{Part 5- Help of the hardest kind.}

*thoooooooom!*

Ranma: "Wha...!?"

Shampoo: "Earthquake?"

Ranma: "No, felt more like a weak tremor...."

The sound of the impact shakes the tent Ranma and Shampoo are sitting in, taking stock of inventory. They can hear the things outside rattle, and the trees rustle. Ranma quickly gets out of the tent to see what's going on.

Ranma: "Ara?"

*crash*

Staggering back a step or two, nearly tripping on the tent flaps, Ranma tries to balance himself and the weight that just hit him full in the chest. When he regains his balance, he looks down. Akane is hanging onto him, head buried in his chest, arms draped around his body, panting with a fervor that matches Ranma's appetite when eating.

Ranma: "Oro? Akane?"

Akane doesn't answer, instead she just keeps breathing. Then she punctuates it with a sob now and then as she steadies her nerves. She loosens her grip and looks up.

Akane: *sniff* "R... R... Ranma?"

Ranma nods.

Ranma: "Yep, it's Yours Truly. What's wrong, Akane?"

Shampoo comes out of the tent, and stares at the exchange. The two don't even notice her as Akane moves her arms around Ranma's neck and takes deeper, stronger breaths. Akane doesn't seem to notice she's choking the life out of Ranma with the forcefulness of her grip.

Akane: "T...t...there's..... something out there! It's..... huge!"

Ranma: "No... wonder... the... tremor..." *gasp* "A....kane...?"

Akane opens her eyes and looks at what she's doing to Ranma. She lets go of him as soon as she realises she's turning Ranma a rather dark shade of purple, but starts to panic again as she remembers what brought her here.

Akane: "It's... that monster.... I think it took..... otosan, ojousama.... Ryoga!"

Ranma takes a few unrestricted breaths of air, then begins to look worried as Akane mentions Ryoga's name.

Ranma: <Ryoga ain't that bad! Heck, anything stronger than him oughta be hit with a nuclear weapon!> "A...."

Akane: "There's.... even more! It's..... white! Pure white.... like.... that Bake-Neko..."

Ranma: "Ne... n... neko? Cat? It's not that big cat, is it?"

Akane's mind travels back to the time Shampoo dragged the bell to the Dojo and then that giant white overgrown cat appeared. Ranma thinks back to that time too. The two of them become acutely aware of Shampoo's presence, and stare at her. She steps back and opens her palms to them.

Shampoo: "Shampoo no bring Mao Mo ling! No want to see cat bell again!"

Ranma turns back to Akane, and shakes her slightly.

Ranma: "It's not Bake-Neko, is it?"

Akane thinks to the monstrosity she saw, then grabs Ranma with a firmness he never thought possible, looking firmly into his eyes with a seriousness that brooks no argument.

Akane: "That overgrown, flea-bitten, roly-poly 'demon' is a cuddly stuffed doll cat compared to this one."

Ranma's overactive cat-oriented portion of his mind begins churning up images that are all, by his reckoning, all scary. He begins to shiver a little.

Ranma: "C....c.... I hate cats.......!"

Akane lets go of Ranma and steps back one or two paces, then looks at Shampoo. The two share an unspoken but painfully obvious look.

Akane: "Ranma, there's no time. He's coming for us. Here. Now."

Ranma begins to blank out as his eyes lose their focus, as thoughts of something THAT scary invade his head.

Akane and Shampoo facefault and begin to lose hope as Ranma begins muttering unintelligibly to himself. Shampoo prods Akane in the ribs.

Shampoo: "Shampoo think Ai Ren....... scared?"

Akane prods Shampoo back.

Akane: "That's the understatement of the century, Shampoo."

Voice: "Not really, I've heard better understatements. And I've been around much longer than you two."

Akane and Shampoo freeze at the sudden intrusion of a third voice to their conversation, then slowly turn to the source.

Akane: "Who.... are you?"

Shampoo: "Aiyah! Bat-girl come from forest!"

Sekki stares at Shampoo for a second with dot-eyes and an anime-irritated look before rubbing the cross off her head and resuming her normal features.

Sekki: "I am NOT 'Bat-Girl', as you so kindly put it, young one."

Akane and Shampoo both stare at the figure in front of them. For all that they could only dream about, Sekki has a body supermodels would kill to get, and clothing that rather resembles an over-revealing swimsuit with body stockings. A pair of feathery straps around her arms hold the top-covers together, and some sort of arm-length gloves cover her arms to taper off at her third and ring finger Obsidian black hair trails from her scalp to her waist, and a pair of long, slender black wings grace her back and a smaller pair on her head, almost indistinguishable from her hair. Akane blinks, while Shampoo just gapes. Some time goes by before Akane can speak.

Akane: "What... are you?"

Sekki: "My, your knowledge of mythical creatures is a little rusty, dearie. I'm a succubus. Name's Sekki."

Shampoo and Akane stare at each other, then to Sekki, and then to Ranma.

Akane: "Su...ccubus? Don't tell me you're one of those female demons who seduce men then.....?"

Sekki looks offended. Very offended.

Sekki: "Please. I've not lived six hundred years and learned nothing. You humans are always getting the wrong ideas about us. We've no affiliation with anyone and anything except ourselves. And I've got better taste in men than some people here."

Shampoo shrugs, and points to Ranma.

Shampoo: "Strange bat-girl come here do what?"

Sekki blinks again at Shampoo, irritation setting in a way that implies Shampoo's continued health as a blessing.

Sekki: "I would not suggest calling me that, cat-girl. I should let Kuriimu have you if you persist. I'm only here to help Handsome over there, so....."

Shampoo's turn to blink, and Akane's eyes widen. As Sekki makes her way over to Ranma, Akane calls out.

Akane: "That's the monster's name? Kuriimu?"

Sekki stops in midstride and sighs. Her shoulders slump as she replies breathlessly.

Sekki: "Yes, this time so. Now, if we're done exchanging worthless prattle, I'd like to see to it that Handsome over there doesn't get caught?"

Akane: "Then what about us....!?"

Sekki ignores Akane's question and when she reaches Ranma, she picks up his stolid form with a hand. Akane looks down. A pebble is shaking near her left foot.

Akane: "Shampoo....."

Shampoo: "Shampoo know."

The ground begins to shake ominously, then a thundering is heard. Sekki sighs, then shrugs and flaps her wings to get some lift just as Akane shouts.

Akane: "Hey! You're not going to leave us here, are you!?"

Sekki grumbles irritatedly about humans and babies, then turns around in mid-air and takes off in a gust of wind.

Akane: "Guess so...."

Akane watches as a small dust cloud appears in the distance, which begins to grow larger and faster much too quickly for comfort. She turns to see Shampoo, who is bracing herself for combat, and then skywards where there is no sign of anyone.

Akane: <That's it then..... we're done for, and Ranma....>

Akane's thoughts drift off to Ranma and all the times they've had together, good or otherwise. Mostly otherwise.

She doesn't notice the whitish form of Kuriimu stop in front of them and bear its claws, doesn't even notice Shampoo fighting it out with Kurimuu and getting claw-marks in the most painful manner until Shampoo lands in front of Akane, bleeding, a blood-soaked mess, and very unstable. Akane's focus pops back into reality when a small drop of blood splatters onto her face.

Akane: "Shampoo?"

Akane gapes at Shampoo's wounds, almost literally staring her in the face. Then she looks up to the white-furred cat-demon, and the red on its paws.

Akane: "Shampoo!"

Shampoo turns around for a second, and Akane feels her legs go weak at the bloody mess.

Shampoo: "Aiyah! Violent girl help Shampoo! Shampoo no one-amazon army!"

Akane blinks for a second at the mention of "one-amazon", then nods. The two brace for a second, then leap for Kurimuu with a concerted attack.

***

In midair, Akane watches as Kurimuu looks at them smirkingly, then watches in horror as his smooth swordlike claws morph into wickedly jagged and hooked claws.

Kurimuu sighs as he watches the two girls fly at him, feet extended, too late to stop.

Kurimuu: <Why is nothing ever easy with women? Too bad.>

With a practiced trick, Kurimu wills an illusion over his claws and swipes at the two. Not as their appearance implies, but as deadly, hoping to discourage more damage to his "prizes".

***

Watching Kurimuu from the air, Shampoo and Akane nod to each other as they both come down with their feet extended, ready to kick him into the next century. That is, ready until they see him extend his claws to the length easily matching Akane's height, and swinging at them.

Shampoo: "Twist!"

Akane nods, and tries to turn her body as Shampoo twists hers to one side. However, she's too slow.

A flash of pain. Her abdomen.

Akane: <?>

She can feel warmth spreading through her stomach. As she lands, she looks down.

Akane: <!>

Blood is gushing out from her abdomen in torrents, where a massive gash is. She looks up and sees Shampoo falling into Kuriimuu's outstretched paws, before her vision darkens and death beckons. Her last thought :

Akane: <Ranma......>

Darkness falls over her vision.

-=-=-=-=-

On the way to her hiding spot on the island with Ranma in hand, Sekki begins to have second thoughts about leaving the two girls behind. A slight buzzing in her head tells her so.

Sekki: <He did seem to care for those two. Men, hmph. So fickle.>

She tries to shake the feeling off, but is rather unsuccessful. She sighs in irritation at her own weakness. In fact, she gets an incredibly bad headache as the buzzing in her head gets worse.

Sekki: <Fine, fine, you stupid old conscience. I'll get them after I drop off Handsome here.>

***

Returning to the battle-scene minutes later, Sekki lands lightly on the ground as she observes her surroundings.

Sekki: <Those girls didn't last as long as I thought they would. A pity, Kuriimu..... hey?>

Looking down at the floor, Sekki senses blood. Freshly spilled one, at the power still throbbing from it. She follows the trail of the blood from its tiniest start to..... a whole river of it. One of the girls... it seems to Sekki that it's the short-haired one called Akane.

Sekki: <She's a mess, all right. But she's got potential....>

Lying face up, Akane's empty eyes stare into the sky, unseeing. Blood soaks her entire dress and blouse, turning it a blackish crimson. Sekki walks over to the girl, and kneels over.

Sekki: "Just killed? Ah.... good. This'll be easy then."

***

Light.....and Darkness? Light or Darkness? Nevermind.... I feel so free. Ah, darkness, then light, I see. Where am I? A tunnel? Let me look above. A light beckons.... cool. What's beneath my feet?

What?

Wait a minute, I'm here.

Then..... what am I doing there too?

Hold on.

That can't be me! I'm feeling.... so alive!

Am I? I feel so.... weightless. No. I'm floating. Not dead. Can't be. Oooh, the light wants me.... I feel so tired.... just go there, maybe I can rest....?

No! Ranma! Where is he?

I was supposed to.... what? What was I supposed to do? Find him.... yes, someone took him. But.... so tired. Ah, maybe just a short while.... so warm, fuzzy. *giggle*

No.... something else is calling. Why am I seeing myself down there? Hold on. I've got to be dead. I remember a nasty gash somewhere. Oh, silly me. I didn't see that big....gaping.... hole.... in.... my stomach...

Oh, yechs, I
AM dead.

Huh?

Yikes! What's........happening....!???????????

***

Darkness now, no light.... and damn, one hell of a headache. Ouch. I feel so heavy, I've GOT to go on a diet. Wait a minute..... wasn't I.... dead? Dead? Huh? What a lovely voice.... mother?

Voice: "It's alright, Akane. You're safe now. Sleep. Heal. I'll wake you when you need to."

Right..... mama's always right. And I feel so sick.... she'll make it all go away.

-=-=-=-=-

When Ranma wakes up, he does so with one hell of a headache and a sense of extreme vertigo.

Ranma: <Uh, man! What happened?>

Voice: "Glad you're awake."

Ranma: "Huh?"

Ranma looks around, and realizes that it's dark. Very dark. He hears a slight chuckle, feminine but also knowing.

Voice: "Not used to the darkness I see? And.... what about your sense of height?"

Ranma: "Could be better. Who are you?"

Voice: "My, all ready for introductions already? Well then, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Sekki."

Ranma: "Right. Sekki. I'm Ranma Saotome. Heir to the...."

Sekki's Voice: *zzzzzzzzz....snort.....*

Ranma: "Hmph."

Sekki's Voice: *chuckle* "I don't need to know all that. Well then, I gues I shouldn't keep you in the dark anymore. Please, ignore the bad joke."

Ranma: "Gladly."

A flutter of wings, a gust of wind and a major dustcloud. When Ranma opens his eyes after the last of the irritating particles are gone, he nearly loses it. And his lunch.

Ranma: "WHOA!"

He's standing on top of a cave. A very large cave. And he's not just on top as in on a catwalk, he's standing on the roof! He hears the same chuckle again, and this time he can see who's making it. Raven-haired, killer-body.... the only thing Ranma can't understand are the bat wings.

Sekki: "Goodness, you humans are all alike. Beings who look like you, you expect to be like you. Typical. Several centuries haven't changed you bunch at all."

Ranma: "Oh?"

Floating in front of him upright, Sekki laughs and tugs at his pigtail.

Sekki: "Not exactly, but enough."

Ranma: "Ouch! Hey, watch it! I treasure my hair!"

Sekki: "Ah, some good sense at last."

Just then, enough blood reaches Ranma's brain to make him remember something.

Ranma: "Say... er, Sekki? Where's Akane and Shampoo? Where am I?"

Sekki laughs again, but Ranma can't care for soft but strong laughs now.

Sekki: "My, so concerned for them? Well, for one thing, you're in my..... holiday hideaway. I'm holding you up with a spell, so please, feel free not to be offended."

Ranma blinks, then looks "up" and sees the floor far, far beneath. He swallows, and watches as a drop of sweat trickle off his pigtail. He loses sight of it before it hits the floor. Sekki continues.

Sekki: "And as for your female friends, I knew there was something about you I liked. Well now, I'd say my old cat friend Kuriimu's got them both."

Ranma: "WHAT!?"

Sekki struggles to keep her place in the air as the force of Ranma's scream blows an unusually strong wind through the cave. She sighs, and straightens her hair with a thought.

Sekki: "Fine, fine. You men. Never satisfied, always wanting more than you can chew. Hmph. If you care so much for them, the most I can do is give you something."

Ranma: "What's that?"

Sekki waggles a finger in front of Ranma's face.

Sekki: "Now, now, you don't think I'm going to give it for free, did you?"

Ranma: <God, she sounds just like Nabiki!> "Oh, name your price already!"

Sekki gives him a look that would make Nabiki look innocent when squeezing Kuno dry. Ranma swallows, a little harder than usual when your muscles are working against gravity, instantly regretting the sentence the second it came out.

Sekki: "Here's what....."

-=-=-=-=-

Pain...... lots of it. Ouch, head hurts. Whole body hurts.... head throbbing more. Can still move legs, arms, flex fingers. That's good. Oh, ouch! Maybe not all my fingers. Where am I?

Shampoo opens her eyes, feeling caked blood crack and fall off her face as she looks up. She ends up staring straight into Mousse's face. He opens his arms wide to embrace her in relief, jabbering at the same time.

Mousse: "Shampoo! I'm so glad you're alright! Oh, how I missed you! I thought you were done for when that giant white cat demon dragged you in here bleeding like a...."

*doof*

Shampoo: "Shampoo alright, no need blind-boy's concern."

Turning her head (Damn, what a HEADACHE!), Shampoo spots the rest of the group there with her, all of them either looking out to the distance or just sitting there forlornly. Looking around, she spots her great-grandmother looking out.... through some stone columns. A prison? Seems so. All around them are those giant stone columns, trapping them in. The smell is horrible, and Shampoo can see several towering demons of all sizes patrolling this place.
The floor beneath them is, at least, covered in fresh straw. One concession. They seem to be in the middle of the cavern, because Shampoo can see an opening at either side of her prison chamber.

Shampoo: "Aiyah! Oh-ba-ba!"

Cologne turns around, several claw marks marking her face clearly. Shampoo sucks in her breath, then crawls, painfully, over to the old matron.

Cologne: "You're awake, great-granddaughter? I was afraid you'd be out much, much longer."

Shampoo: "Is all right, Shampoo no badly hurt."

Cologne: "I see. Well then, shall we discuss how we got here? Everyone?"

Slowly, the whole group of "prisoners" start to make their way towards Cologne. Shampoo looks out the spaces in the limestone columns and spots a really huge, really green, damned ugly, tiger-skin-loinclothed ogre with a stub sticking out its forehead looking back at her. She nearly retches when the ugly oni gives her a toothy smile with teeth a dentist would have nightmares even thinking about dealing with.

Shampoo: <Shampoo sick.>

But in an incredible feat of not throwing up, Shampoo listens in on the "conference".

Cologne: "Well then, it seems most of us here but Akane and Great-Grandson in law are accounted for. I don't want to know what happened to the rest...."

Soun looks around worriedly. Everyone has a notion in their head.

Soun: "Then..... are they safe?"

Shampoo looks at Soun sadly, and he notices. She calls up several memories before she blacked out. The rest of the group notices that Soun is looking at Shampoo for an answer. They begin to look at her too. Shampoo looks back at them, then sighs and nods sadly.

Shampoo: "Shampoo... know what happen to Ai Ren and Viol...no, brave Akane. Ai Ren.... carried off by bat-lady. Brave Akane.... die. Bastard demon cat cut stomach open!"

Nabiki and Soun go blank faced for a second while the rest of them all hang their heads low in silent respect. Soun recovers first, then leans over to Shampoo.

Soun: "A....A...Akane's..... dead?"

Shampoo nods sadly.

Shampoo: "But brave Akane die fighting. Best death for warrior."

Soun has to be silenced by a passing demon as he starts cursing and swearing and slamming against the stone bars of his prison with all his might, all the while streaming tears in an unending stream.

As Soun lies unconscious on the straw-covered floor, still crying, everyone looks around sadly. Even Nabiki, whose stone face is beginning to show signs of cracking.

Cologne tries to change the subject though, to get their minds off mourning.

Cologne: "But now.... we're surrounded by all sorts of demons and oni, we must find a way to escape from these red and green and multicoloured things."

Ukyo picks up the idea and tries to lighten the mood.

Ukyo: "Yes, sugar. Hm.... I wonder how many of them are green with envy though?"

Everyone: "Huh?"

Ukyo: "Look at Happosai. HE'S the only one not cooped up in here!"

Everyone looks. Sounds of laughing and soft thudding are heard, and clambering on top of one another, the entire group looking at a spot they never noticed before. Happosai is there, happily drinking with another oni, this one red in colour and with a belly even the Fat Guy from the Seven Lucky Gods would envy. Everyone gapes for a second, then shrugs.

Cologne: "He's that perverted and evil. Not surprising. Now, shall we....?"

Everyone nods and mumbles. They crawl back to the center of the "prison". Cologne points to Nabiki with her staff, and nods. Nabiki looks at Cologne with a stolid face, but her eyes betray everything.

Cologne: "Well then, you seemed to be the first one here. Let's hear your story...."

Nabiki: "Fine."

***

Several hours later, as Cologne is finishing her own version of the story, the ground begins to tremble. All the demons suddenly turn their heads towards the source and wait, looking as reverent as possible for something with the looks of a pile of dung on its best day.

Kuriimu: "Hello, my darling."

The giant white cat-demon comes stalking out of one of the tunnels leading in and out of this "prison" area, on all fours, its back barely clearing the already towering cavern-entrance. Getting up onto two feet, the demon cat walks towards the prison, eyes staring at Shampoo. She stares defiantly back.

Shampoo: "What ugly white bastard furrball want with Shampoo?"

The cat-demon chuckles a little, sounding a little like a tiger with a sore throat.

Kuriimu: "My, what descriptive language. I must thank you for that description, dear. And..... as for your future, I'd like you to be my bride. Of course, no parental consent needed, riiiiiiiiight?"

Shampoo blinks. Everyone looks at her. Shampoo moans pathetically.

Shampoo: "Why every man want Shampoo, like Shampoo, want to marry Shampoo? Why every man but Ranma?"

Everyone starts murmuring and nodding, even the demons in the room. A look from the big white cat ends that, and he purrs again.

Kuriimu: "Well then, too bad.... I would've taken the other girl for my bride, but she didn't make it. Ah well, I have time... I can make you mine slowly."

-=-=-=-=-

Ah... sleep. So warm.... cozy. I wish I never had to wake up.

Hm? Who's this? Someone's calling me. Mother?

No..... I'm mistaken. Wait. She sounds familiar. Not mother, someone who gave me life though.

What are you?

Huh? What am I?! What did you do?

Ranma? He's here? Ah, but you-

What...? Repeat that....?

You made me WHAT!?

Yes.... I'll follow your advice.... I'll listen. Now? Ok......

My father's in danger, everyone I love is in danger, what's this sacrifice compared to that?

Forever.... maybe. But.... if they can live, I'm willing to do so.

***

Sekki wipes her mouth, licks, and smiles slyly.

Sekki: "I think that is enough, don't you?"

Ranma blinks once, then shakes himself out of his stupor and sits up. (On the floor, thank goodness.) He squats in front of Sekki, unconsciously fiddling with his shirt's cloth button, ignoring the massive ache in his neck.

Ranma: "Fine, whatever. Now that I'm done with my side of the bargain, what about you?"

Sekki pouts, resting her chin in her palm as she lies on the floor.

Sekki: "You're no fun, Ranma. Can't it wait. hmmm.....?"

Ranma shakes his head firmly.

Ranma: "No, it can't. Somewhere out there, my friends and family are suffering, and all you can think about is...."

As Ranma grows more agitated with Sekki's attempts at delaying him, he raises his voice. Sekki looks worriedly at the ceiling as the bats begin to fidget. Finally, she puts a finger over his mouth and 'shhs'.

Sekki: "Shhh! Not so loud! Oh, all right. I'll give you my end of the bargain. Help enough to get your friends out, but only because you're such a good....... well, you know." <And score one for the guys, finally. He's actually got some sense in him!>

She gives him one last sly smile before floating up to the ceiling. She grabs at something invisible and pulls.

Sekki: "There. Your.... help."