Ranma ½
A Scary Thought:
What happened last time: Usagi had her talk with Kasumi, but as they did, Lemon ran off right into the clutches of some shady individuals. Fortunately, they managed to track her down with the unexpected help of Copycat Ken, and now they plot to rescue her.
Author Note: I think for my sanity, I'm going to change my writing style a bit from here on to better match my other stories. In particular thoughts will be marked in single quote like 'this'. Constantly switching styles is rather annoying and I keep forgetting which style to use so this should make it easier.
Chapter 57
XXXXX
Stepping out of the airport, a particular woman looked at the dimming rays of sunlight in the sky. She sighed and produced several large Taro cards before flipping through them mystically, eyes closed, and snatching one as it floated by in front of her. Opening her eyes, she frowned at the sight before her.
"I had hoped fate had taken a different course, but it seems bound now," she said softly before stowing the cards once more. With a last sigh, Rose pressed on to her destination.
XXXXX
"Well?" Usagi asked as Ami returned to the Karaoke room the Senshi were using to convene discreetly for the moment.
"No luck," Ami said with a shake of her head.
"Darn it. What a time for Haruka and Michiru to be out of town," Minako bemoaned. "So, guess it is just us. No way Rei can join us anytime soon."
"Yes, it seems that way," Ami agreed with a nod.
"If only I could help you guys," Usagi said with a sigh.
"Can't be helped. Your armor is out of action," Makoto replied, causing Usagi to sigh once more before a thought hit her. "What?"
"I wonder if Ixion could help get Rei here?" Usagi thought aloud.
"Ixion?" Ami asked in a bit of confusion.
Usagi blinked before realizing and explaining. "Oh, uh, I talked to him the other day, and he gave me a card that has a number I can contact him at. I know he can't directly help, but bringing Rei here might be allowed."
"Perhaps, worth a try I suppose," Ami said.
"Yeah, worse is he says he can't."
"Okay, I'll give him a call. Be right back," Usagi said and headed out. Out in the hall, she found the Karaoke area clear and headed up to the front where the phone was located at the front desk. The group had already been given permission to use such, so she quickly retrieved the card Ixion gave her and called the number and waited for him to pick it up. However, much to her shock, his greetings came not from the phone, but directly next to her.
"Hello," Ixion greeted, startling Usagi.
"Where did you..." she started to ask.
"My apologies. I prefer face to face communications. I didn't mean to startle you."
"Uh, it's fine," Usagi said, hanging up the phone. "We have a bit of a... situation."
Ixion lightly shook his head. "You know I can't aid you."
"Uh... yes, of course, but I was just hoping you could bring Rei here. She's across town and this is kinda urgent."
"I see," Ixion said but once more shook his head. "I'm sorry, but even that would be considered aid," he said to her disappointment. However, he went into thought. "That said, tell me what is happening. Perhaps I can take inspiration from Eris and... game the rules a bit."
"Really? You won't get in trouble?" Usagi asked to which Ixion smiled.
"Perhaps, but we agreed upon a hard set of conditions. I cannot break those conditions thanks to the shared compulsion we all have now, but so long as I operate outside those conditions I am technically operating within the rules regardless of what I can do. It should be fine."
"Oh, okay, well, better to explain with the others. This way," Usagi explained and led Ixion back to the Karaoke room they were sharing.
XXXXX
"That should about do it," Grenda said as she held up the small disk. To normal eyes it seemed nothing more than a metal disk, but to magical sight you could see the intense glow to it.
"That good enough?" Frost asked.
"It'll serve the purpose. We don't need a long term effect, here, just something to last long enough for us to punch through their defenses and get to the door, retrieve Lemon, and get out."
Frost frowned, gaining Grenda's attention. "What?"
"Nothing," Frost replied.
"Oh," Grenda said as she realized. "Still feeling burned by the little kitsune?"
"Yeah!" Frost replied sharply. "Shouldn't I? If I..." she started, but decided to drop the matter. "Let's just say when I get the chance, we're going to have serious words."
"If you say so," Grenda replied with a shrug as a newcomer came into the room. "Devlin, you made it!"
"Don't get too excited," the magically disguised lich responded. "I told you, I'm still recovering from the fight the other day. Running on my fumes from my fumes here."
"Yeah, yeah, stop whining," Grenda replied. "All I need you to do is hold the perimeter and babysit."
Devlin sighed. "Fine, but all I can do for any unexpected visitors is give you a heads up and them a good stiff lecture."
"That'll do. If all goes to plan, they won't be able to call for help anyway. Besides, kinda feel like this operation would be the place to call for help from," Grenda said with a thoughtful look.
"That big, huh?"
"Fifty plus, pocket dimension, what do you think?" Grenda asked rhetorically.
"Fair enough," Devlin conceded. "I hope you have some real backup?"
"Apparently, I was about to go see if they had arrived," Grenda said and started to depart.
"Um, babysitting?" Frost asked.
"She's talking about you," Devlin said with a smile.
"Me? I don't-"
Grenda stopped at the door to look back at Frost. "I'm going in, so you need a guardian should something happen."
"I'm going in too," Frost defiantly declared.
"Not a chance," Grenda shot back. "Jasmine would absolutely kill me if you got hurt on my watch. No, until you've gone through proper training, you stay out of trouble. Besides, I thought you hated this Lemon?"
"I do... but Shampoo's going in... fine whatever."
Grenda departed leaving Frost frowning. After a moment she noticed Devlin waiting for her. "I don't need a babysitter." she muttered.
"Consider me a guide then, unless you know the way to Jasmine's place?"
"Uh... no, I don't," Frost said with a sigh before frowning in thought. "Why are you so weak? I thought you and Grenda fought the other day? She's recovered."
Devlin tapped an annoyed Frost on the head. "Use that head, kid. Beyond the whole turning people to stone bit, what other properties did Medusa have?"
"Well... she has snake hair... and oh yeah, only her neck was vulnerable."
"And why was that?"
Frost thought for a moment, before looking uncertain. "Wasn't she a goddess or something?"
"Ding, ding, ding," Devlin said with a joking smile. "More a demi goddess, but same effect, and Grenda is her descendent meaning she has divine blood too. Not only does that make her super tough to hurt, it also means her mana recharges mega fast. I'm kinda envious. I may have the higher magical rank, but she's got the good genes."
Frost blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah, come on," Devlin directed and the pair headed out. They arrived outside the castle within the pocket dimension shortly after, finding Ken, Kasumi, Herb and Shampoo gathered with Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter. This gave Devlin pause. "Okay... interesting," he commented as they approached, noticing as he did another figure that initially seemed unremarkable, but also unknown in the group, that of a man.
Grenda, who was speaking with the group, turned to them as they approached. "Think this is enough?" she asked.
"Ah, not sure..." he said, looking them over. "You mind if I give you ladies a bit of a scan?" he asked.
The sailor senshi exchanged looks, and after a few shrugs and nods, Jupiter responded, "Go right ahead."
With permission, Devlin waved his hand in front of his face several times, each time changing his finger positions before stopping as his eyes glowed intensely. Immediately he leaned back in surprise. "WOAH... okay, I heard you bunch were tough, but you're carrying around fortress level barriers?! Damn!"
"I know, right," Grenda said with a nod. "Pretty ridiculous."
"Fortress level?" Mercury asked, getting a confused look from both Magi. "Uh... sorry, we're pretty new to our power, and still learning a lot about it."
"Ah, I see," Devlin responded before pausing to think. "Well... for comparison, the barrier on the restaurant... you know, the one that all those kitsunes took nearly an hour to disassemble? Even it isn't considered fortress level. Fortress level is generally reserved for some big operations... it is in the name after all. And, as I'm sure you can guess, those aren't in the least portable... normally, as yours certainly is."
"That would explain our ineffectiveness in our tests," Herb said as he eyed Jupiter. "I doubt these men have any weapons that pose serious risk to them."
"Serious, no, but don't get too confident," Devlin cautioned. "Barriers are darn tough things that can blunt most attacks, but they have limits, portable ones particularly. Sudden shock for one often can cause damage right through them. Plus, they have natural construction limits which portability will make worse. Can't shield from everything as you have to breathe and see and such. I'm sure you lot have had your share of bumps and bruises," he said, gaining confirming nods from the senshi.
"Yes, we'll be careful," Venus assured him.
"Still, with their back up, yeah, I think you have the firepower you need, even with something this large," Devlin said before focusing on the odd man out. "And you are?"
"Oh, my name is Ixion. I'm a friend of theirs."
"Oh?" Devlin asked, looking him over. "Odd, just noticed my detection is a bit wonky with you. What's your deal?"
Ixion simply smiled. "I have offered my aid, for what little it will be worth. While I cannot fight, I can be quite the distraction. You need not worry yourself about me. I have no fear of anything here."
Devlin frowned, but Mercury quickly spoke. "Believe us, he's... very powerful, but under certain special restrictions."
"I see. Geas of some sort?" Devlin asked.
"Something like that," Ixion confirmed.
"Okay, odd, but whatever. If you say so." Dismissing the matter, he turned to Grenda. "So, we all set?"
"Just about. I guess we should go over the battle plan. You draw up that map?" Grenda asked Shampoo who nodded and handed over a piece of paper. Grenda looked it over, nodded, and then, after whispering to the paper, tossed it to the ground where it enlarged rapidly. "Alright, our primary objective is to get Lemon out. Even if we run into other victims in there, if push comes to shove, we have to concentrate on her. I honestly don't expect it though. Let's hope we don't run into that complication.
"Okay, so, I guess Ixion here will draw their attention to this entrance here," Grenda explained, pointing to one of the doors. "Make a bit of a stink, but not so much that they go on high alert. We just want to get their attention to that side."
"I can be suitably annoying," Ixion said with a smile.
"Alright, soon as I think we're good, we'll hit them from the opposite side. Naturally, they'll immediately suspect you're with us, Ixion, so hope you aren't lying about your safety because they mean business."
"Fear not," Ixion assured her. "Any efforts they spend trying to hurt me will be thoroughly wasted."
"Okay. They'll get a warning before we reach the entrance, so don't bother being sneaky, just rush them. Ken, as soon as you spot someone you can copy, point them out to me and I'll take them out of action, and you push on to the pocket dimension door and disable it with this," she said, handing over the disk. "Just place it firmly on the door and hold it a moment. Once it sticks, it is active and they can't shut that door until it is removed, which won't be easy."
"Then what?" Ken asked.
"If things are ugly, retreat and rejoin us. If not, try to find Lemon, but try to keep a low profile. There is a potential heavy hitter in the pocket dimension and we want to avoid combat as much as possible. Once the rest of us join you, then we can get frisky.
"The pocket dimension itself is on the second floor... how was the spread of people inside?" Grenda asked Shampoo.
"Most on first floor, some second, very few in dimension," Shampoo said.
"You get any feel for the interior of the dimension?" Grenda asked.
"Only a moment. Is like interior of building, open circular area with rooms all around. Open space is about size of San Cheng Huang. No know any more than that," Shampoo explained.
"Well, at least it sounds simple to navigate, but also doesn't give us any real cover once we're in. Oh well, is what it is. Okay, so let's have two of you senshi hold the first floor while the rest of us push for the second. You guys know your powers and abilities better than me," Grenda hinted, causing the senshi to look at each other.
Jupiter spoke up. "I'll go with the others to the second. Mercury and Venus can hold the first. Mercury, you can cover us with your mist, right?"
"Yes."
"Mist?" Grenda asked.
"It is a power of mine," Mercury explained. "It obscures most forms of detection, but my allies are not affected."
"Oh? Handy. Okay, we'll go with that," Grenda said with a nod. "We want to be in and out as quickly as possible, and not give them time to organize."
"Yes, it would get ugly if they do," Devlin said. "You sure they won't give chase?"
Grenda shook her head. "No, but I can only assume whatever is in there is too valuable for them to risk leaving unprotected. So long as we keep this relatively low key, they should by all logic concentrate on picking up and moving before a real force shows up rather than worrying about us. Speaking of which, I suspect you lot were already assuming this, but try to stay non-lethal."
"Is that wise?" Devlin asked, skeptically. "They certainly aren't going to abide by that rule."
"No, but if we start dropping their members, that could be cause for a more long term grudge. Give them a bloody nose and they'll lick their wounds and retreat, taking the minor loss for a blessing."
Devlin frowned skeptically, but nodded. "You're more experienced with these bozos than me," he conceded. "Still, if things do get ugly..."
"Yes, well, naturally use whatever means you deem necessary to defend yourselves, but if things start going south, I'm calling it off, and I don't want any arguments. I don't like the idea of abandoning someone to these bastards as much as you lot do, but we have to know when to call it quits," Grenda cautioned, looking over the others seriously. Reactions varied, but no one argued. "Okay. Did you bring the potions?"
"Obscurement? Yeah," Devlin said, clicking his fingers and producing a small bag. "Each of you take one of these and drink it just before start. It will prevent people from recognizing you... magical equivalent of a ski mask. Guess you Senshi won't need it since I sense you have something similar inbuilt. Oh, and Ken too. You want to keep yourself recognizable in your other form, that's the whole point. It lasts about an hour, but this shouldn't take that long."
"Right, so guess that's about it. Let's head out," Grenda directed.
XXXXX
On their way to the site, Kasumi had taken notice of a sharp shift in the demeanor of both Shampoo and Herb. Both had been tense since the whole incident started, but during the planning she had noticed that the tension level sharply rose. She could understand it to an extent, as any coming conflict was bound to stress you, but there was an air unique to this incident that Kasumi could not figure out.
About half way to their destination, Herb finally gestured for Kasumi to slow slightly so they could speak. As they fell out of earshot of the others, save Shampoo who had likewise slowed, Herb began. "Kasumi, I believe we should reconsider our involvement in this."
Kasumi blinked in surprise at this. "Why? I thought you wanted to attack? Did you not suggest such?"
Herb frowned. "Yes, and as was quickly pointed out, such was a foolish suggestion made without properly appreciating our opposition. I believe I have a better feel for this matter now, and the nature of this organization we now oppose is too dangerous to easily dismiss."
"I know, but we have the Senshi with us. With their support, Grenda and Devlin both seem confident we'll win."
"The immediate conflict, yes, but I do not like the way they were speaking of a potential ongoing conflict. We do not want to be drawn into such," Herb explained.
"Yes, Herb right. Shampoo no like... feel of this. Things go badly very easily," Shampoo quickly added.
Kasumi looked between the two, honestly surprised both were so reluctant to proceed. "I grant you it could be dangerous, but I think we've taken every precaution. We even have these potions to disguise our identities," Kasumi countered, giving both pause, giving Kasumi room to argue on. "I know Lemon has been trouble for us all, but I don't think we should just abandon her."
"I... no, I don't mean to abandon her," Herb tried to explain. "The Senshi and the magus should be enough without us."
"Perhaps, but speed is key here. Every asset we have will speed things up," Kasumi countered. "Plus, the more of us there are, the less blind spots we'll have. We just need to be cautious."
Herb clenched his teeth and looked at Shampoo, but she just hung and shook her head.
"If you both wish to remain-" Kasumi started to offer, but Herb quickly spoke up.
"No. I will accompany you. I... I just believe this may ultimately be unwise," he said, and as if desiring no further words on the topic speed back up to rejoin the others.
Kasumi watched him, puzzled for a second, then looked at Shampoo who seemed no further calmed. "I'll be careful," Kasumi assured her.
Shampoo looked Kasumi in the eyes, but looked away, clearly her mood unchanged, but said nothing.
'I'm sure they're just nervous after the various battles we've been through. I'll be on my guard,' Kasumi assured herself and moved to catch up, followed quickly by Shampoo.
XXXXX
At their destination, within the pocket realm, an unassuming woman stood before a large marble structure, chewing a sandwich and silently regarding it. The structure was pure marble white with some elaborate engraving, and was it not free standing, could easily be seen as a doorway to a chapel or other structure. However, there were no handles or locks, just the structure itself.
As for the woman, she was rather unremarkable. Dressed casually, most would probably dismiss her as simply an office worker of some kind. However, the truth was quite different.
"Hey boss... damn, you here again," a man asked as he entered the room.
"It fascinates me," she replied.
"Seems pretty pointless to me," he replied with a shrug. "No one has even figured out what that thing does."
"Indeed, but it obviously does something... something very important," she replied before taking another bite.
"Yeah, well, when someone figures out what, I'll start caring," he replied.
The woman huffed and finished her sandwich. "What did you want?"
"Oh, right, we got ourselves some new merchandise! Rare too. True blood kitsune," the man said proudly before cringing as the woman glared suddenly at him.
"You don't just stumble on a true blood kitsune, especially one young enough to capture easily."
"Well... I don't know the particulars, but she's legit, I swear," the man replied nervously while the woman continued to glare at him.
"I'll be the judge of that. In the meantime, heighten security. We may well have unwanted guests," she said and walked over to him. "Where is she?"
"In prep," the man replied. The woman nodded and marched off. As she left, he let out a sigh of relief. "Damn... unwanted guests?" he repeated before heading off himself.
XXXXX
A short while later, the group arrived at the same rooftop they had spied on the building from before. The sun was in the process of setting by this point, leaving many of the streets in shadow, giving the whole scene a rather creepy feel in Kasumi's opinion. She looked to Shampoo and Herb, but both seemed steeled for the battle ahead.
"Alright, Devlin, once you're in, can you and Frost lay down an avoidance aura?" Grenda asked.
"Yeah, I can swing that. Don't need the normies calling the cops on us and complicating things," Devlin replied. "I'll signal if we have anyone breach the area."
"Right. Okay, Ixion, you're up."
The Ascended Senshi smiled. "Very well, I will leave it to your judgement when the distraction is at its best," he said and headed back to the street to approach.
"Any last second questions?" Grenda asked, but none came. "Good. We go on my word," Grenda instructed and looked out at the pending confrontation.
The group could only see the interaction, not actually hear it. Ixion approached two men standing at the building entrance and started talking with them, making grand gestures with his hands, repeatedly making to bypass them and enter, only for them to become increasingly agitated as they were forced to stop him. As the minutes passed, the confrontation intensified as Ixion started making quite the argument, drawing out several more men from inside. Once five were present, and no others appeared, Grenda nodded to the others and gave the signal.
XXXXX
Within the pocket dimension, Lemon was aware of none of this. At that moment she was chained to the floor with what she could only guess were magical binds as she could summon none of her power to escape them. They had also gagged and blindfolded her, leaving her little idea what was happening around her. As one would expect, her state of mind was not a good one. She was past the point of panic, and had instead settled into a feeling of simple despair.
Her attempt at running away had been brief. She was not a complete fool and had realized she had picked up a tail no long into her journey. Her magical sense had also alerted her that this one was not to be trifled with, so she had already laid a plan to quickly elude him and circle back to the restaurant. Sadly, it ended in failure.
Her pursuer had anticipated her move and as soon as she tried to dart into an alley he had already set a trap on her. Within mere moments she was immobilized and helpless. Even her usual trump card of her enchantment proved useless, giving the man only cause to laugh. "I'll get quite the commission for you," he had said, cluing her into his true nature.
Her mother had warned of these types. Hunters they were often referred to as. They would snatch up weak or unwary prey to be sold off. If you were lucky, you died quickly. If you were unlucky, you were sold off alive, only to almost certainly die later. Her mother knew this all too well, being the one of the unlucky ones, although she beat the odds. Still, it had been decades of horror for her beforehand and she was far better prepared for such a thing than Lemon. Lemon had no delusions about arranging such an outcome for herself, nor any desire to endure the time it would take to work towards it. However, at this point, it looked completely out of her hands.
As she was pondering her own foolishness, and wishing desperately that she would wake up to find this all a terrible nightmare, she felt a presence enter the room. It felt foul to her even from a distance, a feeling that she had never felt personally before. She had only heard of such things, demons from distant dark realms, and to be avoided by all. And now, it came directly at her.
She heard a pair of feet stop right next to her and prepared herself for the worst. "This her?" a woman's voice asked, clearly that of the demon before her.
"Yeah," a more distant man responded.
"Purebred alright," she said and Lemon felt her chin being roughly grabbed, but she offered no resistance. "Definitely young too, in her teens? Yes. You don't just stumble on something like this. Something isn't right," she continued, releasing Lemon.
"What you want done?" the man asked.
"Bring the agent to me so I can get more-"
"Boss!" Another man suddenly called out and Lemon could hear him rush up. "We got some trouble outside!"
"What sort of trouble?"
"Some man says he's looking to buy the joint and is demanding we let him tour the inside. We got him at the door, but he's threatening to call the police."
"No detections on him?" the woman asked.
"He came up clean, but he's being a real nuisance," the man replied.
"Awfully convenient. Perhaps a coincidence..." she muttered.
"We could use a charm," the original man suggested.
"Let me give this one a look first, then... damn it all!"
"What the..."
"You two get downstairs, now, and get a report!" the woman ordered harshly.
"Right!" One replied and Lemon heard them run off, followed quickly by the woman.
'What's going on,' she wondered, only then realizing there had been a shift in the lighting. While she could see little through the blindfold, it did leave her some sense of the local light, and instead of the normal white light, it was now red. She strained to hear, but could catch only a few distant, unintelligible shouts. After a few minutes she heard a new pair of footsteps enter the room.
The newcomer was immediately distinct to Lemon, the scent unmistakable if dilute. For the first time in hours she felt a rush of hope, and she tensed as they came to her.
"Shh," a male voice, that of the man who had rushed in earlier, said and pulled off her blindfold. "Lemon, right?" the man asked quietly. However, Lemon knew this was not the same man and nodded. "Good. Just sit tight. Backup is on the way. You know where the keys to these chains are?" he asked, but Lemon could only shake her head. "Alright. Can't be that easy, can it?" he commented before tensing. He raised his finger to his lips and replaced Lemon's blindfold. Lemon quickly realized why as the foul sensation returned.
"What are you doing here?" the woman asked as she approached.
"Was told to keep an eye on her. It's a real mess out there," he replied.
"Hmh," the woman replied. "That fool of an agent probably led them right to us," she complained before Lemon suddenly heard a crash. "I however am no fool. You think such a pitiful disguise would work here?"
"Well, it was worth a try," the man replied, and suddenly Ukyo's voice replaced it. "So, I'm taking it you're the big bad of this place."
The woman scoffed. "And a thin blood like you thinks you can challenge me? Laughable. I commend you, though, for blocking the door. Sadly, it just means I'll have to kill you all."
"You're welcome to try!" The voice of Ukyo replied and with the distinct cry that came from the activation of the burning soul, a battle began.
XXXXX
Thanks to the combined work of everyone, Kasumi and Shampoo had made their way successfully to the second floor. Mercury's mist had done the majority of the work, letting them slip by in the initial confusion not long after Ken had rushed ahead. Even now, it was clear their opponents were in a state of disarray, only just starting to grasp they were under serious attack.
Still, that did not make their advance easy. Jupiter and Herb were not far behind, but were currently engaged, and had encouraged Kasumi and Shampoo to go ahead to secure a foothold on the 2nd floor. Such was proving wise as already 3 men had gathered in the hallway at the top of the stairs, still confused, but without the mist, were quick to shout their opposition to Kasumi and Shampoo's presence.
Kasumi engaged the nearest as he drew a knife while Shampoo rushed the others. With long practiced precision, Kasumi disarmed him and struck several key points to paralyze him. As he collapsed to the floor, Kasumi turned to aid Shampoo, but was stopped short at the sight before her.
The two men had apparently barely lasted an instant in the face of a ferocious assault from the amazon. Shampoo was just in the process of finishing the second, striking him across the head with the handle of her chui, knocking him cold. This alone was not what gave Kasumi pause. No, it was instead the state of the two fallen men that caused Kasumi concern.
The first to fall had apparently taken a direct blow from Shampoo's chui to his hip. It was now clearly crushed, with his one leg clearly a mismatched length to the other in his collapsed state. His shattered nose bleeding over his lower face seemed almost inconsequential next to that.
The second man had fared little better, as his arm was bent at a place it definitely was not designed to do so. Mirroring this, his lower leg was doing much the same as he collapsed to the ground.
Both men would clearly need months of healing, and in the one case may never walk properly again.
As Shampoo assessed her situation, Kasumi rushed forward. "Shampoo!" Kasumi called out, gaining her attention. The amazon looked at her quickly in some confusion. However, just as Kasumi joined her and opened her mouth to speak she felt a sense of danger. Shampoo, apparently aware of the source of such, immediately seized Kasumi and dove with her to the floor, while simultaneously tossing one of her Chui behind Kasumi.
The cause of the sensation became clear when a repeating sound of gunfire was heard and small holes appeared in the walls above them, where they had just been standing. The attack was brief as Kasumi heard a crash and a cry of pain as Shampoo's thrown weapon struck true.
Now on the ground, Kasumi adjusted quickly and looked back at their attacker, startled to see it was the same man she had paralyzed, or rather apparently hadn't. Her alarm grew though as Shampoo's attack had apparently little effect on the man, other than interrupting him, and he was already taking aim at their prone forms once more.
Fortunately, a bolt of chi slammed into the man once more interrupting him. It was quickly followed by two more, stunning him, and then a barrage, pinning him to the wall. The barrage was brief though, and to Kasumi's surprise, he seemed little phased by the attack, already switching his attention to his new attacker who was coming up the stairs. Kasumi readied herself to jump in, but such proved needless as a bolt of electricity struck the man, and this time he collapsed, unconscious.
Herb and Jupiter soon appeared at the top of the stairs. "Everyone alright?" Jupiter asked.
Kasumi, already back to her feet, looked at Shampoo who nodded, then nodded herself to Jupiter. "Yes, thank you. I was... clumsy," Kasumi admitted.
"That must have been one of those hunters," Herb said as he looked around carefully.
"Yeah, we ran into two below. Tough guys and they don't stand out much," Jupiter added.
"Yes," Kasumi concurred, looking back at the two men Shampoo had fought earlier. 'I see. Those two definitely won't be posing any further danger in that condition. Perhaps I'm taking things too lightly here,' she thought before another man peeked out into the hall.
On seeing the group, he let out a stifled cry of panic and retreated within his room, attempting to close the door, but Shampoo had already rushed forward and kicked said door in. Kasumi rushed ahead with her, finding the man cowering on the floor raising his hands defensively in front of him.
"Don't kill me! I'm just a clerk, I swear!" he cried out, giving Shampoo pause in her advance.
Able to focus on the man, and sensing no hostility, just fear, Kasumi grabbed Shampoo by the shoulder. "I think he's telling the truth."
Behind them Herb huffed. "Perhaps, but we can't leave him free," he said, but just as Kasumi started to turn to Herb to determine his intentions, the man started a new cry of panic.
"No, no, no! I didn't- god no!" he cried out, causing Kasumi to refocus on him and quickly realizing the source of his alarm. Before him, his hands were shriveling up and the effect was rapidly spreading up his arms. "OH GOD, PLEASE HELP ME!" he screamed as the effect reached his shoulders.
Pure instinct to protect took over Kasumi as she rushed forward, but both Shampoo and Herb seized her, stopping her. "Kasumi, you can't help him!" Herb said forcefully. Such proved all too true as the man was consumed within seconds, turning into a husk, like something out of an Egyptian museum. Kasumi looked on, horrified by what she had just witnessed.
"Why?" Kasumi finally asked, but got no answer. Instead, in the next moment, the man's corpse began to glow.
"Sh-" Herb half got out as he forcefully threw Kasumi back into the hall.
Kasumi did not catch what happened in the next instant. Instead an explosion rocked the room, knocking her into the opposite wall with such force she nearly lost consciousness. Seconds passed, and with her ears ringing, and in a stunned haze, only instinct allowed her to begin a self-healing process. How much time passed she was not sure before she found Jupiter checking on her.
"How you doing?" Jupiter asked in concern.
"I'm... alright," Kasumi replied and looked back to see Herb and Shampoo similarly laid out in the hall. Shampoo was bleeding from several points, as was Herb, but both were moving. "What happened?" Kasumi asked.
Kasumi got no answer as Herb instead pointed behind her and ducked. "Damn it! Hit the ground!"
Kasumi did so, although looking behind herself as she did, seeing the trouble. In the hall, the 3 men from earlier were now already husks no different from the one in the room. There was no time to get up and find cover so they had no choice but to simply get low. Just as the 3 men started to glow, Jupiter rushed between them and her companions, using herself as a shield just as a triple explosion rocked the hall.
Jupiter's intervention proved effective as only a strong wind buffeted the others. However, just as they were considering this, several more explosions could be heard below.
"What is going on?" Jupiter gave voice to the question all had.
"Whatever it is, it seems to be everywhere," Herb analyzed as he rose back to his feet. "Clearly some kind of magic."
As they pondered this, a new figure appeared at the top of the staircase, that of Grenda. "Everyone... ah, thank goodness."
"Grenda, what is happening?" Kasumi asked urgently.
"Everyone we've disable, or who has surrendered is shriveling up and exploding," Grenda replied.
"What?" Kasumi asked in confusion, but didn't get a reply.
Instead Shampoo yelled out a warning, "Get down!" As she dived to the floor once more, bullets tore through the walls of the hallway, making their way up the hall. The others, save Jupiter, took the warning, and dropped to the floor, while Jupiter once more moved to use herself as a barrier. After only a few seconds, the attack came to an end.
"Damn it, those sting like hell!" Jupiter said with a wince.
"Enough," Grenda said and getting up to a crouched position pointed at the wall and intoned a spell. A lance of light shot through the wall and a cry of pain was heard as it struck true. "Stay down," she ordered. After just a few seconds another explosion rocked the floor.
An uneasy quiet followed, with only the muffled sounds of conflict below to break it. Grenda stood up cautiously as everyone took stock of the situation. "Shampoo, how many left up here?"
"That was last one. No one left," Shampoo replied.
"And down stairs?"
Shampoo paused before answering, "Eight."
"They won't last long," Grenda said with a sigh as she considered.
It was only then that the true meaning of all of this hit Kasumi. "Just... eight? Everyone else is... they're dead?"
"Afraid so," Grenda replied grimly. "Bloody hell. I've never seen them so desperate to sacrifice their own personnel as living bombs."
"It was more than that," Herb said. "Most their energy was being drawn elsewhere."
"Ah crap! That must be the heavy hitter! Come on," Grenda instructed and rushed ahead.
Herb and Jupiter joined her, but Kasumi was still standing in a state of shock, the blood drained from her face. She was only bought out of this state as Shampoo took her by the hand. "Kasumi?" Shampoo asked in concern.
"I... I'm sorry," Kasumi said before shaking her head and rushing on, Shampoo following close behind.
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Meanwhile, the fight between Ken and the demon had taken a sharp turn for the worst for the transforming martial artist. Honestly, Ken knew it was unlikely she could win. She had felt the same foulness from this woman as Lemon, and her gauge for power had instantly warned her she was outmatched. Perhaps it would have been wiser to retreat, but somehow she doubted the woman would have let her. So going in fast and hard seemed at the time to be her best bet.
Of all the fighters she had copied, Ukyo was still the strongest, and she knew she would need that power to even make a dent. She had even pushed it further, having done further study of the martial arts chef since her fight with Kasumi and realizing her mastery of the Burning Soul was still painfully short. In this fight she pushed it further than she ever had before, drawing on that hatred she felt for this place for many years, and for a short time, it was working.
It hurt like hell, but the anger gave her that much more endurance and the demon was apparently caught off guard. For just a brief minute, Ken was even entertaining that victory here may be possible. Then her opponent pulled the dirtiest trick of them all.
"Worthless fools. If you can't fight, then I'll use your power myself," she had cursed in a lull in the fight as she looked at the exit to the pocket world. Within a moment, without even so much as a gesture, the woman's power skyrocketed. Ken had attacked immediately, hoping to interrupt the process, but it was pointless.
Ken was quickly forced onto the defensive. Even with the full burning soul in effect, the woman was now outmatching her physically and any hope of victory was gone. Then, just as things were looking bad... they got much worse.
Ken was forced once more into the burning soul to dodge a downward strike that made a huge crater in the concrete floor where she left. However, as she was looking for a follow up she felt it. A deeply sickening sensation overtook her. Instinctively she shut down the power up to recover, but the sensation just continued. For the first time she noticed her arms were shaking uncontrollably. "That's not good," she muttered and as if in confirmation, the worst yet happened. She transformed back to her native state.
Ken had trained for years to never revert to her true female form, even if knocked out, as it would endanger her true identity, and that training had held for years. Now, even though fully aware, she couldn't hold it. The sickening sensation eased somewhat, but was still present and she felt as if her strength was bleeding away rapidly.
"Aw, did the poor thin blood over stress herself?" the woman taunted as she calmly stalked forward.
Ken gritted her teeth and attempted to transform once more, but nothing happened. "Oh hell," she said before reassessing her situation. By this point her opponent was mere paces away leaving no realistic avenue for retreat. So, with a sigh, Ken chose her only remaining option. "Yeah, well, at least I didn't have to cheat like a certain pathetic loser and steal all my strength."
The woman scowled and in an instant had grabbed Ken by the throat and pinned her off the ground against a wall. "You truly have no sense of your situation, do you?" she asked, to which Ken just laughed.
"What? Touch a nerve?"
The woman sneered for a moment, then calmed and smiled. "Fine. If you wish to aggravate me, I will simply have to use you for a bit of amusement. Let's say we play a little game. How long can you keep up your mirth as I slowly break every bone in your body?"
'Great, she's a total sadist too,' Herb thought but just smiled. "Bring it on," she said calmly, inwardly thinking, 'Just keep her attention on me till they arrive... they damn well better get here fast!'
The woman smiled evilly before calmly snatching one of Ken's hands and casually bending Ken's index finger far beyond its proper bending limits.
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Somewhat fortunately for Ken, it was indeed not long before Grenda burst in, followed soon after by Herb and Jupiter. Kasumi lagged slightly behind, but as she arrived she could see the state of Ken by this point. Ken was bleeding all over, in several places bones now protruding from her exposed arms, and one even poking through her pants. The sight was enough to nearly send Kasumi once more into a state of shock. Still, Ken was alive.
Ken's attacker casually looked at them and tossed aside the broken kitsune with no regard, turning to them with an annoyed look. "Totally useless, the whole lot of them," she muttered before focusing on Jupiter intently. "Oh... now that explains it," she said and smiled creepily. "To think I'd get my shot at one of you after all these centuries."
Jupiter blinked in surprise at the odd statement. "Who are you?" she asked.
Using the moment of distraction, Kasumi rounded the area with Shampoo to get to Ken. "Oh my goodness," she said as she assessed the kitsune.
"This... is... nothing..." Ken struggled to get out before coughing up some blood.
"Don't speak," Kasumi instructed as she laid her hands on the kitsune and began healing her. "I hope this works."
"Don't..."
"I said don't speak," Kasumi instructed more forcefully, but could read Ken's intent and looked back at the woman now in a standoff with the others. Shampoo had taken up a guarding position for Kasumi, but despite being in a potential pincer, the woman seemed wholly unconcerned.
"Guess you wouldn't recognize me so easily," the woman said, smiling but then growing serious. "I suppose I should take my vengeance on you for my fallen brethren, but really, they were always a bunch of fools, following Beryl so blindly."
"A dark kingdom youma," Jupiter realized aloud.
"Formerly, now a free agent. I didn't get to participate in that attack on your kingdom. Seems now is my chance to see how I would have fared," she said, and in an instant was on the attack.
Grenda and Herb both were knocked aside so quickly neither had even a chance to react. The speed of the attack was so great, Jupiter too could not even react before she found herself thrown back against a wall which cracked and buckled under the force of the blow, stunning her.
The woman huffed, unimpressed, as her form began to shift away into something like a humanoid glob of jelly. "Come, is that all you have, Sailor Senshi?!"
Jupiter collected herself. "Not by a long shot!" she replied and went on the attack. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she yelled out as she let loose her attack.
The Youma was initially surprised and although it raised its arms in defense, the attack hit true, sending it crashing back.
Kasumi turned her attention back to Ken at this point, noting how the feel of her body was more stable. "How do you feel?" she asked.
"Terrible... but better," Ken replied. "Worry about me later," she said.
Kasumi frowned but nodded, rising to her feet to properly face the battle now taking place.
The youma had already recovered, smiling once more. "Oh, that one is new. Honestly, I think it would have done me in... were we a few centuries ago. I've had a lot of time to stock up, and you just gave me the perfect excuse to indulge," she said and shot out her arms like tendrils.
The attack gave Jupiter no time to react and she found both her arms seized. An instant later she was tossed violently through the air and into the ground on the opposite side of the Youma, the impact hitting with such force that a dust cloud resulted. The youma started to laugh as she saw Jupiter struggle to recover.
Her mirth was brought short, however, as a pair of attacks struck her from behind. A blast from Herb and a spell from Grenda both struck true, but the Youma looked merely annoyed. "Oh right, you lot are still here," she muttered before producing two new tendrils out of her back and these shot out at her two attackers. Neither Herb nor Grenda could manage to dodge and were ensnared by the jelly like appendages. "You'll make a nice snack I suppose," she said and both began to be drained of their strength.
"No!" Kasumi shouted in dismay, and dashed forward to intercede, already drawing out every drop of power she could muster. She struck the nearest tendril, that holding Grenda, with a ki charged chop, cleanly severing it, releasing the Gorgon. She moved to repeat the feat with Herb, but another tendril shot out at her this time, diverting her. It took all of her speed and agility, but she barely dodged it.
As Kasumi recovered, forced to retreat nearly half the room to evade the attack, Shampoo attacked as well, her aim much the same, to free Herb. Several chi blasts struck the tendril, but did nothing, and even Shampoo's chui were simply swallowed up by the jelly like mass when they struck. The youma seemed content to observe Shampoo's futile effort initially, that is, until Shampoo charged her own fist and struck the mass, exploding it from within. While Herb was freed, the youma sneered and turned to engage them.
However, her attention was diverted as Jupiter once more attacked with Oak Evolution. Unlike last time, the youma seemed somewhat prepared and dodged, darting to the ceiling high above then refocusing on her Senshi opponent. "You are all such an incredible bother!" she said in annoyance and shot out at Jupiter. Like before, the attack's speed was such that it gave Jupiter no time to react and she was blasted back by the force into a wall, shattering it. However, this time, Jupiter gritted her teeth and quickly stood and once more went on the attack.
With a momentary reprieve, Shampoo and Kasumi rushed to Grenda and Herb. Both were still wrapped in the jelly remains of the tendrils, but were no longer being drained. However, neither could they get up.
"How bad?" Kasumi asked Grenda as she got to her.
"Totally... drained..." Grenda managed to get out. "This... is... you need to retreat."
"We can't leave you," Kasumi insisted, but quickly looked up at the battle underway and grew grim. Jupiter was taking repeated attacks now with no let up, and it was clear her defenses were crumbling. 'If she's being overwhelmed...' Kasumi thought.
As if to confirm their dire situation, Jupiter was finally pinned to a wall by a pillar of jelly, immobilizing her. "Enough of this," the youma said and now began drawing out the energy of the Senshi. "Oh... that's nice! I like the taste of you!"
Shampoo was the first to react, firing a barrage of chi at the youma and rushed onto the attack, snatching up her chui from earlier as she did. Kasumi was about to warn her off, but it was already too late as a new tendril shot out of the youma's back and struck Shampoo square in the belly. There was no attempt to ensnare this time, and instead Shampoo was blasted back so fast Kasumi could barely keep track of her, only able to helplessly watch as she crashed into the ceiling with enough force to shatter it. Shampoo's limp form fell to the floor with the debris from the roof.
Once more Kasumi drew on everything she had in a desperate bid to reach Shampoo. She did not make it though. The youma shot out another tendril, and this time Kasumi found no opportunity to evade, instead only having just enough time to shield herself. Like with Shampoo, the blow struck with such force that Kasumi could hardly fathom it. She felt herself thrown violently through the air, then equally violently smash through a wall and into the chamber within.
On coming to a halt, Kasumi tried to take in a breath, but instead felt a bang of pain in her lungs, quickly coughing up blood. 'No, I can't let this end like this,' she thought desperately as she concentrated on self-healing once more and struggled back to her feet. As she finally did regain her footing, she had an opportunity to take in her surroundings, and stopped in horrified shock.
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Outside, the youma saw the results of her latest attack and sighed. "Damn it, tossed her into the merchandise," she muttered and severed her connection to Jupiter, but left her pinned to the wall by the jelly. "You stay there, I'll eat you later," she said before walking over to the hole in the wall left by Kasumi's impact. She arrived just inside the hole in time to hear a growl. "Hmh?" she got out just as a figure cloaked in pure darkness attacked her from the side.
The ferocity of the attack caught the youma by surprise as the black blur sliced and clawed at her in an unending stream of attacks, the violent intent on another level from all of those she had received so far. No, this opponent was looking to kill.
Still, it took only a moment for her to collect herself. The blows themselves, while deadly to most, were of little consequence to her. She had more than enough energy reserve to regenerate her body a thousand times over, a stockpile carefully accumulated over all her years on this plane. This attack was no real threat in the end, just yet another nuisance for the day.
As the youma reassembled herself from the onslaught, she realized her new opponent was in fact Kasumi once again, now cloaked in an aura of darkness drawn from the energies around her. "Interesting," the youma said but shrugged. "On another day, I might have played with you a bit longer. Not today," she said. As Kasumi went on the attack once again, this time the woman's arm glowed and in an instant, just as Kasumi would connect, a tendril charge with that energy slammed Kasumi through yet another wall. The youma sighed once more. "Now look what you made me do!"
The youma followed Kasumi through the new hole and found her lying unconscious upon the marble like structure the youma woman knew all too well, blood from several wounds dripping onto and staining the formerly perfectly white finish. "You better not have broken that," she said before pausing as a new sensation came to her. "Great, more intruders. Stay there. Might need you to recharge later," she said, pinning Kasumi down with a large glob of her jelly before walking out the nearest door.
Outside she stopped at seeing the newest entry, that of a man. The youma shook her head and laughed. "You really should have run, human. As is, I'm very annoyed, and very hungry."
"Oh?" the man replied and looked across the way to regard Jupiter still immobilized against the wall. "I see."
The youma examined the man with a scowl. 'He's taking me awfully casually,' she thought and decided to shatter whatever confidence the man had, rushing onto the attack, forming her jelly arm into a blade, intent on slashing out his eye. Her attack flowed by him, but she felt none of the resistance she expected, her attack passing cleanly by.
"How annoying," she muttered as she turned to the man once more, who still looked unconcerned by her presence. "Just who do you think you are?" she asked rhetorically before attacking in a flurry, now with both arms as blades. Much to her shock, even with this, nothing landed and the man simply slipped away, appearing next to Jupiter.
"I see this one is rather tough," he said.
Jupiter weakly raised her head. "Youma... dark... kingdom..." she struggled to get out.
"Ah, that would explain it," he said.
"And just who are you?" The youma asked.
"No one of importance, but if you must have my name, it is Ixion. I don't suppose you would be amicable to surrender?" he responded.
"Yours?"
"No, yours. Why would I surrender to someone as weak as you?" he replied.
The youma sneered. "Oh, you'll regret that!" she said and drew on more of her power and renewed her attack. However, like before, she could not connect, hitting nothing but air. Frustrated, she kept drawing on more and more power, increasing the speed of her attacks as she did. At last she felt it, the sensation of resistance against her blade as she drew it across his cheek. However, any satisfaction she felt at this was instantly gone as another sensation hit her.
Ixion walked clear of the exchange which ended suddenly. A katana that had not been there before was now in his hand which he was already finishing the process of sheaving. "Ironic, were you just a bit weaker, I would have been helpless to intervene," he said, tracing a finger over his cheek where a trickle of blood was.
The youma did not hear these words as its essence was already destroyed. It's body melted away, and then vanished entirely. With it, the other masses of jelly likewise vanished, freeing their victims, and their strength seemed to quickly return.
"You really are powerful," Grenda said as she regained her footing.
"Yes, but only able to use such against actual threats," Ixion explained before looking about to confirm everyone's status. "Looks like you're all alive, although not all in the best shape."
"Kasumi?" Herb asked as he got to his feet.
"I don't see her," Ixion said.
Grenda gestured to the building. "In there. I'll check on her. You check on Shampoo."
Herb reluctantly nodded and limped his way over to Shampoo's fallen form. He arrived just in time to see Shampoo roll weakly onto her side.
"I... okay," Shampoo said as she struggled to a sitting position.
"You sure?" Herb asked and received a nod in reply.
"No know how, feel weak, but not badly hurt," Shampoo explained.
Satisfied, and further recovered, Herb returned his attention to Kasumi and moved to join Grenda while Ixion helped a recovering Jupiter to stand. He got through the hole in the wall before stopping and looking around the room in shock. "What... in the heaven's name is this?" he asked through clenched teeth.
Standing not far away, Grenda simply shook her head. "This, dear prince, is the unfortunate resting place of more than I can count, although it is no place to rest," Grenda she said.
Herb turned away from the shelves to a station against a wall. Given any other context it might have been overlooked as some kind of handy man's bench, but to Herb its true purpose was all too clear. The Musk prince was certainly not one to be prone to being overwhelmed, but in the current surroundings he found himself suddenly feeling sick. "Where's Kasumi?" he asked, looking for anything else to focus his mind on.
"Right," Grenda said with a sudden shake of her head and led the way through the other hole in the wall. There Kasumi lay on the concrete and both rushed over to her. "She's in surprisingly good shape," Grenda said after a quick inspection and intoned a spell over her. "Come on, this is no place to be taking a nap," she muttered as the magic took hold over the downed martial artist.
Kasumi responded quickly, rolling over to look at the ceiling in confusion. "Man, I must have had one hell of a bender last night," she commented, much to Grenda's and Herb's mutual confusion. She sat up and looked between the two. "Head feels like I got run over by a herd of rampaging broncos. How did I get here?"
"Kasumi?" Herb asked in uncertainty.
"Kasumi?" she echoed back, looking at Herb in some confusion. "I think you got me confused with someone else there fella. Name's Tex."
Grenda exchanged a confused look with the Musk Prince, neither having any response to this development.
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End Chapter 57
Next time in A Scary Thought: With Kasumi's normal personality missing, the crew must venture into her mind to retrieve it or potentially lose Kasumi forever.
For those a bit confused on the crossovers: Usagi, Rei, Minako, Makoto, Ami, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Setsuna, Luna, and Artemis are all from Sailor Moon. Kitsune has her ties to the X-files, but only in that she's a fanatic of similar interests rather than appearing in said show. Saki and Sampei are from Sukeban Deka. You may also notice Frost borrowing a spell from here or there; in particular Gargoyles and Illusionaries are two prime targets. Speaking of Gargoyles, if you're a fan of the series you may have already figured this out, but La Bac is Cabal spelt backwards. Also Gen-U-Tech is also a business from Gargoyles. Does that mean this is a Gargoyles crossover? At this point, probably not. I have tried to square the circle of Gargoyles time travel mechanics with my story and it just isn't working and unfortunately they are too key to Gargoyles continuity to just ignore so most likely Gargoyles will remain just a shout out kinda crossover but not official. Anyway, besides that we have Chun Li, Rose, Shadow Lady, Shadow, Gill and the previously shown Karin and Sakura which come from Street Fighter series (Rose, Karin and Sakura from Street Fighter Alpha 3, Shadow and Shadow Lady from Marvel vs Capcom, Chun Li from much of the Street Fighter series, and now Gill from Street Fighter III). As for Ranko, well she's from my other major fanfic, Most Unlikely of Friends, although you can largely consider her standard Ranma trapped in female form for most purposes. And lastly comes dear old Siren who is from Dreiser's story 'Black Rose Blue Thunder'. I won't be using her much but she fits a temporary need. Be Dea comes from D B. Sommers fic Shampoo ½, and if you haven't read it, do so, now! I've also previously mentioned Perfume from same fic (although this story has two Perfumes being mentioned, the other being from my own Most Unlikely of Friends). Garnet was first mentioned by Jim Bader in A Very Scary thought I believe, but whatever the case I don't believe he ever actually appeared in any of Jim's stories, although I could be wrong. As already mentioned, Miku, Neru and Haku are vocaloid character, but just cameo's for them.
On a side note for those crossovers, it recently came to my attention that some believe I am crossed with Negima. I'm actually not, but out of curiosity I checked out Negima and could certainly see the similarities (a lot of them in fact, and was quite surprised seeing as I had never even heard of Negima until it was mentioned). That got the proverbial wheels in my head turning about potential crossovers so... maybe, but don't count on it. As Uq Holder, Negima's continuation, is still in progress and throwing in all kinds of new curve balls, I'll probably be forced to steer clear.
Speaking of things I'm not crossed with, two notable ones are Ah My Goddess and Tenchi! Jim liked to use the latter a great deal, and I believe he might have used the former too, although less sure on that, but either way I have decided both are ultimately incompatible with my vision of my story world.
Website... does my website even exist anymore? Well, I have it on my hard drive still, but that hardly counts. Needless to say, if you do stumble on it, it's hopelessly out of date.
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