Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Umbra Aureola ❯ Chapter 15 - Aphrodite's Bracelet Pt 3 ( Chapter 15 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Xylix 
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Adventure / Action / Martial Arts | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.17.2003 | Updated On: 12.27.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 476 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Adventure / Action / Martial Arts | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.17.2003 | Updated On: 12.27.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.0K | Visits: 476 | Status: Completed
CHAPTER XV: APHRODITE'S BRACELET pt 3
Ranma-chan sat in one of the rooms she had helped Anito build not that long ago. The room was almost completely empty and spanned about half the size of the Tendo Dojo. Perhaps, it was thinking of the Dojo that caused Anito to decorate the room after Ranma-chan's second favorite training location. Whatever Anito's thoughts on the subject were, Ranma-chan was not privy to them. In fact, the last time she had seen this room it was merely a thing of stone and Ranma-chan had paid the room little attention seeing as though she had built several others just like it. Now though she was beginning to appreciate the work that she had done with Anito, even if there was still the matter of two more 'lab' rooms to build for the arch-mage.
Ranma-chan rapidly blinked her eyes open once again. She hadn't slept last night, and was doing her best not to sleep this one. Ranma-chan prayed she would be able to stay awake during school hours. With a shudder she remembered the dreams and the fact that they were brought on by a demon. Nope, she was going to avoid those dreams like a plague.
It was because she was avoiding sleeping that she was here. Earlier that day she had gotten Anito to start explaining a bit about magic and had begun to work through those books. Now however, Ranma-chan wanted something a little more hands on. Something that would keep her blood moving she that she didn't flop over and go into the land of dreams.
"So what we goina do?" Ranma-chan asked.
"Hmmm...," Anito thought carefully. He had been teaching Ranma-chan the basics of high ki manipulation theory earlier that day. However, Anito was completely aware that Ranma-chan had probably only understood one word in three. Besides the girl wasn't quite ready for energy transmutations yet. What she really needed to learn was control.
Nodding to himself Anito let out one his trademark grins. "Let's start out with some simple ki control. I want you to do this." Anito raised a hand and released four, softly glowing, white balls of ki into the air. There they formed into four points that made up a pyramid if one mentally connected the dots. The top point of light turned blue the rest then turned red. From there Anito caused the pyramid to spin clockwise.
"Aaa, that all? I bet I can do that right now!" Ranma-chan declared arrogantly. The red head quickly formed a mini Moko Takabisha and set it into the air and then struggled to add three more balls of energy. Sweating she caused them to form into a pyramid. "Ha! how is that!?"
Anito let out a small laugh. "First they are the wrong color. Second they aren't spinning. Finally..." Anito lifted up his staff and lightly touched one of Ranma's spheres. The moment the staff made contact the Moko Takabishas exploded in a chain reaction sending the pig tailed girl sprawling across the room. "They are not only too unstable, but you used too much energy."
"Hey it ain't like its easy to do that!" Ranma-chan declared hotly recovering herself from the floor.
Anito raised an eyebrow. "I don't seem to be having any problems."
Ranma-chan snorted in an undignified manner. "Stupid wizard trying to show off." She said sitting down to try again.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you are never going to succeed if you try it that way." Anito noted as Ranma-chan tried to make another mini Moko Takabisha. Watching amused when the distraction his words provided caused Ranma-chan to lose control of the ki ball. With control gone the blast blew up in the red head's face.
"Well, if you got a better way why don't you tell me?" Ranma-chan said annoyed. Ranma-chan didn't like being one upped and the fact that Anito was shoving his superiority with ki control in her face didn't help much.
Anito shook his finger at Ranma-chan. "I already did. You know that huge speech on high ki manipulation?" Anito paused allowing Ranma-chan's eye to twitch for just a bit. Smiling with his twisted victory over what was Anito's martial arts sensei the arch-mage decided to let Ranma-chan off easy. Besides Anito did want Ranma-chan out of that bracelet by the end of the week... otherwise there might be some risks of permanent damage.
"Basically it works like this. First you call up your ki, now don't shape it with emotions yet. Just externalize the energy. Then move the energy into the desired shape. Next you need to change the color, which requires you to transmute the energy into the desired form. You can do this with emotions, like for your Moko Takabisha, or you can do it with the energy transformation patterns provided in the book I gave you on high ki manipulation. Each has their notable advantages."
"Okay, but how am I supposed to externalize my ki without using any emotions." Ranma-chan asked.
Anito gave a shrug. "Haven't a clue, everyone learns that in their own way. Once you have externalized any sort of ki it is easier though. Just try to produce the ki energy using less and less of an emotion until you aren't using it at all. Oh and try to use less energy, not only will it be easier to control, but it won't explode if you screw up." Anito said with a wink.
"Yeah, yeah just produce a smaller one and don't use emotions he says. Like it is just that easy." Ranma-chan grumbled.
Ranma-chan however, was not the type to give up. Pulling up another ball of energy Ranma-chan tried to not focus so much on her confidence. It was harder, but she was still able to produce a ball of energy who's emotional ki nature paled in comparison to the Moko Takabisha. Unfortunately it still wasn't even close being pure. Exasperated Ranma-chan let out a sigh, which was probably not a good idea because the ki promptly destabilized and exploded.
*******************
"I don't know what you are thinking going without sleep Ranma." Akane said as the two headed toward school.
"Hey, you heard it from Anito that some demon has been invading my dreams and I don't want to deal with it." Ranma-chan said as they quickly moved along the fence. Rubbing the bracelet unconsciously Ranma-chan said, "I don't know what pops was thinking sending me to school. This ain't no time to be doing school work. I need to practice with Anito so I can get this stupid bracelet off."
"Honestly Ranma, sometimes I think you don't want an education."
Ranma-chan pulled herself up proudly even while walking on the fence with eerie perfection. "I'm a martial artist. I don't need an education."
"Oh, and how do you plan on getting money to eat then." Akane said narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"The path of a true martial artist is fraught with peril." Ranma-chan quoted using her father's solemn tone of voice.
Akane kicked the fence as hard as she could causing Ranma-chan to fall into the drainage ditch. "Ranma, you are such an idiot."
Jumping back over the fence Ranma-chan shouted at her fiancee. "What did you do that for?"
Akane ignored Ranma-chan. Putting her nose into the air she chose to give her fiancee the cold shoulder. Maybe that would make the jerk stop acting like an idiot. She doubted it would, but it was worth a try. Besides it just felt good to put Ranma-chan back into her place.
"Oh it is a glorious morning when not one, but two of my true loves come to me in their hour of greatest need to proclaim their love upon the noble scion of the house Kuno." The boken wielding kendo master declared with poetic flair upon seeing his fierce tigress, and his pig tailed goddess approaching his noble self.
"Great, Kuno, just what I need." Ranma-chan said in distaste. Normally Kuno got her warmed up for a day of school. Nothing like a good bit of violence to help the education go down.
"Don't worry Ranma I'll take care of him." Akane said in a moment of kindness.
If Akane was bad about people butting into her fight, or insinuating she could handle herself, Ranma-chan was infinitely worse. Rolling her eyes Ranma-chan said, "Hey I can handle him myself tomboy."
Akane's eyes went dark. "Fine then you do that!"
"I will!" Ranma-chan declared stalking up to Kuno.
"Oh my pig tailed goddess has finally freed herself from the influence of the villainous Saotome! Come my love and let us date."
"Shut up Kuno." Ranma-chan said forgetting herself and attempting to put a fist in the kenodist's face.
"Zaaaappppp!" White lightning like energy immediately sent Ranma-chan convulsing on the ground.
"Forgot about that." Ranma-chan mumbled from where she was on the ground.
"Sorcery! Sorcery I say. The evil sorcerer Saotome no doubt has sensed his foul magics have failed and attempts to take back my pig tailed goddess even as I speak!" Kuno declared raising his boken in the sky as if to summon the vengeance of heaven upon the evil pig tailed wizard. Spreading his arms Kuno turned to Ranma-chan who had pulled herself back to her feet. "Come into my embrace and my love shall protect you from the foul sorcery of the vile Saotome." Kuno declared while charging at Ranma-chan.
"Eeeek!" Ranma-chan screeched jumping out of the way of Kuno's hug. Flipping over the kendo master Ranma-chan quickly evaluated her situation and resources. "I didn't want to do this, but you have left with me with no choice. Saotome Desperation Technique! Evil Lecherous Demon Summoning Attack!" Ranma-chan yelled out on the top of her lungs.
"Evil Lecherous Demon Summoning Attack?" One student asked another.
The other shrugged. "Haven't a clue, first time I have heard of it."
Even as they spoke Ranma-chan flipped out a bra using what little she knew of hidden weapons technique. While the bra was in the air Ranma-chan exclaimed with a girlish squeal. "Oh no, this horrible man is destroying a poor, helpless, silky bra!"
There was a pause as the entire school stood silent. Then out of nowhere a powerful voice came from a pair of very small lungs. "Silky bras and undergarments are to be treated with the utmost care in the hands of a truly loving man that can bring out their perfect and wonderful glow. For assaulting a beautiful girl's poor, helpless, silky undergarments I, The Grandmaster of the School of Anything Goes School of Martial Arts will punish you!" Happosai declared evilly his small frame glowing with monstrous malevolence on the wall surrounding Furinken High.
"What manner of foul creature are you?" Kuno said leveling his boken at the shriveled gnome called Happosai.
Happosai would have none of it. "Happo Diakarin!" The evil master shouted dishing out half a dozen bombs onto Kuno all while diving in to collect the silky treasure that had yet to touch the ground.
"Ha! I, Kuno, cannot be so easily defeated by the minions of darkn-- Boom! B-b-b-booooooom!" The sound of several very powerful explosives ripped across the length of Furinken High blowing Kuno into oblivion.
Tears coming from his eyes Happosai declared with reverence as he slipped the bra into his ever present pouch. "I have saved you from horrible abuse at that man's unworthy hands."
"I fight on!" Kuno declared suddenly standing back up.
"Die abuser of women's undergarments!" Happosai declared attacking Kuno again.
Akane watched the display with her left eye twitching barely under control. Glaring at Ranma-chan she said, "Lecherous Demon Summoning Attack huh?"
"Hey, it worked didn't it." Ranma-chan retorted.
"I can't believe that even you would sink so low." Akane replied.
"Kuno had it coming."
*************************
Ranma-chan looked at the book. She looked, instead of read, because the writing was alternating between a undeterminable blurry image and relative clarity. While she could read just fine with the latter, she kept losing her place when writing went blurry again. To make matters worse Ranma-chan was too tired to really understand what she was reading anyway. Instead the information seemed to go strait through her mind completely unprocessed.
Groaning Ranma-chan got up to go do some more ki training down in the Tendo basement, or as all the members of the Tendo house thought of that area, Anito's lair. Last night Ranma-chan had begun to enjoy the silence that she could get down there. It was usually difficult for her to practice her ki, or even martial arts techniques because of the many interruptions.
Just thinking about it got her riled. Her father would usually butt in trying to tell her how it should be done. While his advice could be quite useful it was often times far more annoying. Then even worse there was Ryouga, Mousse, Shampoo, Ukyo or even Happosai. Down here though, she was free of most of them. The enchanted walls would laugh off a Bakusai Tenketsu, and Ranma-chan knew from personal experience a Moko Takabisha was equally ineffective. To top it off Anito had recently given the door some magical locks to prevent anyone from coming in just in case Ranma-chan was doing anything dangerous.
In a way, Ranma-chan supposed. She was starting to think of this room as her room. With a smile she considered why not? Ranma-chan had built the room and she could always make another for Anito if he needed one. Why not think of this room as hers? Ranma-chan reminded herself to ask Anito if she could use it as such. Not as a place to sleep though, Ranma-chan hated not having a window escape access.
For now though Ranma-chan needed to get her mind back on schedule before she flopped over from sheer accumulated weariness. Concentrating Ranma-chan formed a ball of ki like she had be doing last night. It came easier, cleaner and purer than her earlier trials. Equally, unlike those earlier balls of ki energy, this one was not filled with enough power to knock Ranma-chan off her feet in the event it burst. Control of amount of ki used had been the easiest, but Ranma-chan knew she was not even close to the purity that Anito had called forth before changing the color of the ki balls.
Grinning Ranma-chan called up another ball of energy and slowly moved it next to the other one. Controlling the balls of energy was the hardest part after the purity. The more she brought out the more stressful it was to keep them in their place. It was even harder to move them around to her will. Calling the third she put to much effort into it and thus resulted with ki tainted with the same. Annoyed she let all the balls pop out of existence. Thankfully she had gotten past the part where her failures exploded.
Ranma-chan let out a yawn and readied herself to try it again. Reaching for her ki she pulled forth a soft, white, ball of almost perfect purity. Unfortunately her eyesight was too blurred and her mind to weary for Ranma-chan to really recognize her accomplishment. Instead Ranma-chan simply slipped into the slumber she had been avoiding.
*********************
Ranma-chan opened her eyes to find herself in the same place where she had fallen asleep. "Huh, no dream this time?" Ranma-chan asked out loud. Standing up from the ground she felt the slight liquidness of reality that told her otherwise. "No, this is the dream."
Ranma-chan let out a snort. "I know what you are so there ain't no point in playing that stupid game of yours anymore." Ranma-chan declared with her usual bravado and confidence.
A female giggle sounded behind Ranma-chan and Ranma-chan whirled to face whoever, or whatever it was. There, floating almost lazily in the air, was the image of herself decked in the white and pink garb. Smiling at the pig tailed red head the feminine reflection let out another soft giggle and faded from Ranma-chan's vision like a cloud of mist from Ranma-chan's sight.
Ranma-chan's reality was wrenched into a whirl of color and chaos. When the spinning hurricane of sights settled but an instant latter the room had been replaced with a parody of what it once was. What was left seemed to be a twisted vision of what only Azusa would call a love hotel. The clash of pink would make most girls sick, Ranma-chan nearly vomited from the shock.
Restraining her natural reaction Ranma-chan proclaimed, "It ain't goina work, there isn't anything you can do to me in a dream. If you could you woulda the first two times." She wasn't really sure this was true, but it did make sense. From what Ranma-chan could tell the demon was just trying to shake her up. Now that she was here Ranma-chan was going to challenge the demon and get it to leave her alone.
"Oh poo, your no fun at all." Said a feminine voice as Ranma-chan's reflection faded into existence before the red head with a slight pout. The reflection's eyes though looked at Ranma-chan playfully. The reflection, or as Ranma-chan assumed the demon, did not vanish and appear like Anito did. The demon's movements were more like the creature was slipping in and out of this layer of reality.
Ranma-chan glared at the demon, letting lose a bit of the rage and annoyance for the troubles the creature had caused. "It ain't supposed to be fun. I Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School Anything Goes Martial Arts challenge you to combat. If I win you'll leave me alone you got that."
The demon giggled. "Oh, that is no fun. What do I get if I win?" The demon said floating around almost lazily. The the demon clapped her hands together and exclaimed with delight. "I know, how about you have to wear my shoes!"
Ranma-chan looked at the demon and shivered. Anything that delighted that creature couldn't be good. "I ain't putting on those stupid little shoes lady."
The demon faded into existence over Ranma-chan's shoulder. "Oh that is too bad," The demon sniffed sadly, "and they would look so good on you. Plus, they are just your size." The demon giggled at its own poor joke.
"Yeesh, your almost as bad as Happosai." For a second Ranma-chan considered the fact that Happosai might be a minor lust demon himself. It would certainly explain the effect of the Shinto wards. "I'm not wearing those shoes no matter what."
The demon giggled. "Why not you scared?" She said with a smile while floating back away from the martial artist. "Is the little martial artist terrified?"
"I ain't scared of nothing!" Ranma-chan declared.
"Then why do you refuse then? You aren't scared of these two little shoes now are you?"
"I'm not scarred! I ain't goina wear those shoes because I'm a guy." Ranma-chan shot back.
"Oh, if that is the reason... then why are you dressed like a girl?" The demon said with a giggle.
Ranma-chan looked down and saw that the demon had somehow once again slipped her into the same clothes the demon was wearing. Growling in anger Ranma-chan said, "Okay, that is it! Fine I'll wear those stupid shoes if I lose, but you are goina leave me alone when I win!"
The demon smiled. It was not her normal smile, no this one was a the smile of a predator with its prey clearly in its sights. Ranma-chan felt her hair stand on end under the influence of the creatures cold look. For a moment the martial artist wondered if she had made the right choice. Dismissing the feeling she fell into her cocky ready stance. As the two warriors devoted their mind to the battle the room slid back to its first image and Ranma-chan equally shifted to the clothes she fell asleep in.
"Then let us fight." The demons declared with a soft giggle.
Ranma-chan grinned and hopped forward starting the battle on her own terms by throwing a kick fast enough to take down Anito. Ranma-chan's smile faltered when the blow not only hit but passed through the demon as easily as it would passing through fog. "What the?"
The demon giggled at Ranma-chan's failed attempt at at an attack. "Oh, you didn't really want me to get hurt, now did you." The demon gave another giggle floating back and higher into the room. Waving her hand in an almost negligent manner a set of four chain linked manacle's formed out of the air, coalescing like condensing fog into their hard iron shapes. One of the four clamped and locked onto the leg on which Ranma-chan was standing.
Ranma-chan dodged like lightning out of the way of three other chains even before their snake like strikes could land. With only one leg captured Ranma-chan's ability to fight was not completely destroyed. Growling in annoyance at the demon's trick Ranma-chan accused, "Hey, that's cheating!"
The demon smiled. "Anything goes," She said in a teasing manner.
"Anything goes this! Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan said flinging a quick ki blast at the demon girl. Ranma-chan smiled at the east that the blast flew from her hands. If nothing else her the practice of the last two days made pulling forth the burst of life energy easier than ever.
The energy blast hit the demon at point blank range. The demon to close to dodge was hit dead on by the ki attack. The demon girl hissed in pain its face contorting in anger. The demon's eyes flashed red as the creature faded back streamers of black lightning ran down the demon's body. "That hurt! Now you are going to pay!" The demon fired off black energy at the chained Ranma-chan.
Ranma-chan dodged to the side, but her chained leg prevented complete escape from the broad ranged attack. The black energy merely grazed the pig tailed martial artist, but that was enough. The energy was enough to cause Ranma-chan to convulse in pain, her muscles ripped from her control. Shaking off the energy with her brilliant blue battle aura Ranma-chan called up another ki blast to deal with the enemy.
The demon by now had recovered her composure. Letting out a giggle she said, "Now, now, there is no need for that."
Ranma-chan glared at the demon. "You surrendering then?"
"Oh no, not at all. I am just employing a delaying tactic." The demon said with a giggle. Even as she spoke another chained manacle clamped around Ranma-chan's second leg.
Ranma-chan almost stopped in surprise, only her years of hardened battle prevented exactly that. She had forgotten about the other chains after the blast of black lightning. What was more her exquisite senses had failed to warn her of the attack before hand. Growling with anger Ranma-chan held together her ki bolt with skill gained from hours of recent practice. "Moko Takabisha!"
The blast shot out like a beam of light, the demon though faded left letting the energy slip through her ghostly form. The only sign of injury was the demon's hiss of pain as the attack passed through her after image. Caught by the chains on her legs Ranma-chan was unable to avoid the demon's counter attack. Instead the black lightning nailed her strait on. Pain soared through the pig tailed girl's body sending her shuddering into pain. Convulsing from the energy Ranma-chan wasn't able to stop the two other chained manacles as they clamped onto both of her hands. The martial artist full captured the chains jerked taut ripping her into the middle of the room with each limb spread in a different direction.
"There, there, isn't that better?" The demon said soothingly having faded in right next to the red head. Absently the demon ran a finger down the middle of Ranma-chan's chest tracing the curve of the pigtailed warrior's chest. The demon gave a smiling giggle and declared with glee, "You lose."
Ranma-chan jerked at the chains, but they wouldn't budge. "I ain't defeated yet."
The demon giggled and lifted only centimeters in front of Ranma-chan's face on of her hands. In this hand was coiled a frothing mass black lightning boiling like a hot pot of death. Leaning close the demon kissed Ranma-chan gently on the lips and then shoved her hand hard into Ranma-chan's ribs sending a tsunami of pain through the pig-tailed girl as the dark energy ripped into the pinned girls body like a wave of death. Though Ranma-chan's body didn't give in the least she felt her ki being ripped apart as assuredly as it would have if the demon had thrust her fist right through the pig tailed girls ribcage
Stopping the assault the demon let out a giggle as Ranma-chan fought for breath her body still convulsing from the pain. Though her eyes where hazy and her mind uncontrolled the creeping blackness of unconsciousness had not been felt with the demon's blow. Ranma-chan's body gave one last shudder of pain before her battle honed mind seized back control. For a moment Ranma-chan wondered if she could in a dream lose consciousness, or if the demon had prevented that escape in order to maximize the pain.
"You still want to fight, hmmm?" The demon cocked her head curiously. Her hand pulsing with black lightning that promised much more pain. The demon's smile almost gleefully encouraged the pigtailed martial artist to declare the battle still on as if those words would give her the excuse to strike Ranma-chan down.
Ranma-chan glared at the demon an act of petty defiance. Where Ranma-chan could not fight back, her eyes told the demon that her spirit was far from crushed. The pigtailed girls shoulders, where another story, they slumped in defeat as if to concede the victory to her adversary. Despite the fact that her spirit fought on Ranma-chan knew the battle was lost. Even if she could escape the chains at this point she had already been beaten as a martial artist she could not deny that fact.
"Okay I admit you got me, though next time it ain't goina go like that." Ranma-chan grudgingly admitted. As soon as the words left her mouth the chains vanished dropping Ranma-chan to the ground. Unwillingly she groaned in pain from the effort of standing on her own to feet.
The demon let out a giggle at Ranma-chan's speech and took off her pink, four inch, high heeled shoes and handed them shyly over to Ranma-chan. Ranma-chan glared at the demon in annoyance which only caused the demon to giggle again. Grumbling Ranma-chan grabbed the shoes forcefully from the demon's hands. Looking at the creature Ranma-chan declared savagely. "I ain't wearing these any longer than I have to."
Watching Ranma-chan put on the pumps the demon smiled. Once both feet were encased within the confines of the pink material the ankle straps tightened hard. Not a tenth of a second latter the pink pumps crushed into Ranma-chan's feet painfully causing her to gasp in pain. Ranma-chan could feel the hard material crawling like a living thing as if it was dissolving into her feet, or perhaps her feet were dissolving into them. Ranma-chan suddenly reached down and tried to yank the shoes off, but the she would have had better luck moving a boulder.
The demon smiled at this outcome and responded to the red heads earlier statement. "That's okay, because I didn't expect you to." Ranma-chan barely had time to register the words before her awareness was yanked from that reality.
Ranma-chan sat in one of the rooms she had helped Anito build not that long ago. The room was almost completely empty and spanned about half the size of the Tendo Dojo. Perhaps, it was thinking of the Dojo that caused Anito to decorate the room after Ranma-chan's second favorite training location. Whatever Anito's thoughts on the subject were, Ranma-chan was not privy to them. In fact, the last time she had seen this room it was merely a thing of stone and Ranma-chan had paid the room little attention seeing as though she had built several others just like it. Now though she was beginning to appreciate the work that she had done with Anito, even if there was still the matter of two more 'lab' rooms to build for the arch-mage.
Ranma-chan rapidly blinked her eyes open once again. She hadn't slept last night, and was doing her best not to sleep this one. Ranma-chan prayed she would be able to stay awake during school hours. With a shudder she remembered the dreams and the fact that they were brought on by a demon. Nope, she was going to avoid those dreams like a plague.
It was because she was avoiding sleeping that she was here. Earlier that day she had gotten Anito to start explaining a bit about magic and had begun to work through those books. Now however, Ranma-chan wanted something a little more hands on. Something that would keep her blood moving she that she didn't flop over and go into the land of dreams.
"So what we goina do?" Ranma-chan asked.
"Hmmm...," Anito thought carefully. He had been teaching Ranma-chan the basics of high ki manipulation theory earlier that day. However, Anito was completely aware that Ranma-chan had probably only understood one word in three. Besides the girl wasn't quite ready for energy transmutations yet. What she really needed to learn was control.
Nodding to himself Anito let out one his trademark grins. "Let's start out with some simple ki control. I want you to do this." Anito raised a hand and released four, softly glowing, white balls of ki into the air. There they formed into four points that made up a pyramid if one mentally connected the dots. The top point of light turned blue the rest then turned red. From there Anito caused the pyramid to spin clockwise.
"Aaa, that all? I bet I can do that right now!" Ranma-chan declared arrogantly. The red head quickly formed a mini Moko Takabisha and set it into the air and then struggled to add three more balls of energy. Sweating she caused them to form into a pyramid. "Ha! how is that!?"
Anito let out a small laugh. "First they are the wrong color. Second they aren't spinning. Finally..." Anito lifted up his staff and lightly touched one of Ranma's spheres. The moment the staff made contact the Moko Takabishas exploded in a chain reaction sending the pig tailed girl sprawling across the room. "They are not only too unstable, but you used too much energy."
"Hey it ain't like its easy to do that!" Ranma-chan declared hotly recovering herself from the floor.
Anito raised an eyebrow. "I don't seem to be having any problems."
Ranma-chan snorted in an undignified manner. "Stupid wizard trying to show off." She said sitting down to try again.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you are never going to succeed if you try it that way." Anito noted as Ranma-chan tried to make another mini Moko Takabisha. Watching amused when the distraction his words provided caused Ranma-chan to lose control of the ki ball. With control gone the blast blew up in the red head's face.
"Well, if you got a better way why don't you tell me?" Ranma-chan said annoyed. Ranma-chan didn't like being one upped and the fact that Anito was shoving his superiority with ki control in her face didn't help much.
Anito shook his finger at Ranma-chan. "I already did. You know that huge speech on high ki manipulation?" Anito paused allowing Ranma-chan's eye to twitch for just a bit. Smiling with his twisted victory over what was Anito's martial arts sensei the arch-mage decided to let Ranma-chan off easy. Besides Anito did want Ranma-chan out of that bracelet by the end of the week... otherwise there might be some risks of permanent damage.
"Basically it works like this. First you call up your ki, now don't shape it with emotions yet. Just externalize the energy. Then move the energy into the desired shape. Next you need to change the color, which requires you to transmute the energy into the desired form. You can do this with emotions, like for your Moko Takabisha, or you can do it with the energy transformation patterns provided in the book I gave you on high ki manipulation. Each has their notable advantages."
"Okay, but how am I supposed to externalize my ki without using any emotions." Ranma-chan asked.
Anito gave a shrug. "Haven't a clue, everyone learns that in their own way. Once you have externalized any sort of ki it is easier though. Just try to produce the ki energy using less and less of an emotion until you aren't using it at all. Oh and try to use less energy, not only will it be easier to control, but it won't explode if you screw up." Anito said with a wink.
"Yeah, yeah just produce a smaller one and don't use emotions he says. Like it is just that easy." Ranma-chan grumbled.
Ranma-chan however, was not the type to give up. Pulling up another ball of energy Ranma-chan tried to not focus so much on her confidence. It was harder, but she was still able to produce a ball of energy who's emotional ki nature paled in comparison to the Moko Takabisha. Unfortunately it still wasn't even close being pure. Exasperated Ranma-chan let out a sigh, which was probably not a good idea because the ki promptly destabilized and exploded.
*******************
"I don't know what you are thinking going without sleep Ranma." Akane said as the two headed toward school.
"Hey, you heard it from Anito that some demon has been invading my dreams and I don't want to deal with it." Ranma-chan said as they quickly moved along the fence. Rubbing the bracelet unconsciously Ranma-chan said, "I don't know what pops was thinking sending me to school. This ain't no time to be doing school work. I need to practice with Anito so I can get this stupid bracelet off."
"Honestly Ranma, sometimes I think you don't want an education."
Ranma-chan pulled herself up proudly even while walking on the fence with eerie perfection. "I'm a martial artist. I don't need an education."
"Oh, and how do you plan on getting money to eat then." Akane said narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"The path of a true martial artist is fraught with peril." Ranma-chan quoted using her father's solemn tone of voice.
Akane kicked the fence as hard as she could causing Ranma-chan to fall into the drainage ditch. "Ranma, you are such an idiot."
Jumping back over the fence Ranma-chan shouted at her fiancee. "What did you do that for?"
Akane ignored Ranma-chan. Putting her nose into the air she chose to give her fiancee the cold shoulder. Maybe that would make the jerk stop acting like an idiot. She doubted it would, but it was worth a try. Besides it just felt good to put Ranma-chan back into her place.
"Oh it is a glorious morning when not one, but two of my true loves come to me in their hour of greatest need to proclaim their love upon the noble scion of the house Kuno." The boken wielding kendo master declared with poetic flair upon seeing his fierce tigress, and his pig tailed goddess approaching his noble self.
"Great, Kuno, just what I need." Ranma-chan said in distaste. Normally Kuno got her warmed up for a day of school. Nothing like a good bit of violence to help the education go down.
"Don't worry Ranma I'll take care of him." Akane said in a moment of kindness.
If Akane was bad about people butting into her fight, or insinuating she could handle herself, Ranma-chan was infinitely worse. Rolling her eyes Ranma-chan said, "Hey I can handle him myself tomboy."
Akane's eyes went dark. "Fine then you do that!"
"I will!" Ranma-chan declared stalking up to Kuno.
"Oh my pig tailed goddess has finally freed herself from the influence of the villainous Saotome! Come my love and let us date."
"Shut up Kuno." Ranma-chan said forgetting herself and attempting to put a fist in the kenodist's face.
"Zaaaappppp!" White lightning like energy immediately sent Ranma-chan convulsing on the ground.
"Forgot about that." Ranma-chan mumbled from where she was on the ground.
"Sorcery! Sorcery I say. The evil sorcerer Saotome no doubt has sensed his foul magics have failed and attempts to take back my pig tailed goddess even as I speak!" Kuno declared raising his boken in the sky as if to summon the vengeance of heaven upon the evil pig tailed wizard. Spreading his arms Kuno turned to Ranma-chan who had pulled herself back to her feet. "Come into my embrace and my love shall protect you from the foul sorcery of the vile Saotome." Kuno declared while charging at Ranma-chan.
"Eeeek!" Ranma-chan screeched jumping out of the way of Kuno's hug. Flipping over the kendo master Ranma-chan quickly evaluated her situation and resources. "I didn't want to do this, but you have left with me with no choice. Saotome Desperation Technique! Evil Lecherous Demon Summoning Attack!" Ranma-chan yelled out on the top of her lungs.
"Evil Lecherous Demon Summoning Attack?" One student asked another.
The other shrugged. "Haven't a clue, first time I have heard of it."
Even as they spoke Ranma-chan flipped out a bra using what little she knew of hidden weapons technique. While the bra was in the air Ranma-chan exclaimed with a girlish squeal. "Oh no, this horrible man is destroying a poor, helpless, silky bra!"
There was a pause as the entire school stood silent. Then out of nowhere a powerful voice came from a pair of very small lungs. "Silky bras and undergarments are to be treated with the utmost care in the hands of a truly loving man that can bring out their perfect and wonderful glow. For assaulting a beautiful girl's poor, helpless, silky undergarments I, The Grandmaster of the School of Anything Goes School of Martial Arts will punish you!" Happosai declared evilly his small frame glowing with monstrous malevolence on the wall surrounding Furinken High.
"What manner of foul creature are you?" Kuno said leveling his boken at the shriveled gnome called Happosai.
Happosai would have none of it. "Happo Diakarin!" The evil master shouted dishing out half a dozen bombs onto Kuno all while diving in to collect the silky treasure that had yet to touch the ground.
"Ha! I, Kuno, cannot be so easily defeated by the minions of darkn-- Boom! B-b-b-booooooom!" The sound of several very powerful explosives ripped across the length of Furinken High blowing Kuno into oblivion.
Tears coming from his eyes Happosai declared with reverence as he slipped the bra into his ever present pouch. "I have saved you from horrible abuse at that man's unworthy hands."
"I fight on!" Kuno declared suddenly standing back up.
"Die abuser of women's undergarments!" Happosai declared attacking Kuno again.
Akane watched the display with her left eye twitching barely under control. Glaring at Ranma-chan she said, "Lecherous Demon Summoning Attack huh?"
"Hey, it worked didn't it." Ranma-chan retorted.
"I can't believe that even you would sink so low." Akane replied.
"Kuno had it coming."
*************************
Ranma-chan looked at the book. She looked, instead of read, because the writing was alternating between a undeterminable blurry image and relative clarity. While she could read just fine with the latter, she kept losing her place when writing went blurry again. To make matters worse Ranma-chan was too tired to really understand what she was reading anyway. Instead the information seemed to go strait through her mind completely unprocessed.
Groaning Ranma-chan got up to go do some more ki training down in the Tendo basement, or as all the members of the Tendo house thought of that area, Anito's lair. Last night Ranma-chan had begun to enjoy the silence that she could get down there. It was usually difficult for her to practice her ki, or even martial arts techniques because of the many interruptions.
Just thinking about it got her riled. Her father would usually butt in trying to tell her how it should be done. While his advice could be quite useful it was often times far more annoying. Then even worse there was Ryouga, Mousse, Shampoo, Ukyo or even Happosai. Down here though, she was free of most of them. The enchanted walls would laugh off a Bakusai Tenketsu, and Ranma-chan knew from personal experience a Moko Takabisha was equally ineffective. To top it off Anito had recently given the door some magical locks to prevent anyone from coming in just in case Ranma-chan was doing anything dangerous.
In a way, Ranma-chan supposed. She was starting to think of this room as her room. With a smile she considered why not? Ranma-chan had built the room and she could always make another for Anito if he needed one. Why not think of this room as hers? Ranma-chan reminded herself to ask Anito if she could use it as such. Not as a place to sleep though, Ranma-chan hated not having a window escape access.
For now though Ranma-chan needed to get her mind back on schedule before she flopped over from sheer accumulated weariness. Concentrating Ranma-chan formed a ball of ki like she had be doing last night. It came easier, cleaner and purer than her earlier trials. Equally, unlike those earlier balls of ki energy, this one was not filled with enough power to knock Ranma-chan off her feet in the event it burst. Control of amount of ki used had been the easiest, but Ranma-chan knew she was not even close to the purity that Anito had called forth before changing the color of the ki balls.
Grinning Ranma-chan called up another ball of energy and slowly moved it next to the other one. Controlling the balls of energy was the hardest part after the purity. The more she brought out the more stressful it was to keep them in their place. It was even harder to move them around to her will. Calling the third she put to much effort into it and thus resulted with ki tainted with the same. Annoyed she let all the balls pop out of existence. Thankfully she had gotten past the part where her failures exploded.
Ranma-chan let out a yawn and readied herself to try it again. Reaching for her ki she pulled forth a soft, white, ball of almost perfect purity. Unfortunately her eyesight was too blurred and her mind to weary for Ranma-chan to really recognize her accomplishment. Instead Ranma-chan simply slipped into the slumber she had been avoiding.
*********************
Ranma-chan opened her eyes to find herself in the same place where she had fallen asleep. "Huh, no dream this time?" Ranma-chan asked out loud. Standing up from the ground she felt the slight liquidness of reality that told her otherwise. "No, this is the dream."
Ranma-chan let out a snort. "I know what you are so there ain't no point in playing that stupid game of yours anymore." Ranma-chan declared with her usual bravado and confidence.
A female giggle sounded behind Ranma-chan and Ranma-chan whirled to face whoever, or whatever it was. There, floating almost lazily in the air, was the image of herself decked in the white and pink garb. Smiling at the pig tailed red head the feminine reflection let out another soft giggle and faded from Ranma-chan's vision like a cloud of mist from Ranma-chan's sight.
Ranma-chan's reality was wrenched into a whirl of color and chaos. When the spinning hurricane of sights settled but an instant latter the room had been replaced with a parody of what it once was. What was left seemed to be a twisted vision of what only Azusa would call a love hotel. The clash of pink would make most girls sick, Ranma-chan nearly vomited from the shock.
Restraining her natural reaction Ranma-chan proclaimed, "It ain't goina work, there isn't anything you can do to me in a dream. If you could you woulda the first two times." She wasn't really sure this was true, but it did make sense. From what Ranma-chan could tell the demon was just trying to shake her up. Now that she was here Ranma-chan was going to challenge the demon and get it to leave her alone.
"Oh poo, your no fun at all." Said a feminine voice as Ranma-chan's reflection faded into existence before the red head with a slight pout. The reflection's eyes though looked at Ranma-chan playfully. The reflection, or as Ranma-chan assumed the demon, did not vanish and appear like Anito did. The demon's movements were more like the creature was slipping in and out of this layer of reality.
Ranma-chan glared at the demon, letting lose a bit of the rage and annoyance for the troubles the creature had caused. "It ain't supposed to be fun. I Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School Anything Goes Martial Arts challenge you to combat. If I win you'll leave me alone you got that."
The demon giggled. "Oh, that is no fun. What do I get if I win?" The demon said floating around almost lazily. The the demon clapped her hands together and exclaimed with delight. "I know, how about you have to wear my shoes!"
Ranma-chan looked at the demon and shivered. Anything that delighted that creature couldn't be good. "I ain't putting on those stupid little shoes lady."
The demon faded into existence over Ranma-chan's shoulder. "Oh that is too bad," The demon sniffed sadly, "and they would look so good on you. Plus, they are just your size." The demon giggled at its own poor joke.
"Yeesh, your almost as bad as Happosai." For a second Ranma-chan considered the fact that Happosai might be a minor lust demon himself. It would certainly explain the effect of the Shinto wards. "I'm not wearing those shoes no matter what."
The demon giggled. "Why not you scared?" She said with a smile while floating back away from the martial artist. "Is the little martial artist terrified?"
"I ain't scared of nothing!" Ranma-chan declared.
"Then why do you refuse then? You aren't scared of these two little shoes now are you?"
"I'm not scarred! I ain't goina wear those shoes because I'm a guy." Ranma-chan shot back.
"Oh, if that is the reason... then why are you dressed like a girl?" The demon said with a giggle.
Ranma-chan looked down and saw that the demon had somehow once again slipped her into the same clothes the demon was wearing. Growling in anger Ranma-chan said, "Okay, that is it! Fine I'll wear those stupid shoes if I lose, but you are goina leave me alone when I win!"
The demon smiled. It was not her normal smile, no this one was a the smile of a predator with its prey clearly in its sights. Ranma-chan felt her hair stand on end under the influence of the creatures cold look. For a moment the martial artist wondered if she had made the right choice. Dismissing the feeling she fell into her cocky ready stance. As the two warriors devoted their mind to the battle the room slid back to its first image and Ranma-chan equally shifted to the clothes she fell asleep in.
"Then let us fight." The demons declared with a soft giggle.
Ranma-chan grinned and hopped forward starting the battle on her own terms by throwing a kick fast enough to take down Anito. Ranma-chan's smile faltered when the blow not only hit but passed through the demon as easily as it would passing through fog. "What the?"
The demon giggled at Ranma-chan's failed attempt at at an attack. "Oh, you didn't really want me to get hurt, now did you." The demon gave another giggle floating back and higher into the room. Waving her hand in an almost negligent manner a set of four chain linked manacle's formed out of the air, coalescing like condensing fog into their hard iron shapes. One of the four clamped and locked onto the leg on which Ranma-chan was standing.
Ranma-chan dodged like lightning out of the way of three other chains even before their snake like strikes could land. With only one leg captured Ranma-chan's ability to fight was not completely destroyed. Growling in annoyance at the demon's trick Ranma-chan accused, "Hey, that's cheating!"
The demon smiled. "Anything goes," She said in a teasing manner.
"Anything goes this! Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan said flinging a quick ki blast at the demon girl. Ranma-chan smiled at the east that the blast flew from her hands. If nothing else her the practice of the last two days made pulling forth the burst of life energy easier than ever.
The energy blast hit the demon at point blank range. The demon to close to dodge was hit dead on by the ki attack. The demon girl hissed in pain its face contorting in anger. The demon's eyes flashed red as the creature faded back streamers of black lightning ran down the demon's body. "That hurt! Now you are going to pay!" The demon fired off black energy at the chained Ranma-chan.
Ranma-chan dodged to the side, but her chained leg prevented complete escape from the broad ranged attack. The black energy merely grazed the pig tailed martial artist, but that was enough. The energy was enough to cause Ranma-chan to convulse in pain, her muscles ripped from her control. Shaking off the energy with her brilliant blue battle aura Ranma-chan called up another ki blast to deal with the enemy.
The demon by now had recovered her composure. Letting out a giggle she said, "Now, now, there is no need for that."
Ranma-chan glared at the demon. "You surrendering then?"
"Oh no, not at all. I am just employing a delaying tactic." The demon said with a giggle. Even as she spoke another chained manacle clamped around Ranma-chan's second leg.
Ranma-chan almost stopped in surprise, only her years of hardened battle prevented exactly that. She had forgotten about the other chains after the blast of black lightning. What was more her exquisite senses had failed to warn her of the attack before hand. Growling with anger Ranma-chan held together her ki bolt with skill gained from hours of recent practice. "Moko Takabisha!"
The blast shot out like a beam of light, the demon though faded left letting the energy slip through her ghostly form. The only sign of injury was the demon's hiss of pain as the attack passed through her after image. Caught by the chains on her legs Ranma-chan was unable to avoid the demon's counter attack. Instead the black lightning nailed her strait on. Pain soared through the pig tailed girl's body sending her shuddering into pain. Convulsing from the energy Ranma-chan wasn't able to stop the two other chained manacles as they clamped onto both of her hands. The martial artist full captured the chains jerked taut ripping her into the middle of the room with each limb spread in a different direction.
"There, there, isn't that better?" The demon said soothingly having faded in right next to the red head. Absently the demon ran a finger down the middle of Ranma-chan's chest tracing the curve of the pigtailed warrior's chest. The demon gave a smiling giggle and declared with glee, "You lose."
Ranma-chan jerked at the chains, but they wouldn't budge. "I ain't defeated yet."
The demon giggled and lifted only centimeters in front of Ranma-chan's face on of her hands. In this hand was coiled a frothing mass black lightning boiling like a hot pot of death. Leaning close the demon kissed Ranma-chan gently on the lips and then shoved her hand hard into Ranma-chan's ribs sending a tsunami of pain through the pig-tailed girl as the dark energy ripped into the pinned girls body like a wave of death. Though Ranma-chan's body didn't give in the least she felt her ki being ripped apart as assuredly as it would have if the demon had thrust her fist right through the pig tailed girls ribcage
Stopping the assault the demon let out a giggle as Ranma-chan fought for breath her body still convulsing from the pain. Though her eyes where hazy and her mind uncontrolled the creeping blackness of unconsciousness had not been felt with the demon's blow. Ranma-chan's body gave one last shudder of pain before her battle honed mind seized back control. For a moment Ranma-chan wondered if she could in a dream lose consciousness, or if the demon had prevented that escape in order to maximize the pain.
"You still want to fight, hmmm?" The demon cocked her head curiously. Her hand pulsing with black lightning that promised much more pain. The demon's smile almost gleefully encouraged the pigtailed martial artist to declare the battle still on as if those words would give her the excuse to strike Ranma-chan down.
Ranma-chan glared at the demon an act of petty defiance. Where Ranma-chan could not fight back, her eyes told the demon that her spirit was far from crushed. The pigtailed girls shoulders, where another story, they slumped in defeat as if to concede the victory to her adversary. Despite the fact that her spirit fought on Ranma-chan knew the battle was lost. Even if she could escape the chains at this point she had already been beaten as a martial artist she could not deny that fact.
"Okay I admit you got me, though next time it ain't goina go like that." Ranma-chan grudgingly admitted. As soon as the words left her mouth the chains vanished dropping Ranma-chan to the ground. Unwillingly she groaned in pain from the effort of standing on her own to feet.
The demon let out a giggle at Ranma-chan's speech and took off her pink, four inch, high heeled shoes and handed them shyly over to Ranma-chan. Ranma-chan glared at the demon in annoyance which only caused the demon to giggle again. Grumbling Ranma-chan grabbed the shoes forcefully from the demon's hands. Looking at the creature Ranma-chan declared savagely. "I ain't wearing these any longer than I have to."
Watching Ranma-chan put on the pumps the demon smiled. Once both feet were encased within the confines of the pink material the ankle straps tightened hard. Not a tenth of a second latter the pink pumps crushed into Ranma-chan's feet painfully causing her to gasp in pain. Ranma-chan could feel the hard material crawling like a living thing as if it was dissolving into her feet, or perhaps her feet were dissolving into them. Ranma-chan suddenly reached down and tried to yank the shoes off, but the she would have had better luck moving a boulder.
The demon smiled at this outcome and responded to the red heads earlier statement. "That's okay, because I didn't expect you to." Ranma-chan barely had time to register the words before her awareness was yanked from that reality.