Chapter 3: The First Assassins (Tuesday December 31st, 2002)

"Where are they taking her?" Ryoga whispered to Tofu. The team was walking through the back streets of Nerima following Akari's blood trail. They could hear New Year's revelers a few streets over. The Elementals were avoiding crowds for obvious reasons, even if they were Shielding.

"A boat most likely," Tofu answered quietly. "It's not like they can drive a truck. The problem is: why are they taking her anywhere?" Consternation crossed Ryoga's face as he realized what Tofu was saying.

"Something's not right," Daran agreed. "Best guess is they're worried about invoking the Water Queen's death if Akari dies."

Tofu's phone vibrated so he glanced at it quickly. "Ciren's picked up Akane's and Ranma's beacons," he told the rest. "She should be able to get them soon." He started to put it away when the phone buzzed again. He looked surprised at the number and immediately dialed it. "Nabiki? What's up?" he asked her. After a pause he asked: "Are you sure?" Another pause passed. "Call Ciren and let her know – she'll be with Ranma and Akane shortly. Clue Kuno in as well – he needs to know. Out." A grim smile formed on his face as he looked at the rest of them. "We just got a break. We know where they're taking her and why. We have to reward our benefactors later, but I already know what they want."

"What? Who?" Olaf rumbled.

"The Itabashi Yakazu just told us a band of assassins is waiting for Akari," Tofu said with a snort. "And where."


Bren held the cheap looking amulet. He had no idea why the hag told him to buy it from the Curio Shop, and it bothered him. Hell, the whole deal bothered him. He didn't mind killing someone, but common sense said that the more elaborate the scheme, the more that could go wrong with it. "Sounds like one of these mad genius executions," he thought. "Take delivery of the mark, fill her full of tranquilizers, put her in a crate packed with explosives, put this amulet around her neck, and then drop her into a desert from 10000 meters. What the hell?" The team had been warned not to kill her any other way. He really didn't understand why they couldn't just snuff the girl with a rifle.

"Stop staring at it," Dirk told him gruffly. "We're getting paid in gold for the hit. The client specified a particular way, that's it. We're getting paid more than enough to make up for the difficulty."

"But why?" Bren asked plaintively. "What possible reason for such a weird hit?"

"You've only been with us for a few years," Dirk told him. "I've seen more weird crap than you could imagine. I have a feeling we're going to see even more tonight. Put the amulet away, get your gun and guard the crate. When the other team gets here, we take the girl and leave."

"But…"

"NOW!" Dirk barked as he opened up a medical bag and started to pull out small medicine bottles and a syringe.

Bren snapped his mouth shut before Dirk closed it for him. Without a word, he walked away from the truck and towards the crate sitting in the middle of the empty warehouse. Zack was leaning on the crate watching him approach. The larger man grinned at him. "You're learning boy," the bearded man said. "You actually walked away," he added to the twenty-two year old. "That's a tough lesson for the young to learn." Bren snorted at him, but said nothing as he pulled a cigarette out of his jacket. Zack made a small gesture and Bren came closer. "Listen, man. Keep that lesson in your head. If this goes south, just walk away, mix with the rest of the tourist, and get back to the States with your advance as quick as possible."

"You're worried then," Bren asked Zack quietly.

"As Dirk said, there's a lot of weird crap out there. I ain't gonna bullshit you with the ghost stories, but this hit has all the marks of a 'sacrifice'," Zack said seriously.

"What, like cultists?" Bren asked incredulously.

"Something like that," Zack added. "And cultists have a way of making the curious vanish. You really don't want to end up on the next hit-list, do you?"

Bren looked up at the ceiling and blew out a stream of smoke. "You're serious, aren't you?" he asked. Zack just nodded knowingly. "All right, I hear you," Bren stated. "No questions, no answers, no gossip." Then he leaned against the crate and waited.

About five minutes later, a door at the far end of the building flew off its hinges across to the opposite wall with a loud clanging sound. Bren immediately took shelter behind the crate with Zack, swung his rifle around, and trained it on the open doorway. The four men by the truck did the same. Only Dirk stood without cover in front of everyone. He held something that looked like an RPG launcher. As Bren watched, *something* squeezed through the door. As it stepped away from the doorway, it resolved itself to be a rough-looking humanoid, standing about 4 meters tall and about three meters wide at the shoulder. It had no face and was made of a green glassy-looking substance that seemed to hang from its body like Spanish moss from a tree. Tucked under one arm, it held an unconscious young woman.

"Hold your fire!" Dirk shouted. "This is the drop-off team."

"Holy ! #!#!" Bren whispered.

"Remember, what I told you, kid," Zack said quietly. "Back away from the crate."

As he and Zack backed away, four other creatures squeezed through the doorway and stood behind the leader. Bren noticed a stench that filled the warehouse. Dirk came forward holding the launcher at the ready. He said something in Chinese that Bren didn't understand. The lead creature started lumbering forward with the girl. Suddenly, the girl's eyes popped open and she somehow thrust her arms into the creature holding her. She yelled something and the monster *exploded*, dropping her. Bren dropped to the floor looking for cover as the girl got up and vanished.

Dirk quickly shook off his surprise and raised the launcher. He looked through the viewfinder and pulled the trigger. A net shot out of the launcher and seemed to wrap itself around something. As the net flew against the far wall, the girl re-appeared, caught in the net. She was struggling to free herself, but the net was defeating her. Dirk said: "Sorry little darling, it ain't that easy."

Meanwhile, the bits and pieces of the creature she had destroyed flowed back together. The monster re-formed and bellowed angrily. Dirk shouted more Chinese at it and repeated the phrase again and again until the thing seemed to calm down. Dirk then discarded the launcher and pulled out a syringe. He started to walk forward toward the girl caught in the net. She screamed: "RYOGA!"

"Now darling, you're only making this…" Dirk started but was cut off by a window exploding.

"AKARI!" a young man yelled as he flew in.

"Kill him!" Dirk barked. Bren and Zack opened fire. The others fanned away from the truck and did the same. The boy hit the ground and rolled. Then the lad slammed the warehouse floor with his fists. The cement floor swelled up and rippled forward like a giant wave from the sea and flowed out across the floor. It tossed Dirk down and flipped the crate. Bren went down as well. The truck was tossed into the air but came down squarely.

Dirk staggered up and pulled out a handgun. "Dodge this, !#! !" he shouted. As Dirk aimed, the truck exploded behind Bren, throwing Bren to the ground. Everyone but Dirk was also knocked down by the blast. Dirk stumbled, but did not fall.

"DODGE THAT!" a giant of a man bellowed in English. Bren saw that he was holding two RPG launchers - one over each shoulder.

"Surrender now!" a creature from a dream - or a nightmare - commanded. It stood on two feet (?) and was as tall as a human. It looked like a werewolf except the fur was red like a fox's.

"Eat silver!" Dirk shouted as he switched guns. The gun promptly exploded in his hands.

"Lead works just as well," the creature commented. "Still won't help you." Dirk crumpled to the ground and held his bleeding hand. A black man and a small Italian man were helping the boy cut the girl out of the net.

Bren started to reach for his weapon laying less than a couple of meters from him, only to have a huge paw step on his hand. He looked up in pain to see a huge panther grinning down on him. "Don't do that," the cat advised conspiratorially. "It will shorten your life dramatically."

The fox creature kicked Zack's weapon away. Zack was still stunned. The fox then called back: "Are they all right?"

A feminine voice outside of Bren's sight called out in English: "Stunned, concussed, a broken arm, a broken leg, and a few broken ribs. All alive, unfortunately."

The were-fox made a dismissive gesture. "Ah well. It will sit easier with Ojima and Sanu if there are no dead bodies. Besides, it's more difficult to question the dead - I'm not really a fan."

Dirk staggered up and looked at the five monsters standing in a corner unmoving. He screamed something at them, but they stood there still.

"They won't respond to anyone but Henna now," the fox creature told him in English. "They're Elementals and follow commands to the letter of the law. They delivered Akari to you and you released them. As far as they're concerned, this is your fault and that's the story they'll take back to Henna. I *really* suggest switching sides right about now."

"No…" Dirk mumbled.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," the were-fox said as he walked towards Dirk. "Henna's not known for being forgiving. By the way, your other guns won't work."

"No… No, you don't understand," Dirk said a little stronger. "The contract…." The fox looked alarmed as Dirk continued: "She made me sign…" He began making a gurgling sound.

"Ryoga! Leave now!" the fox creature ordered.

"But…" the boy started.

"Guardian!" the were-fox shouted. "Take Akari and run! NOW! Now's not the time!"

"Oh crap," Ryoga moaned.

"Oh no…" the girl began to say before the black man grabbed both of them and ran with them toward a door.

"NO!" Dirk cried between retching sounds. "NO!" He dropped to his knees. The fox creature ran over to him and grabbed him by the head. "AHHHHH!" Dirk screamed. The fox seemed to be shouting words that Bren couldn't understand. Dirk screamed like the damned as the fox tried to hold him still. Then, Dirk began to convulse as he screamed and the fox was hard put to hold on to the man. A look of decision crossed the were-fox's face and the creature tensed its shoulders. With a sudden twist of its arms, the fox wrenched Dirk's head and snapped his neck. The executioner looked grimly at the body and stepped away from it.

Bren watched stunned for a moment at the execution. There was a short impassive-looking ninja restraining Zack as Zack shouted out: "What the hell, man? You…" He stopped as a thick yellow smoke began to arise from the body.

The smoke formed a globe about a meter in diameter floating above the body, and within the globe, a woman's face coalesced. "Who dares rob me of a soul?" the face demanded. The words slithered into Bren's mind without sound.

"Go home, Henna," the fox creature said. "The mission failed - the girl is gone." His words also seemed to not travel through the air.

"What the hell are you?" the woman demanded.

"Myself - that's all I need to be. Go home," the were-fox told her.

The face - Henna - looked down at Dirk's body. "He pledged his soul to me if he failed. We signed a contract. He was mine to suck dry."

The fox creature shrugged: "He died at the hands of an enemy in pain. That also traditionally fulfills the contract. If you disagree, take it up with Death. I'm sure She'd love to see you."

Henna looked around the room, her gaze lingering on the captives. "Garbage," she said dismissively. "You can die with them." Then she looked at her Elementals standing in a corner. "Kill them all. Do not let one of them escape my vengeance. Bring their souls back to me!" With that, the face vanished and Dirk's body burst into flames. Bren felt something slam into his spirit and dig in like a tick.

"Release the captives! Let them go!" the fox creature yelled as he seemed to stagger. The seven-foot giant flinched as well. Then he slammed two rockets into his weapons and fired both RPG cannons at the monsters, somehow blowing all five apart and demolishing that corner of the warehouse room.

The cat got off Bren's hand. "GO!" it commanded. "Grab your friends and run for dear life!"


Tofu watched as green water began to flow out of the rubble in the corner. The assassins were already gone. "What did you hit them with?" Tofu asked Olaf.

"Potassium shot with the old Style Blessing. That and the rubble will keep them from reforming for about ten minutes," Olaf answered.

"What did Henna do to us?" Mousse asked. "Something hit me hard."

"She didn't. They did," Tofu answered pointing at the buried Elementals. "They hit us with Soul Tags to track us down. We've been Cursed. It's us or them now. We either destroy them – not possible – or trap them. The problem is that they are full Elementals. It's going to take at least a day to build a trap. We're in for a long battle."

"I'll call the Master, and let him know we need reinforcements," Sasuke said.

"You think he'll help us?" Konatsu asked.

"The Master is many things, but one thing about him is that he's loyal to his employees – and even his allies," Sasuke said firmly as he took out his radio

"He'll send support," Tofu agreed.

Mausu looked at the damaged corner. "The Elementals are going to have to break into two groups – they have to track us and the assassins. I hope those assassins can run really fast," he said. "Otherwise they're toast."

Maomolin watched the water pool. It was frothing and bubbling. "We may want to retreat ourselves," he said.

"I'm open to suggestions…" Tofu prompted. "Hideo hasn't called yet and said he was finished. We had to tip our hand a little early."

"Good point. Olaf?"

"Yo!" the giant called out.

"Be a good fellow and drop the rest of the building on them?" Maomolin requested.


Sasuke stood outside waiting for Olaf. "How will this delay them?" he asked Olaf as the big man walked out of the building.

Olaf pointed at the three-floor warehouse. "The building's floors and ceilings are all cement – i.e. stone," he answered. "There's enough there that they won't be able to just flow through it – it will be like a dam. They will have to push and dig their way out first. If we could seal them in solid stone, we'd delay them for years."

"Are you sure about this?" Sasuke asked again.

"Of course I am, lad," Olaf replied. "I've broken all the main pillars but six. The little bit of explosive I have will take care of the rest." The disguised Earth Giant gave a short laugh: "Trust me. I've demolished lots of buildings in my time on short notice. I know what I'm doing. The key thing is to make sure the implosion doesn't become an explosion."

"Couldn't we use a Circle to trap the Elementals instead?" Sasuke pushed.

"We've been tagged. We need someone else to cast a Circle for us," Olaf explained. Then he looked at the little ninja shrewdly. "What's bothering you, man?"

Wordlessly, Sasuke pointed at a large sign. Olaf dropped his head and covered his mouth to hide his chuckle.

"What's wrong?" Tofu asked the disguised giant as he walked over to the two.

"The building belongs to Kuno," Olaf explained trying not to laugh.

"Then he should guard his empty buildings a bit more carefully," Ono said offhandedly. He looked at Sasuke and added with a small smile: "Don't worry. We'll say you were elsewhere."

"Is everything ready?" Mausu called out. He was watching the warehouse threw a window. "Those things are reforming now. They'll break our Shields shortly and trip the charges accidentally."

"Come away then," Tofu called back. The others who had been watching the building ran toward the three men. Tofu turned to Olaf and said: "On your count, Commander."

Olaf waited until everyone was far enough away. "Three, two, one!" he called out, hit a remote, and the building fell in with a roar.

After the noise stopped and the dust started to settle, the giant stated: "Well, we just bought more time, but what do we do with it? We're a little light on effective weaponry. I doubt Hideo is ready for us yet. Any ideas? "

"My turn now," Sasuke said. "Follow me."


"Where are we going?" Konatsu asked the smaller ninja after fifteen minutes. "Those things will be after us shortly." In front of them somewhere, a large helicopter sounded.

"There," Sasuke said with satisfaction.

"Sasuke, I appreciate the escape route," Tofu called out. "But we'd only be leading those Elementals among innocents and we might get more soldiers cursed."

The helicopter landed up ahead. "Oh, it's not a pick-up," the little man called back as he waved to them to follow him into a clearing. They did, only to see the expected helicopter being unloaded by several men. "It's a drop-off. We need weapons, we got weapons."

"Done," Olaf said with satisfaction.

"Good, you can give me lessons with the RPG's, then," Maomolin laughed.

"Looks like I need to add Kuno to my New Year's card list," Mousse remarked.

They ran over to the helicopter where one of the crewmen saluted Sasuke. "Mr. Kuno said to tell you he has people working on traps and Circles about two kilometers away, but they may take more time than you have," the man said to the ninja. "We do have Sunstones to give you which will repel the enemy, but sunrise is a ways away. We have ammo tuned to Water for you, but do you have a plan?"

"We have someone making a defensive Circle about half a kilometer away," Tofu told the man. "They're a lot quicker to set up."

"All right, sir," the man acknowledged. "That gives you a defensive position, but those things will just wear you down eventually."

"I have a squad coming in from Nerima. None of them can be "Tagged"," Tofu answered. Kuno's man looked impressed. Tofu gestured at the new weapons and ammo and continued: "When they get here, between what you are giving us and what they'll bring, we can hold out until sunrise. Then the Sunstones will kick in and we can retreat to Kuno's Circles. Those things will be compelled to follow us."

The seven men (Maomolin had switch to human form) armed themselves and grabbed as many provisions as they could carry. Maomolin and Olaf loaded up on RPG's while Tofu, Mousse, and Mausu took automatic rifles loaded with special bullets. The two ninja stashed away as many grenades as they could carry. Everyone took miscellaneous throwing stars and knives. Then Tofu and the rest left the helicopter and its crew as fast as possible to avoid exposing the crewmen to the Elementals. When they were out of earshot Olaf observed: "Not bad for a plan you just made up."

"I loved how you glossed over trying to survive until sun-up," Mausu added off-handedly. "Even with Ciren's support."

"Do you have a better plan?" Tofu asked.

"Nope," Mausu said. "But you do…"

Tofu winked at them.


A/N: Next up - At the Circle