"What nothing to say?" Mara asked.
       "Nodoka..." Kenshin started.
       "That's not my name any more!!" Mara shouted,
angrily slamming the wall next to her.  "Nodoka died a
long long time ago."
       "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," Kenshin
said, ignoring her outburst.  "But this is wrong."
       "Oh no, this is right," Mara said.  "The Akuma
will die, Father.  All four of them, I'll be the only
one left.  You should be glad.  It is your blood who
will carry the swords that will avenge us on those
butchers."
       "Innocents will die," Kaoru protested angrily.
       "Then they die!" Mara snapped.  "Pathetic
mortals with a mayfly existence, they'll die anyway."
       "GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!!" Kaoru shouted
angrily.  Mara was thrown back against the wall at the
force, revealing the difference between a greater
power and a young, lesser power.  As the outburst died
down, Mara smirked.
       "Ahh, just announce our location to everyone,"
Mara said.  Kaoru growled.  "Now I have to leave,
business to attend to you know.  You're welcome to try
and find Linn.  And I do mean try."  Mara vanished,
ending the physical avatars existence and pulling her
awareness back to her planar home.
       "I know she's your daughter, Kenshin," Kaoru
said.  "But you heard what she said.  She plans to put
Linn through hell."
       "I know," Kenshin said, sorrowfully.  "And her
own child as well, but we won't let it happen."  He
said the last confidentally.  "She'll be found."
       "If anything happens to Linn," Kaoru said. 
"I'll have her following destroyed, she'll lose her
godhead.  And THEN I can do something to that..." 
Kenshin sighed and nodded reluctantly.
       "She's bitter and hurting," Kenshin said sadly.
 "And she's right, I did fail back then."  Karou
looked at her husband, and comforted him.
       ~Even if it were true,~ Kaoru thought, doubting
that.  ~It doesn't give her the right...~
       They vanished away before anyone came to
investigate the outburst of divine power.

*******

       Ukyou drew her sword and held it ready in front
of her, watching Ryuu grimly.
       "I knew you could be stupid," Ukyou said.  "But
using two magics known to lead to self-destruction?"
       Ryuu smiled.  "Stupid is living like a ghost
just because you happen to be of mixed blood."
       "You should get out of here while you can,"
Ukyou said.  "This isn't your fight."
       "I can't just leave you to fight this creep on
your own," Ryouga insisted, brandishing his umbrella.
       "And you're going to fight with that pathetic
little toy?" Ryuu asked, smiling.
       "Yes, I am," Ryouga said smiling.  He lunged
forward in a straight stab with his umbrella.  The
abruptness of the motion surprised both Ukyou and
Ryuu, though they recovered quickly.
       Ryuu smirked and casually brought his flaming
sword up to brush aside the incoming weapon.  The
umbrella didn't budge and Ryuu had to dodge out of the
way, frowning.  He was stopped from making any other
sort of action by the sight of Ukyou charging in from
his side.  He was surprised as she leaped into the
air.
       ~She wants to end this quickly,~ Ryuu thought.
       "Ryu Tsui Sen!" Ukyou shouted diving downward
with the sword leading.  Ryuu rolled back out of the
way smirking.  Ukyou hit the ground and had to roll to
absorb the shock as well, coming to her feet and
facing Ryuu.
       "What is it about becoming a Rurouni that makes
you all so predictable?" Ryuu asked.  Before Ukyou
could respond Ryouga came in again, still stabbing
with his umbrella.  This time Ryuu didn't try to
casually brush aside the attack.
       "Fiend!  Prepare to die!" Ryouga shouted
angrily.
       "No, wait!" Ukyou shouted.
       "Moko Kaimon Ha!" Ryuu shouted, shifting to a
two-handed grasp of his longsword to push the umbrella
to the side and launching a powerful kick that tossed
Ryouga across the scene.  An aura of shimmering
darkness followed the kick and faded as the Tenken
took a solid stance again.
       Ukyou came in, sword flying.  Images of that
same aura destroying the central fortress of Kumon in
her memory.  Ryuu's blade in a handed grasp again
caught her blade and smiled as he blocked Ukyou's
strikes.
       ~Keep smiling, Jackass,~ Ukyou thought.  ~We
keep this up and that sword arm is going to be too far
out to do you any good.~  With the one-handed grip
Ryuu was maintaining, she was finding it easy to
slowly maneuver his guard where she wanted it.
       "You always were too impressed with weaponry,"
Ryuu smirked.  Ukyou did her best not to be distracted
by that comment.  She noticed the incoming fist with
just time to roll back so it merely clipped her
shoulder.  "Hono Dokuja Tanketsu Sho!!"
       Ukyou felt herself become airborne from the
impact.  That shimmering darkness followed her and
pulled along a burning fire.  The burning died quickly
as the darkness smacked solid into her blowing it out
and pushing her along again.  She flipped about and
caught her feet again, but she was still skidding
backwards and looking forward to a rough fall, until
she smacked into something behind her.  
       "Ryouga?" she gasped looking up.  
       "I'm impressed," Ryuu said.  "That attack can
destroy a castle gate in one blow."
       "It felt like it," Ryouga agreed.
         "Back off, kid, this is about to get ugly."
Ukyou grimaced and got into stance again, one arm
hanging loosely at her side.  ~I don't want to get
serious with another survivor but...~
       "I think I'll have to actually get serious,"
Ryouga agreed.  Ukyou snorted.
       "What do you think...?"  Ryuu paused as he
watched Ryouga step forward.  The human grew several
inches as he walked forward, wings appearing from his
back, folding outward and then loudly snapping to
Ryouga's back.  An aura of power and righteous menace
filled the scene as Ryouga hefted his umbrella.
       "What the fuck?" Ukyou said, impressed.  Then
shook her head clear.
       "That explains why you're still alive," Ryuu
said, clearing his head of the surprise.  "But it
won't make a difference as far as this battle goes."
       "We'll see about that," Ryouga said, snapping
open his umbrella and sending it along in a buzzsaw. 
Ryuu calmly sidestepped the attack and prepared as the
celestial waded into combat.
       Ukyou grimaced at the embarassment of the shock
and hefted her sword before following along behind,
looking for an opportunity.  Usually one on one was
how she preferred to fight, or one on many, but Ryuu
was too dangerous to take so lightly.  Besidses, who
was she to deny heavenly aid.
       Ryuu slashed out with sword as he dodged under
Ryouga's strike, cutting a slim line across his side. 
Ryouga grimaced but he had dodged aside before the
blade could cut too deep.  He caught his umbrella as
it came back in and prepared to lunge in again.  He
hesitated as Ukyou appeared, fighting one handed.
       "Hey!  You can't fight like that," Ryouga
shouted.
       "She can't answer right now," Ryuu said,
smiling.  "She's a little busy trying to stay alive." 
Ryouga growled and moved in.  He glowed white as he
took a space between Ukyou and their attacker.  The
celestial pushed her away, sending the white aura
along with her.  Ukyou rolled hard to the ground.
       "What was that for you...!?"  Ukyou stopped and
examined herself, as injured as she had been, that
fall should have really hurt her.  She briefly
examined her shoulder and was surprised to find it
healed.  She looked up to see Ryouga throwing back
Ryuu by sheer brute strength, and then gathering
powering.  "Don't kill him!!"
       "Power of heaven smite thee!!" Ryouga shouted
unleashing a bright flash of pure white light that
flashed over the scene and blanked out Ukyou's vision
for a moment.  When it cleared, Ukyou saw Ryuu lying
crumpled on the ground and Ryouga looking down
victorious.
       "Gotcha," Ryouga said smirking.
       ~Oh no, Kenshin forgive me,~ Ukyou thought
wearily.  ~I should have...~
       "That actually hurt," Ryuu moaned sitting up
and smirking.  Ukyou and Ryouga stared at him in
shock.  "Very good."   
       Ryouga bridled at the mocking tone and flashed
forward, swinging down with his umbrella.  Ryuu rolled
out of the way and stood up to Ryouga's side.  The
Tenken smiled evilly as he slashed down with his
blade.
       "May Lord Shi-Shi-o lend me power!" he shouted
catching, and slicing through the celestial umbrella. 
Ryouga flinched back, holding the remainder of his
weapon in shock.  "A blight on your lives!!!" 
       A greasy black cloud blew outward from Ryuu's
mouth as he shouted the spell.  Ryouga was too close,
but Ukyou saw it coming in time to reverse her
approach and avoid the dark spell.  The wave of inky
darkness washed outward and then faded into nothing as
the light had before.
       Ryuu frowned as he noticed that Ukyou had
avoided the blight spell, but turned his attention
back to Ryouga as the celestial staggered back, weakly
coughing.  He rose his sword up and swung down at the
disoriented celestial.  His strike was blocked.
       "No one is going to die here," Ukyou promised. 

       She proceeded to rain blows on Ryuu, taking
comfort in the frown her opponent was giving her.  She
wasn't going to make the same mistake she had last
time and ignore that open hand.  She could hear Ryouga
struggling to his feet behind her, but tried not to
let it distract her.  It wasn't long before Ryuu's
flaming sword was sent flying away from him.
       "I've got you!" Ukyou shouted, smirking as Ryuu
leaped back.  "Ryu Sou S..!" 
       "Kijin Rachu Dan!!" Ryuu shouted spreading out
his arms wide.  
       A sickle shaped blade of darkness ripped out
from his outstretched arms and soared at her.  The
blade sliced through her sword on its way to her, and
she barely ducked and rolled under it.  A blast of air
from the attack sent her off course, sending her
painfully into a rock.
       "No weapon," Ryuu said above her.  "No threat."
 Ukyou felt herself picked up roughly, she glared
angrily at the man holding her.  He had an upraised
hand that was becoming rimmed in a aura of fiery
darkness.
       "Forget something?" Ukyou asked angrily.  
       Ryuu felt a small surge of power and suddenly
the magic fire around his hand flared blindingly
bright.  He dropped Ukyou and tried to block out the
light.  Ukyou smirked as she tried to back away from
the man, she could mend her sword in a moment, and
then the fight would be back on.  She did not expect
the blinded Ryuu to reach out and grab her with the
enchanted hand.
       Ukyou screamed in terror and pain as it gripped
her hand.  It burned, terribly and painfully hot.  And
the flames were catching on her clothes.
       But that was not all, she could feel it pulling
at her.  Pulling at her soul, stealing her life away. 
She remembered the dried husks that remained of some
of those that had tried to stop Ryuu's father as he
fought to control this new power.  Ryuu was stealing
away her life, like some living vampire.
       Then the contact was broken and Ryuu was pushed
away, still batting at his eyes, but smiling.  It was
obvious he could see them at least somewhat.
       "This has been fun," Ryuu said.  "But time to
end this now."  He stood solidly and and blinked his
eyes once or twice more.  
       Ryouga growled, he could tell Ryuu was healed
now, and both he was weakened and Ukyou had fallen
unconscious after Ryuu had let go of her.  Even if
Ryuu hadn't healed himself, Ryouga wondered if he
would have been weak enough for them to defeat.
       ~I don't want to have to do this...~ Ryouga
thought to himself as Ryuu stalked inward
confidentally.  He took a deep breath and shouted. 
"MOTHER!!!!!!!"
       It is often said that inspiration strikes like
a bolt of lightning.  In this case it was several such
bolts.  Ryuu covered his eyes as the sky rained down
bolt after bolt between him and his targets, a
veritable wall of power.   When it finally faded away
both the rurouni and the celestial were gone.
       "Well, I suppose we'll have to deal with them
later," Ryuu said, sheathing his blade.  "They'll make
an annoying obstacle later."

*******

       Ukyou blinked awake to find herself in a world
of shadowy wisps and immaterial terrain.  She cricked
her neck and glanced around, trying to figure out
where she was.  She didn't think she was dead, the
mark where Ryuu had grabbed her was still there,
though it appeared to have healed more than she would
have thought possible.  Unless she had been out for a
long time.  Maybe she was dead, and the mark was just
there.
       "Where am I?" Ukyou asked.
       "The ethereal plane," a voice said behind her. 
Ukyou turned around to see a little girl wearing
goggles with a hammer strapped to her back.  Behind
the girl she could see Ryouga sitting in the wisps
rather contritely.  
       "What?" Ukyou asked.  "Why?"  The little girl
suddenly got very irritated, almost turning purple in
anger.
       "Because HE can't come home yet," the girl said
pointing back at Ryouga.  "Because he just had to run
an errand for Auntie Urd."  Ryouga winced.  "Never
mind that his Mother told him not to deal with Auntie
Urd.  Never mind that the last time he went to visit
Auntie Urd he got lost, and hasn't yet gotten
un-lost!"  
       She glared back at Ryouga who winced again.  
       "Banned from the upper planes until he can
manage to translate drunken babble into what exactly
Urd sent him to do!?  ARRGGGGGHHH!!  I'm going to get
her!   Gah, he's just like his father!  He'll be
running off that fire-haired witch next."
       Ukyou sweat-dropped as the little girl paced
wringing her hands.  Her eyes were wide as she
realized just who it was talking to her.  She
immediately kneeled before the ranting goddess and
bowed.  It wasn't a kowtow, that she would only do for
Kenshin or Kaoru, but it was deeply respectful.
       "Sorry to intrude on you Lady Skuld," Ukyou
said politely.  Skuld blinked and looked down at her
for a moment.  Then she pointed and looked back to
Ryouga
       "This mortal has manners," Skuld said.  "Which
reminds me..."
       "Yeah?" Ryouga asked nervously.
       "What are you doing dallying with mortals
instead of figuring out what you're supposed to do?!"
Skuld demanded.
       "Ummm, Great Lady," Ukyou felt a little strange
addressing the little girl like that.  "We weren't
dallying, he was leading me to Nerima." Skuld stared
at her in disbelief and then turned to look back at
Ryouga.
       "Ryouga, honey," Skuld said sweetly.
       "Yes, Mom?" Ryouga asked nervously.
       "You didn't tell her that you could lead her
somewhere," Skuld asked.  "Did you?"
       "Well, umm," Ryouga scratched the back of his
neck.  "I said I'd been to Nerima."  Skuld grabbed her
hammer and swung down, conking him on the head.  Ukyou
swallowed nervously and sweated as Skuld turned to
face her.
       "Really, hanging around a mortal, inhibiting a
greater power's minions," Skuld shook her head
irritably.  "My son has really been hanging around
with Urd far too much."
       "Uhhhh...Lady Skuld?"  Ukyou said weakly.
       "You're still here?!" Skuld said, surprised. 
"You have quest, get to it!  Mortals."  She rolled her
eyes.
       "But how do I..." Ukyou stopped as the ethereal
plane disappeared around her and she and Ryouga were
suddenly in a clearing overlooking a town.  The main
fortress hanging on the edge of a cliff.  "Get out of
here?"
       She stood up and looked around confused.and
glanced at the dazed Ryouga.  She walked over to him
and glared.
       "Oww that hurt," Ryouga muttered as he was
coming to.
       "Hey, jacka..." Ukyou started angrily.  Before
she could finish a bolt of lightning came out of the
sky and plastered her to the ground.  "Owwww."
       "She must have still been listening," Ryouga
said scratching his head.  Ukyou debated whether
bashing Ryouga's head in with what remained of her
sakaba was worth getting zapped again.

*******

      "Ranma-darling, Akane-dear," Kodachi called out,
looking toward the gates of the estate.  A blonde girl
was staring inside the gates, smiling stupidly.  "Can
you come here for a moment?"
       "What is it?" Akane asked as she came to stand
next to Kodachi.
       "Do you know that person?" she asked pointing. 
Ranma came around them to see what they were looking
at.
       "YOU!!!" he shouted, rushing across the
grounds.  The blonde girl watched, unconcerned as he
leaped the gate and came down on top of, or rather
through her.
       "Oh dear, did you think little Azusa would come
herself?" the projection asked.  Ranma growled and
sneered at the image.
       "Who is this trollop?" Kodachi demanded, coming
to the gates.
       "This is that bastard's partner," Ranma
growled.  All eyes narrowed and glared at the smiling
blonde.
       "What are you doing here?" Akane demanded.
       "Oh, I just wanted to apologize for Miki's
behavior," Azusa said.  "He should never have taken
more than was offered.  Your husband offered...her
hand, not her lips.  Tsk Tsk...some men just can't
settle for being friends."  
       Kodachi frowned and crossed her arms. 
Projection or not, the woman's mind was with them, and
there were things she could do as a priestess of
Ayeka.
       "You sent the c..c..cat," Ranma cricked his
neck.  "You summoned dogs against me."
       "And you destroyed them too."  The girl pouted.
 "I have to wait before I can play with all my
pretties."
       "Why are you here you little bitch?" Akane
demanded coming through the gate and confronting the
projection.
       "I came to tell you where Miki is," the girl
said honestly, giving that same vacuous smile. 
"Consider it feminine solidarity."
       "You have to have a soul to be feminine," Ranma
snapped, angrily.
       "Oh, you can see that can you?" Azusa asked,
surprised.  Kodachi lost her patience and reached out.
 "Oh what is the pretty going to do to poor widdle
Azusa?"
       "I have had enough of your idiotic banter,"
Kodachi said.  "You have, by your own admission,
endangered the lives of my spouses.  And now you dare
to show yourself on the gates of my family's
stronghold and expect that I should not rebuke you?"  
       Kodachi closed her hand into a fist and almost
immediately an immaterial tangle of vines sprang up
around Azusa's image and seemed to grow through the
girl.  Azusa's image screamed in shock and pain as the
phantom vines dragged her to the ground.
       "You are safe from Ranma-darling and Akane-dear
as you are," Kodachi smirked, stalking out of the
estate and circling the helpless phantasm.  "But you
must not have known who or what I was."
       "Get these ugly diseased vines out of me!"
Azusa demanded angrily, hatefully.  That vacuous smile
was completely gone now as the vines wriggled through
her.
       "Ugly, diseased vines?" Kodachi repeated,
taking offense.  She growled and clenched her fist
hard, the phantom vines began to grow vines and tear
through the image as Ranma and Akane looked on,
moderately nervous.  "Where is this uncultured lout
that is your partner?"
       "The abandoned fortress outside of town!" Azusa
answered, shrieking in pain.  She ripped her face
towards Kodachi and smiled again.  "You'll regret
this, pretty.  I'll torture you slowly over all the
years the Mistress gives to me."  Kodachi arched an
eyebrow and commanded the vines to move again.  The
woman shrieked pitifully, equal parts enraged and
terrified.
       "Leave my presence," Kodachi snapped, waving
her hands and dismissing the vines.  Azusa virtually
growled before her projection vanished.
       "She was going to tell us anyway," Ranma said
after she had gone.  "Didja have ta do that?  All it
did was get her on your case."  
       "We could have handled her later," Akane
agreed.  Kodachi walked to Ranma and reached a hand
behind his back to trace the scars that cat had given
him, hidden by Ranma's clothes.  She kissed him
lightly on the cheeks and then walked to Akane taking
her hand, and tracing the similar scars there on her
arm and kissing the inside of Akane's hand.
       "It was necessary," Kodachi said.  She smiled
and walked back into the estate.  "Are you coming?  We
must plan what we are to do."

*******

       "Kinnosuke," Nabiki said, arching her eyebrow. 
"What are you doing here?  Run out of poor country
bumpkins to swindle?"  Kinnosuke was one of those
Metalliums that Nabiki would rather not deal with. 
She plotted, schemed, and manipulated, surely.  She
did not bring great and permanent harm to people that
did not, in her mind, deserve it.  Even if she didn't
advertise the fact that she had limits.
       "Not all of us are lucky enough to have a rich
idiot to play with," he said.  "Oh wait, he's been
banished, insulted a goddess I hear.  And what's this
about you losing your wizard magic?"
       "That is being remedied," Nabiki said, simply.
       "How ever are you coping?" Kinnosuke asked. 
"It is well known that you are mostly a diviner.  Your
following of Xellos is sort of an afterthought
correct?"
       "Xellos encourages us to use our own resources
rather than depending on him," Nabiki reminded.
       "He also says not to put all your eggs in one
basket," Kinnosuke reminded.  "Maybe this is a way of
teaching you that?"  Nabiki faced down, eyes closed,
and then looked up smirking.  Kinnosuke frowned,
whether pretending to be annoyed or otherwise, Nabiki
didn't care.
       "Maybe, maybe not," she said.  She recalled the
dream she had the night before in the library's guest
quarters.  Looking into a mirror and seeing a smirking
black cat with purple highlights.  "And what are you
in the library for?"
       "My business is outside the library, actually,"
Kinnosuke said, his turn to smirk.  "I just had to
extend my condolences for your curse."
       "Well, thank you," Nabiki said, smiling back
and walking past him.  "Now I must be back to my
studies." ~And if you think a third rate schemer like
you is going to catch me when I leave neutral ground.~
       "Of course," Kinnosuke said bowing as she
passed him.  He watched her walk between the
apparently endless shelves of secrets that the main
Metallium temple maintained.

*******

   "They're coming, Miki," Azusa panted.  She looked
up to see Mikado's smirking face.
   "That sounded painful," he said.
   "The noble bitch is mine," Azusa said angrily.

=====
"Caffeinated Kender?  What's that, a berserk spell?" - 
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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