Author's note at the end, C&C, public or private, is welcome.

Kasumi Tendo sighed as she rolled her sleeve down over the tattoo on 
her forearm as the water gurgled down the sink. Almost mechanically, 
she began to put away the clean dishes. It had been six months since 
that bear, what was his name? Macgreagor? Had come to her and turned 
her into . . . that . . . thing.

'His name was Brackgaugh, Kasumi.'

Kasumi ignored that and filled several glasses with ice before setting 
them on a tray along with a pitcher of water and carried the tray out 
to the back yard.

Seated on the porch, her father, his friend Genma, and Genma's son 
Ranma watched as the man named Happosai instructed three young men in 
the way of the anything goes school of martial arts.

While his faults were legion, Happosai was a master teacher and it 
showed in that the three young men were giving him their undivided 
attention.

Makoto, Hikaru, and Mamoru. A trio of wandering Martial Artists.

Kasumi pushed aside the wave of guilt. The Creature was responsible for 
them being here as well, using pheromones to bind them to her as the 
beginnings of a harem before Kasumi had regained control of her body 
and learned how to change back. If she had only been stronger, better 
able to fight the Creature's influence . . .

She pushed such thoughts aside and tried to look on the positive side. 
They had no idea she had any ties to their . . . mistress and their 
presence had reawakened her father's desire to teach, something he 
hadn't done since the death of her mother. Even if Happosai did show up 
to hijack the lessons now and again. Carrying the tray out the men, she 
smiled.

"Would you like some water, Grandfather?" Kasumi asked. "Its hot out."

"Of course," Happosai chortled and snatched a glass from the tray.

"And you?" Kasumi asked, moving over to the trio.

"Thank you, Kasumi-san," they chorused, each taking a glass. For a 
moment, Kasumi remembered the pleasure the Creature had sought in their 
bodies.

"It shouldn't have happened," she said out loud to herself.

"Kasumi-san?" Hikaru was staring at her. "Did you say something?"

"N-no, just thinking out loud," Kasumi replied.

'And about him bound in chains and kneeling at your feet as you draw 
pleasure from his tounge.'

Kasumi turned away quickly so that the martial artist wouldn't see the 
blush on her face and walked back into the house. Dropping the tray 
onto the table, the pitcher spilling water onto the floor, she marched 
into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.


The blush faded as she allowed her temper just a bit free of the tight 
leash she had kept it on since the fourth grade when she had punched a 
fellow student in the nose, nearly killing her. That had also been the 
day she had given up on the Martial Arts. Facing the mirror with 
narrowed eyes, she stared at her reflection.

Except that it wasn't her reflection.

The Creature, who called itself Bloodmaker, was a tall, pale skinned 
woman with short black hair, lips painted black, and green eyes that 
seemed to luminious to be real. She was beautiful, in the same way a 
deadly snake was beautiful. A metal collar engraved and etched with 
runes and designs encircled her throat. She wore leather armor with 
metal plates over her shoulders, forearms, the outside of her thighs 
and shins. A black cape hung from the shoulder plates and a sword was 
slung across her shoulders. A dagger hung from each hip, a sai was in 
each boot and while they were unseen, her belt held a pair of nunchakus 
and several shuriken of various sizes. Various other blades and sundry 
items were concealed here and there about her person. Her arms were 
bare, her bust was slightly larger then Kasumi's, and her belly was 
flat. An air of restrained violence hovered around her like a light.

"Stop that," Kasumi snapped.

"Stop what?" the creature asked as she smiled, revealing tiny fangs, 
"showing you what I can give you?"

"I don't want it. Any of it."

"Do you? We're two of a kind, Kasumi Tendo, and you know it."

"We are not."

"We are. Those three men you served water to. Not six months ago they 
knelt at your feet and gave you the respect you deserved. I've watched 
your . . . family these six months, Kasumi. You cook, you clean, you 
slave all day and for what? Tell me that, Kasumi. At the end of the 
day, what is worth the weariness in your bones and the aches in your 
feet? I can make you a queen...but only if you release me."

"I don't want to be a queen . . . I . . . I am a proper Japanese woman! 
I know my duty and nothing you offer, Creature, has anything to do with 
that duty."

The Creature sneered at her. "You say that now, Kasumi, but remember, 
you accepted my power of your own free will. And if you don't find a 
use for it, it will." With that, the creature faded from sight and 
there was only Kasumi's own reflection.

For the longest time, she stood there, staring at the mirror and then 
her internal clock chimed. 'I need to go to the market,' she thought to 
herself and exited the bathroom, retrieved her bag, the shopping list 
and money from the safe in her father's office. 'I must make dinner.'

------------------

Kasumi was generally believed to be oblivious to the general going ons 
around her when the truth was, she simply wasn't interested. Even 
Ranma's arrival hadn't shaken that. Once one accepted the fact that 
Ranma could switch genders, one could also accept that things like 
ghost cats, mulitple fiancees, and chi-powered martial artists existed 
in the world. And if it existed in the world, then there was a reason, 
a purpose. Kasumi's purpose was to see to the welfare of her two 
younger sisters and then, once they were married, she would find 
herself a husband and take care of her father. As it should be and 
nothing else could or should distract her from that purpose.

But even as she walked home, something nagged at her, but she couldn't 
put her finger on it until suddenly, her feet refused to move and she 
nearly fell forward. "What-"

'Shut up and listen," snarled Bloodmaker. "What do you hear?'

"I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. Where's the children? There's always some playing on the 
sidewalks when you go to market."

Kasumi looked around. All the houses were closed up and there was no 
sign of children anywhere. Come to think of it, there was no sign of 
anyone. "Oh my," Kasumi said and broke into a run, the bag of food 
swinging wildly.


----------------

The Tendo house was charred, scorch marks were decorated  and then in 
the distance, she saw a narrow plume of smoke rising into the airacross 
the exterior walls and she didn't even hear the bag hitting the 
sidewalk as she ran inside.

The entrance was all but gone and the rest of the lower floor was the 
same. Even the staircase had been obliterated. Outside, Happosai lay on 
the grass. Makoto, Mamoru and Hikaru were each curled up in a ball and 
her father and Mr. Saotome were sprawled in the empty koi pond.

"Kasumi..." It was Happosai. The little man's eyes were open, but just 
barely and it was obvious that even breathing was causing him 
considerable pain. "A demon...used...electricity...took Ranma 
and...your sisters..." His eyes closed.

'Turn me loose.'

"No. I...I will call the Koban." She stood up and moved with jerky 
steps towards the house, not really thinking. "Yes, the Koban. That is 
the proper thing to do." But instead, her legs turned her towards the 
remains of the sofa and sat.

'Listen to me, Kasumi, your Koban can do nothing."

"Then they will summon the self-defense force."

"Bah. There's nothing they can do against this demon. They can't stop 
it . . . but I can."

"No...I can't let you out. You'll hurt somebody, or..." She looked out 
at Makoto, Mamoru, and Hikaru. "Or expand."

'I will not. I give you my word, Kasumi. I will return this body to 
your form when the demon is dead and not one second longer. I swear 
this upoun my honor.' The Creature's voice was empty of any her usual 
sneer or arch superiority. She almost seemed to be . . . pleading.

"I . . ."

'You cannot stop it, Kasumi. I beg of you, let me out, or this entire 
city is doomed. Please.'

Kasumi rolled up her sleeve and stared at the tatoo and then reached 
out to clamp her hand over it, then paused. "Remember, I have your 
oath."

'I have done many things, Kasumi Tendo, but I have never broken my 
word.'

Kasumi grabbed her arm. "Oath of Blood." Under her palm, the tatoo 
became white-hot and then the world faded away in a white haze.  ld 
faded away in a white haze. She felt herself being pushed aside as 
though she was being moved to the passenger seat in a car as someone 
else took the wheel and then the haze vanished.

The woman known as Bloodmaker took a deep breath and then turned and 
strode out the door and up onto the rooftops.

Even if demons didn't leave a aural trail, she still could have tracked 
this one. It had left a trail of damage out of Nerima, through Juuban 
and into the city proper. Soon, she began to encounter the twitching 
bodies of police officers and citizens and those led her right to the 
Hotel EL-Hazard, which boasted "A most magnifcent world within these 
walls."

It was the newest and most expensive hotel in Tokyo. Drawing her sword, 
Bloodmaker palmed some shuriken from her belt and marched in, the aural 
trail leading her to one of the theaters.

Inside, she saw the demon. It was short, with pale yellow fur and evil 
black eyes. It's markings make it look cute, but there was nothing 
adorable in the way the children gathered at the foot of the stage as 
they chanted the creature's name in a dull, icy, monotone. She could 
see Kasumi's sisters and the boy, Ranma among them.

Bloodmaker bared her fangs as she bared her teeth and charged down the 
aisle, leaping onto the stage.

Had it been a movie, this instance before woman and demon began their 
battle might have been enhanced with some music, something 
soul-stirring. But instead there was only a chorus of voices saying the 
same thing over and over again.

"Pikachu, pikachu, pikachu . . ."

Note: So the other day, I had a little bit of insomnia and went through 
some of my old fics. I came across this one, which I had written as a 
continuation of a Spamfic from D.B. Sommer, in which Kasumi Tendo 
became a magical girl of a different sort. I was toying with the idea 
of running with this as an actual fic, but couldn't come up with a 
complete idea.

So, since I had nothing else to do, I did a bit of rewrite. Nothing 
special, mostly a tune up

Disclaimer: Ranma is owned by Viz Video, Pokemon by 4Kids 
Entertainment. Any other names or titles mentioned are preesent only 
for the purpose of satire. Additonal inspiration was provided by 
Yu-Gi-Oh dub, and that too is owned by 4Kids Entertainment.

-Steve "Komodo" T.
http://www.geocities.com/studio_pc_hub/


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