The Ruin Outside

Disclaimer: The same as before; I don't own Ranma ½.

…

…

Ranma woke to the dawn chorus of birds. He quickly noticed the Godling posed in a lotus position, He appeared to be meditating. Arata was still asleep, holding his blanket tight to him, and Tofu was nowhere to be seen. Ranma was far more concerned with the tug he felt toward Akane and the sea. The male shisha got up and arched his back as he stretched the sleep from his limbs. Luckily he didn't have to wait long. Arata was soon groggily getting up and seeing to the horses.

While on the move most of the morning passed in silence. Ranma would occasionally restlessly pace the back of the cart, and Tofu would keep a worried eye on him, but that was all. The Godling sat as still as stone. On more than one occasion Ranma found himself wishing the deity had turned to lifelike stone, and set him free to find Akane on his own. Arata was the mildest of the group, as he drove the horses he would sing and hum softly to himself.

Late that morning Arata broke the silence. "Why did you ask me to come along-?" He asked softly, "this is a great honor, and I'm just the apprentice server."

Ranma thought this question must have been weighing on Arata ever since he was told to come along. By how soft the young man spoke Ranma wondered if Arata even expected to be heard.

"You are the most perceptive," the puppet said simply.

Ranma snorted, and added his own opinion. "You certainly noticed something was up with me and Akane while the others remained oblivious." The strength of his own bitter tone surprised Ranma. Ignoring it for now Ranma continued, "out of all the high priests you are the only one who even showed the slightest remorse about what happened to Akane and me. I would pick you to come out of all those old farts any day."

The puppet's mouth curled into a slight smile, "and you have better relations with the shisa."

That ticked Ranma off, addressing the puppet he growled angrily, "Would you stop being so smug and all-knowing?! You've already ruined our lives, stop reading our minds!"

"Ranma," Tofu tried to warn as Arata shrunk back from the shisa, but it was the puppet who answered.

"Your lives are better off than they would have been if I had not interfered. It did not take mind reading to put together the shisas' relations with others, and it would be quite difficult for me to stop all my abilities. It is hard enough as it is imitating and reading human social norms and cues."

The puppet took a deep breath and faced the shisa. "I believe that your mate, Akane, has been intercepted, and that is the reason we have not yet reached her, for she is pulled to you just as you are to her."

Ranma blinked at the Godling, what was with the subject change? And what did He mean intercepted?

"I have no doubt that despite that set back we will find her soon." Ranma felt a sort of anxious relief fill his chest. He will find Akane. And then-? Ranma didn't know what was next, but the less time he had to spend with the Godling the better.

The Godling leaned forward and Ranma's eyes were drawn to His unfathomable eyes, "As soon as you are reunited I implore you to assist me in pushing back the Glorious Might's followers. The Glorious has been stretching His influence far too much. I need the help of mortals such as yourselves if we are to prevent the Glorious Might overtaking - and destroying - everything." Ranma frowned, he was angry at the Godling, but he didn't for a moment doubt His sincerity either.

"That is the reason I descended to this realm, even though I have not for over 10,000 years." The puppet's mouth twitched slightly, "That is why my human interaction and imitation is… rusty."

…

Ukyo and the little girl, who asked to be called Ena, fairly quickly determined that the best direction for the three to head was toward the sea, back where Akane had come from. To make matters worse, Akane felt she ought to head in the opposite direction and into the trees. She could not have explained why she felt that way if asked, only that she very much wanted to go the other way.

"I visited that fishing village a month ago," Ukyo told her companions as she pulled her cart. Her voice softened, "I certainly wasn't planning on returning so soon, but all the other nearby towns… well I don't know what's happening."

Ena continued to drag a reluctant Akane along as if she were a pile of fallen leaves. "Oh? What do you mean, Miss?"

Ukyo paused in there trek watching as once again Ena tugged a protesting Akane, "Say honey,… you said your parents were merchants? … How many of the nearby towns have you seen recently?"

Ena blinked owlishly at her before her expression subtly cleared, "Oh, it was awful! Do you mean how all the buildings have been knocked down? And all the people are hiding. Mom and Dad were scared, they told me we had to keep moving because the dark spirits were finding whoever they could to feed off of and ruin."

Akane turned wide eyed toward Ena, was it true?

A shadow crossed Ukyo's face, "Yes, that's why I keep moving too. I haven't yet seen any of the ogres or dark spirits, only the destruction and terrified people."

She shifted her hold of the cart, "I'm hoping that whatever it is hasn't reached the town ahead of us yet."

This time when Ena tugged the leash Akane came willingly. The shisa was suspicious of the deity hiding as a little girl, but she trusted that look of unease on Ukyo's face to be genuine.

…

Ukyo, Ena, and Akane finally reached the outskirts of the fishing village and it was as they had feared. Akane stared bleakly at the ruined gate as they walked through only to find ruble on the streets, buildings with huge holes in them, many missing roofs and walls. A few homes closer to the sea looked to have been picked up and thrown again on the ground causing them to have fallen down in a hopeless pile of lumber. A mere month ago this town had been a thriving center of commerce, and while Akane had been distracted by her own impending doom, she had noticed the crowds of people who were now decidedly absent.

It was amongst one of piles of lumber that Akane noticed the first shadow sprite. She inhaled sharply, then immediately started to growl. The shadow sprite, a pale woman with impossibly long dark hair, looked toward the shisa and her eyes glinted. Preoccupied as she was with the sprite, Akane didn't notice Ena disconnecting the rope from her neck.

"Go. There is work for you here, banish them and save the city."

The soft imploring voice contrasted sharply with every other way the little girl had spoken to Akane previously. Akane had to look at her in momentary shock. "I release you. Your mate will be here tomorrow before the sun sets along with the Great One. Banish as many of the Glorious Might's followers as you can in the meantime."

Ukyo stuttered, "…What? What are you talking about?"

The little girl turned toward her and bowed, "Thank you, Ukyo Kuonji, for accompanying us here. I would like your service in locating the remaining locals."

"Who are you?" the stunned chef asked.

Here the little girl seemed to grow before their eyes from a youth of about ten to a young woman about eighteen, "Why, I am the clever and resourceful Fey! You mean you didn't recognize me?"

Akane opened her mouth and spoke, "Why did you drag me here?"

Ukyo visibly jumped as Fey answered, "I told you, I need you to remove the Glorious' spirits, less they find and ruin the remaining people in this city."

Akane decided she had enough answers, and as much as it rankled her to be used so carelessly by the Gods, the stench from the shadow sprite was starting to agitate her. She spun around and bounded toward the shadow sprite. While she had been distracted two heedless ones and an Ogre had joined the sprite. Good, Akane thought as she took one last leap, she needed a challenging fight.

…

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Ena means gift from God, which Fey finds endlessly hilarious.

I wasn't intending for Fey to stop hiding so soon, but she had other ideas. She is kinda tricky like that.

It seems my average updating speed is now once every six months. I was trying to give more answers as to what is going on in this chapter without being an info dump. Tell me how I did?