Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Carmina Nox Noctis ❯ Breathe Deep ( Chapter 2 )

Carmina Nox Noctis
a Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
by Mika the Raven
Disclaimer: NOT RICH, DON'T SUE, DIDN'T DO IT FOR THE MONEY.
Chapter 2: Breathe Deep
There are many things that we as human beings simply cannot comprehend. Be it because of size, or even due to willful ignorance. There are other things that we do not perceive because we have been blinded by society, religion, or upbringing. So when in a rare instance of clarity we see the unseen, It hits us with such ferocity that our minds will usually forget what happened immediately to keep our preconceptions of reality intact. For what is reality but a firm belief that the world works according to rules applied by whatever Gods we choose to believe in. But the simplest truth in all realities is thus...Rules are made to be broken.
This applies to unreality as well. The Gloaming is filled with creatures and their creators, neither seen nor heard in the waking world, ruling unopposed over the misconceptions of what those more powerful than they allow mortals to perceive as real. But change is coming, as it always does, to bring an end to an age, and let rise to a new.
There is a place within the Gloaming where such creatures meet in good faith and charity, a place where whatever rivalries or outright conflicts between them take a back burner to the more important matters at hand. It is a dark hall that is both nowhere and everywhere. This is where the old gods meet.
At the main podium there stands a man made of shadows, his bone white face and catlike eyes conveying to all his glee that the topic of discussion is one of his own. His name is Bartholomew. His name is The Cat. He is the god of hunters as well as the hunted. And as his name implies he is merely toying with his comrades, waiting for the opportunity to strike the killing blow. But for now he listens as the topic at hand concerns the fate of one Ranma Saotome.
"Bartholomew you were ordered to kill him. Why does he yet breathe?" Said a thing comprised almost entirely of writhing vermin.
"Why have you defied the will of this counsel so?" It added with venom, the rest of the counsel joining with cries of outrage, and anger.
Bartholomew shot the mass of insects a lidded look that silenced most of his decriers. "Need I remind you that the only reason I even attend these inane council meetings is because I find them to be an unending display of incomparable stupidity where not one of you in EONS, has had anything even remotely sensible to say. So until one of you manages to accomplish this it would behoove you to keep well out of my affairs!" Bartholomew thundered to the now properly culled councilmen.
Willow the spider lady was not known for her involvement in such proceedings but in rare instances she would lean one way or the other so long as the topic interested her. And choosing her moment she struck as quickly as she would when she was hunting.
"My esteemed colleagues, I have but one question to ask. What threat does this young mortal pose to ones such as us, who have risen below reality to establish our influence over the waking world? Yes the boy is the embodiment of Chaos, so what? So what if this station makes him more powerful than most of us combined. There will still be a limit placed on him, just as there is one placed on every one of you, or have you forgotten that the more power you have the greater the price you pay?” She made a grand sweeping gesture as she said this.
Save but a few of you, I can recall every council meeting that resulted in every one of you becoming an Aspect. Would you deny this boy his rightful place among us?” She paused to glance around the chamber, taking in the shamefaced expressions of most of the seat Aspects.
“I know why some of you would. It is because he has gone beyond your areas of influence. You cannot touch him and that scares you! I have met this young man and sampled his delicious soul, and found that he is most worthy." With that she rose and spun on her heel as she left the chamber.
At his point, Bartholomew was laughing uncontrollably inside his mind, but his face was the pinnacle of poise.
"On that note my friends, I will soon be bringing another Shadow to walk among us very soon. I suggest you be ready."
With that said he disappeared in a cloud of darkness...
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Bartholomew appeared in his lair moments later, and checked around to see if anyone had been there while he’d been at counsel. Willow appeared behind him seconds later, to his surprise. He shot her a sideways glance.
“To what, my dear do I owe this pleasure?” Bartholomew said as he poured himself a cup of a viscous back bubbling liquid from an ornate bottle that had been on the table.
Willow cast him a sidelong glance “Well I merely wished to congratulate an old friend on a battle well fought.”
Bartholomew glared at her disbelievingly.
“Well that and Lord Dais has made his displeasure with your course of action known.” Willow finished with a wistful sigh, not bothering to notice the incredulous look that Bartholomew was giving her “It was such a good plan too.”
The tall thin man padded across the room towards a bookcase, shaking the drink in his hand slightly.
“And since when has the opinions of that pompous collection of scrap mattered to me even in the slightest my dear?” He scoffed as he scanned the myriad tomes. “AHAH! Here it is.”
He pulled the book in question down from the shelf it had gone ignored on for a nigh century, and set it upon the table in front of Willow. She opened it and flipped through the first few pages.
“What is this?!” She exclaimed as she looked from the book to Bartholomew “They’re blank.”
Bartholomew laughed bodily as he regarded his semi-unwelcome guest. “Of course they are my dear.” He said as he managed to stifle his laughter to snickers. “This book is not meant to be read by you or I.”
The multi-armed madam blinked as she considered his answer, then a look of comprehension came across her features.
“Old Ones… This is a Therion Grimoire isn’t it? You’re going to let the boy read it aren’t you?” She slammed the cover shut and joined Bartholomew in his mirth. “I do believe I will join you in one of those drinks, old friend.”
Bartholomew poured said drink, all further conversation devolving into a steady stream of vividly detailed reminiscences about days long past.
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Ranma Saotome woke wet, as he usually did when his father would throw him out of the window for their morning spar.
"DAMMIT POP, FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE I WOULD LIKE TO SLEEP IN ON A SUNDAY!"
“SHUT UP AND FIGHT BOY! YOU SHAME YOUR POOR FATHER WITH YOUR GIRLISH WHINING, I DIDN’T RAISE YOU TO BE A SISSY!”
The now female Ranma charged her father with a killing intent etched onto her face. It was not a look she wore often but she was tired of being harangued every hour of every day, and in a feat that proved just how she felt this morning, she knocked out her father with one punch and walked inside.
"Oh my, is Uncle Saotome going to alright out there in the rain Ranma?" Kasumi said as she set some rice and miso in front of the glowering martial artist.
"He'll be fine Kasumi..." Ranma said in a growl "He's just washing off the shame of being beaten by a GIRL." The last being shouted at the slowly recovering parental unit that was Saotome Genma.
She didn't say anything else as she finished her breakfast in silence and grabbed her pack for school.
“Have you seen Akane this morning Kasumi, she’s usually down here yelling at me an’ Pop for being noisy.”
Kasumi paused in gathering up the plates Ranma had used for her meal.
“Actually Ranma, Akane left very early this morning, She said she forgot her homework at Sayuri’s house.” She said as she finished cleaning.
Ranma was mollified with the explanation, and left through the back gate
Kasumi watched as she left and idly wondered if something was wrong with Ranma, but decided to ask her when she came home.
Ranma walked sullenly along the fence with her head down and her hands in her pockets slowly letting the rain soak her clothes. She had always like the rain before her curse, and she was trying to enjoy it now. But there was something horribly wrong with today. It was like the shadows seemed long than normal, as if they were merely lying in wait to grab some unsuspecting passerby and carry them off to Kami-sama knew where. As she finished that thought there was a sharp sudden pain in her head that was gone almost as fast as it arrived.
"I was wondering when you were gonna come back." She said to her apparent master.
"WHY IT'S NOT LIKE YOU MISSED ME OR ANYTHING." The Cat replied with an amused voice.
"So what do you want now?" She said with no shortage of malice in her voice.
"OH NOTHING LIKE THAT I'M JUST...HOW DO YOU MORTALS PUT IT...OH YES, I'M JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE." The Cat was laughing as he said this.
"What are you talking about?" Ranma said with a sense of foreboding that was no doubt her danger sense going off.
"JUST SAYING THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO TURN AROUND." Said the cat with a giggle.
Ranma complied and as she turned around she heard the last thing she wanted to hear today.

A/N Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it, I’m very much trying to avoid the whole ANC (that’s ANNOYING NEW CHARACTER for all you noobs) curse, but since most of my characters ARE GODS I guess it’s ok. CH 3. Will be along within the week.