"This is outrageous! Avatar, what is the meaning of this?! I will be submitting a complaint!" shouted the pompous male voice from somewhere outside.
"Shut up and die, demon!" cried a female voice from the same direction, accompanied by the sound of metal striking … crystal?
Ranma sighed, placed a marker in his book before setting it down on the living room table, and stood up. "Guess I need to see what's going on. Alquia," he said, the elvish word triggering a flare of magic that condensed water from the air to trigger his curse. "I'm a guy," she added flatly, transforming into the Avatar of Light as she walked outside.
"This is unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" cried a slightly overweight man with a pair of short black horns protruding from his forehead. He appeared to be in his late twenties; his skin was pale, his hair tied into a very short ponytail, and his goatee was impeccably groomed. His slacks and dress shirt were both black silk, and his black boots looked very expensive. Ranma couldn't help but think that he looked rather over-groomed, a man trying too hard to make sure he looked just right, unlike the relaxed charm and casual good looks Henri had had. She hurriedly shoved those thoughts aside and watched as the man swung his dark crystal dagger, barely deflecting his opponent's gleaming silver sword as he gave ground. His attacker was a woman who looked to be several years younger, tall and fair with golden hair and hazel eyes. She wore a dark brown leather tunic that bore short metal studs and was partially concealed by a green jacket, thick black leather breeches, and gloves and boots that appeared to be made of a softer brown leather.
"What's going on out here?" Ranma demanded.
"Avatar! How dare you set your minion on me in this underhanded and cowardly assault! Call off your attack dog at once!"
"Avatar!" the woman cheerfully called, "I found this demon skulking outside your home! It won't take much longer to deal with it," she called as her sword scored a red line along her opponent's hand, eliciting a yelp.
"I was not skulking! I am a challenger!" the demon exclaimed with indignation, "Avatar, I demand you put a stop to this! You can't let challengers be ambushed when they approach you!"
"Yeah… I've never seen either of you before in my life; she has nothing to do with me."
"As I said, I am a challenger. You have an obligation to make sure I'm safe during my visit!"
"But you haven't challenged me yet," Ranma said as the woman eased her attacks slightly to listen to the conversation. "I'm not going to step into your ongoing fights just because you want to challenge me, you know. You have to resolve your issues before you can make a challenge; this is none of my business."
"None of your business?! I was attacked on your lawn!!!"
"I suppose you have a point," she allowed before her voice hardened. "Both of you, get the hell off my property."
"What?!" screeched the demon. "You're just going to let this ruffian attack your challengers?"
"No," said Ranma, before addressing the woman. "Don't attack demons around here after this one unless they're actively causing trouble."
"What do you mean, after this one?!"
"Protecting you from her before you challenged me would set a bad precedent. Also, I don't want to. Now, are you going to leave or do I need to call Velgri?"
The demon nervously licked his lips and glanced at his opponent, who smiled cheerfully at him and stepped back a few feet, gesturing at the street with her free hand. Muttering, he walked off the property, the woman happily following him.
"Hey, there's a lot a couple of blocks over where you can fight without getting run over," Ranma called as she followed them to the sidewalk. "Or you can use the challenge area, if you want someplace bigger."
"The lot's fine," the woman replied, "this shouldn't take long at all."
When the demon's only response was to grumble while his eyes darted around, clearly searching for escape routes, Ranma asked, "Hey, what makes you think you're going to have any chance in a challenge if you can't handle some random person you run across?"
"My powers are optimized to counter you, Avatar, not random riff raff," he huffed as they walked to the vacant lot.
"Oh, well good luck with that. You can challenge me if you survive, Mr. One Trick Pony."
"My name is Morion, not One Trick Pony!" shouted the demon as smokey darkness swirled around him.
"Die, Morion!" cried the woman as she launched herself at him in a flurry of thrusts and short swings of her silver sword.
For several seconds, Morion could do nothing more than desperately dodge and parry with his dark crystal dagger as he gave ground. The moment there was a pause in his opponent's attacks, he lunged forward, lightning fast, and struck, his dagger dripping a seething black miasma. With casual ease, the woman deflected the dagger to the side and plunged her sword into his chest. Morion's weapon slipped from his hand, and a moment later, he followed it to the ground before dissolving into black smoke.
"Very nice," Ranma said with a nod. "So, considering you knew where I live, I'm guessing you're here to see me."
"That's right," the woman said, as she lowered her sword to her side and focused her gaze on the Avatar. "Hello, my name is Branwen Bullseye, you killed my brother." As Ranma's expression tightened and she shifted slightly into a more combat ready stance, the woman beamed and exclaimed, "Thank you!"
"Er, what?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, I guess I did come across rather Inigo Montoya there," she laughed. "My brother was the worst sort of scum," she said, her mood darkening, "and if I were permitted to kill him myself, I would have done it years ago."
"Why couldn't you? I mean, besides, you know, the law."
"Mother said I wasn't allowed to unless he attacked me first."
"Okaaay," Ranma said slowly. "You're … welcome?"
Branwen smiled and nodded, then clapped her hand together and eagerly asked, "So, would you like to search out and destroy evil together?"
Ranma sighed and massaged her forehead. "Let's talk inside…"
oOo
"Would you like some tea?" the Avatar of Light asked as she led her guest into the house.
"Yes, please."
"Oh, I'll get it," Kasumi said as she walked to the kitchen, "you should entertain your guest."
"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma said as she walked into the living room and sat at the table with Branwen, glancing at the shougi table where Genma and Soun were playing against, and judging by their frowns and looks of intense concentration, once again losing to, Velgri. After a moment, the lavender fox excused herself and joined the two women.
"Velgri," said Ranma, "this is Branwen Bullseye. Branwen, this is Velgri, my advisor."
"Good day, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"You, as well, Velgri."
"Right," said Ranma, "first things first, Branwen, you should be thanking Velgri for taking care of Brandon. He came here while I was out and instead of coming back or leaving his contact info, he tried to kill one of the people who lives here."
"Oh! Thank you very much, Velgri, the world is a much better place without him. I knew he'd come here to challenge the Avatar and died. I just assumed she had killed him. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble."
"None whatsoever."
"Good," Branwen said, dark satisfaction in her voice.
"As for going out and looking for evil," Ranma started to say before stopping as Kasumi arrived bearing tea and small pastries. Once everyone had been served and thanked her, Ranma continued, "It'd be great, but my position requires me to only accept official challenges. Unless I run into something, of course, but I'm not supposed to go out and actively look for trouble."
"Oh," said Branwen, somewhat taken aback, "that seems odd. No offense intended."
"It is understandable that it would seem strange to you," Velgri replied, "but the entire purpose of the Avatar of Light is to accept challenges from the forces of Darkness. Neither side begrudges her the use of her powers if she finds herself in desperate situations, but deliberately using the position for personal causes, especially against Dark beings who have not challenged her, is not something we permit. Consider it akin to not allowing police officers to go around wearing their uniforms and fighting crime on their own time."
"Ah, it still seems a bit strange, but I suppose I can understand the reasoning. I'm saddened that I won't be able to fight side by side with the Avatar of Light, though."
"I guess if you ever need help, I can do it as myself," Ranma said as she released her transformation and assumed her normal form.
"What are you doing, b—girl?!" demanded Genma. "You can't just go around telling everyone you're a magical girl! Think of your reputation!"
"She already knew where I live, old man," Ranma said, rolling her eyes. "It wouldn't have been hard to figure out who I am."
"Thank you for your trust in me," Branwen said, bowing her head. "It's true I likely could have discovered your identity if I chose, but I would not have tried, and I appreciate your offer of aid if I'm ever in need."
"No problem."
After another fifteen minutes of small talk and enjoyment of the excellent refreshments, Branwen made her farewells and left.
"Let's spar, boy, it's been too long since I've put you through your paces," Genma said as he rose from the shougi board, "I don't want you getting soft."
"Getting soft? You do realize I have a fight to death every couple of weeks or so, right?" she asked, as she stood up and stretched.
"All the more reason not to get soft," he replied grimly as the two of them went to the back yard, now in a much more sober mood that was reflected in the tone of their sparring.
"You still have a long way to go, boy," Genma declared a few hours later, "but not bad, not bad at all."
"Thanks," Ranma said, wiping her brow with a towel. "It's been a while since you've actually given tips and made suggestions. It reminded me of when we were on the road years ago. It was nice."
"The best way to learn is by doing," Genma stated as he wiped his bald head and replaced the bandana that had been covering it with a clean one. "When you realize that something works better by doing it differently, you understand why it does and remember the moment of discovery. If I tell you it works better a certain way, it's just something more to remember."
"Why the change today, then?"
"Like you said, you have challenges every couple of weeks, give or take. Learning something in a better way a month from now won't help you if you end up needing that knowledge tomorrow. I stopped giving you instructions when I felt you were skilled enough to improve solely through experience, boy. Now, I'm hoping you've grown enough as a martial artist to understand the tips I've given you to get nearly as much benefit."
Ranma nodded shortly. "I'll make sure I do."
"Good," Genma replied as he turned and walked into the house.
Deep in thought, Ranma entered the dojo and once again gazed upon the wall scroll and its calligraphy: iroha—fundamentals. That's what it all came down to, understanding the principles of the art so well that you can refine your every technique, every movement, to be a perfect expression of it. That's what the old man wanted her to achieve, and—
"Ranma," Nabiki's voice sounded in her head, "You need to come to the convention center downtown."
"Nabiki? Why, what's wrong?" she sent back through the link created by the card she'd given Nabiki as she quickly left the dojo.
"There's an Avatar of Light cosplay contest at the anime con."
Ranma stopped. "I don't care how good the prize is, I'm not entering. I gave you that card for emergencies only, you know."
"Suit yourself, but some of the cosplayers are very convincing, and I figured you might want to put a stop to this before one of them runs into the next Brandon Bullseye."
"Crap." Ranma started moving again.
oOo
"Excuse me, which way is—"
"Room 8B, down the second hall to the right." The girl at the information booth paused. "Uh, unless you're actually asking where the toilet is. I mean, I just assumed you're here for the Avatar of Light cosplay…"
"I am, thanks," Ranma said and turned to go the indicated way.
"I really love your outfit!" the girl called.
"Thanks," Ranma replied, a bit unenthusiastically, before going to room 8B where she found about a dozen other Avatars, some of them looking very authentic.
"Ooh, you look great! That's definitely one of the best!" an Avatar gushed as everyone turned to assess the newcomer.
"Thanks… Uh, you look very good too. Say, who's in charge here?"
"I am," replied a girl dressed in a white blouse and blue skirt as she picked a clipboard up from a table and walked over. "Please put your name on the sign-in sheet."
"Yeah, about that… actually, I'd like you to call this thing off. Well, I guess it's fine for you to pick the winners first, but this really isn't a good idea and I'd like you to stop."
"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but who are you to tell us…" The girl trailed off as a golden aura formed around Ranma and gasps, exclamations, and furious whispers rose from the cosplayers filled the room.
"Look, it's really flattering, and everyone here has done a great job," Ranma said, pausing as her gaze fell upon a girl with spiky blond hair wearing a blue shirt and trousers and bearing an enormous sword on her back. "Uh…"
"Oh, I'm just here with my brother," the girl chirped as she indicated an Avatar whom Ranma could have mistaken for her own reflection if there were a pane of glass between them.
"Right…" Ranma said, ignoring the gushing of a couple of the Avatars near the brother and their asking if he was at all into lolita fashion. "Like I said, you all look great, but that's part of the problem—dressing like me isn't safe. Look, I'm not saying people are constantly trying to kill me, but I have been attacked by some lunatic once already, and I don't want another to mistake one of you for the real thing."
There was a long moment of silence as the girls, and at least one boy, took that in and processed that the actual Avatar of Light was there in front of them before the organizer spoke up. "We appreciate your concern, miss, and that you actually came here because you were worried, but that seems really unlikely, doesn't it? I mean, I don't think anyone plans to go around in costume except at events like this."
Ranma shook her head. "I've seen way less likely things happen a bunch of times, and aside from that? That lunatic I mentioned, he tried to kill someone just to send a message to me, and it would send one hell of a message to attack a room full of people dressed as me."
"Uh, is that lunatic still out there?" one Avatar asked as a number of others started to look nervous.
"No, he's dead."
"Ah," said the organizer as a number of the Avatars paled at that flat declaration. "In that case, please accept my thanks again for coming to warn us and rest assured that this will be the last Avatar of Light cosplay event I run. I'll be sure to let other people in the community know, as well." She thought for a moment. "If someone does an event anyway, I recommend not making an appearance; it could encourage people to keep having them just to meet you."
"Thanks, and that's a good idea," Ranma said, giving a wave and turning to the door.
"Actually, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be greatly honored if you'd judge this first and only contest—since you're here already, that is. And if you'd be willing to give autographs and pose for pictures… Only if you want, of course! It's just that it's so incredible that you're actually here!"
"Uh, okay… So, if everyone would just… Actually, I'll let you handle that. It's your show, I'll just judge."
"Thank you," the organizer said, flashing her a brilliant smile. "My name is Shinobu Tanaka." This immediately prompted everyone else in the room to introduce themselves to the Avatar of Light.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
With that, Shinobu took a few minutes to organize and instruct the other Avatars. "Ok, I think we're ready now. Thank you for waiting. If the first—hello, can I help you?"
"Oh good, I didn't miss it," Nabiki said as she walked into the room. "I was hoping to get some pictures," she added, holding up the SLR camera that hung from a strap around her neck.
"Of course!" Shinobu exclaimed, "And if you wouldn't mind making the prints available to everyone here, that would be wonderful."
"Not at all, and my rates are quite reasonable; we can exchange contact information after the event. And who's this Avatar standing apart from the others? Is she the third place winner?" Nabiki asked, prompting titters and awkward coughs from the people in the room.
"Oh, not at all," Shinobu smoothly replied, "she's actually not competing because she's a professional and this is an amateur contest. She's the judge."
"That makes sense," Nabiki remarked, flashing a smile at Ranma and getting a flat look in return. "Well, I'm sure your time is valuable, then, so please ignore me and carry on."
oOo
"Just how many pictures did you take there?" Ranma grumpily asked as they walked through the convention after the contest had finally finished and he'd snuck off to detransform and get some hot water.
"Four rolls. Everyone wanted a shot of themselves with the judge for some reason."
"Funny. Did you really call me because you were worried about them or was this just an excuse to sell pictures?"
"Can't it be both?" Nabiki asked, fluttering her eyelashes before shrugging. "Honestly, it was mostly because I knew it'd worry you and you'd feel guilty if anything happened, but why not make some money while making some cosplayers very happy by giving them photos of a once in a lifetime experience."
"Yeah, okay, I guess. Thanks for calling me."
"You're welcome. Let's get something to drink, it was a bit warm in there."
A few minutes later, they were sipping drinks and sitting at a table they had managed to claim by virtue of Ranma leaping across the room to grab it just as the previous occupants got up.
"I should have known you'd stick me with the bill…"
"You really should have," Nabiki agreed.
"Why were you here, anyway? This doesn't really seem like your kind of thing."
"It's not. I just felt the need to get out of the house this morning, and some friends were coming here. They left around the time I found the contest."
"I guess it's lucky that you did." He frowned and looked around. "These places are too crowded and noisy."
"I can't believe the box set was sold out!" a boy wailed from the crowd.
"I will call you Antoinette!" a girl cried somewhere nearby, prompting Nabiki to place a hand protectively on her camera.
"Did you really have to buy a full set of every series they had, Shari?"
"Are you kidding? It's not like they have any of these back home, Tetsu!"
"Excuse me, could you tell me which way it is to Tokumasu Station?"
"Tokuma—?! We're in Nerima, buddy!"
"Let's get the hell out of here," Ranma suggested.
oOo
"Are you sure you don't want any of your brother's stuff?" Branwen's cousin Fujiko called out as the woman in question walked past Brandon's bedroom. "There's a whole case of tiny anti-personnel mines with remote arming capability here—you could take out an entire crowd with these!"
"Thank you, but I have no interest in such … diversions," Branwen replied, an expression of disgust twisting her face as she walked on, ignoring her cousin's muttered comment of "Stuck up bitch." Once outside, she checked her equipment then headed off to her hunting grounds for the evening. It was a shame the Avatar was prohibited from joining her; Branwen would have loved to have some company in her self-appointed duty. In the face of the rest of her family's violent and depraved inclinations, she usually felt like a lone light in the darkness. As her hand caressed the hilt of her sword, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she had to admit that she, herself, had violent tendencies, but there was a world of difference in how she acted on them.
Branwen walked along the trail leading down to the gulley she was planning to investigate. It was times like this that she envied the magical girls and martial artists who could have just jumped down—and even back up—but it was a fact of life that everyone had their own particular gifts and weaknesses. Walking past the scattered brush and the various trash people had dumped, she cautiously headed toward the bridge ahead; the recent rash of missing pet posters combined with the unusual lack of homeless people in the area hinted at something dangerous and hungry having moved in. As she passed a safe missing its door, the hints were confirmed by the sight of a troll of some sort chewing on an abandoned shopping cart. She crept forward, stepping quietly and taking advantage of what cover there was, managing to get within fifteen feet of the beast before it raised its head and sniffed the air, prompting her to draw her sword and advance openly.
With an angry roar, the troll hurled the battered shopping cart at her, missing by a wide margin as she easily sidestepped the less than aerodynamic projectile. In a blur of motion, the troll itself followed the cart, the slash of its right claws missing as Branwen pivoted and deflected the attack with her silver blade, her movement placing her out of easy reach of the creature's other arm and threatening its exposed side. Rather than taking the opportunity to land a light thrust to the side, she adjusted her sword's position slightly, and when the troll reacted to the danger by spinning back around with a wicked backswing, she swung her blade in a vertical arc to meet and smoothly slice through its arm, sending the severed limb flying. The beast stared in shock at its suddenly much shorter arm, until another flash of the silver blade sent its head to join the arm on the ground.
The troll dead, Branwen began exploring the area under the bridge, making sure another monster didn't lurk nearby before sheathing her sword. She discovered a number of small bones and a couple of dog collars but thankfully no human remains. Nodding in satisfaction, she walked on, exploring the rest of the gully, just in case something else foul was hiding within. As she reached the far end, where it gave way to a wooded slope, she frowned and rested her hand on her sword's hilt, feeling something's attention on her. She warily looked around, and her gaze fell upon a black bird perched on the lowest branch of a nearby tree. For a long moment, she silently watched the bird as it watched her. Then the crow spoke.
oOo
Pretty Special stood in the large dirt bowl where she came to practice her powers and focused as she took a deep breath. She held it for a moment, then released it as she raised her hands, and for the next few seconds, the area before her was awash with streams of lightning.
"Not bad… a little stronger than before, I think," she mused before setting off at a jog, firing threads of energy mixed with an occasional more powerful orb at various targets as she ran. After several minutes, she came to a stop and nodded. "Definitely stronger. Now, let's see what kind of difference strengthening the connection to my power makes."
She took a moment to make sure she was still alone and unobserved, then sank into meditation. A few seconds later, she frowned. She could feel the power within her, but there was less of it than she'd felt during her lesson with Ranma. Thinking that maybe her connection to the power's source had faded since then, she focused on tracing it back to its origin. The result was only more confusion as instead of springing from everything around her, the warm, comforting power inside her just seemed to come from somewhere that she couldn't identify. Spending some time focusing on her connection to this mysterious place did seem to increase the amount of power within her somewhat, but it still wasn't close to what it had been.
Nabiki sighed and opened her eyes. There was clearly some factor that was affecting her power and its connection to the source, but she had no idea what it was. There were some avenues to explore, though: time, location, proximity, and state of mind. Scanning the area again to make sure she was unobserved, she reverted to her normal form and started walking home, deep in thought. After a few minutes, she paused and reached for the power within her, comparing it to what it had been in her training spot. No change, so if the difference was based on location, it wasn't so sensit—wait, no change?
Nabiki glanced around, then pointed a finger at a puddle beside the path she was on. An icy blue thread of energy stuck the water and froze it solid. For a long moment, she just stared at the ice before resuming her walk. "Well, now…"
"So, you say you want to help me in my fight against evil," Branwen said to the crow from the large rock upon which she was sitting.
"Yes," the crow replied from the branch, "I've been watching you for a while, and you're really quite impressive. Your determination, cunning, skill, and dedication to your cause are all exceptionally strong."
"Huh." She adjusted the hilt of her sword slightly. "What sort of help are you offering? Reconnaissance? Counsel?"
"Well, I certainly bring intelligence to the table in every sense of the word," the crow said, a gleam of amusement in his beady eye, "but I also offer empowerment."
"Empowerment?"
"Oh, yes. Sadly, I'm limited in what I can do on my own, but I've found I have the ability to grant strength to a bonded partner. Given the choice, I'd rather help a worthy person do great things than remain the master of my own insignificant fate."
Bronwen nodded in understanding. "What exactly do you mean by bonded?"
"By giving up my physical form, I can instead appear as two dimensional representation on my partner's clothing, or skin, if necessary. The bond isn't permanent, though if maintained long enough, there can be repercussions from breaking it."
She hmmed. "Tell me more about this strength you grant and the consequences of breaking the bond."
"It's essentially an enhancement of physical and magical ability—you'd be faster, stronger, and more durable, but magical gifts vary from person to person. As for breaking the bond, I'd say anything up to a few weeks would cause nothing more than a sense of malaise; a few months would probably knock you out but cause no lasting harm; a few years would probably cause a week of infirmity; with longer times increasing the length and intensity until after fifteen or so years, breaking the bond simply results in death. All would be also accompanied by the lack of the enhancements you've no doubt become accustomed to, though that would hardly matter in the last case."
"Would these consequences fall on both of us?"
"Oh, not at all. I'll be fine in any case."
"How fortunate for you."
"Indeed, and I'd hardly be here to offer my aid to you if it were otherwise."
"You've had other partners, then?"
"A few over the years."
"I'd like to hear about your previous partners, if you don't mind."
"Certainly. The first was a lot like you in many ways. She was a mighty warrior, who clad in her radiant armor, fought tirelessly against the forces of darkness with her fiery sword. I couldn't offer her much in the way of empowerment as she had already received power from another source, but I like to believe my counsel and sharp eyes helped her excel more than she would have otherwise. Eventually, she fell in battle and I was left on my own.
"The most recent was a girl from a society where the strong rule over the weak. She started with nothing in the way of resources or support, but she had intelligence, cunning, and a fierce determination to claw her way to a position of power and independence. How could I leave her on her own and let that spark be extinguished by the power and greed of those born into more fortunate circumstances? I know, she was very different from both her predecessor and you, but in her environment, becoming a hero was never an option."
"Did she attain her goals?"
"She was well on her way to them, but eventually she found herself obstructing the plans of a being both powerful and sly. There was no malice involved, and I don't think she even realized she was in danger to the very end. Please forgive me, but I'd rather not speak more of it; it was quite recent."
"My apologies. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Much appreciated. Do you have further questions?"
"Yes. Why me? I know you said you were impressed, but surely there must be better choices."
"Not really. Oh, there may be some out there who, all things being equal, would be just as good a choice, but a number of them have already been granted powers and would receive minimal benefit from myself. The Avatar of Light, whom you recently visited, would fall into that group, for example. Then there are those who have the character traits and qualities I prize but use them in a way that wouldn't benefit much from physical empowerment. A champion in the field of law or politics, for instance, could certainly benefit from my counsel but wouldn't make much use of the physical benefits. In addition to that, there's your family."
"My family?"
"Oh yes. They've always been very impressive and I've been following their deeds for a long time. I haven't bonded with any of your ancestors, but I have, from time to time, given them advice that I believe helped them rise to prominence and thrive. Just on your own, you're my first choice, but I'm very excited about the prospect of partnering with a member of your family."
"Ah. I see," Branwen said flatly, lowering her head slightly to gaze listlessly at her boot.
The bird cocked his head and peered at her for a moment before saying slowly, "I am, of course, referring to the Rambeau family, to which you are descended through your maternal grandmother."
Branwen's head jerked upwards sharply and she stared at the crow. "What?"
"Oh yes, they were quite famous in Europe for their fight against evil in all its forms. It was disappointing to see one of its few remaining members marry into the Bullseye family; seeing the old blood resurface in you was quite the relief. And if I'm not mistaken, that sword you bear is a minor treasure of the family."
"It is," breathed Bronwen, stroking the hilt as she stared into space, looking at something only she could see.
"Well, I'm glad to see it being put to good use."
"Thank you," she said softly. After a moment, she focused her gaze back on the crow. "Tell me what we need to do to form a bond."
"I simply land on your shoulder and we both will it to form."
"Let's do it." Branwen paused. "Though I think I should actually know your name before we proceed."
"I've never felt a need for one."
"I could give you one. If you like…"
"No, thank you. I'm happy as I am."
"Very well. Shall we?"
The crow flew from the branch and landed on his new partner's shoulder.
oOo
Nabiki got out of bed, stretched, and touched the power flowing within her. After a moment's thought, she picked up the journal on her nightstand and made a note. Once she'd gotten ready for the day and had breakfast, she went to the dojo, felt her power, and made another note. Throughout the day, every two hours, and every time she moved to a different location, she recorded her power's strength. When she went to bed for the night, she made a final note and sighed at the column of identical results. The next day, she adjusted her testing schedule to get different times and checked her power when around different people and in different moods. The day after that, she decided it was time to be proactive.
"You should do an Avatar training session."
"What?" Ranma asked, a glass of water half raised to his lips. "Since when do you care about when I need to train? You're not selling those videos, are you? I told you I don't want those getting out!"
"Not at all. I just realized it's been a while since you did one, and I actually enjoy recording them. Oh, and I suppose they make it less likely that you'll die and take all of us with you too."
Ranma eyed her suspiciously for a long moment. "I suppose I could do one today. And it's not like I don't train; I just don't always make a special trip to someplace I can cut loose. But no funny business. The last thing I need is something like another obsessed Kunou stalking me because they 'just happened to see' a video."
"Of course. It's in my own best interest to make sure you're successful in your magical girl duties. That reminds me, we should probably do another formal outing, maybe something other than a meal this time, like the theater. Don't make that face; you know you enjoyed last time."
"I guess it wasn't that bad…" Ranma admitted, smiling slightly. "Kunou did get beat up."
"That's the spirit. But I'm afraid I can't promise that will happen every time."
"So long as there's a chance. Okay, let's go train."
"What are you going to work on today?" Nabiki asked half an hour later from behind her camcorder on its tripod.
The Avatar of Light thought for a moment. "Light abilities. I've been working on martial arts at home, but I can't really throw around light lances without putting holes in things and attracting the crazies. More crazies," she amended. "I do not want cosplayers and reporters showing up too."
"I suppose. Speaking of cosplayers, do you want any of the prints from the con?"
"Huh? Why would I?"
"Pictures from an event where a bunch of people admired and respected you enough to dress up as you? I can't imagine."
Ranma hesitated. "I'll think about it… But that's enough talking; I'm going to start now," she declared and leapt halfway up the hill before more awkward questions could be asked.
For the next half an hour, the Avatar leapt around throwing light lances and surrounding herself with a golden aura as Nabiki watched and recorded. After that, she planted herself across the hillside from a particularly large boulder and worked on increasing the power of her light lances by making minor adjustments to her technique and intensifying her focus. When her final shot of brilliant golden light shattered the boulder, she nodded in satisfaction and walked over to Nabiki.
"Thanks. This was a good idea."
"Of course," Nabiki replied as she started to put away her video equipment.
Ranma stood there awkwardly for a moment before returning to her normal form. "Uh, you need any help with that?"
"No, and you don't have to wait around for me."
"All right, there's something I want to check out downtown, then. See you later," Ranma said, tossing her a wave as she left.
Nabiki finished putting away her equipment and sighed as she made a note in her journal. "This is starting to get frustrating…"
oOo
Maëlys walked down the street of the horrible human city, the scowl on her face and cold fire in her eyes ensuring the horrible humans gave her a wide berth. She should have rescheduled her challenge ages ago, but the thought of approaching the Avatar and having to answer the inevitable question of how her date went was just too terrible to contemplate. Maybe if she'd gone back the next day, she could have waved off that fool of a human as the duplicitous boor he was, but after weeks, it would seem like she'd been rejected and was too upset or ashamed to show her face! Oh, she had been upset, but in the manner of being enraged and disgusted at the pitiful cretin's attempt to toy with her feelings. No, she had spent the following weeks looking for a suitable bear… Wait, bear? She stopped and gave her surroundings proper attention, noting in particular the bear-woman sitting in the cafe she was standing outside. Momentarily biting her lip in distress, she walked inside and approached the only occupied table.
"I'm sorry," Maëlys said as the bear-woman lowered her enormous mug of coffee and looked up at her, "I thought your challenge had been resolved. It was not my intention to cut in line."
"Hm? Oh, don't worry about it; you're fine."
Maëlys frowned. "I don't understand. Both you and the Avatar are still alive, and you don't have the look of some fool who would actually surrender. How has this come to be?"
The bear-woman shrugged. "Enh, everyone back home was an asshole; in less than a day here, I got more respect and consideration than I ever did back there. So I said screw that and quit."
Maëlys stared, her mouth hanging open for a full two seconds. "Youquit?! You can't just quit!" When the other woman just shrugged and waved a hand to indicate her current surroundings and employment status, Maëlys scowled. "And what do you mean you actually like the people here?! They're sniveling, duplicitous cretins!"
"Uh…" said the human woman who had quietly walked over to them.
"Ah. Well, to be fair, I've mostly interacted with the human males. I'm sure you're … fine?"
"Thank you," said the woman, giving her a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes before turning to the bear-woman. "Ursula… were you really here to try to kill the Avatar?"
"That's what I was sent here for, yeah."
"And … she won you over with the power of friendship?" the human asked uncertainly.
"I guess? Maybe the power of not being an asshole? She was a bit weird but seemed nice enough and treated me like an equal. I mean, if anyone 'won me over with the power of friendship', it was you, Yumi."
At the sight of the human blushing, Maëlys snapped, "Right, fine. So I'm not stepping on anyone's toes here. Great, I'll get on with my challenge, then."
"Yeah, you're good," Ursula said with a wave of her hand, "you can go ahead and get killed by the Avatar."
"Excuse me? I will destroy her!"
"Doubt it," Ursula said, unimpressed by her confidence, "You're Malice, right?"
"Maëlys."
"Yeah, ok, I saw you fight on that show earlier this year, and you're not in her league." Maëlys smirked at the bear-woman's assessment of her abilities. "I mean, I figure you were only going at 80%, tops…" The other woman's smirk vanished. "And unless you've got some secret killer move, I'm pretty confident I can take you, and I wouldn't last long against the Avatar."
"Wait," Yumi said, "you didn't think you had a chance and you were still going to fight her before you quit?"
"Yeah? It's not really something you can turn down."
"I'm glad you quit, then," Yumi said softly.
"Well! I'll just go off and get killed, then, since I have no intention of living among vile duplicitous humans too stupid to go out with—!" Maëlys abruptly closed her mouth with a snap as she realized what she was saying.
"Wait, people were turning you down?" Yumi asked in surprise. "That's crazy! You're gorgeous!"
"I know! You, you're a human. What is wrong with the men here?"
"Uh… I may not be the best person to ask, but I'm sure there are tons of them who would love to go out with you! In fact, I know a couple of places where you shouldn't have any problem finding more than one who'd be delighted to go out with you."
Maëlys considered for a long moment. "Where?" she finally asked, deciding to give humans one last chance.
"Mm, they wouldn't be open yet. Look, why don't we show you once my shift's over. Is that okay, Ursula?"
"Sure."
"Great! So," she said, turning back to Maëlys, "until then, what would you like to drink?"
oOo
"Stupid principal making me miss lunch," Ranma muttered as he walked into the kitchen to get something to eat, stopping at the sound of a familiar bell's ring. "Great. Two weeks of nothing, and I have to get a challenger right now."
With a sigh, he went outside and walked to the rear gate, groaning at the familiar sight of the boy dressed in a yellow shirt, black pants, a black and yellow bandana, and a large backpack with a red bamboo umbrella lying across its top. "False alarm!" he called over his shoulder to anyone who may have been in the house. Turning back to his visitor, he said, "I know it's too much to expect you to find the front door, but don't ring the bell; it's only for challenges to the Avatar of Light. Come on in and I'll tell you who she is."
He'd already turned around and taken a couple of steps toward the house when Ryouga's words stopped him. "I know who she is and I can read. I'm here to challenge you, Avatar of Light."
"Damnit," Ranma cursed as he turned back around, "I can't believe they're pulling this crap again. Listen, Ryouga, I don't care what they promised you, but they're just using you and don't expect you to win. Trust me, they've already tried this more than once, and it didn't help the poor saps they tricked into it—they just ended up dead or worse. Look, I don't know how they got their hooks into you, but I'll do my best to help you get out of it, I promise."
The other boy gave him an unimpressed look. "I'm the Avatar of Darkness, you idiot."
There was an awkward moment of silence. "Oh. I guess that's different, then."
Ryouga snorted softly. "Come on, let's get this over with. I've waited long enough."
"Now? But I'm hungry."
"Quit whining! You can eat when you're dead."
"Fiiiine… Follow me." As he started to lead the way to the challenge field, Ranma asked, "So how long have you been trying to find me to issue your challenge? A month? Two?"
"About half a day. Once the mantle became active, I knew exactly where to find you."
"Became active?"
"It's a family position. Sometimes they activate it and have us do a challenge, sometimes they don't."
"That's weird. So, you always knew you could become the Avatar of Darkness?"
"Yes. I can't believe it's you I get to kill, though. It almost makes everything I've been through worth it!"
"Glad I could help," replied Ranma dryly. "We should be there in just a few more minutes, Luna-P-Chan."
"What?"
"Luna-P? You know, from Sailor Moon?"
"Ah. That explains it. Unlike you, I don't watch anime for little girls."
"Hey, it's not like I sat in front of the TV and watched each episode with a big bowl of popcorn and a cold bottle of soda on an adorable Sailor Moon tray."
A long moment of awkward silence passed as Ranma realized his denial may have been a bit more specific than it needed to be. Finally Ryouga broke it with warm laughter.
"Thank you for that. Despite everything you've put me through, I was still feeling a twinge of remorse at the thought of actually killing you… But now I see it will be a mercy killing! This is far enough," he declared as he shrugged off his pack and tossed it aside. "Ranma, prepare to die, and this time I'm dead serious."
Ranma looked around the rocky break in the woods they stood in. It seemed remote enough, but, "We do have a big open area up ahead that's perfect for challenges, you know."
"Like I'm going to fight you in a place you've prepared ahead of time."
Ranma opened his mouth to retort, then paused. "You know, that's actually not a bad point, but I didn't do anything like that, and a plain dirt field isn't going to give me any sort of home advantage; in fact, the trees here probably help me more than you."
"Don't care," said Ryouga as he cracked his neck and whispered his transformation phrase, causing shadows to swirl around him, obscuring him from view for a moment before exploding outwards to vanish among the trees and reveal the Avatar of Darkness. She was a pale girl of average height, with purple eyes, small fangs, and black hair that reached her mid-back held in a ponytail by a thin band of shadow. She wore a dark gray seifuku with a tarnished gold skirt and a black ribbon on the chest, a tarnished gold tiara set with a round tiger eye, black calf high boots decorated with tarnished gold, and black fingerless gloves whose knuckles each bore a small tiger eye stone roiling with dark, smoky power.
"Wait, did you just say—"
"Shut up, Ranma!" the Avatar of Darkness snarled, her pale cheeks flushing with rage.
"—you're a pig?"
"It means 'infuse me with darkness' in elvish!"
"Quite the coincidence, huh?"
"Fuck you. What's your special phrase, then?"
"I'm a guy," Ranma replied with a shrug as he triggered his own transformation.
"Always getting all the luck…" she growled, "well it ends today."
"This is lucky?"
Ryouga just gave her a dark look, and suddenly the area was engulfed in impenetrable darkness. Ranma quickly and quietly darted to the side, kicking a stick she'd been standing
near in the opposite direction. When she felt a pulse of energy shoot in the direction of the stick, impacting something with a sharp crack, she only barely managed not to facepalm.
"You idiot," echoed Ranma's voice through the area, expertly pitched to mask its source, "you can't see in this, either, can you?"
"Shut up!" Ryouga shouted, her voice also not giving away her location, "It's not like I've had a chance to practice these powers!"
"Wait, this is the first time you've transformed? Are you stupid?"
"I came to challenge you as soon as I was activated," Ryouga shouted, firing a shadow bolt randomly in the darkness. "Not all of us are a coward like you!" When several seconds passed without a response, Ryouga slowly smiled as she gathered dark energy around her hands. Who's the idiot now, Ranma? Didn't I just tell you not five minutes ago that I always know where you are?Just a couple of seconds more… Her smile turned into a frown of confusion as she heard soft crinkling followed by wet smacking sounds coming from Ranma's vicinity. What the hell?
Light abruptly returned to the clearing, revealing the Avatar of Light standing over Ryouga's pack, a discarded plastic wrapper lying on the ground and a half a curry bun protruding from her mouth.
"Rrrraaanma!" roared Ryouga, hurling buzzing bolts of black energy at the other magical girl who dodged first left, and then right, swallowing the rest of the bun as she moved. "That was going to be my victory feast!"
"I said I was hungry!"
"Die! You ruin everything, Ranma, even my moment of triumph! I had it all planned—the sweetest of meals beside your cooling body and then finding Akane to tell her the 'bad news' and comfort her and protect her from the rampaging forces of darkness… It was going to be perfect, but you had to make sure that couldn't happen, didn't you!"
With a scream of rage and frustration, she slammed both hands together, sending a snarling bolt of green-tinted black energy streaking across the clearing, missing its intended target when she rolled to the side, and smashing through tree trunks and rocks alike before creating a geyser of dirt and stone as it plowed into a hill in the distance.
Trembling with rage, Ryouga fixed her hateful glare on her rival. "I am going to make this hurt, Saotome…"
For her part, Ranma was eying the path of destruction the attack had left, but more importantly, the row of houses on top of the hill, now revealed by the fallen trees. "Yeah?" she asked, meeting Ryouga's gaze, "you'll have to catch me first," she said, darting in the direction of the challenge area. But when she glanced back, instead of following, the other girl stood unmoving, a dark smile on her face as she looked at the distant houses and tossed a ball of black and green energy up and down in her hand.
"Do I? Do I really have to catch you to hurt you? I don't think I do. Because I don't think I have to move an inch to make sure any victory you have is just as ruined as mine."
Damnit! Ranma thought as she stopped and returned to the clearing. I can't fight her here! I need to either get her mad enough to follow me or weaken her enough to make sure there won't be collateral damage… "Fine. We'll do this here.
"I don't get why you're so pissed off, though. Even if you won, your perfect plan was never going to work, you know."
oOo
Drefan scowled as he kicked the dirt. Here he was, at what should have been his impending moment of triumph, fame, and glory, and his idiot charge was throwing it all away. One of the strongest Avatars of Darkness in ages, and the moment the daft fool went active, he insisted on throwing himself at the Avatar of Light, not taking even a moment to practice and get used to his new powers. No, pay no mind to what the bloody advisor with hundreds of years of experience had to say, just fucking blow him off and rush off to fight one of the more promising Avatars of Light in recent years who'd had months to settle into the role. Dark, how he wished he could kill the stupid fucker himself… But no, that wasn't allowed.
Fuck, he would have given his left arm to be paired with someone who had a brain to go with the skills. The things he could have accomplished with a powerhouse like Henri… Hell, he would have been delighted with that guttersnipe Brandy. She wasn't exactly a heavy hitter, but damn if she didn't have the right attitude and a talent for sticking a metaphorical knife in someone where it'd hurt most. Well, usually metaphorical. He briefly wondered where she'd ended up after her challenge—an underwhelming fight to be sure, but the aftermath had been a thing of beauty. Maybe he should hunt her down and make her an offer she couldn't refuse after his current charge was dead and gone.
He wondered exactly how much longer that would be. The little bastard had run off once Drefan had shown that while he wasn't allowed to beat him to a bloody pulp, he was more than capable of sharing his fucking displeasure. Said displeasure and the sharing thereof was, in fact, why the current form of the companion and advisor to the Avatar of Darkness was none other than—
"P-chan!" Akane squealed as she rushed over to pick up and cuddle the little black piglet, only to immediately drop him with a yelp and clutch her bleeding wrist.
"Oi! Watch the hands, grabby!" the piglet wearing a yellow and black bandana exclaimed in a Cockney accent.
"You bit me! And you can talk!" Akane cried, her eyes wide. "Since when can you talk?! And why do you have an English accent?" she asked, shock giving way to confusion.
"Why, just recently. I've been made the official companion of a magical girl!" Drefan declared, puffing out his chest. "And why shouldn't I have a British accent? I'm an English porker, after all!"
"Y-you are? Wait, a magical girl?! Who?! Where is she?"
"Who is she? Why, she's Sailor Berk, she is, and she went off down that trail. Said she sensed something and told me to wait here."
"Sailor Berk?" Akane repeated uncertainly. It didn't sound like any sort of magical girl name she'd heard, but as Velgri had pointed out, manga and anime weren't exactly authoritative sources.
"It's English, love, don't worry about it."
"Okay. Let's go find your … Sailor Berk, P-chan!"
"Nah, you go on ahead; I'm supposed to wait here, remember."
"Right! I'll go get her and bring her back," Akane declared and headed down the path to the challenge field.
"You do that, Akane," Drefan said once the girl was out of sight, "I'm sure Ryouga will have a good laugh at you suddenly turning up in the middle of his business."
oOo
"What are you babbling about, Ranma? My plan is guaranteed to work, and do you know why? Because I won't be telling a single lie. I do care for Akane, and I will protect her from the Dark beings that will overrun the Earth. Hell, I'll even be sorry you're dead! Sure, it'll be because you won't be in your own form, but that'll be our little secret. We both know she cares about me, and once you're out of the picture and I've saved her from a horrible death a few times, she'll start to love me. Fuck, I'll even keep Kasumi safe and sound because it'll make Akane happy."
"She'd be even happier if you kept Nabiki and her father safe too, you know."
The Avatar of Darkness snorted. "If I was forced to live with those two, I'd kill them myself. And we both know Nabiki will fit in with the Dark just fine. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she's running the place within a year."
Ranma frowned and hesitated a moment before changing what she was going to say. "You know, I get that you're the Avatar of Darkness now, but you're really not acting like yourself. Are you sure the darkness isn't influencing you?"
"Of course it is! Unlike you, I didn't have light poured into me like water into an empty bucket; I had the darkness inside me my entire life, but it was locked down tight, reserved for if I ever became the Avatar, with only a little bit slipping out when I was truly enraged. Now it's free and I'm finally whole! Is everything clear now, or do you have any more stupid questions?"
Ranma sighed. "I guess that explains it, then. I just have one more question."
"All right, one last question," Ryouga said, catching the ball of energy in her hand and making its glow intensify, "but it'd better be a good one; otherwise, I'm going to blow up those houses."
Ranma glanced at the hill then nodded, her expression hardening. "Fair enough. I'm just confused how you're going to win over Akane when she's not into girls."
"What are you talking about, idiot? I'm going to change back first, of course."
"Well, that's just it. The only reason I can turn back into a guy is because my curse changes me into a girl and back. You, on the other hand, get to enjoy the rest of your life as a girl. Well, a girl who turns into a pig, I guess."
"The hell I am! That's not how it works, you idiot! I'm a guy—Aaaah!" Ryouga's declaration was cut off by a shrill scream as golden energy briefly arced around her. "I bet you thought that was funny, didn't you!" she snarled.
"Kind of, yeah. Don't say my transformation phrase, stupid. But don't worry, I'm sure Akane will still love you when you save her and Kasumi," Ranma said with a smirk. "You'll be just like another sister to her."
"Go to hell! I'm not a girl!" the Avatar of Darkness shouted, her form blurring for a moment before shifting to Ryouga's normal body. He looked down at himself briefly and patted his chest for confirmation. "Ha! I told you I'm—!" he crowed, raising his head just in time for a brilliant bolt of golden light to streak through his throat and explode out the back of his neck in a huge spray of blood. His wide eyes met the equally shocked eyes of the Avatar of Light before he crumpled to the ground, a rapidly spreading pool of blood already forming around his body.
Shit! I-I thought it'd hurt him and piss him off, not do that! Ranma numbly thought. Crap! What do I do now?! No, wait, this was still a challenge, a fight to the death… It's okay. Nothing is wrong, this was how it was always going to end. Everything is fine. She took a deep breath to calm herself and nodded. "Everything is fine."
A noise from the other end of the clearing caused her to look up sharply, her gaze meeting Akane's. Ranma only had an instant to take in the other girl's pale face and expression of terror before Akane turned and bolted.
but eventually she found herself obstructing the plans of being both powerful and sly. There was no malice involved, and I don't think she even realized she was in danger to the very end. Please forgive me, but I'd rather not speak more of it; it was quite recent
"Akane! Wait!" cried the Avatar of Light as the other girl ran off down the trail. She took a step to follow before forcing herself to stop. "No… chasing her will just make things worse. Damnit!" She turned to Ryouga's body and sighed. "And I guess I can't just leave you here, either. Just like you not to disintegrate like the other challengers…"
She shook her head and tried to remember if any of the old man's 'practical advice' included dealing with bodies. After a moment, she snapped her fingers and went over to Ryouga's pack, coming back a moment later with a water bottle, which she emptied over the body. She watched the unchanging body for several seconds before shaking her head. "Well, at least you got one thing you wanted. Man, why can't this job come with magical girl storage space like they have on those shows? Wait, who says it can't?"
She looked at the water bottle in her hand and concentrated for a few minutes. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and the bottle suddenly vanished. "All right!" She eyed the body briefly. "Let's work our way up to that…" she said before heading over to Ryouga's pack. A few minutes later, the pack vanished as well, and she nodded grimly before walking back to the body. "Guess it's your turn now."
Before she could even start to focus her light on Ryouga and the fabric of space itself, the body dissolved into shadows that sank into the ground. "Asshole," remarked Ranma as she gave the bare ground a flat look. Shaking her head, she reverted back to her normal form and started home.
oOo
"Ranma killed Ryouga!" Akane shouted as she burst into the living room.
"That's nice, Akane," Soun said distractedly as he intently studied the go board between Genma and himself. Velgri didn't look up from her book.
With a growl, Akane stormed across the room and kicked over the game table, sending the black and white stones flying. "Ranma, as the Avatar, killed Ryouga!"
Soun sighed at the scattered pieces. "Akane, I'm sure it seemed like Ryouga was killed, but both of those boys can take an immense amount of damage and they know their limits. l have no doubt that he'll be waking up, sore but alive, from an attack that would have killed most people."
"He was just standing there and she shot him in the throat with a light lance! There was blood everywhere and Ryouga wasn't moving!"
"Ah. Well. That does sound bad," Soun admitted.
"I know they didn't like each other," Akane said, wiping her eyes, "but to turn into the Avatar and kill him…"
"I'm sure she had a good reason," Velgri said, turning a page.
Akane turned to face the lavender fox and scowled. "I'm not surprised you would think that! Ranma never would have dreamed of killing even someone he hated unless there was absolutely no other choice before you came here, but now, I guess all he needs is a good reason! Someone annoyed him too much? They might get in the way of a challenge! Better kill them!"
"We'll see what the boy has to say for himself when he gets back," Genma declared as he fished a black stone from his gi.
"He killed Ryouga, as the Avatar, and you want to talk things out?!" Akane cried in disbelief. "I can't believe you're taking this so casually…"
"Akane," her father said, "we have no idea exactly what happened or why, and the only way we have to find out more right now is to talk to Ranma."
"I, I guess… but why are you so calm about this?" she asked, shooting a brief suspicious glance in Velgri's direction.
"Because we're talking about something more serious than the usual matters of property damage and his daughter's uncertain engagement," Nabiki declared as she stepped into the room, "we're talking about murder." Lightning split the afternoon sky and thunder boomed at her last word.
"Indeed," Soun nodded solemnly as Nabiki took a seat. "This is no time for strong emotion; we must get to the bottom of this. Velgri, what do you think is going on here? What Akane described doesn't sound at all like Ranma, but Akane wouldn't make up something like that! Could my little girl be right?" Soun asked pensively. "Could he have killed that boy out of hand?"
"No," Velgri said, shaking her head. "If she had that capacity, I would never have chosen her."
"Him," Genma muttered.
"People can change…" Soun observed to a dull rumbling of thunder.
"They can," Velgri allowed, "but not so much, so quickly, without us noticing. Without me noticing."
A red and black blur bounced into the room an instant before the skies opened up in a torrential downpour of cold rain. "Ryouga was the Avatar of Darkness," Ranma blurted, sparing a glance of annoyance at the rain before turning the occupants of the room with a grim expression.
"There you go, that explains it," Velgri said, clearly considering the matter settled.
"Right…" said Akane, voice dripping with skepticism, "Then why wasn't he a magical girl, why weren't you at the challenge site, and why was he just standing there when you…" She broke off, taking a deep breath and shaking her head.
"Those are good questions," Soun agreed.
"We were on our way to the site when he said that we'd gone far enough and he wasn't going to fight me somewhere I'd prepared ahead of time. The place looked remote enough, and it's not like I haven't fought challengers in other places. He was a magical girl when we started, but the idiot changed back halfway through and started gloating. I shot him with a light lance, of course. I didn't expect it to actually kill him!"
"Why would he change back in the middle of a fight?" asked Nabiki.
"I kinda told him the only reason I could turn back into a guy was my curse."
"Please," Akane scoffed, "he'd know that wasn't true from the other times he'd transformed. Or do you expect us to believe he challenged you without ever becoming the Avatar before? He isn't that stupid!"
"Wanna bet?"
The other humans in the room exchanged glances. "I don't know that I'd say he's stupid," Soun said slowly, "but I do recall him being quite single-minded and prone to acting hastily in anger."
"Also, he was an idiot," Ranma helpfully added.
"He was not! He was kind, and polite…" Akane said sadly. "I don't know why the two of you hated each other so much." She sighed then shot Ranma a hard look. "Do you have any proof that what you said happened?"
A hurt look crossed Ranma's face for an instant before vanishing. "Yeah, Ryouga blasted through a bunch of trees before changing back."
Akane hesitated. She knew such damage could have been caused by Ranma, after she'd stumbled onto the scene and run off, even, but she also knew that making such an accusation would be crossing a line that she was already very close to.
"I have proof," Velgri stated, rousing Akane from her thoughts. "There is now a record of the Avatar of Light accepting a challenge from the Avatar of Darkness twenty minutes ago and emerging victorious."
"Well, I guess that settles it," Soun declared, relief clear in his voice.
Akane frowned, feeling that Ryouga's death was far from settled but unable to think of a reasonable objection to raise, when Ranma peevishly asked, "Why were you even back there anyway? It's not like there's much there besides the challenge area."
"Oh! P-chan told me there was a new magical girl back there!"
"That's impossible," Ranma stated flatly.
"No! He told me the magical girl made him her animal companion, which is why he could talk! He said she'd sensed something in the woods there and had gone to check it out."
"I'm telling you there's no way that was P-chan. I don't know who you were talking to, but it wasn't him."
Nabiki looked back and forth between the two girls. "Oh, I see. Ryouga was P-chan, wasn't he."
"W-what do you mean?" Ranma asked nervously. "That doesn't make any…" She trailed off and sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. Yeah, he was."
"What." Akane stated flatly, fists clenched at her sides, and Ranma suddenly remembered why it might still matter.
"Y-yeah, he followed me to China over some stupid challenge and fell into the spring of drowned piglet."
"So that's why both Ryouga and P-chan hated you," Nabiki said, nodding, "That makes sense."
"And you didn't tell me because?" Akane asked, her voice still unnaturally devoid of emotion as she looked around the room, noting the lack of surprise on the fathers' faces and the lack of interest on Velgri's.
"Akane, the guy turned into a piglet when splashed. If that got out, anyone could have killed him easily, and he was the kind of guy people wanted to kill. Look, I hated that he kept getting close to you disguised as P-chan, but I wasn't willing to get the guy murdered over it."
"I see," she said, numbly thinking how strange it was that she'd so quickly gone from being terrified that Ranma had given in to the urge to kill people he didn't like to feeling betrayed by his decision to put the life of someone he didn't like over her feelings. And then there was the fact that her father had either known or suspected, as well, and not done anything to keep P-chan away from her. "Excuse me," she said, turning and walking upstairs.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Soun said hesitantly in the silence that had fallen on the room.
Ranma sighed and shook her head, taking a moment to glare at the sky as the rain stopped as abruptly as it had started. "Today has completely sucked…"
"I'm sure it could have been worse," Nabiki remarked.
"Indeed," Soun agreed solemnly, perking up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. "Ah, here comes Akane. I knew she'd bounce back quick…" He trailed off at the sight of Akane wearing a backpack and holding her bookbag in one hand.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but I just can't stay here right now."
"Akane?" Soun asked as she walked to the door. "Akane!" he called after her as she left.
o0o
Nabiki paused in the entrance to the dojo for a moment, the late afternoon sun framing her in the doorway as she sighed in pleasure at the feeling of her power flowing through her body. Ranma stood motionless before the kanji wall scroll, apparently meditating, but if the tension in his body was any indication, he was doing a poor job of it. After a moment, he made a noise of disgust and turned to start pacing.
"What do you want, Nabiki?" he eventually asked. "It's not a good time to train."
"Obviously," she said, a short wave of her hand indicating she wasn't even dressed as Pretty Special. "I came to see how you were doing."
"Yeah, right. Oh, and thank you so much for your help earlier, by the way."
Nabiki shrugged. "I wasn't trying to help or not help. You're the one who dropped such a big hint to an important secret in public; you shouldn't be surprised if people figure things out and say something if you do that."
"Do you think she's okay," he asked, concern quickly replacing the annoyance in his voice and expression.
"Akane? I'm not sure." Nabiki sighed. "I'll check on her and smooth things over."
"You will? Just like that? For free? Why?"
"Because she's my sister and I care about her. Also, to teach myself not to just blurt out valuable information that could be put to better use otherwise."
"You're all heart," Ranma said sarcastically. After a moment, he quietly added, "Thanks."
o0o
Akane half sat, half lay on the wooden log bench and gazed out over the beautiful pond, eyes idly tracking a lazily flitting dragonfly for a few moments before focusing on a frog happily croaking on a half submerged log. She sighed contentedly, fully at peace, thoughts of home and worries about the people she cared about far away. A small black and red bird landed on the far end of the bench and chirped brightly; Akane found a crumb in her lunchbox and tossed it to land at the bird's feet. She smiled as the bird tilted its head and eyed the crumb, then giggled as a warm breeze sent the crumb tumbling, prompting the bird to quickly snatch it up and fly off.
"This is a nice place," Nabiki said as she sat down at the other end of the bench. "Very peaceful."
"Nabiki? How did you find me?" Akane asked, brow furrowing.
"You always come here when you're really upset." Akane just nodded and stared out at the pond. After a minute, Nabiki asked, "How are you doing?"
"I'm angry and afraid," Akane said in a small voice as a cloud passed in front of the sun and the light dimmed. "Ranma, Dad, and Mr. Saotome all knew about P-chan and didn't say a word to me, just let me hug him and treat him like a pet even though he was really a boy…"
"You noticed their reactions, or lack thereof, too, did you?" At Akane's slight nod, Nabiki leaned back and said, "You should be angry. If it'd been me, everyone involved would be wishing they'd gotten off as easily as Ryouga, whether they thought they had a good reason or not."
Akane shivered then glanced over at her sister. "A good reason?"
Nabiki nodded. "Ranma's an idiot; he could have handled the whole thing much better, but he honestly thought he was keeping the guy from being murdered. He's right about Hibiki being the kind of person who gets into feuds, and I have no doubt that, sooner or later, a sore loser would have grabbed a cup of cold water and turned him into bacon if word of his curse got out."
Akane reluctantly nodded. "And our fathers?"
"Saotome probably thought the same as Ranma to some extent—the guy is a thief and scammer but not a killer—and they both probably had some stupid idea it was Ranma's place as your fiancé to deal with the matter and that it would make the two of you feel closer."
Akane growled, then frowned in thought. "You don't think Dad was worried about him getting killed?"
"I think it never occurred to him. He settled down in Tokyo and raised a family; he doesn't think of things from the perspective of a martial artist wandering through less civilized places where the law is only a suggestion."
"I guess that makes sense," Akane said slowly. "So you think I should punish them all?"
"That's up to you. It's what I'd do, but you should do what feels right to you."
Akane sighed and briefly glanced across the pond at the sun slowly sinking behind a hill before looking back to the pond. "I'll think about it."
"Revenge works much better when it's planned properly," Nabiki agreed. "Now, what else is bothering you, little sister of mine?"
"Everyone's changing," Akane said in a small voice, "Ranma, with being the Avatar and having to kill people; Kasumi, under Velgri's influence; Dad and Mister Saotome—you saw how calm and accepting they were about Ryouga being killed—they never would have acted that way before… Even you're different in some way, though I can't really put my finger on how. It's all because of Velgri. I don't trust her, Nabiki. She's turning everyone into people I don't know, and it scares me."
"Everyone changes, Akane, especially around our age. Velgri's arrival and Ranma becoming the Avatar certainly make the changes more extreme and affect exactly how we change, but I don't think she's twisting us according to some secret plan. That said, she clearly has her own agenda and her goals aren't the same as ours. I think we can all agree that none of us wants to see the Earth overrun with dark creatures, and by extension, we don't want Ranma to lose a challenge, but beyond that, don't assume that she wants the same things we do."
Akane watched a frog plop into the water after a dragonfly deftly evaded its tongue. "Velgri has an elf form, you know... She's very pretty."
"That must make things much nicer for Kasumi."
Akane flailed wildly as she fell off the bench. "How can you say that?!"
"Well, I imagine they could make things work with Velgri as a fox, but her being able to turn into an elf makes it easier, don't you think?"
"That's not what I meant! You're just okay with them doing … having a…?"
"If Kasumi's happy and not being taken advantage of, sure."
"How do you know she isn't though?"
"I don't know one hundred percent, but Kasumi's a lot sharper than most people give her credit for. You should trust her more. In fact, how do you know what she did when you tried to make that big breakfast was due to Velgri's influence and not her just deciding it was time to resort to more drastic measures?"
Akane flushed. "I! She couldn't! I mean…" she floundered before asking in a small voice, "Do you really think she could have just gotten fed up with me?"
"I don't think Kasumi would feel that way, but she might decide that what she was doing wasn't working and it was time to try something new."
Akane sighed and sat up on the ground with her back resting against the bench. "I guess. Maybe."
"Things seeming any less dire now?"
"Yeah…"
"Do you feel okay to come home?"
"I'll think about it…"
"Fair enough," Nabiki said as she leaned back and looked out over the pond.
"Thanks," Akane said softly.
The sisters fell into silence and watched as fireflies started to flicker in the twilight, twinkling like stars above the pond.
oOo
Yumi groaned and rolled over as the morning sun viciously stabbed at her eyes. Once she'd successfully escaped her attacker's cruel rays, she sighed and snuggled into the warm body next to her. For long moments, she lay there, at least half asleep, until whatever was tickling her nose finally annoyed her enough to scowl and open her eyes despite the lurking evil day star. With a huff of annoyance, she brushed the lock of platinum blond hair away from her face and started to close her eyes before freezing and carefully checking exactly who was sharing her bed. It only took a moment to determine she was naked in bed with an equally naked Maëlys.
Yumi quietly slipped out of bed, to avoid both aggravating the dull pounding in her head and waking the other woman. She went to the closet and threw on her robe, then crept out of the bedroom and followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen where Ursula was filling her enormous mug at the counter. Yumi froze for a moment, then sat down, slumping over the table with her head in her hands.
"I am so sorry," she said miserably, "I have no excuse. I don't even remember how it happened."
"It's okay," Ursula said as she placed a normal sized cup of coffee in front of her girlfriend.
"Okay? How can you say that? We're in a relationship, I'm living with you, even, and I slept with someone else." She paused. "You… you didn't tell me it was okay beforehand, did you?"
"It's okay because it doesn't bother me. Nah, we didn't talk about it, but it's not like we said we couldn't do anything with other people."
"It's kind of assumed around here that you don't…"
"Yeah? Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Like I said, you're fine, though."
"But—"
"Yumi, if I'd wanted to stop you, I could have."
Yumi nodded slightly and took a sip of her coffee. "What happened? I vaguely remember going to the club, but after that, I only have bits and pieces of…" She trailed off and flushed deeply.
Ursula took a long sip from her mug. "Like you said, we went to the club. We got a table and some drinks, and then people started coming over."
"Okay," said Yumi. "So why didn't Maëlys go home with one of them?"
"Because they all wanted to talk with the city's new official hero that they saw on the news."
"Oh, shit… I forgot it was like that at Dark Waters until people got used to you coming there. Everyone only wanted to talk to you?"
"Well, there was that one woman who lost her nerve and hit on you instead."
Yumi groaned. "Why would she hit on me when Maëlys was right there? She's so beautiful!"
"She's also a lot more intimidating than you."
Yumi sighed. "And then what?"
"You shot her down."
"I meant for the rest of the night!" Yumi cried before wincing and holding a hand to her head. "Sorry," she said more quietly, "Go on, please."
Ursula shrugged. "Maëlys got angry and embarrassed, you got angry and started feeling guilty, and you both kept drinking. Eventually we left. She declared she was clearly undesirable and started to leave when you told her she wasn't and that you'd prove it."
Yumi groaned and dropped her head to the table. "I kissed her, didn't I…"
"You kissed her," Ursula agreed. "And then I brought the two of you back here before you started going at it on the sidewalk."
"I'm sor—" Yumi paled and bolted upright as Ursula placed a cast iron skillet on the stove with a sharp clang. "I'll stop saying I'm sorry if you don't do that again," she gasped.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. But, yeah, that'd be good."
"So… what do we do about Maëlys?"
Before Ursula could answer, the blonde in question walked out of the bedroom, still completely naked, picked up Yumi with one arm, kissed her on the cheek, and carried her into the bathroom. A few moments later, the sound of the shower running reached the kitchen.
"Well, it looks like one of us will be taking a shower with her," Ursula replied to the empty room as she took some kippers from the refrigerator.
oOo
Akane got out of bed, got dressed, and after using the small bathroom down the hall, walked to the living room to start her day.
"Good morning, Akane," Yuka greeted her, "did you sleep well?"
"Good morning. I did, thank you. And thank you again for letting me stay over."
"You're welcome! What are friends for? You can stay here as long as you need to." Yuka paused. "If it's more than a few days, I'll need to talk with my parents, though."
"It's okay," Akane assured the other girl as she frowned and plucked a tiny ball of fuzz from her sweater. "I think I'm going to go home today, actually."
"Are you sure? You were pretty upset when you called me."
Akane sighed. "I was, but a good night's sleep and some time to think put things into perspective."
"If you're sure. But you're always welcome here, and if you ever want to talk about things…"
"I appreciate it," Akane said, giving the other girl a quick hug, "really I do. A lot of things have been going on, and I think I kind of lumped them together as one huge, terrible problem instead of dealing with each one on its own."
"I think I know what you mean. Like when a bunch of little things happen and make it seem like The Worst Day Ever even though nothing too terrible happened."
"Something like that," Akane said with a frown.
oOo
Nabiki got up, touched the power flowing within her and retrieved the journal from her nightstand. She started to make a note, but stopped with a frown. "Forgot to log the dojo and pond yesterday. Let's see, that was around…" She moved the pen away from the page as she mentally recounted the events of the previous day. After a few moments in thought, she closed the journal, returned the pen to its compartment, and put them down on the nightstand. She lay down on her back and stared unseeing at the ceiling. "So, that's how it is," she murmured. Closing her eyes, Nabiki reached unerringly to the source of her power, and sighed in pleasure as it eagerly, almost joyfully surged into her body.
Shouldn't Soun be a bit more upset, not at Ryogas death... but at Akane being upset? I was surprised there was no demon head technique upon Ranmas entry.
Also, this lack of faith your Akane has in Ranma at this point pretty much spells doom for the engagement...
But maybe that's because I liked your chemistry that you put between Ranma and Henry and found that to be a nice off the norm direction that quality ranma fanfiction doesn't take very often.
Anyway, I've been enjoying this story and your other works for some time now. Carry on.
"I'm home!" Akane called as she walked in and changed to her indoor shoes. Hearing a vague reply from the kitchen, walked over to see a rather tired looking Ranma pouring himself a cup of tea. "Where is everyone?"
"Kasumi and Velgri are out shopping, the old men went somewhere 'to prepare', and your guess is as good as mine for Nabiki. Want some?" he asked, hefting the teapot.
"Please." A few minutes passed as they sipped their tea before Akane sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Hm?"
"For yesterday. I should have trusted you more."
A moment of silence dragged as Ranma rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. But I guess what you saw was pretty shocking."
Akane winced slightly at the response that fell rather short of forgiveness. "It was… I walked around a tree to see someone I thought of as a friend get … killed." She sighed. "Now I don't even know what to think of him."
"The guy had issues… but he wasn't all bad before he became the Avatar of Darkness." He shook his head. "It was like it twisted him."
"What do you mean?" Akane asked. When Ranma hesitated, she added, "Please. I want to know."
"He said if he won, he was going to protect you from the Dark without telling you he was the Avatar so you'd fall in love with him. He was planning to let everyone else die, except maybe Kasumi."
"That's horrible! I can't believe he'd… Wait, are we sure it really was Ryouga you fought? You said it couldn't have been P-chan that spoke to me because he was actually Ryouga. How do we know it was P-chan who was the fake?"
"Akane…" Ranma sighed.
"I'm not saying it wasn't! I just don't want us to assume it was without considering it."
"Fine. Ryouga knew me and our history, acted like himself except a bit darker, and knew details about you and your family. What about P-chan?"
"Okay, he spoke to me, with a British accent, and uh, said he was from England…" Akane's words slowed as she spoke and realized things weren't looking good for her theory. "And he'd been turned into an animal advisor by, um, Sailor Berk."
Ranma stared at her for a long moment. "Well, you've convinced me."
"Fine! P-chan was the fake, and I was an idiot for ever thinking otherwise!"
"Enh, it was worth checking, but yeah, it was pretty obvious. And Sailor Berk is definitely not a magical girl name."
"He said it was British."
"Oh, it's British, all right, but it's not a magical girl name. Trust me." He finished his tea and rinsed his cup. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Ryouga and P-chan. I'm going to lie down; I didn't get much sleep last night."
Akane followed him with her gaze, suddenly feeling worse than ever, as he walked out of the kitchen. She'd been so upset about Ranma killing someone she'd thought of as a friend and keeping his cursed form a secret from her that she hadn't even considered what he must be going through. He'd had to watch a boy snuggle up to and get cuddled by her without being able to say anything, and then just yesterday he'd been forced to kill him. She wondered if Ranma had gotten any sleep. She was sure she wouldn't have.
She shook her head as she cleaned her cup. She'd have to do something nice for him later. For now, though, she needed something to cheer herself up. She looked through the cabinets, frowning at how bare they were, before taking a jar and some bread. Even if it wasn't a good brand, chocolate would make everything seem a bit better.
oOo
Well, things hadn't played out as he'd expected, but the result was still pretty good, Drefan reflected as he crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree in the Tendou yard. His idiot charge had gotten off far too easily, but the Avatar of Light and her support group had been thrown into turmoil. Okay, the idiot had shown everyone observing the challenge exactly how much of a fool he was, but as that kind of reflected on Drefan himself as the handler, it didn't exactly leave a good taste in his mouth. Ah well, when in doubt, apply additional vengeance, that was his motto. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a minute to set things in motion.
Drefan opened his eyes and stretched. Well, time to vacate the premises before Velgri returned and things got awkward. He couldn't go back to the nether realms until his current vengeance ran its course, so he may as well look for issues in the region that warranted the attention of someone of his power level. He lazily pushed himself off the tree when his left hand suddenly snapped out and caught a jar before it could smash into his head. He glanced at the label and his eyes widened.
"Marmite! Score!" He waited expectantly for a minute, but no further treats seemed to be inbound, so he shrugged and walked off with a spring in his step. Today was shaping up to be a great day.
oOo
"And that's when we realized we were in way over our heads and needed to call in help," Seiji said as he pulled an old key from his pocket and unlocked the thick wooden door set in the stone wall before them.
Branwen nodded and took stock of the college students who had enlisted her aid. In the lead was Seiji, a slightly portly blond in his second year, who was the head of the Tsuyoi Seishin Academy esoteric phenomenon (aka occult) club and wore blue slacks, a white button up shirt, and a blue blazer. Slightly behind him was Ai, a tall, slender second year with brown eyes and auburn hair in a ponytail that reached her waist, who wore a beige blouse and green skirt and sent frequent scowls at Seiji's back. Finally, bringing up the rear was Emi, a petit first year with green eyes, sapphire colored hair in a pixie cut, who wore denim jeans and a black t-shirt with a picture of a desk bearing a lit torch, a dagger, and a flask containing a potion.
"Shinobu wouldn't have turned tail and run screaming for help," sneered Ai.
"Well, since Shinobu decided she had better things to do than run this club, we're doing things my way. If you don't like it, you're free to go join her."
"I'm not into the con scene," Ai muttered.
"Then maybe you should just make the best of things and stop complaining. Anyway, like I was saying," Seiji continued, as he opened the door and shone his flashlight down the stone stairway, "we got the hell out of there, locked it all up tight, and considered our options. I was thinking of going to a temple or one of the crazy dojos in Nerima, but Emi couldn't stop singing your praises after you saved her from that spider woman, so here we are."
"You were so amazing!" Emi exclaimed breathlessly. "And you wouldn't even accept any sort of reward. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to express my gratitude?"
"Quite sure," Branwen replied cheerfully, paying no mind to the girl's disappointed sigh. "Seiji, how far in did you go, and what exactly did you see?"
"We only went a bit past the bottom of the stairs into a stone hallway and we saw a skeleton slumped against a wall."
"And then Seiji made little shrieking noises and made us all leave," Ai said scornfully.
"It moved, Ai! Its damned skull turned!"
"Even if they're animated, skeletons are really weak. I'm sure we would have been fine," Emi offered.
"Again, this isn't D&D, Emi. If a skeleton stabs a bony finger into your eye socket, you don't just say you lost some hit points and carry on."
"Seiji is right," Branwen declared, cutting off further dissent. "He didn't run off, never to return, you know. He decided that you needed to prepare properly and get support before exploring further."
"I suppose…" Ai sighed.
"Thank you," Seiji said firmly. "Now, everyone get your lights out. Branwen, you'll go first, right?"
"I'll go second!" Emi cried.
"No, Ai should be next," Branwen disagreed. "She's tall enough to see past me if we run into trouble right away." She also won't be completely focused on my ass, Branwen thought but didn't say.
The group fell silent as they walked down the narrow stairway…
And two hours later, they ran out of the building mere moments before it collapsed behind them. As soon as they were far away enough to be safe from debris, Seiji bent over, hands on his knees as he gasped for breath; Emi collapsed onto the lawn and rolled onto her back, clutching the lit torch in her hand like her life depended on it as she tried to catch her breath; Branwen turned to face the ruins of the building they'd just left; and Ai, only mildly out of breath, looked over her companions and screamed in alarm.
"Emi! You're covered in blood!" she cried, pointing at the girl's face and neck.
"It's okay, it's mine," the bloody girl panted.
"Why would you think that makes anything better?!"
Emi took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm fine, Ai. I'm still new at this, so taking something out of my shirt quickly is pretty rough on me."
"Taking something out of…?" Ai's eyes flicked to the lit torch in Emi's hand and then to her T-shirt and its picture of a desk containing a dagger and a potion in a flask. "Holy shit! You can store things in your shirt?! That's insane!"
"That's amazing, Emi," Seiji said as he slowly straightened. "I don't think anyone else in the club can do something like that."
Emi beamed, then grimaced and pulled a bottle of water and a napkin out of her pocket to clean the sticky blood covering her face below her nose.
"So, what does the potion do?" Ai asked, pointing to the flask on the shirt.
"That's a healing potion! If you were hurt, I could use it to save you! Well, unless you're allergic to peanuts; then it'd kill you."
"I'm allergic to peanuts, Ebi," Ai stated flatly.
"Don't call me that!"
"Don't try to get me killed, then!"
"Ladies, please," Seiji interjected. "Branwen, you're being awfully quiet. Is everything all right?"
"No," Branwen slowly answered as she drew her sword. "Something's coming. You three should go."
"What? No! We can help!" Emi cried as she jumped to her feet.
"Unless you can throw fireballs or something, no we can't," Seiji disagreed. "We'll just be in the way and make things harder for her if we stay."
"But! Fine!" Emi shouted as she stomped her foot. "We'll hide in those trees over there so we can help if you need us. Actually, just in case…" Emi raised a hand to her shirt only to jerk in shock as someone grabbed her wrist.
"Don't you dare!" Ai snarled. "You can get it if you know she needs it! What would pulling something else out so soon even do to you?" she asked as she started pulling the smaller girl toward the trees.
"I'd bleed…"
"From your nose?" Seiji asked, sparing a glance back at Branwen and the ruins as he walked with them.
"From my … everything," Emi replied in a small voice, then yelped as Ai yanked her forward with a growl, making her stumble.
"Yeah… let's hold off on that until we know it's necessary," Seiji said, paling.
O
"Can you feel it?" Branwen asked quietly as she watched a spot on the ground about ten feet in front of the rubble.
"Oh yes," the image of the crow on the shoulder of her tunic replied, "a powerful presence steeped in death and darkness. At its current pace, it should arrive in half a minute."
She nodded. "Any advice?"
"Use your new abilities to empower your sword and generate a protective aura around yourself. If you're able, keep the empowerment weak and pulse it when you strike; that should be less draining and also make your opponent underestimate your strength."
Branwen concentrated briefly, and after a moment, her sword gained a dim golden sheen. A second later, her skin and clothing darkened slightly, as if a faint shadow covered them. She inhaled deeply and took an unhurried step back as a dark gray figure exploded from the ground near the ruins and soared almost ten feet into the air before dropping back down to float a few inches off the ground. As the form hovered there, apparently content to pose dramatically for a moment, Branwen studied it. It stood about six feet tall and was covered in a flowing cowled robe of tattered dark gray cloth. Withered, leathery hands adorned with bejeweled gold rings were occasionally visible in the voluminous sleeves, and aside from faintly glowing cyan stars in place of eyes, only darkness was visible inside the cowl. A glance at the ground beneath it showed the grass already beginning to wither.
"Such torment I shall inflict upon you for the trouble you have caused," the being uttered, in an echoing, ponderous voice. "Killing my servant, destroying my place of slumber, these insults I shall repay tenfold."
Branwen readied herself, gritting her teeth when the entity turned its cowl toward the trees at Emi's distant declaration that he shouldn't have put a load bearing caretaker in charge of the place, then. "Your fight is with me, lich," Branwen stated, drawing its attention back to her. "If you are victorious, you will be free to amuse yourself as you please."
"Indeed." The entity's cowl tilted to the side slightly. "Lich, you called me… You have no idea just whom you face, do you, human? Tremble in fear, mortal, for I am none other than the immortal wizard Yakult!"
Branwen blinked. "Yakult? You mean like the yogurt drink?"
There was a long pause. "What?"
"There's a brand of drink named Yakult."
"A drink… named after me? Is it a powerful and dangerous brew?"
"It's fermented milk, water, and sugar, I think."
There was another long pause. "I see. Well, it seems I have a busy day of torment and destruction ahead, so let us get started."
"Very well." Branwen paused. "My sympathies about the drink."
"Noted. Now die!" cried Yakult as he fanned his hands before him, unleashing a crackling wave of lightning.
Branwen was already moving before he finished his words, though, running forward and to the side, clearing the spread of lightning with a mighty leap. Upon landing, she immediately launched herself directly at the wizard, her boots sending a spray of dirt into the air behind her from the force. Before she could reach him, however, he clapped his withered hands and a sphere of black light exploded from his form momentarily and she jumped high into the air to avoid it, her momentum unfortunately carrying her to fly far past the lich. As she passed over her opponent, she twisted in the air to face him, and a second later, rapidly swung her sword to intercept the swarm of crimson darts of light he sent her way.
"Passable," Yakult remarked as she landed, "but enough play." With several twitches of his fingers, dozens of small fairies composed of purple fire materialized and flew at the woman who was sprinting toward him. Without a pause, he moved his hands in mysterious gestures and intoned arcane syllables as he began a new spell.
Branwen's eyes darted between the swarm of fiery fairies and the wizard's gracefully moving hands and immediately decided that however bad the former may be, whatever was being cast would undoubtedly be much worse. Steeling herself, she focused all her will and the power that now resided within her into her protective field, which swelled into a visible dark aura around her. As the fairies swooped in, hurling bolts of purple fire at her, she swung her sword, deflecting what attacks she could, and even dispelling an incautious fairy or two, but she did not slow or stray from her course. The bolts that struck her were painful, but she could feel her aura draining much of the energy from them and she briefly hoped they would inflict no permanent damage. But then she was before the wizard, just as he spoke a final word and a small orb of roiling dark purple energy appeared between her hands, and shifting her focus, her power, her everything into her beloved sword, she thrust through the orb and into the lich himself.
There should have been a thunderclap, Branwen thought, but instead the world went silent as a great force hurled her backwa—and Ai looked down at her with concern, her lips moving before she turned away for a second to silently call to someone. She blinked and Ai was kneeling beside her. Apparently noticing her gaze, she said, "Don't worry. Emi is just about done retrieving the potion. You're not allergic to peanuts, right?" Branwen shook her head and Ai flashed her a smile before looking up sharply at the sound of raised voices in the distance, and rushing off.
"That was some blast," the crow on the shoulder of her armor stated, "but don't worry, you should recover soon. Unless that girl actually succeeds in giving the healing potion to the wizard, in which case he'll probably kill everyone here." The crow cocked his head in thought for a moment. "Provided he isn't allergic to peanuts, that is."
"What?" Branwen asked dazedly, forcing her aching body to a sitting position and looking in the direction of the voices. For a moment all she saw was some blurry motion, then her vision cleared to reveal Seiji holding a struggling Emi while Ai tried to wrestle a flask from her hands. A moment later Ai gave a cry of triumph as she pried the potion from the other woman's hands and rushed over with it.
"Here, drink this!" Ai cried as she thrust the flask at Branwen. "Emi's gone a bit crazy, so it'd be really great if you could finish off the lich before she manages to hurt herself…" She trailed off as the girl in question twisted violently, causing Seiji to fold over, hands protectively covering his groin from further injury, then followed up with an uppercut with the force of her entire body behind it, laying him out flat on his back. "Or beats the crap out of Seiji," Ai finished, eyes wide in shock.
Branwen took the flask and downed its contents, feeling strength and a sense of wellbeing burn away her aches and mental fog as she grabbed her sword that was lying nearby and surged to her feet before hurrying over to where Emi was studying the heap of tattered robes in concern. "Emi!"
"Branwen?" the shorter woman asked as she turned to her in confusion, eyes slightly unfocused and pupils dilated. "How are you there and here?"
"I'mnot. Now please step back so I can finish off the evil wizard."
"But… how do I know you're not the evil wizard trying to finish off the noble and beautiful Branwen?" she asked, worriedly glancing between Branwen and the fallen lich.
"Because if the wizard was on his feet and I was lying there, everyone would already be dead."
"That's… that's a good point," Emi admitted, uncertainly stepping away as Branwen stood over the motionless form of the wizard, sword at ready.
"Hear my last words, warrior…" Yakult rasped weakly, right before she thrust her sword through his cowl and into the ground.
"No."
oOo
"I'm so sorry," Emi said for the sixth time that evening as she shrank back into the leather armchair, "I should have been stronger willed."
"Please stop apologizing, Emi," Branwen said from the plush sofa where she sat next to Ai, "Yakult was a very powerful wizard, and his magic would have been exteremely difficult to resist. Besides, no harm was done."
"Disagree on that last part," Seiji grumbled from another armchair where he held an ice pack to his already bruising chin.
"But," Emi started to protest before sighing. "Okay, if you really don't want to blame me, I'm not going to annoy you by insisting you do. Thank you for saving all of us."
"It was my pleasure."
"So heroic!" Emi squealed, gazing at the other woman with adoration. "You led us through the catacombs under that building, killed the evil caretaker—I can't believe we fought an actual load bearing villain!—and then fought and defeated the big bad and saved us all! Oh! And you even used some sort of magic against him! You're so amazing!"
"Ah, I just do what I can to help people and make things better," Branwen replied uncomfortably.
"You're so modest! You're a master with a sword, fight monsters, and even do magic! I bet you even know all sorts of arcane knowledge, like how to stop curses and how to protect yourself from love potions…" Emi gushed, an odd gleam in her eye as she voiced the last statement.
"Of course!" Branwen lied without hesitation.
"Emi, please stop," Seiji said. "You're creeping out our guest. And me."
"Huh? What do you mean? But I can change the subject if it's making Branwen uncomfortable." She looked around the well furnished living room they were in. "You have such a nice place, Seiji! Why haven't we seen it before? We should have all our meetings here!"
"And that's why you haven't seen it before. We have a meeting room on campus. We're only here so Branwen can be more comfortable after her battle."
"Ohhh, yeah, this just being a special thing for Branwen makes a lot of sense! It wouldn't be right for us to have regular meetings here."
"Also, the campus is closed and crawling with police and emergency services after the collapse of the 'historic Low House'," Ai added dryly.
"That too," Seiji agreed. "Everyone remember not to talk about what happened today to anyone else."
"But it was so amazing!" Emi cried.
"It was, but I'd really rather not get expelled, or worse, billed for damages over it."
The group fell into silence, sipping drinks and nibbling on snacks for several moments after that before Seiji yawned, then winced and raised a hand to his jaw. "Look, I hate to be a poor host, but I'm tired and hurting, so I'm going to have to ask everyone but Branwen to leave. She's welcome to rest here as long as she wants."
Several minutes later, Branwen and Seiji were alone in the large apartment. "Man, what a day," Seiji sighed as he stretched. "I'm sorry about Emi. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't actually use love potions, but I'll research ways to defend against them and send you the information. I mean, unless you're sure you actually do know everything you need to on the subject."
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that."
Seiji nodded as he started to clean up. "Not a problem. I was planning on looking into it for my own sake anyway. Is there anything else I can do for you? We literally owe you our lives, so if you need money, information, or anything else we can provide, just ask. There isn't too much we can offer in the way of actual magic, Emi is apparently the closest thing we have to a mage—and isn't that a scary thought—but if there's anything else, just say the word."
"I appreciate that, and if I ever have need of something you can provide, I will let you know. For now, I will simply take my leave."
"Yeah, it should be safe to go without the risk of running into Emi now."
O
"That went well," the crow remarked from his perch on top of the line drawing of a gray peak that Branwen knew hadn't been on her tunic previously.
"Much better than it would have before we bonded, I have no doubt," she replied as she walked down the empty street underneath the slowly darkening evening sky.
"You're probably right. Yakult would have been a poor match up for you, but I wouldn't discount you entirely, even unempowered; you are quite the exceptional woman."
"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you," she replied quietly.
"More than it would coming from Emi?"
Branwen laughed. "Much, unless you start aggressively hitting on me and talking about love potions."
"No worries on that front. I don't want anything like that from you."
"Oh? What do you want from me, then?" Branwen asked, a slight teasing note in her voice.
"Your companionship. Out there, on my own, I am but a simple crow," he replied, ignoring his host's snort of disbelief, "but when I'm with you, joining you on your adventures, why, it's almost like I'm a human myself."
"You know, humans have names; if you really want to be one, you should have a name too."
"Humans need names to identify and address each other when they interact; as I only interact with you, I can happily waive this requirement."
"You really don't want a name, do you…"
"I am who I am and have no need of a label. Besides, names have power, and I have no desire to give others power over me."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm. All right, allow me to demonstrate. Branwen."
Branwen gasped and froze mid step for a moment, one foot off the ground, the entirety of her attention focused on the call that had reverberated through her body, her self for an instant. The moment passed, and she finished her step before stopping and staring down at the crow on her tunic. "W-what in the world was that?!"
"Your name, properly focused and empowered. It's true that it wouldn't have affected you so strongly without our bond, but I wouldn't have been able to do it at all without your name. And a name makes it much easier to target magic in the first place, of course."
"I see… Still, it seems a strange way to go through life."
"Perhaps, but to be fair, in the end, all the ways of going through life are strange."
oOo
"Two thousand yen, please," Nabiki said, holding out her hand. "Thank you," she added once Ranma blearily reached into his pocket, pulled out the money while muttering indistinctly, and gave it to her.
Ranma sighed and shook his head. Several seconds later, he started fully awake. "Why the hell did I just give you two thousand yen?"
"I have no idea," Nabiki said with a shrug as she pocketed her newly acquired wealth. "You seem pretty tired; long night?"
He sighed and stretched, looking around the living room, where he'd zoned out at the table. "Nightmares," he said with a grimace. "Don't suppose you know some trick to dealing with them?"
"I've never had the need," she replied over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen.
Ranma sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you wouldn't," he said before wincing slightly as his brain caught up to his mouth. When Nabiki placed a can of iced coffee in front of him, he felt even worse. "Sorry…"
"For what?" she asked as she sat down and opened her own can.
"Aah, never mind. Thanks."
They sipped their drinks in silence for a few minutes before Nabiki asked, "Have you decided about the prints yet?"
"Huh? Prince? What prince? Oh..." he said, wilting under Nabiki's stare. "Prints. From the con. Yeah, I'll take a set. A reminder of the good times being the Avatar would be nice right now. Uh, you can take the price out of the money I just gave you."
"Cheapen that lovely gift you just gave me? I wouldn't dream of it. It also wouldn't cover the price of a full set anyway. I'll just add it to your steadily growing debt."
Nabiki shrugged. "Like I said, you're getting the full set. Everyone else got some shots of you, group shots, and pictures of themselves with the Avatar. Since you're in all the shots, you're getting a copy of all the pictures."
"I guess that makes sense," he said with a frown. "Ah! But without me, there wouldn't have been any pictures, so that's worth a discount, right?"
Nabiki sadly shook her head. "I should charge you more for such a terrible argument, but I'll let it slide since you're sleep deprived." She finished her coffee and stood up. "You should stop having nightmares; they're not doing you any favors."
"Stop having nightmares, she says," he muttered as Nabiki walked off, "like it's that easy. And it wasn't that bad an argument," he pouted. "Was it?"
The empty room didn't offer any answer.
oOo
"Ah, a wonderful breakfast as always, dear," the man declared as finished the last of his coffee and laid his newspaper down on the table. He leaned over to kiss his weeping wife on the cheek, then stood up, gave himself a once over in the hall mirror (straightening his tie and adjusting a cufflink), then put on his sport jacket and picked up his briefcase.
"Well, I'm off to Nerima!" he called. "If I come back, I'll pick up one of those cakes you like so much from that bakery in Suginami. If I don't, all the papers are in the safe. Goodbye, dear!"
Paying no mind to the crying coming from the kitchen, he stepped outside and smiled as he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Ah, what a beautiful Autumn morning." Whistling a cheerful tune, he started walking to the train station and his destiny.
Author's note: Even if I don't always say it, thanks to Sunshine Temple for proofreading and feedback.
Emi: Japanese girl's name. Ebi: Japanese word for shrimp.
強い精神 Tsuyoi seishin - Strong spirit/mind
Weeping wife? Either someone killed her husband, and replaced him right in front of her eyes, or her husband was always on the list of Avatars of Darkness and just got activated.
Weeping wife? Either someone killed her husband, and replaced him right in front of her eyes, or her husband was always on the list of Avatars of Darkness and just got activated.
There could be multiple reasons on why are wife is weeping, her son could have just died...
Which would imply that the father might be the new avatar of darkness...
Though unless there's a bun in the oven or this story takes a very dark turn for ranma and the world, then the lineage might just die out.
It was implied by ryoga that they always knew they were going to be the avatar of darkness so that implies that it's his mother whom is not so mildly upset.
"Yumi, darling, come to the table for a minute, I have wonderful news," Maëlys enthused as she walked into Dark Waters. "Oh, and please bring a cappuccino," she added as she went over to sit with Ursula. A few minutes later, Yumi set down the drink, and taking a moment to look around and make sure she wasn't needed elsewhere, pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Thank you," Maëlys said, flashing Yumi a warm smile. "As I said, I have wonderful news. I have begun a career—you are now looking at the new rising star at Nerima's most prestigious fashion house!"
"That's great!" exclaimed Yumi. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Yeah, that's good," Ursula agreed, "you'll be able to start pitching in for expenses."
"Indeed. More than that, I'll be treating you both to a celebratory dinner. Once you show me your finest outfits, I will make arrangements at an appropriate venue." Maëlys's cheeks pinked slightly, and she added more quietly, "And I'd also like to have a more private celebration with you afterwards, Yumi."
"I'd like that too," Yumi said with a faint blush.
"Fine with me," Ursula said.
The door's bell rang as a customer entered and Yumi quickly stood up. "Congratulations again. You'll have to tell me more about your job later." As she headed for the counter, she paused to glance back at her girlfriends and wonder for the hundredth time how her life had reached its current state.
o0o
Frowning, Ranma stared down at the living room table. She was the Avatar of Light; she had bigger things to worry about than killing a challenger but not in the right way. Losing sleep over it or even caring about it in the slightest was stupid. All that mattered was that the challenger was defeated and the world was safe. She nodded as her lips shifted to a grim smile and her fingertips glowed with golden light. Really, what she needed to be worried about was acting too slowly, not acting too quickly.
A hand grasped her shoulder. She spun around in a flash of gold. There was a spray of red and a soft thump.
"No…" breathed Ranma as she stared down in horror at Kasumi's bloody body, the teacup she'd been bringing over rolling out of her lifeless hand. "Kasumi… no… Oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it!" Her head whipped to the side in alarm as she heard someone descending the stairs. "Nabiki! I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"
Nabiki's hooded gaze shifted between Ranma and the body of her sister and her lips settled into a line. "Kasumi, stop encouraging her. It's not helping."
Ranma stared at Nabiki in confusion. "Nabiki… Kasumi's dead. I'm so sor—" she started to say remorsefully before screaming and leaping over the table as the body sat up.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Nabiki," Kasumi said, "I was just trying to help her work through things."
"I understand, but I don't think that's the right approach here," Nabiki replied as she walked the rest of the way into the room, rolling her eyes slightly as Ranma quickly scurried behind her. "Why don't you spend some time with Velgri. I'll take care of things here."
"All right," Kasumi said cheerfully as she stood up and wiped away the blood staining her clothes with a single sweep of her hand. "Good night, Nabiki, good night Ranma," she chirped as she virtually skipped to her room, not seeming to be bothered by the way Ranma shifted to keep Nabiki directly between the two of them.
"As for you," Nabiki said, turning around and poking a finger into the other girl's breastbone, "stop making such a racket and go to bed!"
"But—!"
"Go!"
Ranma ducked her head and slunk to her room. She lay down, rested her head on her pillow, and closed her eyes.
o0o
Nabiki walked down the forest trail, power flowing into her from her surroundings as she admired the natural beauty around her. Tall trees towered above, their canopies softening the light of the sun and tinting it faintly green, and their thick trunks liberally coated with moss. Beneath these titans, small and thin trees, bushes, ferns, mushrooms, flowers, and various other plants thrived in a thousand shades of green and hundreds of other colors. From underneath a large mushroom, a mouse watched her with curiosity as it nibbled on a seed held between its forepaws. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, inhaling the heady combined fragrance of dozens of varieties of flowers, herbs, and plants and slowly let it out.
"What a beautiful place," she remarked, a slight smile on her face as she studied a tiny plant with vibrant red berries that was just barely poking out of a carpet of moss next to the path.
She continued on, following the trail, various bits of nature capturing her attention as she walked. The path was broken by a small brook, water musically babbling over moss covered rocks, and when she crossed, she saw a fox drinking no more than half a dozen feet downstream. It barely spared her a glance when she passed. As the sound of the brook faded behind her, she frowned in thought as she heard faint voices ahead. She slowly approached and soon came to a clearing to the left of the path, where several figures were sitting on large toadstools around a wide and flat stump covered in small playing cards and chips.
The figure that immediately caught her eye was the dragon. Reaching about three feet in height above the toadstool it sat upon with its tail wrapped around itself, it had a short snout and was covered in metallic purple scales. A pair of wings were folded on its back, and it was peering at the cards held in its left talon. To its left sat the distinctive figure of a Raggedy Ann doll, complete with red yarn hair, black shoes, red and white striped socks, white pantalets, white apron, floral print dress, and shiny black eyes. The thin, hand rolled cigarette that clearly contained something other than tobacco that was dangling from her mouth was unquestionably nonstandard, though. On the doll's other side, a small woman who could only be a fairy sat on the edge of her toadstool, tiny legs dangling; Nabiki guessed she'd be a bit over two feet tall standing. She had short brown hair, in a pixie cut appropriately enough, blue butterfly wings with gold borders sprouted from her back, and she wore nothing more than a simple but elegant white dress with a pouch hanging from a golden cord around her waist. Something in her gaze and bearing gave a strong impression of honor, nobility, and trustworthiness—which Nabiki found quite impressive, considering that the top corner of an ace of spades was sticking out of her pouch.
Finally, she focused her gaze on the last member of the group as she stepped into the clearing and approached the stump. His head tilted upwards and dark eyes met hers. "N-nabiki! W-what are you doing here?" Buddy asked, cards falling from the stuffed bear's paw to reveal four kings and prompting the other players to quickly fold before turning to face Nabiki as well.
"Why, I was going for a walk and just happened to stumble across this little gathering," Nabiki replied innocently. "While we're both here, there are some things I want to talk to you about," she added, lips twitching into a smile that no one would ever describe as friendly.
"Ah… I'd love to chat with you, Nabiki, but it would be unthinkably rude to ignore my friends here—" Anything further was cut off by the purple dragon unfurling its wings and immediately taking to the air and flying away into the trees.
"I would not dream of delaying this happy reunion," the fairy stated nobly as she scooped her chips—along with those in the pot—into her pouch that somehow managed to hold them all before gracefully flying off as well.
"Ann! Please don't go!" Buddy implored the last remaining member of the group.
"Fuck that noise," Ann declared as she took a drag on her joint and hopped off her toadstool. "If you think I'm staying around after the stories you told about her, you're off your rocker." She swept her chips into a purse, and turning to Nabiki, held up a hand in a friendly gesture. "Peace out, sister." Without a look back, Ann walked off into the woods.
Buddy watched the doll leave then turned back to Nabiki and whimpered to find her now standing directly in front of him with crossed arms. "S-so, what did you want to talk about, Nabiki?"
"I want you to tell me exactly what's going on."
Buddy bowed his head for a moment then looked up to directly meet her gaze and levelly said, "You know what's going on, Nabiki."
She opened her mouth to inform the bear that no, she did not know what's going on, but closed it and frowned as she felt his words resonate within her. She took a moment to think, then scowled at Buddy. "How is it that I can tell that I do know what's going on but somehow don't actually know what I'm supposed to know?"
"That sounds like a personal issue, Nabiki, but if you don't consciously know what you know, I imagine it's because you aren't ready for that knowledge."
She gave him a long look. "You didn't come for Kasumi."
"No. I was there for you, Nabiki. Always you."
Nabiki held his gaze for another long moment, then turned and walked away without a word, not stopping until she sat down on a mossy rock on the shore of a pond in the middle of a copse of thin silver trees with gold leaves. She trailed her hand through the cool water and gazed down into her reflection's eyes. After several moments, she nodded and stood, reaching out to gently catch a falling golden leaf before going home.
oOo
"You're looking much better this morning," Akane remarked as Ranma walked over to the breakfast table with a spring in his step and took a seat. "Did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby," he replied cheerfully as he dug into his food, thankfully at a reasonably civil pace. She supposed that whatever issues she may have with Velgri, she owed the fox her gratitude for improving their guest's table manners.
"I'm glad. Do you have any plans for the day?"
"Probably just walk around. I got a good night's sleep, but I still need to clear my head, sort things out," he replied with a frown. "How about you?"
"I need to spend time with Sayuri."
"Need to?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I like spending time with her, but well, when I left the other night, I stayed with Yuka."
"Yeah?"
"When I needed to stay with someone, I called Yuka, and not Sayuri. So now I need to do something that's just the two of us to show her that she's just as important to me as Yuka is."
"Oh."
"We'll probably go shopping, get lunch, and then see a movie. There's a remake of Romeo and Juliet that looks really interesting."
"Uh huh," Ranma replied absently.
Akane frowned briefly. "And then we'll fly to China and challenge Mint and Lime to a fight."
"Sounds like fun," Ranma noted as he finished the last of his food.
"Doesn't it!" Akane replied cheerfully. "And once we beat them, we'll fight Prince Herb and Saffron for the championship."
"I'm sure you'll do great. See you later."
Ranma brought his dishes to the kitchen, left the house, and was halfway down the walkway before he stopped short. "Herb and Saffron?!"
He ran back to the house, threw the door open, and cringed and closed his eyes as he found himself face to face with a scowling Akane holding a glass of water already pulled back to be thrown in his face. When a second passed with no splash, he carefully opened one eye to see Akane's scowl slowly lessening as she took deep breaths and eventually lowered the water.
"I… I did it," she said, letting out a shaky breath.
"Uh…?"
"I said I was going to work on controlling my temper, and I did it. Not that you make it easy," she snapped.
"Uh, good job," he said carefully. "So what was that about Herb and Saffron…?"
Akane gave him a brief glare before deliberately taking a sip of water. "Since what I was saying was too boring to keep your attention, I decided to make it more interesting."
"Ah," Ranma said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind right now…"
She deflated. "No, I'm sorry. With everything that's happened, I shouldn't blame you for getting lost in thought."
"Okay. So, I guess I'll see you later," he said awkwardly.
Akane smiled at him. "Have a nice walk."
"Thanks," he said, a hint of red on his cheeks. "Good luck with the championship."
Akane frowned as she watched him leave. "Either he's a complete idiot or he's been spending too much time with Nabiki…"
oOo
Most people who went for a walk to clear their minds would go to a park, find a trail in the woods, traverse the bank of a scenic lake, or if none of the above were options, walk along the sidewalk. If asked, anyone who knew Ranma would be quick to declare he wasn't most people, and the fact that his "walk" took the form of strolling across rooftops and leaping to its neighbor when he ran out of roof completely supported this popular opinion.
Ranma frowned slightly as he absentmindedly hopped to the roof of a shop. The beautiful night of restful dreamless sleep had done wonders for him, but Ryouga's death still preyed on his mind. There was no doubt one of them had to die the moment Ryouga had issued his challenge as the Avatar of Darkness, and he thought he'd accepted that. It sucked hard that he'd had to fight his rival, friend of sorts, even, to the death, but he felt he could accept that, even if he wasn't happy about it. But somehow, the way it had ended…
"Ranma, m'boy!" a very unwelcome voice called happily as its very unwelcome owner bounded over a fan to land in front of him. Ranma sighed and readied himself for whatever annoyance the ancient perverted grandmaster of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū was going to throw his way this time. The tiny old man opened his mouth to say more, but then to Ranma's surprise, frowned and perched himself atop a duct. "Sit," he said in a serious tone.
Ranma was about to blow him off, but the gravity in the old man's voice and expression had him sitting down across from him. They sat in silence for a long moment, the only motion being Happosai taking out his pipe, lighting it, and bringing it to his mouth. Finally, the old man asked, "Who was it?"
"Huh?"
"Who did you kill, boy?"
"What?! How did you know?" Ranma demanded. When the only response was a puff on the pipe and expectant silence, he sighed. "Yeah, ok, I guess you've been doing this for a pretty long time. It was … Ryouga."
"Finally got fed up with his crap, huh?" the old man asked with an understanding nod.
"No! It was an official challenge." Ranma inhaled deeply and sighed. "To the death."
"Ah. Didn't want to accept it but couldn't refuse, huh?"
"Yeah… but that's not really the part that's bothering me. I mean, it does bother me, but it's what happened during the fight."
"I've seen it before," Happosai said, nodding knowingly. "Two youngsters fighting, their blood is pumping, both their passions high, and in the heat of the moment, they forget they're supposed to be fighting and instead—"
"That's not what happened!"
"No? It would have explained why you look like crap if you had to kill him afterwards. Fine, tell me what happened, then."
"Okay," he said, looking into space as he recalled the events, "he challenged me and we headed to an out of the way place to fight, but he insisted on starting on the way. It seemed remote enough, so we went at it—not that way!—and after a bit, he missed with a ki attack and blasted away some trees to reveal there were houses pretty close." Ranma glanced at the old man briefly and saw him nodding slightly, eyes closed. "Well, I wanted us to move someplace further away, but he refused and even threatened to blast the houses if I left."
Ranma sighed deeply and shook his head. "I knew that us fighting there could get a bunch of people killed, so I convinced him that the new, um, body strengthening technique he was using had a pretty serious permanent side effect. When he dropped it to prove me wrong, I hit him with a cheap shot, figuring it'd hurt him enough to make the fight short or make him mad enough to chase me somewhere else. Instead … it just killed him," Ranma finished softly, dropping his gaze.
"I know it doesn't make sense. If I was planning to fight him to the death anyway, what difference does it make if I surprised him with a cheap shot?" He looked up to see the old man nodding sympathetically. "I, I guess I feel like he deserved better. It sucked that I had to kill him, but after all we'd been through, he deserved a real fight. We had a rivalry and kinda friendship for years—if it was going to end with a fight to the death, it should have been an epic battle, not a trick and a cheap shot. Damnit, Ryouga, why couldn't you have just fought me at…" He trailed off, eyes widening.
"The only reason we didn't have our epic battle was because he refused to fight somewhere else and threatened innocent people to make sure I stayed there. He didn't deserve better. It should have been a fight for the ages, would have been one, and the only reason it wasn't was because Ryouga made sure it wouldn't be." Ranma's posture subtly shifted, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I hate how things ended, but I'm done beating myself up over it."
Ranma hopped to his feet and gave Happosai a look of respect as the old man nodded again. "Thanks, old letch. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you were actually helpful for once."
Ranma ran to the edge of the roof and leapt over the street to another building, almost feeling like he could fly now that the terrible weight of killing Ryouga's was vastly lessened. Back on the duct, eyes still closed, Happosai nodded again. A few moments later, a soft snore escaped him.
oOo
"Man, I wonder what a real fight between us would have been like," Ranma sighed as he sat with his back against the tree in the Tendou yard. "We'd both have Avatar strength, speed, and durability, and on top of that, full access to both our regular techniques and our Avatar abilities." He shook his head. "Ryouga, you idiot… I don't even know what special abilities you had because you got yourself killed before I could see more than a couple."
He sighed again. "It really would have been something… Maybe I would have even needed to use my super form."
"Why would you do that?" Velgri asked from the branch above him, making him flail and fall over in surprise.
"How long have you been up there?" he asked as he sat back up.
"About fifteen minutes longer than you've been down there."
"Huh. Anyway, I was wondering if Ryouga would have pushed me hard enough that I'd need to use my super form."
"Since the Avatar of Darkness generally doesn't use attacks that target your sense of self or conceptual existence, I think it would be extremely unlikely."
"Wait, is that what it's for? I thought it made me, you know, more powerful."
"It does. Conceptually."
"But not physically?"
"No."
"Oh. So, I'd use it against things like … brainwashing or an attack that would just, like, erase me?"
"Essentially."
"Did you ever tell me that before?"
"On our initial training trip, yes. I don't believe it came up in our refresher session, though." She cocked her head. "Maybe we should have another, in case anything else was missed."
"I really don't think that's necessary," Ranma said as he quickly got up and headed into the house. "Gotta go! I think I heard Kasumi calling me." He was almost to the front door when the eldest Tendou daughter came down the stairs.
"Oh, are you going out?" Kasumi asked. "Would you mind picking up a few things for me from the stores?"
"Uh… sure."
Two minutes later, he paused for a moment on his way to the store. "Wait, since when do foxes climb trees?"
oOo
"Okay, let's see where I need to go first," Ranma said as he pulled out the shopping list.
"Well, I'll be," a man's voice called, distracting him, "is that little Ranma Saotome? Why, it is! There's no mistaking those handsome features, that poise, and such a distinctive sense of style! Good to meet you, young man!"
Ranma looked up in surprise to see an approaching middle aged man in a gray business suit wearing a trilby and carrying a briefcase in his left hand, a beaming smile on his face and his right hand extended for a handshake. "Uh, hi," he said, holding his hand out to be vigorously pumped.
"It really is amazing how spot on my boy's description of you is. Thinks the world of you, he does, by the way—you've been a huge help and inspiration to him over the years. It's always Ranma this, Ranma that... I'm delighted I finally have the chance to thank you for it."
"Ah, it's not necessary," Ranma said, flushing at the praise. "And, uh, I'm sorry, but who are you?"
The man laughed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, of course you wouldn't know who I am! What boy goes around flashing pictures of his old man to his friends?" He clapped a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "It's a pleasure to meet you, son. I'm Michio Hibiki, Ryouga's father."
Ranma stiffened under Michio's hand as the color drained from his face. "Uh, w-well, I think you maybe got the wrong idea. Ryouga and I weren't—aren't—that close. We pretty much fight and argue most of the time."
Ryouga's father squeezed Ranma's shoulder. "Oh, don't worry about that, I know how boys are," he laughed. "Why, that's nearly a declaration of undying love at your age! My boy may have been ranting and raving about you, even as you led him to school every day, but no matter what he was saying, it was always about you. Frankly, me and the little lady have been wondering if there was something more growing between the two of you…"
"No! We were ju—are just rivals. Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Ah, so everyone keeps seeing something more between the two of you, do they?" Michio slyly asked, giving his shoulder a friendly pat before removing it.
"There is nothing between us," growled Ranma.
"Sorry, sorry," Michio said, holding up his hands placatingly. "Just having a bit of fun. I should know better. The little lady never says anything, but I can tell that she only laughs at my jokes to be polite. As an apology, I'll buy you lunch. Well, honestly, I'd insist on treating my boy's best friend anyway, but now I have another reason. Are you hungry enough for two lunches?" he laughed.
"Uh… you don't have to do that. Really."
"I will not take no for an answer, young man! I've wanted to meet you for ages, and this is the least I can do to repay you for everything you've done for my Ryouga."
"I'm not really hungry," Ranma said weakly, not even lying as his appetite fled at the older man's words.
"You'll change your tune when food's in front of you; boys your age can't help it. Especially considering I know where the best burger joint in the city is hidden away. Come on, son, you won't deny this old man a chance to talk about his pride and joy, will you?"
"...no."
"That's the spirit! And not hungry, my foot. You're so famished, you're practically pale as milk."
oOo
"Now, this place is a true hidden gem," Michio said as he waved his arm. "Would you believe it's been around since just after the war?"
Ranma took in the white counter and table tops speckled with gold flecks and wrapped with grooved steel bands on the sides, the shiny red leather stools and booth seats, the gleaming soda fountain, and the signs on the wall advertising items such as genuine Coca~Cola for a nickel. "Yes. Yes I would."
"You can't find quality like this nowadays," Michio said firmly. "Most places these days use cheap, mass produced ingredients and are hobbled by endless rules and regulations."
"Like … health regulations?" Ranma asked hesitantly.
"Ha! Good one!" the older man crowed, clapping him on the back and guiding them to the booth. "Let me order for us both; son, trust me, you won't be disappointed."
"Uh, okay. I'm not really hungry, though…"
Michio winked at him. "Sure you're not," he said, holding up a hand. A moment later, a waiter dressed in black slacks, a white shirt, red and white striped apron, red bowtie and a white paper cap atop his head arrived at their booth.
"Welcome back, sir! What can I get for you and your friend today?"
"A cheeseburger for me and a double for the young man, both with the works, two orders of onion rings, a cherry Coca Cola for me, and a chocolate malt for my friend."
"Coming right up, sir!" the waiter exclaimed before turning and striding off like a man with a mission.
Michio nodded in satisfaction and turned back to his dining companion. "So, how are you doing, son? Everything's good, I hope."
"Ah… it could be better," Ranma replied weakly.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But try not to let it get to you—things will always look up sooner or later. Why, there have been plenty of times when things looked grim for my Ryouga, but I always have faith that he'll persevere and be all right in the end." Michio peered at Ranma for a moment before turning and calling to the waiter. "Just bring out things as they're ready! My young friend looks like he's about to pass out from hunger!"
"I-I'm fine," Ranma protested, jumping slightly as two plates of thick onion rings, a tall vintage shake glass containing a thick, frothy brown liquid, and smaller glass shaped a bit like an upside down bell filled with a dark fizzing liquid were set on the table.
"Two pumps of cherry syrup, just how you like it, sir!" the waiter cheerfully exclaimed. "I'll have the rest of your order out in a few minutes."
"Good lad," Michio said approvingly as the waiter turned and hurried back to the grill. "Eat, son, eat!" he exhorted Ranma. "How will I be able to face my boy if I let his best friend starve to death right in front of me?"
Ranma swallowed and reached out for a golden onion ring and took a bite. It tasted like sawdust in his mouth.
"Now, isn't that a great onion ring?"
"Delicious," Ranma replied with a weak smile.
"Just wait until you try your burger!" He smiled and shook his head, gazing into space as Ranma choked down the rest of the onion ring. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you. My boy owes a lot to you. You inspire him, drive him to being better than he'd be otherwise. He wouldn't be where he is today if not for you. Whoa! Slow down, son! Don't choke on your food! Have some of your malt."
Michio shook his head as Ranma took a sip of his drink and got his coughing under control. "You've got to be more careful, lad. You have far too much potential to be done in by an onion ring. So young and already so accomplished… Undisputed heir to your school of martial arts, a major player in the Nerima community, someone who can hold his own against or even defeat figures straight out of legends… Why, you're even the Avatar of Light, at your age—I'll wager you're the first boy to manage that!"
Ranma stared at Michio wide-eyed. "You, you know?"
"Of course I know, son. Didn't my boy tell you it's a family position? I would have expected that to come up in the pre-fight banter."
"H-he did." Ranma looked around. "So, all of this was just—"
"No, son, I meant everything I said. You were my boy's closest friend and I honestly do appreciate everything you've done for him. I certainly can't hold you winning the challenge against you."
"I … I'm sorr—"
"Hey, none of that. You have nothing to be sorry for. I know you didn't want to kill your friend, but that's the burden we bear as men, having to carry out our duty no matter how much it hurts. I'm proud of you, Ranma."
Ranma cringed. "Are you sure you're not just trying to make me feel horrible?"
"Oh well, maybe just a bit," Michio laughed, "but can you really blame me?"
The scowl he got in response said yes, he could, but after a moment Ranma sighed and shook his head. "I guess not… But please stop."
"Fine, fine. Ah, here come our burgers! Do try to enjoy the food, son; I do love seeing someone appreciating a good meal."
"Yeah, okay. I'll try." He took a bite of his burger and his eyes widened. "This really is good!"
"Good, good! Now, don't wolf it down, son. You won't be able to come back here after I'm dead, you know."
"I'm going to be the dead one if you keep doing that!" Ranma wheezed once he'd recovered from his coughing fit. "What are you talking about, after you're dead?"
"Oh, well I was going to wait until after we were done, but I'm challenging you, Avatar."
"Absolutely not!" snapped Ranma.
"We both know that's not how this works, son," Michio said softly.
"Why?" Ranma pleaded. "I don't want to kill Ryouga's dad too…"
"Ah, well, apparently my boy let his passions get the better of him and didn't have a very good showing in his challenge. His handler was pretty upset about it and activated me—to send a message more than anything, honestly." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm afraid I'm not likely to have a very good showing either. I've practiced with the powers a bit, but my boy was the fighter in the family."
"And you can't say no?"
"I'm afraid not."
"There must be something we can do!" When Michio just smiled sadly and shook his head, Ranma scowled. "Fine. I'll accept your challenge in a month."
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, son, but making me wait a month isn't doing me any favors. I … I'm not the sort of man who can appreciate life on a timer, and I'm worried about what my handler might do in that time if you make him wait. If you really want to help me, let me enjoy a good meal with my boy's best friend and put an end to this business today, before anything worse happens."
Ranma clenched his fist. "I… Are you sure?" At the older man's nod, he exhaled sharply. "Fine. I don't like it, but if that's what you want…"
Michio smiled. "I'd be a bit concerned if you did like it." He took a bite of an onion ring and savored the taste. "Mmmm… Just try to enjoy the food, Ranma. Help make my last meal a good one, that's all I ask."
Ranma gave a hesitant nod and ate another onion ring, determined to give it the appreciation it deserved. "This really is good…"
The two focused their attention on the food for the remainder of the meal, with only light conversation, mostly about food. Eventually the plates were cleared away and Michio leaned back and enjoyed a cigarette.
"Thank you, son. You know, actually there is one other thing you could do for me. Please mail this letter after the challenge. I'd send it now, but in the incredibly unlikely event I manage to win, well, that would be very awkward. Uh, don't deliver it yourself, I don't think that'd go over well."
"I will."
"Lovely." He handed over a letter, then checked his watch. "You can probably even get it into today's post. I don't think our fight will last long at all."
It didn't.
oOo
The grandmaster of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū shoved open the door to the Tendou home and bounced into the living room. "I'm home!" he declared. "What's for dinner?" He took in the occupants of the room, enjoying the looks of terror on the faces of Soun and Genma as they clutched each other, the groan from Akane as her head slumped, the placid smile of Kasumi as she stroked the lavender fox in her la—
"Oh, hell no!" Happosai heartily exclaimed under his breath before cheerfully crying, "Well, I'm off on a training trip. I'll be back in five years or so!" and hastily bouncing back out the front door.
"He's gone, Tendou!" shouted Genma as he jumped to his feet.
"For five years!" cried Soun as he leapt up to hook arms with his friend and danced a jig.
Akane groaned and thumped her head against the table at her father's antics, then stiffened and quickly sat up as she abruptly felt a dangerous presence next to her. She immediately turned to see Ranma, a stony expression on her face and a dark look in her eyes, facing her sister.
"Kasumi," Ranma said in an even voice that still somehow came across like a growl, "I need to have a word with your girlfriend."
"I'm awake," Velgri said, raising her head as Soun abruptly tripped over the game table, taking Genma down with him. "We can talk in the dojo."
As Velgri jumped down from Kasumi's lap and walked to the dojo, Akane met Ranma's eyes and hesitantly asked, "Should I…?"
"Yeah, you can come."
"Are… are you all right?"
When the other girl just turned and walked away without answering, Akane shivered and followed her to the dojo.
Author's note: As always, thanks to Sunshine Temple for proofreading and feedback. Comments, reviews, and discussion are always appreciated (except flames or spam). I won't say they make me write faster, but getting them is encouraging, and they do make me think about this story, which does often lead to writing more.
Nabiki placed the golden leaf in a shallow jade bowl of keepsakes and trinkets on her dresser. She then walked downstairs to the living room to find her father and his friend scuttling about on the floor gathering black and white go stones. Ignoring their antics, she followed Akane's departing form across the yard and walked into the dojo behind her. Noticing Ranma and her vulpine advisor had entered the dojo ahead of them, she casually leaned back against the wall near the entrance and crossed her arms.
Ranma turned around with a scowl and opened her mouth to express her displeasure of recent events but stopped and blinked when she noticed Nabiki. "How long have you been there?" she asked. When the only response was a bored shrug, she shook her head. "Whatever, it doesn't matter." She turned back to her advisor. "Velgri, I've had enough of the Dark screwing with me, and I'm not putting up with it!"
"Tell me what happened, Ranma," Velgri said seriously as gracefully sat on the tatami mats.
"Whatever bastard sent Ryouga after me made his father take up his position and challenge me too!" Either ignoring or not noticing Akane's gasp, she started pacing aggressively. "First Kodachi, then Ryouga, and now this. I'm not putting up with this shit, Velgri! You said there are rules, that they're supposed to issue challenges, not go after my personal life, my friends, or my family, but they've ignored that three times now!"
"Four, if you count both times Akane was targeted," Nabiki offered.
"What?" demanded Ranma in a hard voice as Akane turned to stare at Nabiki with wide eyes.
"Brandy tried for Akane first and only got Kodachi when that failed."
"And neither of you thought to tell me this?" Ranma asked in a tightly controlled voice that had Akane shrinking back.
"We only found out after Brandy was gone," Nabiki replied with a casual shrug, "and there wasn't anything else at the time to suggest it wasn't an isolated incident."
Ranma took a deep breath and let it out. "You still should have told me."
"Ranma is correct. You should have informed her or me," Velgri agreed. "Incidents that seem simple in isolation may be part of a pattern that we can only discern if we have all the data. In light of this new information, even Brandon Bullseye's attack may not have been the simple act of a foolish human that it appeared."
"Damn, I didn't even think of that," Ranma swore.
"It's understandable," Velgri assured her before sweeping her gaze over the people in the room. "Are there any other incidents I should know about?"
"Nope," Nabiki replied as Akane shook her head. "Unless you count Bebe trying to convince me to switch sides before Speed Demon's challenge."
"No, persuasion is permitted," Velgri said. "Ranma, do you have anything else?"
Ranma frowned in thought. "It feels like there was more, but no, I can't think of anything else."
"Very well. We certainly have enough incidents as it is," Velgri stated. "Tell me more about what happened today."
"Ok, right… this guy, Michio, came up to me and acted all happy to finally meet his son's friend. He was saying how much I'd done for him and how great he thought I was and insisted on buying me lunch. When I told him I had no idea who he was, he said he was Ryouga's dad and acted like he didn't know Ryouga was dead. He nearly made me choke half a dozen times saying things like how much Ryouga owed me or that he wouldn't be where he was now if not for me.
"Eventually, he admitted he knew I was the Avatar and that Ryouga was dead. He said he really did appreciate that I looked out for his son before that point but was kind of making me feel terrible on purpose because, you know, I did kill his boy. Finally, he said the Avatar of Darkness position had passed on to him and he was challenging me. He didn't have a chance, but he was being forced to challenge me because Ryouga had done so badly."
She sighed and shook her head. "I tried to refuse, or at least put him off for a month, but he said living for a month with a death sentence hanging over his head would be torture and he was afraid the guy who'd been Ryouga's handler would do something even worse if we made him wait." Ranma scowled, fists clenched at her sides. "So I accepted the challenge and we fought. It was short. Is that enough?"
"It is," Velgri said solemnly, "and I'm sorry you had to go through that. The Dark isn't prohibited from having someone you know challenge you, particularly if they are already an agent, such as the Avatar of Darkness, but a concerted effort to undermine you through by targeting your friends and associates is not permitted. This latest incident even exhibits blatant emotional manipulation by Michio, his handler—which would be Drefan, barring recent changes—or both. If Michio had simply challenged you in his avatar form, you would have had no clue as to his identity; instead, he made sure you knew."
Velgri took a deep breath and a golden glow surrounded her. "I hereby file a formal complaint," she intoned with words that weighed heavily on the air itself, "of undue interference in the Avatar of Light's personal life by the forces of Darkness and call for an inquiry." The golden aura pulsed once and faded. After a moment, the lavender fox cocked her head and nodded. "There we go. An inquiry has been opened. All challenges are suspended until the preliminary investigation is concluded."
"What?!" Ranma demanded in a strangled voice before letting loose with an impressive stream of curses. "That's all it takes?! Damn it! I should have put off Michio's challenge no matter what he said!"
"No, Ranma, if Michio's welfare is your concern, you were right to follow his wishes," Velgri disagreed. "His meeting with you precipitated a formal complaint, an act which will bring the wrath of the forces of Darkness down upon him. I have no doubt that a quick death followed by reforming over the course of decades in the nether realms is a fate much preferable to being a present and intact target for that wrath."
"Especially if he did it intentionally," Nabiki added.
"What?" Akane asked, turning to her sister in confusion.
"Think about it. The Dark got his son killed and then sentenced him to death in a fight he couldn't win. On top of that, if he wasn't lying about liking Ranma, they were screwing with him too. What better way to get revenge and ruin their plans by carrying out his orders in a way that's almost guaranteed to provoke a complaint and launch an investigation."
"That makes sense, but if that's true does it mean our complaint will be dismissed?" Akane asked.
"Not at all," Velgri replied smugly. "It doesn't matter whether an agent of the Dark had ulterior motives; there is still a pattern of behavior that shows every sign of being an illegal campaign against the Avatar of Light. Oh, the penalty will be much more severe if it's revealed to have been planned in detail at higher levels, but even if these attacks were not coordinated, taken together, they are a violation."
"So … now what?" asked Ranma uncertainly.
"For the most part, enjoy your break from challenges. It's not forbidden to obtain additional information related to the investigation, so long as you're not disruptive. Personally, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to Branwen and ask how in character her brother's attack on Akane was. From what I recall of the girl, I daresay she'll be quite forthcoming to you. If the attack was not something he'd do normally, it gives weight to the likelihood that it was orchestrated."
"Okay… I guess I'll do that," Ranma said slowly.
"Is something more bothering you?"
Ranma started to shake her head, then stopped and frowned. "Yeah, there is. This whole Avatar thing," she said, waving an arm, "why are humans even involved? The Light and the Dark hate each other and had this war going on, I get that. Eventually you switched to challenges instead, but how were we dragged into this whole thing? So far as I can tell, all it does is use people as pawns and get them hurt or killed. Why can't you guys just leave us out of it and settle things on your own?"
Velgri sighed. "I can understand how you've come to that conclusion, Ranma, but your understanding of the situation is flawed. Come gather around, you three, and I'll explain." She waited until Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki sat in front of her before continuing. "It is true that the forces of Light and those of Darkness are diametrically opposed and used to battle each other directly, but humanity is involved in our conflict, as it is for humanity's sake that we forsook direct conflict. As I've told you previously, our battles were incredibly destructive and great devastation of large areas ensued. It was only after the noble race of elves dwindled and died out as a result of this devastation that both sides decided that such tragic losses were unacceptable and committed to limiting the power we brought to bear. It was too late for the elves, but we wished to spare the humans and other races a similar fate.
"Over time, we refined our rules of engagement and eventually decided upon the current model of a champion and challenger. The role of champion was a natural one for the forces of Light as we adhere to the ideals of law, benevolence, and harmony, whereas the forces of Darkness embrace chaos and self-interest, if not outright cruelty. We chose to select champions from humanity for two reasons," she said, giving her champion a serious look. "This system was created for humanity's benefit, and it is humanity that will suffer the effects if the Avatar of Light is defeated; as such, it is only right that humans are involved and have the opportunity to determine their own fate."
She gave her audience a moment to consider that before shrugging and adding, "We also felt that direct conflict between the forces of the Dark and Light, even in single challenges, was likely to fuel hostility and make rule violations more likely. I truly am sorry if your experiences have given you the impression that we are using humans as tools or playthings, and I assure you that the Light certainly does not feel that way. In fairness, I doubt most of the Dark feels that way either—no more than they do about everyone, including others of their own kind, at any rate."
"Okay, fine, I understand what you're saying," Ranma said, "and put that way, it does sound a lot better. But look, it seems like this is your guys' conflict but we're the ones who get screwed over if the dark side wins a challenge. Can't you guys have a different prize?"
"What would you have us fight for, Ranma? This is the last remaining way for either side to influence the world to any great extent. We're not willing to lose that as well, and any other prize would be even more disruptive. If you have any better ideas, I'm all ears."
Ranma's gaze immediately shifted to Velgri's very large ears, and her mouth was already opening when Velgri narrowed her eyes and growled softly. Ranma's cheeks flushed slightly pink and she coughed softly as she looked away. "Uh, right." After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she turned back to her advisor with a serious expression.
"Look, if you guys really care so much about us, why not just leave, then? Go somewhere else and have the big fight you really want. I mean, I get that you're trying to do right by us, but wouldn't we be better off if we were on our own?"
"Perhaps," allowed Velgri, "but there is something you are failing to take into account," she said before her voice hardened. "This is our home, and we were here long before humanity. While we do want humanity to thrive and are willing to severely curtail the nature of our conflict for its sake, we are not willing to give up our home, especially to uncertain benefit, as humanity often seems quite capable of wiping itself out without anyone's help."
A long moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Akane hesitantly asked, "The powers left for everyone else's sake, though, didn't they?"
"In a way, but as expressions of universal or natural concepts, they don't have the same concept of a place being home that we do."
"And it isn't as if they don't retain a presence here," commented Nabiki idly.
"Well, I'm happy that someone has been paying attention to my explanations, even if she isn't my charge. Yes, the powers may have bound themselves from manifesting overtly, but they are still here in spirit and have the potential to imbue avatars."
Velgi briefly looked over the others; when no one spoke up, she turned back to Ranma. "Do you have any further questions or concerns? I may not provide close supervision because I do not believe it is something you need or appreciate, but you should not hesitate to come to me if you need help or advice."
"I guess not," Ranma sighed with a frown.
"Very well. If you'll excuse me, then," the lavender fox said before leaving the dojo.
A minute passed in silence, then Akane softly asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'll let you know when I figure it out myself," Ranma said, standing up and slowly shaking her head as she walked out.
"Well, that was a productive talk," Nabiki remarked as she rose to her feet.
"Nabiki," Akane said, a hint of worry in her voice, "When Ranma arrived, he spilled the beans about Velgri and Kasumi in front of Dad and Mr. Saotome..."
Nabiki shrugged unconcernedly. "They'll probably ignore it completely or turn a blind eye. I suppose there's the off chance they'll actually acknowledge it."
"You don't think they'll try to interfere?"
"Please. They're not brave enough to stand up to Kasumi alone, much less to her and Velgri."
Akane's expression cleared. "Yeah, you're right." She looked down at the floor. "Velgri has an elf form, you know... She's very pretty."
"That must make things much nicer for Kasumi."
Akane raised her head to gape at her sister and her mouth was already open to shout a reply when her brow furrowed and her mouth closed in a puzzled frown. "Did—did we already have this conversation?"
"Yes, when you ran off to spend the night with Yuka."
"Please don't say it like that," Akane sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I was really upset then, but I shouldn't have forgotten talking with my own sister."
"It was perfectly understandable, considering the circumstances," Nabiki disagreed, offering a hand up.
"Thanks," Akane replied, taking the hand and standing. "You go on in; I think I'll stay here and work out a bit."
oOo
Drefan walked into the cafe and released the leash on his psychic presence with a sneer. In an instant, every gaze snapped to him, unwillingly drawn to the person who appeared to be a British man in his mid twenties with ice blue eyes, spiked bleached hair with red tips that managed to give the impression of flames, and an aura of danger and violence. The black leather jacket adorned with studs and a few strategically placed spikes, black jeans, and black combat boots only accentuated the aura.
"I need to have a little private chat with those ladies, so everyone else clear the fuck out," he declared to the room. He waited a moment, and the occupants simply stared at him with wide eyes. "Now," he added, flaring his presence briefly. In an instant, all the customers but two grabbed their belongings and bolted from the cafe, giving Drefan as wide a berth as possible as they rushed out. In mere seconds, only four people remained. "I'll have a cortado, love," he called to the pale and trembling barista as he reined in his presence and walked to the sole occupied table.
"I didn't think anyone cared enough to come find me," Ursula said, eying him warily.
"No one does," Drefan agreed as he turned a chair around and sat down, resting his arms on the backrest.
"So you're here for me," Maëlys concluded, a slight tremor in her voice.
"I'm sorry, who the fuck are you?" Drefan asked. As Maëlys flushed and opened her mouth to answer, he held up a hand. "Don't bother; no one cares. Now look," he said, turning back to Ursula, "no one gives a damn about you faffing about up here and even less about blondie there…" He stopped and flashed a smile at Yumi as she placed his drink on the table. "Thanks, love," he said before his voice hardened and he snapped, "sit," while pointing at a nearby chair.
Drefan ignored the glare from Ursula and the nervous look from blondie and took a sip of his cortado as the human quickly sat down. "Not bad," he said appreciatively before putting down the glass. "Now look here, you fuckups," he growled, "we may not give a flying fuck about two washouts and some insignificant human, but Darklings settling down in the human world and starting their own group—especially challengers to the bloody Avatar of Light—is another fucking matter entirely. Now, no one thinks you're ambitious enough," he nodded in Ursula's direction, "or smart enough," he added with a jerk of his head at blondie, "to actually be trying this or you'd already be smears in the burning rubble of this place, but I'm here to tell you it fucking stops now, understand?
"Like I said, no one gives a damn about whatever kinky games you get up to with your pet human, but if she seduces one more Darkling, I'll kill the two of you and take her back to the nether realms with me where she can have all the lovers she'd ever want. Understand?"
He glanced at the human, who had flushed at the start of his declaration but paled by the end of it and was rapidly nodding; the bear-woman who was watching him with narrowed eyes; and finally blondie, who looked like she was ready to either flee or faint. He took another sip of his cortado and set his glass back down. "You understand, blondie, or do the other two need to explain it to you after I leave?"
"I understand, damn you!" she exclaimed heatedly, red tingeing her cheeks, before her eyes widened slightly and she shrank back in her seat.
"Perfect," he said before he finished his drink and prepared to stand up.
"Excuse me," the human said as she timidly raised a hand, "but what if a, um, Darkling comes by and refuses to leave even if we tell them to?"
"Well, I can see who's the brains in your group; what an excellent question. Why, if that happens, you can just hold my card," he said, placing one in her hand, "think of me, and mentally tell me all about your little problem. Like this" he projected directly into her mind. When the human sagged in her seat, made a soft whining noise, and turned faintly green, he flashed her a shark smile, stood up, and tossed a wad of bills onto the table. "Don't bother seeing me out, love. Cheers."
Drefan left the cafe with a satisfied smile on his face and a spring in his step. Half a block later, his smile vanished and he stopped abruptly. "What the bloody hell do you mean, an investigation's been opened?" he asked of thin air, causing a couple of pedestrians to give him a wide berth. "Yeah?" he asked, stepping into an alleyway, "so what? What do you mean, they were close? The fucking idiot wouldn't stop going on about killing the Avatar and stealing his girlfriend! What? Oh, they were like that? Seriously? Yes, I know it fucking happens, but it's such a fucking cliche! Yes, I understand. Right. Yeah, I'm heading in now."
He scowled and viciously kicked an empty soda can down the alleyway. "Fuck me sideways… No, that wasn't a bloody invitation! Why the fuck are you still even listening?!" Drefan growled and forcibly closed the mental connection. A moment later, the alley was empty.
oOo
"The Avatar of Light wants to meet with me!" Branwen exclaimed happily.
"Yes, I heard," the drawing of the crow currently located on the back of her hand replied.
She blinked and looked down at him. "You heard the telepathic conversation we had through her card?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"We are both currently occupying your body. I may not have the ability or desire to hear your internal thoughts, but any that have been amplified enough to reach into or out of your head are loud enough that I have little choice."
"Huh… So I guess there are no private conversations between other people with us, even if they're telepathic."
"It's probably possible to create a spell that allows it, but my previous partners never felt the need to look into it. If you want me to try to avoid paying attention to a spoken conversation, do let me know, but I can't promise I won't notice what you're saying—especially if it's about me," he added, preening slightly.
Branwen smiled down at her partner for a moment, then huffed. "Well, I guess I don't get to reveal the details of the upcoming meeting to you."
"You can if you want. I'll pretend to be suitably surprised and impressed."
The corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "That's quite all right. I'll just have to content myself with you and the Avatar meeting."
"Ah. I'm afraid that's not a good idea."
"What? Why not?"
"The bond we have between us is quite strong and grants you both a great deal of power and protection, but it is not unbreakable by an outside party. The sudden loss of that power alone would leave you quite vulnerable, but considering that once we've been together longer, the breaking of the bond would almost instantly kill you, it is of utmost importance that we protect it. While there are defenses against such attempts, the best one is to prevent people from ever making them because they have no idea such a bond exists. Now, the Avatar certainly seems trustworthy, but what isn't known can't be accidentally revealed, and what isn't spoken can't be overheard."
"Are you sure?" Branwen asked with a frown. "We could make it clear that your existence needs to remain a secret."
The crow sighed. "I understand that humans enjoy talking about things that are important to them, but this wouldn't be the first time my bond with my partner has been revealed, and it has never turned out well. You, especially, must take care; you're actively hunting and combating evil. Do not doubt for a moment that they will eagerly look for any weaknesses once they realize what a danger you truly are to them."
"I … I admit what you say makes sense. If you're sure we can't take precautions and be careful…"
"It would be different if revealing my existence would give you a concrete advantage of some sort, but as it is, it truly is not worth the risk. If the situation changes, we can, of course, revisit the matter."
Branwen slowly nodded. "Very well."
o0o
The Avatar of Light landed lightly on the rooftop and walked over to the round, white, wrought iron patio table covered by a lace tablecloth. Atop the tablecloth was a tray bearing an assortment of cookies, brownies, and other freshly baked treats; the aroma was mouthwatering. Two matching chairs sat on opposite sides of the table, one empty and the other occupied by Pretty Special, who watched her approach as she took a sip of coffee from a glass mug. Several feet to the side, a scowling teddy bear dressed in a maid outfit stood beside a serving cart carrying assorted tableware, a coffee pitcher, a teapot, and additional treats.
Ranma took the empty seat, and the teddy bear maid wheeled the cart over and wordlessly gestured at the coffee pitcher and the teapot. Ranma glanced at the tray of baked goods, then said, "coffee, please." In short order, the teddy bear laid out a place setting, poured a mug of coffee, and placed a small pitcher of cream, and a bowl of sugar cubes with a small pair of tongs before wheeling the cart back to its original place. Ranma poured some cream into her coffee, daintily placed a brownie and a cookie onto her plate, and after taking a sip of her coffee, had a bite of the brownie and closed her eyes for a moment.
"This brownie is amazing, Nabiki," she moaned. Ranma opened her eyes to see the maid beam in response. "Wait, did she make them?" The teddy bear's features snapped back to their previous scowl. "Um…"
"Don't worry about it, Avatar, some servants prefer to go unnoticed when their duties don't require otherwise. And what did I say about names?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, Special. So, why are we meeting here? Not that I'm complaining!" she quickly added before taking another bite of the brownie.
"You wanted to talk away from the big ears of little foxes, so here we are."
"Yeah, I do. She probably hears everything that goes on at home, whether she wants to or not… So, what do you think? About what went on with Ryouga's dad and what Velgri said about the Light and the Dark."
Nabiki set down the small Linzer tart she'd been nibbling on. "Well, the Dark has definitely been pushing the boundaries; whether it was an orchestrated campaign, several separate events adding up into something bigger, or deliberate sabotage by Ryouga's father isn't clear, though. I imagine the investigation will try to determine which it is. As for the Light and Dark…" Nabiki shrugged. "It's rather different from the initial pitch of protecting humanity from the forces of darkness. Essentially, the end result is the same, but 'win these competitions or these other guys mess up the world as a prize' has quite the different feel."
Ranma scowled and took a gulp of her coffee. "Henri was right. This whole thing is entertainment for them, a chance to argue about whose sports team is better, watch the match, and bet on the outcome."
"And one lucky human is compelled to compete and do their best to win, faced with the threat of the world being ravaged by demons and darkness," Nabiki added before taking a bite of her tart.
"Lucky, yeah," Ranma grumbled. "So, what can we do about it?"
"Not a lot, unfortunately. Fighting both the forces of Light and Darkness isn't an option. Your own handler is apparently strong enough to effortlessly take out challengers who break the rules, and she's undoubtedly far from the most powerful being on her side. Not to mention, if they ever do get serious, the collateral damage from their fights is enough to destroy civilization. Going on strike just means the Light either has to find a new Avatar or the Dark wins by default.
"No, the only real option is to either change the challenge system itself or change the playing field so much that the current system no longer makes sense. Changing the playing field would be something like getting a third powerful side involved. Of course, the result of that might not be something we'd prefer to the current situation… Changing the system itself would require either becoming powerful enough to start calling shots to both the Dark and Light—which is very unlikely—or convincing them to change things more to our liking. Currently, we don't have the ears, influence, or ideas to make that happen, but of all the options, this one seems like it might actually be possible."
"So there's nothing we can do. Great." Ranma scowled and took a gulp of her coffee.
"Just because we can't put an end to the challenges right now doesn't mean we can't lay groundwork. We need to think of alternative systems and make friends and allies among both the Dark and Light; or at very least, make connections and open lines of communication. Both parts are equally important. A great idea won't help if you can't get it to the right people, and knowing people won't do much if you don't have an idea that will interest them."
"Wait, is that why you've been so friendly with the Dark?! Because you've already been working on this?"
"No. I've been making connections because connections are almost always good to have, even if you aren't working toward anything at the moment. It's much better to have them already in place if you do end up needing them."
"I suppose you have a point. You'd be willing to use those connections if we get a good enough idea?"
"If everything else lines up? Of course."
Ranma smiled at her. "Thanks, N-Special. Wait, this is going to cost me a fortune, isn't it?"
Nabiki waved a hand. "I'm sure I'll be able to find some way to turn the situation to my advantage."
Ranma relaxed and tried a cookie, sighing in pleasure at the taste. "Speaking of 'Special', how are things going with your magical girl career?"
"I'm just about where I need to be."
Ranma frowned. "You know, you can't just wait until everything's lined up perfectly before actually going out and doing something. That's a good way to end up never doing anything."
"So says the magical girl who only fights her opponents by appointment."
"That's completely diff—wait, are you saying you got roped into something similar?"
Nabiki sipped her coffee. "I'm saying that each of us has a role to play, and not all of them have us going out and looking for trouble."
Ranma gave Pretty Special a long look and slowly asked, "Can you tell me what your role is?" When no answer was forthcoming, she hmmed and turned her attention back to the coffee and baked goods. After several minutes, she politely thanked Nabiki for having her, asked her to pass on her compliments to the baker, and departed.
"You know, you could have dressed me as a waiter or butler," Buddy testily said once the other girl was gone.
"Yes, I know," Nabiki carelessly replied.
Buddy hmphed, then poured himself a cup of tea and sat in the vacant seat at the table. "So, you said you're almost ready?"
Nabiki nodded. "Yes, I should make it with time to spare."
Buddy smiled. "Good. That's really good, Nabiki." A few moments passed in silence as they sipped their drinks. "You know, going out and fighting evil like an actual magical girl again could be fun…"
"Sure. What style of fuku do you want?"
"Notme!" the teddy bear shrieked. "You! I would assist as your companion and advisor, of course."
"I'll think about it." She finished her coffee, walked to the edge of the roof, and jumped.
Author's note: As always, thanks to Sunshine Temple for proofreading and feedback.
