DYNASTY - CHAPTER TWO - PART B
By Sydney Kyle <jantzen77@hotmail.com>

Author's notes: 

                       =========================
                          * * * DYNASTY * * *          
                          A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
                       =========================
                              * * * * * *
                       =========================
                              CHAPTER ONE:
                                 PART B
                              Elimination
                       =========================

---Flashback---

   "All right, this is it!" Ranma yelled above the wind.

   The trio tensed, their backs to each other.

   A small cherry tree to the right of them began to bend in the 
rapidly growing gusts of wind.

   Branches swayed frenziedly.

   The humming reached an unbearable crescendo.
    
   "They're here," Cologne said simply.

   They all looked up, and a flash of light met their eyes. Soun 
shielded himself from the glare with an upraised arm, while Cologne 
merely squinted. Ranma remained motionless, his attention seemingly 
arrested by something the others could not see...

   A half-second later, the light dimmed.

   And Ranma was missing.

---Present Time--

   "He...disappeared?" Ukyou cried. "Just--just like that?"

   "That was what we were made aware of, yes," confirmed Soun.

   Ukyou turned away, her face concealed by the velvet curtain of her
long mahogany hair, and a smorgasboard of emotions rushed swiftly past
Akane's face.

   It became deathly silent again.

   Cologne leaped down from her perch on the tabletop and approached 
Ukyou, her face questioning. "And what about you?" she asked.

   Ukyou glanced at her, confused. "Me?"

   "You ran into us a few minutes after son-in-law disappeared," the 
old woman reminded her. "And if I'm not mistaken, I would deduct that 
you came from the direction of an immense explosion of light that the 
three of us witnessed before we were attacked. Do you have any 
knowledge concerning _that_ particular explosion?"

   "Y-you mean--?"

   "It appeared to be vaguely familiar, now that I think about it."

   "I-it was..." Ukyou chewed on her lip. "I--I think it was Ryouga."

   "Ryouga?" Akane exclaimed in disbelief. "Why?"

   "Well, he came back into town today, and I sorta ran into him, and 
then I realized what time it was, and then he began running alongside 
me 'cause he got me late, stupid navigationally-challenged jackass that 
he is..." Ukyou scowled as she remembered how furious she was at him. 
"He was going to get me late to school, and here he was--"
   
   "Just tell us what happened already," Nabiki muttered.

   Ukyou blinked. "Oh. Right." She tugged thoughtfully at the 
spatula-decked bandoleer she wore. "Anyway, we were nearly at the 
bridge, and then when I turned to throw some insult at him, he was
gone." 

   "Did you see how he disappeared?" Cologne queried.

   "Well, I kinda thought that he'd just gone and gotten himself lost
again in a span of about a half-second, so I really didn't give it much 
thought," admitted Ukyou. Then she reconsidered. "Wait a minute--I think 
I remember seeing a bit of light or something beside me before he 
vanished. And there was this tiny noise...sort of like whirring."

   "Humming?" Soun volunteered.

   Ukyou nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Humming."

   "Then there is no doubt about it." Cologne drew herself up, her 
expression one of grave wisdom. "Ryouga was taken as well. That 
explosion Soun and I perceived earlier was unmistakably Ryouga's ki-
blast attack, the Shishi Houkoudan."

   Ukyou snapped her fingers. "That's it! I saw him use that blast 
before, up close." She shivered. "That's one helluva technique, if you 
ask me."

   "Then he must have been fighting someone--or someones," Cologne 
mused, pacing back and forth on the tatumi mat. "And it's common 
knowledge to all martial artists to resort to utilizing their ki only 
as their final measure. Therefore, whatever Ryouga was up against must 
have been extremely powerful."

   "You mean Ryouga was taken too?" exclaimed Akane.

   "Oh my. Poor Ryouga," said Kasumi, who had been quiet throughout the 
entire discussion. 

   "But why?" demanded Akane. "You mentioned earlier that the only
reason Ranma, Mousse, Shampoo, and Mr. Saotome were singled out from
the rest of us was because they were cursed in the Jusenkyo springs. I
know they all have two forms, but _Ryouga_? He isn't cursed! I don't
think he's ever _been_ to Jusenkyo!"

   Even Cologne seemed at a loss for an answer. 

   "We'll figure that part out later," said Soun in a surprisingly
aggressive tone of voice. "But right now, I am more inclined to find 
out _exactly_ what YOU--" He jabbed his index finger toward Cologne.
"--make of this, old woman."

   Cologne took her sweet time before replying to his question. She sat 
there, eyes closed, as if in deep meditation, before finally opening 
them to their full alarming size as she regarded the apprehensive crowd. 

   "If you all want a straight answer from me, then I am sorry to
disappoint you," she said soberly. "You see, I _think_ I know who's 
responsible for the disappearances."

   "What _is_ it?" 

   Cologne looked at Akane, and was moderately startled to see her eyes 
shining with something that looked suspiciously like tears. 

   "Are--are they alive?" Ukyou whispered, sitting next to Akane.

   Cologne paused and the entire room held its breath. Then she nodded.

   "Oh my goodness," Kasumi said.

   "How do you know _that_, may I ask?" The query came from a wary-
looking Nabiki.

   "I told you, I _know_ the party responsible for this, and if they 
are the ones I suspect, then Ranma, Ryouga, Mousse, Shampoo, and 
Saotome are still alive. But I fear that they are in great danger." At
this, the old Chinese Amazon extracted an object from somewhere within
the folds of the green silk robes she wore. "I found this on the very 
spot Shampoo disappeared. I meant to show this to you all earlier, but
I refused to believe that it was even real."

   The entire assemblage stared down at the object that Cologne lay on
top of the table for their inspection. It was a tiny piece of fabric, 
of a kind that was neither silk nor satin. It sported jagged edges on 
its sides, indicating that it had been torn from an article of 
clothing. It shone with an eerie mirror-like surface, glowing with an
effulgent red hue mixed with a green and gold sheen that shone in the
fading rays of the sun. The most extraordinary part, however, was a 
series of intricate gold slashes across the fabric.

   "It looks like there's some sort of writing on it," breathed Ukyou.

   "Now that you mention it, it certainly does," Kasumi agreed.

   "But that's certainly not Katakana," pointed out Nabiki. "And it 
definitely isn't Chinese..."

   "Your assumptions are correct," Cologne said. "This, indeed, _is_ a
writing style, though it is of a kind that we no longer employ today." 
She gestured at the graceful swirls that made up the character, tracing 
over it with the tip of her staff. "This is written in a calligraphy 
that is a combination of the Hiragana and the Chinese Kanji style of 
writing. This, ladies and gentleman, is the word Shoryuu, or 'dragon'."

   "Dragon...?" echoed Ukyou softly.

   "Yes, dragon." Cologne nodded. "Or, to be more appropriate, the 
Shoryuu--the Dragon Dynasty. The only people I imagine would be capable
of defeating Ranma Saotome and the others by reducing them to their
cursed forms, to which they seem to have a special defense against."

   "The Dragon Dynasty--?" Akane looked bewildered. "But what...?"

   "In this town, sis, anything is possible," Nabiki reminded her. 
"I mean, come on, we've been visited by a baby Phoenix, the Seven Lucky 
Gods, a half-guy, half-yeti-riding-a-bull-while-carrying-an-eel-
and-crane, and I don't even have to mention daddy's own perverted 
sensei."

   "All of them are _nothing_ compared to this current crisis," Cologne 
stated flatly. "We are talking about a monarchy that existed long before 
any records were documented--a monarchy that even the our 
ancestors refused to believe existed."

   "But what do they want with Ranma and the others?" demanded Soun.

   "Hmmm. I think I'm beginning to comprehend why they targeted them," 
Cologne declared grimly, rising to her feet. "Then the legends _are_ 
true, then. There is a connection between the formation of Jusenkyo 
itself and the rise of the Shoryuu clan. Something concerning destiny 

itself, that I am certain of..." She shook her head, as if to postpone 
the issue. "But first, we still have a matter of five people to 
save..." She motioned meaningfully toward the dojo doors.

   "Well...that sounded like a go-signal to me," Nabiki observed.

   Akane scrambled to her feet, suddenly simmering with newfound 
energy. "All right, get up, you guys. We're gonna find Ranm--I mean, 
the others!"

   "That's the spirit, Akane!" Soun got to his feet as well. "As long 
as they're all right, then we still have a chance to save them!"

   "I'm with you, sugar," Ukyou seconded. The fire in her eyes glowed 
brightly once more as she hefted her spatula. "After all, if they think 
they can take my Ranma-honey away from me, then they've got another 
thought comi--"

   "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO! Did someone mention my darling Ranma's name?"

   And Kodachi Kuno plowed a hole through yet another Tendo dojo wall, 
dressed in a red leotard that looked like it was painted on and 
carrying her usual dowry of lethal black roses.

   "Ko-Kodachi?!!" Akane spluttered.

   "Oh, hello. Nice to see you," said Kasumi, smiling pleasantly.

   Ukyou covered her eyes. "Ugh. Tell me this is NOT happening."

   Kodachi struck a dramatic pose. "Ah, yes, but it is! It is I, 
Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose herself! But do tell me--where _is_ my 
darling Ranma?"

   "Your DARLING Ranma," Akane replied between gritted teeth, "is not
here."

   "He's not?" Kodachi frowned, ignoring Soun Tendo's wailing tirade of 
"My wall! My house! My home!" "Then where _is_ he, may I ask?"

   "He's going to be DEAD in about a couple of hours if this goes on."

   Kodachi emitted a horrified stage-gasp, her fingers flying to her
lips. "Oh, my darling Ranma! We MUST save him!"

   "Uhm, that's what we're kind of trying to do here," Ukyou muttered.

   "Then count me in!" declared Kodachi, flailing her gymnastic 
ribbon-whip in insane patterns. "For it is my duty as his fiancee to 
save him from all that may be!"

   Akane dodged as the red ribbon twirled madly past her. "EXCUSE ME?"
she yelled. "YOUR fiancee?! Well, I'm sorry, sister, but he happens to 
be--"

   "--MY fiancee too!" Ukyou finished for her.

   Akane looked at the both of them and threw her hands up in utter
exasperation. "Oh, what's the use?"

   "What's that? Dost my ears detect the sweet voice of the fair Akane 
Tendo?" 

   Who else would it be but the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High himself,
Tatewaki Kuno.

   He entered, of course, by slashing a hole through yet another wall 
of the Tendo dojo.

   "K-Kuno?" Akane exclaimed. Her eyebrow was beginning to twitch.

   "Come to join the party, Kuno-baby?" muttered Nabiki.

   Kuno assumed a mighty stance, bokken held aloft in the air. "Ah, yes. 
For as I was commencing my daily constitutional around the Tendo 
grounds, my ears had perchance gotten wind of my love Akane Tendo's 
clamor of desperation, and, cavalier that I am, I rushed immediately to 
answer her distraught cries--"

   "Be still, my heart, eh, Akane?" Nabiki muttered dryly.

   "Oh, tis true!" Kuno swept his hand through his curly brown hair in
a grand gesture. "For Akane Tendo is none else but my one true love--"
He paused, then looked furtively about. "And, ah--dost thou wish to 
inform me on the whereabouts of the beautous pig-tailed girl...?"
    
   "A word of advice, brother dear. If you're looking to smite Ranma 
today, then you won't find him here."

   Kuno stared wildly at Kodachi. "Not here? Then whence can he be?!"

   "That's what we're trying to find out!" Akane yelled. "But if you 
two don't give it a rest we're _never_ gonna reach him--I mean them--
in time!"
 
   "KATSUNISHIKI! WAIIIT!" a muffled female voice cried out.

   Yet another Tendo dojo wall came falling down. It was remarkable, 
really, that the room was still standing throughout the destruction.

   This time, though, the source of the demolition was not some martial 
artist, but an incredibly huge white pig.

   The assemblage froze while Soun's wailing only increased in volume.

   "Ye GADS!" bellowed Kuno, eyes goggling. "What vile creature is 
this?!"

   "It's a pig, Kuno-baby," Nabiki murmured. "It's a really, really,
really BIG pig..."

   The huge swine snorted derisively and began to stomp its hooves on 
the floor, creating a series of tremors that rattled the onlookers'
teeth.

   Even Nabiki looked nervous.

   At that moment, a young girl sprinted into the room through the 
gigantic hole and soothed the mammoth pig.

   "Katsunishiki! How many times did I tell you NOT to do tha--" She
stopped short as she became aware of an audience. "Oh. Hello."

   Nabiki was the first to regain her powers of speech. "I take it that 
this is _your_ pig, then."

   The girl smoothed the somewhat rumpled minidress she was wearing.
"Uhm, yes," she answered, looking embarrassed. "And I--uh, I'm really
sorry about that wall. You see, Katsunishiki here sometimes gets 
excited when he knows something and it gets hard to control him--"

   Ukyou, meanwhile, had been rifling through her memory banks. "Wait
a minute," she said. "Could your name be...Akari Unryuu?"

   The girl brightened considerably. "Yes, I am. How did you know? I
just arrived in town and--" She grew hopeful. "Did Ryouga-sama mention 
me to you?"

   Ukyou blinked. "R-Ryouga? Uhm, yeah. He said you were--ah--"

   "You're Ryouga's GIRLFRIEND?"

   Akari turned a delicate pink at this. "Well, actually we--" She 
focused her gaze on the speaker, and her eyes lighted up in recognition. 
"Akane? Akane Tendo?"

   Akane nodded in confirmation, still perplexed.

   "So this IS the Tendo dojo!" Akari exulted. "Katsunishiki _was_ 
right after all! Ryouga was always asking the directions to this 
place..."

   Ukyou watched her speculatively, her brows knitting together in a 
tiny frown. Maybe it was just her imagination, but somehow that sweet
smile that she had on her face appeared rigidly artificial. Once or
twice she thought she saw the other girl glance at Akane in a faintly
suspicious manner, like how one would appraise a potential rival.

   She could distinguish it easily. After all, it was a look that she'd 
had on her own face countless times when she was around Akane, 
Shampoo,and Kodachi--girls who had been seeking Ranma Saotome's 
affections. It was a look that she'd seen mirrored on their faces as 
well.

   There was no doubt in Ukyou's mind about the way Akari felt about
Ryouga--never mind the fact that he was still infatuated with Akane. 
And, as sweet and docile as she was, she was more than willing to fight 
for Ryouga Hibiki's heart.

   The way Ukyou was willing to fight for Ranma's.

   "Foul swine!" Kuno hissed at the pig, who promptly headbutted him 
into a wall.

   "So..." Akari glanced around innocently. "Where's Ryouga?"

   Ukyou frowned. "THAT'S what we were trying to figure out before... 
things got out of hand."

   "Enough of this." Cologne made her way to the entrance of the dojo,
determination etched on her wrinkled visage. "If we have any more 
unexpected guests, then it will be too late for son-in-law and the
others." She appraised them questioningly. "Now are you with me or 
not?"

   Soun miraculously ceased his weeping and sprang up. "She's right! 
Let's go!"

   Akane followed. "You got it, dad!"

   "Then I must come as well," declared Kuno. "For it is but my life's
goal to defend my true love from whatever infidels that cometh forth!"

   "And I must save my Ranma darling!" cried Kodachi.

   "Yeah, right," scoffed Ukyou. "Not if _I_ get to Ranma-honey first!"

   "Oh, pleaze." Akane rolled her eyes.

   "Oh my, yes, we must be off," said Kasumi.

   "No, Kasumi, you must stay here and watch over the house."

   "Yes, father."

   "And if this has anything to do with my Ryouga-sama, then _I_ wanna
come!" Akari chimed in.

   "Then what are we waiting for?" Soun boomed. "They're counting on
us!"

   The entire group headed toward the doors. Except for Nabiki Tendo,
who hung back, her expression of one deep in thought.

   "Nabiki? What is it?" Akane asked. Soun, Ukyou, Cologne, Kuno, 
Akari, and Kodachi twisted about simultaneously to look at Nabiki.

   Nabiki opened her eyes. "Sorry to throw a bucket of cold water on 
your plans," said she, "but aren't you all forgetting something?"

   "And what's that?" wondered Soun.

   "You don't _know_ where Ranma and the others are, remember?" 

   There was a silence as her words sunk in.

                           =end of Chapter Two= 

Next: The Ceremony of the Tama-Tebako                                                                   


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com