Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or

concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that i claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:

The Annals of the Heroine Akane, and the Dreaded Demon King. A Tale of the Mirrorverse.

Chapter 7: A Game of Cat and Rat.

Xian Pu stretched as she looked over the enemy with an almost bored look on her face, but how her tail twitched told the truth of her attitude. She was anxious about the upcoming engagement. The Heroes party was here, and that meant her damnable shadow was here as well. That was Xian Pu's job, to take care of the rogue that accompanied the Heroine.

Obstacles were meant for killing.

Nabiki looked at the seething mass and rolled her shoulders as her hands moved quickly to ensure that she had her weapons where they were supposed to be. It was a nervous habit from the earliest days of her training, when she was still just the middle daughter. Just the younger sister to a respected priestess, the older sister to the one the Goddess had chosen to end the Demon King's threat.

Back before she became the Heroes Shadow, and embraced the dark side of society. Hers was the dark job of decapitating the enemy command, and scouting the weak points in their army.

It was a dirty, thankless job but important to the success of the Heroes party. No matter how much blood that put on her hands.

And there was a lot on her hands.

Nabiki slipped into the shadows, unseen. It was time to hunt.

Xian Pu watched her prey slip away and grinned a toothy grin. She loved her games of cat and mouse. It always made it interesting, to stake her talent and life against her opponents.

Let the games begin.

Nabiki stalked through the twilight of the forest, her movements slow and steady as she slid through the shadows, as silent as a ghost. One of her blackened daggers was out and at the ready as she moved towards the enemies back lines.

Two sentries would not be reporting in anytime soon, but she was well into their lines now. What worried her was the feeling that she was being shadowed. In fact, she would wager all the coins in her coin purse that she was being followed. She had learned to trust her feelings when it came to things like this.

Nabiki stopped for a long moment, then suddenly vanished into the undergrowth without any warning. With any luck, she could turn the tables on her pursuer.

Xian Pu pricked her ears forward when she lost sight of the woman she had been stalking. She stopped and crouched lower as she forced her body to still. It Had always been hard to fight down the urges at times like this. The urge to creep, to pounce. Those very feline urges at the back of her mind that caused her so much trouble when she was younger.

Xian Pu peered into the shadows, her claws digging into the soft soil unconsciously before she nodded, and started to stalk after the other woman far more cautiously than before. The game was on, once again. It was still up in the air who would win, who would lose, and what the cost of that loss would be.

Just how Xian Pu liked it the most. This is what made her feel alive, what made her blood burn and her heart race. The ultimate test of skill, laying it all on the line to see who was the better at what they did. It was a game that she had won, so far. The possibility of losing always made it even more exciting for her. She was sure that Lord Ranma would scold her for it, again.

After she won.

If she lost, well, at least she would not have to endure another session of scolding, right?

Nabiki was worried. She had been using most of the tricks she knew, but whoever was trailing her was just as good, if not better. Everytime she had thought she had lost them, she would feel that prickle at the back of her neck that told her they were still there, that they had found her trail once again. At this point, she was fairly certain that what was stalking her had to be one of the more beastial demons, ones with senses that far outstripped hers. Nabiki smirked as she checked a few pouches to make sure that the contents were still secured.

That might be just the edge she had needed, then. She just had to make her way to the old ruins to set about enacting her trap. There she could enact the last trick in her bag before she had to fight. And she had to admit to herself, she hated fair fights.

Xian Pu cocked her head as her tail swayed behind her as she padded along. The human woman was moving faster, she seemed much more certain of her direction, of her movements. She had chosen to sacrifice some stealth for added speed. It seemed that her prey had something in mind. Best not to ruin the set up, it made it even sweeter when she bested them. Worth the added risk, or at least so she thought. It was almost certainly a trait that would get her in trouble someday, but at least it would be the last time it happened.

Xian Pu grinned a toothy grin as she stalked along just a little faster, the anticipation having finally gotten to her. This was going to be fun was the thought on her mind, followed by a bit of regret that either way their little game would end soon. It was a shame that such events were always one time affairs. It would be nice to face such challenges again, but that was not the nature of the war they fought, after all. Death was the reward and the penalty, after all.

Nabiki smiled a grim smile as she slipped through one of the shattered remnants of the archways into the interior of the massive, sprawling wreck of a building. It was a sprawling monolith of stone and ruined, blasted statuary. A remnant of the lost and fallen Gods, a massive temple-fortress from ages long lost to history.

It was also the perfect place to enact her trap, or so Nabiki had thought. The warren of tunnels and corridors, the many collapsed rooms and the gaping maw of the dungeons below were perfect. She scattered one of the bags of caltrops she carried as she slipped through a passageway, knowing that they would do little more than slow her opponent who would certainly be able to see or smell them in the dark and gloom of the passages. But, even that played into her schemes in a way.

She was a rat in her warren, no way that some demon who had stalked her so far would catch her when she wasn't prepared. This was her game, after all.

Nabiki hurried as she looked for the right spot, then quickly laid a trap by wrapping thin metal wire around to pillars, working quickly as she listened for any sound from down the hall. She didn't expect to hear anything from her pursuer, but you stay aware of any mistakes if possible.

Nabiki grinned as she slipped down a corridor. Time to see what could learn about her opponent.

Xian Pu glared at the obvious trap and sighed. Her prey either was sure she was being followed a trap quickly that would slow or injure an enemy, or she was paranoid. Xian Pu was not one to underestimate an enemy, especially one with this particular one's reputation.

She picked up a piece of debris easily and used it to clear the caltrops aside before she continued on. No matter how good they thought they were, she had always defeated them with her talents each time.

Xian Pu grinned a toothy grin as she continued to stalk silently after her prey. This particular hunt would be one she would remember forever.

Nabiki slipped silently from the shadows as she checked the heavy scarf wrapped around her lower face. It should dull the sound of her breath, at least a bit. She hoped enough that she could move around a bit in the background. The air down here,while not completely stagnant, didn't flow as easily as outside, and the direction of the flow was predictable, at least as long as no major storms we're about.

So far, it seemed like her luck had held. Nabiki knelt down, and studied the dust and debris. The piece of lintel that had been used was well above what she would have chosen to use,.and direction and flow of the movement told her a fair amount about reach and strength.

The of the dust suggested to her an inhuman body, but the specifics eluded her. Perhaps the next trap would provide the details she needed before she could attempt to turn the tables. The one thing she liked with going against the demons, is they tended to get arrogant with their power. She, on the other hand, knew well how weak she was and used it to her best advantage.

Xian Pu stalked silently down the halls, her eyes peeled to catch whatever her prey might have in store for her next. She was sure that the time spent clearing the caltrops had been used in some creative sort of way, she was certain of that. The faint smell of metal and the soft humming of the wires as they shifted warned her of the next trap before she stepped into it. Thin metals wires, stretched and drawn tight criss crossed the passage before her. If she had been hurrying along, she would certainly have ran into them, and could have injured herself badly. She smiled a predatory smile as she started to work her way carefully through the trap after making sure that there were no poisons covering the wires. She kept her ears on a constant swivel to make sure that she was not ambushed while in this exposed position. She knew she could have shifted down, but why risk being caught in her smaller form when she can manage as she was? Now, to finish the hunt.

Xian Pu doesn't pay any mind to the clear pawprints and tufts of fur she left behind, as the smell was growing stronger with every step. The time her prey had spent setting this trap could have cost her everything. She always loved the feeling of a hunt coming to a close. Her Master would be most pleased.

Nabiki waited for a bit, before she moved to check on the second trap. She made sure that her stalker wasn't hanging about before moving in and examining the traces carefully. The paw prints and bit of fur cemented her conclusions from earlier. One of the half-cat hybrids from the far east of the Demon King's domains, then. Much as she had thought. It was not good, but at least her surprise would be effective. If it had been one of the dragon-hubrids, then her trick would not be nearly as effective. But those sensitive ears and dark-adapted eyes would be good for her in the coming fight.

Nabiki grinned as she checked her wraps and moved towards the spot she had chosen for her fight. Not that it would be a fight, as long as everything worked out well. Why fight fair when you can let your foe defeat themselves? Honestly, if Akane ever learned to be sneaky, then this whole mess would probably have been ended already. Nabiki sighed as she moved quicker. It wouldn't be long until her foe found where she had backtracked, and then the game would truly begin. She had to hurry, if she was going to get her final trick placed.

Xian Pu was getting annoyed. Truly annoyed, indeed. She had found where her prey had backtracked, and cut back around behind her. She had followed the path to the two traps, and then where it split off and headed ever deeper into the ruins. It was clear that her prey had given up on guile, and had decided on where they were headed towards. The game had gone on too long already, it was time to end it.

The taste of fresh blood after a successful hunt was always the most rewarding part of her duties.

Xian Pu surged ahead, the smell of her prey heavy in her nostrils, the taste of her opponent heavy in her mouth. She dashed into a large room, the floor starting to collapse in parts over the vast dungeons that lay below the keep. There, ahead of her, was the human woman who had led her on such a chase. Finally, it seemed she had decided to face her fate head one. Then, an object was cast at her and the world exploded in a blinding flash, and a boom that seemed to shake the entirety of the structure to its very core. She instinctively covered her eyes, her ears struggled to make any sense of the sounds over the ringing that seemed to down out everything.

That was when she felt a strong, slim set of legs wrap around her humanoid torso from behind, and the shart kiss of the garrote around her neck. It seemed that hunter and prey had switched.

Things were finally going to get exciting.

Nabiki waited in the room as her breath came faster than she wanted it to, but it was understandable. She was about to go up against the most efficient killing machine that there was in the Demon King's army. The Goddesses could not have made a more perfect hunter, and she was about to see if her cunning and guile were a match for pure talent, skill, and capabilities. Just the kind of game she liked, if she was forced to fight. Especially since she intended to even the playing field in a truly underhanded manner.

The creature that came racing towards her would be considered lovely, beautiful even if it was not clearly so intent on killing her. A long mane of lavender hair flowed from the top of her head down her back. Her fur itself was a dark black, with deep purple patterning. And those intense eyes stared into hers, so full of vigor, life...And death.

Nabiki smiled grimly as she lit the fuse of the device she had hidden behind her back, and cast it with all her might straight at her attacker. It exploded into a flash of light and a furious roar of noise. If Nabiki had not been prepared for it, she too would have been blinded and deafened by her own bomb. She threw aside the wrap from her head as she rushed towards her opponent, the metal wire already at the ready as she ducked under a waving claw and slid smoothly onto her opponent's feline back, and then wrapped her legs tightly around the humanoid torso of her opponent. Then, she set the garotte and started to work. As long as she stayed tight up against her foes back, she shouldn't be shredded by the sharp claws or deadly muzzle of her cat-headed dance partner.

Xian Pu was furious. The tables had been turned, and now she couldn't get that damnable human woman off of her. No matter how she twisted, thrashed, or even attempted to roll, she couldn't get her off of her back. Now, she could feel the cold as it started to set in, as the world started to turn black. She shook herself, and slammed into a pillar, hoping to dislodge the leech of a woman who clung to her so tight. She did it again, and again, before a deep rumble seemed to shake the building, and the floor collapsed underneath her, sending them both down towards the tunnels below.

Xian Pu's glee as her opponent released her death hold was short-lived as she saw the lithe figure dive for one of the hanging beams, illuminated in the light that was coming in through the shattered roof so far above. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Xian Pu vanished into the darkness below.

A limping, battered Nabiki made her way out from the ruins, and started to head back towards friendly lines. She couldn't carry out her mission in the shape she was now, that was for certain. At least she had taken care of that foe. She never wanted to face her again, that was for certain.

A bit later, a bedraggled and dirty cat stalked it's way slowly out of the warren of tunnels, and shook herself before she started to make her way back towards her own lines. Xian Pu grumbled a feline grumble, having lost her prey this time, but perhaps she had found a new playmate for future games, for future hunts?

That thought improved her mood immensely.

Now, she just needed Master to eat that stupid heroine, and things would be so much better.