Author Note: So here we are another chapter for Hollow Kitty and all thanks to my co-writer Timberlinewolf we hope you will enjoy what we have come up with for this inclusion in this tale.
Also, I apologize my work has been keeping me super busy as of late, plus my streaming career so things have slowed down a little for me when it comes to chapter building.
With that said on with the show! -Zeltronica
H.K. Chapter: 5
It was a cloudy day in Nerima. The sky darkening, not with the evening, but the foreboding promise of rain at any moment. No stranger to the elements, Ryoga, now twenty-two, had already taken residence within his tent on the outskirts of a construction site.
Now some might wonder why not just go home to a warm meal and a comfy bed? Well, for the fanged martial artist, that wasn't really even an option. While he certainly had a home, the problem lay in finding it. Thanks to a rather odd curse(?) he'd had since early childhood, which left him perpetually lost.
It was rough, true, but eventually, he managed to wander around to where he was meant to be.
His outfit hadn't changed much over the years, still clad in a mustard yellow shirt and black pants bound at the shins. The biggest change was really just his hair, which he'd grown it a bit. (mostly due to lack of seeing a barber.)
Pulling back his right sleeve, he noted on his watch that he had a few more hours before he needed to head to work. This, at least, was easy enough, since he'd ensured he could make it to work by facing the tent opening directly at the construction site in question.
"Hope it stops raining before then. Gonna be hard to avoid turning into a little black piglet working in the rain like that." He sighed as he looked out tent. "Yare yare, I'd really like to not tell the boss and crew that particular story."
Taking a sip of tea from the kettle, Ryoga thought back to what had brought him this little bit of good fortune.
Life was certainly never easy when you were effectively backpacking around the world, but ever since... then... things had just been... harder. With some help from Akari and the Tendo's, he managed to finally finish high school through remote courses, but apparently, that wasn't enough these days.
He'd tried numerous times to get a job, only to fall flatter than his face during the the bakusai tenketsu training. Unfortunately, no one wanted to hire anyone who hadn't gone to college. Honestly if it hadn't been for Kasumi's disappointed look as she told him he needed one, he'd have gave it off as a bad idea.
Even when he was successfully hired, he couldn't keep the job for more than a week at most with both his curses.
It had been months since his last application, not helped by his hopeless sense of direction, when he seemed to find his break. By happenchance, as he was trying to find the bathroom, he came across a flyer in the street, calling for people for a construction project building a new hospital. Given the number of times he'd had to help repair the dojo after a fight, he might as well try his luck.
By some miracle, he even managed to arrive on time!
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Flashback
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Ryoga sat rigid on the offered chair as he fought not to fidget and squirm. Not helping him at all was just how intimidated the Foreman, Ralph, made him feel. On the taller side, he sported a short-cut head of spikey brown hair and arms that put a gorilla to shame. Dressed in overalls and a plaid flannel button-up, Ryoga could tell at a glance that while this guy could throw down civies with no issue, he was certainly no real fighter.
No, what this guy had wasn't training, but authority. And unlike the rest of the 'authority' figures Ryoga'd dealt with, this guy was no joke.
'Jeeze. I can pick up whole trees without care! You'd think I could handle a simple interview.'
Broken from his thoughts by the question of his work history, Ryoga felt his heart sink. Without a work history, his chances of getting this job probably fell to the single digits. With a heavy sigh, he gave his answer. No use quitting before you fail, after all.
"To be honest, I don't really have any. Well, not on paper, at least. I- move around a lot... on short notice. So I mostly do odd jobs here and there for people. Things like cutting lumber, and clearing boulders. " He gave a light chuckle, "I've run off a wild boar a couple times," Ryoga explained, tugging at the knot of his headband, a nervous tick he'd developed since... then.
Ralph gave an understanding nod as he rubbed his chin. "I see. It may not be steady, but it's honest work all the same. I actually started out doing odd jobs myself, before eventually starting up my construction company. Now, lad, I can tell by looking you're pretty strong. And I've always felt that doing well at odd jobs required a certain character. One I'd like to have on my crew. If you're the kind of lad I think you are, then I think I got a job for you here at my company. What do you say?"
Ryoga looked up in disbelief. "You- you mean I am hired?!"
"Yes Lad! You're hired!" the man laughs as he gestures for the young man to follow him so he could show him where he will be working, and what the job entails, and eventually fill out all the paperwork.
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End Flashback
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It wasn't long before a clap of thunder was heard, a prelude to the immanent downpour the storm was ready to loose. Ryoga briefly considered if he ought to try and excuse himself from work tomorrow, before shaking his head. "No. I'd have to tell them why otherwise. I'll just have to hope and pray my umbrella will be enough to get me safely inside."
Glancing out at the, currently still dry, world outside his tent, he entertained the thought of going in early. Sadly, as if summoned by the very thought, the rain chose that moment to start pouring outside.
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Eventually, with the help of his trusty umbrella (and an astounding amount of luck), he managed to make it into the building. Shaking off and stowing his prized umbrella with the utmost care, Ryoga thanked all his lucky stars he'd managed to keep dry and not reveal his curse to his supervisor or coworkers.
Said supervisor, a rather slight, short man named Felix, was jogging up to the fanged martial artist with a genial smile and a hearty clap on the shoulder, "Ah Ryoga! It is good to see you here so early! I've got some heavy lifting for you, up on floor five that needs doing. You'll be working with Hiroshi today, he'll fill you in on all the details."
Giving a nervous smile and nod in return, Ryoga turned to head in the direction of where he thought the stairs would be. He froze mid-step not a second later. "Ah-ha-ha, Ryoga? The stairs are -(uh)- thata way." Felix gestured with his thumb... in the exact opposite direction.
Ryoga turned back to where Felix was pointing, face flushed in embarrassment as he spied the stairwell up to the fifth floor. Tugging at the knot his bandanna with a nervous grin, Ryoga swallowed his pride "Ah! Right. Eh-he, Sorry, haven't had my coffee today." he gave a nervous laugh.
And with that, the (somehow not?) lost martial artist was on his way to help Hiroshi with the job assigned to them for the day.
It was still hard to believe that, despite being a study of opposites in terms of build, Ralph and Felix were actually twins
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Eventually, he managed to make it to his floor, where he was greeted by Hiroshi waiting at the stairwell with a genial wave.
"Yo! Hibiki-san! Glad to see you found your way here. I'll admit, when I heard you were joining the crew I was a bit mixed on it. Don't get me wrong, I know you're good for the job, but, at the same time..." He gave a wry grin as he clapped Ryoga on the shoulder and led him further in. "I was afraid I would need to do this project all by myself."
With a rueful half smile and a tug on his knot, Ryoga elected to let the jab at his directional issues pass. Allowing himself to be led, he took in the materials he presumed they would be working with.
"Glad to be here. I didn't know you worked here too, is Dai around?" Ryoga inquired with a few warm-up stretches. Hiroshi shook his head with a wistful sigh. "No. Actually, he went abroad to study in America. We don't talk very much anymore, unfortunately. Life has been rather busy for him and Sayuri."
Ryoga gave a nod of understanding, "How are you and Yuka doing?" The last he'd heard from the two had been about two years ago when he'd run into them in Kyoto(?)
Hiroshi gave a sappy smile as he directed Ryoga to pick a piece of twenty-foot support beam. "Going well so far, I'd say. We got married last fall. Luckily Dai was there to be my best man, otherwise, I'd have had to find someone else. Unfortunately, besides you and Kuno, there's not a whole lot of the old crowd around anymore." Hiroshi steered them over to where the beam needed to be. "We'd have invited you to the wedding, but, well, we couldn't find you." His voice showed genuine regret, before posing his own question, "What about you Ryoga? how is Akari doing?"
Ryoga tensed at this question, his upbeat mood growing despondent, "Not so well. Seems all she cares about is..." Ryoga went quiet for a bit, before physically shaking those thoughts away. "Mah. Well, none of that matters now. we just didn't work out."
Silence filled the air after that, broken only by the instructions of Hiroshi as they finished hoisting up the support beam. Once they were absolutely certain of its placement, Hiroshi offered Ryoga his condolences before the duo turned their attention to the project at hand.
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Elsewhere, in Karakura Town, Akane fought valiantly to fend off the fatigue and weariness of hard battles and constant mental focus, to finally finish the undying force before her. (her homework).
[She needed to finish up the last month before graduation.]
Finally, after many arduous hours (about thirty minutes), she at last managed to vanquish the terrible foe. Truly, amongst all of the weird, insane, and sometimes genuinely frightening events that had appeared during those wild years, Nothing was a more horrible enemy than paperwork.
Setting down her weapon of choice, a very fine dragon-embossed bamboo fountain pen Nabiki had gotten her for her birthday, Akane gave a great and weary victory cry, her arms raised to the heavens in triumph. Chuckling to herself, she dropped her mental theatrics. 'Aand now I'm starting to sound like Kuno-senpai. Guess that's what I get for having a job while taking college.'
Opening her eyes after a very satisfying stretch, Akane gazed up at the ceiling, not really seeing it. "I bet you're laughing at me up there, huh? You never had to face this! You got out before it could sink its claws into you!" She stabbed a dramatic finger skyward. "You could never beat this enemy! 'Never Loses' HA! You might be safe up there for now, but I swear! One day, you too shall know the pain of PAPERWORK!"
Huffing slightly at her outburst, Akane suddenly realized she had actually stood without realizing it. And she'd been almost shouting at the end of it. Glancing around nervously, she breathed a sigh of relief that she was alone. Not a second later she collapsed back in her seat in a fit of silent giggles.
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After she managed to calm down enough to pack her homework, Akane went for a relaxing bath before dinner.
Stripping out of her nurse's uniform and setting them in the hamper, she set to washing and scrubbing, checking herself in the mirror as she did.
She still kept her hair in the same bob cut as when he'd been there, though it had grown a tad wild since then. Yuka had once commented a couple of years ago, jokingly, that it reminded her of one of Hiroshi's action anime characters, who always had the most immaculate hair, billowing with power.
Akane's response was to flare her ki slightly and do just that, smirking all the while.
As she rinsed and stood, she took in her full figure, twisting and flexing here and there. Partly to keep in shape, and partly to check for any burgeoning skin conditions. (You learned some pretty scary stuff to look out for in the medical field.) Though she still stood at five-one, she was dimly pleased when her figure had filled out rather well. She even fancied she'd gained a tiny bit in the bust compartment.
Sighing happily, she sank herself into furo, letting the heat sink into her sore muscles and easing away the worries of a long day at work.
Honestly, the work wasn't that bad, and it just made sense to work as a nurse while attending medical school. True, she was often tired due to long hours and hard work, but she was content and happy. Plus, doing both at the same time meant she shaved almost a full year of her schooling. She only needed another month before she graduated thanks to all the added work credits.
She had left Nerima behind at the suggestion of the family counselor after... after he left. She had said it might help Akane's state of mind after the loss, since being at home with her family always tended to remind her of what she'd just lost. Something she desperately wished to forget, or at the very least put behind her.
After a few weeks away the nightmares of Ranma coming to her in her dreams subsided, and she was no longer haunted by visions of his/her corpse.
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After becoming sufficiently pruney, Akane grabbed herself a nice cold glass of milk before bed.
Pulling out the futon, she was once again thankful that she had managed to secure her own apartment, small though it was. Okay, technically it was Nabiki who found it, but it was still in Akane's name and all. Still, it had all the amenities one would need. A washer/dryer combo unit, a kitchenette with dishwasher, and a separate bedroom. Decorating the walls and such were pictures of her family and friends.
Walking into her bedroom, Akane approached the one photo set on the nightstand. Picking it up to wipe the day's dust off with a dry cloth, Akane gave a wistful smile. She wished she could've found one with him as a boy with her, but at least she'd been able to find this. The scene showed the two of them both enjoying ice cream together in happier times.
It still hurt to think about just how much she cared for the aggravating aqua transexual, even if the boy sometimes girl frustrated her to no end at times. But what hurt even more was that, with all of the issues going on around and between the two, she'd never been able to admit it, even to herself.
Even now, she could only do it thanks to three years of counseling and five years of living a normal life, having left the craziness of Nerima behind.
Plopping herself down on the futon, she flipped through her phonebook, trying to decide on what she wanted for takeout. She didn't really feel like cooking, and besides she could only make a small handful of dishes that tasted anywhere near decent.
She wasn't dumb, she'd known for some time she wasn't a good cook. But at least she didn't feel so bad about it ever since she found out that Nabiki couldn't cook either, only could microwave stuff. Though Kasumi maintained there was hope for both of them. If only they could just be patient and actually read the instructions carefully before committing.
But Akane had always felt, (and still did to some extent), the meal instructions always seemed so bland. Then again, Kasumi was a really good cook. Maybe Ranma was right all along and she shouldn't be so keen on experimenting with her ingredients.
However a part of her still stubbornly wanted to ignore the deceased boy's words. After all, in their little cooking competition, the crimson-haired goofball forgot to wash the vegetables in his/her haste to win!
Just as she was about to order she felt the entire building shake ever so slightly. Distracted, Akane peered around as she again felt the building shake.
"Earthquake?" she whispered aloud. "No..." the last time she'd felt something like this had been more than five years ago, back in Nerima.
Again she felt it, heavier this time, and accompanied by the chorus of car alarms now. Starting as one in the distance, it was soon joined by many more as the shaking continued.
Standing up, Akane peeked through the blinds as she peered onto the street below just in time to watch a parked car get its roof flattened by something unseen. Almost amusingly, the alarm still functioned somehow, its distorted cries akin to some great beast howling in pain before they too fell silent.
"What the hell!?"
Turning away from the window, Akane gave a weary chuckle, "No no. I'm just seeing things. This isn't Nerima after all. Crazy shit like that just doesn't happen out here." she assured herself. If only her words didn't sound quite so fragile.
Deciding off ordering that takeout, Akane simply raided the fridge for a light snack and splashed some cold water on her face before heading to bed. Going back to sleep with something in her stomach was a tactic she had learned to do when having a night terror. It was not a restful sleep.
She awoke five hours later to find her alarm broken on the floor and herself late for work. Hurrying to get dressed rushing out the door while frantically calling her boss to apologize.
As she left she passed the spot where the car had been. Gone was the car, though the cratered road was taped off with caution tape. 'Yes, they were doing waterline and road maintenance. I just dreamt about a car getting flattened by an unseen force.' She assured herself.
Her boss still gave her the grilling of a lifetime for being so late.
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Elsewhere in Karakura town, a certain red-headed cat-in-denial sat enjoying a delightful strawberry parfait at a small, hole-in-the-wall ice cream parlor. The dish itself was quite excellent, though certainly nothing on Kasumi's level. But the true charm was in the presentation. Frothed and decorated just so, it was the very spitting image of Ranma herself!
Ice Makers had only opened its stalls recently, but if this was the kind of dish that the twin proprietors, Gray and Lyon she'd learned, were going to be dishing out? Well, Ranma could only think to count herself lucky to have seen a legend get their start. If only they could stop arguing with each other long enough to agree on techniques.
'Still, the fact they seem to be instinctively using cold ki to make their desserts... Mabey I'll stop by later and offer a couple of pointers? Who knows, mabey I'll get a free lifetime discount.' She giggled to herself as she savored the last of the strawberries and cream.
Polishing off her... glass? Bowl? Vase? Whatever the heck those fancy sundae dishes were called, she set it aside and watched the bickering twins as they worked on yet another masterpiece for a rather excitable junior high girl with the longest odango-bun pony-tails she had ever seen. 'Seriously, I'm amazed she can keep that much hair clean! It's practically dragging on the ground tied up as it is!'
With a bemused smile on her face, Ranma pondered what led her to this town to begin with. though she had yet to pinpoint the direct culprit as of yet. Though for now, it could wait. This was far too entertaining at the moment.
Her thoughts were broken as a chipper young woman's voice graced her ears, "Hey! How's it taste? You need anything else?"
Looking over to the young blonde waitress, she smiled, "Oh it's great, thanks. I don't really need anything else at the moment. Well, besides my bill, that is."
"Alright then! I'll be right back with that. By the way, I love your costume! I haven't heard of any cosplay event today, but if there is you should win first prize! I love how the eyes, ears, claws, and your skull crown thing are all so well done! You look like a real Shinnekogami Miko! Well, as much as anyone can... I guess?" the girl's bubbly attitude shifted swiftly to confusion as she thought through her last statement.
Suppressing a shudder at being compared to one of those, things, Ranma could only grin bemusedly, "Well, Thanks. I guess."
With that the waitress went off to get her bill, checking on the other nearby customers as she did, leaving Ranma back to her thoughts.
Only to be distracted once more by the sight of herself in a nearby mirror. Now, Ranma would certainly admit she had been a rather messy eater in life, ("Manners are for Little Girls Boy!"), but she'd thought she'd gotten at least a little better before she died... and after. So how, in Chiaki's name, had she managed to get cream on the bridge of her nose?! Ignoring the ears and tail as second nature, she spent the next minute or so going cross-eyed as she tried to clean herself up. (Look no one said she was infallible, okay?)
Finally managing to get herself presentable just as the bubbly waitress returned, Ranma gave her a mock glare for not telling her about the cream earlier. The girl simply bonked herself on the head and stuck her tongue out as she handed Ranma the bill.
Sighing in resignation, (not that she was really all that upset), Ranma just reached up her sleeves and pulled out both her money and her pipe. Absentmindedly sticking it in her mouth as she handed over her cash, Ranma was rather taken aback as she received a light bop to her mask alongside a scolding "No!".
Looking up, she was met with the waitress leaning forward with her finger raised, grinning. "None of that inside, now. This here parlor is a Smoke-Free Environment." She lectured with a wink.
Deciding to get back at her for bopping her on the head, Ranma gave her a coy, half-lidded Cheshire grin, before taking a small drag on her pipe. Blowing a stream of gentle chilling mist at the young girl's face, she looked on in smug, cat-like fashion, as she recoiled back at the sudden cold.
Waving her hand in front of her face to try and fan away the cold, the startled blonde could only stare in stupefaction at the redhead before her. Gesturing the pipe so it was upside down, Ranma gave it a few good taps, exactly how someone trying to empty the bowl would do... If it was full
"There's nothing in this dear. It's just a prop." she purred as she rested her chin in her free palm.
"O-oh! Ookay then!" Ranma had to give the girl credit, she collected herself remarkably quickly. "Still though, we'd really appreciate it if you kept it outside. It might be just a prop, but that sure looks real." 'And she sticks to her guns too! If she's like those two behind the counter they might've actually fit in pretty well in Nerima!' Suddenly the blonde's brows furrowed. "Waaait. If that things a prop, where'd the smoke come from?" Ranma had to hold in a giggle at the look of suspicion. 'On second thought...'
No longer hiding her giggle, Ranma held the pipe away from her face and made a show of breathing deeply through her nose. Taking a small amount of cold reiki in her mouth, she once more produced a stream of chill mist. Leaning into the theatrics, she added a few rings in as well. "That's not the pipe dear, it's me."
Subtly waving to the Twins now furiously working more magic behind the counter, (they hadn't stopped arguing though), she continued softly. "Come now, it's surely not the first time you've seen something like this?"
Seeing her eyes widen, Ranma put her finger to her lips and gave her a wink of her own. "Your boys're pretty good, for being entirely self-taught. Maybe I'll stop by some other time for some pointers." With that, she lightly booped the girl on the nose and headed outside.
'Definitely worth a four-star rating, this one. If those two stopped arguing at the counter, I'd say this'd be the first five Star I've hit!' Ranma noted down the name and address in the little notebook she'd procured when she started her little 'Ice-cream Tour'.
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Later that afternoon found the (un?)dead redhead scaling the steps to one of the local shrines. Deciding for the moment to remain hidden, she faded from view just before topping the stairs.
Glancing around, Ranma noted with some amusement that it actually looked like a much smaller version of her own temple, back in Hueco Mundo. Up ahead on the stone walkway, a young, raven-haired miko stood, placidly sweeping away whatever dust and leaves the day brought in. Ranma guessed she was probably in late high school, though, admittedly, she lacked any real certainty.
Upon further inspection, Ranma noted the sour, put-upon look on the girl's face, solidifying the 'high schooler' idea in her mind.
Taking a drag on her pipe, Ranma wandered slowly over to her, wondering if the girl possessed any spiritual power or awareness. When she was bout six feet away, the girl suddenly stopped and looked around, curiously. Though not quite panicked, she was by no means calm either. It was only after a good minute of searching that she cautiously went back to her sweeping.
Noting the potential of the girl, Ranma breezed on past, giving her a puff of mist as she did, eliciting a violent shiver from the unfortunate future vict- ahem... 'future prospective understudy'.
Making her way further inside, she paused briefly to add another stick of incense to the altar and offer a small prayer before returning to meandering. Eventually, she came to the center of the temple and subsequently found the head priest, who was currently doing the rounds, looking about and noting things down in a notebook.
She studied him for a short time, following him to the Temple's store room, where he began documenting the contents within with meticulous care.
Having gotten the measure of the man, and coming to a decision, Ranma subtly faded back into visibility and stood patiently, waiting for him to finish. It wouldn't do to be rude and interrupt him, after all.
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A sudden shift in the air made Jiro pause from his inventory. That, and the sudden shiver that went down his spine made him look up and glance around, just to be sure. Glancing around, nothing stood out of the ordinary. That is until he turned to look behind him.
"Yo!"
"Sweet Okami Amaterasu!" he jumped back three feet into a flailing, one-legged, warding stance. He would deny to his grave that he shrieked like a little girl though.
This, to him, seemed a perfectly sound response to the shock he just had. There, poised next to the door, stood a strange, crimson-haired girl dressed in some outlandish idea of miko robes. For some reason, this included cat ears and a bone-white mask resembling the skull of some saber-toothed cat!
Who was this? How did she get in here without him noticing? What were these youths today thinking, dressing like that? Was that hair even natural? And just how big were her-
He was broken from his panicked, (and increasingly inappropriate), thoughts by the sound of bell-like giggles as the girl fell into paroxysms of laughter. Judging the intruder to be of no immediate danger, Jiro scowled at the rude girl as he straightened his robes and calmed his near heart attack.
"Kids these days. Absolutely no manners whatsoever!" he harrumphed as her giggling began to subside.
Wiping a tear from her eye, the redhead took a moment more to fully calm herself, before looking back to him with a sunny, if still mischievous, smile that seemed to light up the room. 'Wait. Is she, actually glowing?!'
"Gomen gomen. I didn't mean ta frighten ya so much, Shinshoku-san. Just thought I'd let ya finish yer work here first." With that said, she reached into her voluminous sleeve and withdrew a roll of paper around an ornate kiseru pipe. Unfurling the page, she held it out to him, revealing one of his own 'Help Wanted' posters.
Tucking her pipe in between her teeth, she grinned at him. "I noticed ya were lookin' fer some help? Thought maybe I might apply?"
Okay, seriously. What was with this girl?! She sneaks into the temple, (and how did she get past Ayame-chan?), then nearly gives me a heart attack, just to ask for a job!?
Realizing that she was still there, waiting for his answer, he cleared his throat in an attempt to recover his personal image as a priest. "Ahem. Ah, y-Yes, I suppose I did post that a bit ago. Ayame-chan is doing an admirable job in all her duties. However, as we're about to enter the busier seasons, I felt she could use the help." He gave a sad sigh as he tugged lightly at his left earlobe.
"I'll be honest, I just don't want the poor girl overworking herself. It's bad enough that she has to take care of her little sister, but she still insists on working to earn her keep on top of it."
"You two close, I take it?" His guest asked softly, though by her tone she clearly hadn't needed to.
Perking up slightly at the reminder, Jiro gave a wane smile." Mm. Practically their Uncle at this point." After a second, he gave a mental shake at his lost train of thought and brought them back on track. "Anyway, you said you were interested?" he crossed his arms and glared at the young reprobate.
"Tell me, why should I hire some cosplayer who invaded my home, a Temple Shrine I might add, stalked me into my storage room, and nearly killed me with a heart attack?!" Glaring at the pipe in her hand, he added, "And is cuurently smoking?"
This seemed to take the wind out of the young girl's sails. He could practically hear the crack in her facade as her eyes went wide and she nervously scratched at the intact fang framing the left side of her face. He watched in growing amusement as her eyes shifted back and forth, clearly wracking her brain for some reason that didn't sound fake.
It wasn't long before she gave up, closing her eyes and drooping her head in defeat. He was pleasantly surprised, however, when she took a deep breath, (Not through her pipe, he noted), before bringing her fist to palm before her heart and bowing in apology.
"Lo siento, Shinshoku-san. I shouldn't have snuck into your temple and home like that. I'm afraid I wasn't thinking when I came to see you."
Jiro took a moment to gauge the sincerity of her apology. While he'd be lying if he said he was over what she had done, she showed every sign of having true contrition for her actions. That, and there was just something about her, now that he examined her in a more 'enlightened' sense. Something that just said, 'Important! Do Not let this one go!'.
Over his many years, he'd long since learned to trust and rely on his intuition. It had rarely failed him before in the long run, thus, he saw no reason not to trust it once more. Still, no reason to seem like a pushover.
"Hmmph! Well, at the very least it seems you can learn. I'm not letting you off the hook that easy, Young Lady. Now, what to do with you?..." He stroked in chin in mock thought, noting how she lost the tension in her shoulders as he spoke, though she didn't release her bow just yet. "Well! I suppose there's nothing to do but put you to work, now is there? I guess Ayame-chan won't have to worry about toilets and floors for the next couple of weeks, eh?"
He smirked as she took that as her queue to lift her head once more, chuckling ruefully as she scritched her fang again.
"Hai, hai. I guess I kinda deserve that." She didn't sound all that shocked, more resigned than anything really. Well, If he was going to have her working here, he should probably know at least a little about her.
"Indeed you do. What on earth possessed you to even consider it in the first place? By your accent, I'd guess you're from out in the countryside. Possibly gaijin influence?""
She seemed confused at first, then clarified into embarrassment. "Ah, well, ya see... The Temple I was raised at mainly worshiped Inari. Especially her more... 'foxlike' attributes? Sneaking and pranks and such were actively encouraged, to keep a 'lively atmosphere' they said. It was not very popular with the local old folks as a result."
Jiro gave a sage nod of his head, "I can imagine. But, Given that, can I assume you'll not be needing much, in terms of miko training and responsibilities?"
"Hai, I'm proficient. Of course, there's always room for learning and growing" The girl gave a boastful grin, propping her hands on her hips, ready for all that may come!
The old man glanced at the, slightly creepy, mask, "And the mask? Are you going to try and convince me that Inari is a Deity of death?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
The girl merely smiled coyly. And, were those fangs peeking out at him? "Ah, you could say that I'm more practiced in the old ways, not just Inari-sama." She bowed formally. "I'll be in your care, Koboyashi-shinshoku."
Jiro was somewhat taken aback at hearing his name roll off his new hire's tongue like that, "H-How did you-" only to be interrupted once more by a chime of giggles.
"The spirits told me?" She posited impishly, with a finger on her chin, though another fit of giggles rang out before acquiesced, "Nah. I asked the shop-keep of the tea house you posted your flier in."
"I see." Jiro says before gaining a thoughtful expression and posing a question of his own, "Well then, it seems you have me at a disadvantage, Young Lady. Did they not teach how to introduce yourself at that old temple as well?" he needled, a grin of his own growing, despite himself.
"Ah! Right!" She tucked one foot behind the other and scratched that fang of hers again, "I'm Mokougami Ryoko. Lo siento."
Arching his brow at the repeat of that odd phrase, he could only guess at it being some foreign apology from the context, Jiro opted for a simple nod of acknowledgment. "Well then, Ryoko-san, I suppose your first task here as a miko will be to go introduce yourself to Ayame-chan. She can give you an official tour of the grounds and where you'll be working. Will you be staying here at the temple?"
The sudden last-second thought was probably the most important one by far.
Ryoko gave a sheepish nod, "Ah, if it wouldn't be too much trouble? To be honest, I've been on the road for quite some time now, and I've actually run out've money at the moment." That said, she didn't really seem that put out by what, to most, would be cause for considerable stress and worry in today's age. "Ah, but don't worry too much about that. I'm fine with pretty much whatever. A roof and mabey a dry place to sleep are pretty much all I need. My folks at the temple liked to take us out roughing it for fun when I was young."
Such a blase attitude towards one's own personal comfort was honestly more than a little worrying. What on earth had her parents dragged her through to beget this kind of perseverance? Well, he supposed it really didn't matter in the end.
"Bah! Do you take us for brutes?! It's not like we have a stable to put you up in these days. You'll be sleeping in our normal guest rooms, the same as Ayame-chan and her sister. Now! I believe you've been thoroughly disrupting my accounts for quite long enough! Off with you. Ayame-chan will let you know when dinner is ready."
Ranma gave a bow of respect, "Hai Koboyshi-sama I'll go speak to her now."
Jiro watched as the newest headache, he was just sure of that, bowed and, in a blink, the room was empty. 'Impressive. If I wasn't watchin' her I'd never have noticed her move! No wonder she was able to sneak past Ayame-chan out front. Is she one of those martial artists?' he mused. Well, things were getting a tad boring anyway.
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Ayame paused in her sweeping to hold her long black hair back from a sudden gust of wind. She'd been arguing with her mother for cutting it shorter, until recently. Now that she'd lost her mother, it almost seemed the perfect way to keep her with her. A silent guardian of sorts.
Speaking of, Ayame thought back to that sudden chill she'd felt earlier. It almost felt like some, some evil spirit had been watching her! What was worse was that the last time she'd felt that had been shortly before, and after, her parents died. She was thankful it didn't seem nearly as bad as then, else she would have been terrified for her sister's well-being. And Uncle Jiro too, of course.
Honestly, she still couldn't thank the man enough for all he'd done for them. It was all she could do to help out around the shrine. Still, with her little sister bedridden as she was, there wasn't much more she could do. She sighed.
Her melancholic mood was broken by the sudden return of that feeling of ill omen.
"Buenos Tardes, Ayame-Sempai!"
"AAAAYYAAAAHHH!"
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It didn't take very long at all for Ranma, or rather 'Ryoko', to find her new senior. The young woman was still out on the stone walkway, though she had made significant progress down its length since she'd snuck past. Deciding to try and make a somewhat better impression than she had with the old priest, Ranma walked up to her fully visible and not trying to hide.
"Buenos Tardes, Ayame-Sempai!"
"AAAAYYAAAAHHH!"
Belatedly, Ranma recognized a few things.
One, this girl had not, as she had thought, been concentrating on her work, but rather lost in thought.
Two, Ranma had accidentally 'not been hiding' a little too well, and she hurriedly suppressed her aura to a much more human level. (Or at least 'definitely not a god' level).
Third, she had, once again, utterly failed to make a good first impression. 'Sigh, oh well. Might as well go with it.'
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Ayame swung around in a blur, her hair fanning out around her like the wings of some great bird. Still unsure as to the source of the intruder, she brought her broom up in an, admittedly still amateurish, beginner bojutsu stance.
And immediately, lost any and all thoughts of creepy chills and ill omens at the sight before her.
Standing roughly six feet away was a gorgeous red-head in what looked like a bizarre miko cosplay of all things. With sapphire pools so deep Ayame felt she could lose herself forever, and a coy, Cheshire grin just begging you to look for the prank about to be pulled. Flowing, silky hair that reminded her of the sunset in the mountains, and a figure that, even in those voluminous robes, made Ayame just want to cuddle in for the winter... 'Huh. Maybe this is why I was never really interested in boys...'
After several seconds of staring at each other, the vision before her deftly swept in, and it was all Ayame could do to simply close her eyes and hold her breath for...what?
As it turned out, for the other girl to subtly, yet expertly, shift her hands and feet just so, and Ayame felt her chest hitch as she felt their fingers brush up against each other, regardless of the fact that she wasn't even breathing!
However, it was the way she felt her feet being nudged into position that finally broke her of her stupor. It was exactly the same way her Sensei at the dojo adjusted her stance. Blinking her eyes open, she found that, yes, the other girl had fully adjusted her stance into a much more balanced, and comfortable, position, and was looking at her critically while nodding to herself.
"Wuh, Huh?" 'Ah, yes. The PERFECT response Ayame! Scream bloody murder then stare like a goon! Yes, that will certainly make a good impression. Abso-fragen-LUTELY!'
Once more, the stunning redhead broke her of her mental ramblings, though this time with the tinkle of melodic laughter as she brought an expensive-looking kiseru out of seemingly nowhere and brought it to the corner of her perfect, cherry-blossom lips. 'Okay, Seriously Ayame! Get it Together Girl! This is no way to act in front of someone! Much less a Random Stranger and Potential Customer! You've seen plenty of pretty girls before! Yeaah, but none that looked like a literal kami, here to seduce me into a loving life of seclusion doing -'
"I said 'Good Afternoon, Se-m-pai." Yup, that settled it. This girl would be the death of her. Case Closed. Call off Miles Edgeworth!
Wait. "S-s-Sempai?!"
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The sun was just setting, a couple hours later as 'Ryoko' found herself swiftly running a damp cloth along the floorboards as she thought about Hayashi Ayame, the girl she now call 'Sempai'. It took a while, but she finally calmed down enough for her to explain that she had been taken on as another miko, and would be under her care as a new, fellow resident at the temple.
Oddly, that seemed to make the ravenette even more flustered than before, though 'Ryoko' couldn't really get why. Still, she welcomed her in with a timid, but welcoming smile all the same, and went on to give a basic tour of the grounds. 'Ryoko' listened intently as Ayame-chan detailed all the duties expected of them both, from cleaning to greeting, and where the tools for such were kept and where to dispose of trash.
Ayame herself was somewhat of a puzzle. While intent on her duties around the shrine and temple, she was cool and confident. Yet as soon as she started paying attention to her, she turned into a shy, bumbling mess. If she didn't know better, 'Ryoko'd say she was acting like a junior high schooler having her first crush! 'Which is obviously nonsense. (Uh-huh, suuure) Urusai!'
Still, the girl showed promise. While obviously still new to her, that bojustu stance of hers when they'd met was quite good. And, though currently underdeveloped, she possesses quite a talent for spiritual arts. At least if her sensitivity is anything to go by. 'Hmm. Yesss, I think I will. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a few pointers- Ah! Speak of the devil!'
'Ryoko' rested upon her knees as she heard the now familiar sound of her new partner in Shrine approaching.
"Hello there!"
"General Kenobi."
The sudden false scratchy baritone caught her completely off guard. Looking up at the girl coming around the corner, 'Ryoko' gave her such an eyebrow as to make a certain pro-wrestler-turned-actor grow stone-faced.
Ayame turned a rather amusing shade of pink as she looked away, tugging a lock of hair over to hide behind.
"gh-hmm. Ah, not a fan of Star Wars I take it?"
Consternation turned to confusion. "Star Wars? What's that?"
The look she received made 'Ryoko' feel as if she'd just asked what 'fire' was. Seconds later, it seemed she was proven right.
"You don't know what Star Wars Is?! How!? Wha-, ha-have you been living under a rock your whole life!?"
'Ryoko' feigned a hurt expression, comically trembling her lip and employing a touch of her old man's Tears of the Wounded Crocodile technique. "Ara, now that was just mean, Ayame-sempai~! You make it sound like I was raised by wolves~."
The tactic worked like a charm. Ayame immediately flailing her hands about and stammering a storm of apologies. Of course, 'Ryoko' was never known for her poker face, and it wasn't thirty seconds before she let loose a bevy of snickers.
When she finally calmed back down she gave a sheepish smile and scratched at her fang. "Gomen, gomen. I'm only playin', Ayame-sempai. Truth is, it's not far off. I had perhapse the isolated and eccentric upbringing you could never imagine." Standing up and dusting off some imaginary dust, she threw the flustered girl a bone. "So. What is this 'Star Wars'?"
Giving Ryoko an angry pout of her own, Ayame still answered. "It's a western film franchise. They just released the newest movie a couple of months ago." Suddenly, she got an excited gleam in her eye. "Hey! My sister and I love those movies! Mabey we can watch them all together! We have the complete DVD collection!"
"Oh? That sounds interesting." remembering something, 'Ryoko' paused, before pushing on ahead, "Priest Jiro mentioned you and your sister in passing. Something about your parents, and her being ill?" she silently prayed to Chiaki that she didn't have a resurgence of her old 'Foot-in-Mouth' disorder.
She hated seeing the life die in Ayame's eyes at the reminder, but 'Ryoko' was relieved to see that at least she didn't immediately start crying. She'd always been terrible with crying girls.
"H-hai. Kurumi-chan has been ill for some time. She was on the mend for a bit, but then everything went back downhill when we lost our parents..."
Feeling this deserved something more than mere platitudes, 'Ryoko' reached over and gave a comforting grasp on the other girl's shoulder. "Lo siento. Was it a recent loss?"
Clearly appreciating the support, Ayame grasped her hand in turn with a watery smile and a nod. "Just over a month now. A car accident. It's been hard for both of us, but I've got her to focus on, and Uncle Jiro does what he can. But Kurumi... She hardly ever smiles anymore." Taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes, her smile became a touch more lively. "That's actually part of why I suggested the movie idea! I'm hoping meeting a new friend over a good film might cheer her up."
Having already decided she liked this girl, Ranma had no compunctions whatsoever over her next course of action. "Well, Ayame-chan, if you or your sister ever need anything, you let me know, eh?"
('Orphaned, and with chronically ill sister. They have it quite rough.')...'Mm, Yeah...'
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"Well, Ayame-chan, if you or your sister ever need anything, you let me know, eh?"
Ayame wasn't sure why, or how, but hearing that one line of support from this woman, this kami given human form, seemed to blow life into a dying ember in her heart. As warmth suffused her body the weight on her shoulders seemed that much easier to bear. Nearly choking at the sudden relief of the pain she'd not truly noticed, she beamed at the redhead who had decided to light up her life.
"Hai. Arigato-gozaimasu, Ryoko-chan."
The duo sat there in silence for a moment, just staring at each, before Ryoko broke the tension, with a Cheshire grin. "Sooo, Ayame-sempai, what brought you over here in the first place?"
Ayame's eyes went wide at the sudden reminder. "AHCK! Dinner!"
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It was late at night a couple of days later, that Ranma sat atop the temple roof, gazing at the moon. Ayame hadn't had the chance to introduce her to her sister yet, since, with 'Ryoko's' appearance, tasks that had been put off as non-essential could suddenly get done.
It had been a few days, of living the life of a simple miko, and all the customers so far had been polite enough to not say or do anything untoward so far. Ranma knew enough to know the other shoe was there, looming in the distance.
Still, she'd been reminded earlier of her silent companion back Home. In Hueco Mundo. Tetrex was certainly an oddball, but then, who among her friends wasn't? 'Don't answer that! (...)urusai.' Still, she hoped he wasn't going crazy back there, waiting for her... 'Bah! Who'm I kiddin'?! The guy's been around longer'n me. If he was gonna go crazy, he already is! Besides, he can take care 'f 'imself jus' fine!' it felt weird to fall back into old speech patterns, even in her own head. Like trying on an old familiar gi that just, didn't fit right anymore.
Still, she couldn't escape that weird niggling feeling. She needed to go back. Just to pop in. She knew where she was now, she could come back just fine.
Brandishing her claws, she dug into the air and tore, creating before her a yawning maw of darkness. The Way Home was Open.
However, just as she was about to jump through, something pricked at the edge of her senses. Tufted ears twitching in an effort to locate a sound, Ranma took a deep sniff as she tried to identify whatever it was she just pinged.
A sudden spike in the near distance brought her attention square to the source of the disturbance. "Huh, just another hollow. An odd signature, but not really my business." However, that presence remained, just at the edge of her perception. It itched. Almost like... like a bug bite.
What Was it!?
Unable to bear her curiosity any longer, she figured she might as well go check it out. Waving her arm back without a care, Ranma swept the back of her hand through the garganta, banishing it from the air like so much smoke, before she dashed across the rooftops toward the source of the disturbance.
Roughly five blocks later, Ranma found herself standing atop the edge of a high-rise apartment complex, looking down into what seemed to be a community courtyard of sorts. Just by looking, there didn't seem to be anything amiss in the area, but an errant sniff proved this was definitely where that stupid 'bug' was.
It was when she tried to enter the courtyard below, that she received a slightly nasty surprise
"Nyarrgh?!"
Rubbing at her nose in irritation, she bites down on her pipe, scowling at the obstruction.
"A Barrier?" Ranma muttered in annoyance, before brandishing the claws of her right hand as she took a drag on her pipe, clenched in her left.
Holding it in her mouth, she let the mist trickle from her jaws like smoke from an angry dragon as her right eye flared crimson, any thoughts of subtly fleeing in terror left her thoughts "Nothing I can't tear down." And she swept her claws to the side like an angry tiger, shredding the barrier like so much tissue paper.
Shaking her hand as though to rid it of something foul, Ranma swept her burning, chromatic gaze below. Only for her eyes to narrow to slits at the sight of the tableau below.
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"Ja ne! I'll see you next week!" Akane waved to her coworkers, as she exited the hospital. Absentmindedly readjusting the bag on her shoulder as she stretched to the sky, she looked up at the cloudless orange sky. Noting how late it was, Akane picked up the pace as she made to hurry home.
Despite maintaining her training from high school, she still didn't want to be caught out at night. It might not be as bad as Central Tokyo, but that didn't mean she wanted to take chances. After all, if she'd learned anything five years ago, it was that no matter how good you were, you couldn't beat a bullet.
Her determination wavered slightly as she passed one of her favorite restaurants, as the beast within was aroused from its slumber. Pausing in embarrassment, she scratched her cheek a little before giving in to temptation and popping in for dinner. She had missed her lunch break after all. 'Guns aren't even that common here anyway. I'm sure I can handle anything that might happen.'
Deciding to indulge just a little, she ordered some sake with her meal. Sighing, she leaned back as she watched the birds outside, Akane once again lamented the fact that she was eating alone. "Maybe Maki-chan is right? Maybe I should ask Ryuken-sensei for a drink?" she thought back to the unapproachable doctor she'd been working with. However, not even five seconds in, her mind was once again invaded by the image of a certain gender-flipping jackass with a heart of gold, flashing her that irritating smile.
She sighed. Even five years later, and she still couldn't let go. Her therapist said it would take time, but she hadn't really thought it would be This long! Bah! Whatever, the food was here, and she could at least drown the memory a little while she was at it.
After all, it wasn't like he'd just magically appear in front of her! No, he was gone from her life for good. The only thing she could really hope for is to meet up again in the next life. 'Assuming reincarnation actually exists.'
She smiled wistfully at the thought, swirling her drink in its cup before taking a sip. Honestly, her life wasn't so bad now. Four and a half years and not a single kidnapping! While it counted, she preferred not to think about that one incident. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.
About the only thing she still had to really worry about these days was Kuno. The rich idiot was still looking for The Foul Sorcerer who had "forced his Pig-Tailed Goddess to sacrifice herself in his stead for some green-haired peasant girl!" But the attempts were growing halfhearted by this point. Seems even he can get bored of chasing ghosts after a while.
Thankfully he still hadn't located her after she'd moved out here, though honestly, that was because Sasuke admitted that his master was frankly better off without his two main sources of his dismania, her and Ranma, and opted to hide her rather than follow orders for once. When she'd asked about the search for Ranma, the little ninja had sheepishly admitted to luring his master out to exotic travel locations for fun.
Her spirits were lifted by the memory of her last conversation with Sasuke, (he came by to check up on her every couple of months), she finished her meal, and perhaps a few too many drinks, paid her bill, and resumed her trek back home.
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She was almost halfway home when she suddenly stumbled. "Huh? That's weird, did I have too much to drink?"
Not a second later a thunderous rumble could be heard in the distance. "Rain?" Looking up to the sky, Akane could just make out the first of the night's stars, but still not a single cloud to be seen.
That was when the earth started to shake. It was only a single tremor, but immediately following on its heel was the roar of some monstrous beast. Mind filling with flashbacks of the Orochi of Ryugenzawa, instincts honed over two years of utter chaos rushed to the fore.
Taking a deep, steady breath, Akane used what little ki control she had to help flush the alcohol from her system. It wasn't much, but it still helped clear her head. Slipping her bag over her head, she took off running. She wasn't sure where whatever it was, was, but she knew she at least needed to get out of the streets.
After roughly five minutes of jogging, (no sense in tiring herself out), and no new signs of monsters or monstrous martial artists, Akane slowed to a stop. 'Really? Nothing? I didn't drink that much, did I?' However, even as she thought to herself, she felt a familiar tingle run down her spine.
While nowhere near as good as a certain someone, Akane was still a top-rated martial artist, by normal standards that is. She still had a fairly decent danger sense, and right now it was going off like crazy!
Picking up the pace once more, she spied a familiar building just up the street. Ignoring propriety this once, Akane ducked into the courtyard of the large high-rise apartments with the knowledge that her own street was just on the other side.
But escape was impossible. She just didn't know it yet.
Dashing through the green and around the kids' play area, she was soon within the eastern threshold, only to slam face-first into an invisible wall.
Rubbing her nose, she knocked on the barrier experimentally. "rnngh, yeah that sure is an invisible wall alright." Giving up trying to bust through as a bad idea, for now, Akane retreated back into the open area, intent on finding another way out. Sadly, every other exit was blocked off, the same as the eastern gate. Even the one she'd first entered was sealed tight.
Suddenly, Akane was nearly blown clean off her feet as behind her the very ground shattered in a circle of eight points, the crash accompanied by that horrifying bestial roar from before. Only this time, the sound nearly deafened her. Regaining her balance, she whipped around to find the source of her entrapment.
However, besides the obvious damage to the ground, there was just nothing there. Her confusion was cut short by a sharp pain in her belly, followed by a bone-chilling cold before the world turned black as she was launched into the air, the only sound of some far-off scream of terror.
Groaning in pain as the world came back into a blurry focus, Akane struggled to lift herself to her hands and knees. Coughing up some warm liquid she assumed to be the remains of her dinner, she thanked all her lucky stars for her martial artist durability. That felt like she had taken a full-on punch from Ryoga.
Unfortunately, her attacker wasn't finished with her just yet. Black spots appeared in her already blurry vision, the air driven forcefully from her lungs as a pair of vice-like pincers pinned her arms to her sides and lifted her into the air.
Trying her best to blink away the darkness and refocus on the world, Akane could only scream as best she could at the sight of her assailant.
Straddling the center of the courtyard was a monstrous spider the size of an American hummer! Its back resembled the golden skull of some demonic cyclops engraved in some odd geometric lines, while its 'chin' rounded down into a miniature version that proved to be its actual face. It returned her scream with one of its own, its jaws distending like snakes as it dragged her in and began tearing into her shoulder and upper torso.
Gasping in agony far worse than anything she'd ever experienced before, Akane did her best to struggle against it, knowing it was useless, yet unwilling to give in all the same. Still, as she feebly fought against the encroaching darkness, she thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar face on the nearby rooftop.
'Baka. You really just can't let go, can you? Even when you're getting devoured by some stupid spider, you're thinking of Him?' A sharp pain from her side briefly brought her vision back into focus. 'Wait, Her? Is this some kind of sick joke?! I am being eaten alive by some Nightmare Spider, and my dead, female fiance is coming to welcome me to the afterlife. The hell is he wearing!? I can sorta get the miko outfit if he's here to guide my soul, but why does he look like a Neko with that weird skull mask? And since when did he start smoking!?'
Indeed, despite all the horror of the current events, Akane could only look on in dismay at just how in poor taste the entire thing was.
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Perched atop a nearby balcony, a certain black cat observed the Hollow Kisuke had called Gilderantula, a lesser-known hollow, infamous for taking out beginner patrols. While she would have no trouble at all getting through the barrier, she lamented the fact that she had simply arrived too late to save the poor girl currently being devoured alive.
However, just as she was about to jump down to end it, she completely lost her balance, falling off the banister as a reiastu of immense pressure seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Thank the Spirit King Cats always land on their feet." She looked up, "Still, what-"
FWUNK! "Nyarrgh?!"
Her attention drawn by the sudden exclamation, Yoruichi finally spied the source of the intense pressure. Standing atop the opposing roof, silhouetted against the rising full moon, a feminine figure brought, (was that a kiseru?), to their lips and brandished a handful of claws that even gave her a moment's pause. It was only thanks to her enhanced feline ears that she caught the next bit.
"A Barrier?" And immediately felt her blood freeze as their eyes lit the night. Shining like someone had trapped the sun in a glacier, the left's cold blue was in stark contrast to the blazing fury of the right's angry red.
"Nothing I can't tear down." The sight of her own breath condensing in front of her was...worrying.
The next thing she knew, the barrier had been torn asunder like Kenpachi 'trying' to use the door...
A chance cloud obscuring the moon allowed Yoruichi to get a better glimpse of this new arrival. What shocked her was that being appeared to be yet another Hollow! Though by no means common, she'd had plenty of talks with Kisuke to recognize the beauty of an Arrancar.
She was suddenly very thankful she had fallen into the shadows under a bush, as the far too human-looking hollows near angelic features went from annoyed to a stillness that seemed to freeze the very air itself, directly at the poor unfortunate souls below.
'Just who is this?' The cat inwardly wondered, just as Gilderachnid seemed to have finally taken notice of the crimson-haired intruder. Tossing its meal away like a piece of trash, it screamed up at the one who had dared to interrupt its meal.
"Poor deluded fool."
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Ranma gazed down in annoyance at the giant spider hollow below her. This was the source of that annoying itch?! An actual BUG!? I mean bugs're cool an' all, but Come ON! And what was with that obscene amount of gold?
Still, her curiosity was sated, and as annoying as it was, Ranma felt no real reason to mess with it. Ya don't squash a bug, jus' cause ya can. She had almost decided to leave when her gaze fell on the bloody bundle currently in its grasp.
Ranma's face went slack, devoid of all emotion, as her blood turned to ice in her veins. She stared uncomprehendingly as the familiar face gazed back at her with glazed eyes. Recognition and incredulity seemed to bloom in her pain-stricken face, just in time for the glittering pest to throw her away like bad leftovers.
Watching as she flopped lifelessly to the ground, lying in a puddle of her own blood, Ranma snapped.
Lips split from ear to ear, Her fangs shining in the waning light as a gleeful Cheshire grin blooms beneath hooded eyes.
She takes a languid drag on Her favorite pipe, blowing it at the little worm's face as it screams at Her in impotence.
("Ara~ ara!~ What, have, we, here? A glittering little Worm that thinks it can take what's Ours? 'tut-tut-tut-tut' Intoleráblé")
She sniffs disdainfully at the Glittering Pest beneath Her, as it launches a pitiful beam of golden light from that grotesque eye on its back. Such a laughable attack wasn't even worth Dodging! Still, no need to sully Her outfit.
Returning her pipe to her lips, She shows this pitiful insect just how beneath her he truly is. Blowing out a cloud of mist, the piddling beam is nearly extinguished by the time it reaches Her. But just enough remains to barely brush against her cheek
She tsked as she brought Her hand to Her mouth, licking Her fingers to wipe away the smudge on Her perfect face.
("Ara ara! It looks like Bitchito wants to play~?") Tilting Her face up, She sneers down Her nose at the insignificant peasant before Her, Her eyes shining like gold as the air roiled around Her in a sea of chaos.
("Well then, Glitter-Bug...") The bug's screams of defiance are meaningless as She takes a step forward, and in a burst of static hum, appears directly in his face.
("~Let's Play, Nyaah.~")
Our favorite Black Cat watched in trepidation as the Arrancar woman simply vanished from the rooftop, only to appear in front of the unlucky subject of her ire. After tanking that beam attack to the face with barely a smudge, she had already decided this was certainly someone to take seriously.
The hollow, on the other hand... Well, She certainly didn't consider it anything more than a buzzing fly, given the arrancar's abrupt change in attitude towards it. 'Still, that change is worrying. First, her eyes are glowing blue and red, then suddenly shift to gold. Hmmm, Kisuke will probably have some thoughts on it later.'
Her ears perked slightly at the teasing way the Redhead ended with ("Nyaah~"), but those thoughts quickly fled as she almost negligently backhanded the giant arachnid fifty feet away, into the side of the building leaving a cracked indention in its side.
As Gilderachnid flails about before finally righting himself, Yoruichi slunk along the inner columns in an attempt to maintain a clear view. Watching as the hollow swerves frantically in search of his attacker, she notes with some amusement that the girl is currently sat atop its back, lazily puffing at her pipe, her now visible bone-like tail lashing side to side.
("Ara ara~! You weren't hurt by that little love tap, were you Glitter-Bug? I mean you're such a BiG StRoNg BoY!") Reaching down, she made as if to feel up one of its left legs, only for the hollow to scream in agony as, with the snap of a dry twig, its leg was completely severed at the base!
Dropping the limb like she'd been caught in the cookie jar, she covered her mouth in a feminine gasp, ("Ara!? Bitchito! Your leg came right off! However did That happen?") The smile of cold condescension she gave as 'Little Glitter-Bug' struggled to crawl away from his predator made her whiskers itch. ("Bitchitooo~! Have you been holding all this Dead Weight all this time? Here,") she leaned down over his primary, spider-like face, and brought her voice to a purr ("Let me help you with that.")
The black cat could only watch in fascinated horror as the Arrancar took the next forty seconds to systematically 'disarm' her prey.
Eventually, it was down to its last leg, literally, and it cried piteously as it continued trying to crawl away from the tyrant casually stalking it. Yoruichi wondered how long she would keep this going, but just as she contemplated stepping in, the skull-capped Cat-girl suddenly stopped, eyes dilated into pools of inky black.
Swerving around they saw the first victim, forgotten during the 'fight'. Coughing feebly as she shifted in pain, it was astounding that she had somehow managed to survive at all. What was strange was that, somehow, she appeared to be moving in double, her soul seemingly dragging her body along behind it!
The Redhead, apparently reminded of the initial reason for her ire, immediately turned back to her victim, flashing in front of him in a burst of sound. Kneeling down to his face, she tenderly ran her thumb across his cheek in an almost motherly caress.
("You know, I really was going to just let you be. A Hunter needs to hunt, after all. Unfortunately for you, Brillo-Bitchito, you. Chose. POORLY.") and what was once a gesture of intimacy transformed into a rictus of fury as her splayed digits clawed into his mask.
Gusts of wind buffeted all around, as the reishi in the air seemed to draw in on itself. Her reiatsu grew so dense, that the power itself seemed desperate to escape. The windows in the surrounding apartments began shattering, one by one, then dozens at a time. A riotous cacophony of sound, so sharp it seemed to cut space itself. Actually, that was probably just the hurricane of glass raining down in all directions.
The Not-So-Glittering Bug started keening, as it developed a florescent black and purple sheen before the sound of a thunderous heartbeat rang out and a pulse of energy rippled through the air. Again, the beating sound rang, accompanied by a pulse. But this time, she noticed that the pulse seemed to almost crush the hollow.
The pulsing continued, the helpless arachnid compacting in on itself. Its cries of agony finally turn to whimpered pleas for mercy at the end. Anything to make the agony stop. But she continued, until finally, it was nothing but an oozing ball of ichor.
The black cat couldn't move, staring, transfixed, as this Arrancar, this monster, transformed what had been a mid-level threat, into a sickly ball of inky blackness the size of a grapefruit. Then, in wonder, the ichor slopped off like rot off the bone, revealing a softly glowing orb of white hovering in the girl's hand.
XXXX
XXXX
Taking a deep breath, Ranma slowly brought herself back from the haze of rage she'd been in briefly. Gazing at what remained of th-...It, she reflected on what small snippets she could remember of the last minute.
'Note to self: Anger Management. Yer, not Bacon Breath.' Sighing, she brought her attention to the one who actually inspired this event.
Crossing the distance to the blood-soaked, blue-haired girl who appeared to be barely clinging to life, Ranma noticed just how mangled she was. It wasn't just her body, her very Soul seemed to reflect the same damage! Even so, Akane proved she was still the same old stubborn Tomboy, and simply refused to just lay down and die.
Gently, oh so gently, Ranma nudged her onto her back with her foot.
'Hmm? That's odd. Why did her body lag behind like that?'
An explosion of wet coughs and splutters refocused her attention onto the (twin?) sets of bleary and clouded eyes that stared back up at her. At first, it seemed all she could do was feebly gape like a fish, before finally, she managed to gasp out, "R-Ranma? 'cough' Bu-ut, 'wheeze'your-r-r-r'wheeze' 'gasp' dead."
Ranma couldn't help but smirk fondly down at her glare of accusation. "Yeah? Looks like yer about ta kick the bucket yerself, Tomboy."
Bending down on one knee, she tucked her pipe into the side of her mouth and held its position with a tap of her claw, before more thoroughly inspecting the wound. Holding the orb of light aloft as a lamp, she gently yet professionally sliced away Akane's clothes with her free index claw.
(Indignant gurgling)
"Don't get yer panties in a twist. It's ruined anyways and I need to get a better look-see. Don't go gettin' no ideas, I ain't bein' no pervert."
(annoyed but acknowledging cough/wheeze)
Peeling away the layers of fabric, Ranma tapped into the Soul of Ice, partly to do what little she could to try to numb the pain, but also to try and conceal the look on her face as she really saw the damage. A mangled arc of flesh and soul drew from the top of her left shoulder and down her torso, nearly bisecting her rib cage, before swinging around her left kidney to mirror itself along her back. The thing hadn't just bitten her, it had chewed.
'Damn, disgusting thing. Looks like it actually ate a bit of her soul not to mention her ribs and some organs.'
Ranma also steadfastly ignored her ex-fiancee's breast on full display. It was covered in blood right now anyway.
Lost in thought as to what she could possibly do, she was about to offer her a quick and merciful end when she was interrupted by that little voice she refused to acknowledge.
('We could save her, you know?') Urusai!' she responded on pure reflex before the words truly hit her.
'Wait. We-? How?! Shouldn't I just let her pass on into that Soul Civilization place Aftro-baka mentioned? (Look at her soul, It looks like her own attempts at sewing! The only thing awaiting her after death, is oblivion. She can't fix her soul on her own... But WE can.)... how? (Just leave it to me. Don't fight it.) WUH-?!'
Nearby, the black cat watched on in curiosity. Apparently, the two knew one another. Which answered one question, but left dozens more in its place with not much answers.
Baring the rest of Akane on full display, Ranma put a finger to her bloody lips, silencing the girl's growing grunts of feeble rebellion.
"Hush." Ranma interrupted, letting out a puff of mist as her left eye gained a florescent blue glow rimmed in gold, her features smoothing into a calm, almost motherly smile.
Unseen by Ranma and Akane, whose eyes remained locked together, a pair of ghostly figures appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as though rounding some unseen pillar. Clad in pale white robes, they stood at a height comparable with the Red-haired Arrancar. Their eyes glowed an electric blue through the eyes of their plain white fox masks, and tufted ears twitched minutely among their black pageboys.
The feline observer looked on in interest as the two flanked the kneeling Arrancar. Mirroring each other, they each placed a hand upon the Redhead's shoulder, before lifting their outer hands in a two-fingered prayer, revealing a set of black prayer beads wrapped around their palms and wrists.
Akane's soul, by this point, had become almost transparent, her breathing so labored as to almost stop. Truly, the only thing keeping her alive at the moment was her limited ki training and sheer, unbridled tenacity. But even that eventually ran dry.
"Oh No you Don't... Not yet Tomboy." Ranma teased, as she brought her right-hand palm up and concentrated until the dimming sphere of light began to glow brighter and spin rapidly, oscillating with a florescent black and purple energy.
Then, as if in a trance, Ranma began to chant. The words themselves seemed indecipherable, what the observer found most intriguing was that hers was not alone. Layered in tandem with hers, were what sounded like four other distinct voices, one of them notably male.
After only a few moments of this, the redhead thrust the swirling ball of energy into the girl's sternum.
Akane's vision was almost gone. Only the bright light Ranma was holding remained somewhat visible. Then, with a painful 'Thump!' the cold began to recede, no, flee! Only to be replaced by a searing, white heat that seemed to fill her with energy.
Turning her head to the side, she violently ejected the blood from her lungs and stomach as her wounds began to miraculously heal, reveling in the first true lungful of air she'd had in minutes though she soon passed out.
Soon, the only sign of the ordeal she'd had was a jagged arc of reddened skin, like someone had decided to paint with scalding water.
Curious, and confident in her stealth skill, Yoruichi tried to sneak around a little closer. She was therefore completely stunned when both the masked figures immediately snapped their heads towards her. Their electric blue eyes shone a golden crimson as they glared at her in warning.
Before she could do anything else, they pivoted back to face each other and stepped back into...nothing? It was as if they'd simply stepped back behind some invisible curtain! Their gaze had never left her though.
Still, they were gone now, and this being clearly had something for cats, right?
Ranma took an exhausted drag on her pipe, using the tool for its intended purpose of energy collection for perhaps the first time. She was incredibly drained, looking down at the sleeping girl before her. She smiled contentedly, but her good mood encountered a violent end as a very distinct sound sent shivers up her spine and tail to stand on end.
"Meoow?"
Mechanically, she turned her head to lock eyes with the glossy black cat that cautiously wandered over, meowing once more. "n-n-ni-ni-ni-Niiice Kkkitt-t-ty..." she stuttered her throat closing up at just the attempt at addressing the little furry hellspawn, as she tried desperately to make her legs respond DAMMIT!
"Ssst-t-t tay back!" she cried, though the black cat only mewed once more. only now it wasn't alone. Nearly hyperventilating by this point, Ranma noted with terror that there were now Dozens of cats all around her! From the rooftops to the alleys, and even some of the balconies! cats began wandering in, surrounding them, their meowing a discordant, cacophonous clowder of sound, battering at her sanity.
The black cat tilted her head as it saw the look of genuine terror on the Arrancar's features, 'Wait... Is, she scared of cats?' she thought before deciding to test it, by trotting up to her.
The crimson-haired Arrancar's features went from frightened to feral in an instant as she let out a hiss. along with a low yowl burned in her throat as she raked the air with her right-hand claws, tearing open a Garganta before diving in.
Sighing in relief that the crazy Cat-Girl (no you don't get to comment on that) had finally left, she chose instead to examine the girl she'd done...whatever to.
Alighting upon the girl's exposed stomach, she saw angry red flesh which, she assumed, had once been horrendously disfigured. "Humph. A strange one indeed, to save the life of someone they knew."
'Wait! This is someone she knew!? How is that possible? It's supposed to take years, decades even to get to that stage...isn't it?'
She was broken from her thoughts as four of the cats that had arrived earlier all gathered around the blood-soaked girl. Among them: a rather sturdy-looking Russian blue Maine coon tom missing half its left ear, a very large cream-colored tom with a brown patch around its left ear, a svelte ginger molly who eyed her suspiciously, and a matronly Calico who gave her a look that put her oddly in mind her own mother.
"Seriously? What's with all the cats?"
The sudden sound of feet hitting the ground alerted and scared off the Quartet, though the Blue Coon Tom stopped to look back at her with piercing grey-blue eyes, before following the others as they melded into the dark alley.
"Yoruichi-dono! We felt a disturbance, is everything okay here?" the familiar deep voice of her old friend's deputy carried across the battered ground. Turning to the two figures, one large and well-groomed, the average and scruffy, she sighed in hidden relief.
"I'm fine Tessai, thank you for your concern." turning away from the alley the clowder had vanished into, she cast a gimlet eye on the duo. "You just missed all the fun. I found Glitter-Bitch attacking this girl here," she gestured with a paw at the girl she still sat on, "Only for an Arrancar of all things to swoop in, beat the tar out've him, and then save the girl!"
Swiping his signature fan over his face, her old friend gave an amused chuckle. "Yare Yare. 'Glitter-Bitch'? Whoever could that be, my dear Yoruichi-san?"
Realizing she'd actually internalized the Arrancar's name for the hollow during the fight, the golden-eyed cat quietly coughed as they groomed their paw. "Aherm. That is to say, I found Gilderachnid." at the two's continued stares she relented "Glitter-Bitch is what that Arrancar woman called him. It, seemed more fitting."
Looking down as she was to avoid their gaze, she noticed something odd on the girl's sternum. Nestled in the peak of her valley, the girl seemed to have a pale birthmark in the shape of a starburst. Remembering what the Redhead had done earlier, she continued to ignore the two men and, with strength belying her small stature, nudged the unconscious girl onto her side away from the men.
There, in the same place, another mark sat resting on her back. No. not another. The same mark.
Noting several signatures closing in, she looked back up at her old friend, dressed in his customary bucket hat, geta, and coat. "Kisuke we probably should move the young woman from here before they get here."
The scruffy blonde nodded behind his fan before snapping it shut."Yes, they are closing in fast. Tessai, if you would?"
"Of course, Sir!"
With that, the large man now revealed to be Tessai, scooped up the Azure-haired girl and the three made their escape.
Just after they fled the scene, several figures entered the courtyard, observing all the busted windows and lights flicking on as residents stumbled out, abuzz over the bizarre weather that had caused their windows to be destroyed.
And tucked away in the dark of the alley, four pairs of eyes followed the trio fleeing with their charge and following suit.
Note: Well I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as I get time. Feel free to review or don't it is up to you and thanks for stopping by!