Writer's note:

welll, I changed a few things here and there, ESPECIALLLY the death
scene... added a few remarks to denote time, as in how long ago
or how far ahead something happened.  I'm still wondering, though,
should I keep it in future --> past order or should I go from
past --> future order?

anyways, this is (obviously) very rough draft, and one of a countless
number of rewrites...

C&C most welcome

-rod m


//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

==========================================================================

"A man who has been through as much suffering as I have... CANNOT DIE!"
                                      -Ryoga Hibiki
==========================================================================


(Several months ahead...)

   Ryo crawled away, on his hands and knees, coughing up blood.  He felt
the wound in his gut, amazed at how big it seemed.  His vision was 
beginninng to waver and the world was slowly getting cold.  Ryo leaned
against a boulder and rested, trying to focus.
   He looked around at the devastation in this "magic" land.  To think
that Ryoga turned female... he snickered uncontrollably, spitting up more
blood.  Ah, well, he sighed, just when you think you've seen it all, eh?
   He wiped the blood again from his smile and looked at the still
form of Ryoga Hibiki.  "Hey, stupid, jackass, jerk, idiot, oy!"  He
couldn't help but laugh some more, then looked enviously at Ryoga.
   At least he... at least he died by the side of the one he loved.
There he laid, his glassy eyes staring into space, and there was Miss
Kuonji, with a look of sadness in her face, also dead, holding on to
his hand.
   Further away, he saw Ranma Saotome, halfway submerged in one of those
cursed springs.  Something didn't seem right there... he looked hard, but
Ranma was far away and his vision was failiing him.  Ryo gave up trying
to see him.  He knew Saotome was dead too.  Put up a good fight, he did.
Same with his fiancee, once she saw him die.  Too bad about her death
too.  Had alot of fire, she did.
   Wait... if he could just make it to that little hut... the one that
was supposed to belong to the Jusenkyo guide... he had some first aid
kits, right?  
   Ryo tugged at the sword that ran through his gut.  It hurt, so much 
more than he thought it would.  He had to admit, the Saotome sword was 
built well.  He just wished he hadn't found out like this...
   He got up, his knees wobbling under him, stumbled forth, and tripped  
on something.  He would've yelled in pain, but he didn't have that much 
energy left.  What'd I trip on? he wondered.  Oh, it's Mousse and Shampoo.
He felt bad about Mousse.  After all, he did get Mousse banished from
the amazon village.  Better to die as a warrior perhaps, than live in
shame?  He wondered if the amazons thought that way...
   
   Ryo's vision was getting bad now, everything was a blur.  He couldn't
move, not an inch.  It was so cold.  He wished she was by his side one
last time, just one more time.  He wanted to say he was sorry, he wanted
to make things right.  This was supposed to be his last con, the one
that would set him for life, and now he was dying and so far away and
she thought he was a total bastard...

   Dammit, it all backfired.

   With his last bit of strength, Ryo smiled.  All in all, it was a 
grand battle, wasn't it?  If you're gonna go, go with a smile...


============================================================================

                           THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

                    Preludes: Looking Ahead, Looking Back

============================================================================


Warning:

In an infinite number of worlds, anything is possible.

***

Several Weeks ago...

   Ukyo shut all the windows and locked all the doors, with a tired but
happy Ryoga sitting peacefully at a table drinking some hot tea.  He was
glad to be back, after wandering around so long.  How much time passed?
A month?  Well, now he was back, and he was glad to be back.
   He briefly wondered whatever happened to Ryo.
   "Well, get some rest Ryoga.  You look a little tired," said Ukyo.
   Ryoga smiled, got up, and then realized something.
   "Um, Ukyo, where's my room?"  He grinned, somewhat embarrased, and
scratched the back of his head.
   Ukyo sighed, but smiled.  He was cute when he's embarrased, she thought.
"C'mon, stupid, it's this way."  She took him by the hand, which set off
a deep crimson blush from Ryoga (which Ukyo somehow failed to notice),
and led him to the attic door.
   "Well, here's your room."
   "Ah... thanks."
   Before Ryoga could reach for the doorknob, Ukyo wrapped him in a hug.
"Welcome back," she said quietly, then kissed him on the cheek and went
to her room.
   Ryoga stood there, totally at a loss for words.
   
   The nighttime sky over Nerima was peaceful and quiet.  Akane and Ranma
looked out to the skyline, in each other's arms.  It was a beautiful end
to a beutiful day.  As the snow fell all around them, they turned to each
other and kissed.
   They didn't notice the flares of purple light coming from the warehouse
district.

   Ryo shook his head, trying to clear out the haze that seemed to be
clouding it.
   It was dark.
   It was windy.
   It was cold.
   Those were the first three things that entered his mind.
   Something was wrong.  How did he get there?  What was going on?  He
touched a hand to his head.  He absentmindedly wondered when he put on
gloves.
   As his fingers touched his face, they felt slick, wet, sticky...
   He raised his hand up to the pale moonlight and could barely see what
it was, but the smell was unmistakable.
   "Blood..." he mumbled in shock.  "Blood?"
   He looked at his other hand.  It was also covered in blood.
   What the hell happened?
   He got up fast, looking around.  He was at a warehouse.  In front of it,
actually.  He unsteadily took a few steps forward and peeked into the
warehouse.
   Blood was everywhere.  The floor, the walls, the windows.  The stench
of it was everywhere.  Then there were the bodies.  For the most part,
they were stabbed and bludgeoned.
   Who, he wondered, did this?  Me?  He looked down to his gloved and bloody
hands.  Then something caught his attention.
   It was an umbrella, western style, and it was drenched in blood.
   He took a few steps back, stunned.  "I... I don't remember..."
   Then, as if on cue, a flood of memories, his own memories, and yet not his
own memories, came flooding into his head.
   He did it.
   Ryo Muhoshin was a killer.  In his mind he could remember every little
detail.  And why?  Oh, of course, it was the favor that the Lord of the
Shadoloo asked of him.  Naturally, he'd get compensated richly.
   Ryo grinned.  He knew he could do it now.  He had what it took to kill
Ryoga.  And he _would_.


   Thousands of miles away, the Lord of the Shadoloo stood in his chamber.
He grinned.  It was a job well done indeed, and nothing could tie him to
the crime.  What a useful little puppet, that Muhoshin...

***

(Many Months Ago...)

   Ukyo walked, actually wandered around the streets of Nerima in a daze.
   {Ranchan, why?  Why not me?  I thought you loved me!}
   It had been several days since Ranma made his announcement, officially
becoming an item with Akane and declaring all his other engagements void.
   {Why....}
   She cried, of course.  She didn't like doing that.  It made her feel
weak, and that was another thing that she didn't like.
   {Damn you...}
   She _begged_ him to change his mind, she yelled at him in anger for
betraying her like he had, and she walked away feeling foolish, betrayed,
and so very much alone.
   So, when does the pain stop? she asked herself.
   She decided to close down the shop for a couple of days.  Her emotional
state was ruining her cooking technique.  Staying in the house was all she
could bear to do, at first, but the depression caught up to her, and she
decided to wander.
   Just wander.
   No particular place in mind, really.
   Maybe it would help her forget?
   So, she thought, maybe this is the real reason Ryoga is lost so much?
   She laughed bitterly at her own joke as she walked by shops, markets,
buisness offices, and just kept on moving.  A tear formed in her eye.
   Dammit, she thought, I am _not_ gonna go to pieces over a guy!
   I'm not...
   I'm...

   "Hey, you, get a move on!"
   "Go 'way."
   Ukyo snapped out of her haze.
   I know that voice, she thought.  That's...
   Nearby, in an alley, an officer was standing angrily over a ragged,
dirty, unkept, and apparently drunk Ryoga.
   Oh man, she thought, he looks like a wreck!  Ryoga, you dummy.
   "Officer!  I know this guy!  I'll take care of it," she said, rushing
over to them.
   The officer turned, examined her, and said, "you'd better get him outta
here, right now.  We've been getting complaints."
   "Sorry that he's a bother, sir.  C'mon, Ryoga, let's go."  She pulled
him to his feet, put his arm around her shoulder, and together they
staggered away.

   Ryoga, not in much shape to do anything, didn't, as Ukyo helped him
stagger some blocks away.  After some distance, his brain finally kicked
in and decided to find out what was going on.  As far as he could tell, 
he was in a commercial neighborhood, with Ukyo, helping him walk.
   "Wha... Ukyo... whacha doin?"
   "C'mon, stupid, let's get you cleaned up."
   "Don'wanna."
   "What then hell are you doing to yourself?  You stupid jerk!  You're
gonna get yourself in trouble."
   "Shadup."
   Ukyo stopped.
   "_What_ did you say?"
   "Go'way, dammit."
   Ukyo angrily grabbed Ryoga by the collar.  "LISTEN UP YOU IDIOT!  IF YOU
KEEP THIS UP, I _WILL_ LEAVE YOU OUT HERE ON THE STREET TO ROT!  IF IT
WEREN'T FOR THE FACT THAT WE'RE FRIENDS, I'D KICK YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW, GOT IT?
NOW STOP PUTTING UP THE ATTITUDE AND SNAP OUT OF IT!"
   Ryoga blinked, then snarled.  "Lis... listen up, y... you bitch..."
   Ukyo's fist clenched.  She started to do that blue glowing bit that
Akane does so well.
   Ryoga, ignoring Ukyo's flaring battle aura, continued, "I DON'T NEED
YOUR HELP!  I DON'T NEED ANYBODY!  GOT THAT?!  LEAVE ME ALONE!"
   "You jackass!!!" Ukyo looked around for something to hit Ryoga with, and 
picked up a nearby bucket full of water.
   -clang- *SPLASH*
   "Bwee!"
   Ukyo blinked in surprise.  "P-chan?"  She picked up the squealing,
snarling piglet with the yellow bandanna.  "YOU were P-chan?"
   P-chan glared at her.
   She started shaking, covering her mouth.
   "HAAHAHAHHAHAHA!  Oh, this is funny."  She continued giggling, with
P-chan still held up by his bandanna.  He squealed angrily and tried to
get loose.
   "Say, I wonder what Akane'll think if she finds out, eh?"
   "BWEEEEEEE! BWEBWEBWEBWE!"
   "Calm down, I'm just joking!"  She patted P-chan on the head.  He 
settled down, but still looked angry.  "C'mon, piggie, let's get outta 
here."
   She couldn't wipe the smirk off her face.  No wonder Ranchan kept
on calling Ryoga P-chan!  Ha!
   Then she remembered Ranma and her mood crashed back down.  "C'mon,
pig-boy, stop squirming."
   P-chan stopped struggling and settled into a piggish sort of grumpiness.

***

Several Months Ago...

   EDNOTE:  "cave of lost loves" oav scene pov

***

(Four years ago, Unorthodox Weaponry dojo...)

   Ryo breathed hard.  The sparring today was especially tough.  He'd
finally felt the full hit of Ryoga's new umbrella.  Damn, that thing
was heavy.  It felt like someone hit his side with a steel club.  The 
rest of him wasn't doing so great either, being bruised or very sore.
He limped sideways, wary of Ryoga's advance, and readied his umbrella
for one last-ditch attack that he'd learned recently.
   Ryoga cautiously edged forward, umbrella at the ready.  This was one
intense sparring session, and he was fully into it.  Whenever he started
fighting it was hard for him to stop, and it seemed Ryo wanted to take
this as far as he could too.  He waited for Ryo to make the first move.
   Ryoko watched nervously from the side.  She wanted to stop them, but
knew that both people didn't like a good sparring session interrupted.
If it kept up like it was, she thought, then somebody would end up dead.
She wished Kyoko or Megane was here, instead of on that training trip.
They didn't see Ryoga much, and Ryo always seemed to hold back when
Kyoko was watching.
   Ryo lost patience.  He shifted his grip on his umbrella to the 'bludgeon'
position and charged at Ryo.  "DIIIIIIIEEEE!!!"
   Ryoga shifted into a defensive stance, but was startled when he saw
Ryo's umbrella handle start to glow.  He jumped back as Ryo charged
and began his swing.  No way was he gonna try and block that...
   Ryo yelled "GEKIHOU!" and brought the umbrella down hard.  There was an
explosion, a burst of light, and then there was a small crater in the
middle of the floor.
   "Ryo!  Stop!" Ryoko yelled.
   Ryo yelled again, and charged at Ryoga once more.  Ryoga swiped at
Ryo's midsection, but Ryo slid under the attack, snared Ryoga's ankle 
with the umbrella hook, and knocked him off his feet.  Ryo got up to his 
knees as fast as he could and thrust the sharp tip of his umbrella towards
Ryoga's throat.
   
   He stopped.
   The point pressed lightly against Ryoga's throat.
   He felt Ryoga's umbrella, lightly touching next to his skull.  Ryoga
could've smashed his brains out, and Ryo knew it.
   You know, you could kill him, right now, a voice in his head whispered.
You know you wanna do it.  Get the upstart outta the way and earn back the
title of Best in the Dojo.  C'mon.
   Ryoga looked nervously up to Ryo's eyes.  He didn't like the way they
were twitching.
   "Ryo!  Hey!" Ryoko yelled.
   Ryo slowly pulled his umbrella away from Ryoga's throat.  "Good match," he
said calmly.
   "Yeah, you actually managed to get a draw from Ryoga!" teased Ryoko.
Ryo twitched again.  He signed inwardly, knowing that he passed up a great
opportunity.
   "C'mon guys!" said Ryoko happily, pulling them both by the arm.  "Let's
go hit the soda joints!"
   Ryo seemed disoriented for a moment, then smiled.  "Yes, a vanilla
milkshake would be nice, hm?"
   "Um, yeah," said Ryoga nervously.  He didn't like the look he saw in
Ryo's eye.  Maybe he was taking their matches a little too seriously.
   
***

(Five years ago)

   Two young people walked slowly down a street, both in boy's school
uniform, looking somewhat tired.  One had short hair, and the other
had a long ponytail.
   "Man, that teacher is tough," said Ryuunosuke.
   "Yeah, I've got a ton of homework tonight," said Ukyo.
   "Onsen Mark was a bit trigger-happy today too."
   "No kidding!  He threw so many erasers around I had to duck for cover!"
   Both started laughing a bit.
   "Hey, Ryuunosuke," said Ukyo, "I think that girl is looking at'cha."
   Ryuunosuke looked around, and saw the girl that Ukyo was talking about.
"Hm.  Not interested.  Why don't you go for it?" she asked.
   "Me?" said Ukyo, "Er, no."
   "Why not?  She's a girl, you're a guy."
   Ukyo paused at that statement, but said nothing more.  She frowned and
looked at her friend of several years.  "Um, Ryuunosuke," she said, blushing.
   "Hey, something bothering ya?"
   Ukyo sighed inwardly.  No, she decided, she couldn't tell him.  He'd
probbably freak out, think she was a freak, and tell everyone.  She wished 
she could at least tell Ryuunosuke.  Maybe he'd... no.  Probbably not.
   Damn that Saotome!
   "Nah," she said, "just thinking about somebody I knew a long time ago."

***

(Six years ago)

   He looked upon the infinite, with the universes and stars swirling
around him.  He looked out and saw his "brothers" amongst the stars.
   "You know," he thought, "we really ought to form a union or something."

***

   Two very young children raced down the streets, dressed in school 
uniforms.  One seemed annoyed while the other was angry.
   Ranma sighed.  The guy seemed so pathetic, unable to find his own 
house.  Well, Ranma thought, he _was_ a neighbor and martial artists are 
supposed to help people in need, so...
   "Curse you, Saotome!  Slow down!"
   "C'mon, Ryoga!  You're moving too slow!"
   He'd been doing this for some time now, and Ryoga was always such a 
jerk about things.  If only the jerk wasn't so pathetic about directions.
   "If you weren't so stupid about directions, we wouldn't havta do this!"
   "Shut up!"

***

(Twelve years ago)

   Outside, the rains that had plagued the city for the last several days
continued to pour.  
   Inside, A boy stood in a cushioned cell, wrapped by a straitjacket, but 
as calm as a five year old shouldn't be.
   He blinked, as his mind replayed recent events...

-

   It was raining that day.  Mom and Dad wanted to make it home before
the rains got so bad they were flooded out.  They huddled around dad's
umbrella and ran for the car, and everyone was wet but still we had
to hurry home dad said.
   They were driving really fast, mom and dad were.
   And so was the other guy.
   There was a bang.  A really loud noise, louder than he'd ever heard
before.
   Everything was moving around so fast!  Mom and dad were screaming, so
was his sisters and brother.
   
   And then everything went black, for a while.

   He opened his eyes slowly.  He hurt.  All over.  His vision was blurry.
   "Mom?  Dad?  Wha'happen?"
   The rain continued to beat down.
   "Mom?  Dad?"
   He finally realized that something was all over his face.  He wiped his
eyes, finally getting a clear vision, and his hand was now covered in
something slick and red.  He squirmed out of the car, stumbled a bit,
and looked into the front seats.
   He saw mom.
   He saw dad.
   And he knew they weren't going to be moving, ever.
   "H-help... me...."
   The boy turned around with a scowl.  There's the other car.  The one that
HIT US.  It's HiS FaUlt!  HIS!
   "Oh God... I'm trapped... it hurts... help..."
   He reached in, pulled out his parents' umbrella, and walked to the other
car, a scowl on his face.
   "Kid... hey... you... get help... please..."
   This man, he didn't look as bad as mom and dad did.  He could still make
out the man's face.
   "Hey... wha... you...doin..."
   The boy remembered something as he stood above the one that took his
mom and dad away.  This looks an awful lot like that umbrella his uncle
gave his dad.
   He looked for a particular button.
   -click-
   A blade emerged from the point.
   oH gOOd, It WAs.

-

   He stood there, in the padded cell, feeling confused.
   He should't be there.  He'd just act like a good little boy until they
see, he doesn't belong there, not at all....

   AccidenT?  WhAt accidenT?  nO, i doN'T reCALL any aCCident.
   WhERE's mom and dad?

***

(Twelve years ago)
(Translated from Chinese...)

   A very young Shampoo cautiously entered the hut where the visitor was 
staying.  She was curious.  She'd heard that the old man was a seeker of 
ancient lore and legend, and Shampoo always did like a good story.
   "Well, hello there, little girl," he greeted.  He was an elderly man,
dressed in typical chinese garb, with long white hair.  His shoes showed
signs of long travel, and he seemed to be very tired.
   "Um, hi."
   "May I help you with something?"
   "You're the one that has many stories?"
   "Hm?  Oh, if you mean I know alot about legends and such, well yes, I
guess I am."
   "Oh."  Shampoo wasn't exactly sure what to ask next.  She was terribly 
shy around grownups.
   "You want to know why I'm here?" he asked, trying to be friendly.
   "Yes, I guess."
   "Ah, well, I'm on the trail of one last legend."
   "A legend?  Here?"
   "Oh, yes.  I'll tell you what I've found, in fact.  Would you like that?"
   "Yes!  Please!"
   "Right then," he said, smiling.  He reached into a travel bag and pulled
out an old scroll."
   "See this?" he said, showing it to her.  "This is a rather unusual scroll.
Your great grandmother had a look at it."
   She peered curiously at the scroll.  "What's strange about it?"
   "Now, just look at it from the corner."
   She did.
   "Tell me, without moving your eyes, is it a page full of words?"
   "Yes."
   "Any blank parts?"
   "No."
   "Now read it."
   "But it's in a weird handwriting.  I don't think I can."
   "Trust me."
   She began to read...
   And noticed that certain parts dissapeared before she read them.
   "Wow."
   "Almost as if it doesn't want to be read, hm?"
   Shampoo nodded.  "How does it do that?"
   "Magic, I suppose."
   "Great-grandmother is good with magic."
   "She is, but even she was not able to read all of the scroll.  Do you see
this bit at the bottom?"
   "Yes."
   "It is a notice and a warning.  That much can be read."
   "What's it say?"
   "Basically, it says 'I have cast these words into the infinite void, and
only those that are worthy of my legacy shall read them in full.'"
   Shampoo looked a bit sad.
   "Something upset you?"
   "I wanted to know the story about that," she said, poking the scroll.
   "Well, I'll tell you what I have been able to read, what has been told
from generation to generation from other towns, and where I found this
scroll."
   Shampoo smiled.
   "You see, a long time ago, there was a wizard.  A good man, actually,
and he served a rich and powerful family.  He had his own family to look
over, a lovely wife and several children.  His life was pleasant, for the
most part."
   Shampoo yawned.
   "Hey now, don't fall asleep on me yet.  The story has yet to begin!"
   "No action." she flatly said.
   "Wait for it, it'll be worth it.  Anyways, a chain of events began that
would lead to great misfortune for all involved.  A very tragic story
indeed.  It all began..."

***

   (Several hundred years ago...)

   The wizard, disarmed and wounded, stumbled back.  He knew this was the
end.  He defiantly spat blood at those who would blindly follow the words
of the royalty and the rich and the warlords and all of their ilk.  Fools!
Puppets!  He coughed up blood.
   "Foul sorcerer, know that this is your end."
   He was so close.  So very close.  He watched sadly as the great column
of blue hued energy that was meant to bring him power was suddenly sent 
off-course by his enemies, landing in a distant place.  
   I'm sorry, my love, he thought, I have failed to avenge you and ours.  
This is my end.  He didn't like the way that sounded. No, he decided, it 
won't end like this.
   He looked up defiantly, and with his last energy said, "I will have 
revenge."
   "Not if you're dead."  A quick slice later, the wizard was beheaded.

   The swordsman fell to his knees, exhausted from the long battle.  Nearby,
his allies were also on the floor, recovering from the long battle.  There
were many henchmen and bizzare creatures that they had overcome, and the
battle against the wizard wasn't easy either.
   
   The group gave a moment of silence, in honor of all that had died before
the rampage of the madman, which included royalty, soldiers, citizens,
and loved ones.  Nobody knew why this once honored mage turned so very
psychotic.  It was, they guessed, a sad case of madness overwhelming an
old mind.
   All of the four had a beloved to avenge, and now they hoped their 
spirits could rest easy.
   
   "Build a fire," said the swordsman, "the body must be burned to ashes."

   Nearby, the wizard frowned.  He didn't like being dead.  There wasn't
much one could do in an ethereal state aside from move a few dust particals.
Magic seemed to be not quite working either.  He'd been stomping on the
foot of the swordsman for some time, but apparently it wasn't working.
   "Arrogant, self-righteous bastards!" he angrily yelled.
   "Pompus sons of bitches!"
   "Moronic simpletons!"
   He noticed that they were starting to burn his body.
   "Damn you all!"
   Then he noticed that he wasn't alone.
   He nervously peered behind him.
   "You are the self-proclaimed wizard-king, right?" a feminine voice asked.
   He blinked.  "Yes.  You wouldn't happen to be..."
   "Yes, I am."
   He frowned in confusion.  He thought death would be some large scary
figure in ebony with the body of a demon, not a girl.  It wasn't that the 
girl wasn't dressed to the theme (she was _very_ pale, and wore all-black), 
but that death was... well...
   "You're female," he bluntly said.
   "Yeah.  Surprised, right?"
   "I guess I am.  One tends to put grand expectations on his demise and
the events afterwards."  
   "So, you're saying I'm not right for the job?"  She lowered an eyebrow.
   "No, no.  You're just surprising, that's all.  So what happens now?"
   "Whenever you're ready, we go."
   The wizzard paused, looking out at the scene of the four bastards that
interfered.
   "You know," he said to her as he watched his body consumed by the fires,
"I was so very close to absolute power."
   Death shrugged.
   The wizard grinned.  "Hm, I would've kept you busy had it all worked out."
   "Such is life," answered Death.
   The wizard's features sombered, and he looked deep in thought.
   "I wish to do one last thing." he said.
   "Hurry, you haven't much time."
   He grinned and stepped to the middle of the group that had dared defy him.
"To you that dared defy my will, I vow to have my revenge upon you and your
families.  I curse thee..."

   Lo Shun shivered.
   "Hey, Shun, you okay?"
   "Yes," she said, "I just felt a chill."  She looked out across the many
springs that covered the landscape, and thought she heard an evil laughter
echoing in the wind.

   Meanwhile, somewhere far away from China...

   Akemi watched the skies, always fascinated with the clouds, the sky,
and the stars.  Today it was very cloudy.
   "Hey, Akemi, quit daydreaming," said her mother.
   "Sorry Mom!"
   Then she noticed it.  A column of blue colored light, spinning madly
like a tornado, striking out from the clouds.
   "Mom!  Quick!" she yelled.
   "What's bothering you... oh my, what is that?"
   They were not the only ones to notice.  The whole market crowd pointed
up in the sky at the energy form.  As it came closer, everyone ran for
cover.
   Akemi's mother took her hand and pulled hard.  "Come on!"
   As they ran away quickly, Akemi looked back.  She noticed one person
in particular, who looked hypnotized by the energy.  He wasn't running.
The tornado of energy suddenly struck down hard, becoming a beam of light,
and the man was engulfed in otherworldly energies...
   There was a scream.
   For a moment, there was silence.
   Then the beam stopped.  What it left behind was the smoking remains
of the foolish man.
   He groaned.
   "Mom, he's still alive!"
   "He... help..." the man croaked.

   "Help... me..."

                               -end preludes-