A Feather in the Wind
Chapter 4
Darkness, a foul taste in the mouth. Akane felt like she had been thrown into a dryer as she started to wake up. Her head was pounding, and her hands were tied uncomfortably behind her back. She tried to listen, to see if her captors were there, but was greeted by silence. Cautiously, she barely cracked open an eye. The room was dark, but she could barely make out someone that appeared to be Ukyou in front of her. She worked her way into a sitting position, and was reminded that her head hurt. She looked around, and saw quite a few others in the darkness, most of them just staring idly at the newcomers. ::It's like they've lost their will to escape...:: Akane thought to herself. A dull roar startled her, and the room suddenly jerked. Akane fell back onto her side as she realized that they were in a tractor-trailer. While she was struggling to sit up again, Ukyou started to groan.
"Ukyou, you ok?" She asked in a whisper.
"I feel like roadkill" Ukyou grumbled. She tried struggling with her bonds, but they were bound too tight. "What's going on Akane?" Ukyou asked as she sat up.
"I'm not sure, but there's a lot of people in here." Startled, Ukyou looked around, and let out a low whistle.
"And I thought Toma had an odd way of inviting people over to his place." Ukyou said, trying to keep a sense of humor. Akane forced out a chuckle, and then started looking around. "What are you looking for Akane?"
"I'm looking for Feather, if they got us, I'm sure they got her as well." Abruptly, the trailer pitched, throwing its unwilling occupants around like ragdolls. None of the other girls complained, but Akane and Ukyou were steaming. "When I get my hands on the guy whose driving this thing..." Akane started to say menacingly, when she heard a stream of curses that would make a sailor blanch.
"That.." Ukyou starts to say.
"That sounds like Feather, come on!" Akane and Ukyou made their way closer to the front of the trailer, having to work their way around several sprawled out girls. When they got to the front, they found Feather. She didn't just have her hands tied behind her back, they had also tied her ankles together, and had a rope going from her wrists to her ankles.
"Oh my...." Akane paused, then she knelt next to her, "Are you all right?" she asked, but Feather just growled.
"She's been hog-tied, and from the looks of things still out cold. I wonder if she was really the one who was cursing." Ukyou said, as she tried to maneuver herself to try and untie Feather's ankles. "You try and get her hands free." Ukyou grunted as she worked on the ropes. Akane repositioned herself, and added her efforts to untying her friend.
After a few minutes, Ukyou had managed to untie Feather's ankles.
"I'm done here. How's it going with her hands?" Ukyou asked. Akane sighed.
"Not good, these ropes are tight." The trailer hit another bump, sending them sprawling. Akane skidded into one of the other girls, and when she went to apologize, she gasped.
"Ukyou! Take a look at this!" Akane said, a look of horror on her face.
"What is it Akane?"
"Look at her!" Akane nodded towards the girl. Ukyou peers closely at the girl, then backed away making a gagging sound. Akane nodded. "She's not tied up, and her eyes look empty. These guys are playing with mind control."
"Why are they doing this?" Ukyou wondered aloud, as she absently tried to struggle with her bonds again.
Back at the dojo, all hell was breaking loose. When the rest of the Tendos got home, they discovered the wreckage and Ranma and Ryouga turned into pincushions, Mr. Tendo lost it. He was in full gusher mode and Nabiki had to move him outside to prevent any water damage. Kasumi and Genma had started to pluck the tranks out of the two boys when Shampoo had busted through a wall, followed by Mousse. While Genma tried to keep them at bay, Kasumi was stuck with pulling the darts out by herself.
"Oh my, who could have done this to them?" Kasumi asked out loud, and was gratified by the sudden silence around her. Shampoo knelt next to Kasumi.
"Maybe Shampoo can help yes?" She asked, unusually meek. Kasumi smiled.
"That would be very nice of you. Here," Kasumi handed her a cloth that had been soaked in alcohol, "wipe off the spot where each dart was after it's pulled out." Kasumi and Shampoo bent to their task, while Genma tried fruitlessly to calm a hysterical Soun.
"Why Ranma hit with so many dart?" Shampoo pondered as she pulled yet another dart out of Ranma's chest.
"We don't really know Shampoo, when we came home we found them like this." Kasumi said softly as she pulled a dart out of Ryouga. Shampoo continued working for a few seconds, until she let out a gasp.
"What is it Shampoo?" Kasumi asked as Shampoo gingerly pulled a tattered scrap of cloth out of Ranma's limp hand.
"Shampoo found something." Shampoo examined the cloth carefully, and she narrowed her eyes when she saw the embroidered patch. "Is scrap of cloth with patch on it. Shampoo no recognize pattern, but maybe great-grandmother would." Shampoo looked at the cloth again, then over at Mousse. "Mousse!" She called. Mousse sprang to his feet, ran over, and knelt before Kasumi.
"Yes Shampoo?" He asked. He felt a sharp hit on the back of his head, and he put his glasses on and turned around. Shampoo scowled at him as she spoke.
"Shampoo need Mousse go get great-grandmother. Tell great-grandmother about what found here, and show her this." Shampoo held the cloth out to Mousse, who took it and nodded.
"Anything for you Shampoo!" He said as he leapt to his feet and sprinted for the Nekohanten. Shampoo turned back to the task of tending Ranma.
"So Shampoo," Nabiki drawled, "why are you so nervous about that cloth?" Shampoo looked at her, irritated.
"Shampoo never finish helping Ranma if keep getting interrupted." she said flatly and turned back to her work. Nabiki, not satisfied with that answer, sat and stared at Shampoo hoping to distract her enough to get her to talk. Shampoo remained focused, however, until the last dart was pulled from Ranma and Ryouga and bandages applied.
"Let me ask you again, what was the big deal about the patch on that cloth?" Nabiki asked again, a bit of a scowl on her face this time. Shampoo opened her mouth to give a scathing remark, when an ancient voice interrupted her.
"It is the crest of the Viper clan." Cologne said, after seemingly materializing next to Nabiki. Nabiki, nonplussed by her entrance, turned to the old woman in interest. "They are a clan of assassins, who pride themselves in being able to use others to do the dirty work. Regular members of the clan are little more than caretakers." She paused to puff at her pipe, "The true horror behind their clan is the manipulation they practice to get their assassins. Through certain herbs and pressure points, they are able to literally mind control their intended 'trainee'." Kasumi gave a little gasp at this, and Mr. Tendo wailed even more.
"Their going to make daddy's little girl into a killer!!!" He wailed. Genma leaned forward in interest.
"So, they control their assassins, and if they get caught, there is no real way to trace them back to the clan is there?" he sat cross-legged, and crossed his arms. Cologne nodded.
"Yes, it works very well. Their assassins have absolutely no memories left to them, and the treatment takes quite a bit of time to wear off. Until they do, they're very susceptible to suggestion, and will do just about anything they are told." The old woman smirked. "If it were that easy, son in law would have been in China with us long ago. But, with out a mind, the strongest warrior on earth becomes a baby, and that's not how we do things." Shampoo looked over at her great-grandmother, a look of worry on her face.
"If them makes others do killing by taking their minds away, how we fight them? And how we keep same from happening to us?" Shampoo asked. Cologne turned to her and cackled.
"Easy child. Don't let them hit any pressure points. I will show you where they would be most likely to strike." Cologne looked thoughtfully at the pile of darts. "Maybe I can do something about those as well." Ranma started to stir a bit, and the room fell silent. After a minute had passed, Ranma had opened his eyes, and started to brood. Shampoo glomped onto him.
"Shampoo happy to see husband awake!" She let go of him quickly, when she realized he wasn't responding to her at all. "What wrong, Ranma?" She asked, looking at him in concern. She was distracted by the sudden green glow that sprang from around Ryouga. Everyone, save Ranma, stared at Ryouga as he slowly stood, green energy from his building depression and anger swirling around him. He growled as he looked around the room, the aura around him building. Then, it dissipated, and Ryouga sank back to the floor. Ranma lifted his head.
"Those guys are dead when I catch up with them!" Ranma said, clenching his teeth against the tempest in his head, and the nausea in his gut. Ryouga's head snapped around.
"Not without me, I have something for them as well!" Ryouga said viscously, the intended violence practically dripping from his tones. Cologne chuckled.
"Well, it appears sleeping beauties are awake." She then told them about the viper clan.
"Ok, so they control the minds of their assassins, and like to use poisoned darts, they can't be that tough." Ranma remarked, but there was something gnawing at his gut. Ryouga looked thoughtful for a second, and turned to Cologne.
"Any ideas as to where they're hiding?" he asked. Cologne nodded.
"One of their 'training camps' is not that far away. It's on the peak of one of the closer mountains. The face of the mountain has been purposely scarred, in order to scare off tourists." Cologne gazed at them with a serious expression on her face. "Finding them isn't the hard part, it's getting out alive. Once the 'trainee' has been under the influence of the clan, they stop feeling pain. They will continue to attack till they're dead, or you are." Ranma swallowed nervously.
"Ok, whatever." He mumbled, when the feeling in his gut suddenly became clear. He looked up at Cologne in alarm. "How long does it take for them to get someone under their control?" At his statement, every eye turned to Cologne, anxious for the answer.
"I don't know." Everyone collapsed at her words. Ranma sprang to his feet and raised his fist into the air.
"Then what are we waiting for! We need to go now and rescue Akane and the others!" Ryouga stood next to Ranma.
"Let's go Ranma! Those vipers need their fangs broken!" Ranma nodded at Ryouga's words, and then turned to the others in the room.
"So who is with me?" He yelled, raising a clenched fist into the air to emphasize his point. Shampoo glomped onto him.
"Shampoo go with Ranma anywhere!" she squealed as she hugged him tightly. Mousse stood as well.
"I would follow Shampoo through the gates of hell and back, so I shall also go." Mr. Tendo's tears threatened to flood the house.
"The loyalty! The friendship! This is youth!" He cried out, "Akane is so lucky to have such good friends!" In a startling change, Mr. Tendo calmed down, and took the Tendo family sword from it's place. "I shall go with you son, and whet my families sword with the blood of those who would dare hurt my little girl." Ranma stared at him in shock, while he turned to Genma. "You're coming too, right Saotome?" Genma looked at his friend, and merely nodded.
"Aren't we the great crusaders," Nabiki remarked, absently noting the sound of someone barefooted rapidly approaching. Ranma rubbed the back of his head.
"Uh, yeah well.... Let's go get em!" He said, flustered by Nabiki's comment. As he turned to lead the way out of the dojo, Kuno burst into the room.
"I, the great Tatewaki Kuno, would be most grievously offended if this were to transpire without me in attendance. I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, offer my assistance in this, the most noble of quests." Kuno announced to those assembled. Ranma's jaw worked uselessly, as it was too busy becoming aquainted with the floor, so Ryouga spoke.
"And just how did you know what was going on?" Ryouga asked, a bit suspiciously. Kuno looked to one side, and casually swept some hair out of his eyes.
"My good Sasuke informed me as to what had transpired. It is to my regret that the message I had him carry went undelivered, as the foul brethren of the devil himself were already spiriting away Akane Tendo. He also spoke of the possibility that the fiends had the pig-tailed girl as well, so I made haste to offer my blade into the service of this noble mission." Kuno brandished his bokken, and took on a noble pose. "Let us be off on our quest!" Ryouga put his hand to his face, Shampoo giggled, and Ranma shrugged.
"He's got a point," Ranma said, "Let's go!" Ranma started running in the general direction of the mountains. Ranma, Ryouga, Shampoo, Kuno, and Mousse disappeared in a large cloud of dust. When it settled, a dumbfounded Soun and Genma were left standing in the doorway.
"Tendo, do you have any idea where they were headed?" Genma asked.
"Not a clue Saotome. Not a clue."
Ukyou gave one more frustrated tug at the ropes tying Akane's wrists, and was gratified to feel them suddenly go slack.
"Alright Ukyou!" Akane shouted, "Now, let's get you untied" Akane worked on Ukyou's bonds as the trailer bounced along the road. While Akane struggled with the ropes, Ukyou looked at the other occupants, she could see at least five others by the light of the single, dim lamp. Ukyou was freaked again by the blank stares the girls were wearing. The silence that they maintained, despite the jolts from the trailer and the overall unpleasantness of the journey, was beyond human. Ukyou craned her neck impatiently to look at Akane.
"Hurry up Akane! I don't want to be tied up when this thing stops." Ukyou hissed. Akane didn't respond, but rather concentrated harder upon the knots. A few seconds later, Ukyou was free, and they finished untying Feather.
"When do you think she'll wake up?" Akane asked as she gently held Feather's head in her lap.
"Dunno, but I'm all for busting out of this thing, and making a break for it." Ukyou fitted words to action, as she stood and walked to the back of the trailer. She started examining the doors in the back.
"You think we can bust out Ukyou?" Akane asked as she tried fruitlessly to wake Feather up. Akane was thanked for her effort by a light slap on her hands, and a groan from Feather. Akane had to smile a little, ::It's progress at least::
Ukyou strained against the door, and the metal screeched it's complaint. ::Where's that jackass Ryouga when you need his bull strength!:: Ukyou thought to herself as she started to kick at the door. She wasn't expecting the door to suddenly bust outwards, and she certainly wasn't expecting to be thrown out when the truck started up a steep incline. Ukyou screamed as she started to fly out the back of the truck. Desperate, she grabbed at the door as she went past. Her fingers barely caught the metal cross bar, and she could feel it starting to cut into her hand. With a tremendous effort, she managed to get her other hand onto the cross bar, and hook one of her feet onto the lower lip of the door. The blood and wind roared in her ears, and she felt like she was going to faint, but one look at the road rushing by beneath her gave her enough adrenaline to stay conscious.
"Ukyou!!!" Akane screamed as she rushed to the back to try and help Ukyou back into the truck. Akane knelt on her knees and reached out with one hand, "Grab my hand Ukyou!!" she called out desperately. Ukyou reached, but missed by a few inches. Encourage by how close it was, Akane leaned out a little further and reached again. Unfortunately, the truck hit another bump, causing the door to swing outwards, and Akane found her face in the cold metal of the trailer, and her legs and waist were leaning out the back of the trailer. "Akane!! Hold on!" Ukyou reached for Akane, knowing that perched on the door was infinitely safer.With both doors being open, there was nowhere for her to grab, and she was slowly slipping out. Akane managed to get her feet onto the bumper, and was starting to catch her breath, when she lost her grip. Time seemed to slow down, Akane would later swear that she had been able to see every pebble, every crevice, and every tire mark on that stretch of road. The only thing Akane could see was the pavement below her, and the feel of the wind rushing past seemed to stop for a while. Then every thing started moving full speed again, and she opened her mouth to scream.....
And a slim hand darted out of the truck, grabbed her blouse, and yanked her back into the truck. Feather looked at Akane, worried.
"You ok?" She asked, but Akane was shaking, and couldn't seem to be able to talk. Akane pointed out towards Ukyou, and Feather realized that she needed help as well.
"Good save Feather!" Ukyou cheered, and then winced. The cross bar had finally cut her hand, and a small trickle of blood could be seen. Feather looked critically out to where Ukyou was, and pushed her hair out of her face. Suddenly, Feather grabbed a lock of her hair, and looked at it critically. She then untied the bandanna that held her hair in a ponytail, and she tied a thick knot at the end. Ukyou looked at her exasperated, "This is no time to be playing with your hair Feather!" Feather finished tying the knot and nodded to herself.
"Just shut up and catch my hair when I toss it to you!" she yelled as she threw her long hair toward Ukyou. It took several tries, but Ukyou did catch her hair. Feather then pulled as hard as she could, and slowly the door began to close. When Ukyou was a foot or so away, Feather let go of her hair and grabbed Ukyou off of the door. Over balanced, they fell backwards into the truck.
"Feather," Ukyou gasped, "If anyone ever tries to make you cut your hair short, I'll beat them into a bloody pulp!" Ukyou hugged Feather in relief. They sat there for a few minutes, gathering the strength to try and leave the truck without getting hurt.
"Feather," Akane asked, "Do you think you can fly us out?"
"I'm not sure," she shook her head, "I should be able to slow us down enough to be able to tumble safely." Right after Feather said this, the truck lurched to a stop, the doors banging noisily closed.
"Too late.." Ukyou said. They could hear shouting outside, and the running of many booted feet. The doors were forcefully opened and a large man, dressed in a deep blue suit, entered the truck. Two smaller men that were wearing dark cloaks, flanked him. The man held a cane that had a chrome skull on the top, and the girls could also see a pistol in a holster low on his hip.
"So, these are our new recruits?" He asked the man on his right. The cloaked man snapped to attention and answered.
"Yes sir, one of them is also the stolen one."
"STOLEN?!?!?" Akane yelled, her battle aura flaring as she angrily stood up. "What do you mean stolen? We're not property you jerk!" The man's face got flushed with anger, and he swung his cane at Akane's face as he yelled at her.
"Shut yer mouth!" He sneered in contempt. He was utterly stunned when Akane grabbed the cane, and used the momentum of his swing to fling him into the wall. He created a large dent, and he sunk to the floor, all sense knocked out of him. The two cloaked men pulled out trank guns and took aim, ready to shoot if they approached. Akane froze, not wanting to be tranked again. Ukyou and Feather stood up, and moved next to Akane. Akane was about to ask the cloaked man what he meant by stolen, when a stern voice could be heard from outside.
"What on earth is going on in there?" One of the cloaked men replied, without taking his eyes off of the girls.
"Unusual resistance sir." He called out. They could hear a hurried conversation, and then the man outside replied.
"I'm coming in." A second later, a tall, graying man entered the truck, and the cloaked man who had spoken earlier snapped to attention and saluted. The man was wearing the same style of suit, but he had several odd looking devices on his shoulder. He looked around the inside of the truck, and raised his eyebrow when he saw the other man slumped against the wall. He turned towards the cloaked man who saluted and spoke. "Report"
"Sir, Lieutenant Yama had begun his inspection, and one of them took offence to the terms used to indicate that the stolen one was one of them. When Lieutenant Yama attacked her with his cane, she threw him into the wall sir." The gray man nodded.
"Take the others to the reception area, I'll deal with these three personally." The cloaked man saluted, and he and his partner moved all the other girls out of the truck. Akane got an angry look on her face, and she took a step towards the man.
"Ok, just what the heck is going on here? And just who are you and what do you want from us?"
"My name is Ryuutsu Maruyama, and I am one of the elders of the Viper clan." He gave a slight bow to the girls. Flustered, they bowed back, more out of habit than respect for the man. Akane was not satisfied with his answer so far.
"We really don't care who you are, we want to go home!" Akane yelled. Ryuutsu grinned, baring his teeth a little, as he looked at Feather.
"But one of you is home now." He said calmly, as he smiled a warm smile at them, "Welcome home Feather."
"Hhh how... how did you know my name?" Feather stammered. He chuckled at her.
"I should know, I named you."
Ranma and the others were impatiently riding in a train. Mousse was occupying himself with sharpening his weapons, while Ranma and Ryouga quietly discussed the different ways they would take apart the people that attacked them and took away what was the most important things in their lives. Shampoo and her great grandmother were speaking quietly in Chinese, and Kuno was meditating, and doing his best to ignore the 'common rabble' that he was surrounded by. Most of the other passengers were watching them nervously, half expecting them to just go nuts and tear the train to pieces.
"About how long till we get there?" Ranma asked during a pause in his conversation. Cologne looked out the window at the scenery rushing by.
"I'd say we'd reach the station in about an hour, and then it's a long hike up the mountain." She said calmly. Ryouga looked at her angrily.
"How can you be so calm about this? Our friends are in grave danger, and you're calmer than... than Kasumi!" Ryouga glared at the old woman, the anger he felt was showing clearly on his features.
"It's no use to wear ourselves out worrying about something we cannot change right now, so relax, and save your strength for what we are about to do." Cologne said without looking away from the window. Ryouga glared at her for a second, and then leaned back in his seat rather forcefully. With a loud crack, the seat back snapped and Ryouga ended up sprawled backwards. Without his usual jibes, Ranma helped Ryouga sit up. Ryouga muttered his thanks, and glared around, daring someone to laugh at him.
"Relax man," Ranma said, "We'll get them back. It's only a short time from now till we get there. Once we're on the mountain, then we can let loose." Ryouga looked at him angrily for a second, then visibly relaxed.
"Shampoo anxious too," she commented while she casually cracked some walnuts to munch on. "No want violent tomboy or winged girl to lose soul." Cologne chuckled, and looked seriously at them.
"It's been many years since the last time I tangled with the Viper clan, so we will have to be on our toes." They nodded at her words, "Their methods may be different now. If they didn't adapt to their surroundings, they would have perished a long time ago. I think that we would want to approach the compound with great caution, and learn everything we can about them before we strike." Ryouga got angry again.
"Why can't we just go in and beat them all up?" Ranma nodded in agreement with his friends word. Cologne glared at them for a second before she responded.
"They have the girls in there, and they are using more advanced technology. Remember how they beat you before?" Ranma and Ryouga winced at the reminder. "We need to be cautious when we approach, lest we all fall victim to the same tactics." They all fell silent for a while, and when they felt the train start to slow down, they all anxiously stood and moved towards the door. The second the door was open wide enough, Ranma and Ryouga forced it open the rest of the way, and rushed away from the train. Or they tried to. Before they had gone more than two steps, they both suffered from a severe application of Cologne's staff.
"Slow down you two, remember what I said while we were on the train? We need to begin exercising caution now." They started to stand, glaring at the gnarled old woman.
"Old ghoul" Ranma muttered under his breath. He got another whack on the back of his head for his trouble. Grumbling, Ranma and Ryouga let Cologne lead the way from the station. Shampoo and Mousse followed closely behind.
They began their long hike up the side of the mountain, and were surprised.
"I thought you said they scarred the side of the mountain, to scare off tourists...." Ranma said as he gazed at the tall trees and lush foliage.
"If this is scarred, I'd love to see what you call a beautiful retreat" Ryouga commented as he shifted his pack slightly.
"Didn't I say that they may have adapted to the changing times?" Cologne glared at the teen-agers that surrounded her, "They obviously found a better way to avoid curious eyes." Kuno grunted, and then he struck a dramatic pose.
"These fiends of hell shall not go unpunished by my righteous wrath! They shall fall like the quivering vermin that they are before the might of Tatewaki Kuno, and I shall rescue my beloved Akane Tendo!" He would have continued, but Ranma had backhanded him.
"Will you shut up already?!?" Ranma hissed, "We don't need you to give away our position with your posturing" Kuno looked like he was about to speak again when Cologne rapped the back of his head. Kuno whirled on the old woman, and was rewarded with another knock on his skull. Surprisingly, he took the hint and remained silent. Ryouga glared at Kuno before starting off again.
Several hours passed, and the thick forest started to lighten. Cologne motioned for Shampoo to search ahead. The purple tressed amazon nodded, and moved forward swiftly. The rest of the group waited anxiously, and were startled when they heard the distinctive pop of a tranquilizer gun. Mousse rushed ahead, ignoring the warning glare from the others. All he was concerned with was that Shampoo may be in danger. Silently, Mousse perched in a tree and looked out into a wide clearing. Pushing his glasses back down over his eyes, he was able to make out two uniformed men carrying an unconscious Shampoo through a gated fence. The fence was tall, and had barbed wire strung across the top. Furious, Mousse examined the defenses that he could see. He saw several cameras, a lot of barbed wire, and a two story brick building that at once struck him as huge, and foreboding. Taking note of the patrol patterns, he regretfully turned to return to the rest of the group. ::Patience my dear Shampoo:: He thought to himself, ::I will rescue you from those fiends!!::
When Mousse returned, they could see his rage stamped on his face. He motioned for them to huddle, and he spoke quietly and quickly.
"They got Shampoo, near as I can tell either she was careless, or she let them take her so that she could get inside. She may think that her ability to turn into a cat will enable her to escape. I don't think that is possible..." Mousse carefully outlined the defenses he could see, and those that he suspected as well.
"This is a grim situation, we cannot afford to lose any more members of our team." Cologne spoke softly, but her tone was enough to drive her point home. "There is a shiatsu spot that should enable you to resist their tranquilizers, but it is risky."
"How risky ghoul?" Ranma asked quietly.
"If you are not hit by a dart, you will be unable to sleep for three or four days. That is enough to drive a man mad." Ryouga cleared his throat before he spoke.
"It's risky, but we have no choice. If they manage to mind-control Shampoo, we will be at a serious disadvantage." Ranma and Mousse nodded, while Kuno looked on with his attitude of haughty superiority. "They may not be able to fight very well, but she can. Not to mention she was the key to our most dangerous weapon..." Ryouga trailed off, and looked meaningfully at the now nervous Ranma.
"You don't mean....?" Ranma asked and shuddered when Ryouga nodded gravely. Kuno chose this point to speak.
"The men on patrol are likely to be alert after the fair Shampoo appeared at their gates. Methinks it wise to wait until they become inattentive at their posts. We should strike during the darkened hours to facilitate their unwise inattention." Ranma looked at Kuno in shock.
"You're scaring me Kuno, that actually made sense."
"Then be wise, Saotome, and heed mine advice. It would ill benefit Akane Tendo should we attack in haste, as Shampoo did, and become imprisoned as well." Cologne nodded.
"Get some sleep now." She said, "I will keep watch while you gain the energy you'll need for tonight." Ryouga was starting to protest when the old woman poked the side of his neck with her staff. Ryouga collapsed, snoring into the soft dirt. "Anyone else need help getting some sleep?" She asked. Ranma swallowed hard and nodded.
"I don't think I'll be able to without help." Nodding grimly, Cologne tapped Ranma's sleep spot, and he too collapsed. Kuno and Mousse tried to get to sleep on their own, and only after a while did they manage to drift off. Cologne carefully covered them all with some large branches, and disappeared into the trees. She gazed out over the small group and sighed. It was all to similar to when the Viper clan had stolen her own daughter many years past. The guilt she felt over the long past incident welled up again. She was unable to rescue her daughter, and her husband had died in the attempt. Thankfully, she had escaped, and was plotting her revenge when she discovered her daughter, unharmed, just outside her tent. When she had asked her daughter what happened, all she could say was;
"The little man helped me"
Cologne shook herself out of her memories. ::Happy, why can't you be here to help this time?::
"You WHAT?!?!" Feather screamed, totally confused. The man simply looked at her and repeated himself.
"I named you. Sixteen years ago, when you first showed up." Ryuutsu motioned for them to follow him as he left the truck. Stunned, the confused girls followed him. He walked swiftly, ignoring the assembled ranks of men and women, and entered a massive brick building. Once inside, he started to show them around.
"A long time ago, I was the head of a research project, code named Raven. The purpose of project Raven was to learn if teleportation was feasible." He abruptly turned and started down a narrow flight of stairs. Akane leaned her head over the railing, and couldn't see the ground. She gulped nervously, and followed. "After many failures, and many unfortunate deaths of volunteers, it was decided that we would try and take something inanimate from where it was located. We reasoned that it would help us gain a better understanding of our would be teleportation device without any other deaths. We were wrong."
The old man stumbled, but quickly righted himself. The girls were too shocked to fully believe Ryuutsu's story, but the sincerity of his words was half convincing them that he was speaking the truth. "When we made our first attempt at moving some rocks, they appeared to have been moved without any changes. However, when we tried to move them, it became apparent that they had changed. Underneath a thin film of dirt we discovered that the device had changed it to a crystalline structure. We were undaunted as we studied the results and moved on, heartened by the first partial success of project Raven, or we thought it was the first success."
"What we discovered later still haunts my memory. We had tried to figure out what had happened to the people that had disappeared during some of the previous tests. Using the data from those tests, and a new, stolen processor, we attempted to fetch our people." He started to look sick. "We got them back, partially. I'll never forget the bloody mess that appeared on the platform. Other than the fact that they looked torn limb from limb, it was definitely our people. Unable to determine if someone did that to them, or the machine was an open debate that raged for days. At the end of the debate, it was determined that we would use the machine to pick up whatever happened to be at the same coordinates that we found... the bodies at." He shook his head. Ukyou absently noticed that they were nearing the bottom floor.
"That day forever marked our lives here. We got our answers, and something more." They had reached the bottom floor, and there was a pair of massive steel doors chained shut. Akane gasped when she noticed what looked like a fist shaped protrusion from one of the doors. That alone wasn't what shocked Akane and the others. It was the size of the impression that scared them. Ryuutsu looked at the doors, and calmly removed the chains. When he pulled the doors open, the girls screamed. In a liquid filled tube, a monstrosity hung motionless. It looked vaguely humanoid, but the long head and foot long claws quickly dispelled that notion immediately. The thing was covered in what looked like large scales, and they could easily see holes where heavy weaponry had pierced it's chest.
"What is that thing?" Ukyou screamed as Ryuutsu calmly waited. When the room was silent again, Ryuutsu continued.
"We're not sure what it is, but that and two other beings were brought with it. One was a man of great strength, and the other was a woman in hard labor. That thing killed the man after a long battle that destroyed most of this lab," He waved one arm over towards the wreckage, "and killed many of our men. It wasn't until we were able to get the heavy weapons out were we able to stop it. The woman... didn't survive. She died during childbirth, and we had to cut the babe from her stomach. The child we saved was you Feather." He paused to let this information sink in. "Even though the wings were quite apparent on your mother, we didn't even think twice about it at the time. After this had happened, we closed the lab and ceased work on project Raven. I had become your father, and would have raised you if it weren't for that traitor." Feather looked at him in shock, not comprehending what he was saying. Akane and Ukyou were not in much better shape.
"You, you mean, that thing.. killed my parents?" Ryuutsu nodded at her words, "And, your project is the reason I have my wings?" he shrugged.
"I'm not certain about that. It's possible that you would have had them naturally, but that is a slim possibility. We never got a chance to speak with your mother, or your father." He could see tears starting to form in her eyes, so he quickly continued. "Unfortunately, one of our trainers decided that he wanted out of the clan, and he took you and ran, likely because he knew we wouldn't be able to shoot at him while he had you in his arms. It's been fourteen years since he escaped, and now he's finally facing his punishment. For stealing away your childhood, and then making money off of you for all those years while we vainly searched for you. We never suspected he would join a roving carnival, or to use his techniques to make your will more pliable to him during that time." Ryuutsu gently guided Feather towards a door. The others followed quickly, not wanting to leave Feather alone. When Ryuutsu opened the door, he revealed a fair-sized room that looked like an apartment. Ryuutsu looked at the girls with a faint smile.
"Welcome to my home. I'm afraid it's rather spartan, but please, make yourselves comfortable." He gestured towards the couch. After they were seated, he pulled a chair up and sat down. "Now, do you have anything you want to ask of me?" After a moment of silence, Ukyou spoke up.
"Now that you mention it, why did you send your goon squad to capture her, and why did they take all of us?" Ukyou asked angrily, but calmed a little when they saw his shocked expression.
"They did what?" Ryuutsu yelled, springing to his feet. When Ukyou explained to him their method of capture, his reddened face, and the veins sticking out of his forehead from suppressed rage gratified her. Ryuutsu stormed from the room, and could be heard yelling over some kind of intercom. A moment later he returned, looking much calmer, and had a satisfied look on his face.
"What's going on?" Akane asked. Ryuutsu looked apologetic.
"I must apologize greatly for the way you were treated. I had not made myself clear when I told them to invite you and your friends here so that I could see how you had grown, and meet the kind of people whose company you enjoyed. They thought that I meant to recruit you and your friends into the clans line of work."
"What kind of work is that?" Feather asked, very curious.
"Information and elimination." Ryuutsu looked at their dumbfounded looks, and he clarified himself. "Spying and assassination." That got a reaction. The girls on the couch immediately looked at him with fear in their eyes. He spent until after nightfall attempting to allay their fears, as he explained the clan's methods of remaining undetected, despite capture.
"Let me get this straight, your trainers manipulate the recruits chi to make them forget about the clan and the mission if they are caught, and then they remember everything if they make it back here?" Akane exclaimed. When Ryuutsu nodded, Feather shot another question at him.
"So how come my memory is swiss cheese?" Ryuutsu looked at her sadly.
"The traitor used the technique on you constantly for years. We only use it right before or after a mission. It hasn't been used in the other methods since my great grandfathers day. Ever since a small man came and devastated this camp to get a young recruit back. The clan used to use more severe methods of recruitment than we do now." They looked at him in disbelief, "Now we only recruit by approaching those dissatisfied with their lives, and give them a choice. The tranks are taken as a precaution against a violent response. Some of the other elders are in favor of the more extreme method, but I have been holding them at bay. We.." He was interrupted by a fax machine beeping loudly, and it spat out several sheets of paper. Ryuutsu excused himself and started to read the papers. He frowned, and then put them down before he started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Akane asked. Ryuutsu did not stop laughing for a few minutes.
"That was the report from the assault team that picked you up. They claim that two young men had violently disagreed with their methods, and basically hospitalized more than half of a thirty man team before succumbing to more than fifty tranks in each." Akane and the others traded a knowing look while Ryuutsu continued, "I'm not inclined to believe them," he paused at the serious expression that his guests wore, "Or should I reconsider my position?" Akane nodded gravely.
"Ranma and Ryouga are two of the best martial artists in the world. More likely than not, they are on their way here to 'rescue' us from you. I think we need to..." Akane was cut off by a loud klaxon. Ryuutsu looked at them and sighed.
"Too late."
"Wake up, Son-in-law!" Cologne poked at the comatose form at her feet. Slowly, Ranma was roused from his enforced sleep.
"What time is it, ghoul?" He muttered as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The ancient amazon chuckled.
"It is starting to get dark, and the others are already getting prepared." She gestured towards where Ryouga was going through a kata, and Mousse was carefully going through his weapons. Ranma nodded and stood. He began to go through his kata, letting the flowing forms help him regain his focus. Absently, he noted that Ryouga's kata flowed with fierce, restrained power, and the usually angry face showed an inner calm Ranma had never expected to see. ::I guess it shows how seriously he takes the art:: Ranma thought as he moved as smooth as running water through a kick, ::It must be how he keeps his depression from overtaking him, by finding his focus::
Once darkness covered the earth, the small group gathered around the old woman to discuss strategy. After a hushed conversation, Cologne tapped their hyper-activity pressure point, and they melted into the woods. When they reached the compound, Mousse disabled the cameras with a few well thrown knives. Silently, they rushed an unwary patrol. A few fierce blows, and the half-asleep guards were fully asleep. Using keys they found on one of them, Ranma unlocked the gate. Occasionally, Mousse would throw a knife, disabling more cameras.
"It won't be long before they realize something is wrong." Ranma said after they had ambushed another patrol. Kuno nodded.
"Dally not, my comrades, for it would be our deaths to be caught in the open." Ryouga looked towards the building.
"We don't have time to find the door, let's make one!" He said as he padded towards the building, like a tiger on the hunt. The others followed swiftly, and when they reached the building, Ryouga boosted Ranma up to peek through a window. When Ranma looked inside, he gasped.
"What do you see Ranma?" Mousse asked urgently. Ranma hopped down off of Ryouga's shoulders.
"Shampoo is in there, and it looks like their torturing her." Mousse's face went red with rage, and Ryouga struck the wall with one finger, crying out his special technique.
"BAKUSAI TENKETSU!!"
Shampoo was not happy. The tree branch she had crouched on to observe the camp had broken, and she had been an easy target when she lay stunned on the ground. She awakened to find herself in a prison-like room, tied tightly to a chair. Once they had noticed that she was awake, a burly man had entered the cell, and proceeded to interrogate her. Now she was being treated roughly by the man, who was speaking way too rapidly in Japanese for her to understand in her recently awakened condition.
She lifted her head and winced at the bright light placed right in front of her. Her captor said something else, and when she didn't respond, she got a fierce slap from the man. Shampoo feigned unconsciousness to avoid being hit more. She heard the man talking, but still couldn't make out the words. Her cheek stung from where the man had slapped her, and she could feel the other bumps and bruises she had gotten earlier in his interrogation. Something warm was running down her face, and Shampoo resisted the urge to spit her own blood out of her mouth. The man grabbed her hair and roughly yanked upwards, causing Shampoo to cry out involuntarily. She opened her eyes again, and this time the light wasn't there. Instead she could see a man in a blue uniform, with what looked like surgical tools on a table beside him. She suppressed a scream as she realized what he intended to do with those implements. ::Ranma!! Mousse!!! Ryouga!! Hurry up and get me out of here!:: She thought frantically as he picked up a curved and spiked implement from the tray and brought it close to her face. Shampoo closed her eyes in resignation and waited for the question, and the inevitable pain afterwards.
The pain never came. Right after the man had barked his question again, the wall behind him exploded. He was thrown from his feet, and the chair Shampoo was in fell over backwards at the force of the blast. Shampoo heard familiar voices, and the sounds of a hurried battle. With a sickening crunch, the room was silent again. Shampoo felt the chair being righted, and someone cutting the ropes that bound her. She blearily opened her eyes, and was greeting with the sight of a furious, but relieved, Mousse cutting her bonds. Without the ropes holding her upright, she fell forward into his arms.
"My god, Shampoo! Are you alright?" Mousse asked her in Chinese. Shampoo tried to respond, but a lump in her throat prevented her from speaking. Mousse gathered her up in his arms and strode back out through the hole, despite her weak protests. "Don't worry Shampoo, I'll get you out of here." Mousse said again, and he quickly leaped over the fence. Shampoo heard several quick impacts, and a grunt of pain from Mousse. Ignoring the tranks that now stuck in his back, Mousse quickly moved deeper into the forest. More of the darts struck home, but he continued on.Akane, Ukyou and Feather were running down a corridor, desperately running from the other members of the Viper clan. Ryuutsu had bought them some time, but at the cost of his life. The guards had gunned him down on the orders of the man they had seen in the truck. What they hadn't seen, was the toppled, but now empty, glass tube. Nor did they hear the shrieks of pain from the guards who were foolish enough to face the monstrosity who was running loose. Leaving death and destruction in it's wake, the thing made it's way out of the building, killing all it encountered. Moving swiftly, it disappeared into the woods.
Some time later, Mousse and Shampoo were resting near a tree. Shampoo was carefully removing the darts from Mousse's back. The soft moonlight illuminated the pair, and a gentle brook bubbled nearby.
"Mousse, you no have to do that." She said softly.
"There was no way I was going to leave you in there to be tortured and mutilated by that fiend." Mousse grunted as she removed another dart. Shampoo was glad that he was unable to see the tears falling from her eyes. She bent to her task again, unawares of the form creeping up behind her. Mousse saw it, however, and stood quickly.
"Mousse! What you doing?" Shampoo said, dashing the tears from her eyes. She noticed Mousse was tensed for a fight, and she followed his gaze. What she saw made her blood run cold, and she screamed. The moonlight didn't seem to be able to penetrate the dark aura that surrounded the monstrosity before them. The misshapen form lunged for them, knocking Mousse away, his blood spattering onto Shampoo. Too weak to run, Shampoo stared up at the monstrosity standing over her. She gaped at the large holes in it's chest area, and the forked tongue that lapped the blood off of it's talons. She saw it raise an impossibly long arm, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow. She heard a sickening tearing sound, a scream of pain, and then a bellow of outrage, suddenly cut off. There was a heavy thud, and a gurgling sound. Shampoo opened her eyes and saw a very bloody Mousse standing over her, a large scimitar covered with some sort of yellow ichor held in his hands. She also saw the severed arm of the beast, and it's decapitated corpse lying nearby. Mousse snarled at it.
"No one hurts my Shampoo and gets away with it." He walked over and stabbed his scimitar deep into the corpse. When he turned back to Shampoo, she stifled a gasp. His robes had been torn open, and his bare chest had three very long, bloody tears in it. He staggered towards her.
"I beat it for you Shampoo..." He managed to say before he collapsed.
"MOUSSE!!!!"
Opening a door, the girls dashed through it and slammed it shut behind them. Gasping for breath, they looked into the room, and froze. Standing before them was a tall man, wielding a sword.
"Welcome, I never expected you to just run in here, but now we don't have to look for you." He grinned maliciously at them. The girls trembled where they stood, not believing their bad luck. The man started to laugh, blood-lust gleaming in his remaining eye, and started to swing his sword in rapid strokes. Dodging the best they could, the girls scattered. Akane's school dress was severely shortened, and a small cut appeared on her leg. Ukyou was dodging the best she could, wishing she had her spatula with her. Ukyou's clothes were partially shredded from the near misses, and it looked like she was wearing little more than a halter top and a pair of cut offs. Feather was faring no better than the others, as she frantically dodged the deadly sword. The yellow tank top was now ending just below her breasts, and scraps of her pants were still held in place by the cords around her calves, looking like absurd leg warmers.
Ukyou misjudged one swing, and got hit on the side of her head by the flat of the blade. The force of the blow caused her to lose her balance, and she fell, hitting her head on the hard floor knocking her unconscious.
"Hahahahahaha!! What's the matter? Can't you do more than just dodge?" He laughed maniacally as he swung his sword again and again. Suddenly the door burst open, and a dramatic figure burst through.
"Hold thou honorless dog!" Kuno yelled, holding not his bokken, but a real katana. The swordsman stopped and contemplated this new adversary.
"Go away whelp, before I hurt you." And he swung his sword to emphasize his point. Kuno calmly blocked the attack and yelled at the girls.
"Escape while I defeat this wretch. I will see to it that the fair Ukyou is safe from this hound of hell" Kuno glared at the swordsman as the girls squeezed behind him through the door. Once the girls were clear, Kuno advanced.
"You have this one opportunity to surrender before the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. Be quick in deciding, for my patience is thin." The swordsman laughed at Kuno.
"Me, surrender to the likes of you? I shall spit upon your grave!" The swordsman lunged forward, intent on dismembering the arrogant boy before him. Kuno smiled briefly before he raised his katana.
"And so the hounds of hell bark furiously," Block slash and counter, opening a slight wound upon the swordsman's chest, "But mine eyes see a toothless cur barking loudly to hide his insecurity, and weakness."
"Shut up!" Their blades locked in between them, and Kuno looked into his enemies eye and smiled.
"A coward dies many deaths before his true death. Mayhap I shall deliver you unto that oblivion before long. I shall defeat you, and then I shall decide whether or not I shall take your pitiful head as a gift to mine beloved."
"I said shut UP!!!" He swung his sword furiously, but Kuno blocked every strike. The clash of steel upon steel echoed down the empty corridor.
"BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" Ryouga roared as he broke through another wall. He and Ranma had split up to search for the girls more effectively. A dart or two protruded from him, but he was unaffected thanks to Cologne tapping some hyper-activity shiatsu spot.
"Akane! Feather! Ukyou!" He called out as he moved cautiously down a hallway. A lone member of the Viper clan attempted to tackle Ryouga, but was kicked back down the hallway, where he crumpled. Ryouga forcefully opened every door he came across, and occasionally fought with some guards. He heard someone running rapidly down the hall, along with what sounded like a large bird flying. Ducking into a doorway, Ryouga peered out, ready to get a surprise attack in. Hearing that the runner was almost right in front of the door, Ryouga jumped out ready to slam the individual into oblivion.
"Eeeeeeekk!!! Ryouga, don't scare me like that!!!" Akane screamed, and then pounded on the startled Ryouga's chest. Feather was hovering nearby, her wings moving rapidly. She landed quickly and hugged Ryouga fiercely.
"It's about time you showed up!" Feather said, starting to cry into his chest. Akane backed up a step with a faint smile. Ryouga was quickly turning red.
"Ah, Feather, we still have to get out of here, remember? And where's Ukyou?" Feather stopped sniffling for a second as she told him about the swordsman, and Kuno's timely rescue.
"Great, let's find Ranma and get out of here." Ryouga said, and started walking back the way he came. Akane ran a bit to catch up.
"How are we going to find Ranma?" Akane asked as she stepped through one of Ryouga's impromptu doors, and then she looked around her in shock. There were piles of unconscious guards littered across the room. Ryouga grinned.
"Simple, we follow the trail of destruction." They broke into a run, while Feather opted to fly down the hallway. It wasn't long before they could hear sounds from a viscous battle, and a familiar voice could be heard over the bedlam.
"Where's Akane you bastards!" Akane's heart jumped in her chest when she heard Ranma's voice. Akane started to run towards the noise, when someone crashed through the door just in front of her. The individual slammed into the wall on the opposite end of the hall, and went limp. Akane rushed towards the door and peeked in, vaguely aware of Ryouga and Feather moving up behind her. Akane gasped at the sight before her. Ranma was moving through the room at a dizzying pace, dealing out punishment wherever he went. His shirt was shredded, and his fists were covered in blood. Anxious, Akane looked harder and realized that the blood that covered his fists were the result of the now toothless, broken nosed men that lay scattered about unconscious. When the last of the guards fell, Akane gave a shout.
"Ranma!!!" She ran into the room, and just as he turned around, she glomped onto him, Shampoo-like, and then fiercely kissed him. Ranma's brain suffered from shutdown, but he managed to stay standing and hug her back.
"Hi Akane, sorry I'm late." He grinned after Akane broke off the kiss. Feather cheered from the door.
"Go for it you two! Wooo hooo! Look at that hot couple!" Akane and Ranma separated, thoroughly embarrassed, but happy at the same time. Ryouga strode into the room, and clapped Ranma on the shoulder.
"Nice work Ranma, Mousse got Shampoo out right after we split up, and Kuno is probably getting Ukyou out right now. I think it's time to go home." Ranma grinned.
"This wasn't so tough..." Ranma started to say, before a wall exploded, revealing two men, one holding a spear, the other was twirling nunchuks. "Then again... Akane! Feather! Get out of here while we take care of these guys!" Ranma yelled, dropping back into his stance. Ryouga started to twirl his bandannas in preparation for the attack. Before the girls could react, Ranma and Ryouga launched themselves towards the men. Ranma attacked the one with the nunchuks, while Ryouga threw his bandannas at the spear wielder.
Ranma's opponent dodged Ranma's initial attack, and slammed his nunchuks into Ranma's back. Ranma arched in pain, but spun kicked the man in the face, knocking him backwards. Ranma didn't stop there, he closed rapidly and unleashed the full power of the chestnut fist. The dazed man lashed out with a kick, that Ranma gleefully dodged, and countered with a roundhouse that sent the man flying. Ranma gaped as the man stood up and rushed to the attack again, still silent. Ranma grabbed the man's arm, yanked him off balance, and delivered a chop to the back of the neck. The man slammed into the ground, but stood again to continue the attack. ::Is this guy human?:: Ranma thought as he danced the deadly dance with his foe.
Ryouga had missed with his bandannas, and closed in with his opponent. The enraged man swiped his spear towards Ryouga, and was shocked when Ryouga grabbed it one handed, and then lifted the man into the air and slammed him back down. The spear shattered from the impact, and Ryouga moved in closer. Ryouga was slightly startled at how much faster he was moving, ::Must be that shiatsu point the old ghoul hit..:: He thought absently as he blocked a kick. Ryouga attacked with a fierce combination of punches and kicks, and ended in a headbutt. His opponent flew away from him into the wall, and groggily stood up. Ryouga grinned a bit, and then charged the man. Ryouga tackled him, and punched him in the throat while the rolled, and then he abruptly stopped the roll, and used the momentum to fling his enemy into the wall again. When the man stood again, he remembered Colognes words in the dojo 'Once they are under the influence of the clan, they stop feeling pain. The only way they stop attacking is if they're dead. Or you are.' The thought of dying in battle fighting someone not quite human anymore depressed Ryouga. Following that chain of thought, the idea that he and Ranma might not be able to get the girls out alive depressed him further. Also, the thought that he'd never see Feather's smiling face again threw him into the deepest pit of despair.
"I. Will. Not. Let. That. Happen." Ryouga ground out as green energy flowed around him like a cyclone. The force of his aura kept his opponent at bay. Ranma spared a glance away from his battle, to see that Ryouga was getting ready to do a full shi shi hokoudan, and that the terrified girls were still watching from the door.
"Run!!" Ranma yelled at them, and was gratified to see them run off down the hallway. Ranma got an idea for a devastating combination.
"Ryouga, release the shi shi hokoudan when I tell you too." Ryouga nodded slowly, a single tear running down his cheek. Ranma got ready for his combination strike.
"NOW!" Ranma yelled, and Ryouga released the pent up energy of a full shi shi hokoudan, while Ranma simultaneously jumped up behind Ryouga and called out his attack.
"Hiryu shoten ha revised, horizontal depression cyclone strike!!" Ranma released his blast, and it sucked in the tremendous power of the full shi shi hokoudan. The cyclone of energy was charged further by Ryouga's strike, and it streaked towards their opponents. Ranma didn't wait to see the result of the attack, he grabbed Ryouga by his shirt and ran for cover.
Akane and Feather heard a massive explosion behind them, and turned around. Billows of smoke and green flame licked from the shattered doorway, obscuring all sight.
"Ranma!!!" Akane screamed and fell to her knee's.
"Ryouga!!" Feather duplicated Akane's performance, and knelt beside her stricken friend. She quickly grabbed Akane, and hugged her fiercely, crying. Akane felt like she was about to cry as well, when she noticed something.
"Feather, look!"
Two silhouettes could be seen in the smoke, and they were slowly approaching. The girls stood up and got ready for trouble. Slowly, the figures gained definition as they neared the edge of the smoke. Akane slowly started to smile. The figures broke through the edge of billowing smoke, and revealed a battered pair of weary fighters. Ranma and Ryouga walked with weary movements towards the girls. Akane was smiling widely now, and a shout got her attention from a different hall. Down that hallway, Kuno and Ukyou strode towards them, too tired to run. Akane and Feather were both smiling hugely at this point, and waited for their friends to reach them. They had a quick reunion inside the destroyed hall. After a few quick hugs, Ranma spoke up. Everyone relished his words.
"Let's go home."
Wearily, they left the compound, and walked towards their agreed meeting place. The moonlight only increased the beauty of the surrounding forest, and their spirits were lifted by the sight. They weren't prepared for the sight that greeted them at the rendezvous. Shampoo was still trying to bandage up a badly wounded Mousse, who appeared to be out cold. Cologne was nearby looking at the monstrosity that nearly killed the young amazons. The other girls gasped, recognizing the thing that was contained in the basement of the building. When they got closer, it was apparent that Shampoo had been crying heavily, and she didn't get up to glomp onto Ranma. She looked up and smiled slightly.
"Nihau, Ranma. Shampoo glad to see you got everyone else out." Her voice cracked, and she turned back to bandaging Mousse.
"What happened Shampoo?" Ranma asked, stunned that she was staying by Mousse's side. Not that he minded, but he was concerned about the sheer mass of blood that covered the area. The other girls looked at the thing Mousse had killed, and shivered. It was still moving, but the scimitar in it's back prevented it from getting up. The remaining arm was trying to reach the weapon, but failing.
"I never thought I'd see one of these again." Cologne said as she pogoed over to the battle weary group. "A damned creature, formed from malice and cursed souls who died from treachery, and were never buried. We must burn the remains to prevent it from freeing itself again."
As they built a pyre around the thing, Shampoo related to the rest of the group what had happened. She burst into tears again when she told them how Mousse had taken the deathblow meant for her, and then defeated the thing.
"Shampoo no know what to do now. Shampoo must marry Ranma, but now Shampoo in debt of honor to Mousse. Great-grandmother, what Shampoo do now?" She looked pleadingly over to the ancient woman, who was calmly lighting the fire. Without turning, the shriveled leader of the Amazons spoke.
"These circumstances are dire, and I must send a letter to the rest of the council for advice in this matter. Until I get a response from them, you will continue to pursue Ranma, but be more mindful of Mousse, child. I fear the next few months will be difficult for you, but keep this in mind. Mousse has proven himself as a man today. He has killed in your defense, and that cannot be ignored. It would not be dishonorable for you to wed him." Cologne's words struck Shampoo to the core. She bent over Mousse's still form and cried. The ancient amazon turned to the rest of the group. "We depart in the morning, after the fire has gone out. This place is still dangerous, so I will watch tonight." Kuno stood and lifted his katana.
"I shall keep watch by your side, ancient one, as the great Tatewaki Kuno was not wounded during this skirmish. I would be honored if I could guard the beautiful Akane Tendo, and the lovely Feather whom I am much pleased to have made acquaintance with." The others were too tired to object to his speech, and settled in for the remainder of the night.
The morning came all too quickly for the weary group, and after insuring that the fire was out, and nothing remained of the creature, they started back down the mountain. Once on the train for Nerima, they all slept again, too weary to even talk about their individual fights. It wasn't until they were back in Nerima, with Mousse in a hospital, Shampoo at his side, and the rest trudged into the Tendo Dojo. Feather looked over the old wooden house, and the neatly kept lawn.::I'm home now, and nothing is going to change that.:: She thought cheerfully as she joined in the quickly growing victory party.