Ranma Lord of the Sith 

Part 4 

Deal with the Devil. 

++++++++++++++ 

Ranma Saotome sat in the dojo 
meditating. His face a frown of 
thoughtfulness as he considered his 
situation. There was a lot to work out 
in this new place, and he wasn't used to 
staying in one place very long. 

Genma was fat and happy at the 
moment, enjoying his slacking off. Ranma 
found this idea comforting. If the old 
man became too weak, he would finally 
have a good reason to get rid of him. 
Still, he needed him for more than 
expanding his own skills for a little 
while longer at least. Akane and Kasumi 
were still new to him, and he needed 
time to cement his hold on them a little 
more. 

Soun and Genma's pathetic friendship 
would serve as an excuse to hang around. 
The bumbling fools would try to unite 
their pathetic excuse for a school, and 
allow him more time to do as he pleased. 
As long as the elder Saotome was around, 
he had all the time he needed. Putting 
the idiots' personal plans off for a 
while was a good way to do that. 

He had other concerns though. Nabiki 
Tendo was the next problem to pop into 
his mind. The girl's power was pathetic, 
miniscule even. She had no potential for 
any kind of training. Still, she had 
shown her mind to be surprisingly 
strong. She could be useful, but she 
could also be dangerous. He would need 
to think long and hard on her. "Maybe I 
should just be rid of her, but not just 
yet." Akane and Kasumi might not like 
that much. Not that he cared much, but 
it wasn't time yet to push them quite 
that far. If he rid himself of her, he 
would have to do it discreetly. 

Tofu. The most dangerous part of the 
equation in his mind. He had to be rid 
of the man. There was no question about 
that at all. Still, he had to consider 
his options carefully. He knew nothing 
about the man so far, but that could be 
fixed easily enough. He knew the man was 
no Jedi, but how aware of his own power 
was he? How dangerous was he really? It 
was something he had to deal with now, 
or it would become a very risky 
situation for him. He frowned and sighed 
as he relaxed his mind a bit more. 

The battle between the Shanishi and 
Beryl could become something of a tool 
for him. He would have to tread 
carefully, but his best option had 
already appeared for him. In a short 
time, he would go to deal with part of 
that little issue, but he still had time 
first. 

Playing Jedi for the Shanishi was 
somewhat disturbing, but not unheard of. 
He didn't like the idea much, but was 
pleased with the opportunities it could 
offer him. Now, he just had to make sure 
they continued to trust him. That could 
take some work, but if his plans worked 
out, he could work out something without 
much trouble at all. 

A dark smile formed on his face as 
he looked up at the clock that sat on 
the wall. "It's time." 

++++++++++++ 

"Boy! Where are you going?" said 
Genma as his son strolled towards the 
door of the home with a cloth draped 
over his arm. 

"Out, I won't be back until later," 
responded Ranma calmly. 

"Ranma-sempai? Are you leaving?" 
asked Kasumi as she stepped out of the 
kitchen with her maddening grin on her 
face. 

He smirked at the title slightly and 
nodded. "Don't wait for me, I'll see you 
this evening Kasumi." 

The girl nodded and went back into 
the kitchen without another word. 

Genma blinked at the exchange and 
turned towards the boy again. "What's 
this about boy?" 

"It's nothing to concern yourself 
about, just some...training," replied 
Ranma as he smirked at the man. 

Genma's face became somewhat dazed 
for a moment and he nodded. "Oh, well. 
I'd better not catch you slacking off 
boy!" 

Ranma shook his head. "Just keep 
slacking off yourself, and I won't have 
anything to worry about old man." 

Genma had already turned away, his 
mind telling him that there was nothing 
interesting going on with his son. 
Surely a game of Shogi with Soun would 
allow for more interest that the lazy 
boy would. 

Ranma chuckled as he stepped 
outside. He still enjoyed doing that to 
the old man. It was pathetic how easy it 
was. 

A light rain started to fall as he 
walked through the streets. The sky was 
growing dark, not only because of the 
sun falling, but also the storm that was 
brewing on the horizon. He smiled to 
himself as he walked towards Juban, into 
the dark clouds in the distance. 

+++++++++++++ 

Beryl stood on the rooftop in Juban. 
She stared out into the city with a cold 
scowl on her face. The sun had gone 
down, and Nephrite stood at her side, 
along with two large and ugly Youma. It 
was raining, but neither one appeared 
wet. 

The man cursed under his breath as 
he glared into the darkness below. 
"She's late." 

"You had best hope that is all she 
is Nephrite," said Beryl calmly. 

The man turned to face her and 
nodded for a moment. "She told me she 
would be here. You know how 
unreliable..." 

"Unreliable? If what you told me was 
true, and it had better be, then she has 
been here for some time now," said the 
Dark Queen as she leveled her gaze on 
her General for a moment. 

Thunder crashed and the pair turned 
to face a shadowy figure that was 
silhouetted against the darkness for a 
split second. It was gone again as the 
shadows returned after the blast of 
light, the rumble hit them and they 
continued to stare as the figure 
appeared again, seeming to melt from the 
darkness in front of them. 

Nephrite growled and stepped back. 
It was her, he could feel it. The cold 
darkness that swirled around her, 
unhidden, as it was the night before. He 
had felt it when she had him in her grip 
for the briefest of moments. It was 
unmistakable. She was dressed 
differently now, instead of a cape, she 
wore a hooded robe that covered her 
completely. 

Beryl stepped forward fearlessly as 
she stared at the girl for a moment. "I 
should destroy you for bringing me out 
here." 

The girl's chin shifted as her lips 
turned into a cold smile, it was the 
only part of her skin either one of them 
could see. 

Beryl snarled as she felt the icy 
power close around her throat. She 
pushed it back with her own power, but 
it was a losing battle. "You destroy me? 
Don't be foolish. Not even Metallia's 
power can destroy me, even in death, I 
live on." 

Beryl found herself chuckling as she 
clutched at her throat for a moment. Her 
eyes bored into the girl's hood, 
challenging her icily. She had no fear; 
it was as if she could not fear her. 

Ranma released her and looked up at 
them, revealing only a little more of 
her face under the hood. The lightning 
crashed again and she walked in front of 
them, back and fourth while looking the 
pair up and down. "You are not as strong 
as you once were Beryl. These Shanishi 
will destroy you." 

"Ha! Those pathetic weaklings are 
nothing! Their powers deluded by the 
passage of time!" 

"Only their experience is diluted, 
not their power. In time, you will see 
to correcting that yourself." 

"What?" snarled Beryl angrily. 

"What is it you seek Beryl?" asked 
the girl coldly as she stared forward 
with her piercing blue eyes. 

"I will rule all," she snarled 
hatefully. "I will become forever!" 

"Pathetic, you're as shallow and 
stupid as you always were. I have no 
reason to help you." Ranma started to 
turn away and smirked. 

She could feel the waves of anger 
flowing off of both of them. Hatred and 
murderous intent. Neither of them was 
stupid enough to attack though. 

"You will stand with is in victory, 
the entire planet would be my gift to 
you!" said Beryl through her teeth. 

"I have foreseen only death for you, 
not victory. Your promise is hollow, 
although..." The girl turned to face 
Beryl and stepped towards her again. "I 
may still have a use for you." 

"What do you mean?" she asked 
carefully. 

"You're a fool to believe that your 
lies are not transparent Beryl. You 
would never allow for a force like me to 
stand. Sooner or later, we would be 
opposed." 

The woman scowled at this and turned 
her head away. 

"My master knew this, as do I. 
You're foolish to believe you can lie to 
us. I should destroy you now, and be 
done with it. However, you may be useful 
to me, and the Shanishi are irritatingly 
strong." 

Beryl kept her eyes on the girl, 
both of her Youma guards moved in 
agitation. Nephrite was surprisingly 
indifferent now, and said nothing. He 
stood off to the side with his arms 
crossed in front of his chest. 

"I will help you, to destroy these 
women. You lost all hope when they 
discovered the Jedi Ranma." 

"What?" said Beryl in shock. 

"There is another, who opposes me 
here," said the girl calmly. "The Jedi 
Knight, Ranma Saotome. He cannot 
interfere with the battle directly, but 
he has chosen to protect the Princess 
Serenity. That is something you have no 
hope of defeating. You need me." 

"And you need us," said Beryl with a 
smirk forming on her face. 

"Don't be foolish, my patience is 
limitless, as is my power. You're just a 
convenience," replied Ranma with a small 
chuckle. 

The woman's face fell, her fangs 
protruding over her lips as she worked 
her clawed fingers in agitation. "You 
are not as strong as you think you are 
Sith. Your master was foolish to believe 
that he was." 

"My master survived, did you?" 
replied Ranma coldly. 

Beryl hissed in undisguised hatred. 
"He lied to us! Betrayed us for his own 
ends." 

"Of course he did, did you really 
think he would help you to rule his 
galaxy?" replied the redhead coolly. 

Beryl snorted in disgust. "He 
assured us victory, not thousands of 
years in darkness." 

"Fool, don't you realize? My master 
didn't lie. Victory was yours, you just 
weren't prepared for the price of 
victory." Ranma turned her back to the 
pair and chuckled. "Ah, I can feel your 
rage. You know it's true don't you? My 
master gave you what you asked for, and 
you hate him more for that than anything 
else." 

"You are going to help us?" snarled 
Nephrite as he grew impatient. 

Ranma turned to face him, anger 
flashing on her features as another bolt 
struck the ground in the distance. The 
thunder rumbled, drowning out the man's 
chokes as he struggled for his life. 
"Yes, I will help you. As disgusting as 
you are, you are more desirable than 
those weak little girls. Give me what I 
need, and I will ensure victory." She 
smirked again as she released the man 
and he fell on his face gasping for 
breath. "My victory," she added 
mentally. 

"Very well. For now, we shall be 
allies, together, we will destroy these 
new Shanishi," said Beryl with a small 
chuckle. "You'll destroy that Jedi for 
us at least. Even if you survive that, 
with the power of the Silver Imperium 
Crystal, you won't stand against me," 
she thought to herself. 

"Very well," said Ranma as she 
walked up to the woman and smirked. "So 
it shall be, for now, I shall help you." 

+++++++++++++++ 

Ono Tofu sat on the edge of his bed. 
He hadn't gotten a good night of sleep 
in a week. Sweat covered his brow as he 
stared down at the floor and gasped for 
breath. "That dream..." he muttered 
under his breath. It had grown less and 
less clear over time. 

One thing remained despairingly 
clear though. "Kasumi..." He staggered 
to his feet and staggered over to the 
sink. He stared into his reflection, his 
face was unshaven and his eyes were 
bloodshot. "What's happening to me?" 

He sighed and splashed his face, 
desperately trying to clear his mind. 
The swirl of emotion was too much 
though, and he felt tears run down his 
cheeks mixed in with the tap. "I know I 
have to help her...but I don't know 
what's wrong!" 

He looked up into the mirror again 
and frowned. His reflection had changed. 
His jaw hung down as he stared into the 
eyes of the boy he had seen on the 
street. He shook his head in confusion 
and started to step back. 

The reflection reached out and 
grabbed his shoulders. "You can't save 
her Tofu. Don't you know she's mine?" 

"What?" he muttered. 

"Think you can kill her?" asked the 
boy with a wild and crazed look in his 
eyes. "You'll never save her, and it's 
your only choice." 

A feminine voice from behind him 
spoke up. "Maybe there's still hope?" 

The boy's image vanished and Tofu 
tried to turn and see who had spoken to 
him. He couldn't do it and looked at the 
mirror again. This time it was a young 
girl, she was pretty with long violet 
hair flowing down her back. He could 
only see up to her waist and she frowned 
at him. "Perhaps it not so dark as seem? 
Hope?" 

The girl's image faded into a 
rotting body. It was dressed in a 
tattered and dirty white robe, with its 
long dark hair flowing down its head. 
Two empty sockets stared back at him. 
Slowly, the image faded away into his 
own body. "There is no hope." 

+++++++++++++ 

Ono Tofu jumped upright in his bed. 
His sheets were soaked and he screamed 
out loud as the rush of reality hit him 
again. He sat there gasping for breath. 
He couldn't move, fearful that he might 
be trapped in another dream again. 

His visions were getting worse, and 
more disturbing. "I've got to go talk to 
Kasumi," he muttered under his breath. 
"This is more than a dream." 

He flopped back down onto his bed, 
ignoring the cold wet sensation across 
his back. He swallowed a few times as he 
regained his breath and then sat up 
again. "I've got to find out what's 
going on...this is...too much." 

His bare feet touched the tile floor 
and he staggered to his feet, 
deliberately avoiding the mirror this 
time. He sat down at the small table and 
turned on the small coffee machine that 
was set in the middle of it. 

Slowly he turned his head and 
frowned. The curtains were blowing in 
the wind, the window was open. The storm 
outside was just starting and the wind 
was becoming more violent. He stood up 
and walked towards the open window. "I 
didn't leave that open." He turned and 
walked into the clinic, searching around 
with terror gripping his heart. 

A chill ran down his spine and he 
turned to glance around the room. 
"What's going on here?" 

It was glaring at him from one of 
the doorways of the clinic. He paused 
and turned his head in confusion. The 
thing was standing there like some kind 
of statue. 

"What?" 

"The master...she doesn't want your 
power. It is strange," said the thing 
without moving. 

"Who are you? What do you want?" he 
muttered as he stepped back. 

"Kill you..." hissed the thing as 
its eyes started to glow. It's lips 
turned into a cruel smile as it started 
to move forward. "Kiiillll youuuuu..." 

Tofu stepped back and stumbled 
across the counter as he backed into it. 


The thing reached for him with its 
claws and snarled with hatred. "Your 
life! It ends now!" 

Without thinking, Tofu's almost 
forgotten training kicked in. He ducked 
under the strike and lashed out with his 
foot, kicking the thing in its chest. 

It stepped back and grunted under 
the force, but appeared to be unharmed. 

"What the?" he muttered in horror as 
it started to reach for him again. This 
time his attack was more deliberate, his 
hands lashing out to block and strike 
out at it with his fingers. 

Six spots were struck on the thing's 
body. It chuckled as it ignored the 
shiatsu points that had been struck. 
"Weak, you cannot defeat me!" 

Tofu screamed in terror and defiance 
as he dove into the thing and tackled it 
to the ground. He rolled away and made 
it to his feet first, stopping long 
enough to kick it in the teeth as it 
rose from the ground. 

The creature shook it's head and 
spit out several of its teeth, ignoring 
the pain that it should be feeling. 
"You'll pay for that." 

Tofu started to run, but felt 
something stop him. It was a force 
pulling his power from his body. "I 
should have done this from the start," 
said the thing. 

"You're not really here," gasped 
Tofu as he turned to look at the thing. 
"This is just...a puppet..." 

The creature was holding some sort 
of crystal in its claws. It was starting 
to glow with his internal energy. Tofu 
felt his world fading away slowly. "No! 
I can't die! Kasumi..." 

"Heh. Kasumi?" said the thing as it 
suddenly stopped draining him. "What do 
you know of this Kasumi?" 

Tofu's eyes narrowed as he felt his 
strength return slightly. 

"Tell me, and I might let you live. 
This time that is." 

The man's face contorted into 
defiance. "He's my brother." 

"A pity, I thought you might have 
been more useful than I'd thought. Oh 
well," the thing reached forward with 
the crystal again, the dark power 
pulling at Tofu once again. 

"No!" snarled the doctor as he 
lashed out again, he stumbled back 
against one of the operating trays. 

"You're strong to resist, it's 
almost a pity," said the creature. 

Tofu spun around from leaning over 
the tray. He screamed and collapsed on 
the ground. Finally, he was out cold. 

The creature's arm fell, the crystal 
clattering against the ground. "I've 
failed! Forgive me master!" it managed 
to gurgle despite the huge wound in it's 
throat. Its neck was nearly sliced in 
half. It slumped down to the ground and 
landed face first on the tile as it 
began to crumble away into dust. 

Tofu merely lay there, a scalpel in 
his hand. 

++++++++++++ 

On a nearby rooftop, a figure stood 
glaring at the building. Her hood 
covering her features as she stared at 
it hatefully. "Beryl's creatures are 
pathetically weak. This is useless." She 
turned away and vanished into the 
streets. 

++++++++++++++ 

Akane frowned as she stood off 
against Ranma in the dojo. Her arms and 
legs worked to their limits, and the boy 
merely brushed her strongest blows aside 
as if they were nothing. "Damn you!" 

"If you could, you would," he 
replied calmly. 

Akane snarled hatefully and stepped 
back into a defensive stance. 

"Enough of this Akane, you're 
pathetic," snorted Ranma as he turned 
away. 

"I'll show you who's pathetic!" 
snarled the girl as she charged again. 
Her arms pushed forward and the boy in 
front of her vanished from sight. 
Something hit the dojo wall in front of 
her with enough force to crack the 
wooden wall. 

"Good, but you still lack focus, or 
control," said Ranma calmly as he 
frowned at her and punched her in the 
back of her head. 

The girl's entire body exploded with 
pain from the strike. She screamed in 
anger and rage as she writhed on the 
ground. 

Ranma stood over her, watching 
calmly. He looked up to see Kasumi 
walking into the room. "Good morning," 
he said with a small nod. 

"Good Morning Ranma-sempai," said 
the girl as she gave him an 
acknowledging nod. She kept moving, 
going about her own business for the 
morning. 

"Sempai?" grumbled Akane as she 
staggered to her feet and looked at her 
sister for a moment. 

"Yes, Sempai," replied Ranma as he 
started walking out of the room. 

Akane's anger jumped suddenly and 
she charged after him. "You bastard! 
What have you done to my sister?" She 
gasped in shock as she suddenly found 
herself pushed back by an unseen force. 
She was sprawled across the ground, and 
the boy's foot was across her throat 
before she could move. 

"What I do is none of your 
business," he said calmly. "You belong 
to me Akane Tendo, not the other way 
around. You'd best remember that." 

The girl's mouth worked open and 
closed, she couldn't speak. Fear was the 
overpowering emotion she was feeling 
now. His foot slowly pushed down on her 
throat, and she felt the strain of her 
windpipe desperately trying to hold 
itself together under the force he was 
applying. 

"Maybe I should just be rid of you 
now, and be done with it?" he mused out 
loud. 

The girl simply lay there helpless. 
Her arms and legs were free, but she 
found herself unable to do anything to 
stop him. 

He stood there on her neck, simply 
looking at her with an odd expression on 
his face for a long moment. "Maybe." 

Akane closed her eyes and waited. 
Finally, just before she passed out from 
the lack of air, he pressure was gone. 
She gasped and lay there with her eyes 
squeezed shut. 

Ranma left the room with a cold 
smirk on his face as he went off to find 
breakfast. 

Just outside the door, Kasumi Tendo 
merely watched the scene play out, just 
outside Akane's field of vision. Her 
expression was calm, and revealed no 
emotion. She frowned to herself as the 
boy released her and shook her head. 
This oddly disappointed her. It wasn't 
something she could explain either. In 
her mind, she thought she should be 
angry with him for attacking her family 
that way. 

Any thoughts on the matter were 
quickly pushed aside as she continued 
her work. The laundry wasn't going to do 
itself after all. 

++++++++++++++ 

Nabiki sat at the table, a cold 
scowl on her face as she looked at her 
younger sister. She was oddly silent, 
and sat next to Ranma. Neither of them 
seemed to acknowledge the other's 
presence. They simply sat next to each 
other. She didn't put much thought into 
the fact that Kasumi was sitting on 
Ranma's right side. It was her usual 
spot at the table after all. 

"Something is going on here, but I'm 
not sure what," she thought to herself 
as she ate slowly. Occasionally he would 
glance at her, her attention would shift 
away when he did this. She didn't think 
he'd noticed her watching them. 

She was wrong of course, Ranma could 
feel her eyes on him. It was bothering 
him slightly and he hadn't yet decided 
on a course of action. He doubted if she 
would fare as well against one of those 
youma as Tofu had. Still, he decided to 
wait it out for now, and keep an eye on 
her. She may still prove herself useful. 
He doubted it, but one never knew. 

His cold smirk returned to his face 
as Akane stood up and looked at him. 
"We'll be late if we don't leave." 

He nodded and joined her as she 
walked out of the room towards the door. 
"You coming? It'll be harder for you to 
stare at me all day if you aren't with 
us." 

Nabiki jumped slightly at his words, 
but quickly replaced her surprise with a 
mask of indifference. "Like you're worth 
staring at." 

Ranma shook his head and started 
walking after his fiancee again. 

++++++++++++++ 

Next Time: Return to School.