Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Trials Chapter 12 Deep in a hidden laboratory, an old man shuffled his slightly- hunched frame around the room as he gathered the needed supplies. Satisfied he had everything, he walked back to the large boiling pot in the center of the room and dumped the assorted ingredients into it. The purplish, bubbling liquid inside consumed it all. Satisfied, he held aloft a pole with a string attached. The other end of the string held a crystal orb. Like a fisherman, he lowered the crystal into the devilish stew until it was completely submerged. The contents of the pot began to glow, increasing into a brilliant white. The resulting flash of white brilliance caused the old man to shield his eyes. When the flare finally died down, he opened his eyes and beheld the now empty pot and crystall ball resting on the bottom. he thought to himself, his emotions a mixture of joy and sorrow. In another room, a library of sorts, Miyo was looking through several large volumes of books, searching for one in particular. This shelf was filled with the books Nabiki had given her, that were supposedly from the Kuno mansion. They were old and in pretty bad shape, so she had to be careful, lest she handle it wrong and lose the precious knowledge inside. "Have you found it yet?" Toshi asked her. Miyo let a sigh of frustration seep out. "No, and it might not be here." One of her mother's books referenced another manuscript that she hoped would be in the Kuno section, but so far, there was no such luck. "Is it that important?" her almost constant companion, asked nonchalantly. Miyo thought about. Was it? "Yeah, sorta, I-ugh!" Her speech was cut off as her body convulsed and she stumbled clumsily off the step-ladder. Toshi looked up from where he was seated at the table. He couldn't actually see the fortune-teller from here. "Miyo-san? You alright?" Concerned, he stood and walked to the section where he knew she was. "Miyo!" The brown-haired girl could just make out Toshi's facial features, before her world collapsed in on itself... "Are you sure, Tenma?" Ryo eyed his rival doubtfully. He nodded. "Someone's definitely been followin' us for the past couple of days. Good, too. Been hidin' their aura." Tenma suddenly found a curvy form latched onto his arm. "Then it's a good thing I have you to protect me, Tenma-sama." The martial-artist sweatdropped in nervousness, especially since his admirer was wearing a form-fitting, black bodysuit. He extricated himself from her grasp and darted around to the other side of Ryo. "Ahem! I think we should concentrate on our mission.." "What holds thee up, lowly commoner? Surely thy fortitude is able enough for this mild constitutional?" Tenma and Ryo groaned as the voice came from farther up the trail, from their fourth and last traveling companion who had insisted on coming along to protect his sister. Only now, he was actively trying to push Tenma and Konisha together. he reasoned. He chuckled to himself at his cleverness. The two boys trailing him looked at each other and raised an eyebrow, then Ryo said, "Man, he kinda gives me the creeps. He always like this?" "Why ya askin' me?" Tenma replied. "I haven't known him much longer than you." He glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky where several stars were already beginning to emerge. "Hey, Kuno! I think it's about time we make camp for the night!" He took off his pack and began to unroll his bed mat, noting Ryo doing the same. To his chagrin, he also noticed Konisha unrolling hers right next to his. He tried to ignore it for now, since there was something else on his mind. He motioned for Ryo to come closer and spoke to him in hushed tones, explaining what he planned to do. Ryo nodded, and started to gather up sticks for a fire. "I'm going to go catch some dinner!" Tenma called as he vanished into the forest. "Be right back." The Kuno siblings watched him go, Tateyama scowling at his back while Konisha's face showed longing, but she then switched to gazing lovingly at Ryo (which made said boy very nervous for some reason). "It looks like they're camping for the night." The other person nodded. "We should do the same." She began to unroll her own bedmat. Her traveling companion watched her for a few moments, then decided to ask something that been on her mind since the beginning. "Why are we doing this?" "What do you mean?" she replied, but the other girl was giving her a look which said, `I know you know what I'm talking about.' She scowled. "You didn't have to come along." The other girl snorted. "A lot of good I would have done back there. It seems no one there thinks a girl can fight." She shrugged. "Plus, I've been on my own so long, I'm not used to having anybody tell me what to do." "Hey, I-" Her speeched was interrupted as something suddenly dropped out of the trees above them. "A-HA!" "EEEK!" *WHAP!* *WHAM!* Ranko blinked. "Tenma?" "Ite..." Tenma groaned from the ground. Akara scowled. "Honestly, what was the big idea of trying to scare us like that!?" Saotome dragged himself to his feet. "And what's the big idea of following us!? Why didn't you leave with Kameko's group?" Akara's older sister had left the Kuno fortress with a bunch of non-combatants, so they wouldn't be caught up in the fighting that would soon take place. "Why should I!?" she retorted. "What business of it is yours what I do!" "You're my fiancee, remember!?" he said in mock tones. "Besides, it's not safe out here. What if we run into an enemy scouting party?" "I can take of myself!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "That's more than you can do at the moment, Mr. I-have-no-strength." Tenma threw up his arms in frustration. "Then why are you here?" Secretly, Akara was a little confused about that as well. Why WAS she here? She wasn't quite sure, but she thought it might have something to do with what happened on Tenma's balcony a couple of nights ago. The whole thing still had a dream-like, surreal quality to it. Had she really been about to kiss Tenma? Did she even want to? She didn't quite know what her feelings were, and definitely wasn't ready to deal with them right now, so she shoved them aside. "I was worried about you, you big jerk!" She thumped his chest for emphasis. "Don't ask me why!" He blinked, unable to say anything at the moment. Akara was steaming, either from her anger or from her admission. Thankfully, Ranko spoke up. "Well, since they know we're here, we might as well join the group." She gathered up her mat and backpack. "Come on, Akara-san." She grabbed her new friend's arm and hauled her off. Tenma could only stand there and watch her go. It was truly a strange lot that sat around the campfire that night. Though Tenma and Akara didn't say anything else to each other for the rest of the day, that didn't stop Ryo from clumsily trying to talk to her and Konisha from trying to snuggle up to Tenma. Of course, this meant an ensuing conflict when Tateyama tried to silence `the knave who dares sully the lovely Tendo Akara with his presence.' The fight was stopped before it could begin when Akara belted Kuno into a tree, knocking him unconscious. She then declared she was going to bed. Ranko, who had been watching all this with a bemused grin, decided to hit the sack as well. In turn, Konisha bid the boys good- night, leaving Tenma and Ryo as the only ones around the fire. After a short scuffle (settled via Junken-pow), it was decided that Tenma take the first watch, so Ryo reluctantly turned in. The fire slowly died to a dull, glowing red, and Tenma found his gaze drawn to his fiancee's bed mat. He was mezmerized by how peaceful and serene her face looked when she was asleep. His features immediately turned into a scowl. he thought. His thoughts turned back to another night that seemed like an eternity ago, when Akara had told him of her fears and cried herself to sleep in her arms. Why had she opened herself up to him like that? And what was it about her that made him want to keep her safe? Why had he become so angry at the thought of her married to another man? That last thought brought up the strange meeting a couple of nights ago where Akara brought Neko back with them. The big cat was around somewhere, following them, but that wasn't what Tenma was thinking of. All he could think of was that one moment he was pretending indifference, and the next Akara's warm and soft body was in his arms. He had never had the urge to kiss a girl before, but there he was feeling strangely compelled to... what? Kiss her? Why? Blinking himself back to reality, he checked the position of the moon in the sky and noted that it was time for Ryo's nightwatch shift. Why had time flown so quickly? After waking his old friend/rival/training partner, he quickly let sleep claim him, which postponed more soul-searching. Good thing, too; it was exhausting and getting him nowhere. The next morning was grey with low hanging clouds that threatened rain. It was quiet and gloomy, which fit the mood of the small group perfectly. They walked along single file, with the only talking being when they rotated who had point and who was covering the rear. In fact, Tenma noticed that the only sound was their footsteps and occasional speech. Try as he might, he could discern no chirping of birds, nor any calls of any forest animal. While he pondered this, it became clear around noon when they arrived at the next town, or what was left of it. Just like the town where he spent the night with Akara, Ryo, and Kae, this one was completely deserted. Not a soul could be seen. Nowhere in or around the assorted huts, could a sign of life could be detected. "They have fled," Tateyama declared. It was true, Tenma realized. They had been traveling close to the approaching line of the Dark Shogun's army. He guessed the animals, as well as the people, had sensed the danger and left northward, hoping to escape the encroaching darkness. "Spread out," he said at last. "See what you can find and use." Tateyama shot him a dark look. "Ye would rob these people of their belongings? I guess that is to be expected out of a lowly cur, such as you." Tenma snorted. "Not all of us have been pampered all of our life, rich boy. We make do with what we have, making use of anything we come across." "Tenma's right," Akara agreed. Tenma shot her a surprised side glance. He didn't expect her to agree with him. "If our mission is successful and we defeat the dark shogun's army, these people can return home. If we fail, this town will be pillaged and destroyed anyway." The nobleman seemed to accept it then, coming from Akara's mouth, and the small group split up. They searched the houses in silence, coming up with blankets and foodstuffs that were left behind when the villagers fled. Even though she knew what they were doing was a necessity, Akara still felt like she was robbing a grave. She gave a silent prayer of apology to these people and to her ancestors, that they would be successful in their mission. A half-hour later, after they had eaten some of the scrounged rice and vegetables, they regrouped at the opposite side of the small village and resumed their journey. This time, though, there was slightly more conversation. The Kuno siblings were deathly silent, however, as if the reality of what was happening suddenly hit them, breaking through their sheltered lives. For Tenma, Akara, Ryo, and Ranko, this was more confirmation of what they already knew, and made them that much more determined to put a stop to the threat the dark army represented. Soon, however, Akara broke off with Ranko to talk with her, as Tenma did with Ryo. "So why are you here, Ranko-san?" Akara asked her. They'd had some time to talk and get aquatinted back at the Kuno estate, but she didn't know a whole lot about the mysterious red-head. Ranko shrugged. "Wanna kick some dark shogun butt," she said simply, as if it answered everything. "The dark army destroyed my town and my adoptive family. I wanna make him pay." Akara shivered as her aura came into contact with the deathly- chilled one of her companion's. It was apparent Ranko was holding a lot of disgust and hate inside, so she tried to turn the conversation elsehwere. "You said adpotive? What about your real family?" The redhead shrugged again. "Don't know. Supposedly a woman passed through my town once, carrying me as a baby. She left me with my adpotive family, then mysteriously disappeared." She reached into her shirt and pulled out a small, flat, green object. It had a small hole in it, so it could be secured via a leather strap around her neck. "Besides the blanket I was wrapped in, I was told I had this around my neck." "It looks like a dragon scale," Akara said. Ranko smiled. "That's what I've always thought." She shook her head and replaced the scale in her shirt. "But there no such things as dragons, so I guess I'll never know." "Ranko..." The raven-haired girl placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder in support. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" The girl's attention was suddenly drawn forward at Ryo's shout. "What?" Tenma could be heard asking in an innocent voice. "Pig- boy, bacon-breath, or Mr. P?" "Teeeennnnmmmmaaa!" Akara and Ranko sighed in unison as Ryo struck out with his fist. Despite knowing there was no strength to it, Tenma avoided it by flipping out of the way. Undeterred, Ryo charged after him, swinging out with arms and legs, and the chase was on. "Tenma!" Akara called. "Stop picking on Ryo-kun! And don't run off!" But the call came too late, as the two boys had already disappeared into the thick bushes ahead. The two girls took off after them, the Kuno siblings right behind. Tenma continued to dodge and tease Ryo, knowing his old friend had become entirely too depressed lately. Sure enough, the release of anger was enough to bring the old Ryo back to the surface. The two boys bounded through the forest with a fearsome display of martial arts skills and tenacity. That is, until Tenma misjudged his landing from a jump and ended up tripping backwards. Ryo, sensing his rival's misfortune, struck out with his strongest punch. The tap didn't do any damage, but it was enough to complete the backwards toppling motion and send Tenma careening into the bushes behind him. That's when he discovered that a sharp decline existed on the other side. "Whooooaaaa!" His arms flailed wildy for a second while he balanced on one foot, then toppled backwards. An attempt to handstand back to his feet was foiled when his hand found an extremely slippery patch of grass. That in turn, caused him to begin the tumbling process all the way down the hill. Ryo leapt through the bushes expecting to find his foe, and instead finding the ground was a lot lower on the other side. He also happened to find the slick patch of grass as well, but managed to stay on his feet as he started running clumsily down the hill. A loose rock caught his foot a short time later, however, and sent him into the same type of tumble as Tenma. After their impromtu humpty-dumpty performance, the two boys ended up on the bottom, flat on their backs, breathing heavily, and with no desire to get up anytime soon. Tenma began to chuckle, which in turn caused Ryo to start chuckling. Pretty soon, it had progressed into full- blown laughter. "Tenma, heh, I oughta... beat you to a pulp!" "I'd like, haha, to see you, heheh, try it, pig-boy!" "Don't call me that!" *Bop!* The next instant found a pair of spears pointed into their faces. Tenma and Ryo looked up to see the owners of the spears were a pair of females dressed in exotic and colorful breastplate armor. The two women said a few words, which neither of the boys understood, but the intent was clear. The boys rose slowly to their feet and were prodded forward by the spear-wielding women. And for the first time, saw where they had ended up. As they began to tread onto the sandy beach, they gazed in wonder at the large ocean spread out before them. In the distance, a large sailing ship could be seen and two smaller boats were ferrying troops from it to the shore. Already, Tenma counted about forty warriors, mostly women, setting up camp on the beach. "Who are you people?" Tenma asked finally, his curiosty getting the most of him. The reply consisted of a poke in the back with a spear and a few words barked out in their foreign language. "For once, keep your big mouth shut, Saotome," Ryo told him snidely. Tenma wanted to retort, but bit his response back. Ryo was right; it was better to play along for now and see what was going on. Off hand, he wondered what happened to Akara, Ranko, and the Kunos. Were they watching from hiding? Or had the the two boys managed to lose them? The young Saotome's thoughts were temporarily put on hold as they reached what he assumed was their destination. The women escorting them held their spears out, stopping the two boys in the midst of the camp. In front on them, a woman in a white bodysuit stood, her back to them, and her long, deep blue hair trailing down to just past her waist. Their escorts spoke a few more words and the woman, who apparently was the leader, turned around and regarded the two boys with an even expression. Tenma was surprised to note that she didn't seem much older than him, and her her breastplate was swirling with blue and purple, considerable more elaborate than the women around them. "This girl's their leader!?" Ryo said in disbelief, echoing Tenma's own thoughts. "Yes, I am," the girl responded in Japenese, startling the two men. "I am Xian Po. I lead these brave Amazon warriors from Joketsuzoku to fight the darkness in this land." She studied the two boys. "Who are you?" "Saotome Tenma," he responded after getting over his shock. "And this is Hibiki Ryo." Xian Po seemed to notice something and a smile crept onto her face. "You are warriors, yes?" she asked eagerly. Ryo finally regained his composure and snorted. "I am, and he's a good imitation of one." He jerked a thumb at Tenma. "Funny, Ryo." The Amazon's smile grew to include teeth. "Good! Then we have match!" It was a statement of fact, not a question. "Uhhh..." Tenma responded brilliantly. He frowned. "While I would like to see such a match," a familiar voice rang out, "I'm afraid it will have to wait, Xian Po-san." The Amazon leader beamed. "Konisha!" She bounded over to the approaching duo and embraced the Kuno sister. "You come back!" Ryo's eyes widened as he saw the Kuno siblings. "Where's Akara and Ranko?" he demanded to know. "'Tis still searching for thee, I imagine," Tateyama replied. "Though heaven can instill no logic that she would desire a mere peasant instead of my noble personage." "Ah, stuff it, Kuno," Tenma snorted. "So, why can we no have match?" Xian Po asked, stepping back from Konisha. Before anyone could answer, however, a ragged Amazon warrior burst into the setting, spouting several rapid-fire words to Xian Po in their native language. Tenma watched as the blue-haired girl's expression become alarmed, and then darken into a deadly serious gaze. She spouted off several commandes to the Amazons around them, then turned to her guests. "Lin Mao say a group in black armor attack one of our patrols. Two strange girls came to help, but they are all overpowered. Lin Mao says commander wants to see leader, or else he kill our warriors and the other women." Tenma suddenly had a bad premonition. "Did she tell you what these girl's looked like?" Xian Po had another quick conversation with Lin Mao, then turned back to Tenma. "She say one have fiery-red hair and pig-tail, and the other have short dark-blue hair." She noticed the looks on the boys faces. "They friends of yours?" "Tendo Akara and the fiery pig-tailed girl in trouble? I shall save thee!" Tateyama rushed off to save his damels in distress "Wait for me!" Ryo took off after him, with Tenma right behind. Xian Po shrugged and joined in the chase as the boys ran out of the camp, back into the forest where Kuno was using his katana to slice a path through the underbrush. It didn't take them long to reach their destination. The scene that greeted them, however, was enough to halt any more action on their part. A tall, ebon-haired male in a matching black bodysuit held Akara off the ground by her neck. She was struggling weakly against his grip, and it was obvious she had been hurt enough that her full strength wasn't available. Two Amazons were lying unconscious on the ground and Ranko was sitting against a tree, breathing hard and holding her obviously injured left arm. The dark individual in the ninja suit fixed them all with a chilling death-filled gaze. "If I see anyone so much as twitch a muscle, I will snap her neck." It was at that moment, that the dream-like vision cut off. Mio awoke slowly to see Toshi, Hikaru, and Ariko standing over her. She blinked once, and shivered. "Are you alright, Miyo-chan?" Ariko asked. "You were out for almost an hour. Toshi-kun was so worried about you, he called us to help." Miyo glanced over at Toshi in surprise, but he merely `hmph'ed and turned around, feigning some interest in another part of the library. She smiled slyly at his apparent attempt to hide his concern. "Thank you, but I'm fine." "I-I just need some rest. These visions sometimes take quite a bit out of me." Ariko and Hikaru helped her to her feet and guided to a chair in the main room where she could sit down. "Hikaru-chan, why don't you get a glass of water for her?" Ariko asked him with a shy smile on her face. "U-um, yeah, sure," he replied. It was still hard sometimes to respond to the other sex, as he had little practice in area. He left in search of the kitchen. Once he was gone, Ariko turned back to Myio, sitting down in a chair next to her. "Are you sure you're all right?" Miyo frowned. "I don't know. This is the first time I've received the dreams while awake." She suddenly rubbed her arms and shivered again. "There's something else." "About the dreams?" Miyo shook her head. "I feel... something very powerful nearby... and very dangerous." Ariko leaned forward and placed her hand upon the fortune- teller's. "How bad could it be?" The other girl locked gazes with her, and Ariko was suddenly frightened by the deathly serious look in her eyes. "Very, very bad." ------------------------------ Author's notes: By now you've noticed an irregularity. Or then again, maybe you haven't. Tenma keeps teasing Ryo by calling him `pig-boy', `Mr. P', `bacon- breath', and other such names. However, it seems that neither one is cursed in this timeline, so what can it mean? There is a valid explanation, but you'll just have to wait to find out that is!