Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Plots and Defenses

…

Tonight was her turn. After quickly nuzzling Ranma's cheek to settle her nerves Akane sprinted silently toward the left side of the Temple-Palace. Learning from Ranma's attempt the night before, she avoided the attention of the building inhabitants by waiting until the darkest part of the night to search. The new moon made the most familiar objects dark and foreboding. Guided by the faintest star light Akane didn't bother staying next to the porch, instead sprinted through the yard, detouring around the garden.

As she ventured around where the building jutted outward, Akane detected the faintest scent of rotting meat. Slowing as her fur began to stand on end, she let her eyes and ears search the area. Her senses identified two shadowy figures sitting facing each other on the wall that surrounded the compound. Akane squinted at their outlines until she recognized them as the two shadow sprites that the shisa had encountered earlier. As the sprites conversed, Akane crouched to better blend into the night and slunk closer.

"I've tried that!" the corpse woman who had fed off of the elder Tendo sisters hissed, "The only way in not blocked by a spirit shield is through the front gate, where those damn shisa are! Just being near them I could feel my energy draining."

"We need to create a diversion," the demon woman Ranma expelled from Shampoo said, "If we both enter at once we can confuse the shisa long enough for one of us to sneak past and get a tasty host."

"You mean so you can get your host back," the first sprite snarled.

The second sprite spread her leathery wings and snapped, "My host was delectable and strong, if you help me reclaim her I could use her to persuade that idiotic male that follows her around into your hands. From there we could work to get our hosts close to the Godling until we can take his power and please Master!"

Baring her fangs the corpse snorted, "You're forgetting the shisa again, even if we claim hosts we will have to always be dodging the shisa."

The demon smiled malevolently, "We might become trapped on the temple grounds, but currently so is the Godling. If He took one step outside the temple without His precious shisa He would be devoured. Even if we might have to avoid a few flea-brains it would be worth it to grab the divine power before anyone else, from there we could control the shisa and get our hosts to come to us so we can devour their souls. When we're done we can then hand the Godling over and earn Master's praise."

Throughout the conversation Akane had been searching for a way to reach the shadow sprites. Her anger spiking from what she overheard, Akane exploded into a running leap. As the demon sprite finished her sentence Akane crashed into the wall less than a meter below where the apparitions were seated. Both shadow sprites snarled and faded into smoke to make their escape. Frustrated Akane raced for the front gate fearing they would attack immediately.

Panting and growling Akane rushed past Ranma's startled look to begin pacing back and forth directly inside the gate. She wasn't going to let the faintest wisp of those shadow parasites past!

….

In the faint glow before dawn Akane had finally calmed down enough to tell Ranma what happened. He absorbed the information quietly but she could tell from his rapidly twitching tail he was just as agitated about it as she was.

"I think we should either constantly guard the gate," Akane, now thinking rationally, suggested, "Or constantly guard Shampoo and Mousse."

Ranma made a disgruntle noise in the back of his throat, "Guarding those two isn't such a good idea."

Seeing her chance to figure out why Ranma was upset with Shampoo, Akane pounced on his tail, "Why are you so upset with Shampoo?"

He hid his eyes and turned away, "You don't know what she did."

Akane could only stare at the back of his head in confusion for a moment. "No, I don't. So tell me."

To Akane's utter frustration the sound of footsteps on the porch caused both to pause, Akane's mouth open, Ranma's mouth closed.

"Stupid Mousse! Quit following me! I'll never get out with you making such a racket!" The harsh whisper of the Amazon woman reached their sensitive ears.

"But beloved, I really don't think you should be moving! Wouldn't you rather spend another day resting?"

Akane tried her best to catch a glimpse of the scene from the corner of her eye, but unable to turn her head she could only watch from her peripherals.

A flat, but feminine, voice broke in, "Stay here and rest."

There was a sound of weapons being drawn, "Ranma Saotome! How dare you hold Shampoo here against her will!"

The female shisa wanted to roll her eyes at Mousse, but watched Ranma instead. A mask had shifted over his eyes.

"You are mistaken," the redheaded Godling stated, "I am not Ranma. I am the incarnation of The Great One, and I'm telling you to stay."

Shampoo spoke then, sounding more timid than Akane had ever heard, "Shampoo doesn't feel safe here. Too strange around Ranma who is not Ranma."

Akane noticed movement at the gate and watched as two women entered the temple grounds.

"The protection of this place is strong, stay. You are safer here than outside the temple gates."

Mousse's anger, such a contrast to the puppet's lack of emotion, demanded, "What protections? How is Shampoo safer here?"

"Many protections surround this place preventing the idle entry of malevolent spirits." There was a pause, "The strongest protection is the shisa."

Mousse snorted in disbelief, "the shisa?"

"Who knows how the Gods think?" the sardonic voice of Nabiki Tendo cut through.

Akane studied her older sisters carefully, but was pleased to note that she couldn't detect any trace of shadow sprites on them. In fact when she shifted her eyes a certain way the faintest glow of light enveloped them like a set of armor.

Kasumi walked over to Akane and softly began to scratch her ears. Akane wanted to purr in response.

"Nabiki Tendo, Kasumi Tendo," the Amazon male began, "what are you doing here?"

"It's a nice morning, isn't it?" Akane watched, amused as Kasumi reached over to scratch Ranma's ears as well, and he swerved around in surprise not expecting the touch. She had to shake her head at the sight, rumbling quietly. It wasn't often that Ranma was startled.

"The shisa are alive! Shampoo not imagining things!"

The Amazon's startled cry made Akane realize what had just happened. They had moved, in front of others, without the Godling's command. Was His hold over them weakening?

"Indeed," Akane whipped her head around, but the familiar face of the puppet was as impassive as always. Did He not care that the shisa had moved on their own? The slightest upturning of the lips graced the feminine face, "Living shisa are much more powerful than statues."

Kasumi spoke up, "Shampoo, Dear, you look pale, are you alright?"

"Shampoo…Shampoo going to lie down," she turned to go back inside and tugged on Mousse's sleeve, "just wanted some fresh air."

Akane listened as she slowly shuffled back inside the temple, Mousse hovering over her, and the Godling followed after them. As soon as the Amazons were gone Akane felt her muscles relax completely and turned to look at her sisters.

"How have you been?" Kasumi politely inquired as Ranma turned around to face them.

Ranma pulled his ears back and muttered sarcastically, "fantastic."

"Gee, Saotome, life's been just peachy for us," Nabiki crossed her arms and snapped right back, "We had to sneak out to visit you two because Daddy and Uncle Saotome started raving when we just mentioned visiting the Godling's Temple." Her eyes softened and she lowered her arms as she muttered, "not that I blame them, but they wouldn't even listen when we tried to tell them that you two were alive."

Akane, meanwhile, had crouched down, her own ears pressing against her head, "I-I'm scared." She looked up at her sisters and Ranma and hastily corrected, "not for myself, or well, not as much for myself…" She briefly explained what she and Ranma had learned and done in the past week; what they had learned about the shadow sprites, how they had been trying to glimpse the manuscripts, and what she had heard and seen during the previous night.

Kasumi hummed, "Shampoo and Mousse really shouldn't leave the Temple then, for their own safety."

"These manuscripts you want to look at, we can help," Nabiki smirked, "after all how were you planning on turning the pages when you actually had one?"

Akane growled softly at her sibling.

Halting the hostility in her sisters Kasumi remarked, "Nabiki and I could make up a story to look at the library then search at our leisure, we can also delay Shampoo and Mousse from leaving." Turning she lifted a basket that Akane had not noticed she had brought, "now, who wants some breakfast?"

…

…..

Sorry for the delay. Unfortunately the next chapter might also take me a few months or so I'm estimating from my schedule. In the mean time I hope you enjoyed this chapter.