A/N:Hmmm where to start with this one... Oh, I know. This all Bleedman, Doormouse and Ruskbyte's fault. Well, that and too much time spent on Tv Tropes.
Anyways, I give you, Project Dark Eden.
A little... destruction... can go a long way to making any day better.
-Unknown-
CHAOS!
-Eris-
Finally, it would his turn to shine, to rise up and defeat the monstrous beast that was Ranma Saotome. Oh, he knew he could never defeated him in a straight out fight, his lack of athletic ability, something unusual for a student at Furinkan High, was more than made up for with a knack for the occult and an incredibly high pain threshold. Hikaru Gosunkugi had planned everything out to the last detail,upon having come across the shrunken Saotome so many months ago, and after uncovering the reasons behind his unwilling transformation, the change in age that was, he had snuck around within his dearest Akane's home and tenderly retrieved a few samples of the mushrooms for his later use.
But just using the mushrooms alone would not lead him to success, so he had spent many an hour poring through his collection of arcane tomes in search of a spell or ritual with which he could find victory. Finally, mostly thanks to fortuitous coincidence, he come across a rare ritual in one of the stores he frequented, a strange shop that popped up every once in a while in the empty lot near his house. The ritual required the target of the spell to have recently slain a being of incredible power, the spell having been developed by a spiteful young mage whose affections had been spurned for those of a dragon slaying knight. It seemed like the perfect spell for him, though he couldn't help but feel somewhat discomfited by the creepy grin of the shopkeeper as he picked out the scroll and purchased it.
Unfortunately for Gosunkugi, and rather luckily for Ranma, the pig-tailed martial artist had never been forced to the point of killing an opponent, though not for lack of trying on Gosunkugi's part, as many incidents he had taken great pains to arrange in the hopes of causing a fatality. But then he had received the greatest news in a very long time when Ranma had returned from China, having defeated and brutally slain a phoenix-GOD of all things.
And so Gosunkugi dug around the basement in search of the mushrooms he had secreted away. Looking them over he frowned, as the shortest one was still nine-inches long, and considering how strong the martial artist had been even at around six years of age Gosunkugi was leery of trying anything without backup, hence the reason why he was currently standing on the field outside Furinkan with both of Ranma's chief rivals, the third having been dispatched to keep Nabiki from interfering with the proceedings.
Gosunkugi was nervous, as so far it had been all too easily to arrange things, all of Ranma's rivals eagerly agreeing to aid him, even through their great personal dislike for the nervous boy. While Kuno was out distracting Nabiki with an extended business proposal, Ryoga and Mousse had issued Ranma a challenge that would bring him running. Both Ryoga and Mousse were carrying several of the de-aging mushrooms hidden somewhere in their clothing, or in Mousse's case, within their subspace pockets.
Just as the sun was beginning to approach its zenith, the perfect time frame for the ritual to be used, oddly enough considering its purpose, Ranma arrived on the field. Gosunkugi let himself smile as he took notice of the relaxed posture and the easy smile on the pig-tailed boy's face: Ranma was completely unaware of just how big a trap he had just walked into.
Mousse and Ryoga were waiting patiently in the middle of the field, in perfect view of the school and the various entrances to the yard, while Gosunkugi had placed himself behind a tree; it wasn't the best hiding spot, but it didn't need to be, as he had already finished the ritual, leaving only the activation of it for the right moment in time.
Ranma took up a relaxed position in the middle of the field as he watched Ryoga and Mousse carefully for any tricks. "So, what da ya knuckleheads want this time? Cus if all you want is a beat down, I'm more than happy to give ya one. More than happy." The pair looked at each other and, in a move so out of place for them that Ranma should have been worried had he not been so overconfident, wordlessly charged Ranma.
Caught off guard by the lack of shouted challenges, especially from Hibiki "It's All Your Fault" Ryoga, Ranma was put on the defensive right off the bat. Dodging under the first wild blow from Ryoga, his eyes widened in surprise as he was forced to dance backwards in order to avoid getting caught by flurry of thrown knives courtesy of Mousse.
As Ranma retreated backwards, not that he would have called his movements a 'retreat', as saying such would be tantamount to admitting his opponents were being successful against him, he was quickly readjusting his measure of Ryoga and Mousse. When he had first received the letter of challenge, sent by Mousse two days before the challenge was to occur, in order to give him time to grab Ryoga and lead him to the chosen venue, Ranma hadn't been too worried.
Now though, he was, while not truly worried yet, surprised and ecstatic. After the wedding debacle everyone had backed off, sans Kuno, to the extent that he hadn't had a decent match in several weeks. However he was slowly, ever so slowly, becoming nervous, as the pair seemed to be working together far too easily for them not to have something planned. Mousse would box Ranma in with various projectiles while Ryoga would weather the storm of metal before unleashing a series of blows against Ranma.
After the third such sequence of attacks, the pair of rivals suddenly switched tactics, with Ryoga using the Bakusei Tenketsu to herd Ranma into position for Mousse. Once again Ranma was caught off guard by the shocking display of intelligence and cunning from the usually berserker duo. The pair capitalized on the opening the unwitting pig-tailed martial artist offered as both moved in, Mousse releasing a swarm of chains as he leapt towards Ranma's back while Ryoga knocked Ranma backwards with a well positioned Bakusei Tenketsu.
With a grin and a twitch of his arms Mousse ensnared Ranma in the chains, leaving him completely helpless as Ryoga dashed forwards to shove one of the mushrooms into his mouth. Before Ranma could spit it out, he was forced to swallow reflexively as Ryoga punched him in the face. Mousse let the chains loosen as Ranma began to shrink in stature.
Ranma stood stunned as Ryoga and Mousse both stepped back to watch the rest of Gosunkugi's plan unfold. Pulling out the scroll upon which the ritual had been written, Gosunkugi stepped out from behind and tossed it onto the ground in front of Ranma, followed quickly behind by a hamster that Gosunkugi had procured and sacrificed for the ritual. For a moment nothing happened, only the sound of the wind blowing through the field and the deep breathing from the trio of martial artists filling the sudden silence.
Then, just as Ranma began to open his mouth to offer a sarcastic remark over Gosunkugi's plan, as it was obviously him who had set everything up, a small mote of darkness appeared above the open scroll. It was almost unnoticeable, and Ranma would have likely missed it, had it not possessed a small ki void, something that registered incredibly strongly to his well-honed senses.
As Ranma stared intently into the small, swirling vortex of shadows, Ryoga and Mousse began to exchange worried looks. They too had been expecting a sharp retort from Ranma, but instead they were receiving nothing but an oddly intense silence. Showing an usual grasp of reality, the pair turned to follow the direction in which Ranma's eyes seemed to be focused, only to find nothing but empty air.
The first sign that something was wrong was the soft breeze that slowly began to swirl though the school yard, whistling eerily through the branches and leaves of the trees, the sound enhanced as the wind began to rush through the metal gate at the front of the school. Soon, the wind was joined by other small things, empty wrappers and fallen leaves all picked up by the speeding air, only to be carried to and devoured by the void that had been so far hidden from view.
As it began to consume matter, the small spot of emptiness suddenly began to ripple and bubble, rapidly growing larger, increasing in size from a small near-microscopic dot, to an orb of crackling emptiness the size of small car. As the emptiness grew, so too did it's pull on the surroundings, as the only nature abhorred more than a scatterbrained fanfiction author, was a vacuum. By the time the void had reached the rough size of a small dog, it was already picking up small rocks from the ground.
Even before it had reached it's final large state Ryoga, Mousse and Gosunkugi were holding onto anything they could find as an anchor, Ranma having already resigned himself to whatever was going to happen, as he was still restrained by Mousse's chains and weakened due to his change in age. Just as what little stamina Gosunkugi possessed was about to run out, the pressure ceased, the void growing flat and still.
For a moment, none dared to breathe, as if any movement at all would possibly set the emptiness off again. Then, in a display that would have made Stephen Hawking question the validity of the laws of physics, for a moment it seemed to become something inimical to reality, as it became something shaped through non-Euclidean geometrics, before the orb somehow contorted itself into become a two-dimensional circle, a circle that still somehow managed to take up the exact same space as it had while being an orb.
From within the strange space of non-space came a sound that couldn't possibly have come from a human throat, a low rumbling that resounded and echoed through every fiber of being, something that all at once reminded Ranma of the tanks he had once seen passing by while he and his father had traveled through China and North Korea as they made their way to India and the various master's that called that land home, and the crash of thunder overhead.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. YOU WILL GET INTO THE PORTAL. OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE GRAVE CONSEQUENCES.
Ranma wasn't sure what was stranger: the fact that the rumbles somehow managed to resolve themselves into clearly understandable words; or the fact that the rumbles were asking him to enter the void, which was apparently a portal, though were it led was still unknown. Evidently, either the other's could not understand the rumbles, or they simply decided to ignore them and continue to cling to whatever object they had been using as anchors beforehand. Ranma closed his eyes as a loud burst of air exited the void, in seeming opposition to its nature, and with all the sound of something of tremendous size sighing in exasperation.
VERY WELL. TO QUOTE AN OLD FRIEND. I AM LATE. FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE. AND SINCE YOU REFUSE TO COME WILLINGLY. I SUPPOSE IT IS THROUGH THE RABBIT HOLE YOU GO.
As if what occurred before was nothing, the trio of martial artists, and Gosunkugi, were torn away from the ground as if the hand of a vengeful Kami had reached down and grabbed them. Ranma closed his eyes as he approached the portal of emptiness, his senses registering the mind-breaking sensation of his skin falling from his body, followed closely behind by the rest of his body. And though he might have tried to show otherwise, Ranma was only human, and thus it was no surprise that he fell unconscious from the overload of pain. To his credit, he did manage to last longer than the other's, none of whom lasted even a millisecond of having their skin begin to remove itself from their bodies.
A split-second later Ranma returned to consciousness as he was forced to experience the impossible feeling of his body being put back together, from the bones, to the muscles, and finally the skin on top. It was the most disturbing thing that he had ever felt, and that was including the Neko-ken training, but for some reason he still felt mostly sane.
He let out a quiet groan as he opened his eyes and got his feet. At some point in time the chains that had been wrapped around him had been removed from his person, the chains now lying in a small pile at his feet. His jaw dropped as he took in the alien landscape that he found himself in. A part of his mind took note of the limp forms of his sometimes friends, though the majority of his mind was focused on the bizarre nature of his surroundings.
Immense archways carved of strange stone the colour of a darkened bruise were set against a clouded sky of deep reds and purples. Even the ground was a strange pink substance that seemed a cross between stone and something else, something Ranma definitely didn't want to contemplate. He drew in a deep breath as he extended his ki senses into the surroundings, only to choke on air as he felt such power and darkness in the air that Saffron would have been crushed under the mere pressure alone.
Ranma didn't even bother getting into a stance as he turned around to face the sources of the overwhelming force that filled the air. As far as he was above Akane, the trio of beings nearby were above him, something he was willing to admit without question. Sure he had his pride, but he knew that he could have beaten Saffron, as the difference between the two hadn't been that great, but here, he could easily tell that he stood no chance if it came down to a fight.
His first impression of the trio of powerful beings was slightly underwhelming, at least until he studied them more closely. The more intimidating, at least in outward appearance, were the two tall cloaked figures that flanked the third, each possessing a wicked looking scythe clutched in a skeletal hand. The only clear difference for Ranma between the two was the fact that the inside of the cloak of the figure on the left was a deep crimson, while the other's was a pure black - and slightly tattered and worn- cloth.
If it weren't for the fact that her aura completely outstripped the other's in sheer strength and density, then Ranma would have likely written off the third being as simply another young woman he might have passed on the street, even with her somewhat eclectic choice in clothing. A short cropped black t-shirt, combined with a pair of well worn jeans made for a rather interesting look, as the dark colours contrasted her pale skin and the sliver ankh that hung from her neck.
From behind his back Ranma could hear the others begin to stir, which seemed to be a cue of some sort as the cloaked figure on the left stood straighter. Ranma's eyes focused on the female figure in the center of the trio, as for some reason beyond his ken, he could tell that she was the leader. His mouth twitched as he heard Ryoga and Mousse cursing, only to cut off mid-word as they noticed their surroundings, or in Mousse's case, put on their glasses.
He could hear them slowly getting to their feet, though he refused to break his gaze away from the out of place young woman in front of him, the weight of her knowing and intense gaze, left him large amount of doubt about her apparent age versus her actual age. Ryoga was the first to catch sight of Ranma, considering the shout he let out.
"Ranma! This is all your fault!" Ranma sighed and rolled his eyes, and was somewhat surprised to see the dark clothed woman match his actions. He heard the sound of Ryoga beginning to charge him from behind, yet Ranma refused to turn and face him, instead carefully watching as the young appearing woman made a short gesture with her hand.
The large cloaked figure on the left moved into action as he raised his scythe into the air before slamming it butt first into the ground, the action sending out tremors that would have knocked Ranma from his feet, had he not braced himself for the impact when he first caught sight of the scythe's movement.
Behind him he could hear Ryoga and Mousse let out curses as they were forced back to the ground, the tremors also serving to wake Gosunkugi from his unwilling slumber. The gaunt and pale boy opened his eyes and immediately jumped to his feet, a surprising feet for one of his lack of physical abilities, though the sheer terror in his eyes might have made a difference.
The woman laughed quietly as the two figures by her side lifted their blades to rest on their shoulders. Once again the being in the tattered black cloak gave voice to the trio.
GOOD. YOU ARE ALL AWAKE. THE COMPACT HAS BEEN SEALED. IT IS NOW TIME TO PAY YOUR DUES.
Gosunkugi didn't even have time enough to scream, as he found his vision filled with a flash of silver, his body experiencing the strangest sensation of moving in two separate directions, before darkness consumed all. For the other three unwilling travelers, they saw much the same as Gosunkugi had, though only Ranma was able to accurately keep track of the scythe that split the boy in half. The strike had been so quick that it had appeared for a moment that nothing had happened, only for the two halves to slowly begin to slide apart before diverging in a torrent of blood.
The suddenness of the gaunt boy's demise stunned the trio of martial artists, only Ranma having seen death before, having dealt it to Saffron several months previous, but even that had been a relatively clean death as the elemental tornado of absolute zero ki essentially vaporized the Phoenix King from the inside out.
Ranma's eyes narrowed as he calmly began to draw up all the ki reserves he had in his body. Saffron had been tough, but even he had been mortal in the end, but Ranma had severe doubts about the figures in front of him. When it hit the fan, and it was only a matter of time with a pair of short fuses like Ryoga and Mousse with him, he'd need every last shred of power and skill available to him.
THE DEBT HAS BEEN PAID IN FULL. THE CONTRACT HAS ALSO BEEN COMPLETED. ONE SOUL. FOUR ONE WAY TICKETS TO LIMBO. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RETURN TO YOUR WORLD THAN ADDITIONAL PAYMENT AND A NEW CONTRACT MUST BE NEGOTIATED.
"Contract? Like hell I'm gonna just let you kill someone, there has to be some other way out of this place!" A shiver ran down Ranma's spine at how Ryouga's antics seemed to only further amuse their hostess, if the way she raised a hand to hide her growing smile and quiet laughter was worth any measure. The until now quiet cloaked figure on the figure on the left raised hand to stroke a non-existent beard as he considered the pig-cursed boy's words.
"Well, there do be one other way. I doubt dat you be wantin' ta try it though boy. Unless you tink dat you can handle it?" Quietly off to the side, Ranma brought his palm up to meet his forehead as Ryoga puffed out his chest, a boastful grin on the eternally lost boy's face.
"I can handle anything you throw at me. Just try it." For a moment Ryoga felt a brief tremor of trepidation stir in his chest as the skull-like mask the man wore seemed to stretch itself into a flesh-less facsimile of a grin.
"Anyting boy? Oh you gonna regret dat. Here." The cloaked figure, who Ranma finally placed in appearance as similar to the Western version of Death, turned to the side and aimed his scythe towards the ground. Everything was quiet as the six stared at the patch of ground for several long seconds before the Reaper lifted back his scythe to study it closely.
"Now why do you be- ah, now I see deh problem." The skull almost seemed to have a sheepish expression as he grinned at the others. "I forgot to switch on de power." The Reaper turned back to his weapon, conveniently missing the shared facepalms and sweatdrops behind him, his bony finger flicking the small switch near the blade of the scythe.
"Okay, let's try dis one more time. HA!" Once more the Reaper-like figure brought down his scythe, and from the tip eruprted a beam of swirling purple energy that vanished into the ground. Nothing happened for a few moments and Ranma was just about to palm his face again when he felt the earth move beneath his feet. Suddenly, giant columns and walls exploded from beneath the surface, forming a towering edifice that obscured everyone's sight. The ground shook once more and Ranma had to bite his cheek to keep from shouting in surprise as he found the surrounding ground receding from view.
He took a moment to regather his balance before looking around, finding the pair of Reapers and the mysterious woman, as well as Mousse, supported on great towering platforms that allowed them unimpeded view of the roofless edifice the Reaper had summoned. Ryoga stared up at them from the only visible gap in the wall, his eyes wide as he, like Mousse, finally realized just how outclassed they really were. The Reaper who had created the giant structure stepped forwards and leaned over the edge of his platform, his voice echoing loudly as he shouted down at Ryoga.
"Alright boy, all you gotta do, is get through dat maze, do it, an' your free." Before Ryoga could respond the ground beneath his feet rose upwards, propelling him backwards and into the labyrinth. The risen earth continued to move until it sealed off the opening, leaving Ryoga no choice but to try and find his way through the maze. He turned around a corner and let out a scream of terror at the giant monster he found himself face to fang to,
Up on the platforms above, the Reaper chuckled darkly at the sound of quickly receding screams followed by roar-like barks. "Heh, I forgot to mention de little beasties I put in dere, ah well." He grinned, again the feat doing little to Ranma's composure, and turned to the remaining two martial artists, only to be stopped as the other Reaper stepped forward.
YOU HAVE HAD YOUR TURN.
The crimson-lined Reaper pouted but nevertheless took a step back, returning his attention to his creation. The other faced Mousse and Ranma, studying them, though with what Ranma wasn't sure, as beneath his hood there was only darkness.
WHICH OF YOU WILL TAKE MY CHALLENGE? IF YOU SUCCEED, I WILL EVEN CURE YOUR CURSE.
Ranma's eyes widened and it took nearly all of his willpower to keep from leaping at the opportunity. Mousse was nowhere near as strong-willed as Ranma - his pursuit of Shampoo was not so much stubbornness as it was self-delusion on Kuno-levels - and he seized on the chance for a cure with reckless abandon, what happened to Ryoga already gone from his mind.
"I'll do it!" he shouted, causing the trio to shake their heads in bemusement.
VERY WELL. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TO FIND WHERE I HAVE HIDDEN THE KEY TO THE PORTAL. ON THE OTHER SIDE WILL BE THE CURE. YOU WILL HAVE THE TIME YOU NEED. ANY QUESTIONS?
Mousse shook his head, too focused on the cure to properly think things through. The ragged Reaper raised his hand and from it issued forth a cloud of energy that formed into a circular opening. Mousse jumped inside without a second thought, the doorway closing and vanishing behind him. Ranma simply sighed and walked over to where the last of his rivals, Kuno aside, had vanished.
"So," he began as he stared at the ragged Reaper, "since he didn't ask any questions, can I ask one for him?" The trio shared a set of curious looks before nodding.
YOU MAY ASK ONE QUESTION.
Ranma nodded and turned to where the vanished portal had floated. "Where's the key?" The question caused the figures to freeze, the young looking woman recovering first with a wide smile on her face. The ragged Reaper reached into his cloak and pulled out a small brass key on a chain.
I HAVE IT. I AM SURPRISED YOUNG ONE. NOT MANY WOULD HAVE ASKED SUCH AN OBVIOUS QUESTION WITH EXPECTATIONS FOR A FAVORABLE RESULT.
Ranma shrugged and turned to properly face the only other entities, monsters in the maze chasing Ryoga not included, present. "Yeah well, fifteen years of dealing with people who like to lie, cheat, and trick you into things helps."
FIFTEEN YEARS? BUT YOU CAN'T BE MORE THAN-
"Oh hush," For the first time, the young-looking woman spoke, her voice soft as the creeping sickness that steals you away in the night" You're just upset that he figured out your trick." She turned and fixed Ranma with a piercing gaze. "Besides, its obvious that he is much older than he looks."
She clapped her hands together and smiled widely as she stepped forwards. "The other's have had their fun, so now it's time for me to offer you a challenge."
The world around Ranma and the woman receded into the distance, until all there was, was darkness. She whistled softly and from the darkness emerged a million doors, each unique in some way, countless darkened cages, an endless number of openings from which stared an infinite number of eyes of all sorts of appearances. Ranma spun around with wide eyes before returning them to the smirking woman.
"My job's done. All you have to do is tell me one thing. Who am I?"
Ranma cocked his head to the side and considered the question. He looked at surroundings more thoroughly. Doors, each leading somewhere, or at the end of some path. Monsters and shadows, things hiding in darkness and trapped in cages. Fears? Thoughts? They could be anything, and yet they were here. And where was here? A place where all things came, where all paths lead, were all doors opened onto?
His eyes narrowed and he let out a sigh.
"Death. You're Death." If anything his words only made the woman's smile that much larger.
"Yes, I am. I
Man, I hate writing accents and alternate speech patterns.
So, Ranma is de-aged and thrust into the city of horrors that is Endsville. *Griiiiiiins* Man, this is gonna be messed up as hell. Way I figure it, exposure to such concentrated evil, in the forms of Mandy and Grim, is certainly going to warp the easily influenced Ranma. Before you argue that, think about how gullible Ranma is, and how easy it is to get him to do something. With a master manipulator like Mandy pulling his strings... well... things are gonna get heavy.
Also, yes, that is Death of the Endless from Sandman, and DEATH from Terry Pratchett's Discworld Series.. Why is she there when Grim is the representation of death? Plus, she's awesome. This applies to both but, if you take it just from the tv show, then Grim wasn't always the Reaper, but Death would have always been. The way I think of it, Death comes in a multitude of forms, so why should it be constrained to one avatar or personification?
Also, I wonder, and I really do, how are some of the other Grim characters going to react to Ranma. The two I'm thinking of, mainly, are Hoss, who I can easily see overreacting about the curse, and Eris. I mean, with all the chaos jokes in fanon about Ranma... yeah, this is gonna be a blast.
As you can see, I had a rough idea where this was going, but it just died on me. Damn that irony.