You know the drill: If you got something to vent at me, send it here: oddball22@hotmail.com DISCLAIMER: I deny it all. There is no country called Japan. America? Never heard of it either. Earth? Nope. It's all a figment of your imagination. Ranma? Fancfic? What are these things? What are you talking about? Go away, you bother me. Who am I? That's top secret... Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Winds of Change Chapter 8 Kenji awoke to see Ukyo's tear-streaked face staring down at him. "Did we do it? he asked weakly. "Yes, you did it," she said. he wanted to ask, but he blacked out again. This latest wind blast had been his biggest so far. After he did the one against Ryoga, Ranma had told him that he'd need to build up his ki in order to use it more effectively. Otherwise, it would drain him everytime he tried it. was his first conscious thought as Kenji awoke. Getting up, a quick check confrimed that he was currently in lupine form(much to his disgust), and confined in a small wire cage that left little room to maneuver. The cage was sitting on top of a sturdy wooden table in a small brick room with only a single visible exit, a heavy wooden door on the far side of the room. The only light came from four flickering torches along the walls. "Ah, he awakes!" came an all-too familiar voice. Kenji looked up straight into the face of the Lord of Fire. His hatred and anger peaked immediately, causing the small animal to growl and lunge in an attempt to bite the face, but his target was out of reach. His nose slammed into the cage, causing him to whimper in pain. "Naughty, naughty, " he scolded. "Can't have you injured before I kill you!" Kenji growled, then barked what he hoped was a menacing bark. "What's that? Why don't I kill you now? Well, there are two very good reasons for that. Well, first of all, this gives your friends a chance to save you. We'd have a pretty pathetic plot otherwise. And the second reason is, well, allow me to explain..." "He wants Kenji's power." "Excuse me?" Ukyo blinked. Cologne sighed. "I said he wants Kenji's power." The group now numbered ten, since Ukyo, Konatsu, and Ryoga had joined. They were also traveling on board a south-bound train. The gang had found Ukyo and Ryoga shortly after fire guy had made his exit. They revived Ukyo and transformed Ryouga back to normal (Ranma was able to change him back without anyone noticing, of course). At first they were just going to leave Ukyo at home to recuperate, but she insisted on coming along and nobody wanted to say no to a ticked-off Ukyo wielding her mega-spatula. Konatsu insisted on coming along to protect Ukyo. Secretly, Ranma was worried about his old friend. She was trying her best to hide it, but he could tell the whole experience had her shaken up pretty good. For all he knew, she probably still somewhat in shock. From a certain standpoint he understood, since the chef had never really been a part of their stranger events that Ranma, Akane, and the rest had been involved with, like Herb, Pink and Link, and Saffron... Ryoga wanted come along to protect Akane, since she had convinced Ranma she was coming, too. Also, he still wanted his revenge against Kenji, the `snot-nosed punk who blasted me.' And he couldn't do that if his opponent was dead. "Perhaps you better start at the beginning," Soun offered. Cologne took in a deep breath. "Long ago, there was a small sect of wizards that lived in the Tibetan mountains. The wizards discovered that by specializing in a specific element, they could become very powerful. They soon turned into four sects, one for each element: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. The leader of each sect became known as the Lord of that group. "I don't know how it began, but eventually the four tribes started fighting against each other to determine which was superior. In reality, none was better than the other except in this order: Fire could beat water, water beat earth, earth beat wind, and wind beat fire." "So who was the weakest?" Ryoga asked. Everybody face-faulted and Ranma whacked Ryoga. "What'd I say?" complained Ryoga. Cologne cleared her throat. "In time, the Lords realized that if they were to continue fighting, they would wipe themselves out. So they universally declared that no group may fight the others. Any to be found doing so, would be immediately punished. The only exception were the duals. Now, fast forward to the present. The groups still exist and have about 30 members per sect." "That's about, um let's see..." Ranma started. "Carry the two, subtract the one..." He stopped when Akane whacked him. "It's 120, baka." Akane grinned and Ranma looked stunned. "Try keeping up on your math homework." "A-hem!" Cologne cleared her throat again. "May I continue? As I was saying, they still exist, though they live largely in secrecy. New members are born to the current ones, and that's how the ranks are maintained, passing on and strengthening the elemental bloodline through the new child. They have become so adept with their chosen element, that they are considered to be more elemental than wizard, but still can wield general magical power. Cologne took a breath and waited to see if anyone would interupt. No one did, so she continued. "Kenji is a child of the Wind Sect and was somehow dragged from where he was, and plopped onto your doorstop with no memory. I don't know exactly what's going on, but since only the Fire Lord has appeared, I'm assuming the other Lords are either in agreement with his actions, which I highly doubt, or have been neutralized somehow. Also, since Ukyo-san and Kenji-san were attacked by only three members-earth, water, and fire-I'm assuming the wind sect has either been wiped or driven out. Probably because they are strongest against fire and if you're a Lord of Fire, it's just getting rid of a potentially deadly enemy. Since fire is now the strongest, the other sects most likely fell in line, lest they be wiped out as well. "Now, the reason Kenji was captured and not killed, is probably because the Lord of Fire wants Kenji's powers. There are only a few way of transferring magical abilities, and most of that knowledge has been lost with time. Since he wants Kenji alive, we can assume he's found a way. With both fire and wind, and possibly the others as well, at his command, he could become quite powerful. Although I'm guessing he's more half-elemental since I didn't sense it in him when I first visited." She shrugged. "I still don't know why he's after Kenji instead of just taking another member of the wind sect." "So, he cursed him, to make him easier to get," a logical thought crossed Ranma's brain. "Most likely, since Kenji could still put up quite a struggle in his human form," Cologne commented, then frowned. "But where did he get the Jusenkyo water?" Mousse asked. "I thought it all got mixed and was rendered useless when the pools were flooded." "Must be some reserves the sect collected before then," Cologne answered. "Wizards naturally keep a lot of magical items stocked." The cursed ones conjured up an image of finding the spring of drowned man (or woman for Shampoo) reserves and turning back to normal. Wicked grins appeared on their faces. "Just think..." Ryoga started. "We could..." Mousse followed. "Finally be..." Genma was next. "CURED!" Ranma finished up. Ukyo whacked the four with her spatula. "We're here to rescue Kenji-kun first!" She sighed. "So, how's he going to get Kenji's power?" Ukyo asked thoughtfully. Cologne shifted on her stick. "There's probably some ritual or spell that needs to be done that takes awhile to accomplish. Him being cursed could have something to do with it. I'm guessing it'll be accomplished at the end of the 6 hours, in which case Kenji will be no more. That puts the deadline at midnight tonight." "What time is it now?" Akane asked nervously. Genma glanced at his watch. "9:30pm," he said solemnly. Just then, the whistle blew for the next stop. "Okay, this where we get off," Cologne informed them. "Just one more thing old ghoul," Ranma asked as they got off the train. "Why are you helping us?" Cologne blinked. "Because it's the right thing to do." "Yeah, right," Ranma laughed. The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Also because if he isn't stopped, his power will grow to be enormous and there's only two things someone with a lot of power wants: more power and revenge. The Amazons stopped the sect when they attempt to conquer part of China long ago. They were supposed to remain in China as part of their defeat. I'm guessing the Lord of Fire will remember this and will use his extra power to wipe out the Amazons. With the only group capable of stopping him out of the way, he will be free to unleash his power on the world." "Wouldn't China or some other nation just send in their army, or hit them with a Nuke or something?" Akane asked. Cologne turned to her. "Remember, these are powerful wizards we are dealing with. Imagine the offending nation having their entire stockpile of weapons explode at once. Imagine missles in flight being magically redirected.. With enough power at his disposal, the Fire Lord could do just this." She shook her head. "No, the only way to stop him is to face him down directly, now, before it's too late." "So you see now?" the Fire Lord asked Kenji. He had just gotten through explaining basically the same thing Cologne did. "It's nothing personal, I just want your power. When the ritual is finished, you will just be a mindless animal. "Whenever I tried to capture a member of the wind sect, they killed themselves before I could absorb their power. When they found out what I was up to, the rest went into hiding, somehow shielding themselves from my attempts to find them. That's when I learned of your family, and knew at least one of you would make the perfect sacrifice." He grinned maliciously, "You see, you are the last one I need." Kenji watched in horrid fascination as the Fire Lord made a few hand gestures. Promptly, the moisture in the air surrounding them condensed into a small ball of water that floated in mid-air between the Fire Lord's hands. With a twist of the wrist, he pitched the water ball into a wall. A few more hand gestures and part of the rock in the wall separated, forming a small golem. It walked over to the cage, waved, then fell apart. The Fire Lord drew himself up to his full height. "There is legend among us mystics, that the one who can control all the elements, will gain access to the fifth and greatest power: Void." His eyes suddenly seemed to burn with an ebony flame, and Kenji involuntarily took a step back. "Woof, woof!" "Why did I invite your friends and tell them where to find me?" the Lord of Fire grinned. "Simple, I want to absorb their power, too. Especially Saotome. He's quite powerful. And since they've only seen me do fire tricks, they'll underestimate me. I wouldn't worry about them actually saving you, however, I've got more than enough troops here to ensure my success." He looked at his watch. "Well, 2 hours to go! Have to wait until the moon is in the proper position and the cooking pot is brought to the proper temperature." "Woof!" "Naw, I'm not gonna eat you, just getting dinner ready for my victory celebration. And don't worry about your girlfriend. She doesn't have any power I want, so I'll just kill her." He turned to go, then stopped suddenly. "Oh, I think I should tell you that one of your so- called friends helped me to find you. Next time you see icequeen, thank her for me, for posting all your information on the internet!" Kenji's heart sank as the Fire Lord moved off, leaving him alone with a pair of guards. Anger flashed through him. He sighed and layed back down. He sighed. He began to whine. A scene of Akane saying they wanted to help him flashed through his mind. Kenji came to a decision. He paced in his cage. He tried a minor experiment and was rewarded when a cup on another table fell over. 2 hours to go. The small group of ten had made it to the mountain and spent a half-an-hour to boil some water. Everybody carried a thermos which would be used to reverse the effects of the curses, should they encounter any water mages. Ukyo was sitting next to the fire by herself when Ranma noticed her. She had been quite withdrawn ever since they left the train, so he used the oppurtunity to walk over and sit down next to her. "Heya Ucchan, how are ya?" he asked tentatively. "I'm fine," she answered automatically while studying the flames. Ranma frowned, knowing she didn't look fine, but not knowing how to help her. He had a feeling that the fight he knew was coming would be out of her league, not having faced magical opponents before. She was still somewhat in shock, and he knew that would also work against her in the upcoming battle. "Look, Ucchan, this ain't gonna be easy," Ranma started. "Maybe you should head back to the train station and-" "NO!" Ukyo practically exploded at him, her eyes beginning to glisten. Out of the corner of his own eye, Ranma saw that Akane had noticed them and was walking their way. "T-There's no way in hell I'm running away now! I-I'm not scared! I"m not gonna let that guy scare me away! I-" By this point, Ukyo was very nearly to tears, and becoming increasingly incoherent as the events of several hours ago finally took their toll. A girl's tears always unnerved Ranma, as he hadn't the slightest clue what to do. Thankfully he was saved when Akane sat down on the other side of the chef and threw her arms around her, wrapping her in a hug. As if Akane were a lifeline, Ukyo grabbed ahold tightly of the youngest Tendo and sobbed into her shoulder, her whole body trembling. Akane raised her eyes and met Ranma's, and he got the message. Slowly, his arms went around her as well, while Ukyo cried herself out. After several minutes, her tears slowly dried out and she hastily pulled herself away. "G-Gomen, I didn't really mean to lose control like that," Ukyo apologized, while drying her eyes on her sleeve. "It's okay, Ukyo-chan," Akane said, her hand on the chef's shoulder. "The first time stuff like this started happening to me, I was pretty shaken up, too. You'll get over it." Ukyo stared at the other girl incredously. "What do you mean, `stuff like this'?" The edges of Akane's lips turned upward in a slight smile as she held a hand up and began to count down items. "Well, I've been abducted, imprisoned, attacked, turned into a doll twice, possessed, ," She switched hands and began to count fingers on her right, "fought dragons, phoenixes, giant animals, drowned twice, and several times I almost died." The chef blinked at the youngest Tendo, suddenly very aware she hadn't the slightest idea what Ranma and Akane's lives were really like. She just assumed most of their adventures were against other martial artists, like the three ugly women that Konatsu used to live with. She had been captured during that episode, and hadn't like one little bit. But if Akane were to be believe, and Ranma wasn't contradicting her, then ever since her fiance entered her life, the two of them had been in the center of a chaotic whirlwind. She didn't know, but she had serious doubts she could handle it as well as Akane. After all, it only took a couple of actual magic wielders to shake her foundations of reality. She paused for a second, then turned back to the fire and sighed. "Why can't these things ever be easy? They took him, and they're was nothing I could do about it. That wizard could have killed me. I've just never felt that helpless or scared before." "Hey, don't worry, we'll find him!" Ranma told her, mustering as much bravodo as he could. "After all, you've got the world's greatest martial artist on your side!" "Thanks, Ranchan, thanks Akane-chan," She smiled as she looked at her two friends, then frowned. "Now you didn't tell me anything about him having a jusenkyo curse." Ranma sighed. "That's because, he wasn't cursed until recently. And, uh, it's kinda my fault." Ukyo stared at him. "What do you mean?" Ranma took a deep breath. "Kenji was lured out last night, and I followed him. I arrived just as the Fire Lord was talking about the deaths Kenji was supposedly responsible for. In that instant, I remembered Nabiki's doubt about Kenji, so I decided to listen further and see if was really bein' straight with us. I thought she might be right..." He paused. "I didn't jump in and do something. If I had, Kenji wouldn't be cursed." A few moments of silence passed while Ukyo ingested this new information, then she sighed. "We will get him back," Akane tried to reassure her. Ukyo watched the fire for a few seconds. "I know," she said quietly. Ranma stood up and stretched. "Ok, I'm going to do a little recon with Mousse." "And I should see how the other preparations are coming along," Akane added. Ukyo nodded as Ranma and Akane moved off. 60 minutes to go. Mousse the duck (As opposed to Howard the duck... sorry) flew overhead to recon the area. The sect's lair was to the north of them and consisted of the top half of the mountain. He counted about 20 or so people mulling around outside as guards. From the outside, it seemed to be a pretty big place, but there were only two visible entrances, so they decided to split into two groups for the assault. There may have been more ways to get in, but none that could be seen, and time was not on their side. Ranma, Soun, Genma, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse would attack head on the larger west entrance and get the enemy's attention. Ukyo, Akane, Konatsu, and Cologne would attempt to sneak in the east entrance when the first attack was underway. With any luck, they could find Kenji and escape while all the attention was diverted outside. It was a very simple plan and therefore had the best chance of working. At the east edge, the sneak team gathered and awaited the start of the battle. They managed to avoid the few patrols, but Cologne knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Patrol's consisted of three people wearing the same dark brown hooded cloaks that the three who attacked Ukyo and Kenji wore. Ukyo remarked to herself. That gave her an idea which she quickly relayed to the others. "That just might work," Cologne said thoughtfully. "Good thinking." They backed away from the entrance, which was also guarded by three people, and went patrol hunting. They found their targets and set the plan in motion. Ukyo took a deep breath, gathered her courage, then walked out into the open to where they could see her clearly. They called out for her to halt. "I'm Kuonji Ukyo," she told them. "I think you were told to expect me and Saotome Ranma." The three exchanged glances, confirming the fact that they had. "You will come with us and offer no resistance if you want to see your friend alive," the middle one instructed her. Ukyo nodded and fought down her apprehension as they approached her. When they got to within a few feet, the trap was sprung. Cologne dropped down from a tree where she was hiding and landed on the middle guy, striking a few vital points. The man went limp and fell. Konatsu jumped out from some bushes nearby and flung a couple of wire bolas that wrapped around his target, pinning the arms to his opponent's sides. In the confusion, Akane stepped up and landed a series of powerful blows that sent her target to dreamland. Within a couple of seconds, all three were neatly subdued. Ukyo smiled. "I didn't offer any resistance, however, I didn't say anything about my friends!" Working quickly, they stripped the three of their cloaks and tied them up. Cologne hit their paralysis points, to prevent them from calling for help. Ukyo, Akane, and Konatsu donned the cloaks and pulled the hoods over, obscuring their faces. "Perfect!" Ukyo said. "Now we can sneak in posing as them!" "What about you, Cologne?" Akane asked. She shook her head. "Do not worry child, I'll be right behind you. I can move more quietly when I'm alone anyway." They nodded, then approached the entrance once more and awaited the signal. The small group didn't have to wait long. "Ok, Ryoga," said Ranma, "We stick to the plan." Ryoga nodded. In the trees nearby, Mousse, Shampoo, Genma, and Soun lay hidden. Ranma cupped his hands together and felt his ki gather into a blue ball. Ryouga acted likewise. When they sensed the energy sufficient, Ranma gave the signal. "MOKO TAKABISHA!" "SHISHI HOUKODEN!" A yellowish beam of energy lanced out from Ryoga and plowed into the ground around the entrance. The impact point exploded in a shower of rocks and dust, tossing bodies around while causing general confusion and panic. The huge blue ki-blast from Ranma hit a split second later, enlarging the effect. The confusion didn't last long. The alarm was raised and the counter attack launched. Cries to rally were heard and soon fireballs, earth spikes, and hydro blasts were launched at the two attackers. Ranma and Ryoga nodded to each other as the wizards and golems charged. They promptly turned and ran as fast as they could, with multiple blasts hounding them. The wizards and golems reached the edge of the clearing and entered the forest, so intent on punishing the attackers, that they didn't notice the figures hiding high the branches of the trees. A count of five was reached when the first mage passed underneath, then the four hiding above dropped and attacked as one at close range. Mousse was firing daggers, shuriken, chains and other miscellaneous objects off as fast as could. Shampoo's twin bonbori were a blur as they flew around her body crushing arms and heads. Soun brought a naginata with him and was twirling it around him with deadly efficiency, while Genma was using his massive strength to pick up unlucky wizards left and right and slam them together. Slowly, the elementals pursuing Ranma and Ryoga heard their brothers' and sisters' cries of pain come from behind and they turned to assist. That was their second mistake. When Ranma realized they were no longer pursued, he and Ryoga stopped and launched a few more ki attacks while closing the distance and joining the massive melee free-for-all. Deep in the compound, Kenji felt the earth around him tremble. He rose from where he had been laying and tried to figure out what was going on, watching as several cloaked figures ran passed the doorway to the room he was in. One of the men guarding him stopped one of those rushing by and asked him what was going on. "Big explosion at the entrance!" he yelled excitedly. "I think we're under attack!" The guard let go and the guy ran off. he thought glumly. Strangely, he couldn't decide whether to feel happy or sad about that. Another explosion rocked the earthen room and the guards looked at each other apprehensively. "Hey, maybe one of us should go make sure everything is ok?" guard #1 suggested. "What about him?" guard #2 asked, pointing to Kenji. All three looked at him. "He can't escape and he's helpless at the moment," guard #3 reasoned. "Besides, it would be easier to stop the attack before they got here anyway." That seemed to make sense to the others. "All right, I'll go," guard #1 volunteered. "Be right back." "I'll go too," guard #2 added. They took off down the hall. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the wind gather. He had to be careful not to use too much, or he would be too drained to escape. Not enough, and it wouldn't work. When he felt he had generated the right amount, he backed up and rammed the cage with his body. His lupine form reverberated with pain from the impact, but it did move the cage several inches He took a deep breath and rammed it again. "Hey!" guard #3 exclaimed. "What are you doing?" He got up and walked over to the cage. When he bent down to look at him, Kenji released. The sudden blast of wind roared past the small wolf and struck guard #3 head on, sending him flying back into a wall. He tumbled through the table and chairs before hitting his head on the stone wall. Kenji rammed the cage again and it fell off the table. The shock of the impact rocked the hapless wolf as the caged danced around before settling on its side. Recovering, Kenji was pleased to see the impact with the ground had forced a small opening in the wire cage. Now all he needed to was enlarge it. The sneak team felt the explosions also from where they hid in the undergrowth. The robed wizards guarding the small entrance motioned to each of the patrols as they returned. "Did you feel that?" "What was it?" "Sounds like it came from the other entrance." "Hey, we're under attack!" That last voice came from someone inside the cave and had the effect of exciting the small group and galvanizing them into action. They promptly filed in, leaving only the three orginial guards. With prodding from Cologne, the small, hidden group ran towards the entrance, in full view of the guards. Naturally, the wizards just assumed that it was another patrol returning to help. "Hurry up!" one of the guards motioned. "They need your help at the main entrance! We're..." He didn't get the chance to finish as Ukyo, Konatsu, and Akane attacked simultaneously. All three guards were promptly subdued and rendered unconscious, one way or another. Without further ado, they entered the wizards' lair. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: One thing that occured to me in conversation with another author, is that Ukyo has been largely absent from the vast majority of battles and strangeness that have plagued Ranma, Akane, and the Amazons. Hence, once she gets up close and personal with the more mystic and mythic aspects of their life, it's going to affect her more than the others. Martial arts are one thing, but magic and magical beings are something she's never had to deal with before.