http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=418759 

	Ranma: Lord of the Sith.
	Part 5
	Dealing with issues.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Ranma Saotome simply stood with a deep frown on his face. Standing in
front of him was the building he went to school in. "Someone draws
near." He turned to look at the gates for a brief moment.

	Akane was at his side, a cold scowl on her face as she spoke to him.
"What do you mean?" The boy had been attending classes at Furinkan for
almost two weeks now, though he rarely stayed for the entire day.

	The boy glared at her for a moment, but relaxed after a few seconds. It
was probably better if she didn't refer to him as 'Master' openly. He'd
have to tell her about it later, after he disciplined her for
forgetting. "I'll worry about it. This isn't a problem." He smirked to
himself as he continued towards the doors. "I'm looking forward too it
actually. That fool's been following me for months anyway. It will be
best to let him get it out of his system before things become more
complicated."

	The girl growled under her breath and clenched her fist. Once she was
strong enough, she would enjoy destroying him. She knew he was trying
his best to piss her off.

	"You are so pathetic," he said through a chuckle as he shook his head. 

	The girl paused as she glanced around. She'd just made it to the door
unopposed. Kuno was gone still, and the boys were all cowering in terror
from her master. Not from her, but him. Her eyes burned with rage as she
faced the students still milling about the schoolyard. She was already
plotting the things she would do to Kuno when he returned to school.
Rumor was it would be soon. Her master had hurt him very badly, and he
had not yet been allowed to return. 

	"Akane? What's wrong?" said one of her friends. Yuka and Sayuri both
jogged up to her with worried looking frowns on their faces. 

	The girl's face lightened somewhat as she glanced at them both. "It's
nothing. Just him," she turned her head towards the door. 

	"My god! What has he done?" cried Sayuri in shock.

	"Do you realize who you are talking too? You think I would allow that?
Whether or not I can beat him may be in question, but not even he is
that strong," she spat angrily at the girl.

	"I'm, I'm sorry Akane," said the girl as she stepped back fearfully
from her. Yuka was cowering behind her back as they stepped down a few
stairs away from their friend.

	"I'll be rid of him, but not until I am through with him," she growled
as she turned away.

	"What could he have done?" muttered Yuka in horror. "I've never seen
her like this before."

	"Maybe he cheated on her?" ventured Sayuri. 

	"He cheated on her, she found out, and he's still alive?!" cried one of
the boys nearby in shock. "No wonder he beat Kuno so easy."

	Both girls looked back behind them as every student in the yard stared
at the boy. Thus, the rumor began.

++++++++++++++++++++

	"What of it?" said Akane flatly.

	"So, it's true then?" gasped Sayuri as she leaned back against the tree
trunk they were sitting around. Akane had been in a terrible mood all
that day. They were trying to work things out from what the rumor had
become. It was all over the school, Akane knew about it, and she hadn't
reacted much to the rumor either way.

	"No," she replied flatly. "We aren't engaged. Never were in the first
place, this is just something my idiot father forced on me. Like I said,
I'll be rid of him when I'm finished with him."

	"What are you going to do to him?" asked Yuka fearfully.

	"I'm going to learn all I can from him, and then I'm going to destroy
him," she replied simply.

	"Learn?" asked Sayuri in confusion. It was easy to see they were both
perplexed.

	"I've already said too much, he won't be happy if he finds out I've
told you that much. If you tell anyone, your lives are in danger."

	"Akane, whatever it is, get out of it now. You should see what it's
doing too you," said Yuka fearfully.

	Sayuri looked absolutely petrified with horror. "What?"

	"It's too late for that now. I'm afraid I probably won't be able to
hang around you guys anymore. I've got a lot of important things I have
to do now. He must be destroyed, it is the only way."

	"The only way to what?" muttered Yuka quietly. Both girls were
absolutely terrified. The look Akane had on her face was absolutely
scary. She looked like she was looking forward to 'destroying' him.
"Akane. I don't like this."

	"We're your friends. Let us help you," p leaded Sayuri. "Why is it the
only way? Akane, this doesn't make sense. It's the only way to what?"

	"I'm still not sure, but I mean to find out," she replied coolly as she
stood up and walked away. She tucked the remains of her lunch under her
arm after wrapping it back up and calmly moved towards the school doors.

	"What should we do?" muttered Yuka.

	Sayuri didn't look happy with this at all. "We've got to help her. Look
at her, she needs us."

	"It sounds dangerous Sayuri! We could die!" cried the other girl, she
quickly clamped her hand over her mouth and glanced around.

	"You're lucky no one was around to hear that. Come on, we've got to
find out what's going on with Akane."

	"How?" muttered Yuka.

	"We're going to ask that jerk what he's done to Akane!" snapped Sayuri.

	"No! You saw..." snapped Sayuri.

	The girl glared at her friend. "He's not stupid enough to hit me. As
long as I don't hit him, he can't touch me."

	"Yeah, here," reminded her friend. 

	"She'd help us," replied Sayuri. "I don't know of any other way to find
out."

++++++++++++++++++++

	"Excuse me?" said the boy as he smiled up at the two angry girls
standing over his desk.

	"What have you done to Akane?" snapped Sayuri.

	"Yeah. We know it was you!" replied Yuka.

	"Why would you think this was my fault?" he asked calmly. He turned his
head away from them and looked down at the open book in front of him as
he flipped through the pages. 

	"Who else would it be? I've never seen her this angry!" growled Sayuri
through her teeth. 

	"Don't be silly. This is just her first period."

	"What?" said Yuka dumbly.

	"I'll bet she's really embarrassed. Probably even borrowed stuff off
you before to keep it hidden. I have to live with it. You should have
heard her father when he found out." The boy had yet to look up from his
book towards them.

	"That's unbelievable!" cried Sayuri. She paused for a moment. Akane had
never had an incident that she could remember. "You're kidding."

	"Do I look like I'm kidding? It's normal for a female martial artist
actually. If a girl trains too much when she's young, it can screw up
your cycles pretty bad. Her idiot father didn't know that when he
started training her."

	Sayuri was absolutely in shock. "This is not a period!"

	"More like an exclamation mark. Her father won't even come out of his
room anymore. He'll probably stay hidden in there with my old man doing
god knows what. I wonder about those two sometimes."

	Yuka blushed badly. This was good stuff, but Akane was her friend. A
heavy burden began to grow on her shoulders. She began shifting her eyes
around nervously. 

	"We'll talk about it in a minute," growled Sayuri irritably at her. 

	She squeaked and nodded as she realized she'd been caught. 

	"In any case. I'm just stuck there until I can figure out a way to get
rid of this stupid engagement. With any luck, I'll be gone within a year
or two. My father seems to want to be stubborn about it. Hers as well."

	The girls were perplexed by the answers they were getting. 

	"Are you always this honest?" asked Sayuri.

	"No, only when it suits me. The truth is much more persuasive than a
lie, if you can use it to get what you want."

	"What?" asked Yuka.

	"You're not smart enough to figure it out. She might be though. I
wonder," he glanced up at Sayuri and smirked at her. 

	The girl stepped back, visibly ruffled. Ranma's desk always had a good
deal of clearance around it before class. He seemed to ignore school
mostly as he looked into his books. After the first few test the
teachers began to ignore this behavior. Not one of them would dare ask
him to answer a question. He scared one of the more persistent teachers
so badly just by looking at him, that he had actually stopped breathing
for a few moments. 

	Most of the room had their attention on Yuka and Sayuri as they dared
approach him. As such, the news would be all over the school within an
hour. 

	The girl growled as she sat quietly a few rows behind him. She'd move
up next to him once class started. She'd warned them about this, now she
was suffering more because of them. She'd have to accept his story, and
stick with it. The whole time he was talking to her friends, his eyes
were dead on her face. He was smiling at the anger that was radiating
from her body. She was having trouble keeping her breath. The students
who had once been standing all around her quickly vacated the area. 

	"See? Worst case I've ever seen of it. When it happens, it hits really
hard because it's been building up so long. She'll probably be this way
for the rest of her life. So much for finding a husband I suppose."

	No one moved. The girl simply sat in her desk glaring at him with the
most hateful stare they'd ever seen from her. "You'll pay for this."

	"No, but you will," he replied calmly. "Are there any other
embarrassing questions you'd like to ask me?"

	"Oh shit," said Sayuri, as she seemed to realize all at once that the
whole room was watching them.

	Yuka seemed confused. "So, she'll be all right then?"

	"She will return to normal very quickly," responded the boy calmly.
"You should sit down. The teacher is here."

	Both of the girls looked up and the door opened as he walked in with a
gruff looking frown on his face. 

	"I think your sister will be much stronger. Pity, I had such high hopes
for you."

	Akane gasped and shocked surprise was clear on her face as she stared
at him. "What?"

	The boy ignored her as the class began.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

	Akane Tendo stared down at the street with confusion, anger, and hatred
clear on her face. She was walking home with her bag clutched in her
hand. Ranma was already at the home, having left her behind at lunch. He
could make the teacher send him home anytime he wanted. All he did was
stand in front of whoever it was and wave his arm. 

	Thoughts turned in her head. Why would she do it? Did she think her
little sister wasn't strong enough to stop him? She'd put an end to that
line of thought very quickly. "How dare you insult me this way!"

	She was standing in front of the gate by the time this thought had come
to her. She pushed it open and walked into the home. She stopped to
remove her shoes and placed her bag next to them on the ground. 

	Voices from the kitchen as she turned into the room and glared at her
target angrily. 

	Nabiki turned her head and saw her little sister standing behind Kasumi
with a rage filled glare directed at her. "What? You don't really think
his little outburst was my idea do you? I wouldn't do something like
that. You know that."

	"Wouldn't you?" growled her sister angrily as she pushed her hand
forward. 

	Nabiki was thrown across the kitchen and landed hard against the
cabinets and on the floor. The wind was knocked out of her lungs as she
fumbled around to recover from the shock.

	Akane calmly walked by Kasumi, her older sister obviously too shocked
to react. "He thinks you're strong does he? I'll show him how weak you
are."

	"What?" muttered the frightened girl through her gasps as she pushed
herself up against the cabinets. 

	"Get up," growled the girl hatefully. "Now."

	"Akane! What are you doing?" squeaked her older sister in horror.

	"Fine." Her little sister raised her hand up and something closed
around the older girl's throat that lifted her off the ground and choked
her. She struggled to breathe in as she dangled in the air. After a few
tries, she managed to suck in a little. Her eyes turned to Kasumi, who
was merely watching the events with a small frown on her face. Her eyes
were not focused on Akane though.

	The youngest Sith froze as a beam of golden energy appeared in front of
her face. "Wha?" 

	Nabiki fell to the floor in a heap and started coughing violently. She
turned her eyes up towards Kasumi and scrambled out of the kitchen as
fast as she could.

	The older girl was holding a light saber up to her younger sister's
throat. She seemed almost casual in doing it and didn't even look back
at the younger girl. "She is not to be harmed yet. She may still have
uses."

	Akane could not move she was so surprised. She simply opened her mouth
and stared at Kasumi. 

	"I can see why he decided against training you in the full art. You are
weak, you wouldn't have been able to hold that long enough to kill her."

	"I didn't want to kill her. I only wanted to scare her away."

	"To protect her?" asked the older girl with a slightly amused snort as
she shut down the blade and started cutting at the vegetables on the
cutting board. They had been undisturbed by the events so far. "Don't
lie to me little sister. You wanted to kill her, and you were trying to
do just that. The master wishes to speak with you. I suggest you don't
make him wait any longer. He is quite displeased with you today."

	"What?" gasped the girl as she backed away from her sister. 

	"Why are you still here?" asked the older girl with a sort of dead calm
about her voice. "Do you value your life at all, or has he already
stripped you of that?"

	Akane glared at the older girl angrily and stormed out of the room. 

++++++++++++++++++

	Ranma was sitting in the middle of his room. "Our way is to remain
hidden Akane."

	"You hardly hide your intent."

	"Intent is one thing, power is another. You flaunt your strength as if
you earned it. You are nothing, and I could destroy you on a whim." He
raised his hand and violet streaks of energy shot from his fingertips
and into her body. 

	She screamed in pain and fell to her knees before him as he
relentlessly focused his power into her. "You failed me, endangered my
life, and carelessly spoke of your training. I should destroy you."

	She couldn't respond to him as she jerked violently around from the
force of his power. He pulled his hands away and stopped suddenly. "Look
at you, almost dead already. You weakling."

	She stared up at him vacantly. Her entire body was sprawled across the
floor of his room helplessly. 

	He put his foot across her throat and glared into her eyes. "We're
going to clean up a bit. Use some of that unfocused rage of yours to our
advantage. I trust you'll be through tossing it around? Once a month
should be enough release for you, for now. Otherwise you'll act the same
as you did before, understand this.

	The girl gurgled something, but it could not be called words. 

	"That girl Sayuri dies, Akane. She knows too much, your friend Yuka is
too stupid to be any real threat. You'll see to that personally."

	The boy picked up her hair and dragged her to an old box across the
room. He dropped her on the ground and knelt down in front of the box.
She was starting to recover her movement slowly. More life slowly formed
into her eyes as she started trying to lift her head up.

	"Your sister already knows how to do this. You're going to learn it
now, and I'm only going to show you once. Even if you do not learn, I
will never teach you again."

	He began placing parts in front of her, strange looking electronic
devices that were crudely fashioned and a metal cylinder. Three small
crystals that were carefully polished also appeared in the row of parts
forming on the ground. 

	"I'm only going to tell you how to do this." He began pointing out
parts on the floor to her while she simply laid still and stared at what
he was doing. 

	After about ten minutes, his instructions were complete. He started
walking towards the door to leave her alone. "Stay here until you get it
right. I suggest you do it quickly, or you'll die of starvation." He
opened the door to the room and paused to look back at her again. 

	"One more thing. Do not call me master where others can overhear you."
He turned to face her and raised his hand again. "You'd best focus on
the task ahead of you, or this may make you forget my instructions. You
failed to call me master earlier. I had not yet given you permission to
stop." 

	The girl jerked violently in rage and pain as the energy poured into
her body once again.

++++++++++++++++++++

	"When are we leaving, Master?" asked Kasumi as she placed a cup of tea
in front of the boy. She sat behind him in a submissive position. 

	"When she is ready, a day or so up in that room, and she'll do whatever
I ask. The power of the blade will madden her it needs to be brought out
of the system. The dark side is surprisingly strong in both of you. I
had not expected such quick results. You will need this as well. If you
are not careful, your dream will become a reality far too soon."

	"When? When can I have my dream?" she asked him.

	"When I decide you can have it, and no sooner. I have no problems
killing you. You are far from the only family on this pathetic rock that
can use this power. Their ignorance makes them easy prey, just as you
were."

	The girl growled under her breath. "I had no idea patience was so
difficult."

	"Yes, but if you learn it well, your sister will not pose any problems
when I make you destroy her."

	"Destroy her?" asked the older girl. 

	"One student, one master. One of you will not leave this planet with
me. I have seen it already. We will be here for some time before leaving
becomes possible."

	"I...understand. Is that when I can have my dream?" she asked him
quietly.

	"Perhaps," he replied simply. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

	Soun and Genma frowned as they looked up at the sealed room. Akane had
barricaded herself into the spare bedroom. Genma had been forced to use
her room for almost three days now. 

	"Tendo. I don't like this."

	"So do something about it," replied the man irritably. "That boy of
yours lacks discipline."

	Kasumi smiled cheerfully at him as she set tea down between them. "I do
hope Akane is doing all right!" she exclaimed with a worried looking
frown on her face. "Father, perhaps you could talk with her?"

	"Heavens no!" cried the man as if the very idea was insane. "Kasumi,
are you trying to be rid of your poor father?!"

	Genma noticed something change in her eyes, but couldn't really see
what it was when she replied. "Of course not father! Don't be silly!"

	Nabiki was watching the whole event unfold, and her elder sister's eyes
turned up to look at her. The girl had a very uncharacteristic smirk on
her lips. "I've got to get out of this place," she muttered quietly as
she watched the girl leave. 

	Ranma had left a few hours before. Saying something about a meeting,
none of them really cared if she knew about them or not. Her father
would not listen to her; he would stay and die. She wasn't rich though,
not by any stretch of the imagination. She had more yen than your
average seventeen year old girl did to be sure, but moving out and
running? She was going to have to start pulling it together. Hopefully a
month or two would do it. 

	She had little doubt that if they really wanted to keep her where she
was, there would be little she could do to stop them. She hoped she was
unimportant enough to them that they might ignore it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Tell me something, Hibiki. Did you really follow me all this way?"
Ranma was standing in front of Furinkan in a black dogi. He had a small
frown on his face as he stared down at the crouched form of Ryoga
Hibiki. 

	The boy had landed where he had been standing and left a rather large
impact crater in his wake. "So. I find you at last."

	"Do you have what I want?" asked the Sith calmly.

	Ryoga growled under his breath and reached into his shirt. "Here."

	Students stood around the scene watching it in confusion. No one had
any idea who this boy was, or why he had just tried to land on his head
screaming for his death.

	The ponytailed boy smiled and accepted it. "Thank you Hibiki. This will
prove quite useful in the future."

	"I trust you are satisfied then," snorted Ryoga irritably. "We aren't
through yet you know. No powers, that was the deal."

	"I will keep my promise," said Ranma calmly. "The force, will not guide
me in this fight. This fight is between the two of us, we should have it
somewhere more private."

	"No you don't Saotome! I'm not falling for that again!"

	"I will wait for you as long as I need too Hibiki. You are the one who
did not show up. I assumed you were a coward and left. Quite fortunate
for you I might add. I will correct this error, but not here, and not
now."

	"What!?" snarled the angry boy. "I won't wait for my revenge any
longer!"

	"You've followed me this far. It won't hurt you to wait a week before
we fight. If anything, I'm giving you a break so you can train and be
ready. I suggest you take use of this time. I will supply the date, I'll
know when you show up." The Sith turned away and strolled out of the
gates leaving an angry looking Ryoga standing in the grass. "Damn him.
He'll hide behind those cowardly powers of his if I face him now."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Shampoo. Come, I have something to show you," Cologne beckoned to her
granddaughter as she hopped into the girl's room. 

She was still dressed from her day of work with a simple wooden peg leg
in place of her lost limb. The top portion of the new appendage was
heavily bandaged still. Shampoo had just come home for dinner after
training alone for most of the day. She was still having balance issues
because of the new leg. "Damn," she growled under her breath. "What is
it Great Grandmother?"

	"Follow me, we have a meeting to attend," replied the old woman from
just outside her door. She had a lantern hanging from her grip as she
leaned over the top of her staff and peered into the room. "Be silent,
there are few who know of what you are about to see."

	The girl sighed and followed after the old woman out of the home. It
didn't take long for them to reach a small hut. "Why are we going to see
Aunt Dowel?"

	"Just keep silent and you will still understand."

	They entered the home and found Shampoo's young aunt sitting at her
table with a smile on her face. There was a small box resting in front
of her. "Hello dear. I'm afraid this might be a bit of a shock, but I
need to ask you about the weapon the Shithu wielded against you."

	"What?" muttered the girl in confusion. "It was a sword, made of light.
The blade could appear whenever the wielder needed it. I could feel a
powerful dark force all around him." The girl was shaking fearfully at
the memory. Cologne narrowed her eyes at the girl for a moment, but said
nothing to scold her. 

	"I imagine even your great grandmother would tremble at such a memory.
The story surrounding the Shithu is very graphic for such an old tale.
Many died fighting against it. I pray we learned enough the last time,
that this time might be a bit kinder."

	The girl did not like the way this conversation was turning. "We do not
tell these stories to young women. My family keeps them, until we feel
someone is mature enough to hear about this part of our history. Your
grandmother did not hear them until her late seventies."

	"We were saved, by someone who was very adamant and vocal about our way
of life. We lost many young warriors to him long ago, and it almost
destroyed us. Even his death did not stop it. Only the strong remained
behind though." Cologne turned her eyes towards her great granddaughter.
"It is not our greatest moment in history. We were nearly destroyed by
the Shithu, despite our alliance with the Musk. However, the Shithu did
not come alone. There was another, one who was strong enough to face his
power. It is believed that another, called Head Guy, came to aid us. He
used the same power as the dark one, and nearly destroyed us. He
convinced many of our young warriors to lead peaceful lives, often away
from the village. It nearly destroyed us, but a few of the generation
remained, and kept our way of life."

	"Head Guy?" muttered Shampoo. "Are you certain?"

	"Well, no. These scrolls are thousands of years old Great
Granddaughter, language...changes over time sometimes. It does sound
rather odd doesn't it? There is more though."

	"Why are you telling me about this story anyway? What does this have to
do with me?" asked the girl impatiently.

	"You say you could feel his power?" asked Cologne.

	"Yes," replied the girl irritably.

	"Very strange, seeing as I could not." She turned to look at her
granddaughter. The woman shrugged her shoulders. 

	"You think I might be able to use this power?" asked the girl as she
glanced down at the box for a moment.

	"I think, that you are starting to realize that you can dear. I've seen
the look in your eyes lately. You've been feeling strange things, things
that are not happening around you?" Cologne frowned deeply at her
granddaughter. 

	The girl blushed and turned her head away.

	"I have never seen anything like it before. Not once in your youth have
I seen you gaze at the stars so intently. I thought it was perhaps your
injury." The old woman sighed and hobbled over to her granddaughter's
side. "Show her."

	"Is this the weapon you saw?" asked Dowel as she lifted the lid off and
showed her an ancient looking version of what the dark creature had used
against her. 

	"Yes," gasped the girl.

	"It still works," said the woman as she took it off the belt that was
folded under it and ignited the blade. A faint blue beam of power hummed
dramatically for a moment. "It's battery powered actually. It takes
about thirty D-cells to charge it though. We have a small generator in
the back and use rechargeable batteries. One charge will last about a
month or so, but it's best to charge it back up every night, that way
you get the full effect!" Dowel seemed quite proud of having the honor
of keeping the blade safe. "My family claimed it after the Shithu and
Head Guy killed each other. No one knows what happened to the other
one."

	Shampoo was utterly confused and Cologne wasn't really paying
attention. Technically, such things were illegal. However, for the
upkeep of such an excellent trophy of war it was acceptable. "Why are
you showing me this?"

	"More to confirm our suspicions than anything else dear. I do
apologize, but it is necessary." Cologne hopped over to the girl's side.
"You can use this power Shampoo. I warn you, that if you choose this
path, it will probably destroy you. The Head Guy was destroyed when he
fought against the darkness."

	"There is more. He spoke of a conflict between light and darkness, if
you are not careful, you can become like him. You must follow the path
of Light Shampoo, even if it means abandoning our ways."

	"You will no longer be an Amazon if you choose this path Shampoo. We
will aid you, but when it ends, you must leave the village."

	"What? No!" cried the girl in shock. "I..."

	"You will refuse now, and a few days later return to accept. I know you
great granddaughter. I do not plan to throw you to the wolves; you have
discovered this power. If you do not go, you must never use it again. On
pain of exile, even if it is to save someone's life. You must never use
it again, if you intend to stay in this village. You will not be able to
resist this temptation Shampoo. I have known you far too long. Accept
this responsibility now Shampoo. I do not feel like playing such a
youthful game with you now. I know you want to go after him."

	"I can't," she snapped. "He would just kill me the instant he saw me. I
could never gain the skill he has with that blade."

	"I ask only that you accept, you may begin whenever you are ready. It
may be a very long time before that happens. I urge you to begin quickly
though we may not have as much time as we hope. He will only grow in
strength and power."

	The girl slowly nodded her head. Dowel placed the box in her arms.
"I'll show you how to set everything up later. The generator is noisy,
but you already knew that."

	Shampoo frowned, she always thought it was for the large freezer the
village had installed into the home. Particularly plentiful hunts could
be stored there for a week or two sometimes. It was the most technology
they would allow in the village though. They used outside contacts with
access too much more sophisticated equipment for other things. Amazon
women were excellent security for the rich and powerful. They were not
toys, and any man allowed to have one working for him understood that
very clearly. They provided some of the best assassins in the world as
well. The plentiful poisons found only in the region made that
especially easy for them. They also kept the antidotes to themselves. 

"Bother, now I'll have to have that damned freezer in my home," grumbled
Cologne. She'd guided many a nervous mechanic towards the hut she was in
now in her lifetime. It was a relatively recent addition as well.

	"I can't say I'm sorry to see it go," said Dowel with a small sigh. 

	"At any rate, we should be leaving now," grumbled Cologne irritably.

	"Head Guy?" grumbled Shampoo at her Great Grandmother. 

	"We think it was some sort of title," replied the old woman as they
started back towards the hut. "Perhaps one day you could be a Head Guy?
Who knows?"

	"I will not call myself that," grumbled the girl irritably. 

	"We think he was American," said the old woman with a small shrug. Not
bothering to mention the fact that it had occurred thousands of years
before the nation existed. 

	"It figures," grumbled Shampoo as she looked at the box. "This still
works?" asked Shampoo as she frowned down at the box.

	"It requires upkeep, but shows no real signs of aging," replied the old
woman with a small shrug. "Dowel will begin teaching you how to keep it
working tomorrow."

	"Why me?" asked the girl as she looked at the dirt.

	"Because you survived dear. Nothing more, nothing less, you are our
best hope." The old woman shook her head. "I will guide you as best I
can, but I'm afraid I know nothing of what you must do."

	"Why ask at all then?" asked the girl.

	"The man who came to save us from this power spoke of it freely. Many
of the comments that were recorded from both of them have mention of
this force. They discussed it when they battled, arguing over who's
power was stronger, whether or not it mattered if it was, and who was
going to stop or kill who. They were quite lengthy, and are probably
embellished a bit. Time will do that to a story."

	"What's the point then?"

	"This power has two distinct sides to it, a dark side, and a light
side. The dark side is easier, faster, but it also begins to control
you. This is what happened to that boy, the light side will guide you,
but it is said to be a far more difficult path to accept. You must be
cautions, because falling to the dark power is said to be very easy, and
must be resisted at all times."

	"Why haven't I heard this before?" grumbled Shampoo.

	"We covered this, you aren't old enough. I'm starting to regret telling
you already. I can feel you becoming more rebellious as we speak. I feel
I will become quickly frustrated with the changes that will occur in
you. If you must truly follow the same path as that man, we will not be
in agreement about a great many things in the end."

	"What?" asked the girl in shock.

	"Calm yourself child. I am not turning my back from you, but if you
choose this path, you will begin to discover just how dark the world
really is. You should be ready for that."

	The girl slowly nodded her head as she finally stepped into the home.
She dumped her belongings next to the door and walked towards her clean
clothes. "Finally!"

++++++++++++++++++

	Akane Tendo glared out at the world as she stumbled out of her room.
Gripped in her hand was a monstrous construction. The metal of the foot
long piece of metal in her hand was now a polished black. She glared out
at the room below her and saw everyone looking at her from the table.
Her hair was matted and sweaty as a visible heat could be seen in the
room behind her. "When do I get to use this?" she asked Ranma flatly as
she stared at him from the loft. 

	Genma and Soun were absolutely horror struck by the girl standing in
front of them. "Saotome. I will never forgive you for what you have
brought into my home. I want you and your son to leave my home. I only
pray I have the strength to undo what you have done."

	"Kasumi, your dream has come true," said Ranma calmly.

	Soun turned his head with shocked horror as his eldest daughter dropped
her tea tray to the floor and ignited her light saber. He didn't even
have time to cry out before his head was rolling across the ground. 

	"I trust you'll destroy the body?" he asked her calmly. 

	"Yes master," she replied calmly as she bowed to him. 

	"You, help her," he hissed at Genma. The man nodded dumbly and backed
away from his son. 

	Akane glared at her sister. "You bitch. You killed my father."

	Ranma turned and raised his hand. She flew into the wall and slumped
down with a pained looking grimace on her face. "Do not attack your
sister for obeying me. If you must, find other faults."

	"She had not yet attacked me master," said Kasumi calmly. 

	"I am aware of that, but she knows why she was punished," he replied
calmly. "Both of you come with me, it grows late and we have a lot of
work to do."

	"What about the body?" asked Kasumi.

	"I've changed my mind. Let him deal with it," replied the boy as he
nodded his head towards Genma. "If he gets caught with the body, I'll be
rid of him finally. He knows me well enough to realize that. He will
survive as long as his limited cunning keeps me amused."

	"Come." He strolled out of the home with both sisters following her. 

	Nabiki rushed out of her room in tears as Genma stared down at Soun's
headless corpse. 

	"My god. What have I done?" he muttered as he looked at the doorway.
His son had simply left it open. 

	"What the hell did you bring into my house?" snarled the girl angrily
as she glared up at him. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she put all
her will into controlling her emotions. 

	"I didn't bring him here, he brought me," said the man with a heavy
sigh. "I realize that now. I'm just a puppet."

	The girl gasped at the sadness in the man's eyes. He seemed to just
realize what he was saying. "My father is dead. He killed him, we both
saw it!"

	"It doesn't matter," said the man as he hung his head. "Don't you get
it? You can't win. You can't beat him. He can control your mind, that
power he has. He'll wave his hand and the authorities will release him.
You can't stop him."

	"The courts wouldn't be that stupid!" snapped the girl.

	"You've seen his power with your own eyes. I know you've been watching
what he'd been doing to your sisters. Soun and I were the same way.
There was nothing either of us could do to stop it. The courts would
fail, all it would take was one weak mind."

	Nabiki growled. A faint memory faded into being. He'd done it to her
before. "Shit. There must be something we can do!"

	"There is, we can get rid of this body," said the man calmly. "Ranma
will have no trouble convincing the authorities this was our doing. I've
seen him have innocent people carted away before. The police are usually
all to happy to follow his instructions."

	Nabiki nodded and grabbed her father's legs. She realized what she was
doing and immediately fell to the ground shrieking in horrified screams.
"No! God no!"

	"Stop screaming! You're going to call attention to us!" snapped the man
as he kicked her in the face. 

	She stopped screaming abruptly and passed out cold. "Shit," growled
Genma. "Damn girl." He looked down at Soun. "How to be rid of you old
friend?" He looked up at the dojo and frowned. Ranma wasn't planning on
staying long if he allowed this to happen. "More death in the near
future I suppose."

	Dismemberment would probably be best, but it was messy. The weapons
Ranma's two new students used cauterized wounds when they were made, so
there was relatively little mess now. "I'll have to ask him about making
one of those for this sort of thing." He sighed heavily and dragged the
man's remains to the kitchen by his arm.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	A familiar dark cloak strolled casually into the court of Beryl. She
stood behind a large round crystal, peering into its depths. 

	"You bring news to..." Beryl paused. Two more cloaked figures stood
behind the redhead. "Who are these two?"

	"Students of mine, quite powerful indeed. Tell me, this Metallia you
wish to unseal?"

	"What of her?" hissed the dark queen angrily. All of her generals
appeared out of their hiding places within the room. 

	"She does require you to aid in her resurrection does she not?" The
blade in her hand hissed to life and the pair behind her ignited similar
weapons. 

	"What is this?" screamed Beryl in rage. 

	"You are in my way Beryl. My master tolerated you because you did not
interfere with his plans. You, and your pathetic soldiers are to be
eliminated." She raised her free hand and beams of dark energy arced
from his fingertips. Beryl screamed as she fell to her knees under the
assault. The boy calmly walked up to her and swung his blade clean
through her neck. She fell onto the floor in a heap and the men
surrounding the throne all fell on their knees clutching at their heads. 

	"Take them, now," said the redhead calmly.

	The two girls walked towards the closed pair to them and hacked at them
mercilessly. 

	"Now, on to the next problem," said Ranma coldly. 

	The two girls turned to follow him away from the scene. The porthole
that had brought them into the dark palace closed behind them. 

	"We should investigate that area further Master. That entity may not be
destroyed completely." Kasumi glanced back at the closing porthole as
they reappeared back in Juuban.

	"Why bother? By the time it gathers enough energy to awaken without its
minions, I will be long dead, or too powerful for it to matter to me." 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Hello?" Ono Tofu stared at what was standing in his doorway. Kasumi
was smiling at him sweetly. 

	"Oh. Dr. Tofu, I do hope it's not too late to stop by!" she fretted. 

	"What?" said the man dumbly. He froze in place and his glasses fogged
over. "Wh-why no! Please come in!"

	"Why?" growled Akane as tears streaked down her cheeks. "Why him?"

	"Because you loved him," replied Ranma coolly. "I can feel it you know.
I know how tightly you clench your weapon. You would attack me, but you
know you'd be destroyed if you did. It is far better to build power,
until you finally have enough to kill me. It will be quite a wait. My
master latched onto my very soul, and corrupted me from within. I had to
surpass the skill of a Sith Master just to be free of him, and my
journey has only begun."

	The girl turned her head away from him in disgust and watched
helplessly as a faint golden light inside the clinic lighted one of the
windows. The boy smiled, the fun is just beginning. I feel this next
stop will be a bit livelier than these two pathetic assassinations. I'm
not going to help you kill them either."

	Both girls stared at him for a moment. "If even one of them escapes,
I'll destroy the one responsible if they return without their head in
their hand."

	Both girls bowed to him and followed as he turned and started walking.
"We have another meeting."

+++++++++++++++++++++

	"I trust everyone has arrived?" Ranma stood up and glanced around the
empty arcade. Empty, with the exception of two shadows behind her, and
the group of girls in front of her. 

	"Why this place? Why so late?" asked Minako in confusion. 

	"Yes. What do you know of this enemy?" inquired Luna as she sat on the
table.

	"Beryl is no longer a threat. I destroyed her last night," replied
Ranma calmly. "These are my two students, Kasumi and Akane."

	"An�honor to meet you," muttered the animal a little dumbly. 

	"Unfortunately, that means Sailor Moon is no longer required. There's
nothing left to fight."

	"I thought you said you couldn't�" stammered Rei in confusion. "I mean.
Thank you, but�"

	"A Jedi could not, it is against the ways of their order. Unfortunately
for you, I am not a Jedi." The redhead raised her hand and the doors to
the arcade closed and locked firmly. The room became lit only by the
three light sabers the Sith were now brandishing. 

	"A trap!" gasped Luna in shock.

	"Yes," replied Ranma calmly. "A trap."

	"Transform!" cried Makoto as she reached for her pen. Her wrist fell to
the floor sizzling and smoking from the cut. The girl screamed as Akane
jumped towards her with both ends of her weapon ignited. A mad rage
filled her eyes as she hacked the girl in half on the ground and spun to
slash at Ami Mizuno. 

	The girl recoiled fearfully and Akane paused for a moment. Some of the
rage faded away for the briefest of seconds. "My god�what am I doing?"

	Kasumi had already dispatched of Usagi, and Minako. Her blade shut down
as she glared at her sister with the heads of both girls gripped by the
hair in her free hand.

	"I can't let her beat me!" she snarled angrily as the horrified girl
backed into a wall. Akane's light saber poked out of the side of the
building outside for a brief moment. She watched the life fade out of
the girl's eyes coldly and a small smile began to form. 

	Ranma was standing over Rei with her blade at her neck. "Little girls,
so easy. Perhaps I should let you go, you're nothing after all."

	"No!" screamed the cat as she jumped at her. She simply pointed her
hand at her and sent her flying into the innards of one of the games. It
sparked and sputtered as she screamed in pain. Her cries were quickly
silenced as her remains began to smoke. 

	Rei was looking up at her fearfully; her eyes had never left hers.
There was no pity in those eyes. "Just get it over with."

	"Very well. Pick her up, we're taking her with us."

	"What?" gasped Akane in shock. "Are you insane?" The girl was on her
knees in an instant.

	"I told you about questioning me Akane. I grow tired of repeating
myself. If I cannot rely on you, you're not very useful."

	The girl gasped on her hands and knees as she released her. "Yes."

	"Follow me," she said calmly. 

	Kasumi shoved the girl forward by her shoulder after ripping her up
from the ground forcefully. She growled angrily and slowly reached for
the pen in her pocket. 

	Ranma spun around with her blade ignited. The girl's eyes went wide as
her fingers and the two remaining halves of her pen fell to the ground.
She was on her knees again with tears streaming down her face as she
clutched the wound. "I will kill you."

	The redhead frowned. "No, you won't," she replied calmly as she lopped
off her head. "You've also proven that you're too dangerous to take
anywhere. I was going to let you watch me force Akane to kill her friend
before I killed you." He looked up from the body and continued walking.

	Kasumi went out after her. The youngest Tendo girl simply stared at the
ground in the arcade in silence. She clenched her weapon firmly and
glared forward towards the door. Wordlessly she stormed after them. "I
have to destroy him, whatever the cost."

++++++++++++++++++++++++

	"What is light?" Shampoo sat on a stone next to a waterfall watching
small flowers from the mountains float down the small stream beside her.
She had a lot to think about, her great grandmother had given her a lot
of freedom. She was no longer a member of her own tribe. Yet she was not
treated as an outsider, it was odd indeed. The elders would answer any
questions she could pose them, but none of them could offer any help in
discovering the secrets of this unknown force. The power she seemed to
wield, she felt very alone. That left her with a simple question. What
was the light? She couldn't follow a path she knew nothing about could
she? It was a strange thing to ponder, and she felt very confused by all
of it. 

	Not even her great grandmother could understand. "I know I felt
something, but what was it? How do I find it again?" Using the power she
was feeling from that boy was not a good idea. It might also be the only
choice she had. 

	She breathed deeply and tried to find peace within herself. She'd never
cared much for meditation, but it was also the only way she could
concentrate hard enough to tackle such questions. As it was, she had
spent several days pondering these things alone.

	"Light�how do I find it? What is it?" The text was so old, she wasn't
sure light was the right answer, but it was her best guess. "Damn. I
don't understand this. Every day I fall further behind him. If I am to
win�I fear I cannot.

	She felt something burning in her belly. Her mind was lost in
meditation, something that grew and ate away at her. Her eyes squeezed
shut and she could feel tears trickling down her cheeks as her face
contorted. "What?"

	Fear. She could feel her fear inside her, dark and powerful. "No. I�"
Her eyes snapped open. It felt dark and strong; it wouldn't be so
difficult to control� Her brow furrowed. "So. Fear is darkness?"

	Slowly something else seemed to slip into her memory. She knew how to
find her way back. "Peace." She focused herself as best she could, but
it was difficult. Slowly, her body began to relax. She became visibly
calmer, though she hadn't noticed anyone could see her reactions.
"Peace, peace is light. It's a start I guess." If peace was light, how
was she supposed to fight darkness with it? It was a rather frustrating
conclusion on her part. 

	"Interesting," commented Cologne as she peered at her great
granddaughter. "I have never seen you meditate for more than ten
minutes. Have you really been out here three days now?"

	"No, don't be silly. I was just�" said the young girl as she shifted
out of her position. She was still quite limber considering her seat was
not the most comfortable place. 

	"I see. Shampoo, you have made progress?"

	"Fear, it's part of the darkness, light is peace. Does that mean
anything to you?"

	"Nothing," replied the old woman with a small shrug. "I know nothing of
this power."

	"I was hoping for something similar I might be able to start with. I
dunno, it sounds like a basic set of rules you have to follow."

	"The one who saved us was part of an order," said Cologne. "It is very
likely that such an order would have some sort of code of conduct. I'm
afraid we know little about it. It was opposed with our ways about many
things. There are no written records, they would have been destroyed
long ago if they did exist."

	Shampoo frowned at the old woman. "Who else did this effect? It wasn't
just our tribe was it?"

	"No. The villages that were near us were also effected. Not much in the
way of government back then to step in really. I doubt if any of those
cultures remain any longer. Even if they did, they wouldn't have records
like ours."

	The girl frowned as her eyes closed. "You are wrong. I am certain there
is more." She stood up and looked to the east. "I've got to go, I must
find it."

	Cologne narrowed her eyes as she realized her great granddaughter had
the light saber strapped around her waist. "Child. You must be cautious
with that. It should not be seen."

	"I think merely having it aids my meditations," replied the young girl
with a small shrug. "I'm not going back to the village. I'm going east."

	"Child. Don't be foolish, you'll need supplies. It's been three days
and you've been sitting out here all this time. I recommend rest, you
may leave tomorrow."

	"I'm leaving now," replied the girl calmly. "I must follow this
feeling, I do not know how long it will be before I am able too again.

	Cologne glared at her for a long moment. "Very well. I shall inform the
village that you are leaving on a journey. I imagine you do not know
when you might return?"

	"I don't think I'm going very far, but if I find something�"

	"Yes. I understand. Stay in contact with us child. We cannot afford to
lose you. The fate of more than the village may hang in the balance with
this enemy."

	Shampoo looked down at her, and felt the burning eating away at her
insides once again. She averted her eyes and started walking. "I'll be
fine."

++++++++++++++++++++

	"Um, yes?" A confused looking man with a frown on his face stared
blearily at the trio standing in front of his home at three in the
morning. 

	"I am sorry," said Akane Tendo as she looked up at him.

	Her older sister snorted in disgust as the boy between them merely
smiled. "We've come for your daughter."

	"What?" he muttered angrily.

	Ranma merely raised his hand. "Open the door, and we can discuss this
inside."

	"Come on in. What the hell is this about again?" muttered the sleepy
man in confusion as he stepped aside and opened the door all the way
allowing them inside. Having a long red beam of light thrust through the
roof of his mouth silenced him quite quickly. His head burned open as he
fell to the ground through the blade. Ranma glanced around the home; the
wife was scrambling with the phone. The boy merely cut the line by
hacking into the wall and strolled forward with his blade arcing at her
neck. He did not miss.

	Akane was watching all this from the doorway silently. 

	"Come on," snorted the boy impatiently. "You've got work to do."

	Akane slowly stepped forward towards the stairs that would take her
into Sayuri's room. Memories of the place flooded her mind, each one
stabbing a knife through her heart as she strolled up the stairs with
tears flowing freely down her face. Ranma merely watched her pass by him
calmly. "Be quick about it."

	The girl turned her head back to glare at him from the top of the
stairs. She slowly turned her head towards the door. Her heart pumped
violently as her breath came in heavy gasps. Her feet felt like lead as
she moved towards the door and gripped her light saber more tightly in
her hands. 

	She reached for the door and pushed it aside slowly. She was nearly
hyperventilating as she stared at the bed in the darkness in front of
her.

	Slowly, the girl roused herself awake slowly. She murmured sleepily as
her eyes fluttered open. She turned to look up at the dark figure
standing over her with her hood down around her neck. Akane was staring
at her and she looked like a complete mess. 

	"Akane? What are you doing here?" She was confused, but not afraid. "Do
you know what�my god. What's happened to you?" She seemed to wake up
instantly as she moved to her knees and reached for her friend.

	Akane laughed deliriously as she stared into her friend's eyes. "I'm
sorry. You shouldn't have talked." 

	"What?"

	"Good bye, and I'm sorry. I've got to stop him, it's the only way." She
ignited her light saber and raised it over her head. "I'll take care of
Yuka, no one will hurt her."

	"Akane? What are you doing? No!" muttered the girl fearfully as she
backed against the wall next to her bed. She was pushing away from the
girl as hard as she could. 

++++++++++++++++++++++

	Ryoga Hibiki stared out over Nerima with a frown on his face. It was
late, but there was an almost unnatural chill in the air that night. He
shivered as he turned back inside his tent. 

	He knew he couldn't trust Ranma Saotome to keep his word. He would use
his powers to save his hide if he did start losing. He wanted an
honorable battle. "I can't turn away. My honor�" He glared at the top of
his tent as he tossed his sleeping bag closed around him. "He doesn't
deserve to win. I will beat him, I've got too."

	He was getting close to Nerima again. He knew once he found himself
there, Ranma would be waiting for him. He couldn't really run, sooner or
later, he would find himself there. 

	"In the end, I guess it doesn't matter what I decide to do. I just hope
I'm ready when I meet him again." It was something to think about in his
wandering, maybe he would stay lost long enough to find the answer.

	Ryoga squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to force himself to sleep. If
that was all the hope he had left, it wasn't much of a hope at all. All
he could remember was that horrible fight in China.

++++++++++++++++++++

	Ryoga Hibiki was dangling in the air choking desperately as he tried to
grab what was strangling him. He accomplished nothing but clawing at his
own throat. 

	"Pathetic. I don't know what you hoped to accomplish by following me."
Ranma stood in front of him. His hand was raised holding him into the
air.

	"Damn you�if you didn't have those stupid powers�" growled the lost boy
through his choking. 

	Ranma chuckled and waved his hand. Ryoga was thrown to the ground
roughly about ten yards away. "Is that what you want? I'll fight you
without the force if you wish. However, I'm going to need something from
you first. Think of it as payment for running out on our first scheduled
battle. I was looking forward to killing you."

	Ryoga found himself on his knees before the boy. He gasped and
struggled to hold his torso out of the dust. "I'll make you suffer for
what you've done to me Saotome. It's all your fault."

	"What? That you don't have a belly? Really, Hibiki, it is not my fault
you were not strong enough to beat me."

	"You think this is still about bread?" growled the lost boy angrily.
His face was inches above the dust now as he struggled to remain awake.
Blood was dripping from his nose now and he coughed a bit up between his
lips. 

	"Why else would you ambush me in the middle of China? I remember seeing
your pathetic ass at Jusenkyo. Perhaps you've managed to get yourself
cursed? Something else to blame on me perhaps?"

	"I know it was you! I felt your power pull me down!" Ryoga was lying in
the dust now. 

	"Do as I ask. When you wake up, you'll find a map in your hand. I know
it is rather useless, but if you manage to make it to the point marked
on it, and obtain this." Ranma pointed to a small drawing of what looked
like a small stone with runes carved on it. "I will fight you, without
using the force. I'll still win of course, but you'll make use of
yourself before you die." The Sith turned away and started walking. "If
I see you again before then, I'll just be done with it. I suggest you
think hard on what just happened before you let your anger leads you
blindly to your own destruction."

	Ryoga's world went dark as everything slowly faded away around him. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

	"What was that thing I gave him for anyway?" He had no idea what it
was, but was surprised to find it was made of metal. Whatever it was, it
wouldn't help him when they fought. 

	Oddly enough, he'd found it in an abandoned monastery. It had been
inside a dusty old storage room that looked like it had been looted many
times before. No one had ever bothered with what Ranma had wanted. It
was nothing but a dirty looking piece of metal. It looked like a small
piece of something else in fact. 

	"I'll have my revenge�" he growled as he turned over to try and find a
more comfortable position. Whatever it was, it wasn't important. "I'll
beat him. I've just got no idea how I'm going to do it yet." He smirked
to himself, Ranma wouldn't be expecting his strength, he had a good
chance of beating him before he could save himself with those stupid
powers of his. He'd show that bastard what happened when you toyed with
a Hibiki. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	TBC�

	Next Time: The hour grows darker. 

	Sigh. Another cliffhanger ending for my collection. ^_^ Remember, anger
leads you down the path of the dark side!

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