Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Trials Chapter 15 Yuni only had a few seconds to glimpse the crystal before something struck her forcefully and sent her tumbling away. Through her haze, she realized the red-headed girl was crouched protectively in front of Akane. In one hand she held the crystal, which had lost it's glow. "You must give that to us," Hajime said sternly, having regained his feet. "It is too dangerous to be allowed in the hands of mortals." Ranma snorted. "Get real, pal. `Sides, you're mortal, too." She eyed the opposition, the group of seven lining up across from her. "I don't know what's going on, but this thing belongs to Akane. The only way you're gettin' it is over my dead body." "Don't you get it!" Hajime yelled, finally losing his temper. "It cannot be destroyed, yet it cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands!" Ranma looked down at the multi-faceted crystal, which almost seemed to throb in her hand. "What's so important about this thing, anyway?" Hajime sighed. "A long time ago, a kami gave it to a woman, to reward her for something the woman had done for the heavenly being. The names were lost to antiquity, but our order has dedicated itself to seeking out such dangerous artifacts and sealing them away. This particular one has been dormant for most of it's life, but ten years ago, we sensed the it's use, and have been searching for it ever since." "So why's it so dangerous?" Ranma's eyes narrowed. "What kind of threat is Akane supposed to be?" She glanced back at her fiancee momentarily who appeared unconscious, but was still breathing, much to the red-head's relief. "I said before, it acts as sort of a amplifying lens for ki," the old one told him. "As it is used more and more by someone, the amplification factor increases, and it has no limit. Soon, it would reach a point where only a small amount of ki would be amplified millions of times, enough to destroy the world! Don't you see? No one can be trusted with it!" Uncertainity warred within Ranma soul. It was true that the Tora Dokiken was powerful, and her instincts told him not to give it to these people, but it looked like they wouldn't stop until they got what they were after. And if what the old man said were true, and Akane's ki developed more fully, the next time she got angry or unleashed a ki- attack... "What about Akane?" Ranma said at last. "What did you do to her?" "Yuni merely drained enough ki to free the artifact," Hajime told her. "She may yet live, if she gets help soon. You may be able to beat all of us, but the time it would take you to do so would be fatal to her. Just give us the crystal and you can save her." Ranma fretted. She wracked her brain for another way... and found one. "Fine then, I'll solve all our problems." The group of seven watched, wide-eyed, as Ranma tossed the crystal into the air and drew his hand back. What happened next was, to them, nothing short of impossible. "Saotome!" Soun watched, helpless, as the tail of the beast slammed into his old friend, planting him firmly in the ground. With as much strength as he could muster, Soun pushed the wooden beam off his legs and attempted to stand up. It wasn't going well. Ever since Drakon had transformed, the three martial artists had found themselves out-classed. The dragon's scales were harder than steel, and he was quick for such a large beast. None of their attacks seemed to do much, and the counters were taking them out one by one. Tatewaki was the first target, being blown back by a powerful cold breath attack that tossed him in the what was left of the building and burying him under ice and rubble. Soun attempted to retrieve his naginata and plunge it into the beast's flank, but a claw caught him in mid-air and sent him sailing into a wall. And now it was Genma-panda's turn, as he tried to attack from the rear. The Tendo patriarch tried to distract Drakon, to give Genma enough time to recover, though he knew he wasn't in good shape. His legs felt weak, and his gi was torn across his chest where three red gashes ran diagonally from the claw. Drakon merely glanced at Soun, but left his tail across the giant panda, preventing Genma from getting up. He opened his giant mouth, and another blast of freezing air came rushing forth to knock Soun off his feet and send him tumbling away. Soun thought sadly. Helplessly, he watched as the dragon coiled it's tail around Genma and stood up on two legs, lifting him up in front of it's own toothy maw and squeezing hard with the tail. Genma applied all his strength to break free from the coiled grip, but it wasn't enough. He even tried biting the tail, but panda teeth were no match for dragon scales. he despairingly realized. Then, thinking was impossible, as the crushing grip rendered him unconscious. "Release my husband!" cried a familiar voice. The voice was accompianed by a stream of fire that bathed Drakon's backside. The dragon roared in pain, and dropped Genma. "And leave my Soun-chan alone!" cried another familiar female voice. "Happo No-Yen Coin Return!" A blast of ki-energy struck the dragon, knocking him back a few feet, but not appearing to hurt him much. Then someone was there, helping him up. Soun blinked when he realized who it was. "Hinako-san? You're Ranma and Akane's teacher. What are you doing here?" He kind of suspected that the woman felt more for him than concern as Ranma and Akane's teacher. And he wasn't so old that he had lost his eyes; she was quite attractive to look at. Then he would think of wife and first love, and the mere thought of betraying her would curb any forward actions on his part. "I ran into Saotome-san's mother and she said you might be in danger," Hinako told him in her husky, adult voice. "I had to try and help." She helped him sit up, and he noticed a round fishbowl sitting nearby. She seemed to be awfully fond of that fish, since she had it whenever he saw her. He also noticed Nodoka approaching the dragon, her katana out and in a ready position. The surprising thing, was that it appeared to be on fire. Also surprising, was she had shed her usual kimono, revealing a decorative white and blue bodysuit underneath, with matching white headband. "What's going on?" Soun asked, confused. "What is she doing? She can't possibly be thinking of taking that thing on alone!" The dragon launched another wave of it's ice-cold breath, but Nodoka's sword flared up, incinerating the blast before it could reach her. Hinako stood. "She will fight for the one she loves. To a woman in love, there is nothing she will not do for her man!" He gave him a lusty smile and a wink, then turned back to the dragon, bringing her hands back up. "Prepare to be punished, delinquent! Happo No-Yen Coin Return!" The blast of yellowish-green ki struck the dragon head on, sending him stumbling backward even as a lightning bolt flew from out of the ruined building, impacting Drakon's chest. The dragon snarled in response, shaking off the attack. "Foul beast!" called Kuno's voice. "Get thee back to the abyss!" He strode from the building, his sword crackling and flashing with blue electric sparks. The dragon took a couple of steps backward, eyeing the two swords carefully. It was almost as if he recognized their power and feared it. At that moment, Lady Kuno reappeared from within the wrecked building, her hand flying to her mouth when she caught sight of the black dragon outside. "Kami-sama, no! It cannot be possible! Only the true lord of your people can make that tranformation!" The dragon's head swung around, his maw becoming a toothy grin as he glimpsed his original target. Moving faster than anyone expected, and before anyone could do anything, he snaked one hand out and plucked her from the ground. He held her out as a shield between himself and his attackers. With the woman in his grip, no one else dared attack, for fear she might get caught in the crossfire. Soun realized the dynamics had suddenly changed, and they were helpless to do anything about it. The group watched in utter shock as the crystal flew upwards. Then, Ranma's hand blurred passed it. In slow motion, they beheld the crystal seperate cleanly into five pieces. "NO!" Hajime blurted, right before the dismembered crystal exploded. A radiant gold light expanded outward, filling the ravine and washing over it's occupants. Moving faster than she ever had before in her life, Ranma grabbed Akane and leapt outward, just ahead of the event horizon. It caught up to them in mid-air however, sending her and her helpless charge tumbling into the trees above the ravine wall. She instinctively twisted her body in mid-air, protecting Akane by absorbing the tree branch impacts with her own body. The explsion behind them blasted into the ground, cratering the ravine floor as it forced it's magical energies in all directions, including downward. The ravine shook with the force of a magnitude 6 earthquake, then as the energies exploded upwards, the hole in the ground spewed forth a mighty geyser of water from a hot spring that happened to be located just underneath the ground. *Whump!* The landing wasn't perfect, but the important thing was that she hit first, Akane on top of him. The heated droplets of water from the geyser began to pour down upon them, and Ranma shifted into his masculine form as he got his wind back. And then he was holding her in his lap, cradling her in his arms like he did at Jusendo. "Akane?" He brushed the unconscious girl's cheek with his hand. "You can wake up now. It's all over. You did pretty good back there, but it's over." But there was still no action from her, besides her light breathing. His hand moved from her cheek, down her neck In the distance, the geyser lost it's pressure and died out. "Come on, Akane!" he demanded, his voice getting shaky. "Don't do this to me. Quit foolin' around and wake up!" He studied her face for several moments, as he wiped the dirt scruffs off her cheeks. That's when noticed the droplet of water that hit Akane's face. Ranma blinked and wiped his face on his sleeve. "Now look what ya made me do! Snap out of it!" He sniffled a bit. He blinked. He dried his tears again, an idea forming in his head. Concentrating, Ranma closed his eyes, focusing his breathing. His blue aura soundlessly formed around him. Ever since Happosai taught them his ki-charge technique, Ranma had been working with it and studying it, like he did with every new move he learned. One of the main points to the technique was that the person in need of ki had to initiate the charge. But Ranma discovered that the charge was greater when the one being charged off of, willingly gave of their ki, and even greater when they did it out of love. Since Happosai's victims never willingly gave in to him, the old freak never would've figured that out. But Ranma had never tried to give ki without Akane initiating the charge. Then his thoughts were gone, his mind clear. The only sound were the steady breathing of the two teenagers that slowly synchronized. Ranma reached out for Akane with his ki, his aura flowing over her. For several minutes, nothing happened. Then he felt it, and gasped. As the golden shockwave approached the group of seven, Hajime shook off his stupor at what the pig-tailed girl had done. The crystal was made by kami hands, and mortal men weren't supposed to be able to destroy it. But there was no more time for thought; if he didn't act swiftly, the explosion would consume them. He crossed his arms in front of his body and weaved his aura through the six around him. It was dangerous to him to attempt what he was going to do, but if he didn't, they would all perish. "Teleport!" "Sensei! No!" Li chun gasped. A spasm of pain wracked the old man's frame as the seven faded out of existance, the expanding golden aura vaporizing their area a split second later. They re-materialized on a hilltop a safe distance away, from where they could behold the sphere of golden light explode upwards in a column of dissipating energies. They watched, tiredly and in awe, as five thin beams of light shot out of the main one, streaking off in different directions. The heated geyser burst up from the ground after the explosion died off, but it didn't last long. Hajime collapsed and the young Japanese girl named Yuni rushed to his side, fearing the worst. "Sensei!" She knew that it was a strain on the old man to attempt to teleport more than two or three at a time, and he had just warped the entire group half a kilometer away. "Please be okay!" Yuni pleaded. "You'll be fine. We'll get you to a doctor and then-" He shook his head, even as his raspy voice cut her off. "No. Too late for me... old and weak..." "No, sensei!" Yuni cried, tears leaking from her eyes. "You can't leave me!" He was the closet thing the orphan had for a father, and he had taught her much about controlling her gift. "We all have our time, child," he replied, his voice a bit steadier, though his eyes were still closed. "I have... led a full life and have few regrets." He turned his head slightly. "Li chun... Kujo... was he successful? Did he actually destroy the Heart of the Kami?" Kujo's arms were folded across his chest, his eyes expressionless as he watched the explosion die off. "No, I don't think so." His voice was low and gruff. "Kujo's right, sensei," Li Chun added impassively. "It looks like he just shattered it into five pieces. They flew off in different directions." "Then they will need to be found, before someone uses them," Hajime said solemnly. Their task was not finished after all, quite the contrary, it become that much more difficult. "You must track them, Yuni. You're the only one who can." "Sensei, I don't know, I-!" she blurted shakingly, then her voice cut off. "You are young, but you must trust yourself." He stopped and coughed violently, his elderly frame shuddering. "You have learned all I can teach." He felt lighter all of a sudden, his pain flowing away in a kind of white heat. He could also sense his comrades gather around him. "Wen Ho... you must lead now." The short, Chinese man nodded solemly. "I shall, old friend. Rest well, you have earned it." Hajime smiled, even as he felt his sould slip away. "Goodbye... my friends..." His head turned to the side and he breathed his last. Cradling his body in her arms, Yuni bent over him and sobbed while Li Chun embraced the smaller girl from behind. They had lost one of their own today, and that wouldn't be forgotten, or forgiven. "MOTHER!" Tatewaki yelled. "Unhand her villainous monster!" Drakon merely turned toward Kuno and growled menacingly, warning the kendoist away. But Tatewaki refused to be cowed as he advanced on the creature, his sword crackling with lightning. Nodoka also continued to move forward, following an imperitive she didn't understand. Somewhere in the back of her mind lingered the realization that her katana was burning, but that was ignored over the much stronger compulsion to destroy the darkness before her. "No-chan!" Soun glanced sideways as Genma emerged from the ruined remains of the building in human form, apparently having found hot water inside. He was limping slightly and holding his ribs. "Saotome! Are you alright?" "What's she doing, Tendo!?" Genma cried. "She's going to get herself killed!" He wanted to get in there and help her, but he was barely able to move himself, compounding his feelings of helplessness. "She's seemes to be doing better than we were," Soun remarked. And it was the truth. Every attack that came her way, she managed to turn aside. Swipes with a tail or a claw, she parried or dodged. Blasts of freezing breath were incinerated. In fact, Kuno's magic sword was helping him in much the same way. Still, the dragon's actions were keeping them at bay, and it was all they could do to fend off the attacks. Drakon took another couple of steps back and spread his wings, preparing to take flight. He had decided that since he had what he came for, it was time to leave. However, the big appendages made excellent targets. A crackling bolt of lightning impacted the right wing, while a stream of fire struck the left. Drakon roared in pain, his anger increasing. The fragile structures were now hanging in tatters, too damaged to enable flight. They would also require too much time to regenerate, time he didn't have. He stomped his foot down hard, causing all the humans present to lose their balance and fall to the ground. He then swiped his tail at Tatewaki, who just barely managed to bring the sword up in time. Still, the contact sent him flying into a pile of rubble. That's when he noticed his captive trying to communicate with him, telepathically. Lady Kuno's thoughts told him. he told her mentally. she countered. Drakon snorted. He shook his head. He forcefully cut the mental link. Lady Kuno glanced downward at the two approaching figures. "Son, you cannot beat him. You don't have enough power, not without all three swords!" "Mother, not a single hair shall be harmed on thy head," he spouted. "I shall save thee!" she thought, despairingly. It was almost like he was aware of her on some primal level. His surroundings disappeared, leaving just him and her as the only things in existence. He literally sensed her soul, and it was fading fast. He could feel the emptiness inside her that once once filled with her ki. It would regenerate with time, but time was something Akane didn't have. Instead, he forced his own ki into that void, filling it, keeping her alive as her own regenerated. For the next hour, he was literally her life support. But something unexpected was happening. Some of his ki was being absorbed into her, even as her own was being absorbed into his. Outside their bodies, her crimson aura mingled with his own deep azure, creating strands of gold where they mixed. Neither of them noticed this, however, as Ranma was too focused on saving Akane, and she was unable to concentrate on much except Ranma's presence. For the next sixty minutes, their entire world was centered on each other. "Freeze Arrow!" The female voice came out of the blue, as did the rapidly moving ice spear. It struck the dragon's foot and expanded, covering the dragon's leg up to it's thigh. "Yes!" came the girl's voice again as she made herself known. "Henki Ariko, supreme sorceress-in-training, strikes again!" The brown- haired girl pranced into the courtyard, dragging a weakly struggling Hikaru Gosunkugi with her. "Your turn, Hikaru-chan." He took one look at what they were facing and very nearly passed out. He had been learning a lot about magic from the book their sensei had given them and it had boosted his confidence once he got a couple of spells working. So far he had used them against bullies, which were one thing, but this was a dragon! As he thought about it now, he didn't know why he came along. Somehow it all made sense back in Miyo's library. He had an overwhelming need to see what the `dark power' the fortune teller sensed, and he sensed Ariko felt the same. But now, looking up at the towering monstrosity that could easily tear him up into little bits if it wanted a light snack... "I-I c-can't!" he whined. Ariko sighed noisily. "Sure you can, I believe in you. Just use the magic." She looked back up. "Uh oh." The dragon had noticed them, and it didn't seem to be too happy about her attack. It opened it's mouth, and a freezing blast of ice streaked toward them. Ariko thought fast and raised her hands. "Valis Wall!" The ice blast struck the barrier and parted around them. "Hurry, Hi-chan. I can't keep it up... much longer..." "Ariko..." Hikaru watched his partner in the arcane studies struggle against the attack, and he knew he had to do something. Like the battle at the mage compound half a year ago, a female in danger was enough to compel him to act. "Flare... Arrow!" The streak of flame parted the ice blast like the Red Sea, before continuing on into the beast's mouth. Drakon was forced to abort the attack in a fit violent coughing and gagging. In response, he jumped up and came crashing back down. As his clawed feet hit the ground, the very earth rippled, collapsing the rest of the weakened walls. Nodoka cried out as she hit the ground, her katana flying out of her hand and the flame winking out. Ariko activated a quick levitation spell, grabbing Hikaru just before the shockwave hit them. Genma and Soun crashed into each other as they tumbled to the ground, but the worst effect, was what happened to Hinako. The teacher fell to the ground with the rest of them, but her fishbowl bounced into the air. It turned upside in mid-air, dumping the water and fighting fish out and, upon hitting the ground, shattered into pieces. Hinako promptly shrunk to child-size then glanced up in fear, hoping Soun hadn't seen. To her horror however, he was gawking at her, wide-eyed from the ground where he lay. It was quite obvious he had seen everything. Embarrassed, ashamed, and with tears leaking out of her child- like eyes, Hinako Ninomiya ran out of the courtyard as fast as her little legs could carry her. Lady Kuno recovered from the jolt a few minutes later and despaired as she viewed the battle scene. Her son was buried in rubble, and this time she could see his hand sticking out and his sword laying on the ground. He was quite unconscious. The woman with the sword of flame was also down, encased in ice. Drakon must have frozen her after the earthquake stomp. The other two men that had come to help were not moving, and the last woman firing those ki-blasts had disappeared. It was quite apparent that all of the warriors arrayed against Drakon were down. Except for two children. The two little magic-users were standing at the far end of the courtyard, somehow having escaped harm from the quake. She glanced back up at Drakon, hoping that it was enough that he was victorious. By the look in his eyes, she could tell it was not. she told him, forging the mental link again. he responded. The link was severed once more. Lady Kuno cast about for a way to save her son and his friends, and noticed the men were beginning to stir once more. "Get out of here!" she cried. "He's going to kill all of you!" The dragon began to sqeeze her, but she exerted what little magic she had to keep from being crushed. However, it wouldn't last long. Ariko reached inside, channeling most of her magic, and began to chant. "Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. Fireball!" The bright ball of orange flame was on target. Ariko could see the hostage, but was able to control the fireball enough to avoid hitting her, instead striking the dragon's jaw. It yelped in pain as it's head was violently twisted to the left. "H-he's t-too strong!" Hikaru yelled, his previous concentration and courage leaving him again. His legs unconsciously took a step backwards. "We have to get out of here!" "No!" Ariko refused to go, pulling a book out of her backpack and flipping through the pages. "There's got to be a strong enough spell in here to kill a dragon!" Hikaru's jaw dropped.. Even when faced with a 30 foot tall, cold-breathing monstrosity, Ariko didn't appear to be the least bit scared. Instead, she was determined to stand up to it, even when it appeared to be hopeless. the familiar thought ran through his head. Another couple of steps brought him closer to the exit out of the battlefield, and farther from Ariko. That's why he wasn't in the way when the dragon attacked. While Ariko was busy looking through her book of spells, Drakon seized the opportunity to stomp forward, lower his head, and belt out another freezing ice blast. Thanks to the internal damge caused by Hikaru's earlier Flare Arrow, it wasn't as powerful, which was why the dark dragon had gotten closer. Ariko, so absorbed in searching the spellbook, didn't realize Drakon had closed on her until she looked up to see the dragon's open maw staring back at her. She yelped in fright as she tossed herself out of the way, but the freezing breath caught her feet and encased them ice. Losing her balance, she screamed as she fell forward, the spellbook fluttering out of her hands and coming to rest several meters away. Hikaru watched in horror as Drakon continued up the young sorcereress's body, bestowing upon her the same icy caress he had given her legs. Yet again, the young mage's fear was shoved aside in face of the greater terror of of what would happen if he did nothing. "Flare Arrow!" The reddish-orange bolt flew from his hands, but the great beast sensed the magic this time, moving his head out of the way as the fiery arrow zipped harmlessly on by. Soun and Genma recovered enough to stand and get moving, having heard the warning from the woman in the dragon's grip. Soun began to quickly dig Tatewaki out of the rubble. Once freed, he grabbed the unconscious youth and checked his vitals, releasing a breath of relief when he realized the Kuno boy was okay. The katana laying nearby crackled once, a single bolt of electricity arcing through the air the strike Tatwaki in the chest. The body spasmed from the impact, then the boy's eyes shot open. So suprised and startled was Soun, that he wasn't able to act while Tatewaki laept to his feet, grabbed the katana, and returned to the battle. Genma had made a beeline for his wife, shock and fear foremost among his emotions when he realized her condition. Wasting no time, he grabbed the katana and aimed carefully. He swung the blade down in a clean stroke, splitting and shattering the ice off of her. Her then cradled her cold body in his arms as he held her close, hoping to warm her by his own body heat as he prepared to leave the battlefield. His insides were screaming for him to rend the hated beast limb from limb, but his first concern was his wife. However, he didn't get the chance. As he picked up the katana and turned to leave, Nodoka's eyes fluttered open. "Anata?" "No-chan!?" Genma gasped. "Are you okay?" "What... happened?" He blinked. "Don't you know?" "You were fighting with a fiery katana." Her brow creased in puzzlement. "Genma, what are you saying?" She suddenly patted herself, her face darting around rapidly. "My sword! Where is it!?" Interpreting her signals, he set her on her feet and held up the weapon. "Right here." His brow crinkled in confusion, but his eyes showed surprise when she grasped the handle and the blade flared up again. Genma's expression changed to shock as her seemingly attitude changed, right in front of him. Before she seemed weak and somewhat scared, but now, she looked strong, determined, and ready to fight. She pushed passed her husband, sword up and blazing, ready to do battle once more. Hikaru wasn't through yet either, the mostly-frozen form of Ariko was still in danger. "Flare Bit!" Dozens of small orange balls appeared in between his outstretched hands and shot towards the dragon, bombarding him with the fiery assault. His larger opponent backpedaled under the onslaught, his arms flailing, his roar of surprise and pain loud. The clawed fist containing his hostage suddenly opened, and Lady Kuno went flying through the air with a shriek. Tatewaki watched in horror as his mother sailed through the air. He was unable to do anything to help her, being too far away to catch her. Still, he sprinted across the battlefield towards the pile of rubble he had calculated as her landing point. The impulse was still pounding through his veins, the siren song of the sword calling for him to ignore the woman and return to fighting the dark abomination. But for the first time, he fought against it, his will overturning the one streaming from his weapon. He didn't make it in time. Lady Kuno's body hit the piled of ruined cement blocks and iron piping, making a sick crunching sound as it partly swallowed her. With tears stinging his eyes, the young swordsman leapt to where his mother lay, half-buried in her concrete bed, dropping his blade upon the ground. Her eyes were unfocused, yet they seemed to pierce his soul as she turned her gaze upon him. The muted warrior's part of his mind noted that there seemed to be too much blood dampening her torn and tattered kimono, turning the blue material a sickly, dark brown. "Mother..." he gasped, the tightness in his throat barely able to lend him speech capability at all. "I'm... sorry, Tatchi," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "It appears... my time has... come." "NO!" Hikaru Gosunkugi, mage-wannabe for most of his life, was finally tapping the forces he had long sought after as he drove the dragon back. But he was too caught up his command of the literal fire power he wielded, to realize what it was doing inside him. He was being changed, his body beginning to crave the high the magic gave. "Val-Flare!" He finished by launching one of his strongest blasts, that sent Drakon to the ground in a fiery explosion. He then turned and layed his hands on the frozen girl, warmth spreading from his palms and enveloping her. Ariko's eyes opened and met his as the last of the ice melted away. Her lips twisted into a small smile and her gaze softened, as if to tell him, "I knew you could do it." Despite himself, Hikaru couldn't help blushing a little, his guard dropping. The moment was short-lived, and Ariko's eyes widened in horror and shock as she beheld the dragon rear up behind the young boy. She tried to scream, to say anything, but her vocal cords were still a little numb from the ice. Still, he noticed her expression change, but was too slow to prevent the scaled claw from grabbing him and squeezing, the other hand batting the girl and sending her tumbling across the embattled courtyard. Being physically weak, Hikaru's struggles came to naught, and only succeeded in furthering his trip to unconsciousness. Drakon then turned to a certain pile of rubble where a woman lay half-buried and a young man knelt over her, intent on finishing off his originial target. Lady Kuno was suddenly suddenly aware of Drakon's attention on them, and she weakly reached up and tried to push her son away, even as he tried to free her body from the rubble. "You must... go, Tatchi." "No, I just have to get you to a hospital and you'll be fine!" His voice was near-hysterical, his vision blurring from . "Then you can make father well and we can be a family again! That is all Kodachi and I really wanted: To be part of a real family! You cannot take that away from us again! YOU CAN'T!" The last was belted out as a fevered demand. Touched by her son's needs and desires, the woman who was his mother and yet was not, found tears drawn to her own eyes. But she was out of time. Behind her son, the dark dragon was opening its mouth, and her mystic sight could detect the energies gathering for the attack. "I wanted... to see you and `Dachi grow up. Forgive me." He stopped his frantic excavation and met her tearful gaze with his own. She placed her hands on his chest and the next thing Tatewaki Kuno knew, an invisible force had tossed several meters away. His head came up just in time to see a large, dark blue beam of energy crash into the pile where he had been kneeling a moment before. The debris exploded in a shower of icicle shards. His anquished cry echoed throughout the battlefield. "MOTHER!" "Let him go!" the young girl screamed, finally regaining the use of her voice. Her eyes began to glow even as a violent tempest whipped around her small form. The winds tornado'ed upwards from her feet while the white ribbon tied around her ponytail, unwound and fell off. The net effect was that her mid-back length, brown locks shot upwards, held there by the gathered forces swirling around her. Drakon froze in outrage as he witnessed and felt the sheer magical energy the young girl was channeling. In his left hand, Hikaru's limp form stirred slightly. His head lifted a bit as his left eye cracked open, sensing the power building around her, and it both scared and awed him at the same time. She reiterated her command in a more forceful tone. "LET... HIM... GO!" The dark dragon snarled and tightened his grip on his hostage. "I think not." He spoke for the first time, his voice deep and throaty, and sounding somehow... unnatural as it reverberated throughout the courtyard. Ariko didn't bother with a response, but let the magical energies she had been gathering whip up harder around her, even as a white glow began to outline her form. She thrust her hands forward and there was a mighty flash of brilliant white. The scaled claw holding the limp boy was suddenly forced open, against the will of the owner. Hikaru fell listlessly for several feet, then stopped in mid-air as Ariko psycho-kinetically caught him and levitated his body to rest at her feet. She then turned her vengeful, glowing eyes on her enemy. The katana of Nodoka Saotome blazed in the darkening skies, as her fighting instincts drove her forward. Genma stuck close to her, knowing he couldn't stop her while she had the sword, but still wanting to protect her. Soun had limped off the field, having realized there was no longer anything he could do to help. Tatewaki Kuno slowly regained his feet, then plucked his discarded katana from the ground, brilliant blue bolts of electricity crackling along the blade. He had nothing left to say, since there was nothing to say. Only one imperitive was on his mind: the destruction of the beast that had just taken his mother from him. Together, these four were poised to confront Drakon for the final time. Seeing them approach and wanting to seize the initiative, the dark dragon dropped to all fours and took to the air as they approached, spraying the area with a wide burst of freezing breath. Nodoka's katana flared brightly as a gout of flame leapt up to absorb the attack, sheltering the others. Ariko's fist shot forward, and an invisible force struck the dragon from the air, sending it crashing into the ground. Immediately afterward, Kuno sprinted forward, his katana discharging a long stream of lightning that covered the beast in a blanket of electricity. Drakon thought as he shakily regained his feet. He had been fighting for too long and his bodily reserves were beginning to wear out. If he was in his human form he knew he'd be far from tired, but apparently this dragon form took more out of him. So decided, he turned and took to the air once more... only to come crashing back down as an unknown force grabbed his ankles and slammed him back into the ground. He turned his head just in time to see the martial artist with the large build hit him with several vacuum blades that actually managed to rend his scales and open up gashes in his flesh. "Individually, we are unable to do much to it," Kuno shouted, loosing another lightning bolt. "T'would be best if combined our powers." "I am with you, Kuno-san," Nodoka offered, Genma nodding beside her. "Me, too!" Hikaru added, shakily rising to his feet. Somehow, in the presence of the courage of those around him, his initial fear had faded. He had seen what the beast had offered, and born witness to these men and women who refused to give up. Some of that was rubbing off on him. Drakon had other ideas, striking with another ice blast that Nodoka incinerated. But under the cover of the thick steam that resulted, he lanced out with his tail, sweeping his opponents off their feet and then leaping in the the air once more. "The vile beast doth flee from my rightful vengeance!" Tatewaki yelled. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ariko screamed, her white aura intensifying. She lanced out with both hands and clenched her fists, and Drakon suddenly found himself halted in mid-air. "NOW!" They struck as one, Kuno's lightning flaying the dragon, while Nodoka bathed it in fire. Genma launched wave after wave of vacuum blades, the only attack he had that seemed to work on the beast. Hikaru raised his hands, sweating as he tried to channel every ounce of magical power he could. A ball of deep crimson red mass of magical energy formed in front of him. "Vice Flare!" The ball lanced into a beam that rocketed upwards, the retro-force knocking the young boy onto his rear. But his aim was true, the attack impacting the ebony dragon perfectly. The resulting explosion flared so brightly, all were forced to shield their eyes from the the miniature sun. But when the the nova finally died, Drakon was nowhere in sight. Hikaru was awed by the sheer power of the attack, becoming light-headed when he realized he had been part of that. Then he turned to look at Ariko, and his heart dropped into his stomach, his giddyness extinguished. She was laying on ground, unmoving. He rushed to her side and turned her over onto her back, somewhat relieved to see her still breathing, if a bit shallow. Then he noticed her hair had turned completely white. Her breathing was slow, but it was steady. She would live, and the thought lifted Ranma's heart and eased his burden. As the campfire blazed, he watched her sleep from where he sat beside her, knowing he should get some rest as well. It would be night soon and they had quite a bit of travel to do tomorrow to get back home. Every once and awhile, she would moan, toss and turn, as if she was having some sort of bad dream. In response, he would brush her cheek, whisper that he was here and that everything was alright, and she would settle back down. Of course, he'd never have the guts to do this sort of inane thing while she was awake... It was funny, he decided. A year ago he'd never thought he'd be acting like this now; that one girl could come to mean so much to him. The memories of all they had been through together floated through his mind; some happy, some sad, yet he knew that if it was the only way he could be with her, he'd do it all over again. Nothing else mattered. A strange feeling passed through him as he watched her. He had always been hesitant to get married, even after realizing that he loved her. After all, he didn't know the first thing about being a husband, seeing as how his only example was his own father and Tendo-san. He had watched the interaction between his parents, and it didn't take a genius to see they didn't get along too well. What kind of husband would he be? Would he be able to take care of her? Could he provide for her like a good husband should? Or would he screw up and lose her forever? Looking at her peacefully sleeping face, he suddenly realized he wanted to find out. He was still scared at the prospect of failing, but if he didn't try, he knew he'd regret it. He decided to look at like a personal challenge; a challenge he intended to win. After all, Ranma Saotome Doesn't Lose. He half-smiled at his iinazuke. "Hey Akane, wanna get married when we get back?" Naturally, he didn't expect an answer from the sleeping girl. "You really mean that?" Ranma blinked, startled at the unexpected response. Akane rolled over on her side to look at him, her big brown eyes wavering with reflected firelight.There was a pause as they gazed at each other, then Ranma realized she was waiting for an answer. A year ago, shoot, even a few months ago he would have balked at the commitment marriage entailed. But that was then. He nodded slightly, his face reddening. "I-I mean, if ya don't mind, I don't mind. Ya know, before somethin' else happens and... well, you know." His mind slowly realized he was starting to babble, and it berated him for how much of an idiot he was beginning to sound like. Fortunately, Akane came to the same conclusion and put a pair of fingers of his mouth to quiet him. "You asked me several months ago, and my answer still stands," she replied with a smile made him catch his breath, especially with the fire dancing in her eyes, and not from the campfire. She nearly giggled at his stupified expression. "Akane..." She brought up her ring hand, the one with the small inlaid gem in a ying-yang symbol. "In case you're too dense to figure it out, I said yes then, and I still mean it." "Hey!" he protested, but he lost the apprehension. She patted the space next to her. "Now get down here, silly. We both need plenty of rest and I need a pillow." Her tone took on a tone of mock severity. "But no perverted stuff!" Ranma's mouth quirked, once, then he slowly laid down on his back next to her. She snuggled up to his side, laying her head on his shoulder. For several minutes, the only sounds were of the fire crackling, the crickets singing, and the sounds of two people breathing. Occasionaly, the hoot of an owl echoed in the distance. "I love you, Ranma Saotome," Akane said softly, marveling at how easy that phrase was to say compared to a year ago. "You know that?" "Yeah." Pause. *Thump!* "And!?" "Ow, jeez." Ranma rubbed his chest, grinning. "I love you, too, Akane Tendo." Satisfied and contented, Akane drifted off to a peaceful sleep, Ranma following shortly thereafter. The black-robed individual parted the low-hanging tree branches and bushes, and stepped into the clearing. It wasn't a clearing a few moments ago, but a vibrant, verdant part of the forest, until an object fell out of the sky and crashed into it. He was immediately assaulted by a strong, acrid, burnt meat smell, and he delighted in the aroma as he surveyed the damage. After gaining a good look at it, he stepped up to the head, amused to find it still alive. Darmondo tsked. "Ah, Drakon. You played your part well. Pity that your loyalty blinds your intelligence." The bloody and charred dragon opened it's one good eye slightly, smoke still wafting from its body. "You... how did... you know..." "That this would happen?" Drakon could sense the smirk from under the wizard's robed hood. "I didn't, not really. Oh I knew you had a good chance of killing the Lady in Blue, but I had pawns in place to make sure you wouldn't survive to make it back. Speaking of which, how are my two-little magic users? They make great apprentices!" The creature that was once Drakon, coughed up clouds of steam. "Why?" "You should know the answer to that," he replied, darkly. "You're not that stupid. When our true lord and master returns, I will finally attain the knowledge and power I seek. The wisdom of the ages, the knowledge of the ancients, and the secrets of the universe will all be mine to unlock." "So lives... mean nothing... to you?" The weariness is his voice was evident, as was the contempt. "The only thing that matters to me is that I get what I want!" Darmondo snarled. "These pitiful human lives mean nothing! They scurry and scamper about, never realizing their potential, happy to lead their insignificant existences, and blissfully ignorant of the true powers around them! I do not care one way or the other if they get squashed along the way. If I can use them, then they should consider it an honor. Like my two mages." The dark sorcerer stepped back and shook his head. "But enough of this. You were a threat, so I had you eliminated, and in such a way that will not point to me. Two more must die before my dreams can be realized, but any more that get in my way will end up the same." He turned his back to the dying dragon and began to walk out of the clearing. Just before he re-entered the forest however, he stopped and help up his left palm. "Do not think I'm completely without mercy," he said, and Drakon's eye widened as a ball of black light formed in the wizard's hand, contained by a faint purple hue. With an almost casual attitude, he tossed it back at the dragon. "Goodbye." There was a flash of an ebony explosion, and when it was over, the clearing was empty. ----------------------------------- Author's notes: No, I'm NOT doing a crossover with Slayers. I'm only using the spells because many people who like Ranma 1/2 also like Slayers, and are familiar with the magic used. So this will hopefully give you readers a nice visualization of the spells's effects. There will be NO Dragon Slave, Giga slave, Rah Tilt, or Ragna Blade, etc.. No mazoku in this world to draw power from. The only magic they can draw from is the elements. Now, finally, this arc is out of the way! And the last chapter is twice as big as my previous chapters! I didn't plan it this way, it just sort of ended up like that. Kodachi is back, for all you Kodachi fans, so expect to see more of her in the story from now on. Ryu showed up, though he left at the end and I don't know when you might see him again. I still haven't decided if Natsume and Kurumi will stick around, you'll just have to see. Zhao Len is back and she's got control of Kenji, or at least the body that was Kenji's. And one more favorite cursed character will finally appear in the next arc. At lastly, Konatsu and Yuri. All of the fics I read, Konatsu either gets shafted, or somehow hooks up with Ukyo (or Akari, though what's the deal with that!?!?). 90% of the time he gets shafted. I like ALL of the characters, because that's what makes Ranma 1/2 entertaining, and I'm a softie at heart, so I try to give fair treatment to all of them. So, I gave him somebody, I'll admit it, I created a character for him to love. For those of you who think his conversion from Ukyo to Yuri was too fast, remember that he fell in love with Ukyo just because she was nice to him. What do you think would happen if a girl kissed him? So, who passed and who failed? Well, I'll mostly leave that up to you to decide, but I'll say that Ranma and Akane's trials are definitely not over. What's next? Well, the next volume is `Bonds and Connections'. It will deal with the next wedding attempt of Ranma and Akane. Will this one succeed? Will it go off without a hitch? Stay tuned and find out!!!! It will also focus and expand on the myriad character relationships that have sprung up, both in the manga and my fic, as wel as shed much light into what's happening, why, and tie together many loose ends. To all that have read this far, many of your questions will be answered by that volume's end. Thanks to everyone who helped me with this.... which is not a whole lot, to tell the truth. I get a few e-mails from people who tell me they want to see more, so I guess a few folks out there like it. But nobody has much, if any, comments or suggestions, so I'm going on the assumption my work is perfect! I will thank MWhaleK, who provided me with an invaluable list of techniques in Japanese. Thank you!!!!!!! If you disagree, tell me! oddball22@hotmail.com Another work by Brad the Kaiphantom (because every writer needs a cool handle) www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000