Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, I only rent him.

Inner Demon's Release Chapter 3

Should old friends be forgotten...

Ukyo was wiping down a table in Ucchans, when her fiancee walked in.

"Ranma!"

She was about to go hug him, until she saw what was in his hands. They appeared to be bombs?

"Ranma, what's going on?"

Ukyo barely dodged the first set of bombs as they flew behind her and destroyed her grill. Ukyo noticed the slight glow in Ranma's eyes before he was throwing more bombs. She couldn't keep it up forever, and finally one hit her dead center and she fell.

"Not like this..."

Ukyo braced for the end and shut her eyes. She opened them again when she heard Konatsu's voice standing over her body.

"Stop Ranma."

"And what exactly makes you think that you can stop me?"

"I'm the only person in Nerima that you've never beaten. I remember our last fight. Please don't make me finish this."

Ukyo looked over to Ranma and saw both men staring each other down. Finally, Ranma seemed to back down slightly.

"I didn't come to kill her. Take her and leave. I came for Ucchan's."

"Ranchan why?"

Ukyo felt fear as he turned back to her. She saw anger, pain, and rage there barely held under control. This was not the same young man that she had been chasing for the last several months. But for a moment, she thought she saw something else...

Ukyo felt Konatsu lift her up and walk out. Her ears picked up the sounds of the first real home she had had in years be destroyed.

"We have to stop him. Konatsu please."

"We can't, Ukyosama. I don't know what happened to Ranma, but I was bluffing about being able to fight him. He knew it. The only reason we're still alive is because what ever that was, it honestly didn't want to kill us. I'm taking you to the Doctor's right now."

Ukyo cried as she was carried away from her home and her dreams. She didn't know what that had been, but it hadn't been the beloved martial artist of Nerima.

OOOOO

Kodachi was running threw her home. She couldn't believe it, if Sasuke was lying about this then he would suffer dearly. Kodachi threw open the doors to the den and saw just what had been promised to her.

"Ranmasama!"

There stood Ranma. He seemed a touch dirty for some reason, but he was holding flowers for her and he was now smiling at her.

"Kodachi dear heart. I hope that you don't mind me dropping in. I was hoping that we could chat for a little while. I brought you some flowers. I believe that roses are your favorite."

Kodachi was shaking slightly as she walked across the room and took the roses with an unsteady hand. It was truely her fondest dreams come true. No, even in her dreams it didn't ever go this well. She smelled the roses and watched as Ranma's smile got wider.

She was about to offer tea, when she felt it. Paralysis poison, and very potent by the feel. It seemed that someone had taken into account the fact that she had built up a high resistance. She couldn't even speak and had no idea when she would be able to move again.

"Good, it seems that I have you undivided attention. I wanted to talk with you about how much I truely hate you. You have been a pain in my life sisnce that first moment when I saved you from falling off the Tendo's roof. You have always been so high and mighty and assumed that I would always just fall at your feet."

Ranma walked over to Kodachi and grabbed the collar of her dress. Suddenly he tugged and ripped it so that the left of her bra was exposed.

"You even have the nerve to offer this to me. You have crossed me too many time. Telling me what to do, attacking the red headed girl, who by the way is like a sister to me, and worse of all... DRUGGING MY ASS ALL THE FUCKING TIME!"

Ranma threw Kodachi into the opposite wall. She crumpled and slid down the wall.

"So this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to personally take care of you. If by some miracle of the gods it doesn't work, then I want you to take it as the blessing it is. You will never threaten me, the Tendos, or anyone that I consider family again. I love the red headed girl as a sister, and you have tried to kill her a hundred times over. Now it my turn."

Kodachi watched as Ranma's eyes started glowing. He walked over and picked up her body. He then carried it out of the den and down the hall. Ranma wandered the Kuno household for a few minutes. Kodachi began to wonder where she was being taken, when she realised where she was. They were going to her private bath.

Kodachi tried to scream as Ranma opened the door.

"I hope that you've fed your pet today. YO! Mr Turtle!"

With that, Kodachi was thrown into the water. Kodachi felt fear unlike anything that she had ever known as she remembered that her pet hadn't been fed today, or yesterday...

Ranma leaned against the wall outside the bathing room. He listened to the sounds inside. He smiled when he heard the sudden sounds of fighting. Ranma had been right, Sasuke had been following them. It seems that he was now about to 'rescue' Kodachi.

Perhaps sneaking in those steaks to feed the beast earlier might have given Kodachi too much of a chance, but then again she had stopped her more active pursuits already.

OOOOO

Dr Tofu was currently in shock for the first time in years. Akane had named Ranma as the very person who had beaten her up. She had described the inhuman look of hatred in Ranma's eyes. This had been hard enough to take in, but Konatsu had soon after entered with an injured Ukyo. They had described the same look in Ranma's eyes, and had named Ranma as Ukyo's attacker. A quick call to a friend near Ucchan's confirmed the place's destruction.

Ukyo was currently crying, while Akane was shaking in fear. It had been Konatsu's idea to call on the one person that Ranma had ever truely feared. They were currently awaiting her arrival.

"Hello? Doctor?"

And there she was. Doctor Tofu got up and went to meet his guest. He hoped that if there was any part of Ranma left, then this woman would be able to bring it out of him.

"Hello Mrs Saotome. I'm sorry that we're having this trouble while your husband is away training with Happosai and Mr Tendo."

"I understand that it has something to do with Ranma, but you said that you would explain in person. What is wrong with my son?"

OOOOO

Nabiki was nervous. She had invested heavily in Ucchan's. One of the girls working for her had called when it was destroyed. She had also just gotten off the phone with the doctor and learned what had happened to Akane.

She had made a couple calls. Ranma had been seen going towards the Kuno's. She had also heard about what had happened to Shampoo.

Ranma had been the protector for so long that it truely terrified her to have him turn on them all.

Nabiki was so lost in thought that she didn't register someone was in her room until she opened the door. There, sitting at her desk and going threw her personal finances, was Ranma. Ranma turned his head to her slowly.

"Come in. This is your room after all."

Nabiki tried to gather her Ice Queen persona to deal with this.

"Yes it is, and I'd like to know what exactly you think you're doing in here."

Ranma simply turned back to the papers in front of him.

"I heard the phone. I'll assume that they've been talking about my change in attitude."

"You could say that."

Ranma slowly reached into a bag that was sitting on Nabiki's bed. Nabiki tensed as she pictured all kinds of torturous devices. She had used him and sold him. She had manipulated and abused his honor. She had done a thousand crimes over a thousand times.

Ranma pulled out... a LARGE stack of money.

Nabiki's Ice Queen persona broke. She stared in shock as Ranma placed the money on her desk.

"Nabiki, I'm now going to talk and you are going to listen to me. Nod."

She did. She was too much in shock not to.

"Nabiki, you have used me and your sister, sold our pictures with out our consents, you have made a small fortune selling those little napkins of me. You have been doing these same dirty tricks for several years. I am just the latest pawn in you actions."

Ranma pulled out two more piles of money. Nabiki started mentally counting the money and was shocked at what her mind was telling her. It was impossible for Ranma to have that kind of money. She started to think about how much that money was actually worth to her. She started to tremble when she realised just how far she would go for the amount of money Ranma now had in his possesion. She had been approached for just that thing several times, but Nabiki had prided herself that she had never crossed that line. She had always told herself that they could never offer her enough money for that, for her.

Now, there was more than enough money just sitting on her desk.

"I see exactly how deep you family has been for the last few years. You taken many chances and perform many small miracles. You've don't not only all you could do, but what you had to do as a daughter of a martial arts family. When you've given your word you never took it back."

Ranma got up and walked towards Nabiki. He reached towards her. Nabiki straighten up. She understood how this thing wanted revenge. With this one act to damage her Honor she would be able to save her family home. It was only a little thing in the long run, besides Ranma was very handsome. She would surrender herself this once and would never have to do so again.

Nabiki closed her eyes and awaited what was to come.

"We'll discuss terms later Nabiki."

Nabiki snapped open her eyes to see Ranma walk past her and leave her room. After the door shut, nabiki turned to the money and counted it again. It was exactly three million yen, more than enough to pay off the morgages on the dojo and the house. She started to cry over what she had almost allowed herself to do for this money. It was also something she would still do. Unless...

Unless she didn't take the money. Ranma had said it himself, She always kept her word but that didn't mean that she had to accept his money. Then she wouldn't need to be debted to him.

OOOOO

Nodoka closed the door to her house and walked slowly threw it. Her son was possesed by a demon and had already tried to kill at least two of Ranma's fiancees. She knew that her son would never be able to live with himself if his body had been used to kill. She had left them at the doctor's to talk of ways to save Ranma, or at least stop him.

Nodoka knew what had to be done to stop Ranma and save his honor. It was what her son would want her to do Nodoka told herself. She stopped in her tracks to see Ranma sitting at the dinning room table, eating. There was another bowl at the other end of the table. It looked as if Ranma had made dinner, dinner for the two of them.

This was one of the moments that she had been wishing for since Genma had left all those years ago. It was a chance to be a family with her son. Ranma never even turned to her when he talked.

"I hope you don't mind ramen. I'm pretty good at it, but I'm about average at most everything else."

"It looks wonderful dear. How thoughtful of you to make dinner for the both of us."

Nodoka struck out before Ranma could move. She prayed that her son's soul would forgive her. It took a moment for her to realise that Ranma had turned around in an instant and now held the family blade between his palms.

"Mom, why are you -?"

"Shut up you monster. I don't know what you did with my son, but I will not allow you to dishonor him any further. I will free his soul and take you head."

Nodoka was actually impressed. This demon actually looked honestly shocked that she had attacked it. Surely it didn't think that it wouldn't have been discovered with the way it had been acting.

"Mom, let me -"

"I said SHUT UP! My son would never harm his fiancee or destroy his best friend's home. I will see your dying breath or die trying. Ranma, if there's any part of you left, hold him down so that I can redeem your honor with his death."

Ranma's face lost all emotion. He released the sword. He lowered his head. Nodoka believed that her son had found his strength and was ready for her to do her duty. She swung.

The sword was suddenly no longer in her hands. The sword and sheath both were now in Ranma's hands. Nodoka hadn't even seen him move. She stood there, frozen in fear.

Without once raising his head, the man once called Ranma Saotome walked out of his mother's house and closed the door behind him. Eventually Nodoka went to see where he had gone, but Ranma was no where to be seen. That hadn't gone anywhere near what she had expected.

OOOOO

Ranma sat under the bridge that he sometimes came to so he could think. He had his family's honor blade sitting across his lap. For once Ranma was trying not to think, he was too busy crying.

OOOOO

Author's Notes:

I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get this up. I've just moved to another state and am haveing trouble getting situated.

For those interested, I'm now at home in Heber Springs Arkansas.