DYNASTY - CHAPTER SIX - PART B
By Sydney Kyle <jantzen77@hotmail.com>
Author's note: SO, SO SORRY for the delay...summer vacation, you
know--all two weeks of it *sigh*. Anyway, hope all of you're still
out there, and to those whom I never sent the chapters to as I
promised, I apologize completely. I promise that I'll send 'em over
as soon as I get home again. For now, I'm using someone else's
address to post this...
Until then, please send all comments to <jantzen77@hotmail.com>.
Enjoy. ^_^
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* * * DYNASTY * * *
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
=========================
* * * * * *
===========================
CHAPTER SIX:
Part B
The Secret of Yasakami
===========================
"ATATATATATATATATATATATATATA--!!!"
Tatewaki Kuno cut a wide swath amidst the multitude, swinging his
bokken in mad arcs.
His action caught the clan off-guard for a moment--long enough for
Mousse to follow up his attack with an explosion of chains and blades
that jetted from his hands like torpedoes. Behind him, Shampoo let fly
with both her bonbori, while Ukyou simultaneously released a healthy
storm of spatula shurikens upon the Dragon clan.
Their combined assault was enough to gently nudge the attackers
toward the edge of the main Furinkan High building.
As if on cue, Akane placed herself in between the aggressors and her
teammates, launching an assault of her own as she warded off attacker
after attacker with her bare fists. Kodachi assisted her from behind,
using her ribbon to disable those members at the front of the ranks.
Kuno joined Akane in hindering the clan through close-range combat,
while Kodachi, Mousse, Shampoo, and Ukyou stood back at a distance and
continued to rain an arsenal of assorted weapons upon their enemy--all
the while desperately trying to avoid the water and ki that the Dragon
clan fired at them with alarming frequency.
They were also desperately trying to distract the clan from Ranma
and Ryouga while they proceeded to carry out their part of the plan.
* * * * * *
From his place at the back of his comrades, Shino appraised his
opponents' performance with growing suspicion.
It was obvious that these stubborn upperworlders had a plan.
Shino narrowed his ochroid eyes and concentrated on channeling his
aura into an extra-large ball of ki.
He intended to aim it right at the very back of the Nerima team--
where he could just distinguish two figures frozen in their battle
stances, apparently engrossed in something Shino could not determine.
But whatever it was, he knew it wasn't good.
With a brief mental command from their leader, the Dragon clan
ceased their attacks without warning and scattered, much to the
confusion of the Nerima team.
Without further ado, Shino closed his eyes and let loose an
enormous burst of burning red ki.
And for a second, the light turned everything blood red.
* * * * * *
High above the battlefield, countless pairs of arms lifted up to
shield countless pairs of eyes from the crimson glare.
* * * * * *
<DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!!>
Ranma repeated the curse over and over like a mantra as he dodged
some ki-projectiles. Beside him, Ryouga had a similar look of
indignant rage plastered on his own face as he used his umbrella to
deflect yet another water sphere. In front of them, Ukyou, Shampoo,
Kuno, Mousse, Kodachi, and Akane frantically tried to resume their
earlier mission without much success. The clan was now widely
distributed, and there was no way that Ranma and Ryouga could nail
all of them with ki attacks.
The clan had seen through their strategy, and had responded
accordingly. They'd figured out that Ranma and Ryouga's intentions to
fire extra-large versions of their respective ki-blasts in order to
finally put the clan out of commission, and the leader had used a
ki-blast of his own to throw them off.
Ranma's supply of energy was finally dwindling. It wouldn't be long
before he was too fatigued to even duck the smallest of ki spears. And,
judging from the look on his teammates' faces, he knew that they were
losing their drives as well.
The clan, however, showed no sign of slowing down.
<We need another plan...> Ranma grimaced as he racked his brain for
ideas, while simultaneously avoiding the blows of three clan members.
<We need a better plan...we need...>
"BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
And before Ranma's horrified eyes, a colossal white pig plowed
right into the Dragon clan and slammed them into the brick and cement
wall of the main building of Furinkan High.
* * * * * *
"Aaaaah! PIG! PIIIIII--!!"
Sensei Tanaka's cries of alarm were drowned out as the classroom
floor rocked from the force of the collision. Powder and plaster
showered from the ceilings. Aftershocks quaked through the structure,
eliciting screams of fright from the pupils distributed throughout the
classrooms.
Strangely enough, not one student decided to abandon his vigil by
the windows.
* * * * * *
Akane was gawking at the enormous rump of a huge white pig,
watching with aghast fascination as its curly-cue tail twitched back
and forth.
It was knocked unconscious, its front end buried deep into the
brick wall of Furinkan High main building.
Half the Dragon clan was staggering to its feet, dazed.
The other half was staring at the pig.
And they were all congregated _into_one_big_tightly-clustered_
_group._
"Now," she rasped. "RANMA--DO IT NOW!!!"
In one graceful movement, a multitude of wary, hostile eyes were
upon her.
Meanwhile, Ranma's voice floated out from behind, soft and
soothing.
"You got it, Akane."
She felt it rather than saw it, and it was with immense relief that
she threw herself down to the ground.
While behind her Ranma swung his arms forward, hands half clasped,
setting free the yellow sphere that danced between his palms.
"MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!"
There was no time to duck.
* * * * * *
And high above the battlefield, countless pairs of arms lifted up
to shield countless pairs of eyes from the golden glare.
The explosion followed a moment later, and everyone shuddered.
* * * * * *
Shampoo blinked.
Was it her imagination, or did those clan members caught in the
onslaught of Ranma's Mouko Takabisha simply vanish into thin air
instead of being blown away by the blast?
She _must_ have been seeing things. From what she had witnessed
just a few moments ago, that ki-blast Ranma had fired had been his
biggest one yet. There was no way that anyone could have possibly
escaped from so powerful an attack.
Unless they simply disappeared before the blast could hit them.
Or, Shampoo realized with growing dismay, unless the blast had
missed them altogether.
The Dragon clan was still standing.
Or what was left of it.
Shampoo raked her gaze over them, unable to believe what she was
seeing. Those who hadn't been snared by the ki-blast were standing on
opposite sides of the trench the Mouko Takabisha had left in its wake.
They were now moving toward her and her teammates.
Shampoo backed away. She looked around for someone to acknowledge
what she'd just seen, but there was no one around her. Instead, her
teammates were all gathered around Ranma, oblivious to the fact that
they were still being targeted.
"Ohhh, Ranma-darling, are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Geez, lay off, willya? I ain't dyin' or
nothin'. Hey, did it work? Those Dragon jerks gone?"
"Shampoo think Ranma should see for himself."
At her statement, six pairs of eyes looked up at her in surprise,
and she silently pointed toward the eighteen or so remnants of the
clan.
"Damn," Ranma mumbled, more exhausted than furious.
"What--what sorcery is this?" sputtered Kuno.
"I was right--these guys _don't_ give up easy," murmured Ukyou.
"Listen, I dunno 'bout you guys," Akane began reluctantly, "but I
don't know how much more I can take of this."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I completely agree," Kodachi
muttered.
"But we have to fight somehow!" Shampoo argued. "We no let them
take Ranma!"
"Or you," Mousse volunteered wearily. "Or me."
"But we still have to fight!" insisted Shampoo.
They were now standing in their battle stances, their weapons
drawn once more, trying to sublimate the tiredness in their muscles.
Akane touched Ranma's shoulder encouragingly. "Ranma, is there any
way you can do another ki-blast?"
Ranma groaned. "What, right after that doozy of a Mouko Takabisha
I just did? Uh-uh. Sorry. I can't do a ki-blast for a while..."
"I can."
Ranma whipped around and found himself gazing at the little energy
orb that hung suspended between Ryouga's fingers. And before his eyes,
he saw the energy ball expand to roughly seven inches in diameter--
larger than any other ki formation he'd ever seen Ryouga manifest.
Ryouga opened his eyes and pinned his teammates with a dark,
intense stare.
"Get out of the way," he said.
His voice was magnetic.
All seven of them dived for the ground, and the clan found
themselves confronted by the sudden glare of ethereal blue light.
"SHISHI HOUKOUDAN!!!"
An azure horizontal pillar of raw, unchecked power beamed forth
from Ryouga Hibiki's hands.
* * * * * *
And high above the battlefield, countless pairs of arms lifted up
to shield countless pairs of eyes from the cobalt glare.
Principal Kuno and Sensei Tanaka were unable to suppress their
shudders when the explosion shook the building a second later.
The students of Furinkan High, however, were unable to suppress
their effervescent cheers.
* * * * * *
"Wow," Ukyou remarked softly.
The schoolyard that had served as their battlefield was destroyed.
Utterly, completely demolished. The once-level earth that rested
beneath their feet had been reduced to a vast debris-strewn terrain.
Numerous craters of various shapes and sizes were littered all over,
and lazy wisps of smoke curled from several tiny fires lacing the
charred grasses. There were three distinct trenches furrowed the
ground, courtesy of the three massive ki-blasts that had been
unleashed. Everywhere were the results of dozens of explosions and
overturned earth, as well as a few blades, chains, bandannas, and
plastic ducks.
And standing amidst the destruction were the eight of them--Ranma,
Akane, Ryouga, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyou, Kuno, and Kodachi. Even
Katsunishiki was wobbling to his feet.
While not one member of the Dragon clan was in sight.
<They're gone. They're all gone,> Ukyou thought, nearly sick with
relief.
Then her breath caught as she heard a rustle. Something was shifting
inside one of the trenches.
<Okay, so I thought too soon.>
"Ranma!" Akane exclaimed as she watched him scurry recklessly
toward the trench and reach into the hollow.
The seven of them hurried over toward him, their eyes goggling as
he hauled a worn, plated-armor figure out of the ditch. The once-
proud, shimmering iron plates were now nicked and soiled by battle,
and the beautiful gauzy fabric of his clothes was now dulled with
dirt. Ranma ripped off the helmet and yanked off the face mask, and
for the first time they could all see the entire face of one of the
aggressors they'd been fighting.
It was a young man, not much older than themselves, with lightly
bronzed skin, chiseled features, and brown hair tied into a tight
thin ponytail. The fatigue in his face was evident, but he stared up
at them with angry defiance even when he was cornered and defeated.
Ranma seized him by his shirtfront. "All right, pal, time to spill
the beans. What's this all about, huh?"
The young man sneered at him. "Haven't you figured _that_ out yet?"
"Don't play games with me, you jerk. If you didn't notice what
just happened, we kicked your clan's ass so bad they ain't coming
down to earth for a while."
"You think you _defeated_ us?" The youth raised a skeptical
eyebrow. "No. Far from it. Did you think that we gave this fight here
was our _best_ effort? No. This was a test--a test to see the limits
of your abilities and determine your weaknesses. We have only just
begun, upperworlder..."
"You mean...this...was not real battle?" Shampoo demanded
furiously.
"What d'you mean, 'you've only just begun'?" Akane chimed in.
The youth cocked his head to one side. "I'm just saying that it is
useless to try and prevent the inevitable. Because no matter how hard
you fight or how long it takes us, the Dragon clan will catch up to
you five. You can be sure of that."
Ranma, Ryouga, Mousse, and Shampoo exchanged distressed looks.
Then, as if struck by an idea, Ranma gave the other boy a savage
shake. "Wait a minute--your leader said something about a cave--
Yasakami--he said something about it being a cure..."
"Do you really want to know, upperworlder?"
Ranma shook him even harder, his fury fueled by the horrific
notion that he would be hounded all through his life unless he found
a cure. "Just _tell_ me, dammit!!"
The boy's eyes flashed fire. "I have a better idea," he drawled.
"Why don't I just _show_ you...?"
And with that, he sent a smorgasboard of images straight into Ranma
Saotome's brain.
They flashed through his mind for no more than a second at a time.
All clear and vibrant in detail. Devastating in their intensity.
Images of a road never traveled.
Images of a concealed cavern opening.
Images of an exquisite underground waterfall, surrounded by pools
of pure, clear water...
Ranma released his hold on his prisoner and clutched at his head,
deaf to everything but the pounding in his brain, willing the images
to dissipate even as they seared themselves into his memory.
Meanwhile, across from him, the young man in the Dragon clan armor
had taken only a few steps before he collapsed, his body fading into
nothingness before he hit the ground.
* * * * * *
"Ranma? Ranma-honey?"
"Ooooh, Ranma-daarling?!"
"Wo ai ni?"
"Ranma, you jerk, SNAP OUTTA IT!!!"
Ranma sat up abruptly, wincing as he felt an odd sense of deja vu
overtake him.
"He awake!" squealed Shampoo.
Ranma looked up and saw seven faces staring back down at him with
emotions that ranged from relief to passion to disgust to utter
disdain.
"Where'd the guy go?" was Ranma's first query.
"He disappeared after your little performance," said Ryouga. He
was the one with the utter disdain on his countenance.
"Quite an unconvincing act, I must declare," sniffed Kuno. He was
the one with the disgust on his face.
Ranma got up quickly, nearly bowling Akane over in the process.
"Oh, man...my head..."
"I think you oughta rest for a minute, Ranchan," Ukyou observed.
"You don't look too well."
"N-no," Ranma managed, shaking his head. "I can't rest now. If I
do, I'll just forget where it is..."
"Huh?" Akane demanded. "Where _what_ is?"
The initial vertigo was evaporating somewhat. Ranma leaped up
into the air and landed onto the branch of a tree that overlooked
the hills to the west of Furinkan High.
"The cave," he said simply. "The Cave of Yasakami..."
He disappeared across the rooftops before Akane could form some
sort of retort to make him stay. She stared after him, her features
twisted somewhere with helplessness and indignation.
"Why...why that--" she sputtered.
Without warning, Ryouga charged past her and performed a similar
leaping move up onto the rooftop, landing on the shingles with all
the aplomb of a cat.
"Do not fear, Akane," he assured her fervently. "I'll keep watch
over Ranma for you--no matter _where_ he's going!"
And with those hasty yet ardent parting words, he took off after
Ranma.
"Hey--HEY! HOLD ON A MINUTE!!!" Ukyou yelled.
Unfortunately, Ryouga was already gone and out of earshot.
"That stupid jack--" Ukyou fumed, then was shoved aside as Shampoo
streaked by and tracked Ryouga's ascent to the rooftops.
"Ranma! Shampoo follow you always even to ends of earth!!"
"H-hey--!" Akane exclaimed, now definitely annoyed. Mousse bounded
up the edifice after his beloved, his sleeves flapping as he
stretched out his arms.
"Sh-sh-shampoo! Wait for me, Shampoooooo!!!"
He disappeared after her.
And standing amongst the wasteland were the four who had remained
behind--Akane, Ukyou, Kuno, and Kodachi.
The significance of the last forty-eight hours slowly dawned on
them, while in the background Principal Kuno and the rest of campus
security were terrorized by a giant white sumo pig.
=end of Chapter Six=
Next: Onna-Ranma, Mousse-Duck, P-Chan, and Neko-Shampoo no more?