As requested, a short summary of 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.
* 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.


------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 4: The Dragon and the Phoenix-- Fighting for a Better Tomorrow

"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature."
						-- Emerson, Journals

"We are fighting to save one another, and some of us must be
  sacrificed, if all of us are to be saved."
						-- Kosh, Babylon 5

  Akane stepped into the hallway with her older sister, who was
still dressed in her sleeping clothes. Obviously, this was a good
sign, Akane knew, simply because Nabiki wasn't keeping an active
watch.
  Groggy minds make mistakes, too.
  "Who paid you this time, hmm?" Akane asked cautiously, careful of
her choice of words.
  Nabiki stepped back in surprise. "Whatever gave you THAT idea?!"
she replied.
  Akane pressed her advantage. "You have no shame, do you? Cheating
your friends out of what was due to them."
  "Friends? Phooey."
  "It didn't stop there, of course. No, you're stone-hearted Nabiki
Tendo, who considers nothing about the consequences of her actions."
  "Never!"
  "Not that you didn't consider that alienating my friends did you
alienate me."
  "That's not true! It's not how I planned it!"
  "As far as I'm concerned, your only friend and love is money. You
just don't care enough about anything else. Now out of my way, because
I've got REAL friends to save."
  Akane pushed herself past Nabiki, who, for the first time in a long
time, could not think of anything to say.
  The older Tendo sister watched from the top of the stairway as Akane
made her way to the front door, never turning back to look. She
watched Akane, full of determination, exit the house.
  Perhaps for the last time.
  Nabiki Tendo knew enough about what the crazy Shinto said to know
that Akane stood a good chance of dying. This shouldn't be the way to
end it.
  "I... do care," Nabiki whispered, just as the door slid shut. Tears
streamed down her cheeks as she realized that it was probably too
late for Akane to know that.
  She stared down at her hands, genuinely saddened by the thought.
"What have I done?"
  "Nabiki?"
  Nabiki failed to meet Kasumi's eyes. "She's gone, and I didn't tell
her."
  "Oh," the elder sister whispered in response.
  "Go ahead," suggested the younger, "tell me 'I told you so.'"
  Kasumi shook her head. "Ever since Mother passed away, we've always
looked after one another. Akane knows that."
  Nabiki shook her head. "She told me everything I wanted everyone
else to think. She doesn't know."
  "She knows," insisted Kasumi. "That's why she told you those things,
so you would know that." She placed a motherly arm around her sister.
"You might not know it because you didn't want to know it, but Akane
knows everything you've done for her that you've never told her about.
She may be younger, but she is smart."
  "Why, because you told her?" Nabiki asked.
  The elder sister shook her head. "Sometimes, Nabiki, you've got to
let go of the people you care about. They have to move on, and so do
you."
  Wiping away her tears, Nabiki replied, "Right, and that's why you're
still in withdrawal over Mother."
  "Goodness," was all Kasumi could say in her shock.
  "When you follow your own advice, maybe I'll listen to it," Nabiki
said, releasing herself from Kasumi's arm.

  "UKYOOO!!!" Akane yelled as she threw open the front door of the
restaurant.
  She only took one step into the dark dining room before she heard
several yelps and poundings from upstairs. Faintly, Ranma's wife
could make out the protesting yowls of a house cat.
  Before Akane got to the stairs, a body came tumbling down. She
jumped back in surprise as Konatsu, still dressed in his sleeping
clothes, rolled to the bottom of the stairs, coming to a halt at her
feet.
  Konatsu leaped up to his feet with lightning speed, his arms raised
in an attack position. "Where is the attacker?!" he yelled, panicked.
  Akane shook her head. "Konatsu! What're you doing?"
  His heightened alertness did not prevent the kunoichi from noticing
Akane's presence. "Ah, forgive me Akane-sama!" Konatsu threw himself
to the floor, bowing low, as if asking for forgiveness.
  "Never mind that," Akane told the kowtowing kunoichi, "where's
Ukyo?"
  Raising his head to focus his attentions on the speaker, Konatsu
answered, "I think she's still asleep."
  Asleep? "Ranma didn't come by at all last night?"
  The kunoichi shook his head. "Not that I know of. I think she's
still mad at him." Rising to his feet, Konatsu asked, "Shall I wake
her?"
  Akane grabbed Konatsu's arm. "Wait, before you do that, you've got
to tell me something." When the kunoichi nodded, she continued, "It's
about yesterday, and I don't think Ranma's going to tell me. But, did
Ukyo tell you about what Ranma said to her?"
  "Yes," Konatsu answered, nodding. "Ukyo-sama has been sharing her
problems with me since I listened to her back at Hawaii-- it seems to
help ease the pain a bit."
  "And?"
  "She's upset that he noticed she existed only now."
  "What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Akane.
  "Ukyo-sama thinks Ranma wants her?" suggested Konatsu, unsure as
to the real answer himself.
  Akane resisted the urge to pound Konatsu. "Then what's Ukyo got to
be all upset about?! Isn't that what she wanted all along?"
  "You don't understand," pleaded the kunoichi, shrinking in Akane's
presence. "She's been trying her best NOT to love him!"
  "A lot of good that is! Ever notice how much closer she and Ranma
have gotten these past few months?"
  Konatsu could not answer, stricken with terror.
  "She's got to be crazy if she thinks she's going to get a married
man!" Akane decided.

  At that moment, one floor above the angry Akane Tendo, Ukyo
Kuonji's eyes burst open.
  "Whoa, that was a weird dream," the chef muttered, sitting up in
her futon, sparing a glance at the clock.
  Eleven PM?
  I TOLD you to be careful.
  "Ah, shit," Ukyo cursed, remembering fully what Seiryu referred to.
  Now that the clock's screwed up, you're probably missing something
important. For all you know, it's tomorrow afternoon.
  Getting up to her feet, Ukyo made her way to the closed window.
Opening it a crack, she said, "Naw, it's still gotta be nighttime.
It's a good think I woke up when I did, otherwise I might've missed
all the excitement...."
  Akane is downstairs.
  "You're kidding."
  She's not very happy. However, she still needs to see you.
  Ukyo shook her head as she put on a set of deep purple hakama pants
on over her kimono, wishing at least to look presentable. As an after
thought, the chef reached into her closet, removing a dark, heavy
mantle, throwing it over her shoulders.
  Instinctively, she pocketed a small jewelry box, large enough to contain
two particular pieces.
  You aren't seriously bringing that, are you? asked Seiryu.
  "Why not?" replied Ukyo. "I can use all the luck I can get."
  I make my own luck.
  As she stepped toward the exit, without thinking, Ukyo grabbed a
sai that hung on the wall, a weapon whose central blade was decorated
in the pattern of a serpentine dragon. She stored the weapon in one
of the mantle's interior holders, then headed for the storm that
awaited her below.

  "...and I wouldn't be surprised if she were manipulating him or
something," finished Akane, just as Ukyo descended to the bottom step
unnoticed.
  "That's a really big assumption," the okonomiyaki chef declared,
causing both Akane and Konatsu to jump.
  "U...Ukyo-sama!" the kunoichi yelled, startled. "How long were you
there?"
  "Long enough," she replied cryptically, folding her arms within
her mantle.
  Akane's eyes surveyed Ukyo's dress. "Going somewhere?"
  "I could say the same for you," Ukyo replied coldly. "Make it quick,
because I don't intend to get left out of the fight."
  "I'm betting you know where Ranma went," the youngest Tendo sister
said.
  Ukyo peered at Akane closely. "He WENT?" She shook her fist in the
air angrily. "What kind of a moron keeps getting dumber? There's NO
WAY he could win by himself!"
  She turned to Akane. "And what's YOUR problem?!"
  "What do you think you're doing to MY HUSBAND?!" Akane demanded.
  "Shove it, he's coming on to ME!" the chef replied angrily. "Take
it up with him-- if he survives."
  "Don't play dumb! I know you're smarter than you let on."
  "So nice for the complement, but if I wanted him that badly, would
I have...."
  "Stop it!" Konatsu screamed, covering his ears. "Just shut up!"
  Both girls stared at the kunoichi in surprise.
  Taking deep breaths, he said, "You both know Ranma is in danger,
yet all you do is stand around and bicker with each other over
something trivial!"
  Akane wanted to protest, but could not find the words.
  Turning to Akane, Konatsu said, "If you want him back safe and
sound, you can't let your jealousy get in the way."
  Facing Ukyo in turn, "Please, Ukyo-sama, put aside this disagreement
and help your old friend?"
  "Konatsu...." whispered Ukyo, awe overcoming anger.
  "Let me get ready, and we can all go together," Konatsu finished.
  Ukyo grabbed the kunoichi's arm. "Wait, you can't go."
  "What?" both Akane and Konatsu exclaimed.
  The okonomiyaki chef lead Konatsu behind the empty grill, putting
a small distance away from Akane. She whispered, "I know you want to
go help Ranma, but you've got to stay."
  "Why?" the kunoichi whispered back, protesting quietly.
  "Remember what I told you a few months back?" she asked. When
Konatsu nodded, Ukyo explained, "I'm proud that you got the guts to
say those words back there, and it's a step in the right direction
for you. But, you made me a promise, and you've got to stick with
it."
  Konatsu nodded slowly.
  "Now you've got to take responsibility-- now more than ever. If I'm
back by this evening, everything will be fine. And, if not...."
  "I understand," the kunoichi said, cutting off the chef's words.
"I know what I have to do."
  Catching Konatsu by surprise, Ukyo gave him a big hug. "Thank you!
You have no idea how much this means to me."
  "Actually," Konatsu replied, nearly flustered, "I think I do. As
much as I like this position, I think you ought to go."
  Ukyo stepped back in surprise, as if she had no idea what she had
just done. Straightening herself, she turned to Akane. "Konatsu's
right, we need to go find Ranma."
  "You know the way, right?" Akane guessed. "I'm hoping that the old
wizard told you about it."
  "That's right, right after... never mind," confirmed Ukyo, catching
herself.
  Making her way to the front door, Akane following, she called
over her shoulder, "Take care, Konatsu!"
  Konatsu sighed as he watched both girls exit the restaurant;
hopefully, it would not be for the last time. He forced himself to
walk up the stairs, resisting the urge to run after Ukyo and Akane.
  I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it, he vowed.
  Only when he made it to the top of the steps did the kunoichi
realize one important fact: Ukyo was not taking her spatulas.

  "It's out here?" Akane asked as she stared over the side of the
sheer cliff nervously.
  In the eastern sky daylight was rising, illuminating the cliffside
that Ranma had passed by only hours before. Akane was not so much
nervous about the sheer drop to the rocky sea below, but the fact
that there WAS a rocky sea below.
  Not to mention the fact that the path which the two girls took
was only as wide as a tire, with the end opposing the cliff shooting
vertically with yet another rocky cliffside.
  "Mmm-hmm," confirmed Ukyo, nodding to herself, scanning the rocks.
"The assassin said that the entrance of the compound shouldn't be
much farther from here."
  "Hopefully, the path will be much wider by then," Akane hoped.
  "It should," assured the okonomiyaki chef. "It has to be at least
large enough for a heavy iron door to swing and then some." She
stared upward. "I wouldn't be surprised if the path ended up there
somewhere."
  "Well, I'm not exactly a rock climber."
  "Neither am I, and that's why we're walking this way."
  Fly, suggested Seiryu, and ditch the girl.
  Why would I want to do that? Ukyo asked.
  She's not a fighter. Don't kid yourself into believing that she
could actually help you. In fact, she got in the way far more than
she was helped. I can attest to that.
  I can't do that! She's my friend.
  She was my friend, too, but that doesn't dismiss the facts.
  Well, unlike you, I'm not going to let her die.
  That wasn't my fault, protested the voice.
  Besides, what would Ranma say if I rescued him and ditched Akane?
  Is there a problem with that?
  Yes.
  I don't see how. At least then Akane would be guaranteed to live.
  What makes you think I can do this myself, then?
  You're not going to. Trust me.
  Instinctively, Ukyo came to a halt, grabbing Akane's arm in the
meantime.
  "What?" asked Akane.
  "Don't move," warned Ukyo. "Someone's up there."
  "Ah, phooey!" someone shouted from above. "You're no fun!!"
  Both girls stared upward at the ugly-faced man at the top of the
cliff.
  Strand shook his head. "Yer'all just too good for us, huh? Well,
I've got a little surprise for you two!"
  As if on cue, two boulders were thrown over the side. Frantically,
Ukyo broke into a sprint, dragging Akane behind her.
  "Run!" she shouted belatedly.
  Akane glanced over her shoulder as she ran, watching as the boulders
crashed on the narrow path which they formerly stood.
  Suddenly, she ran into Ukyo's back, as the okonomiyaki chef came to
a grinding halt.
  "Shit," Ukyo cursed, noting another boulder blocking the pathway.
  "It's always best to be prepared, after all," called another voice.
The owner stared over the side as both girls stared upward.
  "Headmaster Kuno?!" Akane exclaimed in surprise, faintly recognizing
the double voice.
  Warmage laughed. "Simply a convenient vessel for my person is all.
Now, Kei, your little trip has come to a close. I do wish you would
join our side."
  "Kei?!" Ukyo repeated in confusion.
  The leader of the assassins waved an arm to unseen minions. "Drop
them all. They've nowhere to run!"
  "And it was all over before we started," moaned Akane, staring up
at what should be the final blow.
  Ukyo looked around frantically. The path forward was blocked, the
path backward was gone. There was no cave in the cliffside to duck
into. There was no other place to go....
  She turned Akane to face her. "Akane, tell me now, quickly! Do you
trust me?"
  "I... I guess...." Akane stammered, paralyzed with fear.
  The okonomiyaki chef tightened her grip on the other girl's arm.
"Let's go!"
  "Do... wait!!" she screamed, as realization of what was about to
happen hit Akane.
  In face of the falling boulders, Ukyo and Akane jumped off the side
of the cliff.

  Staring down from his vantage point, Warmage cried, "They're MAD!"
  "Geez," Strand said, "not like you gave them much choice!"
  A sudden thought struck the assassin leader. "What have I done?!"
He grabbed at the principal's hair. "I've KILLED HER!!!"
  Strand slapped his leader across the face. "Don't do that now!"
  Coming to his senses, Warmage stared down at the short assassin.
"Ah, yes! Jade Dragon Kei is much more capable than I give her credit
for. She'll be back."
  "Her name's not Kei, ya moron," the short assassin corrected.

  The rocky shoals of the sea below rushed at Akane and Ukyo quickly.
All Akane could do was scream-- both from surprise, and from terror.
Ukyo, on the other hand, remained quiet; she closed her eyes, as if
thought alone could avert death.
  Akane shut her eyes as certain death neared, expecting the last
splash to be the final thing she would hear and feel.
  The splash never came.
  She opened one eye in confusion.
  What Akane was not prepared for was viewing the dark ocean in-
between the jagged rocks that made up the shoals.
  "What the...." she whispered, trailing off.
  "We have to get out of the way," Ukyo said, "because the boulders
are not far behind."
  Akane stared at her surroundings in confusion. If she knew what it
felt like, the youngest Tendo sister would have described it as
existing inside a bubble, existing in the air within, with only a
thin film separating it from the water. Next to her Ukyo stood-- if
one could call it that-- in the same position as she had while
falling; if Akane didn't know any better, it would look to her as if
her friend was still falling, frozen in a moment in time.
  She noticed the bubble encasing them was moving, albeit slowly,
away from the shoals, toward the open sea. Moments later, large,
heavy boulders crashed into the sea, large froths of foam trailing
behind.
  Ukyo's eyes remained shut during the entire ordeal, maintaining a
vision of calm and serenity. "I'm glad you trust me," she said.
  Akane peered at her friend in surprise. "I... how...?"
  "It would take too much time to explain it all," answered the chef
girl. "Just know that I've been practicing."
  In wonderment, Akane ran a delicate finger across the inner surface
of the bubble. As expected, the bubble did not burst-- it felt as
soft as a feather pillow, she thought. This is neat!
  "You know," she started, "I've never been under water before-- at
least, all the other times I was drowning. You know what I mean--
I haven't seen... well, THIS, before."
  Ukyo smiled, despite her need for concentration. "Believe it or
not, I didn't know if this was going to work." She released her grip
on Akane's arm. "I've never seen the undersea world, either."
  "You're never going to see it unless you open you eyes," suggested
Akane. Changing the subject, she asked, "So now what do we do?"
  The okonomiyaki chef opened her eyes a crack, careful to contain
her wonderment. "For now, I think we'd better get to the surface.
Then, we'll probably have to find another way back up."

  "Someone else seems to be coming," the ugly, short assassin
announced from his vantage point at the top of the mountainous cliff.
"Two someones, to be precise."
  Warmage glanced at the direction of the newcomers. He had little
need to identify the two, as he already knew the answers. "Tatewaki
and Kodachi. Clash would love to see this."
  He turned to the short man. "Don't try to hinder their progress. I
want to see what Clash has in store for Tatewaki Kuno."
  "Duel to the death, is all," Strand noted. "That's Clash for ya!"
  "I wonder," Warmage said to himself, "how the two would react if
they realized their own parents were their enemies? This should be
most interesting indeed."
  "Where'd'you suppose the other two are?" Strand asked.
  "What 'other two?'"
  "You know, Glasses and Bandanna-boy."
  Warmage laughed. "They're of no consequence. Both won't be around
in time to stop us anyway."

  The prick Ryoga felt in the back of his neck forced the Eternally
Lost Boy to come to a halt.
  Rubbing the back of his neck, he muttered, "Geez, whatever it is,
it's starting to hurt really bad."
  For hours Ryoga wandered through the unclaimed lands outside of
Tokyo, desperately trying to find his way back to civilization. Only
now the sun was rising in the horizon-- that must be East, Ryoga
thought-- and he had not slept all night.
  Only minutes before did the pain appeared-- every time to protest
when Ryoga was ready to set off again.
  It was hurting... bad. And it definitely was not a mosquito.
  "Maybe this is Fate's way of telling me I'm not going in the right
direction," he mused.
  Shrugging, Ryoga headed in what he believed to be South-- until the
pain came back.
  "Well, East it is, I guess," the Eternally Lost Boy decided, having
exhausted his other choices of direction.
  Taking one step, Ryoga sighed with relief as the pain did not
return.
  "Looks like I was right," he congratulated himself.
  Whatever there was in the east, Ryoga hiked off.

  It was cold, Ranma knew. So very cold.
  And yet, he neither shivered nor chattered his teeth as he stood
facing the one he loved. Her usual smile was replaced by a look of
dread and seriousness, as if she was ready for the worst.
  "Ranma," she began. "I have a confession to make."
  "What is it, Ucchan?" he asked.
  Ukyo twiddled her fingers nervously, then blurted, "My breasts are
fake!"
  Ranma's eyes shot open suddenly. Damn, what the hell was that?!
  It was then he realized that his arms were bound. He knew his legs
were bound as well, attempting in vain to stretch them out.
  "Awakened, at last, I see," someone called from outside of the
martial artist's visual range.
  Ranma shook his head, realizing that he was tied standing-up against
a post. Taking in his surroundings, he realized that he must be in
the underground compound-- rocky caverns were lit dimly by carefully-
spaced candles along the walls. He spied Shampoo to his right, tied
in the same fashion, yet her eyes were closed. She breathed slowly,
as if asleep (for that matter, she probably was). Ranma could not
help but note that under the bonds Shampoo's left arm was bandaged.
  "Wh... what happened?" he asked himself.
  "You passed out from the shock Shorty gave you," Clash answered,
stepping into view. The one-armed swordsman stroked his chin
thoughtfully. "Ah, you will recover."
  "What'd you do to Shampoo?" Ranma asked, unwilling to mask any sort
of concern.
  "Phaw," the swordsman spat. "She was simply no match for me-- would
it be honorable to destroy one who is not worthy to challenge me in
the first place?" Clash patted the sword sheathed at his side. "No, I
await only Tatewaki Kuno."
  "Gimmie a break, he's not good," replied the bound Ranma.
  Clash tapped the shoulder where his left arm used to be. "It is a
matter of pride now. No matter how good you say he is, I must
challenge him-- if it were only for my arm."
  "So what'dya want with us?"
  "I wish nothing of you two, but our leader believes that you will
serve as adequate bait for the others to arrive."
  "A trap?"
  "No traps. Nemesis is more than enough to defeat all four... no, I
mean, THREE, of them. Tatewaki is mine."
  Just three? Ranma thought in surprise. We're doomed.
  "Otherwise," continued the swordsman, "I see no real reason to keep
you two alive."
  Man, I REALLY shouldn't have left Mousse to die, the young Saotome
thought regretfully. Even if we never did see eye-to-eye, he wasn't
that bad of a fighter-- heck, now that I remember it, he was the
one that beat up the little snot guy for Shampoo in the first place.
Well, afterthoughts are afterthoughts-- Mousse's gotta be dead by
now, if he hasn't done so already.
  Still, Shampoo's was the hand that did it; it's on her conscience,
if she even remembered that Mousse even existed. Who knows what she
was thinking right now? How would I know if she were still ali... no,
I can still sense her aura; she's definitely alive.
  And yet... three people? No, the guy really meant four; he wanted
to take out Kuno himself. In either case, who are the other three?
  No... she couldn't have....

----------------------------------------------------------
This has been yet another exercise in interpretation.
"Decepticons FOREVER!!" --Ravage, former Decepticon
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die." --Kosh, Babylon 5

"[Y]ou're lamer than your signature and screen name indicate."--Chris Davies
"The FFML exists to judge the writing, not the writers."--Richard Lawson
"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: "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'"
"Pathetic authors beg for flames. Wait, that's me."


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