Author Note: So this story has undergone a major revision/re-write I recommend re-reading the first chapter to get a full grasp on what you are reading since some changes have been made by my beta-reader and co-Author Timberline-Wolf.
HK Chapter: 2
The next morning found Ranma woken from her box with a sudden heaviness in the air. Hopping up silently she instinctively took a few sniffs, nose raised high, as she spread her senses outward. 'What Is this? I haven't felt anything like this since Saffron... or that fight underwater with the shark at the beach? Neither seem quite right but together it might come close.'
It didn't take her long to find to source, not that it was easy. Spreading out in this pressure felt akin to blowing a balloon underwater. What she found as she cautiously made her way to the back garden, was another one of those shinigami guys, though he apparently thought the normal outfit too plain for him.
Sitting atop one of the stones surrounding the koi pond, Wearing a lady's pink kimono over his shoulder's like a cloak, all Ranma could really see was long dark hair in a ponytail and a sharp stubbled chin beneath the rim of his wide, conical straw hat. While he wasn't making any overtly hostile actions, Ranma was nonetheless cautious as she stepped out onto the walkway.
It had been quite some time since Shunsui had last visited the living world, what with the restrictions and all. Still, when he heard from his old friend Jushiro that a group of his subordinates, including one of his third seats, had received quite a beating from a hollow lingering in the Living World, He volunteered to go look in his stead. When he got the details from the recovering unit, he was even more interested.
'An Arrancar in the Living World! Will wonders never cease!' He broke from his thoughts at the sensation of someone feeling him out feathered out from the upstairs room. 'Hooo~! That's quite a power there! No wonder those guys had it so rough. Still, none of those blows were fatal...'
Though the feelers had almost immediately rescinded, there was no missing when the lovely creature finally left the house. It was a near thing though, the girl might give Soifon a run for her money in the stealth department.
Tilting his head over his shoulder, Shunsui finally got a good look at his host of the evening. Even with that cloak she wore, he could easily tell she was a very fine young woman. However, while never one to not appreciate a beauty in front of him, it was really her eyes that caught his focus.
Though they were as clear a blue as the noonday sky, the depth of them rivaled the sea. And while not outright hostile, the catlike slits were certainly wary. It reminded him of a street cat cornered in the ally... Or a tiger eyeing a rival. 'Definitely more the tiger, this one.' he inwardly noted.
Raising a hand in greeting, he turned to her with an affable closed-eye smile. "Hajimemashite! Mokou Ojou-chan!" He noted the prominent twitch at the corner of her eye at his address. Reaching down his far side he pulled up a large picnic bento and set it beside him on the stones. "Would you care to join me?" he inquired.
He studied her carefully as she tensed, almost imperceptibly, as he withdrew the box from hiding. 'Clearly on the lookout for an attack she is. Though that's understandable, she has been attacked twice now by us. Still, that seemed too practiced. She's used to danger. Then again, she Is a Hollow, perhaps that too is normal.' he inwardly considered.
"You ain't gonna start off swingin' at me too?" She toned, while rough, was steady as a rock, though he noted her usage of male pronouns. 'Hoo? A Tomboy perhaps?' He waved her off with a chuckle.
"Mah, Mah, I'd rather avoid a fight if I can help it. Talking is much preferred on my end." 'Especially as it would only lead to needless destruction if I did.' he inwardly thought.
The girl gave him an indecipherable look. "On yer Honor? Ya ain't here to start nothing?" She looked at him searching for the lie. Having heard the emphasis she put on the word 'Honor', Shunsui got to his feet and brought his hat to his heart.
"I am Captain of the Eighth Division, Shunsui Kyoraku. On My Honor as Captain, I bear you no ill will, Mokou-Ojou-chan." He gave a respectful, though not deep, bow. Immediately, he noticed a shift in her demeanor. Now fully relaxed, she hopped off the patio and came up to him, about six feet away.
With her own easy-going, confident smile she bowed in turn. "I am Ranma Saotome, of Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. On my Honor as a Martial Artist, I Won't start nothing if you don't, Captain." She'd chosen those words carefully, the unspoken threat blunted by her smug grin.
He merely smiled as he donned his hat. "My thanks, Saotome-san. I hope we can continue to resolve this peacefully." he gestured back to the bento, "Shall we?"
As Shunsui unpacked the bento, he commented, "In truth, I'm quite grateful for your willingness to talk. By our accounts, you are quite powerful. Those boys you put down were no small fighters."
Not waiting for an invitation, she had immediately started with an onigiri, only to pause at his words. The look she gave him was mildly incredulous. "You serious? Even Kuno and Mousse coulda put those guys down!" She took a large bite and thought for a second. "Well, maybe not all at once for Kuno, but certainly one-on-one, they were all weaker than our lowest fighter out here." Her tone was so nonchalant as to make him blink.
"Hooo~? That's quite a statement!" He said jovially as he poured them both a cup of sake, handing her one with a smile before raiding it in a toast. "Here. Let us drink! As friends."
She hesitated on taking the proffered cup. "I don't s'pose ya brought any tea or nothing? Drinkin''s not really my thing..."
Shunsui gave an apologetic smile, "I'm afraid I had not considered such. Most of the strong women I know are quite the drinkers. Forgive me for presuming as such."
He made to take the drink back but was stopped as she instead took the proffered drink, muttering as she did, "Geeze, now ya made it about pride. Yare yare, one cup shouldn't be too bad." She visibly steeled herself before throwing it all back.
Shunsui merely smiled as he took his own drink and refilled their cups, noting her already-flushed cheeks as she coughed on the burn. Maybe getting her to talk would be easier than he feared.
"So, Ranma-chan. Tell me about yourself. Your speech is quite masculine for such an elegant beauty?"
He was surprised at her disdainful scoff. "Tha's cause I ain't a girl damnit! Imma guy jus' like you an' the rest o' those idiotas." She threw back her drink without really seeming to notice it this time.
"Ehh? How's that? You're certainly prettier than any other fellow I've ever met." Shunsui egged her on in unfeigned interest, very carefully ignoring the thought of that one, rather effeminate fellow from Squad Eleven.
"Well hombre, it all started when my Old man dragged us out ta China on a trainin' journey..." And so, for the next hour or so, Shunsui listened on in mild awe as the young Arrancar vented her(his?) life to him. A story so wild, he probably wouldn't have believed it sober. A tale of cursed springs, rivals, fiances, idiot rivals, and martial feats equal to those of a Captain. And he could tell she'd left quite a bit out.
By the time the kid wound down, they'd gone through the full range of emotions, only to end up solemnly staring down at the pond, her pipe in her hand.
Shunsui sat in silence for a moment, just sipping his drink, the food by now long gone. When he felt he'd let her stew long enough, he asked, voice quiet, "That's certainly quite the life you've led, Saotome-chan. But, I must wonder. After all of that, why stay here?" He watched from the corner of his eye as she took a moment or two to even register his query.
Slowly, as though moving through slurry, she blinked, then turned to him with a look of complete bafflement, quickly giving way to anger. "What the Hell kinda question is that Pendejo?"
Back inside, Kasumi gave a sudden shudder as she looked out the open window toward the koi pond. "Ara ara, was there suppose to be a wind storm today?" Deciding not to take the chance she closes the windows.
Shunsui's eyebrows rose at the chill wind that was now billowing around his companion. 'Yare yare, that's quite the reiatsu she has.' Still, he decided to let her continue for a bit, lest he give her the answer to the wrong question.
"Why stay 'ere? This is my Home! This is the only home I've ever known! These folks're my Familia! It's my duty to protect them, as a Martial Artist!" At this point, her rage, which had started cool, was now beginning to freeze. "And even if that wasn't an issue, where else am I s'posed to go." This last sentence wasn't even a question, but a statement of immutable fact for her.
Shunsui had to hold his hat in place by the end of it, the winds now rattling some of the windows. His face stoic in the face of her anger, he said, "I'd advise you to calm yourself, Saotome-chan. Can you not see what you are doing?", He nodded his head to the pond next to them, indicating the thin layer of ice creeping over it. He noted her barely taking her eyes off him, but it was enough for her to see the issue.
Closing her eyes and taking a breath, he watched as the winds died down, and the air became a more seasonable temperature. Though the pond ice remained. Setting his cup down, he looked up at the sky, the gathering clouds slowing dispersing. "Gomen-ne, Saotome-chan. I did not mean offense. I was simply curious. It is quite rare to see Arrancar such as yourself at all, much less hanging around the living world as you are. So I wanted to know what made you return here?"
"Whadya mean 'Return here'? I never left."
He gave her a raised eyebrow, "Hmm?"
She gave an exasperated sigh, "I woke up on the bench where I 'passed out' after savin' a kid, come back home to everyone 'ignoring' me, then wake up the next morning only to find out I been dead for five years! I ain't gone nowhere to return from!"
'Well! That answers a couple of questions. Only it raises a dozen more!' Outwardly he merely said, "Well that does give your responses so far some much-needed context." At her questioning brow, he continued, "Hollows and Shinigami are usually mortal enemies. As it is the duty of the Shinigami to protect and shepherd the souls of the living and recently deceased from the predations of Hollows, who eat said, souls." he finished by polishing off the last of his sake.
Ranma, he noted, had gone wide-eyed at the beginning, only for her pupils to narrow into slits as her hand drifted slowly to her back. He sighed as he heard the familiar 'click' of a hand grasping a hilt. Reaching out at one of his better speeds, Shunsui grasped her hand as it held the hilt.
"You swore on your Honor that you would not start anything. Was I mistaken to believe that oath?" His voice calm and his face stone, he watched as she gave a small gasp, her eyes once slits now open pools.
With a slight shake of her head, she forced a grin on her face letting go of her sword. "Nah, you weren't mistaken, hombre. Ya just caught me off guard with the whole 'mortal enemies' shtick." She gently shook off his hand. As if she suddenly remembered it was there, she took a drag from her pipe, and asked, "Still though, you folks seem rather friendly for being 'Mortal Enemies'."
At this Shunsui actually gave a light chuckle as he scratched his head, "Well, from our perspective, it's actually you who's the friendly one. I can hardly recall any time a hollow has willingly talked with any of us without it being threats, gloating, or monologuing."
He gave the redhead a smile. "That's actually the reason why I'm here, alone. The fact that you, very deliberately, did not kill our guys showed us you weren't actually a threat."
At her affronted look, he made to amend his statement. "Powerful, to be sure. I mean no disregard for you and your ability, but you aren't what I'd call a threat to Soul Society." He scratched his cheek, "Technically, I'm not supposed to be talking to you. Yama-ji will likely give me quite the scolding for it later." He gave an embarrassed chuckle at the admission
Shunsui gave a mental sigh as her gaze narrowed on him, the flush in her cheeks from the drink all but gone now. 'Interesting, she worked that alcohol out of her system rather quickly. Something to do with that perhaps?' He very deliberately did not look at the pipe in the corner of her mouth now.
"Soo..." She let out with a stream of smoke.
Shunsui pondered, 'And how exactly does it work? I never saw her load or light the thing. And the smoke neither smells nor lasts...Actually, it looks more like frost breath. Hmmm.'
He was shaken from his musings as she continued, "Does that mean we're coming to the real reason ya showed up hombre? Now that I spilled my guts out?" Her Cheshire grin was on full display.
Shunsui gave a waned smile in return. "Indeed, Mokou-Ojou-chan. While my mission here is technically to dispatch you, I see no reason why I cannot simply persuade you to leave." He held up a hand to forestall any retort. "Before you say anything, let me ask you something. Did you feel it, when I arrived here?"
Taken aback by his sudden question, her response was thoughtful. "Yeah? Felt like I was back at the bottom of the sea. Only the 'sea' was power. I haven't felt power like that since I fought Saffron in China."
Making a mental note to look into that, she hadn't mentioned earlier, He continued, "Well, that was actually just a portion of my strength." He paused a moment to let that fully sink in, her slitted eyes widening slightly. "You see, a Captain's power is so great that it can cause problems for the living, even those without any spiritual awareness. As such we must wear a limiter before we can travel here." He looked at her pointedly, gauging her reaction. "Power, not unlike what you seem to possess."
It took her a moment before it seemed to click in her head. With a quiet "Mierda."she clenched her eyes and gave a sigh so rough, it was practically a growl. "So let get this straight. This big danger those idiotas were barkin' about earlier, was simply me bein' here?" His only reply being a small, sad, smile.
"Perfecta!" she spat, before taking a deep drag on her pipe, which seemed to cool her down... somewhat.
"So, hombre. If what you say is true, and I really am a danger to my familia..." She trailed off, her gaze searching. "Ya've been straight 'nough with me so far. What would you suggest?" her eye sharpened, "Besides cutting my head off!"
He couldn't help but chuckle at that. Indeed, that had been the initial intent in sending him. "Well, you could always go back to the Hollow world, Hueco Mundo?"
The look she gave him put him startlingly in mind of his lovely Nanao-chan. "Uh-huuuuh." Her demeanor became suddenly, aristocratic. "And, how, pray tell, am I to locate this, Hueco Mundo?"
Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Well now. That might be a bit tricky for me. As I understand it, Hollows are supposed to know instinctively how to open a portal back 'home'." Shunsui made sure to put an emphasis on the air-quotes, "I believe your kind refer to it as a Garganta. Unfortunately, Hollows and Shinigami perform this act very differently from each other, so I can't really tell you how to do it." He finished off with a shrug.
The dispassionate look of utter disappointment she gave him might've been enough to make him sweat, were he a lesser man. 'Yare yare daze, that look could almost rival Yama-ji!'
"How very...helpful." She swore the ice in her voice actually misted the air. She took another drag on her pipe. "You've seen it used?"
Blink, blink... "Pardon?"
"This Garganta thing, hombre. You seen it used before?" she wasn't even looking at him now, though he wasn't too sure he really minded that, given the intensity of her gaze. 'I kinda feel sorry for those fish though.' he inwardly thought.
He cleared his throat to give himself a bit to think. "Hmm. Well, yes. It's a bit fuzzy though. I don't get out on the field very much anymore these days, and we aren't exactly known for letting them run away you see. But yes, I believe I saw it once or twice in my youth."
"Good enough. Describe it for me, best ya can. Just what ya saw."
Shunsui could see where she was going with this. He fingered his chin wracking his memory for as much detail as he could, "Not entirely sure how helpful it'll be. One simply howled as it fled, the portal opening before it. It wasn't one of the talkative ones. The other, hmm, I believe it slashed a line across the sky with its claw? That one was further away, so I didn't get as good a look."
The redhead nodded and took another pull. "Alright. Now, how do you guys do it?"
He gave her a guarded glance, "Why? Hollows cannot enter Soul Society."
The look he got in return was very familiar. It was the 'Are you really that stupid?' look he got during his youth. Mostly from the young women, he was often chasing. Indeed, she said as much.
"I didn't take you for an idiot, hombre. Regardless of the school, all techniques are built upon the same foundational principles. If you can understand the underlying principles of one technique, you can build on that to create your own version of it with what ya got. All it takes is a little observation, then experimentin' till ya got it. Now, How, do you guys, open yer portal?"
The patronizing way she'd explained it to him actually reminded him of some of Mayuri's... more friendly lectures to others he'd heard. 'Still, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to humor her.'
With a smile, Shunsui said, "I see. Well, we shinigami use our zanpakuto to open the Senkaimon." He patted his twin hilts at his side for emphasis. "Taking our blade, we drive it forward and turn it like a key." Taking up his empty saucer, he demonstrated the motion. "Making sure, as we do so, to imbue it with our reiryoku and will our destination into being. Such a skill can take time to learn, so only those who have mastered it are allowed to take a post in this world."
She watched his demonstration, then glanced back up at him, "Kay. And how do ya 'Will' your destination?" As he opened his mouth to refuse such information, she held up her hand "I'm not askin' ya t tell how to get to your place. I'm askin' how You," she pointed her pipe at him, "Find your place. You say you 'will it', but how do ya go about it?"
"Ahh, I see what you mean, now." Taking a moment packing the bento back together, he thought about how best to relate it.
"Well, when coming here, to the Living World, generally are given a sense of where our destination is. Sensors, recordings, and such. We are taught to keep a firm image in mind of our destination, otherwise, it's simply 'to the Living World'. When going back to Soul Society, we typically envision the entry courtyard. Personally, I've always thought of 'home' when coming back."
Saotome gave him a waned smile. "Home, eh?" She looked back toward the house. "Not too sure where that is anymore, really.." With another pull on her pipe, she pushed off the rock with her free hand. To his amusement, she flew five feet in the air to alight daintily on her feet. "Well, the Art's not gonna learn itself." She turned back to him, her face a myriad of emotions. "Any other life alterin' revelations ya got for me, Capitán?"
Shunsui couldn't help but chuckle at her dismissive attitude, her tone now reminding him much more of a different, more bloodthirsty, captain. Deciding to have a little fun himself, he repeated her little performance. "Not that I can truly think of right now, Mokou-Ojou-chan. Though I am afraid I must ask. What are your intentions going forward, after this?" She twitched again at the name. He supposed the drink must've truly worn off by now.
Watching as she took yet another slow drag on her little pipe, he was struck by just how small the Arrancar truly was. Compared to his 6' 3" height, she barely came up to his pecks. She truly looked like the child she was to him.
She didn't so much blow the smoke as simply let it trickle out as she spoke. The way it fell from her lips reminded him of an old painting he once saw of a dragon with smoke trailing from its jaws.
"For now, I'm gonna be focusin' on trying to make that Garganta thing you were talkin' 'bout. I got some serious thinking to do after this, an' well, bein' dead's been kinda boring so far." she flashed him a Cheshire grin, "Well, 'cept when yer boys come around at least." She put her hand to her hip, unintentionally spreading her cloak, giving him a rather pleasant view of her cleavage. "Still," he raised an eyebrow as her eyes took on a slight glow, only noticeable due to the setting sun.
"I can tell ya ain't lying to me, least ways. I'll say you've convinced me, for now, at least." She turned her gaze to the brightening moon. "I'll stick around for a bit yet as I figure out that technique, no more 'an a couple o' days at most. After that?" she shrugged. "Guess we'll see, neh?"
Shunsui could only hum in the affirmative, turning his gaze skyward likewise. With a melancholy tone, he continued, "I suppose we will... My thanks, Mokou-Ojou-chan, for the lovely conversation. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but as much as I'd like to, I hope we don't meet again any time soon." He gave her a serious look. "If we do, I doubt I'll be given the luxury to simply converse."
'Don't be here when I come back.' he inwardly thought.
To his astonishment, what was meant as a serious warning merely elicited a bark of laughter! "That's right! You did say you'd be in for a scolding, didn't you? Haha!" she gave him the cockiest grin he had ever seen, even among the Eleventh Division.
"Like I said. Couple o' days an' I'll be gone. On my Honor." And with that, she turned and made her way toward, what he presumed to be a dojo. Waving her hand as she walked away, "Adios, Amigo."
Shunsui gave a last chuckle as he disappeared in a burst of Shunpo.
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True to Ranma's expectations, it didn't take her all that long to figure out how to open that portal thing the Captain Guy had been talking about. As he'd said, it'd been near instinctual, once she knew what she was trying to accomplish. Not having ever been one to know how to handle the 'mushy stuff'', she figured it was better to just rip off the bandage and be done with it.
So it was that two days later found atop the roof, sucking pensively on her now favorite pipe. She cast her gaze around one last time, taking in the view of what had been her home for the last two years of her life. With a final breath, she turned toward the setting sun in the west and slashed out with her claws.
Watching as the dark, maw-like doorway opened, she noted just how appropriate the name 'Garganta' was. "Really does look like I'm going down a giant throat." And with that, she vanished into the darkness.
Ranma's first impression of her 'New World' was... not good. "This is my afterlife? What dump."
Before her lay a forest of giant, white trees, the tops so high as to be mere shadows to her sharp eyes. Dipping to one knee, she dug up a handful of the fine white sand that covered the ground, noting the oddly pleasant texture and coolness of the grains as she let it sift through her fingers. "Feels like I'm back at the beach, but without the water and smell."
Brushing off her hands, she realized that despite what should have been looming darkness under the trees, she could see perfectly fine. As though the very air itself was illuminated. 'Must be those Fox eyes of mine. That makes sense, they like hunting at dusk, right?'
Going up to the closest tree, that being the only real thing of note to look at so far, Ranma realized after a moment that it wasn't actually a tree. In fact, it was made of some kind of quartz-like material.
Stashing her pipe, she extended her claws and dug them into the 'tree'. In short order, Ranma had a nice shard in her grasp, roughly the size of a water bottle. Taking a closer look at it, she realized that despite the cloudy white surface, the inside was actually rather clear, barring the damage from her extraction.
With a low whistle, she balanced it point first on the tip of her finger. "Damn! If Nabiki found out about this place, she'd pro'lly have a field day!"
Deciding to take it with her for something to do later, Ranma propped her hands behind her head as she unconsciously sniffed the air and picked a direction to start walking.
Ranma sighed in contentment as she wandered about with her eyes closed. Honestly, she'd kinda missed this feeling. As nice as it had been to have someplace to call home, Ranma had gotten used to the nomad life growing up.
The past hundred miles or so had been pretty peaceful, really. Although she had yet sensed a drop of water in this seemingly endless forest, desert, whatever, Ranma had realized rather early after being told she was just a spirit just she did not actually need to eat or drink. Though she still did it out of habit mostly. And a desire to mess with Nabiki.
Seeing as how there wasn't exactly all that much to see in this place, Ranma had decided rather early on to work on her awareness as she traveled. Trusting in her sense of direction to get her on track, she was pleased to note she had not once bumped into anything during her travels. However, her peaceful trek came to an abrupt end as she felt something brush the edge of her awareness.
Eyes shooting open in slits, Ranma turned toward the source of the disturbance, only to be caught completely flat-footed at what she saw. Almost half a kilometer away, what first appeared to be two, black trees, turned out to actually be six-story tall giants. The only features on them being the identical, bone-white masks with huge pointed noses, and a collar of spikes around their neck.
Oddly, the sight of them made her remember a jingle from an American cartoon she'd seen Akane watching before she left. Something about an evil pharmacist?
Unfortunately, it seemed they noticed her at the exact same time.
"Mierda!" she hissed as the figures turned toward her in sync, before opening their gaping maws as orbs of red energy that seemed to eat the light around them formed between their teeth.
Ranma needed no prompting as they loosed the condensed energy in two, laser-like blasts directly where she had been. Of course, they hit absolutely nothing as she had been long gone by that point. Though the explosion behind her certainly did wonders to speed her on her way.
'Yeah! Ain't no way I'm taking on a pair of freakin' Kaiju when I don't hafta!' she inwardly exclaimed.
As Ranma continued to leave the scene (she was most certainly not running away), she noticed a neat little cubby hole not far off the direction she was heading. Heading for it, she idly noted that the continued sounds of explosions were actually quite distant. Still, it was the only other thing of note she'd found so far.
It wasn't long before she arrived at the small cave entrance, the opening only just large enough for her to squeeze through. Making her way inside with nothing better to do, she was suddenly glad she'd spent that time navigating blind. Despite her apparent night vision, it was still incredibly dark inside.
Navigating the tunnel with little difficulty, it wasn't long until she was entering a cavern faintly illuminated with a light blue hue giving Ranma a better glimpse of her surroundings. Thankfully, she'd had the foresight to shield her eyes before going in fully, lest she be blinded by the torches lining the walls.
"Well, well, well. What have we here? A little insect has wandered into our midst?" a smarmy voice called out from somewhere inside.
Not feeling threatened in the slightest, she didn't sense anything worthwhile, Ranma scanned her surroundings. There were several rock formations the guy could be hiding behind. 'Yeah, need to work on that sensory awareness more. Not walkin' into trees is one thing, not findin' an opponent is another.'
"Insect? Do you mean me?" she put her finger to her lips, drawing on her experience scamming food vendors to sound as bubbly and dumb as she could.
"Who else would we be talking to, Little Bug?" the guy sneered as he stalked out, revealing a large figure. Ranma's eyes quickly assessed the first, intelligent, being she come across since arriving in this world.
Roughly seven feet tall, with mottled dark purple skin, the guy bore a full bi-colored fox mask, with glowing, angular yellow eyes. The top half from just below the eyes a deep indigo. Built roughly like a gorilla, one might at first mistake his muscles for strength, but to Ranma it was just natural bulk. Though mostly naked, she was thankful that the guy was at least wearing a ragged loincloth.
Joining him were another four figures all of varying sizes and colors, including a fat dude with a bulls mask, a spindly dude that looked like an ant with four arms, a figure that defied categorization possessing four arms and a long, furred tail, and lastly what appeared to be a cross between a fish and a bat?
Giving them all an oblivious, wide-eyed look, Ranma protested. "Ara ara, but I'm not a bug? I'm a fox, just like you! Isn't he the only bug here?" she pointed towards the ant-like man, very much like a young child.
The fish-bat snickered, "She's got you there, Mushi."
Ant dude bristled at the insult, "Urusei! For the last time, it's Noshi! I'm an insect, not a bug!"
Much as she enjoyed this, this was still her first chance for some answers.
"I'm sorry, I got chased in here by some scary, giant black snowmen with laser beams! Who are you? What were those things?"
Lazy ass panda that he was, Genma still knew how to sell a scam. And after years of living on the road, Ranma was just as proficient. The trick was to add just enough truth to make it believable. And it didn't fail her now as Foxy gave a derisive laugh.
"You must be super new here, Chicita. Those are Gillians. The mindless hollows that consumed so much that they lost their individuality. We, on the other hand, are Adjuchas." He said with pride.
'blink, blink' "Salúd."
"I wasn't sneezing damnit!" He roared, ignoring the chuckles of his friends. "Adjuchas are the next stage of evolution after Gillian. We're among those elites who managed to keep their sanity through the power haze and evolve!" At this triumphant declaration, he began stalking towards her. "And we do that by swiping up any little bug we come across."
Taking that as their cue, the whole group charged en masse. The poor fools never knew what hit them.
This was mainly because their quarry took that moment to vanish from sight and extinguish every light in the room. Being so used to the torchlight, the only one that didn't outright panic at first was the fish-bat. Sadly, it did really help him all that much as everyone else decided the best idea was to attack at random. He was the first victim.
All in all, it wasn't even thirty seconds before they were all knocked on their asses, the only remaining sounds that of groaning and wheezing.
Noshi, being the last one conscious, was the only one to see as a small pale blue light illuminate their would-be prey as they smoked a pipe 'Where did she get a pipe?' The source of the light turned out to be a small fist-sized ball of energy held in her hand.
The light, combined with the shadows and mist she was breathing, cast her unimpressed face into such a terrifying visage that Noshi was suddenly glad the hollows couldn't void themselves. Else he surely would have.
Taking one last drag and blowing it directly at him, she challenged, "Had enough? Or you guys want round two?"
Feeling the darkness creeping in, he could only accept his fate as he croaked out, "No-...No more. No more." The last thoughts in his mind being 'Note to self. If I make it out of this, don't mess with the Palmtop Tiger.'
Ranma pondered over her handiwork inwardly thinking, 'I thought they would be at least a work out but that was pathetic.' With a sigh she let the ball of light dissipate, making a mental note to train this new energy she now had access to. It was almost like ki, but different enough to matter.
As she began to make her way toward the apparent exit, she was stopped by the suddenly less smarmy, and slightly confused, Foxy.
"Wait, aren't you gonna eat us?" the formerly domineering Leader of this little band wasn't sure how to feel about this. Survival of the fittest was how they had lived their whole afterlife here. It was the Way of the Hollows. To refuse to eat those you defeated generally meant two things. One, you deemed them worthy enough to serve you. or, Two, more commonly, you saw them as too weak to bother with.
While it galled him to think she saw them as insignificant, at the same time, he also really didn't feel like dying right now. He could do without the headache though.
Ranma, unaware of any of this, simply shakes her head. "No, no, no. Eatin' things that talk back don't sit right with me." She gives him a contemplative look, "But, since yer awake, ya mind telling me which way to get outta here?"
With a pained grunt and a shaky cough, Foxy managed to lever himself up just enough to point at one of the tunnels.
"Take the corridor over there. It'll take you back up to the Surface" The large fox man said pointing towards a tunnel.
Ranma raises her eyebrow at that last part. "The Surface?"
Laying back down with another cough, he answered, "Right, you probably didn't know. The entire Menos forest back there," he waves vaguely where she entered, "is all underground. No-one really knows how or why though. It's just always been like that.'
Ranma bends down poking at his chest, a Cheshire grin and a fierce glint in her eye, "Arigato, muchacho. Ja ne!" she called as she stood back up starting to walk in the direction of the indicated tunnel giving a casual wave as she walked.
Once he was sure she was out of earshot, Suvipa gave a small snap. "Aww, maan~. Why is it always the little girls..." The fox man muttered before passing out.
Ranma reached the Surface in short order and was almost tempted to go right back down.
"Really? Nothing but sand." She mentally shied away from the thought that it might as well be one giant litter box. She was not a c-c-furry demon, damnit! (yes you are) 'URUSEI!'
Still, as she surveyed the endless moonlit dunes around her, she took a deep pull on her pipe, letting it invigorate her, as she extended her senses as far as she could. This did very little, since there wasn't anything to sense but the sand, Ranma couldn't really even tell how far it went. There wasn't any point of reference.
'Well, I guess that decides how I'm trainin' That up!'
Any further self-reflection was interrupted by the sound of a hauntingly familiar voice.
("You've arrived! Wonderful! Please, won't you come visit me?") that same soft call she'd heard at the Tendo's, once again reverberated in her mind. Again, Ranma heard the notes of melancholic yearning in her voice.
"Yeah? And who th' heck are ya Señora?" Ranma challenged, turning randomly to face the call.
A lite giggle floated back, ("I prefer introductions in person. Do come? I'll answer all your questions when you arrive.") The voice took on a melodic wheedling tone, not unlike a salesman with a treat.
Ranma merely let out a huff. "Yare yare daze, might as well. Not like I got anything better to do. Where to, Señora?"
("Oh too, too good! As for where... I suppose you might call it East, though we don't really have those here. Just follow your instincts. You'll find me. And do be careful. This world is a dangerous place.")
Ranma merely sighed and headed off the way she'd been facing. Idly, she noted what might be mountains peeking on the horizon
Had she been more proficient in her senses, she might have noticed when the odd, four-armed hollow poked its head out of the tunnel.
TN: Mokou-Ojou-chan: mokou is 'Fierce Tiger', just spelled completely to differentiate from the moko takabisha attack. So Shunsui is calling her Little Fierce Tiger Lady, or some arrangement therein