Part Forty?
Akane the Great


"Curse you Han; I will make you pay for using my love of foot ball as a weapon against me!" Jun ran backwards, forcing his arms down and taking aim on Ryoga with his gun! He aimed for Hibiki's head, he took a deep breath and fi—

No! Ranma leapt in at the last moment and punched Jun in the face! He squeezed the trigger, knowing that the odds of him actually hitting Ryoga were slim now, as Ranma's blow had knocked him to the side and forced his eyes shut, but he was determined to get his shot off all the same.

He hit. The sound of bullet penetrating flesh was one that Jun knew and loved, even with his eyes closed he knew he'd hit someone even before their surprised and pained gasp.

Jun grinned and opened his eyes, Ranma and Ryoga had stopped their attack though neither of them had been hit . . .

"M-master you . . ." Lotion said softly.

"This is so not good." Nabiki decided.

"N-no . . . No way!" Tomoko cried, but weakly.

The three girls all seemed shocked, but only one of them fell to the ground dead.

Jun smiled. It was lucky he'd been able to focus his shot in time. Now things would get interesting.


Akane knew that she was going to win the tournament, she knew that she was the best fighter there was, Ranma just liked to mess with her mind and make her think that she wasn't twice as good as he was, it was all smoke and mirrors or something!

That, and maybe he'd be more attracted to her if she could beat him and everyone else black and blue! It was worth a shot!

"Come on! Who wants some? I've got plenty of butt kicking to go around! Butts shall be kicked liberally, I spare no butt my mighty foot!" Akane cried a bit too dramatically. Now it is important to note that Akane had said all of this in the manner that she said it on purpose, to flush out opponents. She had noticed lately, more or less since meeting Ranma, that making such announcements usually made said gender swapping jerk fall out of various hiding places laughing and vulnerable, or made others appear ready for battle.

She was not disappointed, for though Ranma did not show himself, a disgustingly familiar voice said "How can you kick my butt, if you cannot reach it?"

Akane looked up to see the second oldest woman she had ever known sitting comfortably atop the ceiling. She cackled, she was Sentaro's grandmother!

Akane took up a fighting stance, how should she defeat this one? Then a thought came to her . . . "Hey, how are you sitting on the ceiling, there's nothing for you to grab on to, and I know you cant really levitate!"

Sentaro's grandmother fell down in a fit of logic, and poor story telling. She hit her feeble old lady head and went unconscious. Akane felt a little guilty but when the voice over the loud speaker shouted "Akane Wins!" she forgot about the old bag and thrust her arms into the air for victory, made "V"s with her fingers for victory, danced for victory, asked victory if it'd like to come up to her apartment for 'coffee', she'd almost forgotten how good it felt to win!

She was the king of the world!

Er Queen! The queen of the world!

She skipped away, ignoring poor Sentaro's grand mother, whose name, if ever it was given, had completely escaped her!

The youngest Tendo sister went merrily on her way through the maze, forgetting, more or less, about her desire to defeat Ranma. She figured she could still win the tournament if she just beat all the people that she knew for sure that she was better than. She wished Shampoo had joined it, she really wanted to beat that busty Chinese bimbo into next Tuesday!

Now, adrenalin pounding through her, she rushed through the maze, more! More! She needed more opponents, more battles, and more victory! She needed to win!

It felt so good to win! No wonder Ranma never asked her for sex, this was like five billion times better, no wonder he was so addicted to winning, she'd forgotten the simply sinful sensations of victory!

"Forward to the kill!" She cried, got control of herself and amended, "I-er I mean forward to the malicious beating!"

"Hold it right there!" A loud and powerful voice cried!

Akane turned around to see . . . the insane evil escaped prisoner she and Ukyo had rescued from the mental institution!

"Do yore name starts wit da letter A?"

"Heck yes!" Akane cried, "I'm Akane the great, which starts with A and ends with Great! I'm so cool!"

The weird man raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "I's gotta eat you now."

Akane blinked. "Why?"

"I just gotta. The leprechaun said so."

"Oh . . . a leprechaun huh? Well . . . forget that, 'cause Akane the Great is gonna mess you up!"

The big man roared and charged Akane, a large spork in hand! Akane fell back into a defensive crouch, then sprang forward, leaping up into the air, and landing on the giant man's bald head!

She stomped down hard right between his eyes!

"RRRAAGGHH!" He roared, and Akane flipped off of his head, landing right behind him, she whipped out in a round house kick to his back! The giant roared again and fell face forward, Akane's arms shot up in victory!

"I own!" Akane cried.

"Dur, I's gonna eat yoo!" The giant roared, the battle obviously doing nothing to harm him, instead it was only wetting his appetite!

Akane scowled, "Fine! I'm game!" She said, "I'm going to beat you black and blue you . . . uh . . . flamingo!" She cried!

Aw man, that just wasn't cool! As Akane considered how totally uncool that line had been she got hit in the face by the giant man!

He hovered over her, spork in hand, "I's so hungered!" He cried.

Akane didn't even bother to mention how terrible this guy's sentence structure was; she kicked her legs back over her head and flipped up onto her feet just in time to be swept away by his charge! She yelped and got slammed into the wall!

"I wont give up!" She warned.

"I's gonna eat yoo wit honey sauce!" The giant said!

Akane scoffed, "Sh'yeah right! And blood is blue!"

"Blood is blue." Her father announced over the intercom, "It only turns red when you—"

"Oh shut up!" Akane cried, charging for the bald maniac!

They traded blows for an intense moment, rather Akane launched blow after blow, but the giant scowled, raised his hand and tried to hit her, but nimbly Akane the great dodged out of the way!

"You got nothing!" Akane cried, kicking the giant in the groin.

He didn't respond. She kicked him again, then a third time. She frowned, "What is with you?"

"Prison justice." He said.

Akane blinked at him. "But you were in a mental institution . . ."

"Prison justice." He said again.

Akane blinked, then kicked him in the head, he flew back ten feet, and she leapt after him, landing on his nose! "I call this move the wine stomp!" She cried, stomping on his face.

But it didn't seem to hurt him. "What are you, some kind of cyborg?" Akane demanded.

Crazy giant guy kind of shrugged and Akane decided it was time for a super move!

"All right, that's it, AH-KAH-NE-HAA!" Akane cried, blasting crazy guy away with her awesome power which was so totally not stolen from that cartoon about the dragon who lost his balls.

Of course because it was stolen from that cartoon it didn't work.

He punched her in the face . . .

It hurt . . .

Akane, holding her face shook her head. "All right!" She said, "I'm not going to show you any mercy! It's time to DIE!" She screamed, and charged for him!

Giant crazy guy scratched his head, and Akane leapt into the air and began pounding on his head to no effect, as she descended thanks to gravity her punches began to fall on his stomach, then his knees, finally she fell face down and sighed.

She looked up and glared, "You know, this is the part where you fall down!"

He blinked, "Oh!" He said, then fell down and pretended to be dead.

Akane blinked. "Oh . . . okay." Akane stood up and brushed herself off. "Man I kick butt!" She shouted.

"Quack!" A duck agreed.

Akane knew that duck was Mousse because few other ducks carried a pair of glasses with them. So she kicked him across the hallway.

"There are no opponents left in the labyrinth . . ." Ushio Kuroda's voice rang over the intercom, "So Akane Tendo, of the Tendo training hall is the victor!"

Akane blinked, and grinned, that meant one of these guys had beaten Ranma, and she'd beaten them! So . . . in a way, that meant she'd beaten Ranma! Yeah!

"All right!" Akane roared, "This was more of a battle royal, survival endurance thingy than a tournament, but who cares? I win! I am awesome! Ranma lost!"

"Actually, Ranma, Ryoga, Ukyo, Tofu, Anzu and Tomoko all forfeited."

Akane scowled at the camera and shouted, "Shut up! Don't steal this from me, I won! I'm the greatest!"

"Akane!" Her father cried, "Your sister has been kidnapped! Rouse Mousse and save her!"

Akane gasped, "Yes of course! I'm coming Kasumi!" She cried, grabbing the duck and running for . . . wherever. She wasn't really sure where the exit was.

"Actually, it was Nabiki who was kidnapped." Her father said.

Akane slowed down to a stop and tapped her chin.

"Well?" Her father and Ushio asked together.

"Yeah?" Akane raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to save her?"

Akane considered that for a second, "Eh? Oh yeah sure, just give me a second." Nabiki was probably in trouble because she'd swindled someone, so she probably deserved whatever she got. Never the less she was her sister, and Akane loved her . . . at least enough to go save her.

Unfortunately she had no idea what she'd have to save her sister from . . .


The sound of gunfire was all too quickly becoming normal for Ryoga, but this one struck something inside of him, this sound was somehow . . . more significant.

His eyes moved fast to the gun, though it was the bullet he should have been watching—not that he could have even if he wanted to, since it would have moved too quickly—he braced himself for the shot . . .

But it was not aimed at him.

Still it killed him.

When Nabiki, looking at the wound in her chest in disbelief, fell to the ground, Ryoga died.

His head began to throb, his chest began to ache, he looked at her crumbled form, his expression as unbelieving as hers had been . . . it couldn't be.

Slowly, as if a thousand tons of brick were tied to his legs, he walked to her, collapsing before her. Was he crying as he picked her up and held her in his arms?

He felt an odd burning sensation coursing through him, but he didn't care! All he could feel was pain, mental, physical, emotional, any sort of pain one can imagine, Ryoga felt! Nabiki had been his fiancée, but more than that, she'd been . . . everything to him.

He looked at her, was she still breathing? He couldn't tell! Was that slight rise and fall of her chest caused by his imagination and need to believe that she lived?

Maybe she was still alive! People got shot in the stomach all the time right?

But . . . this was more towards the chest . . . more towards the heart? What side of a person's chest was their heart located? Ryoga just couldn't remember!

Nothing else existed at that moment, just himself and Nabiki . . . only it couldn't stay that way!

Ryoga's head snapped around and his gaze landed on Jun, who didn't seem terribly sorry for what he'd done.

It wouldn't have mattered if he were, Ryoga realized then that that man had to die.

Unable to control the flow of emotions he felt then, Ryoga felt as if a dam inside him had broken, and with a yell that was pain, outrage, and surprise all at once Ryoga felt that energy escaping, refusing to be contained!

A bright pillar of light shot up from Ryoga then, and at first he didn't realize what it was, in the end, though the answer registered in the very back of his mind, it didn't matter.

Shi Shi Hokodan wouldn't bring Nabiki back.


Jun's jaw dropped when he saw Ryoga's pillar of light . . .

He knew then that he'd made a big mistake.

Ranma was not the chosen.


Tosa gasped when she saw Ryoga's Shi Shi Hokodan. "Impossible!"

Nobody could perform that technique properly, and Tosa hadn't even seen Ryoga go through any of the gestures, or even gather the energy for it, it just happened!

She knew then that her last conversation with Jun had been the last she would ever have. She smiled viciously, and decided she would not miss him. Foolishly he had tried to change the world without the guild's support or blessing, foolishly he had tried to awaken the most Unusual Ryoga Hibiki, and fortunately for the Nekekami, unfortunate for Jun, he had succeeded.

Ryoga Hibiki was the chosen one, the avatar of death, and Jun Koruda was his enemy, there would be no escape!


Ryoga's body was moving before he even gave the mental command! He shoved himself off the ground, twisted in mid air and hit the ground running for Jun before he even realized he'd stopped using the Hokodan! He swung his arm back as he ran before he even knew what he was going to do with it!

Jun didn't have time to move before Ryoga reached him, his fist shot out like a battering ram, a blow that would have easily crushed a brick wall into dust!

Jun's hand came up feebly to stop the blow, but it did nothing! Ryoga's fist flew, crushing Jun's arm to his face and sending the older man flying off of the roof!

Ryoga threw himself over the side without thinking, landed a few feet away from Jun, and rushed for him! Jun had landed on his feet and began running backwards in an attempt to flee while lining up a shot with his gun.

If he'd just turned around, ran and never looked back he might have gotten away.

But Ryoga was too fast, and as Jun backpedaled he ran over some bushes and tripped!

Ryoga was on him in a flash, he shoved the gun out of the way and punched Jun again!

Before the murderous slime even had time to fall to the ground Ryoga grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Not such a hard thing for him, considering his umbrella probably weighed more.

Jun squirmed, and Ryoga began to feel . . . good! He grinned darkly and tightened his grip. "How do you like death?" He asked cruelly, but Jun was too busy suffocating to answer.

Ryoga wouldn't let him die like that.

No . . . not quite like that.

He dropped Jun on the ground.

"Get up." He said darkly.

Jun blinked a few times, then holding his own neck and coughing he stood up. "M-my lord!" He said, "I live to serve you!"

Ryoga slapped him . . . hard. He flew at least five feet.


Ranma saw Ryoga's attack, but didn't believe it would be as powerful as it was!

He fought within himself then . . . it was pretty obvious that if Ryoga kept up his assault he'd kill Jun . . .

Ranma had to wonder . . . if that'd be such a bad thing. Jun had killed Nabiki, would have killed Anzu, had probably meant to kill Ranma himself and Ryoga as well! Ranma fought within himself, wondering whether or not he should save Jun . . . did the assassin deserve it?

Of course not! Ranma shouldn't have to save Jun! But . . . Ryoga didn't deserve to live with the burden of being a killer like Jun and Lotion. Ranma cursed silently, and wished that those two had never walked into his life. Things had been so much less complicated . . .

He threw himself over the wall and landed hard on the ground, he charged after Jun, who was trying to plead with Ryoga now, "Please master! I sought you out so that you could take your rightful place as the head of the guild! I sought you out to rebuild The Cabal, and conquer the underworld!"

Ryoga laughed, it was not a pleasant sound, it was a dark, hateful noise that sent a chill down Ranma's spine.

"You're talking nonsense." He said coldly, "The dying words of a dying man."

"But my king, I did not mean to harm her!"

"Doesn't mean much now." Ryoga said with a shrug. "She's gone, you die."

"Hold it Ryoga!" Ranma shouted, "Don't do this! Don't lower yourself to this scumbag's standards!"

Ryoga scoffed, "Shut up Ranma. You're next."

"What?" Ranma snapped.

"Now that Nabiki's gone I don't have any reason to stay in Nerima. I want to get as far away from it as I can, but first I'll fulfill my vow and kill you."

"No-no-no, did you just tell me to shut up?" Ranma demanded! Why the heck did people keep saying that? Now he had to say something witty, and he was too frazzled to think of anything! "Well you . . . you're so lame you couldn't even kill time if you wanted!" Man that was a good one! Good job! Ranma mentally congratulated himself for his ability to be this cool under such pressure.

"We'll see whose dead at the end of the day." Ryoga said with a shrug, he reached out and grabbed Jun by the collar.

Progress, Ranma thought, at least he wasn't grabbing him by the neck anymore. Maybe a bit more reasoning?

"Ryoga, would Nabiki want you to do this?"

"Who cares?" Ryoga laughed as he lifted Jun off the ground, "I want me to do this. We need this, both Nabiki and I need to see justice done."


Lotion scowled when she saw her. Tosa!

"What do you want?" Lotion demanded.

"My dear Han, fear not! I am not here to punish you for collaborating against Jun-kun. I have come to welcome the guild's newest member, nay, our new leader."

"No." Lotion said calmly. "Not happening."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I will not let you bring Ryoga into the guild."

"But why? Once Jun is dead you and I will be his bridge into the guild, you will become powerful, more powerful than Jun ever was! I will become more powerful than I have dared dream! We will rule the entire underworld, through our master, and our master is Ryoga Hibiki! What part of this genius plan do you not understand?"

"Ryoga . . . my friend cannot kill Jun. He is better than that, if he kills Jun he will put an end to the wonderful person that he is and in heart die also. I cannot let him kill himself tonight." Lotion smiled, "I am something of a big sister to them you see, I cannot let them get into trouble."

Tosa smiled a thin smile, "Charming. Unfortunately this does mean that I shall have to eliminate you after all. No . . . 'eliminate' is such a vague word. I want to . . . ah, let's see . . . take your life away, I plan to silence your soul, I shall . . . oh! Kill you, yes that's the word I sought. I will kill you. Then I will kill all of these fools who've taken you in, how's that sound?"

Tomoko, who had been checking Nabiki for vital signs looked up and snapped, "Shut up mate! I've had enough over dramatics, if you're gonna kill someone don't go on and on about it! I say just do it—like this!" Tomoko shouted, and her hand moved like lightning!

Tosa threw herself to the side, easily avoiding Tomoko's flying dagger—at least that's what Lotion assumed it was—but failed to avoid Tomoko!

The younger woman sprang forward even as she released the blade, she leapt up and kicked Tosa in the head! Tomoko's other leg came spinning around for a second blow!

But the assassin threw herself back and out of harm's way, Tomoko landed behind her and hit the deck, Tosa stood up, laughing until Tomoko's boomerang—for that was what she'd thrown—slammed into her chest!

Tomoko got up, grinning. "Such hot snot eh? Maybe I'm more interested 'n boys than I am 'n martial arts, but at least I can fight!" Tomoko stepped on Tosa's chest and retrieved her boomerang. She sneered, "Now put yer hands where I can see 'em."

Tosa smiled, "Very well. I will concede. I admit defeat."

Tomoko grinned at Lotion, "That wasn't so har—ugh!"

She fell to the ground! Tosa shoved her away and stood up, brushing herself off. "Look girl, I'm a real martial artist. I'm a genuine killer, you're . . . well you're a pathetic little nothing. A never was, a never will be. What's your name? Your name is Trash! I let you kick me so I could administer the toxin you're enjoying now, it was a nice bit with the boomerang, but lets be real, what have you done if not simply annoy me enough to ensure your death?"

Tosa grinned wickedly, "That is . . . unless Han Lo-Chun can stop me."

Lotion scoffed. "Stop you? No mistress that is not the right word." The Amazon took a step forward, she could feel her heart trying to escape from her rib cage, but refused to let her fear show! "I want to . . . slit your throat. I plan to . . . rape you with cold steel. I shall . . . Oh! Kill you, that is the word I sought."

"And here I'd thought you'd turned over a new leaf." Tosa smirked.

"Well I can do nothing about your stupidity other than put you out of everyone's misery mistress. Ryoga and Ranma are the pure ones who must not kill. I am nothing more or less than the monster I allowed the Nekekami to make me, I can kill, and I will kill to make sure that they do not have to." Lotion drew forth her knives, the tactic that she'd planned for Maro wouldn't work on Tosa, who was in fact the poisons mistress. She would probably have built an immunity to the poisons Lotion carried, the overall strategy involved Maro overusing his fans and Tosa did not even own fans.

None the less Lotion could win this fight!

Maybe . . .

She noticed Tomoko stir, maybe she wouldn't be alone in this fight. But if she couldn't stop Ryoga from killing Jun it wouldn't matter anyway.

The younger assassin closed her eyes, I cannot lay a hand on her, or I will be poisoned. Lotion thought to herself, then with a smile she opened her eyes. Tosa was standing there, ready to fight, Lotion thought to herself, If I am fighting for the good guys, doesn't that mean I should win no matter the odds?

She laughed once at her own stupidity, she knew even before she sprang for Tosa that she was dead.


Tatewaki Kuno was not one to give up easily. When his left leg finally moved, he simply told himself that if it would do so, there was no reason his right leg might not also move.

And it did.

He struggled and got to his legs, the doctor whose name was unimportant said something about taking it easy.

Fool.

Tatewaki "Blue Thunder" Kuno would take nothing easily, defeat in particular! All things taken must be taken through force and effort, and this kidnapper had just thrown a great deal of force and effort into angering Tatewaki!

He gripped his sword, and climbed the stairs. Nabiki, he would save Nabiki!


"I want me to do this. We need this, both Nabiki and I need to see justice done." Ryoga said.

Kill him! Show him who the weak one is! Kill him! Ryoga thought.

'No . . . I shouldn't have to prove anything to this man.' Ryoga corrected himself. 'He's not worth the trouble!'

Trouble? What trouble? This is pleasure! I can sense his fear and it feels so good! Better than anything else, better than anything imaginable!

'Except being with Nabiki . . . and killing him won't bring her back!' Ryoga told himself firmly.

But then it wont need to, will it? I'll just kill more people, I'll kill Ranma, and then everyone else, I'll kill and kill and kill and never stop long enough to feel the pain!

'Nabiki wouldn't have wanted that!'

Oh she's too busy being dead to tell us what she wants.

Ryoga blinked. "Us?" he whispered. It seemed a perfectly normal thing to think, and yet . . .

No more time to waste talking to myself, I'd better just kill this guy now, and move on to Ranma!

Ryoga glared at Jun, a cruel smile crossed his face. "Will you serve me, assassin?"

"Yes my king!" Jun gasped.

"Faithfully?" Ryoga asked.

"With all my heart!" Jun pleaded.

Ryoga's smile grew even darker. "To the death?"

"And beyond!" Jun nodded.

Ryoga dropped him. "Prove it." He said darkly.

"Ryoga no!" Ranma shouted, he sprang forward and punched Ryoga in the back of the head, and who knew how many times the speedy Ranma managed to do it in the split second that Ryoga was open to him?

And what did it matter? Ryoga fell to his knees from the force of so many blows, he clutched his head and groaned.

Saotome dies now!

'No . . . wait . . .'

No time for debate, I have to stop talking to myself and get down to business! Ryoga thought, I have to kill!

Ryoga stood up, Ranma kicked Jun to the ground and said, "Let him go to prison Ryoga! I've been there, I know what kind of place it is, he won't like it one bit! Let 'im be tried for her murder, let 'im pay the price, let actual justice be done, not this!"

Shut him up! Shut him up permanently! Ryoga thought loudly!

The young man stood up and took a deep breath, clenched his fists at his side, "Ranma . . . thanks for knocking some sense into me. What was I thinking? You're right . . . we need to take him to the police, c'mon . . . let's get the others."

"That's better . . ." Ranma said cautiously, he eyed Ryoga suspiciously.

Ryoga let tears flow from his eyes, he let his voice crack as he said, "You'll have to . . . I cant . . . I don't think I can move Nabiki's b-body."

"O-of course!" Ranma said, relaxing a bit. "N-no problem man. I understand."

He patted Ryoga on the shoulder, the other boy smiled at him.

It was not a friendly smile.

His hand shot up with a speed that could not compare to Ranma Saotome's, but was still quite adequate, he gripped Ranma by the neck and squeezed tightly, but not tightly enough to cause any permanent damage, "No Ranma . . . you don't understand." Ryoga threw him aside, "You don't know what it's like to lose everything in one second, and to have the person responsible under your power. You can't know how I feel, your biggest complaint is turning into a girl!"

"That's a pretty big deal!" Ranma coughed.

"Shut up!" Ryoga roared.

"There it is again!" Ranma snapped, "Man! Look Ryoga, maybe my biggest problem is turnin' into a girl, but at least when I'm a girl I can still fight, not like P-Chan!"

"Shut up!" Ryoga repeated.

Ranma sneered, "Nope. You shut up, man!" Ranma slammed his fist into the ground and tore up some odd black cylinder.

Ryoga stared at it for a moment, and it was just a moment before the water erupted like a geyser! Ranma got soaked, and as it came down Ryoga realized he would too!

He didn't have his umbrella!

"Ranma . . . Ranma I'll never forgive y—eee!" Ryoga screamed and then squealed as he became P-Chan, the worthless, useless, fat, stupid, and unforgivably weak pig!

No! No! This is unacceptable! Unacceptable!

'You're telling me!' Ryoga thought.

Useless! You're useless!

'Yeh-wha? What was that?' Ryoga wondered.

You may be the god of murder, but you are dormant. When your powers awaken you may be of some use to me, but as you are now you are just a weak, diseased boy! Not yet even a man!

'Who are you?' Ryoga demanded, 'I know you're not me!'

True, I am not weak as you are. But your condition will change in time . . . some day you will become useful, and I will be waiting.

'I will never be useful to you!' Ryoga thought bitterly.

Oh no? What else is there for you to do if not become strong and take the destiny that awaits you? You have lost your lover and made enemies of your friends. Soon enough you will turn, soon enough you will awaken, soon enough you will become mine.

Ryoga closed his eyes, 'Who are you?' He asked again.

When you awaken my brother, you will know the answer.

And with that, Ryoga somehow felt a strange pressure leave his head, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why. Someone had been manipulating him, and who knew for how long?

Unfortunately now he was lost, what could he do? He was a pig—thanks to Ranma—and unable to do anything but oink and eat truffles!

He didn't even know where to find truffles!

Ryoga glared at Ranma, then at Jun only Jun wasn't there!

He'd disappeared!

Ranma reached down and picked Ryoga up, "I know it's hard. I know ya think I don't understand, an' maybe I don't. But I can sympathize, and I'm going t' help you.

'Oh screw you Ranma, I don't want sympathy.' Ryoga thought darkly. 'I want revenge.'

"Let's go back." Ranko said softly, "Jus' forget Jun. We'll get him . . . together."

'Sounds a bit closer to what I want to hear . . . oh but what does it matter?' Ryoga thought miserably, Nabiki was gone! He might as well not be alive.


Lotion leapt into the air, she watched Tosa closely but the master assassin stood perfectly still.

The Amazon threw first one knife, then the other, she hit the ground hard, but on her feet, she glared at Tosa.

Tosa had deftly caught both daggers, just as Lotion had meant for her to do.

She drew another pair and sprang forward again, she met the master blade to blade!

Tosa's blade clashed with hers, Lotion shuddered as the blades rang for Tosa's strength was surprising and the smaller woman shoved Lotion's arms wide, and kicked her in the face with a high kick that would have made a cheer leader squeak with envy!

Lotion forced herself to recover quickly and though her lower jaw hurt and she was seeing spots she smiled in Tosa's pretty face, and spat blood out onto it.

Tosa didn't seem phased at all, she just dropped low and swept Lotion's legs out from under her, the Amazon fell like a sack of potatoes.

She smiled weakly at the master assassin and said "Time to die."

"Indeed. For you." Tosa smiled, standing over her.

"It must be hard . . . being wrong so often." Lotion said, her foot rose about an inch off the ground, then slammed back, forcing a blade out, then she kicked up for Tosa's back!

The assassin easily dodged to the side, grabbed lotion's boot and twisted her ankle around to a terribly unnatural position.

Lotion couldn't help but scream, at least until Tosa's foot slammed into her chest, knocking all the wind out of her. "Don't you understand child? I am no Unusual filth like you. What I am I have become through pure skill, and experience. You are nothing, at best before you were Jun's pet, now with him as good as dead you are not even that."

Tosa knelt down now, her knee on Lotion's throat, she placed one of Lotion's own blades against the Amazon's heart, "Think you've got the heart of a warrior little girl? Lets find out. You'll be alive long enough to see it, once I cut it out of you."

She raised the knife into the air, and brought it down hard!

A flash came between Han and Tosa, and the dagger went flying through the air! The master assassin fell backwards off of Lotion as the slightly overdressed Tatewaki Kuno stood over her.

Han Lo-Chun, or rather Hand Lotion had never, never seen anything look better than that pompous and yet so incredibly wonderful samurai!

He said not a word, which Lotion realized was unusual, and kept his eyes on Tosa, his sword held at the ready!

Lotion struggled to her feet and coughed a bit more blood. She reached with shaking hands for her final weapon and grinned at Tosa.

"Tell me mistress . . . could I have survived in the guild so long if I . . . were as incompetent a I seemed?" She closed her eyes.

It had been a long time since she'd given in to the teachings of the guild and used the very taint that made her an Unusual to kill another human being.

Her eyes opened.

Ranma and Ryoga would be worth it . . . if she wasn't too late. Tosa had to be stopped . . .

Her eyes opened.

The world changed, light and dark became more powerful, colors existed but who cared? The world was no longer a thing of color, it was a thing of movement!

She smiled and saw a look of uncertainty spread slowly across Tosa's face. She saw the dagger she'd given the top assassin do its working and she, Lotion, leapt forward with speed that took the smaller woman off guard!

She slammed a gloved fist into Tosa's face, then leapt behind the woman and tried to elbow her in the spine!

But Tosa spun around and deflected the blow, and slammed the hilt of Lotion's dagger into the back of the younger woman's head.

Lotion had sort of expected Kuno to jump in and attack Tosa's back, but that was a stupid mistake. He'd never do something so dishonorable she realized.

Didn't matter, Lotion ducked low and fell to the ground, allowing Tosa a second to believe he was incapacitated, before sweeping around and knocking the older woman's legs out from under her! Lotion was on her before she could blink let alone get up, and clutching her final weapon, Lotion smiled.

"Congratulations! You're dead!" She laughed, and shoved the hand grenade down the assassin's throat!

"Are you mad?" Kuno yelped, "The explosion will kill us all!"

Lotion coughed a bit more blood, her life was at its end. But she had to admit it had been a little stupid since the explosion would endanger all her friends sleeping off the effect of Maro's illusions. She hadn't really been thinking, she usually didn't when she gave in to her Unusual side.

But she didn't have enough fight left in her to stop Jun now anyway, and she wouldn't face an awoken Ryoga knowing that she'd been a major factor in the guild's discovery of him.

So she simply died . . .

At least she should have! Tosa spat the grenade out and shoved Lotion away. She held the grenade and snidely counted to twenty. "Seems you've caught me in a lie, Lotion. I am an Unusual. Unusually good that is at killing people. You? You're just awful! You have to pull the pin you idiot!"

"Oh blast . . . I knew I'd forgotten something!"

Tosa laughed sinisterly, then stopped, she screamed instead and dropped the dagger she held and clutched her hand, she glared at Lotion, "What . . . what did you do?"

"The hilts of those daggers . . . were coated with a lovely poison . . . one found exclusively . . . in my village. There's no way . . . you'd know of it. It paralyzes you just by coming . . . in contact with your skin and when administered to both hands it creeps up your arms and spreads through your torso! Maybe your natural resistance to poisons will stop it before it stops your heart . . . but I doubt it." Lotion smiled darkly.

"But you held them!" Tosa cried.

Lotion smiled, "Gloves." She said, showing her gloved hands to Tosa, "I win."

"Oh you've won all right!" Tosa screamed, she held the grenade up and then brought it towards her mouth with her still working hand!

She meant to bite the pin out and she would have succeeded . . . but just before it could reach, her arm fell limp at her side and the grenade dropped to the ground and rolled.

"It is a shame you did not . . . hold onto the other dagger longer." Lotion winked, "But at least . . . you held it long enough . . . to receive a bit of my poison."

Tosa smiled wickedly and said, "Very well. I do hope for your sake that this poison kills me . . . because if it does not, once I return to the Guild you will be at the top of our most wanted list! You will be killed on sight!" Tosa laughed, "And I'll see to it that we spread the word to other guilds, you won't be safe no matter where you go!" And with that the smaller woman leapt from the roof of Furinkan High and sped off into the shadows.

Lotion looked lovingly at Kuno but he'd already gone over to check on Nabiki.

'Oh fine then! Maybe you're not the man for me after all . . . hey, I wonder if I'm a lesbian!' Lotion thought to herself, then collapsed and wondered if anyone would care enough to stop her from drowning in a pool of her own blood.


Akane the great arrived on scene with Mousse entirely too late to be useful. Jun and Tosa had fled, everyone had woken up and Maro was tied up right nicely by Tomoko who said she knew a thing or two about tying people up, and winked suggestively at Mousse, but he didn't see it.

What shocked Akane most was her sister, Nabiki. How could she have hesitated to help Nabiki?

She'd never live it down now!

She expected her sister to scream at her and say something to the effect of "What took you so long, brat? I mean what the heck? I got shot, Akane! Shot!"

But Nabiki just lay there pale and motionless.

Ranma held tightly to P-Chan, and Akane was quickly made to understand that while they had turned Ryoga and Ranma back to normal—they having been transformed to woman and pig during the battle—Ryoga had proven untrustworthy when he tried to strangle Maro . . . twice, so he was confined to pig form.

Akane gave him a gentle pat on the head—though it didn't make him look any less surly—and she said, "It's okay Ryoga. She'll be okay."

But that didn't really mean that Akane was sure, it was more of a wish.

Now she sat next to her sister's bed in the hospital waiting for some sign of life beyond what the machines told her.

"Will you ever wake up Nabiki?" She asked.

Akane didn't feel great, she didn't feel invincible.

Nabiki had been invincible, unstoppable, too far beyond everything to get hurt. Never before had the rivals and foes that came to challenge Ranma aimed to kill anyone besides Ranma. Akane glanced at Ranma, and wondered if he felt sorry for all this.

'He'd better!' she thought.

She looked at P-Chan, whom she held forcefully in her lap. Akane had been given custody of Ryoga's easier to handle form when Anzu got tired of him biting her hand. He was responsible too, and in a major way. Did he feel sorry?

Probably, but did he feel sorry enough? Again Akane could only think 'He'd better!'

It was because of these two that she'd almost lost her sister, if Nabiki didn't pull through Akane wasn't sure what she'd do in the long run, but short term she suspected she'd beat Ranma and Ryoga black and blue. She wasn't really sure what else to do.


Nabiki's eyes opened slowly, she saw Akane sitting next to her, and holding P-Chan, she saw Ranma leaning against a wall, and spotted Kasumi standing in the doorway talking to a doctor other than Tofu.

She wondered for a moment why she was in pain, and decided she'd rather not know.

"Kasumi?" She asked.

Kasumi turned to her and walked away from the doctor mid-conversation. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"I got shot, didn't I? Of course I'm not all right." Nabiki said with a weak smile.

"Fast recovery, very good," The doctor said quietly sounding oddly disappointed, "I was hoping you'd be under longer, the news crews aren't here yet."

Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Get him away from me." She said, and Kasumi complied.

"Thank you for all your help doctor, but my sister needs rest right now." The eldest Tendo said calmly.

The doctor shrugged and handed Kasumi a piece of paper, "All right. Well you'll be wanting this."

Kasumi blinked at it, "Is this supposed to be the bill?"

"What? No, that's my phone number. Call me, eh? Around noonish."

"Uh-huh." Kasumi said, and as soon as the doctor left, she ripped up the paper in half and threw is away.

Nabiki gazed at Ranma and Ryoga, fast asleep in a chair, and Akane standing against the wall and yet also sleeping. "Kasumi . . . did Ryoga . . . kill anybody?" She asked.

"No." Kasumi said. "Ranma stopped him just in time."

"Oh . . . good." She said, she didn't sound honest.

"Are you okay?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki shook her head, "Did you just ask me that again? I've been shot, woman!"

"Sorry." Kasumi smiled. "You seem okay."

"He never meant to kill me." Nabiki said.

"What?" Kasumi blinked.

"He didn't want me to die." Nabiki explained, "The shot seemed accidental, but I don't think it was. Not really. He needed me alive, just like he needed Akane alive. Nobody else mattered, but he needed me."

"Why?" Kasumi asked, "What did he tell you?"
Nabiki took a deep breath, she glanced at Ranma, Ryoga and Akane. "Dad never hears about this, all right? And you shouldn't tell Akane either."

"What about Ranma and Ryoga?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki frowned, "Best they not know either."

"Very well . . . tell me what the trouble is." Kasumi said.

Nabiki took a deep breath, "You know the world of organized crime, Kasumi?"

"Well . . . after a fashion, but those days are behind me." Kasumi said.

Nabiki blinked at her, Kasumi wasn't sure if she wanted a further explanation of not, so she didn't offer one.

"Yes . . . well organized crime has existed for years and years, as you know. Well for well over a thousand years there was just one source."

"The illuminati?" Kasumi giggled.

Nabiki's eye twitched, and Kasumi remembered they were supposed to be serious, "No. All of organized crime was controlled centrally by one organization, known as The Cabal. The Cabal had a council of elders, each one representing one of the one ten zones, I don't really know where the zones were located, but I do know that Japan had its very own zone that crossed over only slightly into China."

"O—kay . . ." Kasumi frowned, wondering what the point of this was. Surely Jun had been crazy, he'd lied. What one organization could rule the crime world?

"There was a king, or some sort of leader, I don't remember what they called him. But he'd been alive for over a century, when he finally died it was foretold that a new king would rise up to take his place as the lord of all death and murder."

Kasumi blinked, "Sounds dreadful." She said.

Nabiki shrugged, "Well when he died there was a power vacuum, and the elders of the zones began to try to establish themselves as the new kings. People were sold out, murdered, it all happened around the same time as the world wars, so hardly anyone noticed."

Nabiki tried to sit up, groaned and lay back down. "They've been at war for generations, the zones have broken down into guilds, the guilds seek to reclaim the power of The Cabal, and the Japanese guild, the Nekekami, or Spirit Cats guild, is one of the forerunners. There are two other guilds that can oppose them, but I don't know what they are. The assassin only said that since the Chinese guild was assimilated into the European guild it was assumed they would use their combined strength to conquer everything, but something happened. Somehow someone cut the head off the snake, they killed or crippled the head of that guild leaving another power vacuum, and while all the guilds try to take whatever they can from that space Jun or the Nekekami decided to instead try to find Unusuals."

"You've lost me." Kasumi interrupted, "Unusual what?"

"People. Anyone with unusual traits, Ranma, Ryoga, Mr. Saotome, Shampoo, Mousse and even Taro are all considered Unusuals because they can change form. The endurance, speed, strength all of that was learned and yet at the same time it is so far beyond what normal people can accomplish even if they work their whole lives, that that too makes Ranma and Ryoga Unusual. That alone would have caused them to be taken into the Nekekami at a young age, but somehow they slipped under the radar. Until Lotion came into our lives, she recognized them immediately and sent word back."

"So she betrayed us?" Kasumi frowned.

"At first, yes. But as time went on Jun noticed that her reports were less detailed, and she would deny things. Naturally this made him wonder and when he arrived and surveyed the scene he immediately decided that based on what Lotion had said before she started to protect Ranma and Ryoga, they were exceptionally powerful."

"Well they are very good fighters." Kasumi nodded.

"Beyond that, he believed them to be the chosen ones." Nabiki explained, "The one of them is the spirit of murder and death."

"You mean as you are the spirit of Diao Chan?" Kasumi reasoned.

"Yes, and just as my power didn't awaken until after I'd had sex for the first time, theirs wont awaken until after they've killed for the first time."

"But Ranma—"

"It has to be a murder, a violent and completely premeditated murder. Once they've done this their true powers will awaken and the entire underworld will be theirs!" Nabiki said, sounding excited! She shook her head violently, and settled down, "Uh, I mean that's why Ryoga shouldn't kill anyone. We cant ever let them commit a murder Kasumi."

"But perhaps if they took control of the guilds they could stop all crime, everywhere!" Kasumi said.

"Kasumi . . . I'm the spirit of a whore. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to turn down sex? How are they going to turn down killing?"

Kasumi frowned, "So which of them do you think it is?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki shook her head, "Does it matter? We wont let them find out, right Kasumi?"

Somehow Kasumi felt doubt in her heart. What were Nabiki's limits . . . how far would she go? If Ryoga were king of the underworld . . . he'd be wealthy and as his queen so would she.

Would she really use him in such a way? No, certainly not. And yet the way she spoke . . .

Kasumi smiled and said, "Let us forget the entire thing, lets just focus on the here and now, and not worry about guilds."

"Well . . ." Nabiki said, "They'll probably come back, actually."

"And we'll be ready." Kasumi said, "But no one will die."

"That's just it," Nabiki frowned, "We may not want to let our boys kill . . . they won't have any such hesitation."

Kasumi thought of the rage Ryoga had flown into when he though Nabiki dead. "They might even target us to get at them, to force their hands." Kasumi said.

"Exactly." Nabiki said softly.

"What will we do?" Kasumi asked.

Nabiki smiled, "Try to be cheerful, and live life normally. When they come, we'll stop them. But we won't kill them. From what I gathered the guilds are burning themselves out, they're damaged beyond repair as it is, if they don't have their new king soon they'll cease to be. The world of crime will change . . . probably for the better. We just have to outlive them."

Kasumi nodded. "Right."


He stood where Jun had stood, and looked at the damaged earth.

His shoulder length white hair whipped about in the wind, his large and heavy bag slung over his shoulder, and his coat buttoned up tight against the cold the young man said softly to himself, "I'm closing in."

He'd done his best to read the battle, and he'd guessed who the victors had been. He was unfortunate, how he wished he could have been there, he could have taken them then, with the distraction of . . . whomever they had been fighting.

From what he could tell three or four Spirit Cats had been here, and two had left on their feet, the others were carried away.

There were two different trails to follow, and both were expertly disguised, the youth decided it might be best to keep a close eye instead on the winners of the battle.

The Spirit Cats would return for their revenge, and when they did he would be there, watching. And if he caught sight of his targets, he would get the information he needed.

Beyond that, nothing mattered. The only thing that meant anything to him was finding the information, finding out the truth, and seeing where to go from there.

Every day he was delayed only improved the chances that he would never reach his goal, but the youth knew how to be patient. He was certain the Spirit Cats held the last piece of the puzzle, that by taking them he would finally reach his goal, he could finally rest.

Anyone who got in the way of that? Well they'd just have to be dealt with.

To Be Continued . . .

Next Time: The gang decides to lick their wounds . . . by going to an amusement park? But not all's well when Ryoga gets lost and finds something he most definately never wanted to find! Something's got Kasumi upset to boot and she won't speak to Tofu, and the Tendo/Koruda grudge match blazes on as Ranma valiantly defends the tea cup ride!

Author's Note: To anyone who actually reads this note the story was at one point discontinued, along with all my other works because I had decided to go on hiatus, this decision was not actually intentional, but things just kept coming up and coming up and after a while I figured "oh who cares, the readers have moved on by now" so I worked on original stuff instead. But I know that even if no one else does, I still care and so I must finish what I began here. If I ever became a published writer, I couldn't just take a vacation whenever I wanted to, I'd be in the poor house! So just as is as practice ground for aspiring writers, I shall also use it to practice responsibility . . . now if only I could find some way to get paid to write so I wouldn't have to spend ten hours a day at work . . . well anyway I'm back, my original works are on hold until my fan fictions are finished.
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