First off a small word of warning, this fic returns to its dark roots
with this chapter. I've been taking it kind of light over the past few
chapters, more as build up than anything else. This chapter was written
to the Escaflowne soundtrack, the dark gothic chorus of the first CD fit
it well; anyone who has heard it can pretty much understand what's
coming. This part of the tale will be very violent and have some dark
demonic undertones to it, you will also see the return of the serious and
dangerous Ranma those who have read this from the beginning will
remember. Now that you've read the warning on with the fic...
Permanent.
Part 18
The rising.
Ranma Saotome stood in the streets of Nerima watching the large mansion
with a calm and serious gaze as she watched the pitch back clouds swirl
and spread covering the starlight from above and replacing it with
pitch-black darkness. The streetlights gave minimal light as they
flickered under the influence of a much darker energy.
Ryoga stood behind her with Kuno at his side staring at the phenomenon
in disbelief. "My god, Ranma, what is she doing in there?!"
The girl stood silently as thunder rumbled through the air creating
flashes of light inside the dark clouds. She ignored her companions
shocked expressions and strode forward with a calm face that sent chills
down the two boy's spines. "You have a choice boys, come or go, this is
more than a simple rescue mission now. Akane will just have to wait I'm
afraid."
"What?" gasped Kuno in shock. Ranma strode forward silently and walked
directly up to the front gate, she frowned as several black and gold
colored wards flashed creating a barrier in front of her.
"Clever girl," whispered the sorceress as she raised her hand and
touched the field. A strong ozone smell filled the air as energy crackled
and snapped in reaction to her touch, Ryoga and Kuno stepped back and
watched as she pushed her arm through with a grunt of pain finally
pushing through the barrier and stepping onto the grounds. She collapsed
to her knees and sat still for a moment before standing and moving
forward again. "The barrier has been weakened, I'm not the first one to
come through it."
The two boys nodded to one another and dashed forward jumping through
the field and screaming in pain as the energy surged through their bodies
stopping them cold in the center of the protective barrier, they both
crawled through the rest of the way on their hands and knees and
collapsed on the ground next to Ranma. She waited patiently for them to
recover and lifted Ryoga to his feet.
"Kuno I can understand, but you should know better than that."
Akane Tendo struggled to her feet, she had wisely avoided the front gate
and had climbed the wall to enter the grounds, unfortunately, she had run
into some kind of protective barrier and could barely move now. Her foot
was still caught inside of the field and she grunted using all her
strength to free herself, finally successful she sprawled out on the
ground for a moment. After taking a moment to recover she stood and felt
her world spin violently around her as she staggered almost backing into
the shield again. She lurched forward and relieved herself of her dinner,
splattering it onto the neatly cutgrass of the Kuno family's private
garden. She fell forward unable to remain standing and whimpered as she
realized that she had fallen in her own discharge. She rolled onto her
back and wiped at her shoulder weakly in an attempt to remove the larger
chunks from her body. Finally she willed enough strength to stand her
ground and methodically plodded forward towards the house with a
dangerous snarl appearing on her lips.
Ranma stood before the doors of the massive home and pressed her hand
against the doorway, it opened slowly as she whispered several complex
words quietly. The main hall was empty save for a few flickering candles
that lit the corridor. There were no lights on in the house and Ranma
frowned when she noticed that all of the electric lamps in the home were
shattered and mangled. A blast of cold air met the three intruders
causing the two boys to shrink back as a cold fog rolled out at their
feet. Ranma stepped forward into the home, her feet crunched as she
walked over the frost beneath the mist that was thick enough to hide her
feet.
"Ranma, what's going on here?" said Ryoga with a worried expression
crossing his face. Kuno was silent and kept a hard and serious face that
revealed no fear or emotion.
"There is no way Kodachi could have done all this herself," said Ranma
calmly as she glanced around the room almost casually. A small light
formed in her hand and she revealed the shadows that the candlelight had
kept hidden. Kuno wished she had not done it. Portraits of his ancestors
took on a demonic appearance; the once proud and rich looking home looked
as if it had not been lived in for centuries. The statues were cracked
and dusty and the walls were damp and torn revealing large holes. He
could hear strange creatures crawling around inside of the plaster and
noticed several wet and red stains that seemed to be spreading onto the
floors despite the freezing temperatures.
"You think someone helped her? Another mage?" Ryoga looked hopeful and
Kuno merely looked at him in a daze.
"No. Not a mage," replied Ranma as she moved forward into the home.
They entered a large dining hall and stopped cold as a pillar of ice
stood proudly on top of the table, the place settings were strewn about
the floor shattered and broken across the once polished wooden floor. A
crumpled brown figure could be seen hanging out of the center of the ice
halfway buried inside of it. Kuno stepped forward and frowned deeply at
the sight. "Is this?"
"This is why the house is so cold," said Ranma mechanically with a nod.
She walked past the pillar of ice and held the light up to the brown
mass. Kuno stopped cold with a look of terror on his face.
"Sasuke?" tears started to fall down his face as he looked on the body
of his faithful servant. The ninja's torso remained outside of the ice
and his arms hung limply at his sides, a look of agony was frozen onto
his features. The boy walked up to the fallen shinobi and he reached out
to touch him. Ranma's hand shot out and grabbed his just before he made
contact, she shook her head softly and he stepped back.
The group started towards the doors with Ranma in the lead, "M-master?"
said a small voice from behind them. Kuno stopped cold and slowly turned
around to see Sasuke was staring at him from his frozen pillar and
clutching his chest in pain.
Ranma placed her arm across his chest keeping him from rushing towards
the fallen man. "But..."
"He's dead Kuno," said the girl calmly.
"Master, help me please..." pleaded the man. "She put something inside
of me, a light...I don't know what to do." Sasuke's eyes were wild and
another bolt of pain rushed through him causing him to scream. The ice
pillar grew visibly and crackled as a blue light rushed from the
shinobi's chest.
"My god Ranma, it's using his soul!" Ryoga stepped forward and looked
the man in the eyes.
"Yes," said the girl as she moved between the group and the trapped man.
"Can't you do something?!" screamed Kuno as he grabbed her and shook her
violently. Ranma's hands became a blur and Kuno found himself sprawled
out on the ground with a warm sensation in his mouth, a strangely
familiar copper taste burned at his tongue and he spit out a mouthful of
blood as he lifted his face from the ground.
"No," she said simply before turning away from the man. Methodically she
opened the doors that exited the room and walked further into the home.
Kuno stood as Ryoga followed her and rushed after the pair with a
desperate fear in his eyes. The ninja screamed as he watched them leave
the room in terror and shock.
"Nooo! Don't leave me! Please master Kuno! Don't..." Ranma turned to
face him and frowned again. Kuno was on his knees just behind the still
opened doors holding his head and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Ryoga," commanded Ranma.
The boy nodded his head silently and removed a bandana from his
forehead. Kuno looked on in shock as he tossed it into the room. A single
scream came from the doorway as the boy closed the doors, Kuno heard
something roll across the ground and impact against the door, and then
silence.
Ranma looked at the kendoist with a gaze of complete ice. "It was all we
could do for him Kuno." She turned and continued onward into the house.
The boy stood up and raised his claws to her neck, she watched him
calmly as tears fell down his face and a look of complete rage took him.
"And what of my sister? Do you intend to be as merciful with her as
well?"
Ranma looked him directly in the eyes with out a single flinch. "She's
already lost Kuno, there is nothing we can do now but stop her."
The boy's face went from rage, to confusion, to fear, and then finally a
calm understanding. "My sister could not have done all this with that
book could she?"
Ranma nodded her head slowly and turned away. Ryoga stepped up beside
her with a look that now mirrored her own. "So, any idea what we're up
against?"
"A powerful one, old, strong, and at least one willing servant."
"Gosunkugi?" asked the boy calmly.
"If properly motivated he could be turned easily, but I was referring to
Kuno's sister. Gosunkugi may still be salvageable if she didn't turn him
into a walking trap like the ninja was supposed to be."
"What do you mean?" asked Kuno with his saddened look gone for a moment.
"Sasuke was probably planning on double crossing her and helping us once
he realized what was going on here. She implanted him with a spell that
would have gone off once he came into contact with us. It might have
worked if he hadn't tried to leave the building."
"You sound like you've done this sort of thing before," said Kuno a
little bitterly.
"It's not usually this bad, but on occasion yes," replied Ryoga with a
shrug.
Ranma started to jog ahead of them, "Come on, we're running out of
time."
Akane staggered into the window on the second floor of the Kuno Mansion,
she touched the floor gingerly and looked around waiting for someone to
notice her there. She slowly crept across the empty room an pulled the
door aside slowly revealing a long hallway with several doors that
flashed occasionally as a lightening bolt crashed outside the home. The
noise was good because it gave her more cover for her movements. Quietly
she tiptoed out into the corridor glancing left and right for signs of
life. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she
crept forward with a strange terror gripping her. "I'm starting to think
this was a bad idea." In front of her a strange red light formed in what
looked like an ellipse. She moved towards it and saw several more, they
lined the walls on each side of the hallway, she turned and saw several
more behind her along the ceiling. The light fixtures were round and gold
colored, she shuddered slightly at the strange appearance of the
emergency lights and continued forward. Behind her several of the
fixtures slowly floated away from the wall and followed closely behind
her growing brighter with each passing moment.
Akane slowly turned as she noticed the bright lights behind her. Around
ten of the strange balls were floating just behind her moving in sharp
jerking motions as they jumped around each other excitedly. She sucked
in a breath of air and could not find the strength to scream. She started
to run, slowly at first dashing through the doors only to find more
corridors and hallways like some sort of sick fun house. The balls stayed
stationary for a moment; hovering while watching her run desperately away
from them. Suddenly they lurched forward in a unit, picking up more and
more of them as they rushed forward towards her. Akane jerked a quick
glance behind her as she shoved the doors open and twisted through the
rooms and hallways in a desperate attempt to escape the creatures. One of
the thing's eyes flashed and Akane fell forward rolling across the floor
as her face exploded in pain, she felt a warm wet sensation cover her
hand as she touched the intense burning that the left side of her face
had become. She staggered back to her feet as the creatures gained on her
rushing just ahead of them and turning into rooms slamming doors behind
her. The creatures simply shattered the doorways as if they were glass
and continued their relentless pursuit of her.
She felt the heat of the eyes as the creatures moved in closer to her.
Desperately she turned into another room, she sucked in a quick breath as
she stopped cold and looked at her surroundings desperately. There were
no more doors, she was trapped. She turned slowly around and saw the
things waiting just outside the doorway, there had to be forty of them
now. She fell to her knees and sobbed as she looked at them, just below
the eyes on the creatures a small slit opened revealing rows of shark
like teeth. The things slowly moved towards her with the red glow in
their eyes dying down revealing a small pupil that collectively focused
on her.
Ryoga and Kuno stopped as a muffled scream floated down from somewhere
in the house followed by a crash and the sound of many things moving
violently around on the floor upstairs. "That could be..." said Kuno as
he looked at his companions desperately.
"It could be a trap Kuno, wandering around this house will only get us
all killed," said Ranma calmly as she continued forward. "If it was
someone, there is nothing we can do for them now."
Kodachi smiled as Gosunkugi lifted the knife into the air and sliced her
hand pinning it to the center of the magic circle she had created. So
many wonderful things had happened since she started, a small laugh
escaped her lips as she watched the red liquid slowly turn black under
the light of the torches. "It is almost finished..."
The boy merely looked on with terrified eyes as his hands moved by
themselves and his lips spoke the incantations slowly and methodically.
He had tried several times to destroy himself using his magic since
Kodachi had tricked him into enslaving himself with that key. By freeing
his bonds he had become her slave, unable to do anything but obey her
word. "Let me die!" he begged desperately trying to shove the knife into
his heart, his hands would not listen and continued the ritual without
him.
Ranma frowned as Kuno opened the door that lead down into his sister's
maze. "This will take us to her laboratory."
"The traps won't get any less dangerous down here," warned Ranma as she
stepped forward and pushed between the two boys creating another ball of
light in her hands to illuminate the dark wooden hallway.
"I am very well aware of that," said Kuno angrily.
Ranma felt a tinge of guilt in her heart. The boy had seen too much
already and would no doubt have nightmares for the rest of his life about
this nights events, if he kept his sanity at all.
Kuno frowned at her gaze and spit on the ground. "I have no need of your
pity! I have been insane before and have no intention of going back!"
Ranma nodded and led the way down the stairwell. Several golden ellipses
appeared in front of them and Ranma raised her hand with a vacant look
taking over her features again. "Here they come, be ready." Hundreds of
small floating eyeballs rushed forward from the darkness towards the
party. Ryoga and Kuno took up defensive stances and prepared for the
impact of the creatures. Looks of complete fear crossed their faces, as
rows of sharp teeth became visible under Ranma's light spell. A dark
smile crossed the girl's face as they finally closed in on them.
Oooh, I just know you hate me now. To be continued...
Next time: the final battle between team Ranma and Kodachi. Plus Ranma
must break the news to the Tendo family and prepares to leave their home
forever.
Just so you know, there are a few things I KNOW you're not expecting in
the next Ch.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!