Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Antidote ❯ The Bloody Shadow Dance. ( Chapter 26 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Ultimate Antidote

Written by: Matdeception

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! I'm having to write this rather disgusting peice of work from work of all places, so poor I can't even afford a connection to the internet from home anymore! That's how bad it is.

No, I'm kidding. Geesh.

This chapter was brought to you by the letter B, and Ribery. Yes, I have been, and I'll keep doing it while the B - Ribery continues. Thanks Dan.

---

Chapter 21: The Bloody Shadow Dance.

---

"How was I suppose to know?" Forge lamely defended himself as his two guinea pigs systematically tore the monitoring equipment he had built from their bodies as if it carried the plague.

"Read my lips." Kurt hissed, almost dangersouly even, "Never. Porting. AGAIN! NEVER!" Just the memories of that army of Demonic dinosaurs chasing them and almost breaking the dimensional barrier had shattered any trust he might of had for his abilities. What if the next time he ported the gate way doesn't close? Heck, what if it lets those freaks into this dimension?

He shuddered, reiterating "Never. Again." as he stormed out of the room.

Xavier watched him go in silence. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the child was feeling, especially with the knowledge those... whatever those things are, had almost managed to cross the dimensional barrier into this world. Heck, even he wasn't sure he'd ever want Kurt using his mutation again, not if the possibility of such unknown and quite obviously dangerous creatures getting into this dimension.

---

Kurt sighed as he left the Elevator, exiting into the general living quaters of the school. Tiredly leaning up against the wall, he kept silent for a time, thoughts lost in a sea of questions and doubts as to everything that had happened.

It wasn't long until his attention was caught, the sight of Amarra running frantic through the halls with a manic glint in her eyes shocked him. Hearing the words, "Oh my god! Peitro Maximoff agreed to take me to the dance! Oh! Manicures! I need a manicure!" That was as far as she got before turning a corner, continuing her mad dash through the house.

Hearing about Amarra getting a date, but not really recongizing the fact it was Peitro of all people she would be taking, reminded him of his own date. Amanda Sefton. Thinking of the girl, the nervousness and doubts over his abilities began to fade as they were pushed into the back of his mind. There was just something about the girl that grabbed his attention, his complete attention, and left him feeling lighter then air.

"Yo man! You seen my dress shoes?" Kurt blinked, coming out of his Amanda Sefton daze to see Evan practically shaking him by his collar, that same Manic glint Amarra had shining in the nubian's own. "Uh, no?"

Evan cursed, dropping the demonic looking X-man before running like hell up the stairs to the living quaters. "Damn! Where the hell..." he quickly dodged around Storm in a mad dash, the woman just looked on, throughly amused.

"My, what's gotten into my newphew?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Not what's gotten into him, it's what he's hoping to put in some one else."

Storm blinked, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing!" he chirruped innocently, dancing around the woman as he ascended the stairs himself. 'Gotta get ready for the dance!'

Previously unnoticed, Logan, who had just finished dealing with the mad scientist and had only caught the tail end of the conversation, snorted. "Kid's these days." he eyed the nubian, who looked completely confused, before waving her off with a "Damn Storm, you need to get out more. Even I didn't miss what the kid meant."

Storm just frowned.

---

Jean spared herself a look over in her mirror, idly wishing she had something more.. provacative for the dance. A simple yellow sleeveless sundress that came down to just above her knees, her hair tied up in a similar colored ribbon. She supposed she looked 'Nice', mature, responsible.

She hated it.

Not anything like what she wore during her nights as a Bayville Siren, a time she often wished for of late. While things had never been exactly warm between her and Rogue, at least during that brief time they had managed to get along quite well, actually work together instead of being so openly opposed as they were now. It was a time before anything Pigtailed had entered their lives, and while she wouldn't dare be rid of the boy, or really take any thing he had said and done since getting here, she still wished things were like that again.

Shaking those thoughts away, she turned from the mirror. "Time to find out just what happened..." she mumbled, closing the door to her room.

---

Rogue had thought about it, agonozied over it, and finally decided to hell with it. Nothing in her wardrobe had changed in the last day, she doubted she'd find anything she'd like in there to wear now. It didn't help matters she really didn't have any inkling at what Ranma would like her to wear. Oh sure, he says to wear whatever she wanted to, but knowing he was going to be dressing up in something 'special' kinda made her feel like she had to, just to be fair to the guy.'Ahright, screw it. No more messin around.' She grabbed one of the few dresses show owned and laid them out on the bed.

"Oh this is going to be sooooooo much fun!" Kitty preened in front of the mirror, were she was busily applying a second skin of makeup and making the most strange kissing gestures with her lips that the southern belle felt like sticking her head under her pillow until the solar eclipse passed. Smacking her lips together one more time, apparently happy with the amount of make up she had grafted to her skin, she giggled, "Yer such a cutie!"

"Eh..." Rogue just shook her head at that. "If yer done starin at yerself, uh..." she sighed. "Mind.. uh.. helping me here?"

Kitty blinked, eyeing the girl strangly. "Help?" eyes traveling to her bed, she noticed the short black dress, with purple stockings and a scarf laying there. 'Already picked out what she was going to wear. What could she need my help with?'

"Yes." Rogue replied, nervously, "Uh... with the make up."

Kitty's eyes widened.

---

Tabitha twitched.

Fred looked dumbfounded.

Toad looked annoyed, but the reasons were obvious for that. "Why didn't you buy an outfit like that for me!?"

Ranma just rolled his eyes, subconciously moving behind the kitchen counter. Toad was becoming way too perverted lately, and he really didn't like the way Tabitha was staring so far south. "Don't look at me, Nabiki bought it!"

Nabiki waved from the couch, which caused yet another round of twiching among the only blond currently in the room. "Don't thank me for it Saotome, it was my pleasure!"

"Nabiki... bought that... for you?" Fred repeated. "But you look like a... a..."

"Like a male slut!" Tabitha answered for the fatter mutant, though her tone was one of shocked awe.

"Eh.. yeah." Ranma deadpanned, "Thanks Tabitha, yer just a pillar of enthusiasm here, ain't ya?"

Any response the blonde might have given then was cut off as the door to the Balcony slammed open, Peitro practically strutting in as if he owned the world. His confidant gait continued for all of two steps, before he spied the guy on the couch and snapped, "Who the scott's fuck are you?"

Nabiki rolled his eyes, a slow smile coming to his lips, "Just a country boy visiting my pal Ranma here."

Peitro immediatly waved the matter off as unimportant, "Eh, sorry." he never did like new faces showing up. For some reason, he kept expecting an army of people Ranma had pissed off in the past to show up and lay seige to their home. "Didn't mean anything by it."

"Don't worry about it." Nabiki grinned. The others were just watching them curiously, waiting for the girl turned boy to let the cat (dog in one case) out of the bag. "I'd be pretty paranoid too, if some strange guy showed up out of no where."

"Eh, yeah, cool." Peitro sighed in relief. Cool, he hadn't pissed the guy off.

"I mean, seriously, for all you know I'm here to fuck your sister. Perfectly understandable why you'd be concerned." Nabiki continued in a seemingly innocent tone of voice.

Fred's eyes widened in shock. Whoa, talk about brutal.

Peitro nodded, waving the guy off, "That's cool, I mean..." he blinked, mind finally catching up with the rest of that statement, before he started chuckling, it was a soft laugh at first, one that erupted into full blown teary eyed howling.

Wanda finally re-emerged from Nabiki's room. So what if Nabiki changed genders just to go on a date with her? So what if the little perv was getting way to fresh with her, er, his hands. She had promised, and sure as hell wasn't going to act like a coward and back off. Making damn sure her red shirt was buttoned all the way up least the little pervert try something, she came to a stop as she noticed Peitro of all people on the ground laughing his ass off. Fred, Ranma, and Tabitha had kind of a shell shocked look on their faces, Nabiki just smiling that smile of her's that practically screamed to the world that she was the one who did whatever it was she did to put Peitro on the floor.

She blinked. Toad was staring at Nabiki a little angrily, but there was a twitch in his lips that spoke of how hard the guy was trying not to laugh about something.

"Eh, what's going on?" Best just to get this out of the way, the Scarlet witch thought.

Ranma snapped, in an obvious panic, "Nothing! Nope! Not a damn thing! Right Nabs?"

Nabiki nodded, still with that sickening sweet smile on his lips, "Absolutely not. I certainly didn't tell Peitro and everyone else I was here to kidnap his sister and engage in a eight hour bed room work out, or anything of the sort."

The pigtailed jock just sighed, "Screw this, I'll just wait outside." Nabiki had to have gone insane with the switch between genders, yeah, that had to be it.

Fred looked a little out of it, as if his mind was still trying to cope with what was said, "Eh... didn't you say you were here to have sex with Wanda?"

Wanda immediatly colored pink along her cheeks, "Er.." she certainly didn't want to be in the room with Nabiki right now, "Ranma! Wait, I'll wait with you!" she said, practically running after the guy as he went through the door.

"Ah, they're so cute." Nabiki smirked, which just left the others, except Peitro who still hadn't calmed down from earlier, staring at her strangly.

---

Lance sighed, sitting on the curb right in front of their apartment, deep in thought. 'Man, Kitty's gonna be dressing up nice, and all I got is that stupid old suit. I'll look totally stupid!' he placed his head in his hands, tiredly. 'And to top it all off, I left it in the damn jeep! Now I don't got nothin to wear! Argh!'

"Yo." Lance looked at up at Ranma's voice, and just stared. Wanda's presence nearby and her pink cheeks, a sure sign she was blushing, wen't unnoticed in light of just what Ranma was wearing. "Oh geesh!"

Ranma didn't even bother trying to trick himself into thinking the guy was looking at anything but him and his leather outfit. "Don't ask." he deadpanned immediatly, "Between Tabs and Nabs goin weird on me, don't you start it none either!"

"She's insane!" Wanda brutally pushed her way into the conversation, "There's no way in the Nine Hells I'm EVER going to sleep with her, ah, HIM! WHATEVER!" the normally bored, cool as a cucumber Scarlet Witch exclaimed heatedly.

Lance really didn't have anything to say to that one.

"Ah, I don't think she's really serious about all that crap." Ranma tried to placate the girl, but Lance couldn't help but notice him inch a bit away from her, almost like that time he tried to get away when she erupted in rage at finding a whole trash can full of condoms in their bathroom. No one dared admit to owning them, especially not after seeing Wanda go apeshit for them even being there, the reason no one even dared asked of the girl. Still, since Ranma was the only one who had gotten laid at all recently, the blame fell on him anyway.

"Don't give me that crap!" Wanda snapped, "Ever since you gave Jean a go she's been all hot and bothered! Do you have any idea what you've done!?"

"Nothing that's gonna get me in trouble for Nabs wanting ta jump yer bones." The pigtailed one snapped quickly. Oh hell no was she going to put the blame on him for what Nabs was doing. "Sides, why don't ya just tell her you got a guy or somethin? Make her think yer not interested cause yer seein some one else?"

Wanda adopted the look of shocked wonder from some one who just found out there gay, immediatly considering that idea.

So focused on that one thought, she completely missed Lance saying, "Just say no?" before he turned to Ranma and sighed, "Hey man, I need a favor..."

---

Patting his brown jacket down, the young mutant let out a sigh. "Jean... a real date with Jean." Oh it left him feeling goose bumps everywhere! The girl he's had feelings for ever since he met her had finally taken notice of him. Yeah, that had to be it. Best of all, all it took, at least from his perspective, was Ranma and Rogue getting together! Oh, and those damn dirty pics (two of which he kept hidden in his room, for prosperity sake he'd assure you if asked) to get Duncan to break up with her.

He shook his head, banishing his thoughts on the reasons why for, they just didn't matter. "Let's do it." he turned around.

Xavier raised eye brow at the young man.

Scott blinked, startled, "Uh, Professor?" when the hell had he gotten into his room? Heck, how had he missed it?!

"Scott... there's something I need you to do, tonight." the bald man began, seriously.

---

Tabitha didn't even want to contemplate the last few hours of weirdness.

A rustling bang from Ranma's room snatched her attention, followed by a frustrated grunt, "Damn it! You need ta put some more..." a sense of confusion evident, but the owner of the voice quickly came back with, "... beef on that body!"

"Dude that sounded totally gay!" Lance's voice was heard, tone just screaming 'weird'.

"I don't care how happy it makes me sound!" a disgusted snort, "Now hurry an get what little beef ya do got covered an let's get the heck out of here!"

Tabitha had enough of this. "Toad! Fred! We're walking!"

---

Emma just shook her head as Baylor drove the car out of the parking lot. Just the sight of Wanda mumbling weirdly at the bottom of the stairs, all to herself, while Tabitha, and Fred went bolting from the Apartment complex, having to practically drag Toad, was a little too weird for her. Heck, now that she thought about it, everything involving Nabiki and, or Ranma was weird on one scope or another.

And she thought being a mutant was weird enough for anyone, but she was wrong.

Baylor tilted the rear view mirror back to spy on his little ward. While he only worked for her due to the pay, and damn was it a good pay check, he also had some lingering loyalties towards the dearly departed Matilda Frost. While he never butted into the young mistresses personal life, it never hurt to provide some... caution every now and then. Such as her state of dress. A shimmering white dress that did little to hide the smooth expanse of her legs, or the silky alabaster skin of her arms and back, low cut enough to tempt any man, and possibly most women (Whether it's sexual attraction or jealously is a moot point), into lowering their gaze ever so slightly.

In conclusion, a total swan. He sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye, "She looks so much like her mother." He lowered his rearview mirror, smiling whistfully at the picture there in. It was of Matilda Forst, tho quite naked, sitting on a stool with her legs crossed, effectively hiding her naughty bits. Across the bottom there was a message, 'To my favorite driver."

Emma gagged, and suddenly wished she couldn't read people's thoughts. No, the knowledge Baylor was comparing her to her mother, Matilda, just left a sour taste in her mouth.

---

Kitty couldn't believe Rogue had actually agreed to let her put her make up for her, and the end effect just left her speechless. Sparing her a glance as she came to a stop at a red light, she had to admit she was a devastatingly beautiful girl once you removed all her depressing colors. With brightening pink cheeks, the blush only accentuating the over all out look, and her expressive green eyes surrounded in a few lighter shades from her normal purple, and ruby lips that just glistened in the already setting sun... "Like, you're gonna knock him dead."

"Ah, thanks." the southern belle grinned a silly little grin. Truthfully she had goose bumps all over her body, and her stomach was currently involved in a battle of attrition against her anxiety and nervousness, a battle that erupted to gigantic porportions as they pulled up to the Nabikihood's apartment complex. "Hope he likes it."

Kitty didn't think anyone on this planet wouldn't like how Rogue looked now. Pulling the Jeep to a stop, she waved excitedly at Wanda, "Hey Wanda!"

"Now look Nabiki, I don't know what crazy ideas you got in yer head, but we aren't sleeping together." the Scarlet witch still hadn't come out of her furious mental debate on the matter, "I.. uh.. I have some one, he's, uh, very special to me. And no, I'm not telling you who!"

"That's just weird." Rogue deadpanned. She didn't think Nabiki was a lesbian, but Wanda's mumbling really left her off balanced.

"Uh.." Kitty really didn't know how, or even wanted to respond to that statement. Thankfully, noise from the upper level caught her attention, where Ranma, Lance, and some oriental dude she had never seen before were locking the door. She couldn't keep a silly grin off her face at the sight of Lance. Gone was his usually grungy clothes, instead he was wearing something she had only ever seen Ranma wear before, but to her eyes he filled them out much, much better. A blood red top with a embroided golden dragon traveling up and around the chest, with black draw string paints and the cutest little slippers she had ever seen. Ranma...

As soon as she noticed just what the pigtailed jock was wearing, she tettered over and fell right out of the jeep.

Rogue colored something feirce. 'Guh.. guh.. guh.. guh.' her brain effectively fried, she just sat there, staring.

---

Risty leaned up tiredly against the wall, gazing at the parking lot blankly. Not for the first time she wished she had thought about getting a date for herself, but truthfully there just wasn't anyone at the school she liked in that regard. So focused on getting Ranma and Rogue into a relationship, she had all but completely ignored her own social life.

Not that she cared, she still hadn't gotten over...

She shook that thought off. Now wasn't the time to agonize over the past. There wasn't anything she could do to change it, no matter how much she might want to. Focusing instead on the parking lot, and the swell of school kids already making their way to the gym for the dance, she allowed herself a moment of quiet, a moment of complete oblivion of thoughts.

So focused on being out of it, she ignored the two 'Tom's Vendor Store' vans unloading rather large crates, or the suspicious fact there were way to many people coming out of those trucks, and least of all the strange guy in the straw hat and trench coat as he pulled a seathed Katana from the front seat, before quickly stuffing it in his trench coat.

"HOLY CHRIST, LAND!" a disturbingly joyus cry ripped her from her mindless state. Blinking, the sight of a strange oriental guy she had never met before leaping from Lance's jeep and literally kissing the ground left her feeling a little off balanced. 'Who the heck is that?' With no answers forthcoming, she turned her attention on the rest of the group.

Lance dressed in clothing Ranma usually wore got a smile out of her, but the way he shakingly took the keys back from Kitty, the girl just smiling innocently, belied the confidence Ranma usually had when wearing the same outfit. Wanda wasn't really all that dressed up, same ole same ole, except with her red jacket buttoned up tightly all the way.

Rogue's appearance left her staring, "Whoa..." She knew the girl could like nice if she wanted too, but now that she was seeing it she really couldn't express just how pretty she was.

And lo'n'behold, the Dominatrix's wet dream stepped out of the jeep, the very sight of him leaving the girl in a state of shock, and no small amount of twitching. 'Nabiki's been a bad, bad, girl.' she frowned, disapprovingly

"Aw, grow some balls Nabi.. uh.. ko." Ranma finished hesitantly.

'Nabiko' snorted, rising to his feet, "That crazy chick did sixtey over a dip, we were air born moron!"

"Yeah." the pigtailed one smiled, helping Rogue out of the vehicle. The girls decidedly pink cheeks had dimmed some since they had left the apartment, but anyone with an IQ above 2 could tell she was still blown away by what her boyfriend was dressed in, said feelings only rising when the boy failed to let go of her hand after he had helped her out. "It was cool."

Kitty stuck her tongue out at the self introduced 'Nabiko', "You just can't appreciate fine driving!"

"I appreciate your definition of driving about as much as I appreciate a hole in the head." the oriental guy deadpanned.

Lance wisely kept with mouth shut on the matter, least he incur righteous womanly wrath. He'd rather live, thanks. "Ah forget it!" he snapped, grabbing Kitty's hand, "I ain't here to listen to tha two of you argue, come on Kit, I wanna dance!"

With Lance dragging Kitty away, 'Nabiko' got the last word in by sticking out his tongue in defiance at the retreating couple. Kitty tried to say something, but Lance placed his hand over her mouth, practically dragging the struggling girl inside.

"Manly Nabiko, so manly!" Ranma rolled his eyes, letting go of Rogue's hand and pulling her into a hug by the shoulders, "Sounds like a good idea, huh? Whattya say?"

"Uh. Ahri.." she stopped as Risty practically teleported right in front of the pair, "Risty!" she said with a bright smile.

Ranma winced as the girl gave him a look that could only be described as surprised, shocked, and in complete disapproval. 'Gah, she reminds me of my mother!' He visibly relaxed when the girl looked Rogue up and down, "Oh my god! You look so beautiful!" she chirruped, some how managing to pull the girl out of Ranma's hug. "Cmere girl, I need to sooo talk to you about something."

"Uh... Risty..." Rogue frowned a little, throwing her date a glance, who just shrugged. "Ahright."

Watching as the two girls wandered away, he turned his gaze back to Nabiko and Wanda, "Eh, wanna go to tha dance?"

Nabiko smoothed his hair back, "Gonna get me some hoo ha!"

Wanda just twitched. 'Yes, gonna need to have a talk with her... him, and soon.'

----

"Target acquired" the confirmation brought an alien feeling to his cold chest. The information was accurate, and though the informant wasn't part of Agency Nero, he had to be part of the Kami's will to bring an end to the dishonorable stain of the cursed Saotome line, to bring ultimate revenge for polluting the noble Tendo line with his foul magics, a pollution that had killed the girl he loved.

Lowering his straw hat to hide the flaring of his mechanical eye peice, Kuno spared the 'soldier' Akira a disgusted frown as she said, "Two civilians currently enroute to Goliath holding area 01. Permission to intercept?"

Women in a mans world. As far as Tatewaki Kuno, the great Scion of House Kuno, was concerned women were only good for two things. Warming his bed, and bearing children. Not his children of course, he thought hatefully about a certain lost boy and what he had done to him. "Nay, these peasents don't concern me." he flagged down Sanada, "Watch the wenches, if they some how manage to peirce the Kami's protection take them as prisoners." left out was their dual nature as hostages. No one present had any doubt that once their mission started they would be on the run from the local law enforcement. "Move that abomination back, and continue removing those pesky annoyances."

Akira grunted, saluting as she went to do as she was told. Whether Kuno noticed the fact she saluted with her middle finger, he didn't show it.

---

Unbeknowest to all, in various abdononed parts of the school a shimmering tear in reality appeared, ghostly images of those demon like raptors attempting to push through the tears appeared, before they sealed themselves up, leaving everthing right in the world.

For now.

---

The Gym of Bayville wasn't exactly the biggest, but for such a event it was adequate. Purple and pink streamers had been thrown about, mainly lining the outer most wall and hanging across the room with ballon's attached to the middle to keep the children from pulling them down. The lights were dimmed, black paper taped to the windows to keep the already mostly setting sun's light out.

Jean thought it looked tacky, while outwardly she smiled, "It looks beautiful Amanda, you did a good job."

The dorky looking Amanada, a girl about 5'4 with black hair done in two hideous pigtails, and with enough acne to almost make the vibrant red head cringe away fearfully, less one of them pop and spray her with puss, laughed a laugh not unlike that of a boy's. "Thanks! We worked so hard!"

"I'm sure you did." Why wasn't this girl leaving her alone?!? Didn't she have to man the refreshment stand? 'Oooh bad pun.'

Apparently not, as the beast of a girl went off into an explanation concerning carnations.

Jean just wanted to scream.

Meanwhile on the otherside of the gym, near a currently undefended refreshment stand, Toad risked a peek out from under the table. Today had to be his lucky day. Not only was he able to ditch Tabs in the restroom for this infiltration mission, leaving Fred to watch and make sure he has an alibi for the girl if she asked where he had gone, but that butch dyke who everyone knew had the biggest crush on Jean, except Jean herself, was currently being distracted! If this wasn't the will of the gods, he didn't know what was.

Crawling from under the table, the clear bottle holding the 'stuff' pressed against his back, he tried to look completely bored with everything as he popped the top and began pouring the substance into the punch. Not that he needed too, it was still too early in the dance for the majority of whoever was coming to actually get here, and with the dyke distracted, no one cared.

Peering over his shoulder, Toad grinned as the punch took a decidedly brownish color as the substance mixed with the cool refreshment, until it returned back to it's vibrant red. Yes! Mission success!

"Out of the way dork!"

Toad blinked, looking blankly at the most pissed off face he had seen in the last little while. Duncan, the Star Quaterback, looked like death warmed over. His arm in a sling, head wrapped in gause, two black eyes, and a broken nose. He knew for a fact Ranma hadn't done nearly all that damage to the guy, so just who the...

Duncan wasn't in any mood to deal with Toad's shit, pushing the little guy aside roughly, he grabbed a large cup of punch and chugged the stuff down.

While he really didn't care, the Toad had been tempted to push the guy back, give him a little pay back for all the beatings he had taken before Ranma had taught him to fight back. That notion was pushed into the back of his mind as he witnessed the jock drink more of the punch. 'Can't wait to see what happens.' he chuckled, quickly leaving the area in route to the rest rooms.

---

'I hate my life.' Scott sighed, balefully as he leaned up against the wall, doing all Wall flowers proud with how dejected he looked. Didn't Xavier realize how long he had been waiting for this moment, how much he wanted it to happen? And his request, it just baffeled him, and freaked him out to no end. The way he expressed his concern, the warning he gave him concerning the issue... Had something happened already that he didn't know about?

Glancing at Jean, the girl smiling as if there wasn't a single problem in the world while she spoke to Amanda, he quickly shook the notion off. No, that was silly. Still... why did Xavier ask him to watch for...

"You need to lighten up, seriously." an heavily accented and unfamiliar voice came up from the double door entrances no less then five feet from where he was planted against the wall.

"I don't wanna go in there!" a hesitant, and extremly nervous voice joined the first, this one he knew. It was Ranma. "Ya saw how everyone reacted when they saw me!"

"Rogue was speechless the whole trip." Wanda's voice this time, he was sure of it. "If I cared for such things, which I don't." she stressed that last part more then she needed to, Scott thought, "I'd say you got her all hot and bothered."

Scott grimaced. 'It figures.'

"Ah shaddap!" Ranma snapped, "It ain't Rogue I'm worried about!" the door opened, allowing him to see the three speakers at an angle. The voice he didn't know had to belong to the oritental guy in the group, one he had never met, or even heard about before. Weird.

The oriental guy rolled his eyes, "Oh get over it already. It happened days ago, I'm sure the little princess is over it already, geesh."

Ranma blinked, "What does Jean have to do with it?"

Scott twitched. What the hell...

"If you don't care about Jean seeing you, what's the problem?" Wanda asked, flabbergasted, while idly glaring at her 'date' when he pulled her into a snug hug.

"He's just scared other girls are gonna want a peice of the Wild Horse." Nabiko whispered conspiritorially.

Scott mouthed 'Wild horse?' with a look of complete confusion. How the hell did wild horses relate to Jean of all people?

"Eh, no." Ranma denied rather lamely, a sure sign he wasn't fooling anyone. It was about then he, Nabiko, Wanda, and Scott noticed the music had screeched to a halt and all eyes had been planted on the current leather clad whipping boy. "I ain't just scared of the girls." he mentioned, cryptically.

"Oh." Scott, Nabiko, and Wanda intoned at the same time.

---

Risty grinned as the two walked down a hall near by the Gym, "Wow, I mean, just wow! You look totally different!"

"Ah, nah I don't." the girl shook her head furiously. Having lead a segregated life, she rarely, if ever, had to suffer as the center of anyone's attention. In fact, before Ranma came, you could add up all the direct attention she got from everyone on the planet and it still wouldn't come close to how much she had gotten this afternoon alone, barring the recruitment fiasco. "So... whats up?"

"Oh." her friend shrugged, "Nothing. Just wanted a few minutes alone with my friend before she goes off and leaves little ole me behind."

Rogue blinked, "Eh? Where's yer date?"

"Don't have one." she responded, quite apathetic, "I just came to hang out with you, really."

The southern belle grimaced inwardly. She had been so focused on her revived social life that she had all but ignored her friends social life. "Heh. Ranma asked me if we could ditch early from this thing, head out for a movie or somethin, you wanna come with?"

Risty blinked, "I... er... sure I guess, but why would he want to leave anyway? Thought the two of you were really looking forward to this thing."

The formerly goth girl shrugged, "He don't really like what he's wearin, says it just ain't him." she grinned, poking the other girl in the shoulder, "Figured I'd come clean, told him I hated my make up."

"Ah." Risty shook her head good naturedly. While seeing Ranma dressed up like he was had put her a little off kilter, in fact it scared her to a certain extent, it was nice to know he didn't like it one bit, and in fact just wanted to take it off and be himself. Well, that was a good sign in her book. "If he don't mind me coming along, then sure."

Rogue grinned, "I'm sure he won't." she started for the gym, "Gonna go ask him, see ya inside?"

Risty nodded, waving the girl off. She sighed in not so subtle relief as the girl vanished inside. This whole day had been way way too tense for her taste, and not for the first time she cursed their speech teacher for putting such lewd thoughts in her head. She should have known better, she supposed, her Ranma certainly would never do something like that.

"Excuse me."

The girl blinked, noticing for the first time a towering figure overshadowing her. She turned around just in time to get sprayed in the face, before all went dark.

---

Ranma twiched, unconsciously trying to cover his exposed chest. It had taken the DJ all of five minutes to get the music going again, and it was five minutes spent in pure hell as far as he cared. At least with the music going those few couples out there that managed to work up the nerve to dance were doing it, instead of staring at him.

He wasn't surprised Jean, Emma, and a whole slew of other girls (with a few guys here and there) were still staring at him wide eyed. 'I'm gonna kill Nabiko for this.'

Thinking of the girl turned boy, he spied him and Wanda by the punch bowl, both having a nice refreshing drink. He smacked his lips together. Yeah, a nice cool refreshment is just what the doctor ordered.

Too bad he never made it, quickly finding his hand commandeered by his date while being practically dragged out on the dance floor. He chuckled, idly dodging a pair of dancers, Kurt and some chick he had never met before. He couldn't help but notice their happy little smiles, it was really cute. "And here I thought you decided ta ditch me!" he joked.

Rogue just shook her head, smiling, saying "Ain't eva gonna happen." as she took his hands and forcibly put them on her hips. "You owe me some dancin." her tone was softer that time, and he really couldn't miss the pink tinge of her cheeks as she looked up at him nervously.

He smiled, which helped drain some of the anxiety she felt, "Night's young, let's have some fun."

---

"That's cute." Jean startled out of her staring, glancing at the owner of the voice she asked, innocently, "What is?"

The cycloptic wonder (bad pun) nodded his head, "Rogue. Just look at her dancin out there. That's the happiest I think I've ever seen her."

'At least some one's happy.' Jean sighed, "It's funny the hand fate plays you." she shook her head, ignoring the weird look Scott sent her. 'I can't be selfish about this. She's finally able to smile like that... congratulations, Rogue.' "Come on you big lug, let's dance."

---

Evan grinned, "Looks like fun."

"Hmm?" Emma made a point of sipping her refreshment, less her date realize she had been staring at some one else. "What does?"

"Dancing." he nervously stepped forward, turning to face the girl while holding out a hand, "Whattya say? Wanna dance?"

Shooting the pigtailed one a fleeting glance, the Frost Corp heir smiled slightly, "I'd love to."

---

Sanada looked up as the soldier dropped the unconscious kid like a sack of potatoes. It had been decided earlier that the children surrounding the primary target would be spared, if it were at all possible. They were cold blooded killers, warriors in a jyhad against the unclean, not butchers of innocents, at least, they didn't think so. "Status report."

"We've cleared out the surrounding area's of falculty and security to avoid uneeded blood shed and to reduce to risk of the local law enforcment getting involved before we're ready to retreat to extraction point A." Akira informed him, evenly, "Goliath Unit 02 was moved as per the Captain's orders, stationed in the utility shed fifty kilometers from the parking lot in case the target tries to make a run for it."

"Unit 01?"

"Under the stage, ready to be lifted up and deployed directly into the hot zone." she finished with a smirk. "Everything's in position, we're ready to cleanse the bastard."

"Verily, I'll be doing the only cleansing here." Kuno raised his straw hat, the female soldier gritting her teeth at not having seen him there before hand. "Sanada. Order the breech, your men are to form a permiter and keep the locals under control while I'll deal with the foul sorcerer. Avoid culling the sheep if possible, but do not hesitant to strike down those in the name of Kami-sama's Jyhad."

"Sir!" the man saluted.

"For the Heavens shall surly sing it's vengeance." Kuno grinned, lowering his straw hat again as the red eye peice glowed dangerously, "And my beloved's murder be avenged."

---

Ranma smiled, a soft smile that only showed contentment at being with the girl that was currently held close as the slow love song continued it's melody. He didn't know how he got so lucky, to be with this one girl, this one girl he could admit to himself he loved like no other.

The glaring lights from the outside hall flashed in his eyes breifly as the doors opened, but he paid it no attention, nor did he notice the people dressed in black military fatigues and masks spreading off to either side. His entire world revolving around the girl in his arms, "Y'know I don't think I eva want this ta end."

"It don't have to.." Rogue breathed wistfully, eyes closed as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Apparently it did.

"Foul Sorcerer..." the gutteral growl, tone laced with hidden danger sparked perfect remembrance in the boy. Glazing blearily at the figure he had only just noticed standing near by as the man looked up, the burning red jewel doing little to obstruct recognition. "Tatewaki Kuno."

---

Wanda blinked, "What the hell is going on now?" she idly smacked Nabiko's hand when it tried to grab a certain part of her body.

Nabiko sighed, having had no luck with the girl all night. While he really didn't have any intention of getting laid with the girl, he had been hoping to at least have a playful night, filled with such wonderful misunderstandings and confusions that she'd be able to play the feild and come off on top again. Ah well, win some, lose some. Following Wanda's gaze, he froze at the sight of men surrounding the room. The majority were non-descript, all were wearing black body suits with masks and weilding deadly sub-machine guns.

It wasn't the guns that caught her attention, they were only noted, it was the effigy of a red hand clenching a human like figure that had been consumed in a conflagaration of firey death. It was a symbol she'd never forget. "Nero..." she growled.

Wanda just sighed. Why now of all times?!

---

Tabitha blinked, "Uh.. what's going on?"

Fred rubbed his eyes, before idly smacking Toad in the back of the head, "You didn't say that stuff would cause hallucinations!"

Toad ignored his friends, eyes narrowed dangerously. "It ain't a hallucination..."

The music came to a screeching halt, a semi circle of men surrounding two figures on the dance floor while pushing everyone else back and away. The Principal, Mr. Kelly, was on the floor unconscious with the nastiest bloody bruise on the back of his head evident.

Rogue tightened her hold on Ranma, finally taking notice of the men with guns surrounding them. "What's going on!?!?"

The man with the red eye glared at her particularly, snorting, "Seeking yet another angel to taint with your demonic blood, Saotome?" he waved to a near by soilder, "Put her with the others."

Ranma had to forcibly peel the girls hands off him and push her towards the soldier. "Get back, Rogue. This fight's personal."

"The hell?!" Rogue screamed, fighting the soldier that had grabbed her, "Wait, what's..." the sickening sound of her head snapping back as another soldier slammed her in the head with the butt of his gun nearly threw the pigtailed boy into a rage, but held his ground, staring balefully at Kuno.

Jean grimaced, watching them callously throw the southern belle to the ground near Kelly. She focused her thoughts, calling on her power of mind. Whatever the hell was going on, they were going to need help.

Lance held Kitty close, glaring around, completely flabbergasted. Tension was thick in the air. "Shit." he didn't need to be a mind reader to see this was something from Ranma's past, now with the way he and that other guy were looking at each other.

Amanda Sefton, Kurt's date, whimpered, "Kurt! I'm scared! So scared!" Kurt just hugged her protectively, "Shhh, it's okay, we'll be okay."

Evan looked ready to explode, fists clenched dangerously. What could he do tho? They had sub ma-fucking-chine guns!

When it looked like the tension was about to erupt, no doubt consuming the entire building in a conflagaration of red hot bloody death, the most unlikely of events took place.

Peitro slammed the doors open, howling like mad, "I'M HERE! NOW THE PARTY CAN...." he tapered off, noticing the quite obvious sub-machine gun pointing at his head. Amarra on his arm just blanched.

---

Xavier looked up, eyes widening in morbid shock. "Oh holy shit!" he screemed, proving his ability to do a wheelie with his wheel chair, high tailing it like a mad man out of his office.

---

Kuno spared the gathered children a disgusted sneer, "This is where you chose to run? Surely you knew you could not escape our holy Jyhad." he gazed hatefully at the boy, "How does it feel, murderer, that for all your tricks, all your escapes, you've still failed in the end."

Ranma snorted, "Pfeh. I ain't the murderer here." he launched the most hate filled glared at the prick as he could, "Not if yer sidin with the dicks who killed the Tendos." he tensed, knuckles turning white from the force of his clenched fists, "My pop. Yer the bastard here."

"Pfeh." Kuno just snorted, reaching up and removing his hat. Ranma winced at the sight of it, a good third of his face just wasn't there, instead replaced by obvious mechanical parts. His eye gone, replaced with a narrowed red light. "What the hell.."

The cyborg Kuno dropped the hat, "You're friend in treachery, Hibiki did this to me." he shrugged off his coat, revealing that it wasn't just his head that had been replaced by cold hard metal, but the entire upper right portion of his body was mechanical, from the collor bone all the way down the arm. "After I'm finished here... " he raised his metal hand, fist clenching, "... he's next."

Ranma unzipped his top, peeling the leather shirt off, leaving him naked from the waste up. "One last time then, eh, ya dick?"

"One last time." Kuno growled, "For the death of my fierce Tigress, Tendo Akane, you will burn an eternity in hell!" There was a slight whirling sound being emitted from that mechanical arm as he finished his statement.

Ranma blinked, "Who?" before a bright light erupted from the base of Kuno's palm, blasting the ill prepared boy back and through the outerwall to god knows where.

"Keep these peasents in line!" Kuno growled as he made for the Ranma shaped exit, "They dare impede our holy duties, cleanse them in Kami-sama's name!" and with that he was gone.

---

Nabiko put the strange conversation in the back of her mind. Eyes focusing, she employed her birth rite, the power that had damned her and her family to Nero's merciless Jyhad, the power that would finally allow her a chance for revenge.

Scott growled, but even he wasn't willing to risk the lives of everyone else by doing anything stupid. He was quite surprised when he noticed certain people all over the room snap to attention, their gazes locking on the strange oriental guy he had never met, Nabiko.

Emma's eyes widened, Jean's mouth opened in shock, while Tabitha, Wanda, Fred, Toad, Peitro, and even Lance nodded grimly.

Peitro chuckled, a soft, manic thing. The man with the gun pointed in his face snarled, stepping up and practically shoving the barrel in the kid's mouth. "What's so funny, American trash!?"

"Can't you tell?" he chirruped, idly letting go of Amarra. "You're all going to..."

"Die." Nabiko finish before a noticeble glow erupted around his form.

---

Peitro wasted no time with the man in front of him, who as soon as Nabiko finished her vow, froze, his nose erupting in blood before collapsing to the ground. Grabbing the gun, the teenaged Quick Silver vanished from sight, kicking the legs out from under another man and, while he was falling, slammed him in the head with the butt of the gun, causing a loud, sickening snap sound from the action.

Evan wasn't going to waste any time getting into this battle, a exoskelton of bone snapping into existance around his entire body, spikes jutting from his elbows and one from his forehead, looking like your modern day Guyver. He moved to engage, but froze at the sight of Emma erupting in a glow not unlike that strange oriental guy's own, her blond hair rising up slightly as if an unseen wind had lifted it. 'She's a mutant?!'

---

"Fred!" Toad scowled, jumping up slightly, arms stretched out.

The fat mutant didn't even hesitate, grabbing his arms in a twirl before he released the Toad into the air. Not yet anywhere near being a Master at Anything Goes, Toad was far from weak in that regard. Flying through the air, his tongue lashed out and snagged a soldier by the neck where he dragged him along his Fred powered flight until he landed, slamming into two soldiers, dropping them like a sack of bricks before turning around, fist flashing by quickly and slamming into the guard he had pulled along with his tongue.

A trio of guards, who were by far the quickest reactors of the group, raised their guns at Fred the moment they saw his gargantuan frame moving, unloading short rapid bursts into his oversized body.

They were quick to realize they had no effect on his fat body, and got to see first hand what an eclipse was like, well, at least until Fred landed belly first over them. Then they saw no more. Sumo rules.

---

Lance looked up over the table he had taken cover behind with Kitty. Growling, he only gave the California girl a moment of his attention, snapping, "Get outta here! Now! Run, and don't stop!"

Kitty grabbed hold of his arm when he moved to engage in the fight, ignoring the sight of Wanda glowing like the forth of July, her hex magic practically turning the room into an inferno of melted steel. Explosions rocking the room as Tabitha became quite open with an Artillery role was ignored, as was the painful screams from the soldier's who had been decimated in the suprise attack. "No! You can't go out there! You'll be killed!"

"Do as I say!" he snapped, pulling his hand away forcibly, "Now RUN!"

"NO!" she stubbornly refused, "You're coming with me!"

Lance grimaced, eyes alight with a determined fire, one that the girl had never seen in the guy, "I ain't leavin my Family to die! Now RUN!" knocking the girl's hands away, he jumped over the table.

---

Scott considered his options very, very carefully.

"Fire in the hole!" a soldier scream, recovering from the surprise ass raping the Nabikihood had put on them, tossing a grenade towards a large group of students.

He didn't consider his options for very long before joining in the battle, red beams of concussive force firing freely, knocking the grenade back towards the prick who threw it, where it detonated.

The blast was enough to knock Toad and Peitro, both of whom had been running through the ranks of Soldiers laying down holy hell, off their feet and into nearby walls.

Scott winced. Okay, maybe helping wasn't the best idea he could have done. "We need to stop..." he blinked, looking around and noticing a certain some one missing. Where the hell did Jean go?!

---

Nabiko had no remorse melting people's minds, turning their mind scapes into a wonderful shade of hell before moving on to the next one. She was the Hub, the focus for their entire group's concentrated effort and team work. Through her everyone, Emma, Wanda, Peitro, Lance, Fred, Tabitha, her whole family worked as one.

The explosion sent a wave of staggering pain through the temporary link, bringing Nabiko to the floor in it's intensity as Toad and Peitro cried out in agony. Momentarily distracted, he completely missed the soldier kick him from behind. What he didn't miss was the tell tale sound of the gun being cocked. Turning around, he gazed blankly at the business end of a sub-machine gun. 'Well shit.'

An eruption of bright light came into being, distracting the soldier ready to end his miserable life long enough for him to crawl the hell out of there. The shimmering distortion of light burned brightly for all of three seconds, before darkening to blackest pitch. Like an idiot, the soldier in question gazed stupidly at the inky void. Well, at least until a gigantic maw lashed out of the hole in space, powerful jaws clamping down over the mans head, who screamed in absolute agony as it's razor sharp teeth peirced armor and flesh, blood erupting in a spray as a creature Nabiko could only describe as hellish, silly putty style, brutally tore the man to peices.

---

Kurt's eyes widened as he saw one of those.. those demons tear fully through the dimensional void and enter his world. The raging battle had only begun to heat up, as the surprised soldiers recovered from the suprise attack, and now this new facet had joined.

Amanda whimpered in absolute fear, "Kurt! I need to get out of here!" she sobbed, practically trying to break away and make a run for it. "Please! Please! Let me out! I can't.. I can't.."

Kurt grimaced. The damage had already been done. He and Amanda vanished in a puff of smoke.

---

Ranma stared blankly at the night sky, head dizzy from taking that attack full force to the chest. His thoughts replaying the last few moments of his conversation with Kuno and just what he meant. 'Who the heck is Akane?' he asked himself, unable to shake a sudden feeling that he should know that name.

The sound of hard boots scraping against gravel brought him out of his thoughts. He could think about whoever the hell Akane Tendo was later. Right now, he had more important things on his mind. Like his own damn life!

Rolling to the side just as a katana crashed into the earth where he had been rest, leaving a crater in it's wake, he jumped to his feet, immediatly flowing into a backwards flip to gain some distance from the Cyborg Kuno.

Kuno didn't even hesitate following the wiry Saotome, and Ranma certainly wasn't prepared for how quick he had become, landing just in time to take a brutal punch to the face, a blow that literally sent him rocketing back, yet again crashing through another wall.

---

Emma brought a man down through sheer psionic force, dropping him like a sack of bricks before a warning flared over Nabiko's link to the rest of them, looking left she fell into a state of dumbfounded shock. The grotesque... thing that crawled out of the tear in space had practically painted the area in the blood of one soldier, before roaring, a bestial animilism that was almost tangible to her senses.

"Look out!" Evan screamed, throwing her to the ground roughly, just barely in the nick of time as a hail of gun fire passed over head. It pelted the demonic dinosaur to little effect, it's putty like skin only pushing in marginally, before seeming to swallow the metal projectiles whole and leaving it's surface unmarred.

Emma squeaked as the thing, sensing a more dangerous adversary to its life, literally leapt over them and into a group of soldiers, were it's scythe like claws cleaved indiscriminately amongst the poor slobs.

"We need to get out of here!" the nubian boy hissed, throwing a bone projectile at one of the school's invaders, peircing the armor at the shoulder, a move to forced the man to drop his gun. Not anywhere near done, the skater tackled him, his exo-skeleton aquiring wicked looking spikes that peirced the screaming man, rivulets of blood trailing from the wounds down the bone protrusions.

Emma ignored his advice, tracking another target in preperation for a mind rape.

---

Sanada, currently unmolested by the entrance to the gym, couldn't believe what he was seeing. Not only was their primary target here, but it seemed a whole score of mutants were here too. They were Nero, best in culling this kind of trash, but even they didn't come prepared for this many of them. Time to bring out some of the big guns. Pushing up a small flip screen on his right arm, his hands busily inputted the needed codes.

As if some by the will of a sicking puppet master, the stage where the Dj was currently hiding under the table for fear of his miserable life, erupted upwards, blowing everything up and away as a mechanical head and torso shot upward, it's eyes glowing red.

Lance stopped after dropping one of the soldiers with a boot to the school, the sight of the robot just way to weird for what he was use to. It was huge, seven feet tall or so, with wide shoulders and dangerous looking apendages, the right arm ending in sinister looking barrels that the young mutant had no doubt could cause untold amounts of mayheim before going down.

'Oh this is just great.' he sighed.

---

Tabitha grimaced at seeing the Robot herself, but really couldn't spare the time to do more then acknowledge the fact a killer robo was near by and it no doubt wanted her and the rest of her friends and family dead.

"BURN AND FRY!" she screamed fearfully as one of the demonic dinodorks that escaped the tear in reality focused in on her, a shimmering particle bomb erupting right beside it's head, which served to knock it back for only a second, no where near long enough for Boom Boom to charge another blast before it got within eviscrating range.

Her life flashing before her eyes, the blonde felt rather cheated when Fred bodily rammed the creature, grappling it in a roll and some how managing to dodge the things maw as it tried to remove the fatter mutants head from his shoulder.

Left alone, Tabitha cupped her hands, building one of the larger charges she had ever done in her short miserable life. Once prepared, she screamed across the Nabiko's mental link.

Fred obviously caught the message, grabbing the things mouth and forcible tearing it open long enough for Boom Boom to shove her generously gathered energy bomb, afterwhich he head butted it, pushing it up some where he forcible flung the creature up in the air, and none too soon as the energy of Tabitha's bomb erupted, turning the demonic dinosaur into a blow fish for all of a second before it's body popped like a ballon, spraying entrails and yellowish blood in all directions.

Tabitha grimaced. Well, one good thing about all this, those bastard dinosaurs could be killed. She idly noticed Kurt appear near by, vanishing and reapparing in rapid succession as he showed people first hand the intracicies of telejitsu.

Kurt was beyond pissed off. After leaving Amanda on the roof of a near by building, he had come back to help, only to be enveloped in an uncompromising rage at having his date so effectively ruined.

---

Peitro and Toad, newly recovered, spared the Soldiers little of their attention. A large number had already been brought down by the surprise attack, and it looked like they had finally realized they bit off more then they could chew, and were currently actively retreated. Leaving Fred, Tabitha, Wanda, Nabiki, and Emma out of the core group to deal with any straglers and the small, though steadily growing demonic army of lizard scum, they focused instead on the metal behemoth.

Lance looked left, then right, growling at the sight of Kitty still hiding behind the table instead of running like he had told her to. He couldn't spare her much more of his attention, forced into a forward roll as the Goliath unit let loose with his machine gun, just barely missing it's initial target. Peitro ran to the right, grabbing a long series of cables that had been scattered when the thing destroyed the DJ's stand.

Toad leaped to the left, tongue shooting out and latching onto an over head rafter where he swung like a deformed version of Tarzan across length of the gym, landing on the Goliath's head. Opening his mouth, a large ball of mucus shot forward, splashing against it's eyes and effectively blinding it's optical sensors. He was set to jump away to safety, but was a tad bit to slow, taking a meaty whack to the face when it raised it's arms to dislodge the mutant, the strength of the blow blasting him into the wall again where he slid to the ground in obvious pain.

Using Toad's momentary distraction, Peitro ran full speed around the thing, wrapping it over and over again in cable until he ran out of her, throwing the seismic wonder a glance, he was relieved to see the guy slam his fist against the ground.

The room began to shake violently, the earth erupting in a quiet agony as the floor was torn apart directly beneath the robot, who blind and bound, fell into the crevice. Sweating, Lance brought his hands together in a clap, the signature move to close the crevice on itself. Doing as it was bade, the earth began crushing the robot. It almost seemed like things were going to work out alright in this regard, until, just before the crevice closed in on itself, a panel opened from it's back, numerous miniature missles launching up and outward, clearing the crevice just before it closed, sealing the Goliath in a tomb of earth and rock.

Peitro sweated as the roof was shown the light, as in, it got blown the fuck off. 'Ain't no way anyone's gonna miss that!'

Toad just groaned while Lance collapsed to his knees, panting heavily from such use of his power.

---

Risty winced, coming awake blearily to find herself in an empty class room. Various articles, mag clips, grenades, even a radio or two were littered about the room, but no sign of whoever had knocked her out.

Oh, but there's Ranma.

Risty blanched as the pigtailed boy erupted through the wall, flew through the class room, and crashed through another wall. The sight of a mechanical man practically flying after the boy nearly had her ready to faint on the spot. What the hell was going on now?!?

"Risty?" Rogue's friend blinked, looking up weirdly at a certain red head. "Jean!? What's happening?" she gawked at the sight of the girl carrying a machine gun of all things. 'What the hell? Rambo wannabe?!'

The redhead grimaced, following the trail of destruction left by the warring Bionic man and Ranma, "We're being attacked! Get out of here before it's too late." she finished in a snap, running off.

Risty frowned, deeply. Calmly she stood up, taking only a moment to dust off her skirt, idly grabbing a hand gun, before taking off after Jean.

---

Ranma blearily rose from where he had finally come to a stop. 'Okay... playing a punching bag ain't any fun, nope.' Catching sight of Kuno coming through the Ranma shaped hole in the wall, he did the only thing he could think of. He employed a technique so powerful it left all his enemies quaking in their boots.

He ran away.

"Coward!" Kuno hissed, some how matching pace with the currently fleeing pigtailed one as he ran out of the room, tearing ass up the hall.

Reaching out as he ran, he gripped one of the poles holding up the overhead sun screens, using his momentum and inertia to flip around and nail the cyborg samurai wannabe in the chest, an act that finally had Kuno flying backwards and into those god damn walls.

An eruption of fire to his side was ignored, as was the debris from the roof getting blown off falling all over the place. Whatever Ryoga had done to Kuno the jerk prolly deserved, but with those strange metal implants he was finding himself sorely lacking in the belief he was going to win this fight, at least as easily as he use to. Staggering back slightly, holding his bruised ribs while Kuno climbed to his feet, he panted, "Who's... Akane?" completely missing Jean peering from around the corner.

Kuno turned to the side, spitting out a rather generous amount of blood. "You dare invoke her name, yet forget who she was? What she was?" he glared, "Forget it was you who stole her soul, twisted her pure heart and dared to call her your fiancee?!"

Ranma blinked, looking absolutely confused, "Fiancee?"

---

Jean frowned. Fiancee? The one that had been killed? Why was he acting like he didn't even know her? He had to remember her.. he had to. It was that loss that had turned him into the man he was today. There was no way he could have forgotten her! He had to remember! Remember...

---

Ranma's head snapped back as if struck, "What..."

---

Jean gasped as pain erupted through out her entire body, while leaning heavily against the wall trying to keep her balance. 'What now?!'

---

Kuno frowned as his enemy once again fell back a step, jerking as if he was taking repeated blows to the head. "Cur, your tainted soul ends here! Never again will you twist the Angels of heav.." he blinked, the sound of some one collapsing behind him reaching his ears. Glancing back, he spied a red head leaning across the ground, her body twitching as if it was also on the recieving end of numerous bodily strikes.

"Akane... Akane. Who are.." the boy stumbled into the lockers, head snapping left and right furiously, Kuno could swear it was happening in perfect timing with the red heads bodily jerking. For a moment he considered what he was seeing, frown growing ever more persistant as he put two and two together. 'He's hurting yet another innocent girl! Tormenting her!' he scowled, raising his sword in his mechanical arm, small ports opening up along the metalic surface, emitting a distinct whine just before an electrical surge erupted along the blade.

"Akane..." the jerking had started to taper, the boy hunching slightly and holding his head in his hands. "Iinazuke..."

"DIE!" Kuno screamed, vanishing from sight only to appear right beside him, surging katana raised over head before being brought down to destroy the demon once and for all.

A tear, a solitary crystaline expression of sorrow rolled down his cheek, and in a voice far to soft for even Kuno to hear, he said, "I remember." as an pyre of blue erupted around him, arm rising just in time to catch the blade as it descended in it's deadly arc. While the majority of the damage had been absorbed, the blade had still managed to cut through the aura and dig deep into his arm, but not break the bone. Head rising, eyes blazing, alive with the power he had summoned from with in. He stared then, deep into Tatewaki's own red and brown eyes. "I remember..." he reiterated, as blood flowed down the length of his arm "... yer gonna die."

---

Risty peered around the corner, cautiously. Spying Jean standing there gave her a sense of relief at finally catching up to the action. She may not actually be able to do anything to stop the fighting, but at least no one could ever say she left those she loved to fend for themselves while she ran away. That had already happened once, and she was still....

Shaking her head to dislodge that thought, Rogues best friend quietly as you please made her way down the hall. She had almost reached Jean's side when she notice her head snap back as if some one had struck her, then fall forward against the wall where she tried to retain her balance. The gun dropped from her nerveless fingers a whole second before she hit the ground, curled up in a fetal position with her hands pressed up against her chest and stomach. Cautiously reaching out of the girl, she had to pull her hand back, a painful hiss coming to her lips. "Ow! Yer burning!"

---

Time seemed to slow for Kuno as Ranma began the offensive, raising his uninjured arm, fist igniting in a fiery blue, before slamming him in the chest. The force of the blow made the kick he took earlier tame in comparison. That was pretty much where time returned to normal, in the sense he rocketed back at speeds that would have made the Roadrunner cry. Thankfully, a well placed tree and bench helped slow down his forward momentum, hurt like hell too.

He remembered, everything. How could he have forgotten his only love? He grimaced, connecting the dots now that the veil over his mind had been lifted. It was her.. her fault! She did it, some how she made him forget, took his feelings for Akane and made them her own. He knew. He understood.

He had descended into a level of pissed off never recorded in history!

Taking advantage of the bastards distraction, Kuno raised his arm, four prongs popping out carrying missiles that launched in a spiral formation for the currently unmoving target.

Ranma looked up, eyes still burning brightly with his power. In a move that would have stumped anyone who knew the guy, he simply raised his hand, palm flat in front of him.

---

Risty looked at the battle between the cyborg and Ranma as carefully as she could, taking careful caution not to touch Jean as she peered around the corner.

Jean moaned then, letting out what looked like a breath of frost even as her skin literally emitted steam. Risty didn't have a CLUE what the hell was going on, a confusion that rose to staggering heights as she witnessed Jean erupt in blue/black lightining, the strange feild surronding her entire body, almost dancing over the expanse of it.

Looking up and away from the light lest it hurt her eye, thats when she found yet another pleasent surprise. That same blue/black lightning had covered Ranma's form, dancing, withering in a serpentine frenzy as he stood there with his arm raised. She couldn't even see the boy underneath the lighting, only his eyes, brightly glowing eyes that expressed nothing but a deadly cold anger waiting to be unleashed.

And then the space in front of him distorted for a moment, missles flying past where she was hiding, happily continuing on it's deadly path, before everything erupted into a conflagaration of deadly flames.

---

"Duck!" Nabiko did as he was told, managing to do so just as a beam of red light blew overhead, slamming into a demonic raptor that had been poised to bring a end to the girl turned boy's life. Looking up, he caught sight of his savior, who even then hadn't stopped firing his deadly attack, nor did he look like he was going to stop any time soon.

Nearby Tabitha grinned, focusing another energy blast the size of a basketball. "This is it!"

Wanda's hands glew brighter for a second, the floor beneath the demon melting into sludge which the thing sunk into, before it instantly cooled, sealing the creature there.

Scott cut off his blast just as Tabitha let loose with hers, and in a cataclysic blast that brought a smile to the blond girl, the last of the demon raptors was torn apart, leaving nothing but a husk half sealed in the ground.

Toad limped up, heavily leaning on Peitro as he went. "Havin..." he grimaced. Damn, ribs cracked, "... fun yet?"

Emma let out a relieved breath, "Is it over?"

climbing to his feet, Nabiko shook his head fiercly as Fred joined the group, the big guy literally covered in the yellow blood of the raptors. Who knew how many he killed by himself. "No, Ranma's still fighting Kuno."

"Who?" Lance asked, coming up to the group. Kitty and Amarra kneeling nervously by the unconscious Rogue.

"That dick..." he replied, hatefully, "... That was given these pricks orders."

Kurt frowned, "Who were these guys?" he looked around the gym. Most, if not all, of the non-mutants had bolted at the first sign of battle. There were only a handful of soldiers left too, the ones that had been dropped during the initial surprise attack, but there should have been more. Escaped maybe?

"Nero." the girl turned guy sneered, "They killed my family, and Ranma's pop back in Japan."

Scott grimaced. They were willing to come all the way over here just to get Ranma? Geesh.

A feeling of thunder erupting near by, but with no sound quieted all conversation, which was shortly followed a series of loud explosions that shook the gym to it's very foundation.

---

Risty groaned, shaking herself out of her daze. Whatever the heck happened certainly packed quite the punch. Sparing Jean, who was still conscious, but panting terribly, she was slightly relieved to see the weird lightning show had disappeared entirely.

Ranma passed by the opening of the hallway, surrounded in a halo of blue light, features set in stone. If he noticed them, he paid them no heed as he went. Risty also noticed he was no longer surrounded by lightning either. Standing over Kuno, he gazed blankly while the cyborg, quite obviously damaged intensely, metal arm ripped off at its elbow with it's cybernetic eye broken and shattered, gazed up hatefully. "I. Fight. ON!"

He just shook his head, raising his uninjured arm paralel with his chest. "Yer fight ended a long time ago." his tone was like death warmed over, and as he spoke a shimmering black feild ignited across his forearm. "Just like yer life!" he screamed, arm thusting outward.

Risty couldn't see the effect, but the way his body jerk, leg twitching uncontrollably, she didn't doubt for a second something really, really bad had just happened.

Ranma just hovered there for a second, stone still as the time went by. After what seemed like an eternal moment, he turned away, walking back. He spared Risty the meanest glare he could come up with, which freaked the girl out so bad she huddled against the wall, eyes looking anywhere but at the boy. Through her peripherial vision she watched as he picked up Jean, and simply walked away.

---

Scott and the entirty of the Brother hood had raced towards the Source of the explosion the moment they were able to collect their wits. Turning the corner, the caught sight of Ranma moving down the hall towards them, carrying Jean in his arms. Farther down, they could see Risty, huddled protectivly against the wall, staring fearfully at the boy's back.

"Kuno?" Nabiko asked as he passed him by.

"Dead." he answered, coldly.

"Akane?" she snapped next.

"I remember." was her only explanation on that.

Scott looked weirdly on the boy as he stepped up to him, handing the panting redhead into his arms, idly caressing her cheek and parting a few strands of hair from her eyes. She watched him do that, far to out of it to actually say anything after... whatever the hell just happened to her.

Ranma and the others just walked away after that.

---

To be continued (Yare!)

Note: This chapter is not finished, glaring problems exist that will be dealt with in the next few days.

This is for Dan, the Hybrid Theory, and all the song 'Place for My Head.'

What, you got a problem with Linkin Park?