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| Part Nine: Path of the Masters | ||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||
| In his temple - Talon smiled. He watched as the gathering that had fought so bravely to get to him. In their eyes he could see hope. Clearly, though schooled in who he was - they had no idea what they were up against. All of them used their most potent techniques on him. he made no effort to move. An explosion engulfed the legendary master and sent everyone flying back. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Aye ya. Is fight over so soon?" Shampoo asked. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "No child - it has only begun," Cologne replied. The smoke cleared - only Talon - Happosai and Cologne were left standing. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "How things come full circle," Talon remarked as he looked over at his former student. "The student that belittled what I offered him," he began as he then looked over at Cologne. "And the last of the Amazon elders - the ones that meddled in my affairs so long ago," he stated with an evil grin. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I think it best if you leave this one to us," Cologne suggested to the others. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Why hog all the fun? Let the children play," Talon goaded. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I was a fool to come to you so many years ago. I was a fool to not make sure you were dead. But I will be a fool no longer. This time I will finish what I started," Happosai declared as his battle aura flared. The others looked at how it towered over Talon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Indeed - putting evil to rest was not enough. My elders should have made sure that it was a sleep that you would never wake from. Feel the fury of three thousand years of Chinese Amazon history!" Cologne added as she began to glow. Everyone shielded their eyes as the two masters attacked Talon with everything that they had. | ||||||||||||||||||
| All around them they could feel the walls - roof and floor shaking. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Do - do you think they?" Ryoga hesitantly asked. It was then that they all heard the sounds of an evil laughter. The smoke from the explosion began to settle - the light from the powerful auras began to dim. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The color drained from the faces of the students of the masters and the allies that followed as they Saw Talon holding the two motionless masters by their throats. Then watched in horror as they saw the dim auras of the two grow dimmer and dimmer. And saw the auras being drained into Talon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Loose ends - cut them all off I always say," he remarked as he tossed the two lifeless bodies aside. "Now that," he began smugly. But before he could finish. Genma, Soun, Shampoo and Mousse attacked! | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You will pay for killing great grandmother!" Shampoo hissed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "For the master!" Soun shouted as the four pounded on the stunned Talon. It was then that a strong kick sent Genma soaring into the far wall. A punch knocked Soun up and over in an arching motion. A head-butt knocked Mousse away from the evil master. Talon tried to land a blow to knock the last of them away - but he missed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You I kill!" Shampoo hissed as she spun around and cut him deeply across the face. Before she could follow up the attack. His hand shot up and caught the wrist of the hand that held the weapon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "That - actually - hurt!" he shouted. He contracted his hand into a fist breaking almost every bone in her wrist - causing the weapon to fall to the floor. "You want to play? You want me to feel pain you Amazon bitch?" he hissed as he flipped her up into the air. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shampoo blocked out the pain from her wounded arm as she tried to focus on defending herself from the evil that had killed her great grandmother. She blinked - Talon was there. A strong backhanded punch sent her face first into the far wall. The hit stunned her. She could feel herself beginning to fall. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh no dear - not just yet!" Talon hissed. She felt a sharp kick smash into the small of her back. She cried out as she heard bones break. She could no longer feel her legs! "The fun - has just started," he reassured as he gripped her by the throat. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Sh-Shampoo no down yet!" she stammered forcing back the pain and fear. She punched at his head and face with all her remaining strength with her one remaining limb. Hoping that it would be enough. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh you are down deary - you just don't know it yet!" he rebutted as he threw a focused punch to that arm. She cried out as she heard several bones breaking. A fear began to take hold of her as she realized just how helpless she was. "You are dead to me right now," he whispered to her. "Amazons pride themselves on being strong. Live out the rest of your life as an object of pity and disgust," he hissed as he threw his enemy across the room. She slammed into the wall near to where Mousse landed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mousse twitched as he realized Shampoo was hurt. He scurried over to where she fell and carefully held her in his arms. Were it not for the tears escaping her eyes - he would have feared her dead. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Shampoo?" he muttered. Her eyes fluttered open. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "S-Stupid Mousse?" she stammered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You'll be okay," he reassured as he looked at how badly she had been beaten. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Mousse is very bad liar," she muttered - forcing back the unimaginable pain. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Forgive me Shampoo - I failed you. You are hurt because I failed to take him down," he begged. He tensed up when he heard her weakly laugh. He looked at her bruised face and saw a smile. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Is no Mousse's fault - Sh-Shampoo," she strained as she struggled to remain conscious. But it was a fight she was losing. The cumulative effects of the extreme beating she took began to catch up with her. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Don't you dare die on me Shampoo!" he ordered. Her eyes fluttered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Shampoo no die - silly - Mousse," she muttered as she feinted in his arms. Mousse could feel tears of rage falling down his face. His mind flashed back to all the times he thought he hated someone. | ||||||||||||||||||
| He remembered all of the times he was at odds with Ranma for having the love of the woman he had quested his entire life to get. A love that Ranma didn't even want. | ||||||||||||||||||
| He remembered all the times he thought he hated Cologne and how she treated him and ignored him as a possible groom for Shampoo. | ||||||||||||||||||
| He closed his eyes and held Shampoo close. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "The boy is gonna blow," Ukyo muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You think?" Ryoga muttered as they and the others watched as Mousse gently lowered Shampoo to the floor. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "In all my life - I thought I knew hate. I thought I knew disgust. I thought I knew rage,' Mousse began as his fists began to shake. "But all of that is moot. None of that matters. None of it even feels real!" he continued as he turned his glare to the man that had hurt his Shampoo. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You couldn't protect her boy? Whose fault is that?' Talon mocked - hoping to send the passionate young fighter into a rage. Mousse glared at Talon. A smile began to creep across his face - he began to laugh. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Only now - in this moment - have I learned what it means to truly hate! You are no man! You are nothing more than a rabid animal!" Mousse shouted out. His hands vanished into his robe. One hand emerged - it had a metal gauntlet of sorts on it with long dagger-like fingers. His other hand emerged in it was a short sword. "If it takes me an eternity and a day - I do so swear that I will not rest until I make you pay for what you have done!" he hissed as he glared at Talon. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "If you wish to play boy - then by all means - show me what you got," Talon taunted. It was then that he was knocked off his feet by a ball of solid energy. He shook off the effect of the attack and looked over. The others he had forgot about while mocking the boy were getting ready to reenter the fray. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Rest assured evil one - I shall!" Mousse said as he leaped at the stunned villain. | ||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | ||||||||||||||||||