Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Prayer ❯ The Demon Within ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: xzero 
The have brought this uponthemselves, they have called down the thunder, and must reap the whirlwing.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.22.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Completed
The have brought this uponthemselves, they have called down the thunder, and must reap the whirlwing.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.22.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Completed
"You have all long wanted me for your own devices, defeat me now and I'll grant your wish." Ranma announced in a grave tone. He settled into a fighting stance, not of the school they were all so familiar with, his eyes narrowed.
"This shall now begin, the final act of this life,” he smirked, taunting them to move. “I have no desire for any of your deaths, but if you insist on being fools, I will put you in your place.”
There was death in those words, uncertainty that had once been there was gone. A dark gleam in his eye gave a moment’s pause to the mass of fools. This was beginning to scare the fiancées, Ranma would never hurt them, would he?
No, he was just kidding about that part, they decided. No matter how unsure they were, they would beat him, if it meant that'd make him theirs...
Dark Prayer- The Demon Within
By: XZero and Paul
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or the rights to the music by Disturbed, that belongs to them, and Ranma to Rumiko Takahashi.
Rage, rage was what he felt. It was common since Saffron, but before that, all he had was his “father” to focus his hate towards. He hated the people around him, more than any realized. He wanted them dead, he wanted them to suffer for the pain they inflicted upon him, to pay for what they had done. Ranma looked out on the collected fighters, thinly veiled disgust clear to those who knew him. He didn’t want to keep his rage in check anymore, he didn’t want to let them get away with feeling no pain. It was time for them to suffer as he had! He closed his eyes again and concentrated on the energy lurking deep within him.
"Die Saotome!!!" Cried the voices of the “men”, while the females screeched incoherently about their love for the pigtailed warrior. He stopped thinking of himself as a Martial Artist after Saffron, stopped being one who learned the art for no other reason than to improve himself. He now he felt the dark urges as well, the battle lust. He knew fighting for those cared for would stain his hands with more blood, as he was now. <Go figure, I never thought this day would come, but now it’s time to return the favor they gave me over the years.> His eyes hardened and he waited for the men, slowly approaching him. Well slow to him, he heard a voice in the back of his mind, a shadow from years ago.
((Flashback))
"My son, there may come a time when you have no other choice but to end a life to save the lives of others, and when that day comes, you must strike decisively and quickly, there is no room for regret in the warrior's path." The shadow recited from some old tale he had heard at some point.
"What's the difference Pops?" a semi-interested chibi-ranma asked.
"A warrior must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals, and realize that taking a life may be required. A modern martial artist should never know the weight that one has to carry after taking a life, or the responsibility that power holds. It is what you are required to be my son, no one else can carry the burden you can.” And from their the memory faded.
((End Flashback))
“It’s time,” he whispered, snapping his eyes open and staring at the beast known as the Nermia Wrecking Crew to some. Back into this world, he ducked a barrage of ki-charged bandanas, only to leap into the air to avoid the chains that the myopic hidden weapons master had thrown and twist out of the way of a series of throwing spatulas. He landed gracefully only to come face to face with Shampoo who had hoped to take advantage of the throwing weapons and attack him while distracted. Her efforts were rewarded with a hard kick to the right knee. An audible pop was heard, as Shampoo fell, trying hard not to cry out. Ranma sneered at the downed fighter, looking like he would attack again, when he leapt away from a gas grenade and flour bomb. Leaving the mace weilder to suffer their effects.
<Kodachi> He growled and cursed himself for being careless, swiftly reaching the apex of his jump. The fact that these fools thought the same thing would keep on working. He growled in disgust, ready to end something he should have long ago. He felt the disgust wash over him, disgust at himself for letting this go on.
"No more games!" He screamed loudly, as his aura sprung back into view, wreathed around him like the corona around the sun. "Shinsei Honoo!”
His aura exploded outward, sending waves of power out amongst the teenage fighters, each cringing back momentarily under the frightening image that was Ranma. This was what the God of Phoenix Mountain had faced, a warrior holding nothing back. This is what each feared secretly they themselves would face.
Ukyo felt her heart stop at the sight of her friend. The fire in his eyes, and the rage pouring off him were enough to bring her to her knees. Shocked out of the battle craze she had arrived in, she realized that she had let herself be caught up in things, that she was not the friend she claimed to be. She shuddered at the thought of the things she had done, of how she had become like the others, like her father... <No, I can’t, won’t live like this! I am his friend, I am, I promised him… > With that she dropped her battle spatula to the ground, the clatter from the weapon could be heard all around but due to the situation going on around her, she was ignored by all but one.
In the shadows she watched it all unfold, as she had for the last eighteen years. <Finally a chance>
Ryoga was the first to regain his “backbone,” if one could call it that, and charged. He would see this end, his enemy would finally die for all that he had done. He watched as his hated foe dodged his first punch, only to be hit with a punch just beneath the ribs. Even the breaking point training didn’t hurt like this. What was going on? He fell back, letting lose with a barrage of charged bandana’s that Ranma destroyed with his battle aura, or in Ryouga’s mind ran from the coward he was. He leapt towards Ranma again, only this time the warrior met him in midair, where fist met fist. Ryoga pouring all his anger and hatred into his fists, speed was what he needed now. This Ranma was unlike any he had fought before, and try as he might, this Ranma was beating him, with a resounding crack. Ranma's speed was uncanny, his strength, too was nothing to laugh at. Just what was happening to him? This wasn’t the fighter he had hunted for so long. No matter, he would kill him either way.
He was quickly losing in to his rage and he realized that, and finally as Ranma sent him flying back toward the ground, having used him as a spring board to gain more height, he went into that rage, using it to give him the strength he was sorely lacking right now. He refused to end it there, "For all the things you've done Ranma, you'll pay!" The sometimes-pig, cried angrily at the turnout of the first clash. His thoughts turned dark, the sea of depression inside him swelled as memories of defeat returned to him, Akane's smile, the one he wished for immensely, being given to Ranma, and never to him (A/N:This is Ryoga's interpretation of the world), the rain, the curse, all of it, it was all ranma's fault. With the depression and hatred, Ryoga's aura exploded by triple any he'd ever made. "Time to die!!!! Ascension of the Damned!!!"
A pillar of swirling black and green energy tore up the ground around him, and than upward. The huge energy blast caught Ranma with its sheer size and his inability to dodge.
Larger than any Ultimate Ki blast he had thrown before, Ryoga slumped down, completely spent. He watched as the projectile careened towards his rival, when his eyes shot open. Ranma wasn’t trying to dodge, he was gathering energy from everything around them. Not even he had learned how to control the power of nature yet. He watched as the new warrior raised his hands towards the sphere and smiled. “And the lord said, let there be light,” he smirked.
"Fukyuu Eiyuu" He screamed, launching the condensed blast of ki at the titanic projectile.
The blasts collided, and detonated. Everyone covered their eyes as the blinding light burned their retina. By the time Ryoga had regained his vision Ranma was gone. Ranma appeared a heartbeat later with a sadistic smile plastered across his face, "Not very nice, you could hurt someone." Ranma said, wagging a finger at the speechless berserker. “You may have thought you have had the power advantage Ryoga, but now it’s time to show you your place.”
Ryoga thought he understood pain, thought he had endured so much over his lifetime, but the beating he was now receiving was nothing compared to that. Ranma had already broken an arm, and was blasting away at his midsection. His ribs had cracked in their first exchange, making breathing incredibly hard. Right now he would settle for hard breathing compared to having the air forced out with each punch. Ranma then grabbed him over his head, and slammed him down across the knee. He feel to the ground, stunned at the power he felt coming from Ranma, but it was not the end. Ranma, wanting him to suffer, lifted his broken body and decided the mouth needed reworking. He let him fall free for a moment, long enough catch him in the jaw. Ryoga wanted to cry at the injustice of it all, how the hell was Ranma this strong? Each bone rattling punch caused his body to shudder. He didn’t know, even with his endurance, if it would be possible to survive much more of a beating. Strike after strike came, but the third set of them a new friend of Ranma’s had made an appearance. Black and blue flame covered his fists as he launched into another combo. As the final hit came, a right uppercut that caught Ryoga just beneath his shattered ribs, they stared at the blazing with blue flame.
The final strike sent the fanged martial artist spiraling to the ground, beaten into a bloody pulp. Ranma suddenly felt something brush against his aura. A meaty thud followed swiftly by a resounding clang of metal rang out in the morning as a bonbori struck the ground. <Bad move Amazon> he thought turning to face Shampoo.
Shampoo had barely managed to escape the paralysis gas and explosive batter, an agonizing experience with the injury inflicted by her “Airen”. She could not believe the battle between pig-boy and her Arien, he had not been as vicious with the Phoenix God as he was right now. <Damn male, he will be brought to heal> her illusions of Ranma being shattered with each punch. She waited until the fool Ryoga had fallen to make her move.
<Now> she cursed her stupidity at not guarding her legs. Her speed halved by her “Airen” breaking her knee, she thought she had him, launching her bonbori at him. He didn’t seem aware of it at all, the perfect opportunity. When his aura set the weapon to the ground like a useless piece of metal, she knew she was in trouble. She watched her Arien turn, and cringed at the smile. “Time to pay, Amazon,” he growled.
She was unprepared,, when the fist was buried to mid forearm in her stomach. She bent over, not even her Great-grandmother hit that hard, gasping for air, coughing up blood. Ranma wasn’t done, though, he lifted her into the air by her neck, and smiled as he pulled his hand back. Blue and black fire still encased them, Blue and black fire from the pits of hell.
She watched as Ranma brought the fist forward. It was the last thing she would see this day.
Ranma enjoyed beating the over amorous Amazon. He enjoyed inflicting pain against them as they had done him. He dropped the Amazon’s motionless corpse to the ground. She was still alive, he wasn’t that merciful to grant them liberty through death. They had a price to pay to him after all...
"Two fools down, anyone want to just give up now, and save us all the trouble?" He asked, smirking, and knowing that none would take his offer. It was alright by him after all, they didn’t deserve any mercy in his mind.
Kuno, having seen the foul villain's latest works of black magic, called out a fierce battle cry, charging the pigtailed demon. Viciously, stabbing forward with his greatest technique, "Strike!Strike!Strike!" It was meaningless to the new warrior. He flowed with the attack, the gusts of wind meaning nothing to him. Kuno screamed, not letting up, even as the coward came to a stop. "Shakespeare, this one is for you." Ranma stated with a chuckle and smirk. He grabbed the bokken and let lose with the blue-black flame. Kuno screamed in pain as blue and black tendrils of energy invaded his body. “You want to see dark powers, let me show you a bit of what I am capable of!” Kuno’s screams before he passed out were by far the worst so far.
Ranma smirked as the next fighter, Mousse, came forward. Deciding the time for mercy was over, he grabbed Mouse and poured black fire into him. He cried out in pain, the foreign energy more than anyone could take. He lifted Mousse and turned around just in time to catch Mousse across the face with a reverse crescent kick, why not show off on such a weak fool. He was not fighting an equal, why should he show off. He grabbed the blind fighter one more time slapping him a couple times so that he was awake. “I want you to see this, because you will see it only once.” Ranma smirked and then with a cry of "Ryuusei Ame!" he was laid to waste the worthless fool with an assault of vicious high speed punches. Letting Mousse drop he cringed as a hateful laughter filled the air.
Kodachi laughed insanely, "Hohoho, finally those peasants are defeated, come Ranma-sama, let us run away together." She screeched as she dove forward, a maniacal gleam in her eyes.
"Not a chance, you psychotic bitch." He said calmly, gathering dark fire into his hands, and with renewed power he pressed forward again. Needles to say, after he was done Kodachi would never be doing Gymnastics again..
Cologne lost balance on her staff and landed roughly on the floor, Happi sprawled next to her. "I... I just barely saw him" They both muttered as one. The group of super powerful martial artists were all devastated, each and every one, they even had the advantage of numbers, not that they were intelligent enough to use it, but each still had been decimated by a single fighter. The had all fallen, all except a certain chef, who now looked up from her turmoil to gaze upon the warrior who stood before her.
"R-ranchan?" Ukyo ventured, wondering why she had been spared the devastating attack. Ukyo couldn't find the words, she left speechless, at least, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. The tomboyish okonomiyaki chef looked up with a touch of fear in her eyes, and saw a smiling Ranma looking down at her. "Don't worry Ucchan, things will be okay in the end, I promise. I will take all the pain away." The young man stated before seemingly groping her chest, she had thoughts to get angry, but just as she registered herself being felt up by the pigtailed man, she lost coherency as she too entered the land of dreams.
The dark power coming from Ranma was too much for them to stand by. Both Cologne and Happi charged, knowing they had to stop him before he decided to finish the job. He smirked, pouring more energy. He dropped Ukyo, just before giving her the release of death, and moved to match the old crones, taking a speed inherent stance. His aura flashed brightly for a moment, and in that instant he ran forward at full speed They never knew what hit them, as he sent them into oblivion as well. He thought of giving them the release, but in truth, they were not ready. Why should they be given such a gift. He went back to Ukyo, his eyes sad, but ready to give her a release from the pain. He stopped when the shadow appeared beside him, a soft hand on his exposed shoulder.
“It’s enough Reiko,” she said in a soft voice, tenderly pleading her case with moist eyes locked on his. “You have let them feel your pain, don’t kill them.”
"Kijin Raishu Dan!" His danger sense and hearing saved the day for an innocent bystander. He gently pushed the redheaded mystery woman away as the vacuum blade slid past his extended left arm, leaving a deep gash in his arm and tearing a rut in the ground. The aquatransexual warrior spun away from the attack, pulling his arm away quickly enough to keep it. He growled as a feral and raging energy fueled him. He took hold of that power and poured into his palm, and he felt the energy boil. How dare his father! <No, not your father! Just some greedy man who wanted to use you.> A part of him said to himself.
The shadowy woman cursed, rolling backward as the air distortion caused a tiny cloud of Ranma's blood to spray the air. She felt the energy come forth for his next attack. She knew she had been taking a risk, but the guards had to be slipped soon, if things were to change. There had to be a way to stop this.
As he finished his spin he pushed his hand forward, an angry red ball of energy rocketing forth from his outstretched palm. So powerful was the attack that he reached forward and held his other arm at the wrist, adding what support the injury appendage could to the stability. "Mouretsu Reikonl" He cried out, the beach ball sized blast flying an arrow's path to the boy's "father" detonating with a bomb's fury, leveling the majority of the house.
Soun had charged before the Violent Soul could explode against his rotund compatriot and escaped the brunt of the attack. He though was caught in the afterblast, being launch toward his quarry by the shockwave. Just as well, he thought to himself, and lined his body to meet the pigtailed one's head on. He through a devastating forward punch as he landed right before his would be son-in-law, continuing his foreward momentum to add strength to muscles disused for so long. He was sure this would be his day, he'd defeat the boy and show him the error of his ways, only to be put down faster than Akane had the other day. He growled, kicking the man’s ribs in. So many unworthy fools around him.
“Damn." As she witnessed the brutal beating of the weeping man. "Calm down Reiko,” the shadow yelled. He turned to face her, and she leapt toward him again. for the first time his blue eyes going soft.
“What did you call me?” Ranma asked. He looked around in horror at the downed bodies. Had he done all of this?
<Damn it> she cursed. <I should have been more careful.>
She breathed a sigh when he didn’t push her any farther. He seemed more entranced by the carnage his unlocked temper had caused. <I wish it wasn’t necessary, but he has to see…he has to understand how far he has left to go> She watched him, silently wishing that he would be alright, the rage had subsided for her, however slightly.
<Can I just let them die like this, I have my freedom, do I need to kill them as well?> His mind questioned quickly, <No! They may have brought me pain, but without giving them the chance to make amends I am nothing but a murderer. I am no better than my father.> He decided, and concentrated hard. "Hitokage no Aisu!" His cold aura exploded outward from his body, the wall of cold chi battling hard for dominance as the sweat that dripped from his brow froze and crystallized. Everything that had been left burning by his expression of pure rage was misting as the air cooled, and continued to cool, and finally froze bits of moisture in the air, causing snow to fall around the ruins of the Tendo house, putting out the fires.
The elder Tendo daughters and Nodoka reached the dojo shortly after the explosion had subsided. When they reached the remainder of the gate they looked in, and saw Ranma, standing amidst a frozen waste. The entire house hand very nearly been leveled, along with the majority of the dojo, the only things left untouched by the disaster was the koi pond, and even there the top of water was frozen solid.
"The end." Stated the pigtailed youth. He turned to them and Nabiki almost lost her footing. Standing before them was no boy of near 18, no, this was a young man who looked to have weathered a storm of incredible intensity. Gone was the soft innocence in his eyes, replaced by an intensity that they had only seen during his battles, this was the Ranma that had gained her respect and love, the man who's hard gaze brooked no argument. His hair was streaked with traces of silver, which shone in the morning sun, his pants were mere strips of cloth, and shirt was non-existent, the women noted.
The new look seemed to suit him more than any could ever say. It in fact seemed as if it had been there the entire time, waiting to be seen by others.
Ranma had finished, he had fulfilled both his self-appointed duties, freedom, it was now his, along with the preservation of life. He turned around to the gate to see his mother standing there with a bundle in her arms, but confusingly, his keen perception noticed the bundle that carried her sword on her back. He smiled softly to the three women of importance in his life.
His danger sense was still going. What was going on? He knew it wasn’t the woman who had appeared before, he knew he could trust her, but something was still not right. Twisting out of the way of a projectile, he felt Taro, he knew that ki pattern anywhere, especially with the warped aura he gave off when in his cursed form. This would need to be quick to prevent him from noticing the women, if he did, things would get ugly.
"Shinkou Ken!" He stated as he completed the technique, Pantyhose's motion stunned, the aura expanded and formed a cloud of pinpoint ki spheres.
Taro didn't understand it, he shouldn't have been able to sense him, but he did. The pigtailed asshole (in his opinion anyhow) had opened up with a pretty strong kick, he'd realized this when he felt the reeling and pain generally associated with a fight with the annoying femboy. He landed shakily but despite this still charged his foe, that is, until he felt the sting of hundreds of small needles.
"Tenshi Shouten" He heard his enemy say as his aura expanded violently, shoving him back, <Damn you femboy, just die!!> Which of course came out a bit more like this. "MOO!!!" Taro shouted, feeling the intense anger, and whether admitted or not, depression, at all the times he had been defeated in his quest to change his name. He'd seen the process enough times, and had finally mastered it, wasn't hard given how pathetic his existence was, and now it would be unleashed. <Damn you Ranma!! Shi Shi Hokodan!!!> Again due to the translation between human thought, and yeti/cow language his words were warped into "MOO-OOO-MOOOOO!!" He cried out, pouring his emotions into his attack, he'd never expect this one, Taro thought to himself.
Taro thought wrong, Ranma's aura flare receded quickly after it's initial purpose, because there he stood, the silver lining to his hair increased, his eyes were silver as well, a by-product of flooding his entire body with energy. "Time's up Taro, time to lose." Ranma ran forward into the ki blast, dropping into a slide he fired a quick flare from his hands as he went, sending the depression and anger based move careening into the sky to dissipate safely. Out of the slide the pigtailed warrior flipped forward, his fists glowed red/silver as they were brought to bear against Taro's hide. "Ryuusei Ame!" He whispered, pouring punch after punch into his foe, tearing through the toughness of the minotaur, with each explosion, which had changed from the usual rage red, to a serene silver, taking just and instant to gather strength, Ranma thrust his arm up into Pantyhose's exposed undercarriage, propelling Taro into the air. "Kyuukyoku Keibatsu!" Were the last words Taro heard that day, or for roughly a week, for that matter, because then, while the monster man was midair and stunned, Ranma leapt to follow, bringing a midair tackle with him, holding tightly and using his upward inertia to spin and throw the beast to the ground again. All was ended when the neo-silver eyed man landed atop his foe, a overhanded and unnamed blast of energy pounded into Taro's chest. The artistic brutality was frighteningly beautiful, and left them stunned as they listened to his following speech.
"This is the end for Ranma Saotome, he is dead, fallen amongst those he once called friend, and now, I am free." The young man stated softly as he looked in the direction of his only true family. The women cringed as he fell to the ground hard, his hair losing the silver highlighting, now maintaining only the very light hints of them he had, eyes faded back into the grey-blue others were used to. He was falling, but did not die as he expected. He knew that he should have, he'd expended so much ki today that he should have died, he should be weak as a kitten, instead he just felt tired, and so he slept.
The cloaked figure was the first to jump and catch him and ease him to the ground. She crouched beside the god slayer, a gentle hand stroked his cheek gently, lovingly. "Rest now Reiko, soon you will be all better. Soon, I promise."
She calmly removed the cloak and wrapped it around the sleeping fighter. With the cloak gone she is revealed to be an immensely beautiful woman of roughly 20. Long red hair flowed down her back like a mane of fire, she wasn't particularly muscled but one could tell from the way she stood that she was a seasoned fighter of incredible power. Her form seemed to scream power and grace, not terribly different from Ranma's. Nabiki looked the redhead over, and noted the silver silk tunic and black stitching hiding a bust that, while the same size as Ranma's female form, looked smaller on her slightly larger and mature frame. The loose black pants she wore tied at apparently the same place as Ranma's as well, the ankles and waist. She wore the same slippers that the pigtailed young man wore as well. She looked out to the three women moving toward her and Ranma, "Hello, I'm Ranko Metsuretsu." Her disarming smile and polite disposition caught the Tendo girls off guard but was welcomed by Ranma's mother, whose mind swam with pride over her son, and slight wonderment at the last name of the girl, it was familiar, but she could not remember why.
Nabiki looked this new girl over again and again, she was a mystery that she had to figure out. Who is she? Why does she dress and look like Ranma? She pushed that thought aside to deal with later. "What do you want with Ranma?" She asked as she looked over to the prone form of her pseudo-brother, assessing his condition with an ease born of practice. <He's just tired, doesn't look like there'll be any real problems. But he'll need to have his arm looked after.> Her analysis completed quickly and efficiently, the skills she was less than proud of still held some use.
“More than you could imagine,” Ranko smiled looking at the silent form of Reiko. He couldn’t remember his past, but soon he would. Soon all would be right with the former and new warrior.
Kasumi could only mutter to herself about poor Ranma-kun, he wasn't hurt, she could tell from looking at the way her breathed. "Oh my, this is all my fault." She said darting to his side and assessing the damage to him the moment he was uncovered slightly by the cloak, noticing only the gash on his arm which was tended to quickly with the tatters of a pant leg. Aside from the minor things he had suffered during the week, such as a few burns, he was fine, albeit his skin was extremely cold. Her breath fogged in the air. Remembering her position as lady of the house and hostess, she quickly turned back to Ranko as she covered Ranma again in the cloak, which she realized was incredibly heavy material. "How can we help you, Metsuretsu-san?"
Nodoka looked over the girl, and nodded, "I remember, when he was just an infant, you, you were the one who gave these to me, weren't you?" She said holding up the bundle of items, the bracers and scabbard shined in the cold sunlight. "Why, what could he use these for?" She asked, fear of losing her only child apparent in the pleading tone she took.
"Saotome-san, Ranma needs to remember who he was, with the power he has it would be dangerous if he kept using it without knowing what it is, and what it's for. That, and he wants to be a better person, but Ranma Saotome can't do that, that's why he wanted his freedom. His father would have kept him here to teach for the rest of his life with bullshit dressed in honor sauce, and he wouldn't have had a chance to grow. I have seen him, he's too much like he used to be, a wanderer." She paused to collect herself again, "Now please, please, give me the bracers to give to him, they'll help him to control his anger until he's got enough focus."
She stated with a bit of urgency that unnerved the swordswoman. <What could cause her to want to take such a precaution while he's asleep?> She questioned silently, and as if by answer, Ranma's aura began to take life again, the menacing glow spreading slowly but surely from the young warrior.
Ranma was unconscious, of that he was sure. Why he was standing in a blindingly white hallway, with doors off to each side, he couldn't quite grasp. "Ranma, it is time for you to awaken from your dream." A familiar voice stated, oddly enough though he realized why this voice was familiar, it was his after all. He spun on his heel, and found himself face to face with, himself.
"Who... who're you?" He asked of his twin. "I am you, or at least, who you used to be." Ranma couldn't deal with this, he needed to restore his energy before the others awoke, and this guy wasn't making sense, <I wish you would just tell me what you mean, I'm too tired to deal with this.> As if he had read his mind the other man introduced himself, "I am Reiko Metsuretsu, and you are reincarnated from me."
TBC...
Before the translations I would like to give special credit to my editor Paul, who wrote as much of this chapter as I did, and has given me so much help that I can't honestly express my thanks but with the meager tribute to him in the by-line. So said, now on with translations.
Techniques Translations:
Mouretsu Reikon: A manifestation of all the anger and rage that Ranma can sum up, this attack means Rage Spirit or Violent Soul.
Hitokage no Aisu: This is the soul of ice, this particular use of the technique was a shield, it countered the intense heat and energy of the Mouretsu Reikon.
Shinsei Honoo: The Rebirth Flame. This is an aura attack, the displacement caused by the aura growing violently causes energy shockwaves.
Fukyuu Eiyuu: Immortal Hero. This attack consists of a ki flare, it is generally a close range takedown technique, this time however, it was used to smokescreen ranma's position, and in turn evade the giant ki blast.
Ryuusei Ame: Meteor Rain. The supercharged high speed punch attack utilizes ki blasts that explode against the recipient/victim on contact.
Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu: Otherwise known as Anything Goes Martial Arts.
Shinkou Ken: Rising Blade. This attack charges a limb with ki, and is performed with a jump, doesn't matter what kind. The general usage however, is a backflip kick, that propels a ki blade at the opponent.
Tenshi Shouten: Divine Ascension. This is another aura technique, this one isn't of Ranma's creation, it was merely something that came to him when he needed it, why he knew it will be clarified in later chapters. This aura technique is like that of a Super Saiyajin transformation, in that it floods the entire body with more ki than it can handle, forcing it to adapt, the more it is used the easier the technique is to perform.
Kyuukyoku Keibatsu: Final Judgment. This technique is an end combo. After a barrage of attacks Ranma will send his opponent into the air with any technique necessary, and follow them with a rising tackle (not in the King of Fighters sense either at least I don't think so, never saw one happen) after grabbing the stunned opponent he then stands up his opponent as they fall, and ending the entire thing with a ki blast to the chest to lay them low.
Reiko Metsuretsu: Great Spirit in Chaos. This one brooks no explation, as it would be telling if I said anything.
I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter, I lengthened the combat and cut short on a bit of the talking, as people specifically requested a no holds barred combat against the NWC. I have finished the bit of revision that I thought necessary on this chapter as well.
"This shall now begin, the final act of this life,” he smirked, taunting them to move. “I have no desire for any of your deaths, but if you insist on being fools, I will put you in your place.”
There was death in those words, uncertainty that had once been there was gone. A dark gleam in his eye gave a moment’s pause to the mass of fools. This was beginning to scare the fiancées, Ranma would never hurt them, would he?
No, he was just kidding about that part, they decided. No matter how unsure they were, they would beat him, if it meant that'd make him theirs...
Dark Prayer- The Demon Within
By: XZero and Paul
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or the rights to the music by Disturbed, that belongs to them, and Ranma to Rumiko Takahashi.
Rage, rage was what he felt. It was common since Saffron, but before that, all he had was his “father” to focus his hate towards. He hated the people around him, more than any realized. He wanted them dead, he wanted them to suffer for the pain they inflicted upon him, to pay for what they had done. Ranma looked out on the collected fighters, thinly veiled disgust clear to those who knew him. He didn’t want to keep his rage in check anymore, he didn’t want to let them get away with feeling no pain. It was time for them to suffer as he had! He closed his eyes again and concentrated on the energy lurking deep within him.
"Die Saotome!!!" Cried the voices of the “men”, while the females screeched incoherently about their love for the pigtailed warrior. He stopped thinking of himself as a Martial Artist after Saffron, stopped being one who learned the art for no other reason than to improve himself. He now he felt the dark urges as well, the battle lust. He knew fighting for those cared for would stain his hands with more blood, as he was now. <Go figure, I never thought this day would come, but now it’s time to return the favor they gave me over the years.> His eyes hardened and he waited for the men, slowly approaching him. Well slow to him, he heard a voice in the back of his mind, a shadow from years ago.
((Flashback))
"My son, there may come a time when you have no other choice but to end a life to save the lives of others, and when that day comes, you must strike decisively and quickly, there is no room for regret in the warrior's path." The shadow recited from some old tale he had heard at some point.
"What's the difference Pops?" a semi-interested chibi-ranma asked.
"A warrior must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals, and realize that taking a life may be required. A modern martial artist should never know the weight that one has to carry after taking a life, or the responsibility that power holds. It is what you are required to be my son, no one else can carry the burden you can.” And from their the memory faded.
((End Flashback))
“It’s time,” he whispered, snapping his eyes open and staring at the beast known as the Nermia Wrecking Crew to some. Back into this world, he ducked a barrage of ki-charged bandanas, only to leap into the air to avoid the chains that the myopic hidden weapons master had thrown and twist out of the way of a series of throwing spatulas. He landed gracefully only to come face to face with Shampoo who had hoped to take advantage of the throwing weapons and attack him while distracted. Her efforts were rewarded with a hard kick to the right knee. An audible pop was heard, as Shampoo fell, trying hard not to cry out. Ranma sneered at the downed fighter, looking like he would attack again, when he leapt away from a gas grenade and flour bomb. Leaving the mace weilder to suffer their effects.
<Kodachi> He growled and cursed himself for being careless, swiftly reaching the apex of his jump. The fact that these fools thought the same thing would keep on working. He growled in disgust, ready to end something he should have long ago. He felt the disgust wash over him, disgust at himself for letting this go on.
"No more games!" He screamed loudly, as his aura sprung back into view, wreathed around him like the corona around the sun. "Shinsei Honoo!”
His aura exploded outward, sending waves of power out amongst the teenage fighters, each cringing back momentarily under the frightening image that was Ranma. This was what the God of Phoenix Mountain had faced, a warrior holding nothing back. This is what each feared secretly they themselves would face.
Ukyo felt her heart stop at the sight of her friend. The fire in his eyes, and the rage pouring off him were enough to bring her to her knees. Shocked out of the battle craze she had arrived in, she realized that she had let herself be caught up in things, that she was not the friend she claimed to be. She shuddered at the thought of the things she had done, of how she had become like the others, like her father... <No, I can’t, won’t live like this! I am his friend, I am, I promised him… > With that she dropped her battle spatula to the ground, the clatter from the weapon could be heard all around but due to the situation going on around her, she was ignored by all but one.
In the shadows she watched it all unfold, as she had for the last eighteen years. <Finally a chance>
Ryoga was the first to regain his “backbone,” if one could call it that, and charged. He would see this end, his enemy would finally die for all that he had done. He watched as his hated foe dodged his first punch, only to be hit with a punch just beneath the ribs. Even the breaking point training didn’t hurt like this. What was going on? He fell back, letting lose with a barrage of charged bandana’s that Ranma destroyed with his battle aura, or in Ryouga’s mind ran from the coward he was. He leapt towards Ranma again, only this time the warrior met him in midair, where fist met fist. Ryoga pouring all his anger and hatred into his fists, speed was what he needed now. This Ranma was unlike any he had fought before, and try as he might, this Ranma was beating him, with a resounding crack. Ranma's speed was uncanny, his strength, too was nothing to laugh at. Just what was happening to him? This wasn’t the fighter he had hunted for so long. No matter, he would kill him either way.
He was quickly losing in to his rage and he realized that, and finally as Ranma sent him flying back toward the ground, having used him as a spring board to gain more height, he went into that rage, using it to give him the strength he was sorely lacking right now. He refused to end it there, "For all the things you've done Ranma, you'll pay!" The sometimes-pig, cried angrily at the turnout of the first clash. His thoughts turned dark, the sea of depression inside him swelled as memories of defeat returned to him, Akane's smile, the one he wished for immensely, being given to Ranma, and never to him (A/N:This is Ryoga's interpretation of the world), the rain, the curse, all of it, it was all ranma's fault. With the depression and hatred, Ryoga's aura exploded by triple any he'd ever made. "Time to die!!!! Ascension of the Damned!!!"
A pillar of swirling black and green energy tore up the ground around him, and than upward. The huge energy blast caught Ranma with its sheer size and his inability to dodge.
Larger than any Ultimate Ki blast he had thrown before, Ryoga slumped down, completely spent. He watched as the projectile careened towards his rival, when his eyes shot open. Ranma wasn’t trying to dodge, he was gathering energy from everything around them. Not even he had learned how to control the power of nature yet. He watched as the new warrior raised his hands towards the sphere and smiled. “And the lord said, let there be light,” he smirked.
"Fukyuu Eiyuu" He screamed, launching the condensed blast of ki at the titanic projectile.
The blasts collided, and detonated. Everyone covered their eyes as the blinding light burned their retina. By the time Ryoga had regained his vision Ranma was gone. Ranma appeared a heartbeat later with a sadistic smile plastered across his face, "Not very nice, you could hurt someone." Ranma said, wagging a finger at the speechless berserker. “You may have thought you have had the power advantage Ryoga, but now it’s time to show you your place.”
Ryoga thought he understood pain, thought he had endured so much over his lifetime, but the beating he was now receiving was nothing compared to that. Ranma had already broken an arm, and was blasting away at his midsection. His ribs had cracked in their first exchange, making breathing incredibly hard. Right now he would settle for hard breathing compared to having the air forced out with each punch. Ranma then grabbed him over his head, and slammed him down across the knee. He feel to the ground, stunned at the power he felt coming from Ranma, but it was not the end. Ranma, wanting him to suffer, lifted his broken body and decided the mouth needed reworking. He let him fall free for a moment, long enough catch him in the jaw. Ryoga wanted to cry at the injustice of it all, how the hell was Ranma this strong? Each bone rattling punch caused his body to shudder. He didn’t know, even with his endurance, if it would be possible to survive much more of a beating. Strike after strike came, but the third set of them a new friend of Ranma’s had made an appearance. Black and blue flame covered his fists as he launched into another combo. As the final hit came, a right uppercut that caught Ryoga just beneath his shattered ribs, they stared at the blazing with blue flame.
The final strike sent the fanged martial artist spiraling to the ground, beaten into a bloody pulp. Ranma suddenly felt something brush against his aura. A meaty thud followed swiftly by a resounding clang of metal rang out in the morning as a bonbori struck the ground. <Bad move Amazon> he thought turning to face Shampoo.
Shampoo had barely managed to escape the paralysis gas and explosive batter, an agonizing experience with the injury inflicted by her “Airen”. She could not believe the battle between pig-boy and her Arien, he had not been as vicious with the Phoenix God as he was right now. <Damn male, he will be brought to heal> her illusions of Ranma being shattered with each punch. She waited until the fool Ryoga had fallen to make her move.
<Now> she cursed her stupidity at not guarding her legs. Her speed halved by her “Airen” breaking her knee, she thought she had him, launching her bonbori at him. He didn’t seem aware of it at all, the perfect opportunity. When his aura set the weapon to the ground like a useless piece of metal, she knew she was in trouble. She watched her Arien turn, and cringed at the smile. “Time to pay, Amazon,” he growled.
She was unprepared,, when the fist was buried to mid forearm in her stomach. She bent over, not even her Great-grandmother hit that hard, gasping for air, coughing up blood. Ranma wasn’t done, though, he lifted her into the air by her neck, and smiled as he pulled his hand back. Blue and black fire still encased them, Blue and black fire from the pits of hell.
She watched as Ranma brought the fist forward. It was the last thing she would see this day.
Ranma enjoyed beating the over amorous Amazon. He enjoyed inflicting pain against them as they had done him. He dropped the Amazon’s motionless corpse to the ground. She was still alive, he wasn’t that merciful to grant them liberty through death. They had a price to pay to him after all...
"Two fools down, anyone want to just give up now, and save us all the trouble?" He asked, smirking, and knowing that none would take his offer. It was alright by him after all, they didn’t deserve any mercy in his mind.
Kuno, having seen the foul villain's latest works of black magic, called out a fierce battle cry, charging the pigtailed demon. Viciously, stabbing forward with his greatest technique, "Strike!Strike!Strike!" It was meaningless to the new warrior. He flowed with the attack, the gusts of wind meaning nothing to him. Kuno screamed, not letting up, even as the coward came to a stop. "Shakespeare, this one is for you." Ranma stated with a chuckle and smirk. He grabbed the bokken and let lose with the blue-black flame. Kuno screamed in pain as blue and black tendrils of energy invaded his body. “You want to see dark powers, let me show you a bit of what I am capable of!” Kuno’s screams before he passed out were by far the worst so far.
Ranma smirked as the next fighter, Mousse, came forward. Deciding the time for mercy was over, he grabbed Mouse and poured black fire into him. He cried out in pain, the foreign energy more than anyone could take. He lifted Mousse and turned around just in time to catch Mousse across the face with a reverse crescent kick, why not show off on such a weak fool. He was not fighting an equal, why should he show off. He grabbed the blind fighter one more time slapping him a couple times so that he was awake. “I want you to see this, because you will see it only once.” Ranma smirked and then with a cry of "Ryuusei Ame!" he was laid to waste the worthless fool with an assault of vicious high speed punches. Letting Mousse drop he cringed as a hateful laughter filled the air.
Kodachi laughed insanely, "Hohoho, finally those peasants are defeated, come Ranma-sama, let us run away together." She screeched as she dove forward, a maniacal gleam in her eyes.
"Not a chance, you psychotic bitch." He said calmly, gathering dark fire into his hands, and with renewed power he pressed forward again. Needles to say, after he was done Kodachi would never be doing Gymnastics again..
Cologne lost balance on her staff and landed roughly on the floor, Happi sprawled next to her. "I... I just barely saw him" They both muttered as one. The group of super powerful martial artists were all devastated, each and every one, they even had the advantage of numbers, not that they were intelligent enough to use it, but each still had been decimated by a single fighter. The had all fallen, all except a certain chef, who now looked up from her turmoil to gaze upon the warrior who stood before her.
"R-ranchan?" Ukyo ventured, wondering why she had been spared the devastating attack. Ukyo couldn't find the words, she left speechless, at least, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. The tomboyish okonomiyaki chef looked up with a touch of fear in her eyes, and saw a smiling Ranma looking down at her. "Don't worry Ucchan, things will be okay in the end, I promise. I will take all the pain away." The young man stated before seemingly groping her chest, she had thoughts to get angry, but just as she registered herself being felt up by the pigtailed man, she lost coherency as she too entered the land of dreams.
The dark power coming from Ranma was too much for them to stand by. Both Cologne and Happi charged, knowing they had to stop him before he decided to finish the job. He smirked, pouring more energy. He dropped Ukyo, just before giving her the release of death, and moved to match the old crones, taking a speed inherent stance. His aura flashed brightly for a moment, and in that instant he ran forward at full speed They never knew what hit them, as he sent them into oblivion as well. He thought of giving them the release, but in truth, they were not ready. Why should they be given such a gift. He went back to Ukyo, his eyes sad, but ready to give her a release from the pain. He stopped when the shadow appeared beside him, a soft hand on his exposed shoulder.
“It’s enough Reiko,” she said in a soft voice, tenderly pleading her case with moist eyes locked on his. “You have let them feel your pain, don’t kill them.”
"Kijin Raishu Dan!" His danger sense and hearing saved the day for an innocent bystander. He gently pushed the redheaded mystery woman away as the vacuum blade slid past his extended left arm, leaving a deep gash in his arm and tearing a rut in the ground. The aquatransexual warrior spun away from the attack, pulling his arm away quickly enough to keep it. He growled as a feral and raging energy fueled him. He took hold of that power and poured into his palm, and he felt the energy boil. How dare his father! <No, not your father! Just some greedy man who wanted to use you.> A part of him said to himself.
The shadowy woman cursed, rolling backward as the air distortion caused a tiny cloud of Ranma's blood to spray the air. She felt the energy come forth for his next attack. She knew she had been taking a risk, but the guards had to be slipped soon, if things were to change. There had to be a way to stop this.
As he finished his spin he pushed his hand forward, an angry red ball of energy rocketing forth from his outstretched palm. So powerful was the attack that he reached forward and held his other arm at the wrist, adding what support the injury appendage could to the stability. "Mouretsu Reikonl" He cried out, the beach ball sized blast flying an arrow's path to the boy's "father" detonating with a bomb's fury, leveling the majority of the house.
Soun had charged before the Violent Soul could explode against his rotund compatriot and escaped the brunt of the attack. He though was caught in the afterblast, being launch toward his quarry by the shockwave. Just as well, he thought to himself, and lined his body to meet the pigtailed one's head on. He through a devastating forward punch as he landed right before his would be son-in-law, continuing his foreward momentum to add strength to muscles disused for so long. He was sure this would be his day, he'd defeat the boy and show him the error of his ways, only to be put down faster than Akane had the other day. He growled, kicking the man’s ribs in. So many unworthy fools around him.
“Damn." As she witnessed the brutal beating of the weeping man. "Calm down Reiko,” the shadow yelled. He turned to face her, and she leapt toward him again. for the first time his blue eyes going soft.
“What did you call me?” Ranma asked. He looked around in horror at the downed bodies. Had he done all of this?
<Damn it> she cursed. <I should have been more careful.>
She breathed a sigh when he didn’t push her any farther. He seemed more entranced by the carnage his unlocked temper had caused. <I wish it wasn’t necessary, but he has to see…he has to understand how far he has left to go> She watched him, silently wishing that he would be alright, the rage had subsided for her, however slightly.
<Can I just let them die like this, I have my freedom, do I need to kill them as well?> His mind questioned quickly, <No! They may have brought me pain, but without giving them the chance to make amends I am nothing but a murderer. I am no better than my father.> He decided, and concentrated hard. "Hitokage no Aisu!" His cold aura exploded outward from his body, the wall of cold chi battling hard for dominance as the sweat that dripped from his brow froze and crystallized. Everything that had been left burning by his expression of pure rage was misting as the air cooled, and continued to cool, and finally froze bits of moisture in the air, causing snow to fall around the ruins of the Tendo house, putting out the fires.
The elder Tendo daughters and Nodoka reached the dojo shortly after the explosion had subsided. When they reached the remainder of the gate they looked in, and saw Ranma, standing amidst a frozen waste. The entire house hand very nearly been leveled, along with the majority of the dojo, the only things left untouched by the disaster was the koi pond, and even there the top of water was frozen solid.
"The end." Stated the pigtailed youth. He turned to them and Nabiki almost lost her footing. Standing before them was no boy of near 18, no, this was a young man who looked to have weathered a storm of incredible intensity. Gone was the soft innocence in his eyes, replaced by an intensity that they had only seen during his battles, this was the Ranma that had gained her respect and love, the man who's hard gaze brooked no argument. His hair was streaked with traces of silver, which shone in the morning sun, his pants were mere strips of cloth, and shirt was non-existent, the women noted.
The new look seemed to suit him more than any could ever say. It in fact seemed as if it had been there the entire time, waiting to be seen by others.
Ranma had finished, he had fulfilled both his self-appointed duties, freedom, it was now his, along with the preservation of life. He turned around to the gate to see his mother standing there with a bundle in her arms, but confusingly, his keen perception noticed the bundle that carried her sword on her back. He smiled softly to the three women of importance in his life.
His danger sense was still going. What was going on? He knew it wasn’t the woman who had appeared before, he knew he could trust her, but something was still not right. Twisting out of the way of a projectile, he felt Taro, he knew that ki pattern anywhere, especially with the warped aura he gave off when in his cursed form. This would need to be quick to prevent him from noticing the women, if he did, things would get ugly.
"Shinkou Ken!" He stated as he completed the technique, Pantyhose's motion stunned, the aura expanded and formed a cloud of pinpoint ki spheres.
Taro didn't understand it, he shouldn't have been able to sense him, but he did. The pigtailed asshole (in his opinion anyhow) had opened up with a pretty strong kick, he'd realized this when he felt the reeling and pain generally associated with a fight with the annoying femboy. He landed shakily but despite this still charged his foe, that is, until he felt the sting of hundreds of small needles.
"Tenshi Shouten" He heard his enemy say as his aura expanded violently, shoving him back, <Damn you femboy, just die!!> Which of course came out a bit more like this. "MOO!!!" Taro shouted, feeling the intense anger, and whether admitted or not, depression, at all the times he had been defeated in his quest to change his name. He'd seen the process enough times, and had finally mastered it, wasn't hard given how pathetic his existence was, and now it would be unleashed. <Damn you Ranma!! Shi Shi Hokodan!!!> Again due to the translation between human thought, and yeti/cow language his words were warped into "MOO-OOO-MOOOOO!!" He cried out, pouring his emotions into his attack, he'd never expect this one, Taro thought to himself.
Taro thought wrong, Ranma's aura flare receded quickly after it's initial purpose, because there he stood, the silver lining to his hair increased, his eyes were silver as well, a by-product of flooding his entire body with energy. "Time's up Taro, time to lose." Ranma ran forward into the ki blast, dropping into a slide he fired a quick flare from his hands as he went, sending the depression and anger based move careening into the sky to dissipate safely. Out of the slide the pigtailed warrior flipped forward, his fists glowed red/silver as they were brought to bear against Taro's hide. "Ryuusei Ame!" He whispered, pouring punch after punch into his foe, tearing through the toughness of the minotaur, with each explosion, which had changed from the usual rage red, to a serene silver, taking just and instant to gather strength, Ranma thrust his arm up into Pantyhose's exposed undercarriage, propelling Taro into the air. "Kyuukyoku Keibatsu!" Were the last words Taro heard that day, or for roughly a week, for that matter, because then, while the monster man was midair and stunned, Ranma leapt to follow, bringing a midair tackle with him, holding tightly and using his upward inertia to spin and throw the beast to the ground again. All was ended when the neo-silver eyed man landed atop his foe, a overhanded and unnamed blast of energy pounded into Taro's chest. The artistic brutality was frighteningly beautiful, and left them stunned as they listened to his following speech.
"This is the end for Ranma Saotome, he is dead, fallen amongst those he once called friend, and now, I am free." The young man stated softly as he looked in the direction of his only true family. The women cringed as he fell to the ground hard, his hair losing the silver highlighting, now maintaining only the very light hints of them he had, eyes faded back into the grey-blue others were used to. He was falling, but did not die as he expected. He knew that he should have, he'd expended so much ki today that he should have died, he should be weak as a kitten, instead he just felt tired, and so he slept.
The cloaked figure was the first to jump and catch him and ease him to the ground. She crouched beside the god slayer, a gentle hand stroked his cheek gently, lovingly. "Rest now Reiko, soon you will be all better. Soon, I promise."
She calmly removed the cloak and wrapped it around the sleeping fighter. With the cloak gone she is revealed to be an immensely beautiful woman of roughly 20. Long red hair flowed down her back like a mane of fire, she wasn't particularly muscled but one could tell from the way she stood that she was a seasoned fighter of incredible power. Her form seemed to scream power and grace, not terribly different from Ranma's. Nabiki looked the redhead over, and noted the silver silk tunic and black stitching hiding a bust that, while the same size as Ranma's female form, looked smaller on her slightly larger and mature frame. The loose black pants she wore tied at apparently the same place as Ranma's as well, the ankles and waist. She wore the same slippers that the pigtailed young man wore as well. She looked out to the three women moving toward her and Ranma, "Hello, I'm Ranko Metsuretsu." Her disarming smile and polite disposition caught the Tendo girls off guard but was welcomed by Ranma's mother, whose mind swam with pride over her son, and slight wonderment at the last name of the girl, it was familiar, but she could not remember why.
Nabiki looked this new girl over again and again, she was a mystery that she had to figure out. Who is she? Why does she dress and look like Ranma? She pushed that thought aside to deal with later. "What do you want with Ranma?" She asked as she looked over to the prone form of her pseudo-brother, assessing his condition with an ease born of practice. <He's just tired, doesn't look like there'll be any real problems. But he'll need to have his arm looked after.> Her analysis completed quickly and efficiently, the skills she was less than proud of still held some use.
“More than you could imagine,” Ranko smiled looking at the silent form of Reiko. He couldn’t remember his past, but soon he would. Soon all would be right with the former and new warrior.
Kasumi could only mutter to herself about poor Ranma-kun, he wasn't hurt, she could tell from looking at the way her breathed. "Oh my, this is all my fault." She said darting to his side and assessing the damage to him the moment he was uncovered slightly by the cloak, noticing only the gash on his arm which was tended to quickly with the tatters of a pant leg. Aside from the minor things he had suffered during the week, such as a few burns, he was fine, albeit his skin was extremely cold. Her breath fogged in the air. Remembering her position as lady of the house and hostess, she quickly turned back to Ranko as she covered Ranma again in the cloak, which she realized was incredibly heavy material. "How can we help you, Metsuretsu-san?"
Nodoka looked over the girl, and nodded, "I remember, when he was just an infant, you, you were the one who gave these to me, weren't you?" She said holding up the bundle of items, the bracers and scabbard shined in the cold sunlight. "Why, what could he use these for?" She asked, fear of losing her only child apparent in the pleading tone she took.
"Saotome-san, Ranma needs to remember who he was, with the power he has it would be dangerous if he kept using it without knowing what it is, and what it's for. That, and he wants to be a better person, but Ranma Saotome can't do that, that's why he wanted his freedom. His father would have kept him here to teach for the rest of his life with bullshit dressed in honor sauce, and he wouldn't have had a chance to grow. I have seen him, he's too much like he used to be, a wanderer." She paused to collect herself again, "Now please, please, give me the bracers to give to him, they'll help him to control his anger until he's got enough focus."
She stated with a bit of urgency that unnerved the swordswoman. <What could cause her to want to take such a precaution while he's asleep?> She questioned silently, and as if by answer, Ranma's aura began to take life again, the menacing glow spreading slowly but surely from the young warrior.
Ranma was unconscious, of that he was sure. Why he was standing in a blindingly white hallway, with doors off to each side, he couldn't quite grasp. "Ranma, it is time for you to awaken from your dream." A familiar voice stated, oddly enough though he realized why this voice was familiar, it was his after all. He spun on his heel, and found himself face to face with, himself.
"Who... who're you?" He asked of his twin. "I am you, or at least, who you used to be." Ranma couldn't deal with this, he needed to restore his energy before the others awoke, and this guy wasn't making sense, <I wish you would just tell me what you mean, I'm too tired to deal with this.> As if he had read his mind the other man introduced himself, "I am Reiko Metsuretsu, and you are reincarnated from me."
TBC...
Before the translations I would like to give special credit to my editor Paul, who wrote as much of this chapter as I did, and has given me so much help that I can't honestly express my thanks but with the meager tribute to him in the by-line. So said, now on with translations.
Techniques Translations:
Mouretsu Reikon: A manifestation of all the anger and rage that Ranma can sum up, this attack means Rage Spirit or Violent Soul.
Hitokage no Aisu: This is the soul of ice, this particular use of the technique was a shield, it countered the intense heat and energy of the Mouretsu Reikon.
Shinsei Honoo: The Rebirth Flame. This is an aura attack, the displacement caused by the aura growing violently causes energy shockwaves.
Fukyuu Eiyuu: Immortal Hero. This attack consists of a ki flare, it is generally a close range takedown technique, this time however, it was used to smokescreen ranma's position, and in turn evade the giant ki blast.
Ryuusei Ame: Meteor Rain. The supercharged high speed punch attack utilizes ki blasts that explode against the recipient/victim on contact.
Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu: Otherwise known as Anything Goes Martial Arts.
Shinkou Ken: Rising Blade. This attack charges a limb with ki, and is performed with a jump, doesn't matter what kind. The general usage however, is a backflip kick, that propels a ki blade at the opponent.
Tenshi Shouten: Divine Ascension. This is another aura technique, this one isn't of Ranma's creation, it was merely something that came to him when he needed it, why he knew it will be clarified in later chapters. This aura technique is like that of a Super Saiyajin transformation, in that it floods the entire body with more ki than it can handle, forcing it to adapt, the more it is used the easier the technique is to perform.
Kyuukyoku Keibatsu: Final Judgment. This technique is an end combo. After a barrage of attacks Ranma will send his opponent into the air with any technique necessary, and follow them with a rising tackle (not in the King of Fighters sense either at least I don't think so, never saw one happen) after grabbing the stunned opponent he then stands up his opponent as they fall, and ending the entire thing with a ki blast to the chest to lay them low.
Reiko Metsuretsu: Great Spirit in Chaos. This one brooks no explation, as it would be telling if I said anything.
I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter, I lengthened the combat and cut short on a bit of the talking, as people specifically requested a no holds barred combat against the NWC. I have finished the bit of revision that I thought necessary on this chapter as well.