A Third Chance at Life
Taking Pleasure in Your Work and Napping in the Park
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma or Inuyasha, they are the property of Rumiko Takashi and some companies I can't remember, I also do not own Shadow Hearts, I am making no money of this work.
Author's Notes: Wow the last chapter was pretty well taken. Thanks to all those who reviewed even if you didn't like what happened in it. Sorry about the wait on this chapter I panned on having it up Thursday, but family problems kept me from going to school. Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated.
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'Whoa what happened to the curse?' Ranma thought.
'It's me, somehow the curse form turned into me when I took control…' Kikyo thought back.
'pretty.' Ranma mumbled. 'Well go ahead and walk around for a bit, we don't have to be back for another fifteen minutes.'
'Y-yeah okay.' Kikyo began walking and stumbled, 'I Think I'm a little unsteady, it's been a long time since I did this.'
'Yeah also the last time you were walking you only had to control your own energies, now you also have access to mine as well.'
'Why would that make it harder to walk?' Kikyo questioned as she walked a few more feet.
'Well I'm not entirely sure about this, but I've met people with naturally massive Ki reserves, but have had little or no training in how to control it. These people are horribly clumsy, but when they become focused on something the clumsiness seems to disappear, and even though they have never trained in martial arts they can take massive amounts of damage and shrug it off as easy I can. Now you are used to focusing spiritual energies so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for you, but it's still not what your used to so be careful.'
'So until I get used to your Ki I will likely be clumsy.' Kikyo thought as she became began walking faster.
'That's the downside, the good thing though is that once you get used to it you'll be able to use my Ki reserves like I was able to use your spiritual reserves.'
Kikyo walked towards a tree and brushed her hand against its trunk, feeling the bark lightly scratch her skin. 'That's the first time since my first death that I've really been able to feel something.' Kikyo thought, 'I… we have to get back now don't we.'
'We should get back, but don't worry as soon as we get some free time I will pass control back to you.'
'Alright, let's go.' Kikyo thought before relaxing her mind, then the sensations became distant again and she felt the curse activate again.
'Hey I look like a girl version of myself again.' Ranma wondered.
'Perhaps since it's the curse that allows access for two souls which ever one is dominant is the one the curse sees as it should be portraying.' Kikyo mused.
'Well, what would happen if you took control when I was a guy?'
'…' Kikyo responded.
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"Put a call into Megumi." Vlad said weakly to the man pushing the wheel chair he was in, "Use the conference video phone, then go and take a break I will page you if I need anything."
"As you wish, Lord Vlad." The man stated before he did as commanded.
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"Six down four to go." Megumi whistled happily.
"Lady Megumi, we have a call coming in from Lord Vlad on the conference phone." A young worker said before being trampled by Meg for being in between her and the conference room.
"Vlad, are you okay?" Megumi exclaimed as she ran up to the video phone.
"I've been better, the master was unhappy with me and well even with the help of healers I'll probably be to weak to walk on my own for a bout a week." Vlad said.
"What, why couldn't the healers fix you up immediately? They are using magic right?" Meg asked.
"The master dumped some sort of poison into me, it's not fatal, but it is limiting how much I can be magically healed and it's pretty damn painful as well." Vlad responded.
"I'm sorry Vlad, this is my fault. I should have kept better control over my people." Megumi sobbed.
"Hey kid it's okay, someone decided to get ambitious and it caused problems, it's not your fault. What have you learned from the interrogations and what's the situation in Nerima?" Vlad asked.
"Everyone was pulled out after I found out The Elder of the Amazons began investigating, so we are currently blind in what is going on, but all of our people are accounted for an we remain undiscovered. As for the interrogations after a twenty four hour period of hard interrogation with no torture, but physical and mental discomfort I ruled out twenty of the thirty capable of summoning." Megumi chirped happily.
'Guess it's good to enjoy your work.' Vlad thought to himself, "And the ten who you haven't ruled out?" Vlad asked.
"I have broken six of them so far, two were trying to conceal a minor infraction that while on duty they were having sex. It really didn't matter as they never left the roof they were posted at, but hey whatever. Another also was keeping a minor infraction quiet, something about terrorizing a history teacher, but again no real problem. Now three of them are actual traitors, one was stealing funding and changing documents to make it seem like that was just our scheduled income flow. That will have to be checked into further with some of the normal civilians we have working for us, because with how much was being skimmed off our construction profits it had to have been more then just him involved." Megumi frowned.
"While that does make that person a traitor, it's not as bad as the other two is it." Vlad sighed.
"You are correct, the other betrayals are worse, one was holding back the finalized formula to this." Megumi said as she held up the vial filled with a yellow substance.
"He was keeping that from me. That one will answer to me when I get there." Vlad seethed.
"The final one was able to last through my torture for quite a while so I threatened to inject him with it, but he immediately caved. He has been undermining all of our orders and screwing up our operations. He was under the orders of Tolaran." Megumi growled.
"One of the Master's advisors has been interfering in my operations? We never got along, but to think he would go so far. This hurts the Master as well and that makes Tolaran a traitor, I will be there shortly to question the traitor's myself, continue with the rest of the interrogations and good work." Vlad said before hanging up.
"YEAH." Megumi exclaimed, "Lord Vlad's coming back." She walked out of the conference room with a grin on her face. 'What a great day.'
"Lady Megumi, the next person has been set up as you asked and we are ready for you to begin anytime you wish." A man said as he walked up to her.
'And it just keeps getting better.' Megumi's grin turned eviler as she pulled out a large skinning knife and began skipping to her torture room.
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"Welcome back Ranma did you enjoy your walk?" Yuna asked as Ranma walked towards her.
"Very much, everyone enjoy their naps?" Ranma asked.
"It seems they're not done with them just yet." Yuna said as she gestured toward the others.
Ukyo fell asleep with her back against a tree, Konatsu laying on her shoulder and lightly gripping her arm as he snored. Sayuri was lying between Akane and Yuka holding an arm from each to her body. Nabiki was sprawled out in a rather undignified manner laying in the sunlight. Kasumi fell a sleep sitting up and could have been mistaken for someone meditating had it not been for the little bit of drool on her chin. Next to Yuna Ms. Hinako in her kid form was also sprawled out on a blanket.
"When did Ms. Hinako get here?" Ranma asked.
"Right after you went for you run she walked into the clearing, she planned on having her own picnic here. When she saw us here she would have left, but I invited her to sit with us and shortly after she nodded off." Yuna smiled.
"That was really nice of you Yuna, I'm glad you invited her to stay." Ranma smiled back.
"I was worried you would be upset, I heard rumors a while back that you and the little teacher here didn't get along to well." Yuna said.
"Well, we didn't, but I realized it could be attributed to my being a jerk and not paying attention in class as much as it was hers for judging me as a delinquent before she knew who I was, so I figure why not give each other a second chance." Ranma spoke seriously.
"It seems odd she would have a picnic by herself, I wonder why she didn't invite someone to go with her." Yuna frowned.
"I don't think she has many friends, the other teachers and adults don't really like that she's a chi vampire shapeshifter, so they don't wanna hang out with her. Then people my age who generally don't care about strangeness as much won't hang out with her because she's a teacher with an impressive technique used to punish them if they act like delinquents. I think she must be really lonely now that I think about it." Ranma frowned as well.
"Hmm let's let them sleep awhile" Yuna said as she looked at everyone. "Here have a seat." Yuna scooted over so Ranma could sit between her and the snoozing Hinako.
Ranma yawned as he sat down. 'Man I'm tired.'
'I think it's because we aren't used to switching control like we did earlier. Maybe you should take a nap too.'
'Alright, night Kikyo.'
"Hmm oh dear, Ranma fell asleep as well." Yuna mumbled, "Oh well, I might as well take a nap too." Yuna said as she laid down next to Ranma and fell asleep instantly. Then both her and Hinako rolled in there sleep to the nearest source of warmth and ended up lying on Ranma's arms and chest.
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"No, I will not let you interfere, she will be resurrected." A small pasty man shrieked as he pulled a gun out and aimed it at a girl with short Auburn hair.
"Shit," The girl hissed as she dove out of the way. "You damned fool it won't resurrect your lover, it doesn't work that way. Sacrificing people like this will only make a monster."
"How would you know? I read it I know this will work." The man shouted.
"Just like every other fool who tried to use the book that way knew it would work. If I have to kill you to get you to stop sacrificing children then so be it." The girl shouted back as she charged forward and in one quick motion she unsheathed her Katana and cut the man in two.
"Damn you, I maybe dead, but she will live regardless." The man said as he noticed a large basin behind him begin to glow and bubble.
A large hideous creature exploded out of the basin it had six spiderlike legs that held it up and its body was also spiderlike except the humanoid thing on it's back that's head looked from the top upside down. Its disgusting sickly pale white skin was only interrupted by a splash of green that was acid leaking from its mouth.
"Wha-what, this isn't what was supposed to happen." The man sobbed, "This is all your fault, who are you anyway?"
"This would have happened regardless of whether I showed up or not, but it seems like my Great Uncle Yuri it's my job to clean up after that damned book." The girl shouted then clutched her head in agony before a bright light flashed around her and in her place a black demon with a humanoid shape, a disgusting stench, large grinning face, and large leathery wings appeared.
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Okay, I guess I should explain it here for those of you who have never played shadow hearts, a Harmonixer is someone who fuses with the souls of monsters and uses them to fight, some people have managed to force the fusion others have a family ability that cause it. More will be explained in the story about who the female harmonixer is in the next chapter, I'll may do a fight scene between her and the spider monster next chapter.
Sorry, I didn't give Kikyo more time to have control of Ranma, but that too should happen next chapter.
So Read and review tell me what you think.
