Pros and Cons

"This is outrageous! Avatar, what is the meaning of this?! I will be submitting a complaint!" shouted the pompous male voice from somewhere outside.

"Shut up and die, demon!" cried a female voice from the same direction, accompanied by the sound of metal striking … crystal?

Ranma sighed, placed a marker in his book before setting it down on the living room table, and stood up. "Guess I need to see what's going on. Alquia," he said, the elvish word triggering a flare of magic that condensed water from the air to trigger his curse. "I'm a guy," she added flatly, transforming into the Avatar of Light as she walked outside.

"This is unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" cried a slightly overweight man with a pair of short black horns protruding from his forehead. He appeared to be in his late twenties; his skin was pale, his hair tied into a very short ponytail, and his goatee was impeccably groomed. His slacks and dress shirt were both black silk, and his black boots looked very expensive. Ranma couldn't help but think that he looked rather over-groomed, a man trying too hard to make sure he looked just right, unlike the relaxed charm and casual good looks Henri had had. She hurriedly shoved those thoughts aside and watched as the man swung his dark crystal dagger, barely deflecting his opponent's gleaming silver sword as he gave ground. His attacker was a woman who looked to be several years younger, tall and fair with golden hair and hazel eyes. She wore a dark brown leather tunic that bore short metal studs and was partially concealed by a green jacket, thick black leather breeches, and gloves and boots that appeared to be made of a softer brown leather.

"What's going on out here?" Ranma demanded.

"Avatar! How dare you set your minion on me in this underhanded and cowardly assault! Call off your attack dog at once!"

"Avatar!" the woman cheerfully called, "I found this demon skulking outside your home! It won't take much longer to deal with it," she called as her sword scored a red line along her opponent's hand, eliciting a yelp.

"I was not skulking! I am a challenger!" the demon exclaimed with indignation, "Avatar, I demand you put a stop to this! You can't let challengers be ambushed when they approach you!"

"Yeah… I've never seen either of you before in my life; she has nothing to do with me."

"As I said, I am a challenger. You have an obligation to make sure I'm safe during my visit!"

"But you haven't challenged me yet," Ranma said as the woman eased her attacks slightly to listen to the conversation. "I'm not going to step into your ongoing fights just because you want to challenge me, you know. You have to resolve your issues before you can make a challenge; this is none of my business."

"None of your business?! I was attacked on your lawn!"

"I suppose you have a point," she allowed before her voice hardened. "Both of you, get the hell off my property."

"What?!" screeched the demon. "You're just going to let this ruffian attack your challengers?"

"No," said Ranma, before addressing the woman. "Don't attack demons around here after this one unless they're actively causing trouble."

"What do you mean, after this one?!"

"Protecting you from her before you challenged me would set a bad precedent. Also, I don't want to. Now, are you going to leave or do I need to call Velgri?"

The demon nervously licked his lips and glanced at his opponent, who smiled cheerfully at him and stepped back a few feet, gesturing at the street with her free hand. Muttering, he walked off the property, the woman happily following him.

"Hey, there's a lot a couple of blocks over where you can fight without getting run over," Ranma called as she followed them to the sidewalk. "Or you can use the challenge area, if you want someplace bigger."

"The lot's fine," the woman replied, "this shouldn't take long at all."

When the demon's only response was to grumble while his eyes darted around, clearly searching for escape routes, Ranma asked, "Hey, what makes you think you're going to have any chance in a challenge if you can't handle some random person you run across?"

"My powers are optimized to counter you, Avatar, not random riff raff," he huffed as they walked to the vacant lot.

"Oh, well good luck with that. You can challenge me if you survive, Mr. One Trick Pony."

"My name is Morion, not One Trick Pony!" shouted the demon as smokey darkness swirled around him.

"Die, Morion!" cried the woman as she launched herself at him in a flurry of thrusts and short swings of her silver sword.

For several seconds, Morion could do nothing more than desperately dodge and parry with his dark crystal dagger as he gave ground. The moment there was a pause in his opponent's attacks, he lunged forward, lightning fast, and struck, his dagger dripping a seething black miasma. With casual ease, the woman deflected the dagger to the side and plunged her sword into his chest. Morion's weapon slipped from his hand, and a moment later, he followed it to the ground before dissolving into black smoke.

"Very nice," Ranma said with a nod. "So, considering you knew where I live, I'm guessing you're here to see me."

"That's right," the woman said, as she lowered her sword to her side and focused her gaze on the Avatar. "Hello, my name is Branwen Bullseye, you killed my brother." As Ranma's expression tightened and she shifted slightly into a more combat ready stance, the woman beamed and exclaimed, "Thank you!"

"Er, what?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I guess I did come across rather Inigo Montoya there," she laughed. "My brother was the worst sort of scum," she said, her mood darkening, "and if I were permitted to kill him myself, I would have done it years ago."

"Why couldn't you? I mean, besides, you know, the law."

"Mother said I wasn't allowed to unless he attacked me first."

"Okaaay," Ranma said slowly. "You're … welcome?"

Branwen smiled and nodded, then clapped her hand together and eagerly asked, "So, would you like to search out and destroy evil together?"

Ranma sighed and massaged her forehead. "Let's talk inside…"

oOo

"Would you like some tea?" the Avatar of Light asked as she led her guest into the house.

"Yes, please."

"Oh, I'll get it," Kasumi said as she walked to the kitchen, "you should entertain your guest."

"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma said as she walked into the living room and sat at the table with Branwen, glancing at the shougi table where Genma and Soun were playing against, and judging by their frowns and looks of intense concentration, once again losing to, Velgri. After a moment, the lavender fox excused herself and joined the two women.

"Velgri," said Ranma, "this is Branwen Bullseye. Branwen, this is Velgri, my advisor."

"Good day, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You, as well, Velgri."

"Right," said Ranma, "first things first, Branwen, you should be thanking Velgri for taking care of Brandon. He came here while I was out and instead of coming back or leaving his contact info, he tried to kill one of the people who lives here."

"Oh! Thank you very much, Velgri, the world is a much better place without him. I knew he'd come here to challenge the Avatar and died. I just assumed she had killed him. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble."

"None whatsoever."

"Good," Branwen said, dark satisfaction in her voice.

"As for going out and looking for evil," Ranma started to say before stopping as Kasumi arrived bearing tea and small pastries. Once everyone had been served and thanked her, Ranma continued, "It'd be great, but my position requires me to only accept official challenges. Unless I run into something, of course, but I'm not supposed to go out and actively look for trouble."

"Oh," said Branwen, somewhat taken aback, "that seems odd. No offense intended."

"It is understandable that it would seem strange to you," Velgri replied, "but the entire purpose of the Avatar of Light is to accept challenges from the forces of Darkness. Neither side begrudges her the use of her powers if she finds herself in desperate situations, but deliberately using the position for personal causes, especially against Dark beings who have not challenged her, is not something we permit. Consider it akin to not allowing police officers to go around wearing their uniforms and fighting crime on their own time."

"Ah, it still seems a bit strange, but I suppose I can understand the reasoning. I'm saddened that I won't be able to fight side by side with the Avatar of Light, though."

"I guess if you ever need help, I can do it as myself," Ranma said as she released her transformation and assumed her normal form.

"What are you doing, b—girl?!" demanded Genma. "You can't just go around telling everyone you're a magical girl! Think of your reputation!"

"She already knew where I live, old man," Ranma said, rolling her eyes. "It wouldn't have been hard to figure out who I am."

"Thank you for your trust in me," Branwen said, bowing her head. "It's true I likely could have discovered your identity if I chose, but I would not have tried, and I appreciate your offer of aid if I'm ever in need."

"No problem."

After another fifteen minutes of small talk and enjoyment of the excellent refreshments, Branwen made her farewells and left.

"Let's spar, boy, it's been too long since I've put you through your paces," Genma said as he rose from the shougi board, "I don't want you getting soft."

"Getting soft? You do realize I have a fight to death every couple of weeks or so, right?" she asked, as she stood up and stretched.

"All the more reason not to get soft," he replied grimly as the two of them went to the back yard, now in a much more sober mood that was reflected in the tone of their sparring.

"You still have a long way to go, boy," Genma declared a few hours later, "but not bad, not bad at all."

"Thanks," Ranma said, wiping her brow with a towel. "It's been a while since you've actually given tips and made suggestions. It reminded me of when we were on the road years ago. It was nice."

"The best way to learn is by doing," Genma stated as he wiped his bald head and replaced the bandana that had been covering it with a clean one. "When you realize that something works better by doing it differently, you understand why it does and remember the moment of discovery. If I tell you it works better a certain way, it's just something more to remember."

"Why the change today, then?"

"Like you said, you have challenges every couple of weeks, give or take. Learning something in a better way a month from now won't help you if you end up needing that knowledge tomorrow. I stopped giving you instructions when I felt you were skilled enough to improve solely through experience, boy. Now, I'm hoping you've grown enough as a martial artist to understand the tips I've given you to get nearly as much benefit."

Ranma nodded shortly. "I'll make sure I do."

"Good," Genma replied as he turned and walked into the house.

Deep in thought, Ranma entered the dojo and once again gazed upon the wall scroll and its calligraphy: iroha—fundamentals. That's what it all came down to, understanding the principles of the art so well that you can refine your every technique, every movement, to be a perfect expression of it. That's what the old man wanted her to achieve, and—

"Ranma," Nabiki's voice sounded in her head, "You need to come to the convention center downtown."

"Nabiki? Why, what's wrong?" she sent back through the link created by the card she'd given Nabiki as she quickly left the dojo.

"There's an Avatar of Light cosplay contest at the anime con."

Ranma stopped. "I don't care how good the prize is, I'm not entering. I gave you that card for emergencies only, you know."

"Suit yourself, but some of the cosplayers are very convincing, and I figured you might want to put a stop to this before one of them runs into the next Brandon Bullseye."

"Crap." Ranma started moving again.

oOo

"Excuse me, which way is—"

"Room 8B, down the second hall to the right." The girl at the information booth paused. "Uh, unless you're actually asking where the toilet is. I mean, I just assumed you're here for the Avatar of Light cosplay…"

"I am, thanks," Ranma said and turned to go the indicated way.

"I really love your outfit!" the girl called.

"Thanks," Ranma replied, a bit unenthusiastically, before going to room 8B where she found about a dozen other Avatars, some of them looking very authentic.

"Ooh, you look great! That's definitely one of the best!" an Avatar gushed as everyone turned to assess the newcomer.

"Thanks… Uh, you look very good too. Say, who's in charge here?"

"I am," replied a girl dressed in a white blouse and blue skirt as she picked a clipboard up from a table and walked over. "Please put your name on the sign-in sheet."

"Yeah, about that… actually, I'd like you to call this thing off. Well, I guess it's fine for you to pick the winners first, but this really isn't a good idea and I'd like you to stop."

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but who are you to tell us…" The girl trailed off as a golden aura formed around Ranma and gasps, exclamations, and furious whispers rose from the cosplayers filled the room.

"Look, it's really flattering, and everyone here has done a great job," Ranma said, pausing as her gaze fell upon a girl with spiky blond hair wearing a blue shirt and trousers and bearing an enormous sword on her back. "Uh…"

"Oh, I'm just here with my brother," the girl chirped as she indicated an Avatar whom Ranma could have mistaken for her own reflection if there were a pane of glass between them.

"Right…" Ranma said, ignoring the gushing of a couple of the Avatars near the brother and their asking if he was at all into lolita fashion. "Like I said, you all look great, but that's part of the problem—dressing like me isn't safe. Look, I'm not saying people are constantly trying to kill me, but I have been attacked by some lunatic once already, and I don't want another to mistake one of you for the real thing."

There was a long moment of silence as the girls, and at least one boy, took that in and processed that the actual Avatar of Light was there in front of them before the organizer spoke up. "We appreciate your concern, miss, and that you actually came here because you were worried, but that seems really unlikely, doesn't it? I mean, I don't think anyone plans to go around in costume except at events like this."

Ranma shook her head. "I've seen way less likely things happen a bunch of times, and aside from that? That lunatic I mentioned, he tried to kill someone just to send a message to me, and it would send one hell of a message to attack a room full of people dressed as me."

"Uh, is that lunatic still out there?" one Avatar asked as a number of others started to look nervous.

"No, he's dead."

"Ah," said the organizer as a number of the Avatars paled at that flat declaration. "In that case, please accept my thanks again for coming to warn us and rest assured that this will be the last Avatar of Light cosplay event I run. I'll be sure to let other people in the community know, as well." She thought for a moment. "If someone does an event anyway, I recommend not making an appearance; it could encourage people to keep having them just to meet you."

"Thanks, and that's a good idea," Ranma said, giving a wave and turning to the door.

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be greatly honored if you'd judge this first and only contest—since you're here already, that is. And if you'd be willing to give autographs and pose for pictures… Only if you want, of course! It's just that it's so incredible that you're actually here!"

"Uh, okay… So, if everyone would just… Actually, I'll let you handle that. It's your show, I'll just judge."

"Thank you," the organizer said, flashing her a brilliant smile. "My name is Shinobu Tanaka." This immediately prompted everyone else in the room to introduce themselves to the Avatar of Light.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

With that, Shinobu took a few minutes to organize and instruct the other Avatars. "Ok, I think we're ready now. Thank you for waiting. If the first—hello, can I help you?"

"Oh good, I didn't miss it," Nabiki said as she walked into the room. "I was hoping to get some pictures," she added, holding up the SLR camera that hung from a strap around her neck.

"Of course!" Shinobu exclaimed, "And if you wouldn't mind making the prints available to everyone here, that would be wonderful."

"Not at all, and my rates are quite reasonable; we can exchange contact information after the event. And who's this Avatar standing apart from the others? Is she the third place winner?" Nabiki asked, prompting titters and awkward coughs from the people in the room.

"Oh, not at all," Shinobu smoothly replied, "she's actually not competing because she's a professional and this is an amateur contest. She's the judge."

"That makes sense," Nabiki remarked, flashing a smile at Ranma and getting a flat look in return. "Well, I'm sure your time is valuable, then, so please ignore me and carry on."

oOo

"Just how many pictures did you take there?" Ranma grumpily asked as they walked through the convention after the contest had finally finished and he'd snuck off to detransform and get some hot water.

"Four rolls. Everyone wanted a shot of themselves with the judge for some reason."

"Funny. Did you really call me because you were worried about them or was this just an excuse to sell pictures?"

"Can't it be both?" Nabiki asked, fluttering her eyelashes before shrugging. "Honestly, it was mostly because I knew it'd worry you and you'd feel guilty if anything happened, but why not make some money while making some cosplayers very happy by giving them photos of a once in a lifetime experience."

"Yeah, okay, I guess. Thanks for calling me."

"You're welcome. Let's get something to drink, it was a bit warm in there."

A few minutes later, they were sipping drinks and sitting at a table they had managed to claim by virtue of Ranma leaping across the room to grab it just as the previous occupants got up.

"I should have known you'd stick me with the bill…"

"You really should have," Nabiki agreed.

"Why were you here, anyway? This doesn't really seem like your kind of thing."

"It's not. I just felt the need to get out of the house this morning, and some friends were coming here. They left around the time I found the contest."

"I guess it's lucky that you did." He frowned and looked around. "These places are too crowded and noisy."

"I can't believe the box set was sold out!" a boy wailed from the crowd.

"I will call you Antoinette!" a girl cried somewhere nearby, prompting Nabiki to place a hand protectively on her camera.

"Did you really have to buy a full set of every series they had, Shari?"

"Are you kidding? It's not like they have any of these back home, Tetsu!"

"Excuse me, could you tell me which way it is to Tokumasu Station?"

"Tokuma—?! We're in Nerima, buddy!"

"Let's get the hell out of here," Ranma suggested.

oOo

"Are you sure you don't want any of your brother's stuff?" Branwen's cousin Fujiko called out as the woman in question walked past Brandon's bedroom. "There's a whole case of tiny anti-personnel mines with remote arming capability here—you could take out an entire crowd with these!"

"Thank you, but I have no interest in such … diversions," Branwen replied, an expression of disgust twisting her face as she walked on, ignoring her cousin's muttered comment of "Stuck up bitch." Once outside, she checked her equipment then headed off to her hunting grounds for the evening. It was a shame the Avatar was prohibited from joining her; Branwen would have loved to have some company in her self-appointed duty. In the face of the rest of her family's violent and depraved inclinations, she usually felt like a lone light in the darkness. As her hand caressed the hilt of her sword, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she had to admit that she, herself, had violent tendencies, but there was a world of difference in how she acted on them.

Branwen walked along the trail leading down to the gulley she was planning to investigate. It was times like this that she envied the magical girls and martial artists who could have just jumped down—and even back up—but it was a fact of life that everyone had their own particular gifts and weaknesses. Walking past the scattered brush and the various trash people had dumped, she cautiously headed toward the bridge ahead; the recent rash of missing pet posters combined with the unusual lack of homeless people in the area hinted at something dangerous and hungry having moved in. As she passed a safe missing its door, the hints were confirmed by the sight of a troll of some sort chewing on an abandoned shopping cart. She crept forward, stepping quietly and taking advantage of what cover there was, managing to get within fifteen feet of the beast before it raised its head and sniffed the air, prompting her to draw her sword and advance openly.

With an angry roar, the troll hurled the battered shopping cart at her, missing by a wide margin as she easily sidestepped the less than aerodynamic projectile. In a blur of motion, the troll itself followed the cart, the slash of its right claws missing as Branwen pivoted and deflected the attack with her silver blade, her movement placing her out of easy reach of the creature's other arm and threatening its exposed side. Rather than taking the opportunity to land a light thrust to the side, she adjusted her sword's position slightly, and when the troll reacted to the danger by spinning back around with a wicked backswing, she swung her blade in a vertical arc to meet and smoothly slice through its arm, sending the severed limb flying. The beast stared in shock at its suddenly much shorter arm, until another flash of the silver blade sent its head to join the arm on the ground.

The troll dead, Branwen began exploring the area under the bridge, making sure another monster didn't lurk nearby before sheathing her sword. She discovered a number of small bones and a couple of dog collars but thankfully no human remains. Nodding in satisfaction, she walked on, exploring the rest of the gully, just in case something else foul was hiding within. As she reached the far end, where it gave way to a wooded slope, she frowned and rested her hand on her sword's hilt, feeling something's attention on her. She warily looked around, and her gaze fell upon a black bird perched on the lowest branch of a nearby tree. For a long moment, she silently watched the bird as it watched her. Then the crow spoke.

oOo

Pretty Special stood in the large dirt bowl where she came to practice her powers and focused as she took a deep breath. She held it for a moment, then released it as she raised her hands, and for the next few seconds, the area before her was awash with streams of lightning.

"Not bad… a little stronger than before, I think," she mused before setting off at a jog, firing threads of energy mixed with an occasional more powerful orb at various targets as she ran. After several minutes, she came to a stop and nodded. "Definitely stronger. Now, let's see what kind of difference strengthening the connection to my power makes."

She took a moment to make sure she was still alone and unobserved, then sank into meditation. A few seconds later, she frowned. She could feel the power within her, but there was less of it than she'd felt during her lesson with Ranma. Thinking that maybe her connection to the power's source had faded since then, she focused on tracing it back to its origin. The result was only more confusion as instead of springing from everything around her, the warm, comforting power inside her just seemed to come from somewhere that she couldn't identify. Spending some time focusing on her connection to this mysterious place did seem to increase the amount of power within her somewhat, but it still wasn't close to what it had been.

Nabiki sighed and opened her eyes. There was clearly some factor that was affecting her power and its connection to the source, but she had no idea what it was. There were some avenues to explore, though: time, location, proximity, and state of mind. Scanning the area again to make sure she was unobserved, she reverted to her normal form and started walking home, deep in thought. After a few minutes, she paused and reached for the power within her, comparing it to what it had been in her training spot. No change, so if the difference was based on location, it wasn't so sensit—wait, no change?

Nabiki glanced around, then pointed a finger at a puddle beside the path she was on. An icy blue thread of energy stuck the water and froze it solid. For a long moment, she just stared at the ice before resuming her walk. "Well, now…"