the horizon as the early evening stars began to sparkle out of the dark blue sky. But Akane took little notice. Her mind was focused solely on the demon that lurked ahead. She was nervous. And afraid. Her first encounter with the snake demons left her shaking all over. In all the battles she had witnessed, this was the first enemy she met who ruthlessly murdered others. And unlike other dangerous situations, Ranma wasn't there to protect her. She knew, without a doubt, that these demons were way beyond anything she had ever fought.

Akane glanced ahead and saw the last bit of light glance off Sango's boomerang. 'I can still fight...but not without help.' she thought to herself. Even without Ranma, she knew she needed the strength of others to help her though impossible situations.

Breathless, Akane soon reached the small clearing where Sango and Miroku stood, weapons at hand. She looked at Sango. "What is it?" she asked, warily eyeing the dark forest around her.

"Kirara's gone!" replied Sango through gritted teeth. "I tried to watch her through the trees but ..." Her dark eyes narrowed as she gripped her boomerang tightly. "Now the sky is empty and there's no sign of her or those damn snake demons."

Akane's heart sank. 'Oh no...' She looked back up at the sky, scanning the air for any sign of the cat demon.

Miroku frowned. "Something's not right." he murmured, looking around him. "Why would those demons disappear if they came for the jewel shards..." His voice trailed off.

Suddenly, the truth occurred to them. All three looked at each other in horror.

"Kagome."

"She must be nearby."

Suddenly they heard a loud crash. Near the village, a white light flared in the distance.

"Then so is Inuyasha!" cried Sango. "Those demons must have found them!"

All three fighters plunged back into the dark forest.

'Ranma' thought Akane, 'Where are you!'

(Meanwhile, somewhere in the village)

"Oi, wench, hurry up already!"

"Hang on!" called Kagome over her shoulder, "I gotta find something that'll fit Ryoga!" She reached up and pulled a green hakuma down from the drying line. "Ah, this should be big enou– " her voice trailed off as she suddenly sensed an aura.

In turn, Inuyasha sniffed the air and growled as he recognized the scent. "Keh. Fucking snakes!"

"And a shard! We gotta warn the others!"

"Keh! Sango, Akane and the lech can handle themselves."

"No! Ranma, Ryoga and Shippo! We gotta find them!"

Suddenly a burst of white light flared in the distance, followed by an unnatural shriek of pain.

"Oh god..."

"Let's go!" he barked and with Kagome on his back, the pair raced towards the commotion.

(Moments ago, in a small glade, near the village)

Shippo rubbed his eyes, and stared at the scene before him. The young kitsune couldn't believe that they were mortals. First, they were 'flying' through the trees - just like Inuyasha. Then the next minute Ranma and Ryoga were running towards that snake demon like two lunatics. Shippo had thought for sure that they were as good as dead.

"Moko Takabisha!"

"Shishi Hokodan!"

A blue orb and red orb burst from the two fighters; one from Ranma's hands, and the other from Ryoga's – both orbs whirling quickly to combine as one, white light. When the orb slammed into the snake, a blinding light briefly lit the area, forcing Shippo to shield his eyes against the glare. The snake gave a howling cry, and as the light faded the kitsune saw that the demon's entire front was badly burnt.

He continued to stare at the two young men in awe. 'How can they be human?

Now, two young men stood poised for another attack. Ranma stared coldly at the snake demon, engulfed in a blazing blue aura. In contrast, Ryoga was surrounded with a bright red aura, wickedly cracking his knuckles.

"Hey Shippo!" called Ryoga, not taking his eyes off the demon, "You ok?"

"Y..yeah! I...I'm fine!" he squeaked, still in shock.

"Now for round two!" declared Ranma.

"Whoa! Watch it! Its mouth is poisonous! And...and don't let it bite you!" Shippo cried, "Oh, and watch out for the other one!"

Ranma pause midstride. "What...what other one?"

"There's another snake demon that's got a jewel shard in her mouth. She's the one to watch out for!"

"What! Where?" cried Ryoga.

As if to answer, a deafening screech burst from deep within the forest, making the trio cringe. Taking advantage of the distraction, the wounded snake attacked.

"BAKUSAI TENKETSU!"

Ryoga just managed to throw a wall of flying earth between them and the charging snake, catching the demon completely off guard. And in a heartbeat, Ranma leapt onto its surprised head..

"Eat this!"

Both of Ranma's fists descended onto its skull. A loud crack sounded through the air as the snake suddenly went limp, and fell lifeless to the ground. Soon, its body began to disintegrate into a grey ash before fading away completely.

For a few uncertain moments, they all stood in shock, overcome by what had happened.

Finally, Ryoga spoke. "So...does that means it's...gone?" he asked breathlessly.

Ranma stared at the large patch of blood stained grass that remained. Part of him was very relieved that the threat was over, yet part of him felt...guilty. He frowned, wrenching his gaze from the grass. He had never killed before, and now that he had, Ranma wasn't sure how he should feel.

"I...I guess so." he replied.

"You...You did it!" said Shippo in astonishment. "You.Did.It!...WOW!" He ran back towards the two confused fighters. "That was so cool! A...Are you sure you're only human?"

"Well yeah, for my part!" grinned Ranma, relieved to have something to distract him from his uneasy emotions.

"Hey...Shippo – didn't you mention something about another demon?" asked Ryoga, eyeing the forest warily.

Instinctively, they all looked towards the trees that surrounded the small glade in which they stood. Shippo's ears flicked and he cocked his head, intently listening.

His eyes widened in fear. "Something's coming towards us!"

Both fighters tensed. "From which direction?" asked Ryoga.

Shippo pointed to the trees beyond.

Ranma dropped into another stance. "Ok...Ryoga, on my signal, attack!" The wanderer nodded grimly. Seconds passed as they waited.

"Ready..."

Both fighters battle auras burst into flames as they sensed the approach from the darkness ahead. The kitsune stood a few feet behind them, terrified.

But it was Shippo's ears that caught her voice from the forest.

"I can see it!" she cried.

His eyes widened in shock. "Kagome..."

"...ready..."

Shippo screamed, "NO! Stop!"

"Wha-" Ranma and Ryoga abruptly halted their attack just as Inuyasha and Kagome came into view.

"What the hell..." exclaimed the hanyou, taking note of the fighter's fading auras.

"Shippo! Ranma, Ryoga! Are you ok? " cried Kagome anxiously as she leapt off Inuyasha's back. "What happened?"

Shippo happily leapt into her arms. "Kagome! Whoa...we thought you were the other snake demon!"

"Other snake demon?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah...yeah! These two pulverized one of them! And they're mortals!" he grinned, "It was sooooo cool!"

"W...what!" Kagome looked at two young men in amazement.

"Yeah...well." muttered Ryoga, who was trying not to look embarrassed by Shippo's praise. Ranma just shrugged.

Inuyasha stared hard at them. 'How could they do it? And these fucking snakes aren't just any common demon.' He walked over to bloody grass and caught the fresh stench of death. 'Damn...they...they really did it!'

"Surprised?"

He turned and was greeted by Ranma, grinning with his hands behind his head.

"Nah...not really. You're just fuckin' luck-"

But the hanyou's comment was cut off by a thundering crash that made everyone jump. Suddenly, the large, fiery form of Kirara emerged from the trees.

"Kirara!"

"Get back!" bellowed Inuyasha, watching the dark forest once more.

Everyone quickly backed away from the scene.

Everyone, except Ranma.

He stood, deathly white, his eyes fixed on Kirara. It was the single, most horrifying creature he had ever laid eyes on. The biggest live cat stood before him, it's paws lit with an unearthly fire. Ranma felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. His mouth went dry and his body went ridged. He vaguely noticed Ryoga shout his name before his mind went blank.

The others watched in utter shock as Ranma suddenly hissed, then dropped onto all fours.

"R ...RANMA!" cried Kagome, watching him lick his hand and clean his face."Ryoga, what's wrong with him?"

"No.no.no.no! Not NOW!" he cried, clutching his hair in frustration, "Ranma, you idiot!"

It was Inuyasha's turn to stare at pig-tailed fighter. "What the fuck are you doing?" he bellowed.

Ranma arched his back and hissed menacingly at the hanyou.

"Meow..."

A/N: More chaos... I hope you were able to follow the story threads, the main link being Ranma and Ryoga's combined attack resulting in the 'white light' seen in the distance. Another thing to note is Shippo's hearing - since he's a young youkai I figured he hasn't developed how to use his ears yet, hence not picking up Kagome's voice at the first instance. Well for the next chappy I'm going to try to lighten it up a bit because I find it really tough to write battle scenes. If you have any suggestions on improvement please say so. Review!