Disclaimer: Ha ha ha…… Like I really own Ranma……

Inner Demon's Release Chapter 5

Like Sister, Like Brother

Kuno walked down the street, anger of the purest poured off of him. Sasuke had just informed him of what had been happening of late. It appears that the vile sorceror had finally decided to stop playing games. The only thing that gave Kuno a touch of fear was the fact that his pigtailed goddess was no where to be seen.

Despite appearences, Kuno wasn't completely stupid. One fact he had learned about Ranma Saotome was that no matter where he went, the pigtailed girl was always near. It was this closeness that Kuno was jelous of. Ranma might dissappear from time to time, but the Pigtailed Girl was always there.

Now she was missing.

Kuno looked down the street and felt fortune smile upon him. There was Ranma...

OOOOO

Ranma felt Kuno's pressence before he saw the Kendoist. He had already decided that this nonsense was going to end. As Kuno brought down his boken, Ranma casually lifted his hand and caught it.

To the casual observer, it would appear that Ranma was just lightly holding the wooden sword, but as Kuno discovered while attemting to remove the blade, Ranma's grip was stronger that steel. The blade was going nowhere.

Kuno locked eyes with the pigtailed Martial Artist, but for the first time since their initial confrontation there was no annoyance in Ranma's eyes. Things had changed and Kuno was soon to understand how much so.

"Can we talk about my sister?"

Six simple words. But coming from Ranma, they changed everything.

"Sister? What sister?"

Ranma released Kuno's sword before he continued.

"Your beloved pigtailed girl, Ranma Saotome."

"... You're name is Ranma Saotome. What is this you are trying pray tell?"

"The truth, or at least what you'll understand about. First off, we were both named Ranma, but I no longer care for the name. Things have changed and I think you deserve to know what's going on."

"If you no longer care for the name Ranma, then what would you prefer to be called. AND WHERE IS MY PIGTAILED GODDESS!!!"

"Lost. Someone broke our curse and now she's gone."

Kuno's ability to color what he hears is infamous, and even here he might have twisted Ranma's words to his own purpose. But Ranma's inability to lie was known to all, even if Kuno refused to believe it in public, and Kuno's eyes never left Ranma's. Somehow what Ranma was saying broke through.

"What happened?"

Ranma motioned for them to move to a bench nearby and sat down.

"Let me tell you a little more about our curse first. You know me and my sister were never seen together. If you mention that one time a while back, it was a fake pretending to be her. Our curse kept us seperate, and the truth is it was killing me. Ranma was always trying to find a cure for us both."

"Did you?"

"No. I'll get to what happened to us in a second. You know about my old fear of cat's, right?"

Kuno simply nodded. He had never cared to try using Saotome's fear against him after the first time.

"I went through the training that gave me that fear when I was 5. My mind never healed. I eventually beat my fear a few years ago-"

"But I have seen your fear first hand."

"... That was Ranma. She never learn to fight it off."

Kuno paled slightly at the thought that he had actually been attacking his Pigtailed Goddess.

"Why was she placed through such torturous training if it had such an effect on you?"

"She wasn't. Let me finish, alright?"

Seeing Kuno nod, Ranma continued.

"We were cursed at a place called Jusenkyo. It... It bonded our bodies together. We shared our skills, but also our nightmares. More times that not, Ranma found herself in my body and had to pretend to be me. She's been doing everything she could to save us."

"She... What?"

"Everytime you thought you were fighting me, you were fighting her in my body."

"If that is true then why did she never react to my manliness and admit her feelings for me."

"Because she was in love with someone else and was ashamed to admit the truth."

"Ashamed? Who is this vile male who believes that he is worthy of the Pigtailed Goddess?!?"

Ranma locked eyes with Kuno before he continued. He wanted Kuno's undivided attention so that the impact of Ranma's next words would carry their full weight into Kuno's mind.

"Akane Tendo."

Kuno looked confused for a moment, but soon the words' full meaning begane to take shape at the front of his mind. For the first time in years, Kuno saw the truth without his delusions.

"Akane Tendo?"

Ranma nodded once before continueing.

"Our parents had pledged to unite our families. Ranma and I were stuck in the same body. My soul was slowly dieing so I couldn't follow though. And Ranma had fallen in love and didn't even know it, but I knew her heart better than she did. She was going to marry Akane in my body, and I was going to fade away for her so they could be with out my ghost Haunting them.

Then you guys destroyed her wedding."

Kuno was shocked to see Ranma's eyes start glowing slightly before Ranma continued.

"If it wasn't for the fact that your hatred of me and her was based on a misunderstanding, I would have put you in the hospital by now for making her cry. You have always attacked us both, but you have always done so openly and with honor, because of that and what has happened recently I'm willing to let you walk away. There is nothing left for us to fight for."

"Then what has happened to the- I mean your sister."

"Ask Hikaru Gosenkugi. It was his spell that saved me and caused your pigtailed girl to be lost in my place."

Kuno stood up slowly. He began to walk away, but stopped. Many of his views of the world had just changed, but he knew that he needed the truth on one last subject. He didn't even bother to turn back as he spoke.

"I came here looking for a fight, did I ever stand a chance?"

"If you had sacrificed everything in your life to train and all your happiness for strength like I have had to, then yes."

It was the most noble and respectful words Ranma had ever giving Kuno. It revealed the truth of Ranma's strength and Ranma's sorrow in one go. There was no longer any rivalry between the two of them, and in truth it seemed that there never was any to begin with. Kuno began to walk away, silently deciding to make ammends with the Martial Artist for Kuno's own percieved dishonor.

But first, The Pigtailed One would be avenged.

OOOOO

Hikaru had woken up yesterday and had already heard of the Demon's attacks. This was bad. His plans were never suppose to work, something was always suppose to go wrong or someone would always interfere. This wasn't suppose to be happening.

Hikaru was currently in hiding. The Demon had let him live, but might change it's mind anytime now. Hikaru was going over the spell he had used and was trying to find a way to undo it.

Hikaru was about to give up when the door to his motel room was kicked open.

"Where am I now?"

Hikaru passed out at the sight of the Eternal Lost Boy.

OOOOO

A/N:

Here you guys go. You all like so far?