Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Bonds and Connections Chapter 6 Light filtered in through several cracks in a boarded window, playing upon the young girl's skin from where she lay, curled into a fetal position. The warmth provided by the sun's early morning rays diffused itself into her body, and that was enough to pull her consciousness from sleep. Slowly, Selah yawned and stretched as she sat up. For a moment, she was disoriented as to where she was, then remembered what had happened. She had cried herself to sleep last night after Ukyo, Yuri, and Konatsu were captured, too scared to do anything else. This morning, however, she felt quite different. Maybe it was the combination of fatigue and fear she felt last night that knocked her out, but she wasn't fatigued anymore and she didn't feel as much fear, being that old buildings aren't as scary during the day. Or maybe it was the dream she could barely remember, something about Kenji, Yuri, Ukyo, and Konatsu asking for her help. That they would be goners unless she did something. Dragging herself to her feet, Selah resolved herself to do that something. What it was, she didn't know, but she had lost her home, her dad, and possibly her mom as well. She couldn't lose these people, that had been so nice to her, without putting up some sort of fight. Unfortunately, she didn't think she could take on the two that captured her friends, especially since one of them was Kenji who was acting strange for some reason, so she figured she would just find the others and help them escape. With any luck, she wouldn't run into the scary old woman. Of course, the first thing on the agenda was to find them. She hadn't a clue where they could be in this big house and she knew the longer she snuck around, the better the chance she was caught, so she figured on using another trick her mother had taught her. Sitting down, she closed her eyes and concentrated on finding bodies of water. Her mother had told her that the human body was mostly water, so if they were close enough, she should be able to sense where they were. Her consciousness wandered around the immediate area, then expanded farther on, until it discovered two small groups of water. They were faint, but at least she could sense them. She guessed the slightly bigger grouping was where her friends were, since the small old woman wouldn't have as much water in her. The group she figured was her friends, were underground, so Selah knew she'd have to look for stairs leading down. Standing once more, she snuck off down the hall, moving as quietly as a church mouse. Akane jogged around the small resort town, feeling better than she had in a long time. After that first night in the tent, they had moved on to the hot-spring resort where Ranma's parents had stayed on their honeymoon. He had enough money for three nights, all three had been wonderful. They were scheduled to head back later today, and Akane found that she would miss the peace and quiet, as well as the privacy that this location offered. she wondered. She smiled at the thought, and blushed at the memory of the past few days. With Ranma, it seemed that all her fears about getting intimate with guys, just melted into nothingness. It was most likely because he was much like her, she realized. Both of them could be stubborn and prideful, and they tended to say what was on their mind. There was no real need to pretend anything when they were around each other. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the towel that was around her neck. Normally, she would be doing something with Ranma, but for some odd reason, she felt like she needed to get out this morning and jog by herself. Besides, Ranma was busy packing up their stuff and checking them out of the inn where they were staying. Turning a corner, Akane spied two guys up ahead on either dies of the path, leaning against a wall and a tree respectively. Something about them sent tingling flashes through her brain. In other words, her danger sense was doing it's job. She frowned and berated herself as she approached their location, knowing that she could easily handle two guys if they attempted something. When they stepped out and blocked her path, her danger sense felt validated. "Hiya girlie, what'cha doin' out so early?" the taller one asked, smiling at her. His clothes were dark and somewhat ragged. "Just joggin," Akane answered cautiously. "Now if you'll excuse me..." "Hey, hey!" the shorter and more rotund boy protested, blocking Akane's attempt to move around. "My friend was just tryin' to be nice. You just seem to be new around here, and we thought we could show you around." Akane frowned. "No thanks." She once again attempted to move around, only to find a third boy blocking her path, dressed similarly to the first two. Only this one was brandishing a long knife. "I don't think you understand," he told her. "It can be dangerous for young girls to run around unescorted." A quick glance behind her confirmed Akane's fear that five more youths had appeared. She was surrounded. She allowed a small grin to form on her face. "Young boys should run along home now." She slid into a attack stance. "That is, if they don't want to get hurt." A round of laughter greeted her pronouncement, and the short, rotund boy stepped forward to grab her arm. Akane responded by grabbing his, twisting it behind his back, and then slamming him into the wall. He slid to the ground. Akane felt a minor twinge, but shook it off. "That wasn't too smart," the guy who appeared to the leader told her. "Get her!" The raven-haired girl smiled grimly, remembering the schoolyard fights. After a few of those confrontations, she had gotten the hang of crowd control, using only enough force to take her attackers down, but not enough to cause permanent injury. Usually that amounted to just a single well-placed punch or kick. Akane turned aside the next attack, a swung lead pipe, and shoved it into a guy approaching from behind, then swung her leg out to take another boy in the head. Adrenaline pumping, Akane realized it had been awhile before she had been in a crowd control fight, and she found she missed it. Until she suddenly found her strength disappearing. Her next punch barely turned aside punk #4, and soon she found herself backpedaling, her legs rapidly losing the ability to support her body. Her sense of balance began to deteriorate, and when a fist made it past her guard and slammed into her stomach, she crumpled to the ground. One question echoed in her brain as blackness encroached on her peripheral vision: What was happening to her? "So, who's next?" Kae asked nonchalantly, sharpening her blade with a piece of flint as she reclined in a small wooden chair. Zhao Len finished securing the unconscious Konatsu to his own cell with tighter chains, then turned to face her now-suddenly more eager ally. "Change of heart? You seem to want to cooperate now. I wonder why that is..." Kae paused her sharpening and shot the old woman a dark look. "I just want to get this over with as soon as possible. I have other business to attend to." She didn't want to share the real reason, not wanting to reveal any hint of weakness. Silence greeted that pronouncement, and Kae chuckled internally. "Is that the only reason?" Zhao Len asked curiously. Maybe she heard Kae's thoughts, maybe she didn't, but gave no sign either way. "After all, you're the one who wanted to personally end their lives." Kae snorted and brought her attention back to her weapon. "Maybe I do have my own reasons for wanting them dead, but you shouldn't care as long as they are dead." "True." The frail-looking woman turned and glanced momentarily at the heavy wooden door, where she knew the two girls were chained on the other side. "But in answer to your previous question, we're going after the Saotomes and Tendos next, and in particular I want Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo. Then the Kunos after that, and finally we can kill all of them at once." Her companion raised an eye. "Oh? I would've thought you'd go after those two Amazons first." Zhao Len sighed. "I would have gone for Shan Pu and Mu Tsu, but the Nekohanten has been closed for quite awhile now with no sign they've been there in quite some time. I must assume they've returned to Joketsuzoku and are currently out of my reach." Kae held her curved wakizashu up to the light, then judged it sharp enough for now and returned it to its sheath. "Too bad for you." "Oh, I will have the means of getting to my former Amazons soon enough," she revealed with a small, secretive smile that revealed absolutely nothing. "Once I've finished my work here, I have allies who will assist me in that." The ninja shrugged, not really caring either way as long as she could kill the two girls, then revenge herself on the dark ones. She stood up, stretched, then head for the other door that led up the stairs. "Whatever, old woman. I'm going to get some rest for tonight." Zhao Len watched her temporary ally leave, knowing Kae wouldn't be able to go far as long as the old ex-Amazon held the enchanted ruby. She didn't follow, since at her age, she only needed a couple of hours sleep at most. Instead, she contemplated an Amazon future, where she controlled all of Joketsuzoku and all her enemies lay dead at her feet. Kodachi dabbed the moist cloth on the boy's forehead. He hadn't awakened since he crashed through her roof last evening, not that she had tried to wake him. She had some knowledge of first aid and could tell his condition wasn't life-threatening, so she just figured he must be worn out. Of course, the bruises and burns had probably taken their toll as well. Kodachi wondered where he got those, as some of them looked pretty nasty. Still, once she cleaned them and treated what she could with the first aid kit, she couldn't help but admire his toned physique. It was obvious he was a martial artist, or at least some sort of athlete, since she could feel the muscles in his arms. She also continued to wonder about the circumstances that caused him to plummet naked into her private furo. She did find a pack containing a set of clothes consisting of a purple vest and bracers, as well as a set of black slacks. They were worn and dirty from what she guessed was a lot of travel on the road, so she had them cleaned and mended. Beyond that, all she could do was wait for him to awaken. No one else knew he was here. Well, Sasuke probably did, with his habit of keeping an eye on the goings on in the house, but she kept her brother ignorant. True, their relationship had progressed some in the days following her recovery, but they still couldn't be considered 'close', even though all they had was each other. Kodachi sighed and stood up, adjusting her kimono before striding across her room. Yes, it was her room she was keeping to strange boy in, but it was the only place she could think to keep him so her brother wouldn't find out. Stopping at her dresser, she picked up a picture frame. The photograph enclosed, was one of her family taken many years ago. Gently, she let her fingers run across the portraits of herself, her brother, father, and mother. She was currently rediscovering both herself and her brother, her knowledge of each being obscured by false and twisted memories and behaviors. Of her father, there was still no word. Once, she had looked up to him, though she knew her brother had not. She even cared for him, after a fashion, and so wanted to see him again. A search had been initiated, but so far there had been no results The last face puzzled her the most. Of the four, she knew her mother the least. All she could pull of her memories, were fleeting images and feelings of kind woman who's warm smile always made her feel better. Her disappearance had hurt Kodachi terribly and created a hole in her life that she had tried to fill ever since, more so when her father left as well. "Okasan..." she whispered, letting her gaze fall once more upon the face of the woman in the picture that was practically a stranger to her, and yet was not. Outwardly, Kodachi hated her mother for her abandonment, but there was still a small part of the young girl that desperately wanted to see her mother again. "I wish you would return and teach me more," she said absently. Her brow furrowed at that. Images flashed through her mind as she tried to narrow down where that thought came from. The most prominent image being a black leotard. That almost seemed right, but not quite. Giving in to a sudden impulse, Kodachi set the picture down and ran out of her room, heading for the basement. The mansion had been rebuilt with nearly the same specifications as before, but one part that hadn't changed, was the basement. Except for the section that contained the statue of Galfgar, the new house was built right on top of the old foundation and basement. Now in that cellar, Kodachi looked right and left, wondering which way to go. The right hallway was filled in, and that was the direction to the room that was best left buried. To her left, wound some stairs that headed further down to a library that was mostly cleaned out now, the books having been removed by her brother and Nabiki Tendo for study. Straight ahead, was an all purpose storage room behind a thick oaken door. Nodding to herself in confirmation, Kodachi went for the storage room, grasping the iron ring that was the door's handle and giving a mighty tug. With a weak groan, the door allowed itself to be opened and the youngest Kuno stepped inside. The inside was pretty much as she expected it to be, a fairly large room with boxes and crates of old stuff the Kuno's had collected over the years. Most of it was junk, though some of it could still have some use. But the stuff packed away was not what she was after, which was good because if what she sought was in there, it would have taken her a long time to find it. She strode purposefully across the room, wading through the boxes and, in some cases, crawling over them until she reached the back wall. she thought to herself. She closed her eyes as a vague memory floated back to her... "See this, Dachi?" her mother was telling her. "When I am gone, this will be yours." She indicated the open chest and revealed the objects contained within. Young Kodachi realized they were similar to her own gymnastics equipment. Almost, but not quite. "Momma?" "Remember, it will be here," she told her daughter, then closed the chest and placed it in the hole of the stone wall, covering it with a large stone brick. The gray block of stone matched the wall perfectly, and it's location was nigh unnoticeable in the backdrop of the rest of the stone wall. She then turned back to Kodachi and placed a hand on her forehead. "Remember." Twelve years later, Kodachi Kuno remembered. Fingering the mortar between the stone bricks in the back wall of the storage room, she traced around several them, looking for that singular loose block. It took her several minutes, but eventually she found it, laughing to herself as she heaved and pulled it out of it's place in the wall. She glimpsed inside the darkened alcove and put her hand in, grabbing and pulling out the 2x2 foot wooden chest that he mother placed there long ago. Nearly trembling at the contact of her mother's heirloom, Kodachi managed to unlatch the chest and open it, powerful emotions pounding through her body. The sound of ancient and rusted metal creaking in protest as it was abused after a decade of neglect, echoed in the storage room, followed by a sharp intake of breath. "AKANE!" Ranma tore into the remaining boys like a an out-of-control tornado, but with considerably more force. A minute ago he was struck by a very strange and very bad feeling, and he tore out of the inn in an hurry, leaving the packs behind. He couldn't explain how, but he had just felt Akane's presence and knew exactly which direction to run. He arrived just as Akane went down. In less then ten seconds it was all over, and Ranma was carrying his shaking wife back to the inn. Selah swallowed nervously, willing her herself as still as possible and hoping the darkness hid her presence. A short while ago, the short and scary old woman had passed near her position, a dozen yards away. For a minute, the young girl could swear the old witch knew she was there, but then the withered hag continued on as if nothing had happened. Her body stayed frozen for the next ten minutes, terror and nervousness commanding her small frame. Eventually, her thundering heart slowed a little as the paralyzing fear wore off, leaving only the normal fear behind. When she finally had control again, she wondered for the thousandth time why she was doing this. she shakily told herself, trying to convince herself to not run away. Slowly, she inched down the hallway from where the old woman had come from, a small bit of logic in her subconscious informing her that was the direction to go. So determined, but still trembling, Selah crept as quietly as she could down the darkened hallway, her mind conjuring up plenty of demons and scary creatures to occupy every single shadow. She swallowed nervously once more and forced her thoughts back to the task at hand. It wasn't long before the path brought her to a rotted doorway, the planks of the wooden door barely hanging on to its hinges. The young girl took a deep breath and grasped the handle, taking a minute to listen to her surroundings, but not detecting anything. Thinking it safe, she pulled it open. The hinges protested the unfair treatment as they were worked and Selah froze, immediately thinking the sound loud enough to have alerted everyone in the building. But after several pained moments where nothing happened, she quietly slipped inside. Gazing out the second floor window, Zhao Len frowned, having been sensing something amiss for awhile but not knowing exactly what. Kae was sleeping in one of the spare rooms, so it couldn't have been her unusual and unwilling ally. Mumbling to herself, she turned and walked away. "Master Kuno, please hurry!" "Calm yourself, Sasuke," Tatewaki commanded as his ninja manservant pulled him along, only to stop in front of the closed dojo door. "What be so important as to incite such haste?" The diminutive man didn't answer, but just stood nervously facing the door. In the sudden silence, Kuno heard what had alarmed his servant. Yells and thumps echoed from the room, followed by a strange whistling sound, three pings of metal on wood, and the crack of a whip. "Oh ho ho ho!" came the familiar laugh, as well as the sound of wood striking wood, fast and repeatedly. Tatewaki frowned, not expecting to hear that laughter again, but divided on the subject. On one hand, it meant his sister was getting better, enough to laugh again. Of course, that laugh usually meant she was up to more demented tricks. "Imoutosan?" he called tentatively. "Are you alright?" She didn't respond right away, as the sound of several things shattering like glass could be heard would have covered any reply. Then, "Is that you, oniisan?" "Are you well, Dachi?" he asked, placing a hand on the door to open it. "I'm coming in." "Wait!" Kodachi's command froze the kendoist for a few seconds, while the sounds of padded feet could be heard running around inside. When he resolved himself to open the shoji panel that was the door once more, it opened on it's own, much to his surprise. The other side revealed his sister, dressed in a midnight black leotard and carrying a matching duffel bag. She was covered with a fine sheen of sweat, but grinning like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. "Dachi?" Tatewaki asked again. Surprising him once more, Kodachi swept her brother up in a big hug. "Oh Tatchi, I feel wonderful!" She twirled him once, set him down, then took bounding leaps across the courtyard to her room, leaving her brother's eyes bulging behind her. "Oh ho ho ho!" For several long seconds, both kendoist and manservant gawked after the obviously-jubilant girl. Then, as one, they turned to glimpse the interior of the dojo in the hopes of finding a clue as to the change in her attitude and temperament. Nothing was untouched, as nicks and chips covered the walls and ceilings of the dojo, leaving small wood chips on the ground. Two of the walls had a couple dozen small circular holes punched in them. Several one meter high logs had been stood upright in the center of the room, with the broken remains of pottery scattered around them. All except for one in the exact center, on top of which rested in a small vase containing a singular black rose. "Konatsu-chan!" Selah gasped as she beheld the young man laying chained on the ground. Getting no response, she rushed over to him, feeling relieved when she found him still breathing. She shook him. "Konatsu-chan, wake up!" When he didn't respond, she shook him harder, then concentrated and a sent a splash of cold water into his face. Konatsu sputtered and bolted upright. "I shall prepare the ingredients at once, Ukyo-sama!" He stopped and blinked then turned to see the mingled amusement, fear, and relief on Selah's face. "Selah- sama, what are you doing here?" "Trying to rescue you, what does it look like!" she told him in an exasperated voice, then collapsed against him, letting a few tears leak out. "I was so worried and scared! You guys took off and then I hear a scream and see Kenji only he looked scary and I was so scared and I didn't know what to do!" Konatsu tried to wrap his arms around the small, shaking girl as best he could to comfort her, only the tight chains and manacles attached to his wrists and ankles severely limited his movement. "Calm yourself, Selah-sama. We must rescue the others. There will be time for tears later. You were to brave to come here after us. Now you must be brave enough to help me save Yuri-sama and Ukyo-sama." Selah pulled back and sniffed once, wiping her nose and drying her eyes. "I will. I promise I'll be brave." The male kunoichi smiled. "That is better." He tested his chains. "I do not suppose you happen to have a key?" Selah shook her head and Konatsu sighed, then appeared to study her wavy blue hair. "Then could you lend me one of your hair pins, please?" Confused, Selah did as he asked, relieved to have someone with her and in control of the situation. She watched avidly as he jiggled the lock with the thin metal piece, until a click caused the manacles to open and fall away. "You're not thinking of going anywhere now, are you?" Selah's tentative smile transformed back into a frightened and horrified stare as Zhao Len stepped into the room, her gnarled staff pointed in their direction. Konatsu leapt to his feet. "Stay behind me, Selah-sama! I shall deal with her!" The old woman cackled. "You may try, boy. But you will fail." "Where are my friends!?" Konatsu demanded, slowly approaching Zhao Len. "If you can best me, I shall tell you," was all she said, before springing forward, the sharp end of her staff aiming to put a hole in Konatsu' s chest. He leapt back to avoid it, bounding off the wall and coming back with a mid-level sweep kick that would have launched the old woman out the door, had she not blocked it with her staff. "Selah-sama!" Konatsu called as he was flipped away, his leg flaring in pain for an instant. "Go find Ukyo and Yuri! I shall keep her busy!" "But--" Selah protested, seeing the ninja not fairing too well against his opponent. "GO!" he yelled, engaging Zhao Len at close range in a series of high-speed strikes and parries. The command spurred the young girl into action, and she ran to the door at the opposite end of the room from where she came in, throwing it open and fleeing down the hallway. As she ran, the old woman's taunting voice echoed to her. "That's right little girl, run! Run away so I can kill this whelp!" Selah froze, the threat pounding in her brain. Twice she had fled before, and twice she had lost people close to her. The first time was when she fled her home in China with her mother. The second was when she fled from her mother to come to Nerima. And both times, she never saw either parent again. Somehow she knew, that if she ran away this time, it would be Konatsu who would pay the price. Despite the terror she felt about confronting the old woman, she knew she couldn't let Konatsu be the one to pay the price for her this time. Steeling her trembling form, she turned and ran back to the room, only to witness Zhao Len send Konatsu through a rotted wooden wall with a thrust from the blunt end of her staff. The old woman leapt through to follow up, and Selah sprinted after, climbing through the hole in time to see a dazed Konatsu barely able to fend off the next series of attacks. "Konatsu!" two familiar female voices shrieked in unison. "Yuri-chan, Ukyo-san!" Selah called, seeing the two girls chained in separate cells next to each other. "Selah-chan, what the hell are you doing here!?" Ukyo started in surprise. Before she could answer, Yuri called, "Konatsu, look out!" All three girls turned to where the fight had back Konatsu into a corner. So far, he had been managing to hold his own, his natural talent and skill carrying him, but Zhao Len was older and wiser. She was also, thank to her many years of training, a much better fighter. Konatsu found his legs swept out from underneath him while a blow from the staff struck his head and sent him tumbling to the ground. Sensing her impending victory, the ancient ex-Amazon thrust the pointed end of the staff towards her opponent's throat. "STOP!" Amazingly, the old woman halted with the command, the tip resting against the boy's windpipe. Out of the corner of her right eye, she could see the young girl who had given the command, holding up her hands and trembling. Yet, she could also see a fierce determination in the girl's eyes. "Don't hurt him!" Selah ordered in a trembling voice. "Or else!" "Selah, RUN!" Ukyo screamed. "She too dangerous for you!" Zhao len cracked a wicked smile. "Or else what, little girl? What do you think you can do?" "This!" The old woman's sneer turned into startled surprise as a large geyser of water burst forth from Selah's hands, and Zhao Len barely had time to put up a ki-barrier as the wall of water swept her off Konatsu and pinned her against the stone wall, instead of crushing her against it. "Selah, you have to get out of here and go get help!" Ukyo pleaded. "No!" the water mage countered. "I have to do this! I have to! Konatsu, get up!" The male kunoichi managed to shake off his dazed stupor and sit up. "I'll hold her off so you can go and get help. This time, I'll be the one to save you!" "But, Selah-sama-" "Please!" Selah begged. "I can't keep this up for long!" "You little witch!" came the shriek from the other end of the horizontal geyser. She was focusing all her ki and just barely managing to avoid being crushed by the forceful hydro-blast. Konatsu spared a glance at all the women in the room, then came to the conclusion that Selah was right, however much he didn't like it. He had admitted to himself he couldn't beat the old woman right now, lacking weaponry and still dazed and weak from his encounter with Kenji. They were going to need help if any of them were to get out of this, and Selah had provided the only opportunity. "I am sorry," Konatsu stated, full of remorse. " I shall return." "If you don't return in an hour, I will kill all the girls!" came the screech from the end of the water blast. "Konatsu!" Yuri called out to him, straining against her bonds. The ninja turned to her from the doorway, his face full of determination. "I promise, Yuri-sama! I will come back for you!" Then he was gone. "Baka, you were supposed to call me 'Yuri-chan'," the female ninja said softly and sadly, after he had gone. Selah breathed a sigh of relief as Konatsu left, then the strain of keeping up her attack, as well as the increasing lack of moisture in the air to draw from, caused the waterspout to die off. Instantly, Zhao Len was upon her and Selah collapsed unconscious into the old woman's arms. "Well now, that was rather surprising. Who would have thought a little girl like this would have such power." She chuckled. "She would have made a fine Amazon." "Let her go!" Ukyo pleaded. "She never did anything to you! It's us you want, right?" Zhao Len chuckled again. "And after the trouble she went through of exchanging herself for the freak ninja boy? I think not." She slung the young girl over her shoulder, and proceeded to walk out of the room, turning a deaf ear to both Ukyo and Yuri's pleas. In the room where Konatsu was originally tied up, she found someone waiting for her. "You let him escape," Kae said nonchalantly from where she leaned against the wall. Zhao Len dropped the girl and proceed to tie her up with a simple rope. "Of course. I had originally planned to let him escape. This girl just helped that along. I admit, she did surprise me, though." Kae shrugged. "He will come back, and when he does, he will not be alone." "And that is the point, after all." The ex-Amazon finished securing Selah. "He will bring both the Saotome boy and the Tendo girl, and maybe the Kunos if we're lucky, and then I will have everyone I need. It matters not how many. I hold the hostages and I dictate the battlefield. In short, I hold all the advantages." She turned a sharp eye towards the possessed boy. "You need only be ready to help." "Of course. As long as I get to kill the two girls in there, and you set me free after this, it doesn't matter to me what you want." Zhao Len nodded and grinned. "That is our bargain."