At War with the Undead [by Kung Lou]

“As we agreed Akane will meet your challenge for our dojo’s sign Mr. Incognito,” Suons voice sounded strongly throughout the hall. Ranma caught Akanes eye and smiled, they had been getting along better lately. Akane had been controlling her temper and impatience while he behaved a little more discreetly when it came to his other fiancés.

It had worked well, while Akane would probably never reach his own level of skill in Anything Goes she had begun to improve again, something her rage and frustrations had been preventing. Her increased skill in the art had allowed her to take over some of the challenges for the Tendo dojo, something that helped regulate her temper a lot more than anything he could do.

While this challenger towered above his fiancé he moved slowly almost clumsily. The groans of the wooden boards beneath him attested to the mass of his fiancé’s opponent. This was not a challenger to take lightly but he felt confidant Akane would keep her cool long enough for her skill to show through. He was expecting a tough fight but he doubted Akane would lose; he would have taken the challenge otherwise.

Akane’s answering smile made his stomach jump and caused his heart to swell as usual. She seemed happy and more powerful knowing that he held confidence in her ability to win. When Akane was happy he was happy.

“Lets get started, the thought of fighting the school which was responsible for Saffrons demise makes my blood boil in anticipation.” Incognito’s confident grin seemed to stretch his pale face even more tightly over his prominent cheek bones drawing attention to the red tattoo imprinted on his scalp and the four gold studs embedded in his skull. It was a ghastly façade and one that was no doubt used to his advantage in fights. Incognito’s enlarged left eye only made his expression more frightening.

Ranma frowned at the mention of Saffron, it was not the first time a challenger had mentioned Saffron. Some were indeed powerful while others were pitifully weak and would not have withstood even a few seconds of Saffron’s ire. He hoped his initial judgement was correct and this opponent was one of the latter.

Suon not knowing the significants of the events in china waited for Akane’s signal.

“I’m ready.”

“Then Begin!!” Ranma watched as Akane charged the challenger and nodded in approval as he watched her sacrificing speed so that she could react instantly to whatever was hidden beneath her challenger’s coat.

Whenever fighting someone who concealed their weapon Ranma had learnt from bitter experience that their first strike was often the deadliest. As Akane quickly bridged the gap between her challenger Ranma became more concerned, from his vantage it appeared Incognito seemingly had not moved in preparation to accept the blow or counterattack and that meant that he had something planned.

Ranma looked on in horror as Akane entered the monsters reach only to have claw like hands whip out and crush her skull. Even as the tattooed giant threw Akane’s body away like a rag to leave a bloody trail along the length of the dojo Ranma was launching his own attack. Fighting a feeling of deepening sickening dread at the ease at which the monster breached his fiancé’s defences and the sickening expression of enjoyment on that filled its face Ranma went for the kill.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

Jumping over the park bench he had been sleeping on and settling into a defensive stance Ranma looked around, trying desperately to get his breathing and heart rate back under control. An overcast sky and his damp silks signalled what he had come to expect of the weather in London. He hadn’t been warm or dry since he had left Japan. It was hard to forget the events that had so recently shattered his life when they reoccurred so vividly every night. Still at least he hadn’t had to experience what came next again, thank god for small mercies.

He was sure that it would soon be all over though; at the end of it he had a name and a location.

Name: Incognito.

Location: London.