The story so far:

* A new enemy called 'Nemesis' has appeared to challenge Ranma and
  company for the right to exist, taking a form bearing a striking
  resemblance to Kodachi. This being, released by the Cult of Orochi,
  has but one goal: wipe out humanity on behalf of the kami.
* A dead Orochi Cultist has possessed the principal's body.
* A defector from the Cult of Orochi has given the information on the
  location of Nemesis' hideout, and offers the gang the chance to
  defeat the spirit before it can do the same to them. Unwilling to
  work together, the gang refuses to take on Nemesis as a team.
* An enigmantic entity known as 'Seiryu' inhabits Ukyo's body. Said
  entity has been steadily-training Ukyo to become a counterforce to
  that of Nemesis. However, personality conflicts abound....
* Kuno feels strangely-drawn to the call of a woman's voice.
* Kodachi has no idea what to do with herself.
* Ryoga is lost.
* Mousse has been killed, stabbed in the back by Shampoo.
* Ranma and Shampoo have been captured by the Cult of Orochi.
* Akane and Ukyo rush to the hidden fortress. Along the way, Ukyo
  exerts some of 'her new power,' to Akane's surprise.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Clash of the Titans

  Akane watched in tense silence as Ukyo concentrated on lifting
the bubble to the surface. She sat against the soft interior, certain
that the bubble would not burst unless Ukyo lost her train of thought.
  "I'm not sure if I can do it," the okonomiyaki chef started, pulling
her mantle closed with her right hand, "but I think I can get us both
up to the top of the cliff, where the assassins were."
  "Look, you don't have to go that far," insisted Akane, understanding
how much pressure was on her friend. "I mean, just dry land will be
fine."
  "I don't do things half-way," Ukyo replied sternly. "It forces me
to think about the 'half-full' or 'half-empty' question, which I
REALLY hate to think about."
  Akane's interest perked up. "Just how DO you see something that's
filled half-way, anyway?"
  The chef's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Half-empty."
  As soon as those words left her mouth, Ukyo shook her head. "Wait!
I mean, half-full!"
  "Are you okay?" asked Akane, who could not miss the sudden change
in her friend.
  "What makes you think there's something wrong?!"
  "Why'd you say 'half-empty' when you meant 'half-full?'"
  "S...slip of the tongue, that's all."
  Inwardly, Ukyo told herself, I don't have time for your games. So
quit it!
  Ah-hah, Seiryu chuckled. Too much to do at once?
  YES, replied the okonomiyaki chef.
  Well! You'll just have to learn how to facet your mind the hard
way.
  I DON'T want to 'facet' my mind, so shut up. Akane is beginning to
suspect your existence.
  Why should I care? They'll all find out eventually.
  Ukyo groaned.
  "What now?" Akane asked, peering at Ukyo with concern.
  "It's nothing," assured Ukyo, just as the bubble slid to the surface
of the ocean. "Try not to move so much, because it'll make it easier
on me if we're not jiggling around in this bubble."
  Mentally, she added, In the meantime, try to cooperate.
  Seiryu was taken aback with mock innocence. Who, me?
  Don't forget who's in charge here, the chef girl warned.
  Right. I understand COMPLETELY.
  Then shut up.

  Tatewaki Kuno set down the warm pot of fresh coffee on the ground
as he helped his sister across the gap in the path created earlier
that morning by the Orochi assassins' boulders, extending a hand
politely.
  As soon as she was safely on the other side of the destroyed path,
Kodachi wiped the dust from her black skirt, having brushed against
the rocky cliffside, as if obsessed with keeping her appearance in a
reasonable order. She watched her brother retrieve the pot of coffee,
then sip down the warm liquid straight from the brim.
  "Sleep would have helped a lot more than coffee," she pointed out.
  Tatewaki drained the last of the coffee, staring into the empty
pot unconcerned. "We are almost there; Mother's voice is getting
stronger even as we speak!"
  "That is what is bothering me," Kodachi said. "Why do you hear her
when I fail? I am, after all, much closer to her than you."
  The elder Kuno said nothing, instead choosing to move on. Kodachi
followed slowly, careful to remain far enough from the cliffside so
her skirt would not get filthy, and far enough from the rim of the
path that dropped down toward the rocky ocean below. Although she
advised her brother to get some sleep, Kodachi, in fact, had not
gotten any sleep as well.
  Only two thoughts occupied her mind over the night: the words as
spoken to her by the Orochi assassin known as Shifter, and the idea
that dear Brother was obsessed with Mother's safety, for some reason
or another. A concern which was quite unusual, as Tatewaki fully
remembered the control monster's wrath from childhood. She would like
nothing more than to get her hands on anything that could particularly
benefit or hinder her, Kodachi knew, at least. Money, the grandest
staple offered by the Kuno family, was the means.
  However, equally as disturbing was Shifter's words, words ingrained
in Kodachi's mind since crashing the concert last night.
  The Orochi assassin had taken her aside, away from Mousse, Ukyo,
and the old woman who owned the restaurant where they found him. He
lead her to an empty storage room, devoid of any features and articles
that befit a restaurant, closing though it may be. Kodachi knew that
the assassin had spoken to the others similarly, but knew not what
he spoke of to them specifically.
  "You possess two powerful weapons," Shifter had said, indicating
the Ribbon of Tears and the Ball of Anger. "Mighty weapons though they
may be, and fitting they are to your chosen art, they are nothing in
the face of what you will face in the near future."
  "If weapons have no affect over whatever there is to come," Kodachi
had said, "then what am I to do?"
  "The numbers are against you," the assassin replied. "The first
ordeal requires that you help each other overcome the challenge."
  "Help each other?" she repeated, confused. "W...why?"
  "Failing that, you will never survive to meet the second ordeal.
Even the most insignificant must be helped."
  "Why should I help those who are my enemy?"
  "Because you need them just as much as they need you."
  "Wait, what is this second ordeal?"
  "Ah. Your second ordeal is one which cannot be overcome by weapons
or skill, but your heart, your determination, and your will. All
you take for granted will be put to the test."
  "I do not understand...."
  "You will, in time."
  Kodachi shook the conversation from her thoughts as her brother
came to a halt at the end of the path, blocking her way with the
empty coffee pot.
  Both Kunos stood in a wide, clear area, enclosed by the cliffside
and the drop to the ocean below. A large, iron door, rest against
one wall, obviously used recently, as the footsteps leading to and
from the door appeared fresh.
  "This is it," Tatewaki announced, reaching for the heavy wooden
bokken at his side. He slid the coffee pot's handle through his belt,
then gripped the weapon in both hands. "Prepare for battle, Sister,
for I fear this will not be simple."
  Nodding, Kodachi produced the Ribbon of Tears, the ribbon wound up
against its rod while attached to the gymnast's waist. With her
other arm she produced the Ball of Anger, appearing almost out of
thin air. The magical ball inflated itself, stretching its rubber
surface to the size of a basketball. Kodachi willed the weapon to
self-suspension-- the Ball of Anger hovered slowly over her left
shoulder, almost as if it were a parrot that belonged on a pirate's
shoulder.
  With a heavy grunt, Tatewaki pulled the heavy iron door open,
revealing a dark tunnel. Dim torches lit the tunnel in even spaces
on the side walls, illuminating the otherwise pitch-black cave.
  Carefully raising his bokken before him, Tatewaki lead the way.
"Be ready for anything," he warned.
  With blinding speed, the swordsman spun his bokken out before him,
as if testing his blade. When the spinning ceased, Kodachi gasped
as she spied several darts stuck in the wooden weapon.
  "How...?" she whispered in awe.
  Tatewaki spun his blade as he continued in a slow pace through the
tunnel. "Petty traps," he muttered. "As soon as we are through with
this one, find the switch mechanism that disables the trap, in the
event we need to escape in haste."
  Brushing off several darts from his bokken, he added, "Do be
careful to stay close, Sister, for I know not when the trap rearms
itself."
  "I have a better idea," Kodachi said, whipping out her ribbon.
Carefully, she scanned the walls for the hidden openings where the
darts were launched from. With a flick of the wrist, she threw several
sticky projectiles into the holes, effectively plugging them.
  Tatewaki called over his shoulder, "What are you doing?"
  The younger Kuno smiled to herself. "Neutralizing traps, of course."
  The siblings continued in this manner slowly but surely, Tatewaki
disarming the traps, and Kodachi destroying the traps. Several
minutes passed until Tatewaki realized that there were no more dart
traps in the cavernous tunnel. Lowering his bokken, yet still alert,
he lead the way until reaching a larger cave room.
  This larger room could fit three elephants, Kodachi thought.
  Tatewaki held his arm before his sister. "There is another here."
  Sure enough, a single man stepped into the dim torchlight,
revealing himself from his hiding place in the shadows. Dressed in
a traditional fighting dress similar to Kuno's, the newcomer held a
long, steel blade in his right hand. Of the left hand, there was none
to speak of.
  "Tatewaki Kuno, we meet again, at last," Clash greeted.
  "I see you survived our previous encounter after all," Tatewaki
noted glumly. "No matter, I am still the better."
  "That was what your friends thought before I defeated them," the
Orochi swordsman replied. "They were no match for burning vengeance."
  "And what 'friends' do you speak of?"
  "You know, Shampoo and Ranma."
  "Hah! Friends of mine they are not, wretch!"
  Clash shrugged. "No matter." He pointed his blade at Tatewaki
meaningfully. "I hereby challenge you to a duel to the death!"
  "Taaa...." Kodachi whispered, trying to find a good reason for her
brother not to accept the challenge.
  "I accept!" Tatewaki bellowed almost immediately, raising his
bokken in readiness.
  To Kodachi he ordered, "Stand back, this is a fight of my own!"
  The Orochi swordsman laughed. "You fight with wood against steel?
Foolish, you are!"
  Seething with anger, Tatewaki charged with bokken high. "You will
find that the blade of Kuno is neither wood nor steel, but VICTORY!!"
  Clash raised his sword, parrying Tatewaki's initial attack, and
sending him back with surprising strength. "You will find that I only
need one arm to present the same leverage as two."
  Recovering from the initial counter, the Kuno swordsman returned
to conventional attacks, meeting his enemy's blade with his own, and
vice versa, all the while pushing Clash farther from Kodachi's
position.
  "Handicap or not," spat Tatewaki, "you shall die a warrior!"
  "I thank you for such praise," the opposing swordsman replied
with elation. "You are no mere man to fight with an unbreakable
wooden sword!" he cried, putting several more nicks into Kuno's bokken
without sinking in.
  Kodachi, mesmerized by the sword display, failed to realize that
there were two others behind her until they were upon her.
  Turning around, she shouted, "You!"
  "What are YOU doing here?" demanded Akane, folding her arms.
  "Probably not the same reason we're here," Ukyo decided. She
glanced at the two swordsmen. "In any case, whether he knows it or
not, Kuno's buying us some time to get to Ranma."
  "Oh, so you two are after RANMA," Kodachi concluded. "Our goals may
very well coincide at the moment, but...."
  "Let's go," Ukyo said, cutting off Kodachi. She grabbed the gymnast's
arm, leading her toward another tunnel nearby.
  "Wait," Akane protested, "what about Kuno?"
  Kodachi glanced back at her brother, locked in his death match. "He
will survive. Or not."
  "He's your own brother!" Ranma's wife pointed out.
  "It doesn't matter if we stay and watch him or not," snapped Ukyo.
"The more time we waste, the less chance we have of living."
  The three girls exited the chamber through the tunnel, leaving Kuno
and Clash to their fight.
  Swiftly, the Orochi swordsman kicked several lit firebombs up
toward Tatewaki. Almost on instinct, Tatewaki countered with several
quick slices of his own, with such speed that Clash's eyes only saw
a blur of motion.
  Gunpowder spilled all about as fragments of the firebombs clattered
behind Tatewaki without exploding.
  "Quick as ever, I see," noted Clash. "Your technique was quick
enough to destroy my firebombs, yet the fragments maintained the
same speed they left my person!"
  "Try training at Watermelon Island sometime," Tatewaki replied,
raising his bokken for the next attack. "You, however, fight no
different than the previous encounter."
  "That is due to the fact that you are holding back," replied the
Orochi swordsman. "I have watched you from afar, and I know you
wield the Phoenix Sword. You are the first to give me a great fight
since nearly two-hundred years ago, since I challenged the Hitokiri
Battousai."
  "So you hold back as well," concluded Tatewaki, chuckling to
himself. "May I propose we... shall I say, refrain from holding back
our true abilities?"
  "Agreed, warrior," Clash replied, nodding.
  Planting his sword into the ground, the Orochi swordsman reached
for something behind his back. He produced what appeared to be
another sword, yet this was attached to a metal protrusion vaguely
shaped like an arm. With all his force, Clash jammed the metal arm
into his severed left arm socket.
  "I am Nagi Tachibana," announced Clash, "the 'Warrior of the
Clashing Blades,' loyal retainer to the Tokugawa Family! You are
responsible for my fall from grace in the Orochi hierarchy, and for
the death of my wife, Shizame, known as the 'Swift, Lashing Anger'
of the Orochi assassins."
  "I see," the Kuno swordsman said, unmoved. "You fight now with an
artificial arm now. Very well, then."
  Tatewaki planted his left hand over his bokken, where the handle
ended and the 'blade' began. With a sharp twist, the bokken snapped
apart.
  "That was not very bright," Clash said, testing his artificial arm.
  However, Tatewaki Kuno knew what he was doing. As Clash guessed,
the bokken's 'blade' became separated from its handle. Instead of
holding an empty handle, however, Tatewaki slowly slid a cold, steel
blade, out from its concealment beneath the wooden exterior.
  "No wonder your weapon would not break," the Orochi swordsman said
with admiration. "Not only did you wield a wooden sword, but it was
in fact the sheath of a true sword!"
  "Behold, the ancestral Kuno blade!" announced Tatewaki, holding
the weapon high in his right hand. "Many villains fell to this very
weapon in times long past; let it sing for more!"
  With his right hand Tatewaki Kuno gripped the ancestral weapon; in
his left, the wooden sword sheath. "I have learned to fight with two
blades as well!"
  "I am Tatewaki Kuno," he continued, "the 'Bronze Phoenix' of
ancient Chinese legend, undefeated champion of the high school fencing
world! You stand in the way of bringing my haggard mother to safety;
for that, you shall die."
  Clash smiled in anticipation. "Let the real battle begin."

  Deep in the underground compound, alone with herself, lying in a
pool of unknown substance, the eyes of Lady Kuno ripped open.
  He came after all, she thought, elated.
  Quickly, she slid out of the pool, scanning around for signs of
others who may be nearby. Satisfied, Lady Kuno was surprised to
notice that her skin was as clean and pure as if she had taken a
bath-- without the wetness. Quietly, the elder Kuno dressed, thankful
that the demon was yet still asleep within.
  She tossed back her head, her free hair cascading behind her back,
and laughed. It was good to be free.
  No sooner had Lady Kuno tied off the sash of her kimono did another
man enter. The short, ugly one.
  "Hey!" Strand yelled. "Yer not s'possed to be up NOW!"
  Lady Kuno cracked her knuckles meaningfully. "Out of my way, little
man!" she commanded, taking confident strides toward the Orochi
assassin.

  Ranma sighed, scratching the back of his head against the post he
was bound to. Once again, he glanced over at Shampoo, who appeared
quite serene in unconsciousness. For a moment, he wished he had that
weird sword to cut himself free.
  As if on cue, the bonds around Shampoo suddenly fell away.
  "What the...?" was all the young Saotome could say before Shampoo
clamped his mouth shut, the scent of anesthetics assailing his
nostrils from the bandages on the girl's left arm.
  The Chinese Amazon, fully awake, held up a small folding knife in
her unbandaged right hand. "Stupid they no search for all weapons,"
she whispered in disgust, as she removed her hand from Ranma's mouth.
  "You were faking it?" Ranma asked, as Shampoo started cutting away
at his bonds.
  "What make you think Shampoo sleep with all the racket?" she asked.
  "What racket?" he asked. "I didn't hear a thing."
  Shampoo shook her head as the bonds fell away from Ranma. "Listen
carefully, because two fights going on now. Barely hear it, but it
is there."
  Ranma stretched his arms out, glad to be free from his ridiculous
standing position for who-knows how long. "How's your... arm,
anyway?"
  "He cut into sword arm," Shampoo explained, trying her best to
hide her pain.
  "Actually, don't you use BOTH arms?"
  The Chinese Amazon smiled knowingly. "I prefer left. Right used to
distract, left to attack. Maybe should not have left other sword."
  "We really could've used Mousse back there...." he started to say.
  "Time enough to mourn the dead later," she snapped. "But no time to
mourn the living. We best hurry!"
  "Who's mourning?" Ranma replied, shrugging.
  Shampoo looked around the chamber, a disappointed look in her eyes.
  "What's wrong?" asked Ranma.
  "Sword not here," Shampoo replied.
  "Forget the sword," Ranma said, shaking his head. "Let's get out
of here while we still can, and take out Nemesis."

  Warmage entered the ceremony chamber just in time for Strand's
back to scrape against the floor.
  "You!" shouted a feminine voice.
  The leader of the Orochi assassins turned in surprise to see the
woman whom Nemesis used for a host. "W...what are you doing up now?!"
  "Shut up, and stop saying the same things!" commanded Lady Kuno.
"Your paltry tricks mean nothing to me, so hand over my husband,
whoever you are, and be gone!"
  Warmage laughed. "Do you truly expect me to rid myself of a fresh
human body as this?" He planted a hand over his chest. "I've been
without a controllable human body for far too long, woman! This man,
your husband, was the first I captured that became too scared to
counter my influences."
  The Lady snorted. "Figures."
  "But, now that you have awakened prematurely," continued the
assassin, "Nemesis is bound to discover this, and take back control
over your body!"
  "I think not!" cried Lady Kuno.
  "Oh, but I DO!" she said, only this time with Nemesis' voice
along with the woman's.
  Warmage chuckled to himself as Lady Kuno clutched the sides of
her head in pain. "Do not think that you can defeat the gods!"
  "I... will not...." muttered Lady Kuno, struggling with herself.
  After several moments, the woman ceased, her eyes washing over
with a dark glow. "You may have chosen too strong a host, assassin,"
Nemesis said. "She is much more powerful than anticipated."
  "Perhaps," agreed Warmage. "However, now that you're awake, there
is another problem that needs to be taken care of. The woman's
daughter is leading two others to this very passage in order to
rescue their friends, and to destroy you."
  "Foolish," spat Nemesis. "All will be crushed by my mighty hand!"
  Strand pulled himself to his feet. "And if they prove to be even
stronger...?"
  "You had better hope not," warned the spirit. "You will intervene
on my behalf."
  Warmage nodded toward Strand. "We shall assist Nemesis in this
battle. I do not expect Clash to finish the swordsman completely,
either. And there is the slim chance that Ranma and Shampoo can break
free...."
  "Wrong, we're already free!"
  In surprise, the three dark ones faced Ranma and Shampoo, standing
at the entrance of the ceremony chamber.
  "THAT was fast," Strand snorted.
  Ranma raised his arms, ready for battle. "Nemesis, Warmage... I
don't know why you picked the Kuno family, of all people, to use,
but you're going to eat turd!"
  Warmage smiled, reaching for Shampoo's sword sheathed at his side.
"I've been waiting a long time for this, boy."
  Shampoo shouted, "You give back sword! Get your own!"
  "Oh, how threatening!" the assassin cried out in mock terror. To
Strand, he ordered, "Get rid of them."
  Cracking his knuckles, Strand threw out his arms. Suddenly, the
short assassin felt something beneath his feet.
  "What the...?!" he cried, just as the floor sank beneath him.
  Where the assassin once stood, there was now a deep hole, which
seemed to swallow the little man up. Only the assassin's surprised
screams filled the air of the ceremony chamber as the others
watched with tense silence.
  A head popped up out of the hole. "Where the hell am I NOW?!"
  "Ryoga?!" both Shampoo and Ranma exclaimed in surprise and relief.
  Ryoga Hibiki, covered with thick layers of dust, pulled himself
out of the dark hole. "R...Ranma?"
  Nemesis shook her head. "This is ridiculous." Pointing a palm
toward the newcomer, she screamed, "Take this!"
  Before either Ranma or Shampoo could warn Ryoga of the incoming
attack, Ryoga instinctively threw himself away from the fireball,
rolling closer to his friends and away from the hole.
  Ranma sidestepped as Warmage, using Shampoo's flamberge, made a
wild swing, easily avoiding the attack. At the same time, Shampoo
grabbed the sword arm, trying desperately to remove her weapon from
the assassin's grip, but Warmage batted her away with his other arm.
  He slashed downward toward the fallen Shampoo, but something caught
the blade still in the air.
  "What?!" Warmage squealed, his eyes focusing on the sai that caught
the blade.
  Ranma and Ryoga's eyes focused on the new newcomer, Ukyo.
  Ukyo gripped the weapon with both hands, her strength acting against
Warmage's own. "You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily,
did you?"
  Behind her, Kodachi gaped in surprise. "Mother?! Father?!"
  Akane replied, "It'd take too long to explain, but right now, you
have to know that they're not themselves!"
  The gymnast stared at Akane in surprise. "What, did you truly
believe I would hold back against THEM?"
  Pointing her finger at her father, Kodachi sent the Ball of Anger
forth with surprising speed. The ball collided with the man's
stomach, sending him backward and forcing him to lose his grip on
the sword. At the same time, the weapon exploded, throwing more pain
in Warmage's direction.
  Shampoo scooped up her sword as she got to her feet, turning to
Nemesis with menace.
  "Hmm, the odds hardly seem fair," Nemesis thought, feigning a lack
of concern. "For you, that is."
  Warmage struggled to get to his feet, but found that the weapon
used against him brought too much pain to his host body. "You silly
fools, did you think me limited to the confines of this worthless
body?"
  Slowly, the ever-present spirit of Warmage slid out of Kuno's body,
a visible gas in the eerie atmosphere of the ceremony chamber. All
but Nemesis watched as the substance slid its way into Lady Kuno's
body instead, her features unmoving, uncaring.
  Utilizing three voices at once, Nemesis/Warmage/Lady Kuno declared,
"Are you all ready to die?"
  Ranma spared a glance back at Akane. "Get the principal outta
here!"
  "Why?!" demanded his wife. "I just got here, and I'm here to help!"
  "Look, we don't have time to argue this," he explained, "but if
Nemesis decides to use him as a target...."
  Of course, what Ranma really thought was that Akane could be used
as a hostage, a thought that did not sit well with the young Saotome.
  "Fine!" Akane said with a huff. "Why can't you say you don't want
me here?!"
  "Because I already told you that!" Ranma shouted. Turning to
Shampoo, he said, "Take Akane out of here, if you still have feelings
for me." He cast a short glance at her bandaged arm. He wanted to
add, "I don't think you can fight all-out like that," but Ranma knew
that would only make the Chinese Amazon more adamant about staying.
  Shampoo snorted. "You get all undesirables out of way for your own
good!" Grabbing Akane's arm, the Chinese Amazon said, "We go!"
  "What are you doing?!" Akane shouted, resisting the stronger woman's
grip in futility.
  "You his wife, you understand?" Shampoo said. "He care too much to
let you stay! Weakness, to be sure, but to your advantage!"
  "I also promised to protect you," Ukyo added. "If you stay, you
threaten to break that promise. Don't make me beg you to leave."
  Ranma raised an eyebrow at his old friend. "Ukyo, when did...?"
  "All right," decided Akane. "I'll go." She pointed an accusing finger
at Ranma's nose. "But it's not because of you, blockhead!"
  Both girls ran to the side of the unconscious principal.
  Nemesis shook her head. "It doesn't matter how many of you remain
to fight, I'll track down and kill you all, eventually. Go on, say
your good-byes. I don't need to kill you right away, after all."
  Shampoo threw one arm over her shoulder, Akane doing the same with
the other. Both girls tried their best to ignore Nemesis' cold stare,
focusing only on the exit.
  Passing next to Ranma, Akane whispered, "Don't get yourself killed."
  Ranma flashed a reassuring smile. "Ah, you know me."
  "Yes," Shampoo said. "You too stupid to die, just like Mousse."
  Mousse... Ranma thought. And he's dead, too....
  Ukyo glanced around, as if looking would reveal her answer. "I guess
it's too late to ask where he is, huh?"
  Silently, Ranma nodded.
  "Not that we NEED him, anyway," Ryoga answered.
  Both Akane and Shampoo departed with the unconscious principal,
leaving Ranma, Ryoga, Kodachi, and Ukyo left with Nemesis in the dark
ceremony chamber. The possessed woman's arrogance permeated through
the air, more overwhelming than any sense of fear the teens may have
had before arriving.
  "Ranma, are you ready to die?" asked Ukyo, raising her sai in
readiness, the etched dragon gleaming in the dark light of the chamber.
  Ranma shook his head, the dragon pattern stinking of an air of
familiarity. "Never will be."
  "At last, I understand what Brother was so worried about," Kodachi
muttered to herself. "Yet, perhaps it is too late for the both of us
to truly understand." She ran the Ribbon of Tears through her fingers.
"Sorrow is of the weak, yet as a tool, a weapon, a vicious enemy does
it make!"
  Ryoga shook his head. "I don't really know what this's about, but
I'd better finish this fight. This time."
  "What, no more running?" Nemesis mocked. "You would dare to strike
a lady?"
  Raising his arms, the Eternally Lost Boy replied, "For Akari, I'd
walk barefoot through Hell and back. I realized that you'd harm her
if you had the chance."
  "So very true," agreed the woman.
  "Everything aside, you're just another opponent," Ryoga concluded.
  Nemesis' lips curved to a smile. "Give me your best shot."



----------------------------------------------------------
If you're [un]lucky, you earn a place in my .sig!

* "[Y]ou're lamer than your signature and screen name indicate."--Chris 
Davies
* "There was a recent case where a fanfic author put together his work with 
only another fanfic serving as his primary resource.  *I* started writing 
fanfiction that way, and consequently I never grew attached to this whole 
idea of remaining true to the original.  I call it "correction."--Reverend 
Prez

--Razorclaw X
Author: "The Wheel of Fire", "The World's Worst Ranma Fanfic!", "The 
Geometry of Shattered Souls", "The Balance of Power".
"I sold my soul to buy a copy of the dubbed 'Ukyo Can Cook'"


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