|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Part Five: Tragedy at the Tendo Dojo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Within the family room at the Tendo's home - Happosai was scurrying around in a way that none of them had ever seen him done before. Genma and Soun were mildly disturbed by this - Ranma on the other hand was not. He casually walked over and kicked the perverted master up and into his hands. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You tell us to all meet here to tell us something important. So quit running around like some crazed chicken and tell us already," Ranma stated sternly as he tossed the master onto an empty chair. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "We have to leave here now," Happosai stated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Leave?" Soun repeated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "There is no time to explain. We are all in grave danger," he explained. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Right - like we haven't heard him spout that nonsense before. The old freak is probably just trying to rattle our chain to set us up for something he did," Ranma retorted untrustingly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Ranma my boy - I know we have had our differences in the past but please believe me," Happosai requested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And what reason do we have to? All you have ever done was cause trouble and make our lives miserable," Ranma retorted. Happosai looked like he was going to attack Ranma but merely lowered his eyes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "My boy - you have no notion of what true trouble is. If we do not leave here now - I can not begin to describe," he began but stopped. Genma and Soun looked at their master and could see how visibly shaken he was. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't think he is lying," Soun muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You can always tell when the old man is lying - his lips move," Nabiki remarked as she looked at some invoices and bills. "Honestly daddy - you should know better than to believe anything he says by now," she added. Happosai closed his eyes and sighed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You want to know why we have to leave? Fine - I'll tell you - my master is coming here. The true master of the Anything Goes School of martial arts," he stated. The words caught the attention of everyone. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "True," Ranma began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Master?" Akane completed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What all of you don't understand is that - there is a darker side to the Anything Goes style - hence its name," he explained. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And this master - is heading here?" Nabiki asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Me and the master - we - ah - had a falling out of sorts," Happosai remarked. Ranma walked over and scowled at the master. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Why do I get the feeling it had something to do with your perverted habits?" he asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "That is so like you! Always thinking ill of your master! I will have you know that I was a hero! I single-handedly took down the Lord of Darkness - Talon and saved the world from his dark influence," he protested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Lord of what and who?" Ranma asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Talon? You mean he really exists?" Soun asked - turning pale. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You know this Talon person?" Ranma asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Few people don't. He was said to be a legendary martial artist. Some text say that he is immortal - some say he isn't human - some say he is some kind of demon in human guise," Genma replied. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And we are supposed to just believe that the old pervert took him down all on his own?" Ranma asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Ranma has a point," Akane pointed out. Once again all eyes focused on Happosai. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I used a technique he wasn't expecting. The result caused his temple to fall down upon him," Happosai explained. Ranma smirked and shook his head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "In other words - it was a fluke," Ranma remarked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How dare you speak of your master like that!" he protested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I think we are overlooking something here," Nabiki began. "If this Talon is real - and if half of what Happy here is saying is true - that would mean," she continued as Soun and Genma almost instantly freaked out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "That means he would be heading this way!" Soun and Genma exclaimed as they along with Happosai began to run frantically around the room. Ranma groaned as he threw a chair at his father - hitting him in the head knocking him down and causing the others that were in full stage panic to trip over him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The old freak is always bringing trouble this way. I say if this Talon clown is coming here for him - let the guy have him," Ranma rationalized. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't know Ranma - I mean - if this Talon guy is as bad as he says," Akane began. Happosai bounded over. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What do you mean if?" he argued. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At that moment - a fair distance away. Talon stopped and looked in the direction of the Tendo Dojo. He calmly took a deep breath and smiled. The old Amazon spoke truthfully - the grounds his oldest temple had stood on were near. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Look at the clutter?" he muttered as looked at the densely populated area. "Look at all of you little heathens that are so flagrantly trespassing on holy ground. However shall I deal with this?" he sarcastically began as a powerful aura began to pulse around him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back at the Tendo's home - Ranma tensed up - the other martial artists could feel it too. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What is going on?" Nabiki hesitantly asked. Ranma hopped passed Nabiki and leaped into the backyard by the pond. He looked around - hoping to see some sign of whatever was setting him off. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "See anything boy?" Genma asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No - and I'm not hearing anything either," he replied seriously. The rest of them hurried outside and saw Ranma, Genma and Soun looking around. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What? What are you looking for?" Akane asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You're right - no birds - no bugs - nothing," Genma remarked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The master was right - we have to," Soun began as the ground began to violently shake. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Too late," Happosai muttered. They looked around and watched as everything around the dojo rose - no - not rising - they were sinking! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "We have to get out of here," Akane began as a part of the dojo wall broke off and hit her on the head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Akane!" Ranma shouted as he leaped over and shattered a large piece of debris that almost finished off his unconscious former fiancee. "We have to get away from this place before everything caves in on us," he called out. The others watched as Ranma raced and leaped through the erratic rain of debris. So focused was he on the task at hand - getting Akane out of harm's way that he didn't even realize that he had run through a small geyser that was formed by an erupted water main - and that once again he had changed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It was then that she the ground sloping before her - the angle was getting steeper and debris continued falling - hoping to send her back down. But in spite of the almost ninety-degree angle slope Ranma was running up - she leaped up and managed to land safely on solid ground. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The others?" she muttered hesitantly. It was then that a large panda carrying Nabiki - Soun and Happosai leaped up and landed a short distance away from where Ranma was. She was going to say something when she realized something. It was something that Soun picked up on almost instantly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "KASUMI!" he screamed as he leaped passed the panda back into the pit they had just escaped from. The panda put Nabiki down and followed after his friend. Ranma and Nabiki stood by the ledge of the edge of the large - newly formed canyon. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "She's going to be okay," Ranma reassured. But he could tell by the timid look in the usually stone carved face of Nabiki that she wasn't buying that anymore than he was. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Aye ya - we get here too late," Shampoo muttered. Ranma and Nabiki turned around and saw the two people from the Cat Cafe staring in sheer disbelief at the scale and scope of the destruction before them. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You knew about this?" Ranma asked hesitantly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Talon person stop by restaurant - beat us up and head this way. Shampoo hoped we get here in time," she said passively. Ranma was about to pursue his questions when the earthquake settled. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A pillar of smoke and dust rose up where the dojo had once been. It was then that he and the others hesitantly backed away from the edge as Soun - carrying the lifeless body of his eldest daughter Kasumi emerged. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "She - she isn't," Ranma hesitantly began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Kasumi!" Soun cried out as he fell to his knees. For a moment - all of them lowered their heads. Ranma then wiped the tears that were forming from her eyes as she clenched her hands into fists. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wherever you are Talon - I will make you pay for this! Ranma thought. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On the other side of the carnage and mass destruction - Talon stopped and looked in the direction the survivors were in. It was as though he had heard the thought that was directed at him. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Such a delicious hate - and a great power locked within. You wish to fight with me - by all means come to me - I am not as they say - a hard man to find," Talon remarked to himself as he slowly made his way down into the canyon to finish what he had begun. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||