Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Umbra Aureola ❯ Chapter 17 - Aphrodite's Bracelet End ( Chapter 17 )
[ 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: 5 | Words: 6.7K | Visits: 500 | 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: 5 | Words: 6.7K | Visits: 500 | Status: Completed
CHAPTER XVII : APHRODITE'S BRACELET END
Ranma-chan struggled yet again with the ki forms. The darn things just refused to work correctly. Oh yeah, getting the balls out was getting pretty easy, doing it all day and all, but making the ki lines was something else entirely. Every time Ranma-chan tried she would either cause the ki ball to pop out of existence by squeezing it too hard, or have what was supposed to be her line of ki flail around like a fish out of the water. Either way, it wasn't certainly wasn't doing Ranma-chan a whole lot of good.
"There has gotta be a better way." Ranma-chan said to herself annoyed at her most recent failure. How, the heck did Anito do it so easily? Heck, even at the level she was working at was giving her a headache and Ranma-chan knew that what Anito used for his Rajin's hammer made this look like child's play.
"Okay, maybe if I pull the energy out of the energy ball instead of turning the ball into the ki line it out it will work better. After all this sure as heck isn't getting me anywhere." Ranma-chan mumbled to herself.
Ranma-chan quickly produced the four ki balls. Then she attempted to extract the energy from the ball pulling it out, like she was unraveling a roll of twine. This time the energy came much easier, well at least until after about halfway through the ki line. That was where the line suddenly broke into two. Each of the lines immediately curled up into two new balls of ki, each with less energy than the original.
"Grrrr..." Ranma-chan let out in frustration. She immediately dismissed the energy and started again. Oh sure, Ranma-chan could have just worked with the energy balls she had left, but that wasn't what she was going for. Besides, dismissing and recreating the ki balls was actually good practice on absorbing and drawing energy from herself. Ranma-chan was rather proud of the fact that soon she would be able to throw Moko Takabishas like Ryouga throws punches. Well, except for the fact that they used way more energy anyway, but who was counting?
"Damn it, if this takes much longer I'll be a bloody lust demon before this is all over." Ranma-chan rambled out annoyed. She had already been working on this for a day since the last dream.
"Oh, what terrible crime have I committed that my son should loose his manhood?" Genma cried from in the room.
Ranma-chan jumped. "Hey, who let you in here old geezer!"
"Boy, show the one that raised you some respect!" Genma yelled back.
"Respect? Ha! What have you ever done to earn my respect?"
"Have I not taught you the art boy?"
"Yeah, and you also got me into half my messes doing it!"
Anito coughed in a discreet interruption. "Actually, I'm the one that let him in."
"Anito, you are spoiling all the fun." Nabiki said as she walked in. Looking at Ranma-chan in her heels Nabiki gave a smile. "Oh, trying to catch a rich husband are we?"
"Hey! that aint got nothing to do with it." Ranma-chan replied defensively to Nabiki. "So why the heck did you let him into the room?"
Genma jumped in on this. "Have you no respect for the wisdom of your elders boy!? Or do you really want to be a girl?"
"What do you know about this kind of junk anyway, old man?" Ranma-chan said seething.
"Will my son be defeated by such a simple technique? You have mastered kata a hundred times as complex! If you lose to such a simple task, then you are no son of mine."
"It ain't like any kata stupid pops. This is something on a whole new level. Besides I haven't ever worked magic before, so what are you expecting?"
"Oh I am ashamed to have such a weak willed son. Who would have thought my boy giving up so quickly."
"Yeah, you can talk, but you aren't the one doing it. Every time I try to force the stupid ki balls to do what I want they go crazy or something!"
"Have I taught you nothing boy! The art cannot be forced! The art flows freely from the soul like a river, like the wind. The moment you try to force the art you will fail! When doing the art you must see what you desire and make it true. If you lose scope of what it is you are achieving you will never succeed!"
Ranma-chan growled. "Oh shut up pops!" She yelled attacking her father.
"Zaaaaaaappppppp!" One extra crispy Ranma-chan was delivered as ordered.
"If you want to spend the rest of your life as a girl boy keep doing what you want. No son of mine though would be defeated by a toy." With that Genma stomped out of the room. Nabiki and Anito discreetly removed themselves at the same time.
"Stupid pops, what do you think you are doing anyway." Ranma-chan grumbled getting back up.
With nothing else to do Ranma-chan set herself back to working on the ki lines again. Summoning up the ki energy with ease she tried to shape it into the distinct patterns that Anito had given her. Drawing the power out forcefully, the energy once again formed into two new balls, instead of a line. "Grrr... stupid ki, why won't you do what I want."
Ranma-chan breathed in and calmed herself. Controlling ki didn't get any easier when you where angry. Calling it yes, but controlling it no. She just needed the stupid stuff to flow into the proper position. "Wait, flow, hmm I need it to flow into the formation like a river." Ranma-chan said thoughtfully.
Thinking about that reminded Ranma-chan of her father's words. Gritting her teeth at the fact that the stupid panda had actually said something worthwhile again she instead focused her mind on the task. "Let's see, if its gotta flow out, but how do I control how it flows?" Ranma-chan muttered.
"Well a river has banks, kind of a pattern it is supposed to flow into. So how I make sure the ki flows into the pattern I want. Well, ki is controlled by will, so I guess I have to will the banks of the river into existence, and then let just let ki flow so that it will naturally take that formation."
Concentrating Ranma-chan imagined the line of energy the ball was supposed to form. Then she let go of the energy in the ki ball, releasing like she would a ki blast. Immediately the line lit up, unfortunately the energy promptly vanished there after. Ranma-chan's aura sight told her that the energy had dissipated into the air.
"Well, at least I got past that part. Now I just have to figure out how the heck to prevent the stupid energy from leaking all over the place until I finish the spell." Ranma-chan grumbled. Ranma-chan's mind was already whirling with ideas on how to do exactly that.
Ranma-chan let out a groan and stretched her stiff muscles. "Damn, I have been sitting here way to long." Getting up Ranma-chan threw a few experimental punches and then set into a kata. After sitting around working on ki so long working her body felt good. Besides, Ranma-chan needed to do something to move her blood around every once in a while or she would fall strait asleep.
***************
Out of the room Nabiki held out her hand. Anito gave her a friendly glare. "Enjoy it while you can." Anito said placing 2000 yen in the extended palm.
Nabiki smiled, this was the first time she had clearly out played the arch-mage. "I certainly plan on doing just that."
"You know, I could have achieved the same thing with a lot less yelling." Anito said thoughtfully with a hint of a smile.
"Ooo, but that would hardly be as much fun."
"It wouldn't have been, now would it."
"So, when do you think our little, subject, will be finished."
"At his current rate, I'll give him two to three more days. With the ki Ranma is expending he will be out like a light tomorrow, probably tomorrow night. After that he should most definitely finish before he gets a second nap."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, and what are you planning to do if he doesn't finish before a fifth dream?"
"Hmm, in that case I think I will lend 'her', some money to buy a new wardrobe." Anito said with an evil grin.
"Now wouldn't that be fun. It is almost tempting to see what would happen."
"Don't be getting any ideas now, I have larger plans, ones that would be harmed by such an action."
"So you do, so you do." Nabiki said leaving the arch-mage behind. "You will let me be there when things go down, won't you?" Nabiki didn't want to miss what was going to happen. Especially since she was now involved.
"That is actually a requirement," Anito replied.
***************
It was a dream, Ranma-chan knew this instantly. Having been dragged into four of them was a quick teacher, and Ranma-chan wasn't about to forget her lessons. The distinct feeling of the mindscape was no longer an unknown. Nor, were the rules of this realm. A world where things, where physical objects, or even physical laws given shape by the will of the mind. A world where very little effected the outside world, yet just enough did to make it dangerous.
"Ya can come out now." Ranma-chan said lazily. The demon would come, she knew that. It couldn't possibly do anything to her without doing so. Well, at least she hopped that was the case, otherwise she would just have to sit here and get royally screwed.
"Oh, going strait to the point this time?" The demon said fading into existence before Ranma-chan. "So what fun little game are we going to play this time?" The demon cooed giggling.
"Nah, I ain't playing anything this time. You see I got you figured out, you want me to play by your rules. So I ain't goina do it."
The demon let out a female giggle. "That's too bad, and I so wanted to play too." The demon smiled at Ranma-chan her chin low in disappointment. "So what are we going to do then? Shall we talk over a cup of tea perhaps?" The demon waved its hands creating a table to do exactly that.
"Nope, I'm just going to fry your ass." Ranma-chan said gleefully. Cupping her hand she filled the space with ki energy until a ball of life force sat in her hand. The energy flowed out of her with ease born of her new mastery. "Eat this, Moko Takabisha!"
The demon dived to the side attempting to avoid the blast. The energy strike though was much faster than the creature, and was aimed by one of the foremost masters of the art alive, as such the blast hit cleanly. Hissing in pain as the energy strike passed through her foggy existence the demon spat angrily at Ranma-chan. "Wretch, I will make you regret your decision for the rest of your life!" The demon cried in anger. Black lighting gathered around the demon's hands as it prepared its retributive strike.
The demon was fast, Ranma-chan though, raised on combat since she was a wee little lad, was faster. "Fat chance, I got your weakness figured out this time. Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan threw her energy blast at the demon even while dodging the creature's return fire. The black lighting slammed into the ground where Ranma-chan had been just a second before. Rolling out of the way Ranma-chan tossed another quick energy attack at the demon. Where the first had missed the second nailed the demon strait on leaving the creature screaming in pain.
"Heh, how's that?" Ranma-chan asked after hitting the demon with a clean shot. Even as she spoke she formed another pair of Moko Takabishas in each hand. With a cocky grin she awaited the opportune moment.
The demon narrowed its eyes and hissed angrily at the pig-tailed martial artist. "You are a fool, you can not possibly beat me."
"Maybe, maybe not but making you into demon a la carte sure as hell feels good. So I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon, Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan countered letting loose the two energy blasts in a staggered attack. She had originally been planning a counter attack, but if the demon was going to sit around Ranma-chan wasn't about to let the creature have time to think. She learned that lesson her last fight.
The demon faded away from the first blast having learned the timing of the attack. The second though was aimed expecting the demon's dodge, which was the point of staggering the attack in the first place. The demon avoided a clean hit only by centimeters. Even avoiding the blast the attack apparently hurt the demon as it hissed in pain when the energy blast buzzed the demon's side.
Face twisted in anger, but looking sexy none the less, the demon let free a blast lighting in return for Ranma-chan's attack. Now it was Ranma-chan's turn to wince in pain when the lighting hit her arm causing it to spasm out of control. The demon followed up with two short but weaker energy attacks. The black lighting spilled on the dojo's floor and wall like water as Ranma-chan flipped out of the way of the first and rebounded off the wall behind her to avoid the second, follow up attack.
"Heh, have to do better than that demon. Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan yelled out tossing a energy blast at the creature. Ranma-chan concluded that she really needed a larger selection of energy attacks. Moko Takabisha was just too plain predictable for this kind of situation.
Apparently the demon agreed with that assessment, because when the attack came the creature actually grinned. Ranma-chan looked startled as the air in front of her warped until it looked like a mirror. Though she didn't know that the demon had twisted around space, she certainly had a good idea what was going to happen. Unfortunately, Ranma-chan's reactions where far to slow and the red head was blown backwards by her own ki blast.
Knocked silly Ranma-chan looked around to see that the demon had not stopped with her mirror trick. The world had been twisted into some sort of demented parody of a house of mirrors and an M. C. Esher painting. Ranma-chan's aura sense immediately informed her of what was obviously the impossible. The result of which was in an instant headache for the pig tailed martial artist. A far as Ranma-chan could tell a strait line was in actuality, in contradiction to what her mind told her it should be, some sort of twisted Gordian knot that circled the room at least three times.
Then she felt it, three burst of dark energy flowing around the room at a mind bending speed. Ranma-chan though, could make no more sense of where the heck they where coming from, much less how to dodge in this twisted reality, than she could imagine a Klien bottle.
Despite this Ranma-chan tried her best hoping for luck. She in part succeeded and was only clipped by the first black lighting blast. The second two though slammed into her head on, Ranma-chan fell convulsing onto the ground in pain as the dark energy ravaged her body. The mindscape shifted back into the dojo once more. Ranma-chan imagined with what small part of her mind was still functional that this was undoubtedly due to the effort the demon had to go through to maintain such a construct.
Two more quick blasts hit Ranma-chan before she could recover. Then the demon gave off a small giggle. "Is that better?" The demon asked mockingly.
Ranma-chan groaned out in pain, "Yeah, that just about takes the cake." Ranma-chan's smile turned a bit malicious as she scooped up energy in her palm for one last attack. She had lost this fight. Then again as Anito had put it, and the demon had clearly shown just a few moments ago, she had the same chance of winning as did miss lead weight against a shark. At least though Ranma-chan would get the satisfaction of seeing the shark black and blue before the battle ended.
****************
Nabiki rubbed her eyes. "Why can't demons attack at some godly hour." She said tiredly. Nabiki didn't like loosing out on her sleep, even if she herself had reason to get up.
"I think, godly, is exactly the problem. Case in point he has been out for hours. Demon though apparently waited until just past midnight." Anito replied with a laugh.
"You may be on to something." Nabiki let out a yawn. "So when is it going to happen?" Nabiki asked. She didn't want to sit down here all night.
Ranma-chan's body suddenly jerked as a muscle spasm swept through the body. Nabiki could swear she saw black lightning run from the bracelet through Ranma-chan's body. Given that this was magic, and a demon that they where dealing with Nabiki wasn't about to dismiss that as a possibility.
"It looks to me like the fight is about over. Ranma here just took one hell of a hit." Anito commented.
"Fight?"
"Yes, the demon is engaging Ranma in a battle within a mindscape."
"Oh, and is all this planning going to be for nothing if he wins?"
"He won't win."
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Nabiki knew one thing, if you don't know the odds, and even if you do know the odds, it is usually better to bet on Ranma when it comes to a fight.
"Can Ranma visualize 4th or higher dimensional mathematical objects?" Anito asked with a grin.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow indicating that Anito should make his point clear. "In a mindscape such things can be brought into existence. Physical laws like gravity, or inertia dismissed. Space can bend like a ribbon, or even twist upon itself like a snake. Up can be up while at the same time it is down, and left and right. You can be three places at once, while no place at all. I think you get the picture."
"Ah, it is a mental battle." Nabiki summed up with a smile. The one fight you always bet on Ranma to lose.
"Exactly," Anito grinned seeing Nabiki's immediate understanding. He could get used to talking to someone smart. Hopefully the lust demon's penchant for manipulation would encourage Ranma to apply his intellect to something other than combat. "It looks like it is about time for us, us being me, to make our move."
"Don't stop on my account. Tell me how does this work anyway?"
Anito chuckled, "Well basically I wait for the demon to make its move, and then I compromise Ranma's defenses allowing the demon to invade to the desired amount then I cut it off."
"Nice and simple eh? I take it us not being here when Ranma wakes up is part of the plan?"
"Of course. I would rather not face his wrath on this subject."
*******************
"Is the fight all over now? Do you give up?" The demon asked with its female voice. The demon looked like it was pouting over the fact. Ranma-chan just groaned in pain.
The demon crouched closer. "It looks like the wee little martial artist lost again." The demon let out a giggle.
"Yeah, yeah." Ranma-chan croaked out barely audibly. "I might of lost, but this is going to hurt you like hell. Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan yelled out the last in stark contrast to her the previous quiet. The blast caught the demon off guard blowing it back a couple of meters.
"You, you dare!" The demon yelled in anger its eyes burning with power.
Ranma-chan struggled to her feet. "Heh, what did you expect, me to say you are the greatest thing since instant ramen?"
The demon calmed down immediately. Her and eyes turned playful once again. Letting out a little giggle the demon swayed up to the red head. "Oh, I am going to make you regret fighting me."
Ranma-chan snorted disdainfully, "And how are you going to do that. Electrocute me? Been there done that. Heck, I'm surprised the panda hasn't already had me standing on Tokyo Tower during a thunderstorm in the name of training. You goina merge with me? Ha, you where going to do that anyway. You're not goina kill me, even if you could, because you want to use me. I told you I got it all figured out already."
The demon let out a giggle. "Do you now? But I must ask are those really your words? Is it you that wanted to make me suffer? Was it really you that wanted vengeance? They are such demonic ideals aren't they? But then, it could be something else, couldn't it?"
The demon leaned close with a malicious smile. "Since when did you use such cunning traps simply to cause pain. I suppose I am asking are those really your words, or are they mine."
Ranma-chan felt a shiver crawl down her. It wasn't like her to be this blood thirsty. Was it really just the aggression built up from being unable to fight, from having a demon trick her, and threaten her very manhood? Or was it something different? Was the demonic essence already crawling up through her body. Twisting her into a mockery of what she once was? Ranma-chan caught the demon's insinuation quite clearly. Ranma-chan was bothered most of all by the fact she didn't know for sure. Anito had said that the creature would twisted her from the inside.
Ranma-chan let out a snort though burying those thoughts. If the demon could have that effect Ranma-chan doubted it would bother saying so. The demon might not be all that bright, but it was certainly smart enough to let Ranma-chan think that the merges where nothing more than merely physical, if it thought it could get away with it. "It ain't got nothing to do with you."
The demon giggled at Ranma-chan's response. Her eyes seemed to pierce through Ranma-chan's facade seeing the kernel of doubt in her mind. "Just imagine what will happen to you when you absorb more of me." The demon whispered sliding close to the red headed martial artist.
Ranma-chan wanted to shove the demon away. Her muscles, ki and body where to damaged to resist though. It was all she could do to even stand. Despite this Ranma-chan was quite tempted to charge up another blast just to piss the creature off.
The demon was now right in Ranma-chan's face. The pigtailed girl took a few steps back unconsciously protecting her private space from the creature. The wall though prevented further retreat, and the demon closed with every movement Ranma-chan made, smiling seductively at the red head.
The demon licked its lips tauntingly. "Perhaps this time you will gain a woman's beauty, and a woman's pleasure to pair with my other gifts."
"Nothing you can do could give me - mmph...." Ranma-chan's retort was silenced when the demon kissed her full on the lips. The red head's eyes widened when the demon slipped her tongue into her mouth. Even Ranma-chan found it darkly amusing that she lost her first kiss to a man, and her second to a demon. There was a bitter irony that she had never kissed a girl, but had been a girl to receive her two kisses.
Ranma-chan tried to push the demon away, but her hands wouldn't respond to her will. Ranma-chan wasn't sure if it was because she was stunned by the kiss, or because of the massive damage she had taken. Then she felt a crawling sensation run through her mouth.
Shivering she realized that the demon was trying to merge with her again, this time though it didn't slide so easily through Ranma-chan's defenses. It was as if the attack paused on some invisible barrier, where it would only pass through with the greatest difficulty. For a second Ranma-chan wondered if by using ki would she be able to stop the process. Then suddenly the demonic energy broke through as if what ever defense she had was ripped to shreds. The effect caused Ranma-chan to gasp like she had been struck with an electric shock.
As quickly as it came it stopped and the demon pulled back with a smile. "So tell me, who really won this battle? Ta ta." With that darkness rushed upon the pigtailed red head.
***************
Ranma-chan sputtered awake her aura flaring a brilliant red. "Grrr.. I so want to kill that demon!" Ranma-chan gave the bracelet a fierce stare.
On second thought she would forgo killing the demon and just get the damn bracelet off. The last thing she needed was more of that crawling essence sliding into her. She could feel it even now where the demon had kissed her in the dream. Ranma-chan shuddered slightly thinking of the demon's words. What effect would this have on her?
"Gah, I'm thinking to much again. When ever that happens I always get into trouble." Ranma-chan said dismissing it. The demon obviously was just trying to shake her up, just like so many of its other past actions. Besides, even if the anger was in part the demon's doing, she deserved every last damn thing Ranma-chan had done. Heck, she needed to be fried a few more times!
Brushing aside the demon's words with her trademark confidence that she would succeed Ranma-chan stood and stretched painfully. It may have been a dream, but the damage on her body was quite real. Ranma-chan was a fast healer though. A few quick improvised kata's loosened up those tense muscles and put the mutilated ki flows in the right formation. Mind cleared and body content with the simple exercise Ranma-chan sat down again.
"Okay, lets see before I fell asleep I was working on controlling all those ki lines." Ranma-chan said to herself thoughtfully. She had the ki forming into the lines, but it was taking practice to contain it in the final form. As of now she had gotten to the point of just finishing on the fourth orb of energy when the first set of lines faded from existence. At least Ranma-chan could hold a single one almost indefinitely though. Ki control was certainly something that became easier with practice.
"Heh, with the way I was throwing ki blasts in that battle with the demon I might have to adopt some simple energy attacks into my basic attack form." Ranma-chan said. Wasteful of energy yes, but devastating and long ranged as well. With her swift style the reach of ki projections would make Ranma-chan exceptionally dangerous, and eliminate her weakness to ranged opponents, like Saffron, or Anito. All Ranma-chan would need to do is make sure she didn't become too dependent on them.
Of course, she would need to save that for latter. Though when she had the time Ranma-chan may as well while she was at it use these books to cook up something other than a raw ki attack. A mix of more natural energy should negate Anito's, or Hinako's ability to absorb or turn the attack back against her. That and eliminate the neon sign that said, I am here, to every ki sensing martial artist in a couple of kilometers.
Lost in thought Ranma-chan let the ki lines slip once again. "Gahk, and I was so close that time too!" Ranma-chan yelped out annoyed. "Ah well, I may as well wake up Anito. I'm probably getting close enough now for the last part. Besides, I need to figure out what the heck the demon has done this time."
Ranma-chan hopped up off of her butt and went to do exactly that. It didn't take much pounding on the door to wake up the reclusive wizard. The door opened but a minute latter with one very tired looking Anito lazily glaring out. "What do you want, ... and what is with the makeup?" Anito said sleepily.
"Hey I think... wait did you say makeup! Aaaarrrrg! I'll kill that demon!" Ranma-chan's aura sprung up red again her eyes glowed malevolently. "No, death is too good for her, I am going to slowly fry her with my ki!"
"That is nice, I think I'll go back to sleep then."
"Wait!" Ranma-chan stopped Anito from closing the door with a violent thrust of her hand. Calming herself by chanting the thought, soul of ice, soul of ice, soul of ice, in her head. Looking at the arch-mage without her fiery aura she said, "I need to know that last part of the unlocking technique thingy."
"I think I can manage that. Here show me what you have down and then I'll show you the rest." Anito said his eyes half lidded.
Ranma-chan concentrated forming the lines of ki in the air. She managed to hold the energy formation for a second before the lines bled off into nothing. "That's what I am pulling off right now, but I figure that I can get the rest down while working on the last part." There was no point perfecting her control right now, when she could do so without the bracelet hanging over her head.
"Good, good, I suppose I can show you the last part." Anito grinned as he held up his hand. The energy form appeared neigh instantly putting all Ranma-chan's work to shame. Then almost casually Anito floated another orange ball into the center of the sphere. There he connected all the energy lines to the sphere causing the power to ignite in a brilliant flash of light.
"That is all there is to it, well besides making sure that the effect targets the bracelet. Here let me show you how that is done." Anito closed the door applying the magical locks. "Now you just do it like this." Anito explained as the spell flashed softly this time on the door. There was a soft click as the magical locks released. "There you go."
"Eh? That doesn't seem so hard." Ranma-chan said scratching her head.
"It is a bit trickier than you would think. I'm sure you can figure it out by the end of the day. Your biggest obstacle will be your lack of control. The spell is likely to go off on the wrong target, or incorrectly combine resulting in nothing more than a light display. Then there is the matter of energy distribution. Which isn't easy to explain, it is better seen anyway. Here watch it again." Anito showed the spell a few more times letting Ranma-chan watch it closely with her aura sight.
"I think I got it down." Ranma-chan said.
Anito let out a yawn. "Well then, off to work with you I'm going back to sleep." With that Anito walked back into his room shutting the door. The tell tell click indicated that the arch-mage had locked it.
Ranma-chan grinned she would be free of the bracelet by the end of the day! She gleefully took off to the underground dojo to finish off the spell. Sitting down she concentrated for a bit forming the ki lines. Creating the central ball she suddenly remembered she didn't know how to convert it so that it would be orange. "Gah!" Ranma-chan let out banging her head against the wall. It was going to take longer than she thought.
********************
"Click! Bonk, bonk, bonk" The bracelet fell free bouncing on the ground several times before settling. After hours of hard work Ranma-chan had done it. The bane of her existence for almost a week was finally gone. It was almost enough to make her stare in disbelief.
"I, I, I did it?" Ranma-chan asked. The bracelet made no effort to answer the question, and being the only other entity, and questionably at that, in the room other than Ranma-chan no one else answered either.
"I did it. I did it! The bracelet is gone! That means, that means, it means I can become a guy again!" Ranma-chan immediately ceased her celebration and dashed upstairs to get some hot water. Seeing tea on the table Ranma-chan grabbed the kettle with full amaguriken speeds and dumped it on her head.
Seeing the change take effect Ranma danced around the room. "I'm a guy again, I'm a guy again!"
"Oh, isn't that nice." Kasumi said picking up the kettle to refill it. She did wish that he hadn't used all the water. Oh, well, it would be easy enough to boil more.
Anito smiled behind the cup of tea he had been serenely sipping. "So what is with the makeup?"
"Aaaahhhh!" Ranma dashed out of the room for the nearest mirror.
"That wasn't very nice." Kasumi admonished Anito.
Anito quirked a grin and then sipped some more tea. "I couldn't resist."
Ranma appeared in the room again rather angry. Sure he was happy he wasn't wearing makeup, as confirmed by the mirror, but now Ranma was pissed that Anito had pulled that on him. "You think that is funny?" Ranma cracked his knuckles. "If I remember right you have missed nearly a week of martial arts training." Ranma said with a vicious grin. "Let's start now, Moko Takabisha!" Ranma threw the ki blast at the arch-mage.
Anito just teleported out of the way not disturbed in the least. "Say Kasumi isn't it past time for Akane to get up?"
Ranma stopped his lessons on his pupil. "What's that have to do with anything?"
"Oh my, you are right. Akane is sleeping in today."
Anito grinned teleporting behind Ranma. "I suppose that means you'll need to wake her up."
"Hey, wait why should I do that?"
"Because..." Anito grabbed Ranma's shirt and announced. "You are facing my ultimate evil technique today. Anito special attack..." The area shifted as Anito teleported the two to another location. "The pit of doom!" With those words Anito released Ranma and vanished.
"Yeesh, that was one lame special attack." Ranma said out loud. Then he went pale as he realized which room he was in. Perhaps more importantly he realized who he was on top of.
"Hey, hey, hey it isn't what it looks like." Ranma said waving his hands desperately in front of Akane.
"Ranma! You, you, you pervert!" The pig tailed martial artist suddenly found himself flying out into the great beyond. Unfortunately, Ranma hadn't propelled himself on this adventure. Instead, he was given the trip curtesy of one very angry Akane Tendo by means of a very, very hard kick.
"It's not my faaaaauuuuult!" Ranma wailed as he arched high off into the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So ends this mini arch. The Aphrodite's bracelet section ended up being a lot longer than expected, in fact nearly twice the size. However, I am quite happy how it turned out, and the fact that certain events will make some scenes that need to happen around... 12 chapters from now... much more reasonable.
In any case with the completion of this Story Arch 2 (SA2) is now only about 8 chapters away, there being only one more mini-arch and a couple of shorts to work on. Right now the first story section should be around 100,000 words.
Oh yes, sorry, no crossovers until story arch 2....
**********
One last thanks for all reviewers. Keep it up, correct my errors too. Though I don't generally fix things immediately, unless they are major problems, I like to be consistent and keep my plots nice and sound. Further, even minor errors get corrections in my original file, though it may take a while for them to migrate onto the net as I don't usually update done chapters unless I have re-edited them.
One last warning, I plan long, very long. Right now my plans are set up for nearly 17 chapters in the future. For clairity sake, that means I have written a short of what will happen in chapter (groups, or even specific chapters) about that far ahead. Major events are listed even after that. Just to give those people that want something, or suggest something, to happen in this fic a warning. It is highly unlikely that if I am going to implement something suggested, it will happen soon. Unless of course it doesn't change the preset direction.
*Author Out*
Ranma-chan struggled yet again with the ki forms. The darn things just refused to work correctly. Oh yeah, getting the balls out was getting pretty easy, doing it all day and all, but making the ki lines was something else entirely. Every time Ranma-chan tried she would either cause the ki ball to pop out of existence by squeezing it too hard, or have what was supposed to be her line of ki flail around like a fish out of the water. Either way, it wasn't certainly wasn't doing Ranma-chan a whole lot of good.
"There has gotta be a better way." Ranma-chan said to herself annoyed at her most recent failure. How, the heck did Anito do it so easily? Heck, even at the level she was working at was giving her a headache and Ranma-chan knew that what Anito used for his Rajin's hammer made this look like child's play.
"Okay, maybe if I pull the energy out of the energy ball instead of turning the ball into the ki line it out it will work better. After all this sure as heck isn't getting me anywhere." Ranma-chan mumbled to herself.
Ranma-chan quickly produced the four ki balls. Then she attempted to extract the energy from the ball pulling it out, like she was unraveling a roll of twine. This time the energy came much easier, well at least until after about halfway through the ki line. That was where the line suddenly broke into two. Each of the lines immediately curled up into two new balls of ki, each with less energy than the original.
"Grrrr..." Ranma-chan let out in frustration. She immediately dismissed the energy and started again. Oh sure, Ranma-chan could have just worked with the energy balls she had left, but that wasn't what she was going for. Besides, dismissing and recreating the ki balls was actually good practice on absorbing and drawing energy from herself. Ranma-chan was rather proud of the fact that soon she would be able to throw Moko Takabishas like Ryouga throws punches. Well, except for the fact that they used way more energy anyway, but who was counting?
"Damn it, if this takes much longer I'll be a bloody lust demon before this is all over." Ranma-chan rambled out annoyed. She had already been working on this for a day since the last dream.
"Oh, what terrible crime have I committed that my son should loose his manhood?" Genma cried from in the room.
Ranma-chan jumped. "Hey, who let you in here old geezer!"
"Boy, show the one that raised you some respect!" Genma yelled back.
"Respect? Ha! What have you ever done to earn my respect?"
"Have I not taught you the art boy?"
"Yeah, and you also got me into half my messes doing it!"
Anito coughed in a discreet interruption. "Actually, I'm the one that let him in."
"Anito, you are spoiling all the fun." Nabiki said as she walked in. Looking at Ranma-chan in her heels Nabiki gave a smile. "Oh, trying to catch a rich husband are we?"
"Hey! that aint got nothing to do with it." Ranma-chan replied defensively to Nabiki. "So why the heck did you let him into the room?"
Genma jumped in on this. "Have you no respect for the wisdom of your elders boy!? Or do you really want to be a girl?"
"What do you know about this kind of junk anyway, old man?" Ranma-chan said seething.
"Will my son be defeated by such a simple technique? You have mastered kata a hundred times as complex! If you lose to such a simple task, then you are no son of mine."
"It ain't like any kata stupid pops. This is something on a whole new level. Besides I haven't ever worked magic before, so what are you expecting?"
"Oh I am ashamed to have such a weak willed son. Who would have thought my boy giving up so quickly."
"Yeah, you can talk, but you aren't the one doing it. Every time I try to force the stupid ki balls to do what I want they go crazy or something!"
"Have I taught you nothing boy! The art cannot be forced! The art flows freely from the soul like a river, like the wind. The moment you try to force the art you will fail! When doing the art you must see what you desire and make it true. If you lose scope of what it is you are achieving you will never succeed!"
Ranma-chan growled. "Oh shut up pops!" She yelled attacking her father.
"Zaaaaaaappppppp!" One extra crispy Ranma-chan was delivered as ordered.
"If you want to spend the rest of your life as a girl boy keep doing what you want. No son of mine though would be defeated by a toy." With that Genma stomped out of the room. Nabiki and Anito discreetly removed themselves at the same time.
"Stupid pops, what do you think you are doing anyway." Ranma-chan grumbled getting back up.
With nothing else to do Ranma-chan set herself back to working on the ki lines again. Summoning up the ki energy with ease she tried to shape it into the distinct patterns that Anito had given her. Drawing the power out forcefully, the energy once again formed into two new balls, instead of a line. "Grrr... stupid ki, why won't you do what I want."
Ranma-chan breathed in and calmed herself. Controlling ki didn't get any easier when you where angry. Calling it yes, but controlling it no. She just needed the stupid stuff to flow into the proper position. "Wait, flow, hmm I need it to flow into the formation like a river." Ranma-chan said thoughtfully.
Thinking about that reminded Ranma-chan of her father's words. Gritting her teeth at the fact that the stupid panda had actually said something worthwhile again she instead focused her mind on the task. "Let's see, if its gotta flow out, but how do I control how it flows?" Ranma-chan muttered.
"Well a river has banks, kind of a pattern it is supposed to flow into. So how I make sure the ki flows into the pattern I want. Well, ki is controlled by will, so I guess I have to will the banks of the river into existence, and then let just let ki flow so that it will naturally take that formation."
Concentrating Ranma-chan imagined the line of energy the ball was supposed to form. Then she let go of the energy in the ki ball, releasing like she would a ki blast. Immediately the line lit up, unfortunately the energy promptly vanished there after. Ranma-chan's aura sight told her that the energy had dissipated into the air.
"Well, at least I got past that part. Now I just have to figure out how the heck to prevent the stupid energy from leaking all over the place until I finish the spell." Ranma-chan grumbled. Ranma-chan's mind was already whirling with ideas on how to do exactly that.
Ranma-chan let out a groan and stretched her stiff muscles. "Damn, I have been sitting here way to long." Getting up Ranma-chan threw a few experimental punches and then set into a kata. After sitting around working on ki so long working her body felt good. Besides, Ranma-chan needed to do something to move her blood around every once in a while or she would fall strait asleep.
***************
Out of the room Nabiki held out her hand. Anito gave her a friendly glare. "Enjoy it while you can." Anito said placing 2000 yen in the extended palm.
Nabiki smiled, this was the first time she had clearly out played the arch-mage. "I certainly plan on doing just that."
"You know, I could have achieved the same thing with a lot less yelling." Anito said thoughtfully with a hint of a smile.
"Ooo, but that would hardly be as much fun."
"It wouldn't have been, now would it."
"So, when do you think our little, subject, will be finished."
"At his current rate, I'll give him two to three more days. With the ki Ranma is expending he will be out like a light tomorrow, probably tomorrow night. After that he should most definitely finish before he gets a second nap."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, and what are you planning to do if he doesn't finish before a fifth dream?"
"Hmm, in that case I think I will lend 'her', some money to buy a new wardrobe." Anito said with an evil grin.
"Now wouldn't that be fun. It is almost tempting to see what would happen."
"Don't be getting any ideas now, I have larger plans, ones that would be harmed by such an action."
"So you do, so you do." Nabiki said leaving the arch-mage behind. "You will let me be there when things go down, won't you?" Nabiki didn't want to miss what was going to happen. Especially since she was now involved.
"That is actually a requirement," Anito replied.
***************
It was a dream, Ranma-chan knew this instantly. Having been dragged into four of them was a quick teacher, and Ranma-chan wasn't about to forget her lessons. The distinct feeling of the mindscape was no longer an unknown. Nor, were the rules of this realm. A world where things, where physical objects, or even physical laws given shape by the will of the mind. A world where very little effected the outside world, yet just enough did to make it dangerous.
"Ya can come out now." Ranma-chan said lazily. The demon would come, she knew that. It couldn't possibly do anything to her without doing so. Well, at least she hopped that was the case, otherwise she would just have to sit here and get royally screwed.
"Oh, going strait to the point this time?" The demon said fading into existence before Ranma-chan. "So what fun little game are we going to play this time?" The demon cooed giggling.
"Nah, I ain't playing anything this time. You see I got you figured out, you want me to play by your rules. So I ain't goina do it."
The demon let out a female giggle. "That's too bad, and I so wanted to play too." The demon smiled at Ranma-chan her chin low in disappointment. "So what are we going to do then? Shall we talk over a cup of tea perhaps?" The demon waved its hands creating a table to do exactly that.
"Nope, I'm just going to fry your ass." Ranma-chan said gleefully. Cupping her hand she filled the space with ki energy until a ball of life force sat in her hand. The energy flowed out of her with ease born of her new mastery. "Eat this, Moko Takabisha!"
The demon dived to the side attempting to avoid the blast. The energy strike though was much faster than the creature, and was aimed by one of the foremost masters of the art alive, as such the blast hit cleanly. Hissing in pain as the energy strike passed through her foggy existence the demon spat angrily at Ranma-chan. "Wretch, I will make you regret your decision for the rest of your life!" The demon cried in anger. Black lighting gathered around the demon's hands as it prepared its retributive strike.
The demon was fast, Ranma-chan though, raised on combat since she was a wee little lad, was faster. "Fat chance, I got your weakness figured out this time. Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan threw her energy blast at the demon even while dodging the creature's return fire. The black lighting slammed into the ground where Ranma-chan had been just a second before. Rolling out of the way Ranma-chan tossed another quick energy attack at the demon. Where the first had missed the second nailed the demon strait on leaving the creature screaming in pain.
"Heh, how's that?" Ranma-chan asked after hitting the demon with a clean shot. Even as she spoke she formed another pair of Moko Takabishas in each hand. With a cocky grin she awaited the opportune moment.
The demon narrowed its eyes and hissed angrily at the pig-tailed martial artist. "You are a fool, you can not possibly beat me."
"Maybe, maybe not but making you into demon a la carte sure as hell feels good. So I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon, Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan countered letting loose the two energy blasts in a staggered attack. She had originally been planning a counter attack, but if the demon was going to sit around Ranma-chan wasn't about to let the creature have time to think. She learned that lesson her last fight.
The demon faded away from the first blast having learned the timing of the attack. The second though was aimed expecting the demon's dodge, which was the point of staggering the attack in the first place. The demon avoided a clean hit only by centimeters. Even avoiding the blast the attack apparently hurt the demon as it hissed in pain when the energy blast buzzed the demon's side.
Face twisted in anger, but looking sexy none the less, the demon let free a blast lighting in return for Ranma-chan's attack. Now it was Ranma-chan's turn to wince in pain when the lighting hit her arm causing it to spasm out of control. The demon followed up with two short but weaker energy attacks. The black lighting spilled on the dojo's floor and wall like water as Ranma-chan flipped out of the way of the first and rebounded off the wall behind her to avoid the second, follow up attack.
"Heh, have to do better than that demon. Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan yelled out tossing a energy blast at the creature. Ranma-chan concluded that she really needed a larger selection of energy attacks. Moko Takabisha was just too plain predictable for this kind of situation.
Apparently the demon agreed with that assessment, because when the attack came the creature actually grinned. Ranma-chan looked startled as the air in front of her warped until it looked like a mirror. Though she didn't know that the demon had twisted around space, she certainly had a good idea what was going to happen. Unfortunately, Ranma-chan's reactions where far to slow and the red head was blown backwards by her own ki blast.
Knocked silly Ranma-chan looked around to see that the demon had not stopped with her mirror trick. The world had been twisted into some sort of demented parody of a house of mirrors and an M. C. Esher painting. Ranma-chan's aura sense immediately informed her of what was obviously the impossible. The result of which was in an instant headache for the pig tailed martial artist. A far as Ranma-chan could tell a strait line was in actuality, in contradiction to what her mind told her it should be, some sort of twisted Gordian knot that circled the room at least three times.
Then she felt it, three burst of dark energy flowing around the room at a mind bending speed. Ranma-chan though, could make no more sense of where the heck they where coming from, much less how to dodge in this twisted reality, than she could imagine a Klien bottle.
Despite this Ranma-chan tried her best hoping for luck. She in part succeeded and was only clipped by the first black lighting blast. The second two though slammed into her head on, Ranma-chan fell convulsing onto the ground in pain as the dark energy ravaged her body. The mindscape shifted back into the dojo once more. Ranma-chan imagined with what small part of her mind was still functional that this was undoubtedly due to the effort the demon had to go through to maintain such a construct.
Two more quick blasts hit Ranma-chan before she could recover. Then the demon gave off a small giggle. "Is that better?" The demon asked mockingly.
Ranma-chan groaned out in pain, "Yeah, that just about takes the cake." Ranma-chan's smile turned a bit malicious as she scooped up energy in her palm for one last attack. She had lost this fight. Then again as Anito had put it, and the demon had clearly shown just a few moments ago, she had the same chance of winning as did miss lead weight against a shark. At least though Ranma-chan would get the satisfaction of seeing the shark black and blue before the battle ended.
****************
Nabiki rubbed her eyes. "Why can't demons attack at some godly hour." She said tiredly. Nabiki didn't like loosing out on her sleep, even if she herself had reason to get up.
"I think, godly, is exactly the problem. Case in point he has been out for hours. Demon though apparently waited until just past midnight." Anito replied with a laugh.
"You may be on to something." Nabiki let out a yawn. "So when is it going to happen?" Nabiki asked. She didn't want to sit down here all night.
Ranma-chan's body suddenly jerked as a muscle spasm swept through the body. Nabiki could swear she saw black lightning run from the bracelet through Ranma-chan's body. Given that this was magic, and a demon that they where dealing with Nabiki wasn't about to dismiss that as a possibility.
"It looks to me like the fight is about over. Ranma here just took one hell of a hit." Anito commented.
"Fight?"
"Yes, the demon is engaging Ranma in a battle within a mindscape."
"Oh, and is all this planning going to be for nothing if he wins?"
"He won't win."
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Nabiki knew one thing, if you don't know the odds, and even if you do know the odds, it is usually better to bet on Ranma when it comes to a fight.
"Can Ranma visualize 4th or higher dimensional mathematical objects?" Anito asked with a grin.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow indicating that Anito should make his point clear. "In a mindscape such things can be brought into existence. Physical laws like gravity, or inertia dismissed. Space can bend like a ribbon, or even twist upon itself like a snake. Up can be up while at the same time it is down, and left and right. You can be three places at once, while no place at all. I think you get the picture."
"Ah, it is a mental battle." Nabiki summed up with a smile. The one fight you always bet on Ranma to lose.
"Exactly," Anito grinned seeing Nabiki's immediate understanding. He could get used to talking to someone smart. Hopefully the lust demon's penchant for manipulation would encourage Ranma to apply his intellect to something other than combat. "It looks like it is about time for us, us being me, to make our move."
"Don't stop on my account. Tell me how does this work anyway?"
Anito chuckled, "Well basically I wait for the demon to make its move, and then I compromise Ranma's defenses allowing the demon to invade to the desired amount then I cut it off."
"Nice and simple eh? I take it us not being here when Ranma wakes up is part of the plan?"
"Of course. I would rather not face his wrath on this subject."
*******************
"Is the fight all over now? Do you give up?" The demon asked with its female voice. The demon looked like it was pouting over the fact. Ranma-chan just groaned in pain.
The demon crouched closer. "It looks like the wee little martial artist lost again." The demon let out a giggle.
"Yeah, yeah." Ranma-chan croaked out barely audibly. "I might of lost, but this is going to hurt you like hell. Moko Takabisha!" Ranma-chan yelled out the last in stark contrast to her the previous quiet. The blast caught the demon off guard blowing it back a couple of meters.
"You, you dare!" The demon yelled in anger its eyes burning with power.
Ranma-chan struggled to her feet. "Heh, what did you expect, me to say you are the greatest thing since instant ramen?"
The demon calmed down immediately. Her and eyes turned playful once again. Letting out a little giggle the demon swayed up to the red head. "Oh, I am going to make you regret fighting me."
Ranma-chan snorted disdainfully, "And how are you going to do that. Electrocute me? Been there done that. Heck, I'm surprised the panda hasn't already had me standing on Tokyo Tower during a thunderstorm in the name of training. You goina merge with me? Ha, you where going to do that anyway. You're not goina kill me, even if you could, because you want to use me. I told you I got it all figured out already."
The demon let out a giggle. "Do you now? But I must ask are those really your words? Is it you that wanted to make me suffer? Was it really you that wanted vengeance? They are such demonic ideals aren't they? But then, it could be something else, couldn't it?"
The demon leaned close with a malicious smile. "Since when did you use such cunning traps simply to cause pain. I suppose I am asking are those really your words, or are they mine."
Ranma-chan felt a shiver crawl down her. It wasn't like her to be this blood thirsty. Was it really just the aggression built up from being unable to fight, from having a demon trick her, and threaten her very manhood? Or was it something different? Was the demonic essence already crawling up through her body. Twisting her into a mockery of what she once was? Ranma-chan caught the demon's insinuation quite clearly. Ranma-chan was bothered most of all by the fact she didn't know for sure. Anito had said that the creature would twisted her from the inside.
Ranma-chan let out a snort though burying those thoughts. If the demon could have that effect Ranma-chan doubted it would bother saying so. The demon might not be all that bright, but it was certainly smart enough to let Ranma-chan think that the merges where nothing more than merely physical, if it thought it could get away with it. "It ain't got nothing to do with you."
The demon giggled at Ranma-chan's response. Her eyes seemed to pierce through Ranma-chan's facade seeing the kernel of doubt in her mind. "Just imagine what will happen to you when you absorb more of me." The demon whispered sliding close to the red headed martial artist.
Ranma-chan wanted to shove the demon away. Her muscles, ki and body where to damaged to resist though. It was all she could do to even stand. Despite this Ranma-chan was quite tempted to charge up another blast just to piss the creature off.
The demon was now right in Ranma-chan's face. The pigtailed girl took a few steps back unconsciously protecting her private space from the creature. The wall though prevented further retreat, and the demon closed with every movement Ranma-chan made, smiling seductively at the red head.
The demon licked its lips tauntingly. "Perhaps this time you will gain a woman's beauty, and a woman's pleasure to pair with my other gifts."
"Nothing you can do could give me - mmph...." Ranma-chan's retort was silenced when the demon kissed her full on the lips. The red head's eyes widened when the demon slipped her tongue into her mouth. Even Ranma-chan found it darkly amusing that she lost her first kiss to a man, and her second to a demon. There was a bitter irony that she had never kissed a girl, but had been a girl to receive her two kisses.
Ranma-chan tried to push the demon away, but her hands wouldn't respond to her will. Ranma-chan wasn't sure if it was because she was stunned by the kiss, or because of the massive damage she had taken. Then she felt a crawling sensation run through her mouth.
Shivering she realized that the demon was trying to merge with her again, this time though it didn't slide so easily through Ranma-chan's defenses. It was as if the attack paused on some invisible barrier, where it would only pass through with the greatest difficulty. For a second Ranma-chan wondered if by using ki would she be able to stop the process. Then suddenly the demonic energy broke through as if what ever defense she had was ripped to shreds. The effect caused Ranma-chan to gasp like she had been struck with an electric shock.
As quickly as it came it stopped and the demon pulled back with a smile. "So tell me, who really won this battle? Ta ta." With that darkness rushed upon the pigtailed red head.
***************
Ranma-chan sputtered awake her aura flaring a brilliant red. "Grrr.. I so want to kill that demon!" Ranma-chan gave the bracelet a fierce stare.
On second thought she would forgo killing the demon and just get the damn bracelet off. The last thing she needed was more of that crawling essence sliding into her. She could feel it even now where the demon had kissed her in the dream. Ranma-chan shuddered slightly thinking of the demon's words. What effect would this have on her?
"Gah, I'm thinking to much again. When ever that happens I always get into trouble." Ranma-chan said dismissing it. The demon obviously was just trying to shake her up, just like so many of its other past actions. Besides, even if the anger was in part the demon's doing, she deserved every last damn thing Ranma-chan had done. Heck, she needed to be fried a few more times!
Brushing aside the demon's words with her trademark confidence that she would succeed Ranma-chan stood and stretched painfully. It may have been a dream, but the damage on her body was quite real. Ranma-chan was a fast healer though. A few quick improvised kata's loosened up those tense muscles and put the mutilated ki flows in the right formation. Mind cleared and body content with the simple exercise Ranma-chan sat down again.
"Okay, lets see before I fell asleep I was working on controlling all those ki lines." Ranma-chan said to herself thoughtfully. She had the ki forming into the lines, but it was taking practice to contain it in the final form. As of now she had gotten to the point of just finishing on the fourth orb of energy when the first set of lines faded from existence. At least Ranma-chan could hold a single one almost indefinitely though. Ki control was certainly something that became easier with practice.
"Heh, with the way I was throwing ki blasts in that battle with the demon I might have to adopt some simple energy attacks into my basic attack form." Ranma-chan said. Wasteful of energy yes, but devastating and long ranged as well. With her swift style the reach of ki projections would make Ranma-chan exceptionally dangerous, and eliminate her weakness to ranged opponents, like Saffron, or Anito. All Ranma-chan would need to do is make sure she didn't become too dependent on them.
Of course, she would need to save that for latter. Though when she had the time Ranma-chan may as well while she was at it use these books to cook up something other than a raw ki attack. A mix of more natural energy should negate Anito's, or Hinako's ability to absorb or turn the attack back against her. That and eliminate the neon sign that said, I am here, to every ki sensing martial artist in a couple of kilometers.
Lost in thought Ranma-chan let the ki lines slip once again. "Gahk, and I was so close that time too!" Ranma-chan yelped out annoyed. "Ah well, I may as well wake up Anito. I'm probably getting close enough now for the last part. Besides, I need to figure out what the heck the demon has done this time."
Ranma-chan hopped up off of her butt and went to do exactly that. It didn't take much pounding on the door to wake up the reclusive wizard. The door opened but a minute latter with one very tired looking Anito lazily glaring out. "What do you want, ... and what is with the makeup?" Anito said sleepily.
"Hey I think... wait did you say makeup! Aaaarrrrg! I'll kill that demon!" Ranma-chan's aura sprung up red again her eyes glowed malevolently. "No, death is too good for her, I am going to slowly fry her with my ki!"
"That is nice, I think I'll go back to sleep then."
"Wait!" Ranma-chan stopped Anito from closing the door with a violent thrust of her hand. Calming herself by chanting the thought, soul of ice, soul of ice, soul of ice, in her head. Looking at the arch-mage without her fiery aura she said, "I need to know that last part of the unlocking technique thingy."
"I think I can manage that. Here show me what you have down and then I'll show you the rest." Anito said his eyes half lidded.
Ranma-chan concentrated forming the lines of ki in the air. She managed to hold the energy formation for a second before the lines bled off into nothing. "That's what I am pulling off right now, but I figure that I can get the rest down while working on the last part." There was no point perfecting her control right now, when she could do so without the bracelet hanging over her head.
"Good, good, I suppose I can show you the last part." Anito grinned as he held up his hand. The energy form appeared neigh instantly putting all Ranma-chan's work to shame. Then almost casually Anito floated another orange ball into the center of the sphere. There he connected all the energy lines to the sphere causing the power to ignite in a brilliant flash of light.
"That is all there is to it, well besides making sure that the effect targets the bracelet. Here let me show you how that is done." Anito closed the door applying the magical locks. "Now you just do it like this." Anito explained as the spell flashed softly this time on the door. There was a soft click as the magical locks released. "There you go."
"Eh? That doesn't seem so hard." Ranma-chan said scratching her head.
"It is a bit trickier than you would think. I'm sure you can figure it out by the end of the day. Your biggest obstacle will be your lack of control. The spell is likely to go off on the wrong target, or incorrectly combine resulting in nothing more than a light display. Then there is the matter of energy distribution. Which isn't easy to explain, it is better seen anyway. Here watch it again." Anito showed the spell a few more times letting Ranma-chan watch it closely with her aura sight.
"I think I got it down." Ranma-chan said.
Anito let out a yawn. "Well then, off to work with you I'm going back to sleep." With that Anito walked back into his room shutting the door. The tell tell click indicated that the arch-mage had locked it.
Ranma-chan grinned she would be free of the bracelet by the end of the day! She gleefully took off to the underground dojo to finish off the spell. Sitting down she concentrated for a bit forming the ki lines. Creating the central ball she suddenly remembered she didn't know how to convert it so that it would be orange. "Gah!" Ranma-chan let out banging her head against the wall. It was going to take longer than she thought.
********************
"Click! Bonk, bonk, bonk" The bracelet fell free bouncing on the ground several times before settling. After hours of hard work Ranma-chan had done it. The bane of her existence for almost a week was finally gone. It was almost enough to make her stare in disbelief.
"I, I, I did it?" Ranma-chan asked. The bracelet made no effort to answer the question, and being the only other entity, and questionably at that, in the room other than Ranma-chan no one else answered either.
"I did it. I did it! The bracelet is gone! That means, that means, it means I can become a guy again!" Ranma-chan immediately ceased her celebration and dashed upstairs to get some hot water. Seeing tea on the table Ranma-chan grabbed the kettle with full amaguriken speeds and dumped it on her head.
Seeing the change take effect Ranma danced around the room. "I'm a guy again, I'm a guy again!"
"Oh, isn't that nice." Kasumi said picking up the kettle to refill it. She did wish that he hadn't used all the water. Oh, well, it would be easy enough to boil more.
Anito smiled behind the cup of tea he had been serenely sipping. "So what is with the makeup?"
"Aaaahhhh!" Ranma dashed out of the room for the nearest mirror.
"That wasn't very nice." Kasumi admonished Anito.
Anito quirked a grin and then sipped some more tea. "I couldn't resist."
Ranma appeared in the room again rather angry. Sure he was happy he wasn't wearing makeup, as confirmed by the mirror, but now Ranma was pissed that Anito had pulled that on him. "You think that is funny?" Ranma cracked his knuckles. "If I remember right you have missed nearly a week of martial arts training." Ranma said with a vicious grin. "Let's start now, Moko Takabisha!" Ranma threw the ki blast at the arch-mage.
Anito just teleported out of the way not disturbed in the least. "Say Kasumi isn't it past time for Akane to get up?"
Ranma stopped his lessons on his pupil. "What's that have to do with anything?"
"Oh my, you are right. Akane is sleeping in today."
Anito grinned teleporting behind Ranma. "I suppose that means you'll need to wake her up."
"Hey, wait why should I do that?"
"Because..." Anito grabbed Ranma's shirt and announced. "You are facing my ultimate evil technique today. Anito special attack..." The area shifted as Anito teleported the two to another location. "The pit of doom!" With those words Anito released Ranma and vanished.
"Yeesh, that was one lame special attack." Ranma said out loud. Then he went pale as he realized which room he was in. Perhaps more importantly he realized who he was on top of.
"Hey, hey, hey it isn't what it looks like." Ranma said waving his hands desperately in front of Akane.
"Ranma! You, you, you pervert!" The pig tailed martial artist suddenly found himself flying out into the great beyond. Unfortunately, Ranma hadn't propelled himself on this adventure. Instead, he was given the trip curtesy of one very angry Akane Tendo by means of a very, very hard kick.
"It's not my faaaaauuuuult!" Ranma wailed as he arched high off into the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So ends this mini arch. The Aphrodite's bracelet section ended up being a lot longer than expected, in fact nearly twice the size. However, I am quite happy how it turned out, and the fact that certain events will make some scenes that need to happen around... 12 chapters from now... much more reasonable.
In any case with the completion of this Story Arch 2 (SA2) is now only about 8 chapters away, there being only one more mini-arch and a couple of shorts to work on. Right now the first story section should be around 100,000 words.
Oh yes, sorry, no crossovers until story arch 2....
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One last thanks for all reviewers. Keep it up, correct my errors too. Though I don't generally fix things immediately, unless they are major problems, I like to be consistent and keep my plots nice and sound. Further, even minor errors get corrections in my original file, though it may take a while for them to migrate onto the net as I don't usually update done chapters unless I have re-edited them.
One last warning, I plan long, very long. Right now my plans are set up for nearly 17 chapters in the future. For clairity sake, that means I have written a short of what will happen in chapter (groups, or even specific chapters) about that far ahead. Major events are listed even after that. Just to give those people that want something, or suggest something, to happen in this fic a warning. It is highly unlikely that if I am going to implement something suggested, it will happen soon. Unless of course it doesn't change the preset direction.
*Author Out*