Let's try this again.  If you see this twice, I apologize.  I
got mail back saying the message was never originally sent (due to the
FFML's depression).  So, OK, one disclaimer and one plea: a) I know
absolutely zip about Hong Kong (not zip, but you get the idea)  b) I
am humbly requesting that readers suspend disbelief a whole lot in this
part.. =)   6-12-97  8:15 AM EST



			Twisted Destiny 11

{Insert disclaimers concerning Ranma 1/2 and 3x3 Eyes here!}


Akane started to rush forward but Kuno held her back.  "Do not run
blindly forward," he warned.  "There is more to this than first
appears."

She looked at him a little worried, very determined and nodded.
She would allow him to go first.

Kuno stepped into the dark room; it was without windows and any
visible light source.  It smelled of dust and mildew and mice.
His gaze swept back and forth, with Akane close behind him.  She
was also looking around but her eyes kept returning to the statue.

They got within five feet of the statue when a voice came out of
the darkness.  "Who are you?"

The two tensed and turned in unison towards the sound of the
voice.  "Show yourself," Kuno commanded.

A woman with grayish skin and long blonde hair stepped out of the
darkness.  She was wearing a sheer white dress and expensive
looking jewelry.  Her arms were crossed across her chest and she
had long red nails.  "Who are you?" she asked again.

Kuno levelled his sword at her.  "Who we are is of no importance.
We are here for one reason so please step back so we may take
possession of this statue."

The gleam in her eye went unnoticed.  She got a concerned look on
her face.  "You mean take it from Alexander?"  She sounded very
upset and took a step towards Kuno.

"We have an important purpose for this statue, and since we have
been deceived by its owner, we will be taking it."

Akane nodded, staying behind Kuno.  Damn straight they'd be taking
it since Alexander had lied to them.

"Oh please, take me away from this house!"  She stepped towards
Kuno again, her hands clasped in a pleading gesture.

"What?  You are a prisoner here?"

The woman looked fearfully at the statue and nodded.  "He... is a
monster."  She looked at Akane, her eyes shimmering.  "You'll take
me out, won't you?"

Akane didn't say anything.  The woman sounded like she needed
help, like she was extremely frightened.  Akane started to nod.

The woman almost squealed with delight.  "I knew you'd save me!
Thank you!"  She stepped around Kuno's sword and advanced on them,
smiling.

"Hey!  You can't..."  Alexander's voice came from behind them.

Akane and Kuno both turned, startled.  The woman smiled darkly
from behind Kuno at Alexander.  Alexander just looked surprised;
it wasn't quite what he had expected.

"You lied to us!" Akane yelled, her temper threatening to
explode.

Alexander ignored her and concentrated on the woman.  "You!  What
are you..."  His eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth.

The woman daintily ran forward and grabbed Kuno from behind.
"Don't let him get me!  Please save me!" she screeched in Kuno's
ear.  "He wants to kill me!"

"Damn right I do, you lying bitch," Alexander hissed, his fingers
curved into claws.  "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The woman smiled at him, her fangs showing, but she continued to
screech.  "Don't get any closer!  I don't want to die!"

Akane and Kuno kept their eyes on Alexander, but Kuno was
extremely aware of the woman behind him, the way she was clutching
at his sword arm.  "Why did you lie?  Your life may depend on your
answer," Kuno said, feeling none too gracious.

"Just hand that woman over.  She's not who you think she is."

Kuno didn't like the way he was being ignored.  "What is it about
her that so interests you?"

"Just hand her over.  I've got a score to settle with her."

"No!  I don't know you!" she yelled at Alexander.  "He kidnapped
me.  He wants to sacrifice me to that hideous statue," she
whispered to Kuno.

Kuno stared at Alexander, the look of fury on the slim man's face.
There was a nagging voice in his head.  'Don't trust her...'  He
didn't particularly trust the woman, but he had a very clear
reason not to trust Alexander.  Then a leap in logic that might
have been Kamiko.  'She was speaking Japanese!'  She didn't look
Japanese and Kuno didn't think it was her native language.

He advanced on Alexander.  "I do not trust you.  You have lied to
us once.  Who is to say you are not lying once again?"  The tip of
his katana was pointed at Alexander's heart.

Alexander retreated into the hallway.  "I don't give a damn about
the statue.  You can have it if you want!  But she is going to
pay!"  He pointed at the woman, his gaze darkening as he looked at
her.

Kuno continued to force Alexander back, Akane staying by his side.
Once in front of the stairs, he spoke to Akane quietly, his eyes
never leaving Alexander.  "Retrieve our things and wait outside."

"But what about..."

"Go.  I will take care of matters here.  Do not worry."  He pushed
her away, trying to get her to go down the stairs.

Akane looked at him for a moment then turned and ran down the
stairs.  She ran through the house trying to remember where the
room was.  She was running down halls blindly, beginning to panic,
when she came upon the stairs to the first floor.  She skidded to
a halt and regained her breath.

Slowly, she made her way to the room and picked up the bags.  She
was walking back to the stairs when she heard thumps from above
her.  She arrived at the stairs and was about to go down when
there was another noise.

Trying to hold down her panic, she went towards where she thought
the other set of stairs were.  She was walking down a hall when
she heard a series of shouts and screams.  There was a flash of
light from around a corner at the opposite end of the hall and a
statue rolled into view.  It stopped against the wall and there was
silence once more.

What sounded like thunder ripped through the hall and shook the
entire house.  With a crunching noise, Kuno hit the wall and fell
on top of the statue.  Akane gasped and took a step back.

Kuno rose slowly, one arm hanging uselessly at his side, and
picked up the statue.  He maintained his grip on his katana and
stumbled down the hall towards Akane, one foot dragging.  "Go," he
said, picking up speed.

Akane turned and began walking quickly back to the down stairs.
"Hurry, Kuno-sempai," she called behind her.  Her only response
was Kuno's labored breathing.

They had reached the stairs and were partway down, Kuno recovering
slowly, when a group of voices could be heard.  They were heading
in the pair's direction.  "Back up," Kuno said, his voice hoarse.

Akane spun and started back up.  She got her first good look at
Kuno and wrinkled her nose.  One side of his face was all black
and purple, his limp arm didn't seem to be connected to his
shoulder correctly and there was a considerable trail of blood
behind him.

She reached the top of the stairs with Kuno a few below her, and
was about to ask which way she should go when the voices came from
behind her.  "There!"  It was the only warning before the hail of
bullets started.

Akane screamed until she was surrounded by Kuno and pulled away
from the stairs.  Even as he held her, she could feel the bullets
strike his body.  She almost collapsed under his weight as his
pelvis was nicked and cracked by something heavy caliber.

She ended up dragging him down the hall, testing every door until
her only exit left was the window in front of her.  She was
struggling under Kuno's weight as he was continuously hit with
gunfire.  She was lucky there wasn't anything too powerful, or she
would have been hit as the bullets passed through Kuno's body.

She peered out the window, seeing the roof of the first floor a
few feet below her.  It was her only chance so she opened the
window and tossed out the bags.  She yanked the statue from Kuno's
hand and tossed it out as well.  She got one leg out and sat down,
holding up Kuno as a shield.

She got her other leg out and prepared to jump.  She only hoped
she could get a good enough yank on Kuno to pull him out after
her.  She took a quick breath and dropped to the roof below.
Unfortunately, Kuno got stuck in the window as his head hit the
upper half and he got himself wedged in it.  A shotgun blast did
something unpleasant to his chest, however, and forced him through
the rest of the way.

Akane shrieked as Kuno slammed down on the roof next to her and
rolled off the edge.  Breathing heavily and sweating even more,
Akane kicked the bags off after him.  She grabbed the statue and
scooted over to the edge of the roof.  The drop was only about ten
feet and she could see Kuno starting to recover below.  She
tossed the statue down and gave silent thanks when it hit Kuno and
didn't break.  Then she jumped.

Her feet hit the gravel and she bent her knees to absorb the
impact.  She grunted a little as what little breath she had was
forced out her lungs.  She half crawled over to Kuno, who was
groaning and trying to sit up.  "Kuno-sempai," she said urgently.
"We have to hurry.  They're coming."

Akane grabbed her bag and the statue, impatiently waiting for Kuno
to get to his feet.  There was a big black car off to her right,
most likely used to transport all the men with guns.  She briefly
considered getting in it, but she had no driving skills.  "Please,
Kuno-sempai!"  She could see people moving around in the house.

Kuno got to his feet, wincing slightly.  "The statue!" he said
suddenly.

"I have it.  Now can we go?"  Akane was inching away from the
house, ready to run as soon as Kuno was able to follow.

He looked around, his knuckles white on the hilt of his sword, and
stooped to get his bag.  He decided at that moment that he didn't
want to get shot again.  It hurt like hell and made a complete
mess of his clothes.  Slowly, he began to follow Akane away from
the house, down the drive.

Akane kept looking back, expecting to see men all in black burst
out the doors and start shooting at them.  The men never came but
what she saw scared her even more.  She pointed one trembling
finger towards the house.  "Look."

Kuno turned, finally getting his second wind.  There was an eerie
red light coming from the gaps around the doors.  Before his eyes,
the doors started to bulge.  The thick oak creaked audibly and the
doorknobs shot off.  He turned to shield Akane, and none too soon.

The doors exploded outwards with such force that they demolished
the car when the hit it.  The car was up on two wheels for a
moment before it slammed back down, the side completely caved in.
Alexander was revealed in the doorway, glowing with fury.

"I didn't really care about that stupid statue, but after that
little fiasco, I think I owe you something."  His shoulder was
oozing from a deep cut.

Kuno met Alexander's hateful stare with one of his own.  "Foul
demon."

"Boy, I should have finished you off while I had the chance.  I
won't pass up a second opportunity."  Alexander pointed his hands
at the ground and a fountain of flame burst up from underneath the
car.

The car rose the fiery blast for 20 feet then was tossed off
towards the house.  Alexander paid no attention as the car crashed
through the roof of the house and landed inside, flaming.  He
returned his anger to Kuno.

"Now it's your turn."  He grinned viciously and extended his
hands.

"But he's..."  Akane realized her mistake too late and clamped her
hands over her mouth.

"Quit right, my dear," Alexander said, pointing his hands at her
instead.  "And so I shall finish off both of you.  If only that
stupid wench had known it would be so easy."  His hands glowed
red, then yellow.  "And I did rather like you.  Even if you are a
sanjiyan."  Little sparks jumped from his fingertips.

Akane found herself immobilized, even as the car in the house
exploded.  Debris rained down around Alexander as a ball of flame
shot up from the roof of the house.  But she couldn't take her
eyes off his hands; she was facing her death.

Now that Alexander's attention was turned away from him, Kuno was
rapidly going through his choices.  There weren't very many.  He
looked at the gash on Alexander's shoulder and knew it was the
only option since his body would not stop Alexander's blast this
time.

He changed his grip on his sword and cocked his arm back.  If he
missed, it would be the end.  He would not miss.  He took a breath
and held it before throwing his katana.  He watched it fly as if
it was in slow motion towards Alexander.  It's path never wavered
as it pierced Alexander's neck and skewered his throat.  Kuno got
a tight-lipped smile on his face.

Alexander's hands flew up to his neck just as the pain caused him
to lose control of his power.  The energy in his hands was
suddenly released into his face and turned his head into a busted
pinata.  A rainbow of power streamed from his neck and dispersed
harmlessly into the sky.

Akane dropped to her knee, her near death experience taking its
toll.  She groaned a little, sitting on the verge of mental
breakdown.  A tear slid down her cheek and she wasn't sure if she
wanted to laugh or cry.  She closed her eyes, shutting out the
sight of the decapitated body and the burning house.  Slowly, she
began rocking herself as her last method of holding on to her
sanity.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but as long as she was
away from the fire and the bodies, she didn't care.  A gentle hand
on her arm caused her to open her eyes.

"We must leave, Akane.  Authorities are most likely on their way.
It would be unwise for us to be caught here."  Kuno pulled on her
arm a little.

Akane looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes.  Without
speaking, she stood up, her hold on reality a bit firmer than
before.  She wiped her eyes across the back of her arm and inhaled
deeply.  "I... I'm ready."  She sniffed a few times, her hands
tightening around her bag and the statue.  The statue was her
reality; it was the reason she had to keep going.

The pair began walking away from the house, the fire inside
spreading rapidly, sending smoke into the air.  They walked down
the winding drive quickly, but not panicking, and heard the
sirens.  They were very faint but would be getting louder.

"As I feared.  We must make our way with stealth."  Kuno grabbed
Akane's arm and pulled her off into the trees and underbrush
lining the drive.  Akane, looking a bit glassy-eyed, didn't resist
and kept up with his hard pace.

They had been walking for only five minutes, the way more
difficult than Kuno had estimated, when the sound of a car on the
gravel could be heard.  Akane had recovered minimally in that time
but ducked into the bushes with him.  If they were caught,
especially with the statue, they would be in a whole mess of
trouble that they didn't need.

After the car passed, a police vehicle, they finally made it down
the hill and were at the roadside.  An older man walking by stared
at them and gave the statue a hard look.

"Sempai," Akane said, seeing the man look at them.  She knew they
couldn't blend in at all looking like they did and carrying the
statue.

"I know.  A change of clothes is in order.  And a covering for the
statue; it calls attention to itself."  Kuno looked both
directions down the road for any more police or emergency vehicles
before opening his bag and pulling out a piece of canvas.

Akane looked at it strangely.  "Why were you carrying that?" she
asked.

"For this very reason.  Though I had not anticipated needing it
until we were at the airport."  He pulled the ningen from Akane's
grasp and wrapped the canvas around it.  "It will not be easily
identifiable if we place it in a bag as well."  Finished
concealing the statue, he handed it back to Akane.

She adjusted her hold on the bulky statue, then slung her bag
comfortably over her shoulder.  They started their long walk back
towards Hong Kong, heads bowed to avoid eye contact.

***

At the edge of the city they found a small clothing store and
stopped in to buy something that would help them blend in better.
Most of the people they had seen on the road were country folk and
would not be easily located for questioning by the authorities.
It was only in the city they would have to watch themselves.

They walked out of the store into the burgeoning darkness dressed
in simple yet functional clothes.  Akane was in a red and black
dress that was almost revealing, but not too tight.  It was full,
but not overly billowing.  Kuno was wearing something close to a
peasant's outfit, but all in black.  Loose fitting pants and a
large button-up shirt with a wide, open collar completed his
ensemble.

"Let us head to the airport with all swiftness," Kuno said,
already heading down the street.

Akane was giddy at the prospect of returning home, even after only
being gone a few days; she had been prepared to be gone much
longer.  She couldn't believe how easy it had been.  "I'm going to
call home," she said, pulling out the cel phone.

"I would not celebrate prematurely.  We have yet to discover the
true nature of the statue.  And we must still return home, and
even there we may not be safe."  he looked around at the sidewalk,
people pushing past them.  "I do not think we are safe here."

"I swear, if you were more paranoid, we wouldn't have made it out
of the house."  Akane just hadn't quite learned.  "What do you
think's going to happen to us in the middle of Hong Kong?"

"Akane, do not be so confident.  Luck is not in our favor.  We
have been assaulted at every turn.  It is unlikely we will make it
back to Japan without another confrontation."

"Feh," Akane said and rolled her eyes.  "I'm calling anyway.
Everyone will be happy to hear that we're OK anyway."  She dialed
the appropriate number and listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Kasumi!  It's me!"

"Akane?  Where are you?  How have you been?"

Akane could hear her father crying in the background and smiled.
"Say hi to Dad for me.  We're in Hong Kong right now and we've got
the ningen!"

"I do not think it wise to count our chickens..."

"Quiet, sempai.  So we're on our way to the airport now."

"That's wonderful, Akane.  We'll be looking forward to seeing you
when you get back."  Kasumi was laid back as usual.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you, too.  Say hi to Nabiki for me,
too.  And Ranma.  Bye, Kasumi."

"Goodbye, Akane."

Akane closed up the phone and stowed it.  She looked at Kuno, who 
was frowning at her.  "Why are you such a grouch?" she asked, a 
bit annoyed.  "Why don't you lighten up a little?"

"I am only concerned for your safety."

"Well I'm sick of it.  You're worse than Dad.  Why don't you
just..."

The sound of motorcycles very close by quieted Akane.  She could
hear the whining engines very close by.  She looked down the
street but didn't see anything.  They sounded like they weren't
more than a block away and they were growing louder, heading in
their direction.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-
-- 
Lara

o------------------------------------------------------------------o
| Danger!  Thrills!  Guns!  What more could a gamer want than Tomb |
| Raider?  In it, you play hacker dream date Lara Croft (packs     |
| heat, back flips, has improbable breasts), as she leaps, swims,  |
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| derring-do.  You go, girl!                                       | 
|       --- Newsweek                                               |
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