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.
* 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.
* Mousse has been killed, stabbed in the back by Shampoo.
* Nemesis has been destroyed

---------------------------------------------------------------
Part 5: Ranma and Ukyo-- The Wheel of Fire

"You can't turn away from death simply because you're afraid of
  what might happen without you. That's not enough. You're not
  embracing life, you're fleeing death. So you're caught in between.
  Unable to go forward or backward. Your friends need what you can
  be when you are no longer afraid. When you know who you are, and
  why you are, and what you want.... When you are no longer looking
  for reasons to live... but can simply BE."
						-- Lorien, Babylon 5

  "K... Kuno?!" Ranma exclaimed in surprise.
  "Indeed," Tatewaki Kuno snorted, his soaked body forming a puddle
around him.
  Ranma edged his way farther from the fallen Lady Kuno, well aware
that Kuno's wrath was directed at him in particular. "You just decided
to show up NOW?!"
  The Kuno swordsman leveled the ancient, ancestral blade at Ranma
steadily, flames dancing at the tip menacingly. Steam evacuated the
damp blade, escaping the eternal heat of anger. "Surely, the waters
under the earth should extinguish the fire, yet, the great Mother
Earth refused me... again. I was left to fulfill my obligations-- I
will protect my dear mother at all costs."
  "I thought you were honor-bound to protect me?" Ranma shouted out
sarcastically, though he never believed it in the first place.
  "Mother has decreed it fit that you are the one to die, not she,"
Tatewaki replied, curving his lips into a knowing smile. "An invisible
link, between Mother and Son, make them see eye-to-eye. Our hearts and
minds are one. Trials by fire, trials forevermore, I will succeed! As
an obedient son, I shall follow her instruction-- that is, to eliminate
you."
  Ranma shrugged. "Whatever. Glad some things don't change."
  Sparing a glance over his shoulder, he shouted, "Kocchi!"
  Kodachi stepped up out of her shock. "Tacchi!"
  "Get Mother out of here," Tatewaki ordered. "Get her and yourself a
far distance from this place. Take her home. I will deal with Ranma...
myself!"
  Wordlessly, Kodachi nodded, realizing that this was one battle she
could not participate in. Running to her mother's side, Kodachi gently
ran her arms under her. With all her might, she lifted the fallen woman
up in her arms.
  "Get out, NOW!" insisted the Kuno swordsman.
  Ryoga, all but forgotten to the others, shouted, "Hey, what about
Nemesis?!" All three men watched Kodachi carry her unconscious mother
toward the exit. "She could still wake!"
  "Follow her!" Ranma shouted. "Keep an eye on Kodachi! Stick with
her!"
  Nodding, Ryoga rushed to catch up to Kodachi, leaving Ranma alone with
Tatewaki Kuno.
  "No witnesses?" taunted Tatewaki. "Are you so proud that you would not
allow Hibiki witness to your destruction?"
  "Can it, Kuno!" Ranma shouted back. "Let's finish this!"
  "'Cry Havoc!" recited the swordsman, "'and unleash the dogs of war!'"
  Tatewaki slashed downward, only to have his blade catch against another
metal. Ranma, with his quick reflexes, drew the sai Ukyo had carried,
catching Kuno's blade between two of the prongs, holding up the attack
with his own strength.
  "You lower yourself," Tatewaki noted, "by using a weapon now!"
  "Look who's talking!" Ranma shot back.
  Drawing back his blade, the swordsman launched into a flurry of jabs,
Ranma catching the blade with the sai with each attack, dodging only
when possible in the small quarters of the ceremony chamber.
  Ranma grunted, realizing he was being forced backward by Kuno's
furious attack.
  Worst of all, Kuno never ignited the Phoenix Sword.
  "Damn, shit!" he cried. There was only one way to finish this.
  "I am Tatewaki Kuno," he cried, refusing to let up on his terrible
barrage. "I am Tatewaki Kuno no more, but Tatewaki Kuno reborn! I am
here, now, to repay old promises. I am here, now, to release myself of
your terrible spells, now and forever! I am bound upon a wheel of
fire no more.... And you, Ranma Saotome, will not survive!"
  He's heating up! Ranma noted with elation. Just a little more, and
it's to ORBIT with Kuno!
  Flames erupted around Tatewaki Kuno, around his sword and body.
"Ah, Saotome! The sword, the mind, the heart, the body! They are all as
one! I stab at thee!"
  Perfect!
  Raising his fist, focusing his cold chi, Ranma shouted, "Hiryu...."
  But a blast to the side knocked the martial artist from the spiral
that would have carried Kuno to the ceiling above. A liquid force had
slammed into him, a force that certainly could not have emerged from
Kuno himself!
  "What...?" Tatewaki yelled in surprise, his eyes darting toward the
attack's origin.
  "Tatewaki, leave," the newcomer commanded, in a flat, dark tone.
  Ranma shook his head, gathering the sai in his right hand. "Damn,
that felt like...." Water?
  He stared down at himself, touching his chest meaningfully. No...
breasts?!
  "Surprised, Ranma?" the newcomer said, guessing Ranma's thoughts.
Turning attentions back to Tatewaki, "Leave, now. I will finish this."
  "This is MY battle!" protested the swordsman.
  Another energy bolt emerged from the newcomer, impacting before
Tatewaki's feet in warning.
  "Don't force me to dispose of you as well! Take care of your mother;
Hibiki is giving your sister trouble!"
  "What?!" Anger fueled the phoenix fires. Pointing his sword toward
the fallen Ranma, Tatewaki shouted, "This is FAR from over between us,
Ranma Saotome! I WILL be back!"
  Ranma's eyes followed Kuno's departure, then focused back on the
newcomer who saved his life. "Th... thank--"
  "SILENCE!" boomed the newcomer. "Think, now, Saotome... how many
do you know who wield the power of water so? The power of life and
death! The Way-- which permeates everything, with no effort, no sense
of doing!"
  It took little time for the answer to register in Ranma's mind.
"U... Ukyo?!"
  Stepping closer, the newcomer, arms folded under her mantle, Ukyo
Kuonji, bloodlust in her eyes, nodded. "Life is a series of twists and
turns, Ranma. Unfortunately for you, your life is about to come to an
abrupt end."

  Akane and Shampoo sat against the cliffside, staring down the dark
passage that lead to the others. The Furinkan headmaster, still
unconscious, lay flat on his back, staring up at the blue sky.
  Shampoo, however, kept her flamberge leveled at Akane.
  "Stop pointing that thing at me," demanded Akane. "I promise I won't
go back down there."
  "Right," Shampoo snorted. "How stupid you think I am?"
  "What makes you say that?" asked Akane.
  "Love make people do strange things," the Chinese Amazon explained.
"You go back moment I blink!"
  "Since when did you become Ranma's right-hand girl?"
  "Akane, you may not know, but Ranma too important for what I want."
  "Why?"
  "Time come when Great-grandmother need him."
  "It all goes back to that, doesn't it?"
  Together, in tense silence, both girls watched the dark tunnel.
  And waited.

  "It's all over," Ukyo muttered quietly.
  Her footsteps echoed loudly throughout the Orochi ceremonial chamber,
a threatening gesture toward Ranma Saotome, who had his back against
the wall.
  "Ukyo..." Ranma said, confused, "you're... you're alive!"
  "I AM alive, but Ukyo, I may not be, fool," replied Ukyo. She
extended her right arm outward, palm open.
  Ranma felt his right hand being pulled at. He then realized that she
was tugging at the sai, but by the time that thought was finished the
tri-pronged weapon was already flying toward Ukyo's outstretched hand.
  "So, big deal," Ranma muttered. "What're you going to do with that,
wave it in the air and chant 'Magic Fork Power, Make-up?!'"
  "What do you take this for, a magical girls show?" Ukyo replied,
with the same level of sarcasm. The dragon pattern on the central
prong seemed to glow.
  Ukyo held the sai horizontally. Ranma heard a loud CLICK! He watched
in surprise and wonderment, as the handle of the sai extended, a black
pole seemingly growing from within the weapon. The extending pole
ended abruptly at about the length of a fighting staff.
  Then it dawned upon him.
  "S... Seiryu!" he cried.
  Seiryu laughed, spinning the sai-turned-trident before her like an
oversized baton. "Figured it out, didja? I knew you were suspicious
when I saw you recognized the dragon pattern. One does not live long
without being prepared-- I designed this trident myself, you know."
  "H... how did you survive?!" stammered the young Saotome. "I thought
all that was left of you was a programmed memory in my head."
  "And where is that now?" queried Seiryu, pointing the trident toward
Ranma. She sighed. "I gave you too much credit. The girl always thought
you were smarter, but I know better than that. When you defeated me
months ago, not only did I store my memories in your puny head, I
transferred my ENTIRE personality!"
  "You lied!" he accused her. "You lied to me!"
  "I simply didn't reveal the whole truth!" the woman insisted. "The
Orochis gave me that valuable lesson. They taught me much."
  "When Ashinzo invaded your mind a few weeks ago, I was granted the
unique opportunity to remove myself from your person. It served a dual
purpose: one, to get myself away from you, and two, to give me the
opportunity to make myself."
  "You jumped into Ukyo."
  "She never realized my true intentions, of course. That's simply due
to the fact that this incarnation thinks the same way she does, and I
act accordingly. I was not only grooming her to become myself, but I
was also preparing her for this battle. I did not expect her to do
what she did, however. It doesn't matter; she never would've gone
along with the love plan anyway. I believe it worked quite well, don't
you think?"
  "You must be the one...."
  "Yes. I'm the one who gave you those 'feelings' for Ukyo. It utilized
yet another Orochi technique: using what already exists to your
advantage. Ukyo was right; I merely supplanted your feelings for
Akane and inserted Ukyo instead. The old switcher. It's MUCH more
difficult to manufacture new thoughts."
  "W...why?! What do you have to gain from that?"
  "The worst form of torture," Seiryu answered simply. "Your heart may
lie with Akane, but you also have a place for Ukyo. Not a high one, I
know-- I sifted through your brain, too-- but high enough. You two
could have had something, IF there were no Akane."
  "It's done, live with it," Ranma spat in contempt. It was only worse,
the fact that Seiryu was using Ukyo's dead body to live again.
  "Oh, but I have. I've had well over forty years to 'get over it,'
Ranma. Too bad for you, you've only had but a fraction of that to
realize I'm a better actor than you thought."
  "I may SAY I do not wish to harm you. However, my goal has, and
always will be, to destroy you. With these unique circumstances, I
have been granted the life... the body! in order to complete my
mission!"
  "Couldn't you have let Kuno do that?"
  "And allow my husband to die a second time? I think not!"
  "'Husband?!'" Ranma exclaimed in surprise. "Kuno was your husband?!"
  "I loved him," Seiryu mused. "I loved him, and he loved me, but never
as much as he did his little sister! I knew it then, I know it now. My
husband is dead; Ukyo is dead; however, Tatewaki Kuno still lives now.
Kodachi must never suffer the loss of her brother!!"
  "How noble of you," Ranma remarked sarcastically. "I remember now,
that you and Kodachi were such close-close buddies back then, right?
She'll never know, you know."
  "Doesn't matter," replied Seiryu, shrugging. "Kodachi died, too.
Everybody I knew and loved died: Akane, Tatewaki, Kodachi, Mousse,
Ryoga, Konatsu, Byakko, Suzaku, Genbu... all of them, and more! leaving
only me-- the survivor! Even in this timeline, I survived the death of
Ukyo! With the previous loss of my own body, I have, in effect, been
granted a new life! A new, young, wonderful life, one which Nemesis
will NEVER touch!"
  "But Nemesis still lives in Kuno's mom!"
  "Nemesis is gone, fool! Ashinzo sacrificed his life to banish him;
how else did you think you defeated him so easily?"
  "Why would Ashinzo do that?" Ranma asked, confused.
  "Because his beloved 'Kei' told him to, of course. He couldn't
stand the thought that he really did kill Ukyo, if indirectly. He had
help, of course, from the Lady-- she's quite strong-willed. Did you
ever stop to think that this was why you won? I suppose not! Again, I
give you too much credit!"
  Ranma shook his head. Getting up to his feet, he said, "That doesn't
matter anymore-- what DOES, is why you're still going to kill me. You
had to have the reversal jewel last time to do it!"
  "Very simple fact: long ago, when Nemesis invaded your body, your
lucid moments were becoming far and few. You, as with the Lady, had
an incredible will, but not one that could keep Nemesis at bay forever.
In your last moments of existence, before Nemesis totally eradicated
your personality, you made me promise one thing."
  "And you try to keep your promises...." Ranma had a fair idea
where this was leading up to, silently cursing himself-- or rather,
his OTHER self-- for being such an inconsiderate jerk.
  Crashing waves seemed to dance in Seiryu's eyes as she laughed
jovially. "That's right. You made me promise to kill you, no matter
what it takes. I have survived the test of time; I have survived
trials no man-- no one-- should ever have to face!"
  "Without the girl's feelings getting in the way, I need not Chinese
trinkets to finish the job," she added. "Quite pleasant to rid myself
of her... twice. Nice of her to leave this shell behind for me this
time."
  Twice? Ranma wondered.
  Her left eye glowed a soft, pale blue, a grim beacon amidst the sea
of the dark woman. "I am the survivor. I am the future. I am Seiryu,
and you, Ranma, along with all the others before you, will die."
  "So nice of you to be consistent," Ranma replied, shaking his head
in disgust. "Are you done yet? I'm sick and tired of having to stand
through all've these ridiculous speeches."
  I'll get you, Ranma vowed. I'll get you, for everything... for
trying to ruin me and Akane, and for desecrating the dead....

  With surprising strength and energy, Kodachi ran, at top speed,
toward the exit, her mother in her arms, and Ryoga Hibiki following
close behind. She recognized the pink tears blotting the dark trap
holes, thankful for her own foresight in the matter.
  "Someone's coming," warned Ryoga, coming to a halt.
  Kodachi halted in her tracks. "Who, Ranma, or Brother-dear?"
  Sure enough, Tatewaki Kuno rushed Ryoga, sword held high.
  "ANIMAL!!!" he cried.
  "Brother!" Kodachi shouted.
  Ryoga, unflinching, watched Tatewaki halt in his tracks. "That was
a quick reflex."
  Breathing heavily, Tatewaki muttered, "Sister, you had better give
me one good reason why I should not destroy this cur for threatening
our dear mother!"
  Kodachi shook her head, lifting up Lady Kuno in her arms. "Stupid,"
she muttered, "what are you doing here?"
  "Ranma couldn't have lost THAT fast," Ryoga pointed out.
  "No," Tatewaki explained, "I have been tricked!" He slapped himself
on the forehead. "I denied myself of striking down Saotome to yield
to a stranger?!"
  "Forget about it!" Kodachi insisted. "Now that you're here, we must
take Mother to safety."
  "She's right," Ryoga agreed. "Take care of your mother. We'll all go
out together."
  "And what of Saotome?" asked the swordsman, looking hurt.
  "He can handle himself," the Eternally Lost Boy assured Kuno. "If
he wins, you may get a chance yet."


----------------------------------------------------------
If you're [un]lucky, you earn a place in my .sig!

* "[Y]ou're lamer than your signature and screen name indicate."--Chris 
Davies
* "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: "The 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'"
"Decepticons Forever!"


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