Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 DISCLAIMER: I've said it before, I'll say it again: They ain't mine. Ranma 1/2: New Challenges All That We Have Known Chapter 11 "Kuso! There must be several feet of steel behind these walls!" Ranma continued to pound on them, to no avail. "How about the floor or the ceiling?" Akane suggested. Ranma leapt up to strike the ceiling, while Akane pounded the floor. As they did so, a wall dropped between them, separating the couple. "Ranma!" "Akane!" Ranma called back. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, the wall has stopped over here and..." Her sentence was cut off when she screamed, then it was silent again. "AKANE!" Ranma pooled all of his strength and slammed into the wall that seperated them. The other side was empty, much as he feared. "Akane! Where are you!?" The hallway was open again, so he took off running, hoping to find some sign of what happened to her. Actually, what happened was the fact that the whole floor on Akane's side flipped, sending her into a funnel which led down a tube. By the time she gathered her wits back, she was sliding out the exit and into a room. Or more specifically, a bedroom. A quick perimeter survey revealed no entrance or exit. Akane sighed. She moved to one of the walls and gathered her strength. With a roar of "KIYAH!", she sent her fist into it. When the dust settles, all she did was make a crater in the wall. "No way," she said disbelievingly. "Are all the walls this thick? If so, it'll take all night to get out." She sighed. "And I have no idea which side I should work on. What I wouldn't give for Ryoga's breaking point technique right about now." She rolled up her sleeves. "Guess I better get started." "I wouldn't do that," came a voice from an intercom somewhere. Akane recognized it. "Kuno-sempai! What's the meaning of this?" "What do you mean? You entered my property. I am merely taking steps to defend it." "Well, duh! Nabiki was worried about you, so she sent us to check up on you." Kuno's voice became overjoyed. "So you do care, my love! Do not worry, I will join you shortly as soon as the evil one, Saotome, is dealt with." "I thought you finally gave up on me?" "I did, but Galfgar showed me the error of my ways." Akane became confused. "Galfgar, who is that?" "A spirit which protects the House of Kuno. He has shown me that I must wed both you and the pig-tailed girl to see that our family line continues." "You're crazy! Neither I nor the `pig-tailed girl' will ever marry you! You became almost a decent guy once you stopped chasing me." She shook her head. "Now you're back to being a pompous, egotistical, idiot living in his own imaginary world." "I can see Saotome still holds his spell over you. Have no fear. I will kill him soon." "No!" Akane commaned. "You leave him alone, or I swear I will hunt you down and kill you myself! Do you hear me!?" Silence. "KUNO NO BAKA!" Elsewhere in the house, Ranma stopped. He punched a wall in frustration. "This place is a maze! I've never remembered it being this bad." "That's because you've never seen even a fraction of the secrets in this house." "Kuno! Where are you? What have you done with Akane?" "The precious Tendo Akane is finally safe from thy clutches, sorcerer. Thou hast lost. Release her from thy dark spell, or I shall be forced to kill you." Ranma laughed as he continued to walk. "You don't get do you!? I have no magic! I wish I did, as it would make my life a whole lot easier." "You lie! Since you refuse, you force my hand." By this time, Ranma had entered a large open room that looked like a training gymnasium, except it was empty of equpiment. There was a another entrance at the far end and he started towards it. Upon reaching the center of the huge room, four panels on either side swung open, revealing four robotic looking creatures. They were entirely metallic and multi-limbed. Some walked on four legs, some two, all were bigger than the young Saotome. Blinking lights and all sorts of weaponary covered them. "Behold! Advanced technology has created the ultimate cybernetic warriors. These are the products of one of Kuno Enterprises sister companies, Mishama Heavy Industries. They are heavily armored and posses heavy firepower." "Oh come on, Kuno," Ranma said in disbelief. "Since you can't beat me, you send giant wide-up toys after me?" He cracked his knuckles and started towards the strange mechanical creatures, even as they advanced on him. "Toys? I think you'll find that the these toys are even more than a commoner such as yourself can handle! While you fight with your fists, these wonderful creations have the use of multiple limbs, mechanical tentacles, hidden buzzsaws, lasers, and missiles! You'll never..." Kuno glanced back at his screen to see Ranma standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by smoking scrap metal. "Try again, Kuno!" Ranma taunted. He smiled. Gathering his ki, he blasted one of the side panels one of the mechanical creatures came out of. Grinning to himself, he made his way through the self-made door. Up in the control room, Kuno was furious. Not only had the evil one had destroyed his wonderful robots, but now he was moving through sections of the house they weren't covered by cameras. His beloved Akane was still tearing up the bedroom, and now, several new intruders were entering his property. One he recognized as Tendo Nabiki. The others consisted of the Kuonji woman from the okonomiyaki restaurant and the Kenji fellow he briefly met earlier. The last was a woman he didn't recognize. No matter. They would be dealt with as soon as he killed the evil Saotome. After all, he still had a few more options open to him. "Okay, so how do we get over the wall?" Nabiki asked. "We don't," Ukyo stated. "You'll stay here while the rest of us go in. You're not a martial artist." "Maybe, but none of you know Kuno like I do," she retorted. "I'm the one who can push his buttons. Plus, someone has to be the brains of this operation." The other three looked at each other, shrugged, then nodded. "Alright sugar, but you're sticking close to us," Ukyo stated. Kenji scooped up Nabiki and the three went up and over the wall. Once inside, they made their way to the front door and stepped inside. Ranma stopped and tried to think. He grinned. He backtracked a bit until he found what he was looking for; the kitchen. He flipped on the cold water and splashed his face with enough water to cause the change. Now in the appropriate guise, he called out, "Oh Kuno! Where are you my love? The evil Saotome is after me!" After a few minutes, the voice he was waiting for answered. "Pig-tailed girl! You are here!" "Oh Tate-chan, where are you?" Ranma-onna began to fake sobbing a bit. "Hold on my love! I'm opening a hole in the floor. Just slide down that tube and we can be together!" Ranma hesitated. "What about my cousin, Tendo Akane? Is she alright? I wanna see her again, too." "She is your cousin? Have no fear, for she is safe. She is waiting for you in the bedroom at the end of the slide. I shall join you both shortly." "Thank you so much, Tate-chan!" she said sweetly. Ranma jumped down the hole and entered the slide. Akane sat down on the edge of the bed, partially exhausted. She had tested every surface and as far as she could tell, there were no exits. The tube she came through wasn't an option since it seemingly wasn't there anymore. "Oh Ranma, where are you?" She sighed. As if on cue, a small section of wall slid open and out popped a redhead who landed in bed with her. Akane yelped and stood up. "Ranma!?" she exclaimed when she saw who it was. "Where's the evil Ranma?" Ranma asked. "It's me, your lovely cousin, Ranko!" Akane saw Ranma's wink... and understood. "Oh, Ranko! I've missed you!" She hugged the red-head. "Akane, I've found a way to break free of Saotome's control!" Ranma stated. Akane backed up and looked at `Ranko' curiously. "And, how do we do that?" "If a we were to give our virtues to a noble samurai, Ranma would no longer be able to exhort his influence over us." Ranma could see Akane noticeably shiver at the thought. She felt the same way. Up in the control room, the results of the conversation were predictable. "Oh, my twin loves! Though it pains my heart, I shall offer myself as a noble samurai to your needs. At last you will be free and we will be together!" He quickly departed. A few minutes later he opened a door and strode into the bedroom. "Tendo Akane, my goddess of the hunt! And Tendo Ranko, it pleases me to finally know your name! As a noble samurai, I offer myself to free you of the evil Saotome's control! But, alas, who shall be first?" Ranma grinned. "We feel that, since you knew Akane first, you should start with her." Akane looked back and gave a fuming look, then caught her wink and softened some. Kuno couldn't have been happier. "Then come my love, embrace me." He held out his arms and Akane started towards him. "How I have waited for the day when..." (This scene has been censored due to gratuitous violence) Akane stood back and admired her handiwork. Ranma held up a sign that read, `9.9' Akane glared at him. "Why not a 10?" she asked. He shrugged. "Cause I could've done a better job, so naturally I would be the only one to deserve a ten." "Baka." "Still, I think the human pretzel look works for him." On the ground, Kuno whispered, "That hurt." Further under the mansion, the statue known as Galfgar began to shake. For too long he had lay hidden in the ancestral Kuno home, infusing madness in the members of the Kuno family. Now, all his work threatened to become undone. His duty had been to make sure none of the Kuno family could ever be a threat when his master returned. The mother was gone and he had succeeded in permanently warping the father's mind. The daughter wasn't much better, though she still clung to the hope of getting this "Ranma". The son was a different matter. Somehow he had managed to retain some semblance of honor throughout all the times Galfgar had invaded his mind. Though he could be declared legally insane, he still fought evil on occasion. And he was the most incompetent moron the demon had ever known. He had allowed himself to be tricked and now he was unconscious. Soon, he would be taken away, most likely never to return. With the house empty of Kunos, Galfgar would weaken and die. Then the madness would wear off, and the Kunos would once again became a threat. He couldn't let that happen. Though he was still partially bound, unable to leave the Kuno's ancestral home grounds, if he didn't act and destroy the interlopers, they would restore the Kuno's power and become dangerous. As the statue shook, the ground shook with it. Soon, minute cracks appeared in the marble surface of the statue. Those cracks widened, as bits and pieces fell. With a mighty roar, the statue exploded. In it's place, was a real live version of the demon the statue contained. Bob once again checked up on the town of Nerima. It was one of his favorite places. He had a plan and he rubbed his hands in anticipation. Across town, Hikaru and Ariko had just finished their crystal shard when the earthquake hit. Hikaru yelped in fright as the tremors threw them together and tossed them to the floor, with Ariko on top and the crystal pressed between them. As the burst of demonic energy flew outward from the mansion, it reacted with the crystal, causing it to activate and operate in manner that was not it's intended purpose. Electrical fire coursed through both of their bodies as every nerve registered an intense tingling feeling. When it died down, the crystal was gone and the two were left unconscious. Outside the Kuno mansion the quartet, who had entered several minutes earlier, raced back outside at the first sign of the ground shaking event (pun intended). They arrived in the courtyard just in time to witness a beam of red light explode through the roof of the Kuno mansion, then burst outward. The very corners of the house trembled and began to buckle, as various parts collapsed. Inside, Ranma grabbed Kuno and he, and Akane, raced out the open door. However, the strain on the house was too much, and the roof caved in on them. Yelling a warning, Ranma knocked Akane to the floor as the debris hit. With a final roar, Galfgar directed his energies outward and exploded out of the house. Now standing outside, he grew to slightly over 15 feet in height. His skin was a sickly red and his face was that of a disfigured bulldog. Several sharp, bone-like spikes jutted out from his back and arms. Technically he was naked, but he was a nudist, so he didn't mind. "Oh my Kami-sama," Nabiki intoned. Her words echoed the sentiments of all present. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea I came along." The grotesque creature noticed them and focused his attentions there. His eyes blazing red and whisps of smoke coming from his nostrils, he growled menacingly and said, "Arrrggghhhh! You stupid mortals! You're messing everything up!" It then sniffed the air. "Wait, I smell a Tendo." He focused on Nabiki. "You! You must die!" Nabiki stood up straight. Despite the fact she was facing a huge demonic creature who could tear her limb-from-limb (and was intent on doing so), she refused to be intimidated. "Now wait just a second. Why am I singled out, hmm? Out of all the people here, I'm the least of your worries." "Because you were part of the bloodline that fought against my master ages ago," the creature explained. "Not only must the Kuno line perish, but that of the Tendos as well. So that you may know who your destroyer is, I shall tell you my name. I am Galfgar." Yuri stepped up. "Now listen just a minute, dog-face!" "I don't think its such a good idea to insult the giant demon, sis," Kenji whispered worridly. She ignored him, however. She had felt an initial fear when the big ugly thing appeared, but one of her favorite pasttimes was watching good horror movies. As a result, she had effectively deadened her fear of nightmarish creatures and stepped foreword, confident in her own skills. "If you think you can drop your ugly red butt in our face and expect us to cower and die easily," she told it, "then obviously you don't know us too well." As if to emphasize the point, she drew her wakizashu from the sheath on her back and brandished in menacingly. Ukyo stepped along side her and brought her battle spatula up. She was still a little scared of such mythical things ever since the fight with the mages, but she was determined not to let that fear control her. "I'm with ya, sugar. We've faced things a lot worse than you, and sent them home to their mommies. Your only real chance to survive is to go back into whatever hole you crawled out of." Kenji sighed and shook his head. He shrugged. He drew his wakizashu as well and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukyo. "Uh, yeah, what they said." "I'll leave you guys to it," Nabiki said while attempting a tactical withdrawal, aka, the Saotome secret technique. Before she reached the exit, a dozen white bone-like spikes lanced into the ground, barring it off like a gate. "No one leaves here alive," Galfgar said simply. Yuri sprung to the attack. "Suit yourself!" She ran towards the towering monstrosity, avoiding the fist that slammed into the ground near her. Kenji and Ukyo let loose a volley of projectiles to distract him, but they pinged harmlessly off his thick hide. Ukyo yelled a warcry and charged as well. Kenji sighed. He joined the fray. Nabiki became fascinated as she watched the three martial artists engage the demon. She never got over the fact of seeing them put their lives on the line against terrifying odds. She watched in awe as they danced around the giant, dodging attacks and slashing back with their weapons. A roar from the demon punctuated every successful attack. Her gaze wandered around the yard, looking for another way out. Most of the house had been demolished by now, and the gate was covered in a bunch of rubble. She walked around the outside edge, hoping to make it to a crumbled section of wall that was made when a blast from the demon missed it's target. That's when she heard the muffled cry. Moving closer to a destroyed section of the house, she specifically heard a female voice calling out. It almost sounded like... Akane! "Akane?" she called out. The voice answered her, but she couldn't make out any words since it was mostly muffled. She walked over to the pile of rubble where she heard the voice and began to remove rocks and planks of wood. After a several minutes, she clearly heard the voice of her sister and saw a glimpse of bodies underneath. "Hurry Nabiki!" she called frantically. "Ranma's not responding!" "I'm going as fast as I can sis, but heavy lifting isn't my forte. Besides, where's that brute strength of yours?" "Nabiki! I'm trapped under Ranma. If I do anything, I could hurt him!" Nabiki doubted that, but wasn't going to say it. She grunted and tossed off a few more pieces of concrete and planks of wood. Soon, enough had been cleared to where she could drag Akane out from underneath Ranma. A hot water pipe had burst nearby, changing Ranma back to a male. Together, they freed both him and Kuno. Akane froze when her gaze found the huge red thing fighting the three martial artists at the other end of the estate. "What is that!?" she asked, horrified. "Some hideous mythical creature or something," Nabiki replied nonchalantly. "We better wake up Ranma so he can fight it." "Hey! I can fight too, you know!" "Calm down Imouto-chan. I was merely stating that this battle would be easier with more people to fight it." That deflated Akane some as Nabiki slapped Ranma. He didn't wake up. "Maybe he would awaken with a kiss? Mind if I try?" "Don't you dare!" Akane threatened. "He's mine!" And with that, she bent over and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. When she finished, Ranma slowly opened his eyes. "Wha...?" was all he could manage. Nabiki tapped her chin. "Interesting, I didn't think that would work." "Get up baka!" Akane commanded her fiance. "We've got a monster to fight." Ranma sat up, still half-groggy. "Okay, sure why not. I've got the time." Akane pulled him to his feet and they departed to join the battle. Nabiki glanced over at the unconscious form of Kuno. Then she got an interesting thought in her head and shrugged. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: I'm hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Welcome to the final chapter in this story arc. Honestly, I don't know what I expected with this story arc. I just threw a bunch of little things together and added a big battle at the end. Hopefully, my next stories will have more of a plot worked up.