Pools of Reflection
Chapter One: Lives Revisited
Later that night at the Tendo Dojo:
Beyond the door with a duck, there seemed to have been a battle waged by the youngest Tendo daughter. The young woman with short black hair was curled up on a bed that was devoid of all bedding except for an almost defluffed pillow, which she had a death grip on. Her sleep seemed to be riddled with nightmarish dreams.
Akane smiled as she walked down the aisle in a white western-style wedding dress. Guests were situated on both sides; she could see family, friends and old rival's on either side. In front of them all stood her soon to be husband, Ranma Saotome. She couldn't be happier.
Then everything changed: She was walking down a well-trodden path, one hand on her swollen belly while the other was massage the ache in the small of her back. She looked up, as a plane became visible in the just clear cloud cover. A little belatedly the air raid went off. For a brief moment she thought of her husband who was a pilot in the Japanese Air Force. Just as she resumed going to town, she was slammed back and into the ground by a great force that comprised of blinding light and an over abundance of heat. She tried to scream but the wind seemed to steal the very air from her lungs. She writhed on the ground clutching her abdomen, praying to Kami to save her baby. She didn't know how long she lay, there but as time passed she drifted away; not even her will to live could save her or her unborn child.
With a rush the numb feeling turned into a flare of sensation throughout her body; Akane now found herself nude sprawled across an equally nude man. They were moving to an ancient rhythm, leaving little doubt that the intimacy they shared was more than carnal... but filled with love. The man was trusted, familiar, but in the instant that they would explode with a mutual climax, a terrible power seized her, making her absorb the sexual energy out of her bed partner. With a final thrust of bodies, the ki energy that fed the woman was pushed into her with the force of a tsunami. Wards came out of nowhere and struck the couple as they lay there. The man became a husk of his form self as the wards killed him instantly. The young woman had vanished. She had shrieked as her world shrunk around her and all went silent and dark.
The darkness was pierced by a soft light that came from the window she was looking through; she quietly made her way to the next window that was void of any light. Just as quietly she opened the window and slip inside. She silently unsheathed her katana as she made her way across the dark room. A connecting door could barely be seen in the gloom. Opening the door a crack she observed the occupants a moment before making her move. With quick precise action she was in the room and on the three people. Striking out with the sword, the first two were dead; the other had let a scream that was stopped abruptly. The brief commotion alerted the guards, which brought them crashing into their master's chambers. She had hastily escaped out the window, avoiding more of the guards coming across the compound. She was shocked when a stabbing pain shot through her shoulder. Turning she saw what appeared to be the captain of the guard standing ten feet away, a sword out ready to strike. Instead of fleeing she brandished her own weapon, and with a cry of challenge she rushed the officer. Their swords clashed in the dark night with lightening fast attacks, and, parrying, the young woman began to wear down, but fierce determination kept her fighting. The battle came to a decisive end as the captain's sword plunged through the assassin's stomach. She stood staring up at the face of the man who had bested her. The familiar features faded out as she died in his arms.
The room spun with dizzying speed, and she tried to orientate herself as she lay on a makeshift bed. The smoke of opium and incense filled the air causing a lethargy to fall over her. She barely felt the hands that picked her up, moving her from the rough bed to make room for a paying customer. The motion garnered a small hazy reaction out of the young woman. Figures moved in and out of focus to her, as her handlers dumped her in the back with others who had succumbed to an overdose of the drug. She saw the future only as a dismal cycle of death before her, as each time she was reincarnated part of her soul was ripped away. Her eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, calling for the scepter of death to get this second life over with quickly. She drifted for days until she gave a rattling breath as the drug finally broke the once health body and mind.
For the last time the scenery shifted and changed to the Amazon village in China. Women and men walked into the ravaged village that was their home. The leader looked at those that had made it back. There were only a few that had come away with only minor injures; the rest were being carried back but many had been left behind... like the man that her heart belonged to. He was one of those that wouldn't be returning from the battle, for he had given the ultimate price. The Goddess knew that the battle hadn't been won without staggering loses. She retreated to her burnt out shell of a house. It had once been their refuge from the world; now it was laid bare to it. With a cry of rage and despair she left, running back to the last place that had claimed everything of any value to her life. One of the young warriors followed being concerned for her leader. What she saw and heard frightened her, but she remembered to pass it down from generation to generation until it was then written for all too see and remember. The elder stood at the pools of many springs, venting her rage at the evil that had taken her beloved away from her. There, the curse and prophecy was made as the woman plunged herself into one of the cold springs, to never see the light of day again.
She couldn't breath; water swirled over her head, and she felt like many hands were dragging her down to the sound of pleading whispers. {Save us. Help us. Please remember. Bring us back. Love doesn't die.} She wanted to help, but she needed to get air or she would just end up as one of the lost souls that amassed in this watery grave. She struggled even as she saw faces floating by that looked familiar but different. Then a female with midnight black hair drifted by, and in a sultry voice prophesied, {We will be one, and the evil will come for you and those you love.} The creature's eyes opened and the intense glowing orbs frighten Akane so that she began to scream... no sound coming out for water was drowning out her voice and filling her lungs.
A spasm of pain shot through her small body, and with a whimper she rolled over crashing onto the floor. "Ite," Akane moaned as she blinked open unfocused large brown eyes, trying to recover from the nightmares that had been filled with pain and terror. She sat up breathing heavily, and her pale face was covered in a cold sweat, as half formed memories of the scenes that had plagued her for the last few months flooded back to a now awake Akane. 'Agh, when are they going to go away? It's been months. They're getting worse,' she moaned as she started to cry, wrapping her arms around her drawn up legs.
A greenish light emanated around the grief stricken young woman. "It'll be okay," a soft echoy voice drifted comfortingly over, trying to calm the ragged sobs that Akane couldn't seem to stop pouring out.
"N...no it w...won't. Th...things just keep h...happening and I...I...I can't c....control any o...of it," stuttered Akane the sadness evident in every word that was spoken.
"Jeesh, I didn't think you would be this whiny," the pleasant echoy voice said in annoyance.
Akane looked up angrily, "Just who are you calling whiny!" Staring, ahead Akane realized that she'd been talking to the midnight-haired girl of her dream, and that she was floating a couple of inches off the floor, with a greenish aura around her. "Nani?"
"So, you've finally decided to notice what's going on around you, huh? Well, while you're still in shock, I'll tell you that those nightmares are just memories of the previous lives that you've had. And you're not the only one that is having these types of dreams. And before you ask any question I don't have enough time to answer, just be aware that the evil has awaked and is on the move. Don't trust everything that you see." The glowing girl started to fade.
"Wait, what's going on? What evil?" Akane demanded.
"You'll know more by remembering yourself. You should wake Ranma, now." the voice faded into nothingness.
Next door in the guest bedroom:
Ranma shifted on his futon agitatedly, going from side to side until he stopped, laying face up. His face was covered in sweat and was contorted in determination and anger. A light ki aura surrounded his body, freezing the guest bedroom.
He had to save Akane, and to do that he needed the water that Saffron was guarding. Ranma was hurting but he wouldn't give up. As he sprung to attack, the Phoenix King shot a super heated ki blast at him. He wasn't able to block; he felt a small movement from his pocket. Glancing down, his body went rigid with terror as the small doll fell too fast to catch it. The small porcelain Akane took the brunt of the blast.
Ranma cried out as he saw the brown eyes of the doll close almost all the way. He was running out of time. Letting his anger cool, he used the soul of ice; it was the only way to defeat the demi-god. With all of his emotions turned off the air around Ranma froze. He sent his last ki blast at the self proclaimed Phoenix God. The blast tore at the rapid-aged teenager, killing him almost instantly.
Ranma didn't care, as the rush of emotions came back, about getting the water for his iinazuke. He held her, looking for any sign of life, but there was none to be found. He gave out an animalistic cry.
With that cry the landscape changed: he was in an aircraft over the Pacific and he knew what his mission was. He looked over to the picture of his wife that he had positioned in easy view; the pretty black-haired young woman was just showing the signs of pregnancy. He prayed that she would forgive him for what he was about to do. Shifting his gaze back out the glass canopy of the plane, he spotted the enemy ships. With bullets whizzing by, he would have to guess that they had spotted him too. With amazing aerials he peppered the ships with fire; he knew that he was running out of ammo. It was then that he set his aircraft on a collision course with one of the bigger ships. As he went down, he gazed with love at his wife and unborn child, praying that his sacrifice would grant his family honor with their ancestors. Then there was only burning pain... before nothing.
The pain-filled feeling turned into an amazing sexual one that radiated along his body. He looked up at the naked woman who was straddled over his hips. The rocking motion had an urgency to, it that made his body heat and ache with a need to let go everything that was building in him. He moved his groin, wanting to reach that ultimate explosion of both his love and physical need of this woman that seemed so dear to him. Finally they achieved that which they both needed and wanted; he could feel the rush as his built-up ki was launched into the woman above him. Just as they found their release he felt a searing pain that had nothing to do with his love; it went throughout his entire body. He briefly saw the wards as they flayed his skin. He knew nothing of his beloved as everything went dark.
The darkness of the night surrounded him as he walked home; his bed was calling. He had given out the last of the guards' orders. When he was halfway across the compound a scream sliced through the peace of the night. The sound had come from his master's chambers. He saw his men running by as he looked up at the side of the building. He made out the shape of someone leaping out of the upper part of the structure. The intruder thought he could get away, as the individual carefully tried to make their escape, he silently drew out his sword, and with a quick motion stabbed the assassin through what appear to be his shoulder. The captain then put some distance between them. He stood at the ready as the person turned around; surprisingly the invalid didn't try to flee but gave a cry of challenge and rushed him. The assassin was skilled, he'd give him that, but he could tell that the injury and the drawn out fight were beginning to take their toll on him. He finally saw the opening and took it, thrusting his katana through the villain's stomach. He caught the intruder, and his eyes went wide in shock as he realized that he had been fight a female the whole time. He clutched her to him as her brown eyes closed in death. It was then that the pain started. Laying the young woman down, only then did he notice that her sword was imbedded into the area not covered by the armor he wore. He collapsed backwards, knowing that just as he had killed her, she had also killed him. It seemed right somehow that it should end that way; he had never dreamed of fighting a woman. Now his disgrace would hopefully die with him. He closed his eyes, praying that if Kami granted, he would let him meet that courageous woman again.
The glaring sunlight made the trip more unbearable as the caravan moved along the potholed road. He rode up and down making sure that there were none that went astray. He had been paid handsomely by these people, so he was going to make sure that all of them made it to their destination. Bandits were everywhere and one never knew when they would attack. He hoped that this journey would be uneventful. As if he had placed a curse on himself, the air was filled with arrows, and groups of men came charging out from the underbrush. Cursing, the bodyguard rushed to defend those that couldn't defend themselves. He made short work of six of the ruffians before three arrows: hit him two in the front and one in the back. The horse reared throwing the wound man to the ground. The horse reared again and sprinted away from the carnage, little knowing that it had trodden on his master in its need to escape. The unbelievable pain from the arrows and the horse's hooves had the hired guard praying. It seemed that the Kami wasn't listening that day, for when it appeared that he might survive the ordeal, the rest of the scavenging bandits looted those unlucky enough to have been left behind. The thieves made quick work of gathering all that was of use. Those that had been misfortunate to fall were quickly dispatched; even the once skilled man who was hired to defend fell victim to their blade. He spasmed once as he felt his life seep out of his body.
With a great rush of adrenaline the young martial artist was in a fight that was a matter of life and death. He glanced briefly at the aged women of his mate's village. The determination and sacrifice were written across their time worn faces as they continued to chant quietly. This was going to be their last chance to contain the beast. With a cat's grace, he jumped, ki claws extended, trying into drive them in the possessed individual they had finally discover was where the true evil resided. With a sinister chuckle the man gave a negligent flick of his wrist, causing a wave of dark energy to slam into the young man, tossing him to the edge of the sacred pools. Groaning he pulled himself to stand before this monster in the guise of a human. He hurt all over and knew that several bones had been broken, but he wouldn't allow that to get in his way. He needed to protect those that he had come to admire and respect. He stood on the balls of his feet, waiting this time to see what the creature would do. The old granny said to keep the guy busy while they cast the spell to bind the thing back into the earth. The thing's eyes were amused, as in a confident move he charged at the master of the neko-ken. His hands were cupped apart and a large build-up of the same black energy formed. Several feet in front of his opponent, he jumped and fired the blast down in a way that would surely destroy anything in its path. Using the same agility common to all cats, the young man leapt further into the springs; his enemy followed, tired of playing cat and mouse. In between the springs and the bamboo poles, the fight continued until the sky began to glow a gold that was raining onto the cold springs and those battling there. A cry of rage erupted from the entity as it slowly bled out of the man it had possessed. Holding his ribs, the weary warrior gradually walked over to the husk of his long time boyhood friend that the thing had left. As he stood there, the ground under his feet shook and a brief flash of black energy lashed up and latched onto the man's legs and dragged him down. With a brief struggle the man was pulled into the deepest cold spring, never to surface again.
The hole changed into a pit and not just any pit; no, this one was filled with cats: Man sized cats. Ranma slide back, trying to find a spot that was void of any of the strangely large creatures. They prowled in front of the frightened teenager. The largest padded forward directly toward Ranma. It opened its mouth exposing large teeth; a rumbling voice broke through the loud whimpering that escaped from the terrified young man. {Do not be afraid. You will need us to protect those you love. Especially our mate.} The animal almost purred out the last. Try as he might, the pigtailed martial artist shook with fright and pushed against the dirt wall with all his might to flee the large cats. His mind began to break down.
Akane sat on the floor in her bedroom for several minutes after the apparition had vanished. Then in a panic she was on her feet, the only thought in her mind was to get to her iinazuke. She was unsure whether to believe anything the ghostly image of her dreams said, but she wasn't going to take any chance.
She hurried out of her door, making sure to be quiet, not wanting to disturb anybody at this early hour of the morning. Reaching the guest bedroom, Akane became nervous, not wanting anyone to catch her going into Ranma's room, making sure no one was there, ready to jump out to take a photo or start celebrating. The sounds of whimpering and agitated movement dispelled the idea of searching out any of those disruptive forces.
She quickly slid open the door; a blast of frigid air almost knocking her down. She shivered as she moved into the icebox of a room. With a hasty glance she spotted Ranma. He was partially sitting, up his back against the wall, looking like he was trying to get away from something.
Ignoring the cold, the worried young woman raced over to the petrified, pigtailed young man.
Crouching down in front of him, Akane began to shake him gently, but he seemed so deep in the nightmare that it didn't faze him. Getting exasperated the short-tempered girl shook him harder, accidentally cracking his head against the wall.
"Ah... Ah... Ah..." Ranma scanned the area with quick jerky motions.
When he was satisfied that there weren't any cats about, he noticed that his iinazuke was there with a look of deep concern blatant on her expressive face.
"Uh... What are you doin' in here?" he blushed as some memories of the dreams drifted back. 'Man, if Akane had any idea what I've been dreamin' about for the last few months. She'd be sending flying out of here on "Akane Airlines".'
Flushing pink Akane sat back not looking at him. "Well, I..." 'What should I tell him? That a ghost told me to wake him up?' She shook her head at the idea.
"Well?" A look of fear flittered across his features.
His expression made up her mind that denying that it hadn't happened would be more harmful then having the jerk laugh at her. 'He's going to think I'm going crazy.'
Gazing at him through her lashes, Akane started telling Ranma everything. "...Then she told me to go and wake you up." She had rushed through the story, telling him most of the dreams that she'd been having since they had left Jusenkyo. Well... she had told every dream with the exception of one. It was to embarrassing and she didn't want him thinking she was some sort of hentai. With her face red, she waited anxiously, unsure how he would react.
Ranma sat stunned, 'We had similar dreams at the same time. What does this mean? Is it a look into the future? She left one out.' Snapping out of it, Ranma looked mischievously at Akane, "I think you left a part out of your story, Akane."
She blinked confused, wondering how he knew that she had deliberately not told the whole thing. "What part?"
Ranma blushed, "If I say you'll more than likely hit me."
"If you don't tell what you think I missed, I'll hit you," growled Akane.
"All right, I'll say, but only if you promise to not call me names or hit me in any way." the pigtailed martial artist demanded.
"Fine, I promise. Now out with it," huffed the annoyed young woman.
"After the one about being blown away, there was one... that well... Um you were... ah-in-bed-with-someone." He stumbled through, but in the end it all came out in a rush.
Akane's eyes widened. Her thoughts going a mile a minute. 'He knows. How? Why? When? Just how much?' "You better start explaining how you know this, and you better make it quick," the strain in her voice spoke volumes about the amount of control she was expanding to not lose her temper.
Chapter One: Lives Revisited
Later that night at the Tendo Dojo:
Beyond the door with a duck, there seemed to have been a battle waged by the youngest Tendo daughter. The young woman with short black hair was curled up on a bed that was devoid of all bedding except for an almost defluffed pillow, which she had a death grip on. Her sleep seemed to be riddled with nightmarish dreams.
Akane smiled as she walked down the aisle in a white western-style wedding dress. Guests were situated on both sides; she could see family, friends and old rival's on either side. In front of them all stood her soon to be husband, Ranma Saotome. She couldn't be happier.
Then everything changed: She was walking down a well-trodden path, one hand on her swollen belly while the other was massage the ache in the small of her back. She looked up, as a plane became visible in the just clear cloud cover. A little belatedly the air raid went off. For a brief moment she thought of her husband who was a pilot in the Japanese Air Force. Just as she resumed going to town, she was slammed back and into the ground by a great force that comprised of blinding light and an over abundance of heat. She tried to scream but the wind seemed to steal the very air from her lungs. She writhed on the ground clutching her abdomen, praying to Kami to save her baby. She didn't know how long she lay, there but as time passed she drifted away; not even her will to live could save her or her unborn child.
With a rush the numb feeling turned into a flare of sensation throughout her body; Akane now found herself nude sprawled across an equally nude man. They were moving to an ancient rhythm, leaving little doubt that the intimacy they shared was more than carnal... but filled with love. The man was trusted, familiar, but in the instant that they would explode with a mutual climax, a terrible power seized her, making her absorb the sexual energy out of her bed partner. With a final thrust of bodies, the ki energy that fed the woman was pushed into her with the force of a tsunami. Wards came out of nowhere and struck the couple as they lay there. The man became a husk of his form self as the wards killed him instantly. The young woman had vanished. She had shrieked as her world shrunk around her and all went silent and dark.
The darkness was pierced by a soft light that came from the window she was looking through; she quietly made her way to the next window that was void of any light. Just as quietly she opened the window and slip inside. She silently unsheathed her katana as she made her way across the dark room. A connecting door could barely be seen in the gloom. Opening the door a crack she observed the occupants a moment before making her move. With quick precise action she was in the room and on the three people. Striking out with the sword, the first two were dead; the other had let a scream that was stopped abruptly. The brief commotion alerted the guards, which brought them crashing into their master's chambers. She had hastily escaped out the window, avoiding more of the guards coming across the compound. She was shocked when a stabbing pain shot through her shoulder. Turning she saw what appeared to be the captain of the guard standing ten feet away, a sword out ready to strike. Instead of fleeing she brandished her own weapon, and with a cry of challenge she rushed the officer. Their swords clashed in the dark night with lightening fast attacks, and, parrying, the young woman began to wear down, but fierce determination kept her fighting. The battle came to a decisive end as the captain's sword plunged through the assassin's stomach. She stood staring up at the face of the man who had bested her. The familiar features faded out as she died in his arms.
The room spun with dizzying speed, and she tried to orientate herself as she lay on a makeshift bed. The smoke of opium and incense filled the air causing a lethargy to fall over her. She barely felt the hands that picked her up, moving her from the rough bed to make room for a paying customer. The motion garnered a small hazy reaction out of the young woman. Figures moved in and out of focus to her, as her handlers dumped her in the back with others who had succumbed to an overdose of the drug. She saw the future only as a dismal cycle of death before her, as each time she was reincarnated part of her soul was ripped away. Her eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, calling for the scepter of death to get this second life over with quickly. She drifted for days until she gave a rattling breath as the drug finally broke the once health body and mind.
For the last time the scenery shifted and changed to the Amazon village in China. Women and men walked into the ravaged village that was their home. The leader looked at those that had made it back. There were only a few that had come away with only minor injures; the rest were being carried back but many had been left behind... like the man that her heart belonged to. He was one of those that wouldn't be returning from the battle, for he had given the ultimate price. The Goddess knew that the battle hadn't been won without staggering loses. She retreated to her burnt out shell of a house. It had once been their refuge from the world; now it was laid bare to it. With a cry of rage and despair she left, running back to the last place that had claimed everything of any value to her life. One of the young warriors followed being concerned for her leader. What she saw and heard frightened her, but she remembered to pass it down from generation to generation until it was then written for all too see and remember. The elder stood at the pools of many springs, venting her rage at the evil that had taken her beloved away from her. There, the curse and prophecy was made as the woman plunged herself into one of the cold springs, to never see the light of day again.
She couldn't breath; water swirled over her head, and she felt like many hands were dragging her down to the sound of pleading whispers. {Save us. Help us. Please remember. Bring us back. Love doesn't die.} She wanted to help, but she needed to get air or she would just end up as one of the lost souls that amassed in this watery grave. She struggled even as she saw faces floating by that looked familiar but different. Then a female with midnight black hair drifted by, and in a sultry voice prophesied, {We will be one, and the evil will come for you and those you love.} The creature's eyes opened and the intense glowing orbs frighten Akane so that she began to scream... no sound coming out for water was drowning out her voice and filling her lungs.
A spasm of pain shot through her small body, and with a whimper she rolled over crashing onto the floor. "Ite," Akane moaned as she blinked open unfocused large brown eyes, trying to recover from the nightmares that had been filled with pain and terror. She sat up breathing heavily, and her pale face was covered in a cold sweat, as half formed memories of the scenes that had plagued her for the last few months flooded back to a now awake Akane. 'Agh, when are they going to go away? It's been months. They're getting worse,' she moaned as she started to cry, wrapping her arms around her drawn up legs.
A greenish light emanated around the grief stricken young woman. "It'll be okay," a soft echoy voice drifted comfortingly over, trying to calm the ragged sobs that Akane couldn't seem to stop pouring out.
"N...no it w...won't. Th...things just keep h...happening and I...I...I can't c....control any o...of it," stuttered Akane the sadness evident in every word that was spoken.
"Jeesh, I didn't think you would be this whiny," the pleasant echoy voice said in annoyance.
Akane looked up angrily, "Just who are you calling whiny!" Staring, ahead Akane realized that she'd been talking to the midnight-haired girl of her dream, and that she was floating a couple of inches off the floor, with a greenish aura around her. "Nani?"
"So, you've finally decided to notice what's going on around you, huh? Well, while you're still in shock, I'll tell you that those nightmares are just memories of the previous lives that you've had. And you're not the only one that is having these types of dreams. And before you ask any question I don't have enough time to answer, just be aware that the evil has awaked and is on the move. Don't trust everything that you see." The glowing girl started to fade.
"Wait, what's going on? What evil?" Akane demanded.
"You'll know more by remembering yourself. You should wake Ranma, now." the voice faded into nothingness.
Next door in the guest bedroom:
Ranma shifted on his futon agitatedly, going from side to side until he stopped, laying face up. His face was covered in sweat and was contorted in determination and anger. A light ki aura surrounded his body, freezing the guest bedroom.
He had to save Akane, and to do that he needed the water that Saffron was guarding. Ranma was hurting but he wouldn't give up. As he sprung to attack, the Phoenix King shot a super heated ki blast at him. He wasn't able to block; he felt a small movement from his pocket. Glancing down, his body went rigid with terror as the small doll fell too fast to catch it. The small porcelain Akane took the brunt of the blast.
Ranma cried out as he saw the brown eyes of the doll close almost all the way. He was running out of time. Letting his anger cool, he used the soul of ice; it was the only way to defeat the demi-god. With all of his emotions turned off the air around Ranma froze. He sent his last ki blast at the self proclaimed Phoenix God. The blast tore at the rapid-aged teenager, killing him almost instantly.
Ranma didn't care, as the rush of emotions came back, about getting the water for his iinazuke. He held her, looking for any sign of life, but there was none to be found. He gave out an animalistic cry.
With that cry the landscape changed: he was in an aircraft over the Pacific and he knew what his mission was. He looked over to the picture of his wife that he had positioned in easy view; the pretty black-haired young woman was just showing the signs of pregnancy. He prayed that she would forgive him for what he was about to do. Shifting his gaze back out the glass canopy of the plane, he spotted the enemy ships. With bullets whizzing by, he would have to guess that they had spotted him too. With amazing aerials he peppered the ships with fire; he knew that he was running out of ammo. It was then that he set his aircraft on a collision course with one of the bigger ships. As he went down, he gazed with love at his wife and unborn child, praying that his sacrifice would grant his family honor with their ancestors. Then there was only burning pain... before nothing.
The pain-filled feeling turned into an amazing sexual one that radiated along his body. He looked up at the naked woman who was straddled over his hips. The rocking motion had an urgency to, it that made his body heat and ache with a need to let go everything that was building in him. He moved his groin, wanting to reach that ultimate explosion of both his love and physical need of this woman that seemed so dear to him. Finally they achieved that which they both needed and wanted; he could feel the rush as his built-up ki was launched into the woman above him. Just as they found their release he felt a searing pain that had nothing to do with his love; it went throughout his entire body. He briefly saw the wards as they flayed his skin. He knew nothing of his beloved as everything went dark.
The darkness of the night surrounded him as he walked home; his bed was calling. He had given out the last of the guards' orders. When he was halfway across the compound a scream sliced through the peace of the night. The sound had come from his master's chambers. He saw his men running by as he looked up at the side of the building. He made out the shape of someone leaping out of the upper part of the structure. The intruder thought he could get away, as the individual carefully tried to make their escape, he silently drew out his sword, and with a quick motion stabbed the assassin through what appear to be his shoulder. The captain then put some distance between them. He stood at the ready as the person turned around; surprisingly the invalid didn't try to flee but gave a cry of challenge and rushed him. The assassin was skilled, he'd give him that, but he could tell that the injury and the drawn out fight were beginning to take their toll on him. He finally saw the opening and took it, thrusting his katana through the villain's stomach. He caught the intruder, and his eyes went wide in shock as he realized that he had been fight a female the whole time. He clutched her to him as her brown eyes closed in death. It was then that the pain started. Laying the young woman down, only then did he notice that her sword was imbedded into the area not covered by the armor he wore. He collapsed backwards, knowing that just as he had killed her, she had also killed him. It seemed right somehow that it should end that way; he had never dreamed of fighting a woman. Now his disgrace would hopefully die with him. He closed his eyes, praying that if Kami granted, he would let him meet that courageous woman again.
The glaring sunlight made the trip more unbearable as the caravan moved along the potholed road. He rode up and down making sure that there were none that went astray. He had been paid handsomely by these people, so he was going to make sure that all of them made it to their destination. Bandits were everywhere and one never knew when they would attack. He hoped that this journey would be uneventful. As if he had placed a curse on himself, the air was filled with arrows, and groups of men came charging out from the underbrush. Cursing, the bodyguard rushed to defend those that couldn't defend themselves. He made short work of six of the ruffians before three arrows: hit him two in the front and one in the back. The horse reared throwing the wound man to the ground. The horse reared again and sprinted away from the carnage, little knowing that it had trodden on his master in its need to escape. The unbelievable pain from the arrows and the horse's hooves had the hired guard praying. It seemed that the Kami wasn't listening that day, for when it appeared that he might survive the ordeal, the rest of the scavenging bandits looted those unlucky enough to have been left behind. The thieves made quick work of gathering all that was of use. Those that had been misfortunate to fall were quickly dispatched; even the once skilled man who was hired to defend fell victim to their blade. He spasmed once as he felt his life seep out of his body.
With a great rush of adrenaline the young martial artist was in a fight that was a matter of life and death. He glanced briefly at the aged women of his mate's village. The determination and sacrifice were written across their time worn faces as they continued to chant quietly. This was going to be their last chance to contain the beast. With a cat's grace, he jumped, ki claws extended, trying into drive them in the possessed individual they had finally discover was where the true evil resided. With a sinister chuckle the man gave a negligent flick of his wrist, causing a wave of dark energy to slam into the young man, tossing him to the edge of the sacred pools. Groaning he pulled himself to stand before this monster in the guise of a human. He hurt all over and knew that several bones had been broken, but he wouldn't allow that to get in his way. He needed to protect those that he had come to admire and respect. He stood on the balls of his feet, waiting this time to see what the creature would do. The old granny said to keep the guy busy while they cast the spell to bind the thing back into the earth. The thing's eyes were amused, as in a confident move he charged at the master of the neko-ken. His hands were cupped apart and a large build-up of the same black energy formed. Several feet in front of his opponent, he jumped and fired the blast down in a way that would surely destroy anything in its path. Using the same agility common to all cats, the young man leapt further into the springs; his enemy followed, tired of playing cat and mouse. In between the springs and the bamboo poles, the fight continued until the sky began to glow a gold that was raining onto the cold springs and those battling there. A cry of rage erupted from the entity as it slowly bled out of the man it had possessed. Holding his ribs, the weary warrior gradually walked over to the husk of his long time boyhood friend that the thing had left. As he stood there, the ground under his feet shook and a brief flash of black energy lashed up and latched onto the man's legs and dragged him down. With a brief struggle the man was pulled into the deepest cold spring, never to surface again.
The hole changed into a pit and not just any pit; no, this one was filled with cats: Man sized cats. Ranma slide back, trying to find a spot that was void of any of the strangely large creatures. They prowled in front of the frightened teenager. The largest padded forward directly toward Ranma. It opened its mouth exposing large teeth; a rumbling voice broke through the loud whimpering that escaped from the terrified young man. {Do not be afraid. You will need us to protect those you love. Especially our mate.} The animal almost purred out the last. Try as he might, the pigtailed martial artist shook with fright and pushed against the dirt wall with all his might to flee the large cats. His mind began to break down.
Akane sat on the floor in her bedroom for several minutes after the apparition had vanished. Then in a panic she was on her feet, the only thought in her mind was to get to her iinazuke. She was unsure whether to believe anything the ghostly image of her dreams said, but she wasn't going to take any chance.
She hurried out of her door, making sure to be quiet, not wanting to disturb anybody at this early hour of the morning. Reaching the guest bedroom, Akane became nervous, not wanting anyone to catch her going into Ranma's room, making sure no one was there, ready to jump out to take a photo or start celebrating. The sounds of whimpering and agitated movement dispelled the idea of searching out any of those disruptive forces.
She quickly slid open the door; a blast of frigid air almost knocking her down. She shivered as she moved into the icebox of a room. With a hasty glance she spotted Ranma. He was partially sitting, up his back against the wall, looking like he was trying to get away from something.
Ignoring the cold, the worried young woman raced over to the petrified, pigtailed young man.
Crouching down in front of him, Akane began to shake him gently, but he seemed so deep in the nightmare that it didn't faze him. Getting exasperated the short-tempered girl shook him harder, accidentally cracking his head against the wall.
"Ah... Ah... Ah..." Ranma scanned the area with quick jerky motions.
When he was satisfied that there weren't any cats about, he noticed that his iinazuke was there with a look of deep concern blatant on her expressive face.
"Uh... What are you doin' in here?" he blushed as some memories of the dreams drifted back. 'Man, if Akane had any idea what I've been dreamin' about for the last few months. She'd be sending flying out of here on "Akane Airlines".'
Flushing pink Akane sat back not looking at him. "Well, I..." 'What should I tell him? That a ghost told me to wake him up?' She shook her head at the idea.
"Well?" A look of fear flittered across his features.
His expression made up her mind that denying that it hadn't happened would be more harmful then having the jerk laugh at her. 'He's going to think I'm going crazy.'
Gazing at him through her lashes, Akane started telling Ranma everything. "...Then she told me to go and wake you up." She had rushed through the story, telling him most of the dreams that she'd been having since they had left Jusenkyo. Well... she had told every dream with the exception of one. It was to embarrassing and she didn't want him thinking she was some sort of hentai. With her face red, she waited anxiously, unsure how he would react.
Ranma sat stunned, 'We had similar dreams at the same time. What does this mean? Is it a look into the future? She left one out.' Snapping out of it, Ranma looked mischievously at Akane, "I think you left a part out of your story, Akane."
She blinked confused, wondering how he knew that she had deliberately not told the whole thing. "What part?"
Ranma blushed, "If I say you'll more than likely hit me."
"If you don't tell what you think I missed, I'll hit you," growled Akane.
"All right, I'll say, but only if you promise to not call me names or hit me in any way." the pigtailed martial artist demanded.
"Fine, I promise. Now out with it," huffed the annoyed young woman.
"After the one about being blown away, there was one... that well... Um you were... ah-in-bed-with-someone." He stumbled through, but in the end it all came out in a rush.
Akane's eyes widened. Her thoughts going a mile a minute. 'He knows. How? Why? When? Just how much?' "You better start explaining how you know this, and you better make it quick," the strain in her voice spoke volumes about the amount of control she was expanding to not lose her temper.