Ranma smiled down at her, not liking the hopelessness he
saw in her face. “I’m Ranma Saotome,” he whispered and was
nearly yanked off his feet.

The girl weakly smiled back. “I’m Sasami Jurai.”

Glancing at their captors, Ranma exhaled deeply. “Well,
Sasami, don’t you worry.”

She watched him, now curious.

“When the poison in my body runs its course, I’ll be able to
break these chains and beat these guys.” He smiled grimly. “It’ll be
no challenge.”

Sasami’s eyes widened, and she shook her head frantically,
blue pigtails flapping. “You can’t, Saotome-san!” she whispered
urgently, her hands wringing together. “They’ll kill you!”

Ranma shook his head, ignoring her warning. “Just call me
Ranma, ok?”

Sasami nodded meekly. “O-ok, Ranma-san.”

He rolled his eyes. “How old are you, Sasami?”

“I’m. . .” She hesitated for a moment. “I’m eight,” she
concluded.

“You always address people so formally?”

“I. . . yes.” She nodded, before looking around at the
darkening landscape.

Ranma noticed, looking at the girl kindly. She was only
eight and a prisoner, chained and forced to walk against her will for
how long, he did not know. She looked ready to collapse. “You
afraid of the dark?”

Sasami bit her lip softly, glancing up at dimming white sun.
Night in the new world was different now, as if there was a full
moon, illuminating the land a pale red. Her eyes flickered as she
recalled the constant nightmares of her own death. “Yes. . .” she
whispered, staring pointedly at the ground.

Ranma chuckled, and Sasami turned her attention back to
the pigtailed boy, pouting. “Why’re you laughing?”

Grinning, Ranma looked to the dark sun. “Sorry, it’s just. . .
well, you don’t have to be afraid, Sasami.” He turned his gaze to the
blue haired girl as they trudged on, side-by-side. His left arm
pulsed, glowing the same color as her hair.

She stared back at him with tired, yet questioning eyes.

He turned his attention to the two demons ahead of them.
“It won’t be dark for long.”

--

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ranma ½ or any other animes that might
appear in said fic at this junction. . . in time. . . right now.

“I always knew he was crazy, but this. . . my God, this was
something else. . . I never imagined he was capable of something
like this.”
- Akane Tendo

Demons Candelabrum
A Ranma ½ Crossover
By Hawk

AN: Sorry this took forever to get out. It’s long though, so the wait
was hopefully worth it to those of you who’ve been waiting hah
review and tell me what you think, ya?

--

Chapter 5 - On Trial

Akane stared listlessly out of the second floor window, up
at the blackened sun. The world outside was hued red, and the
school yard was bustling with the purple wraiths. They moved too
and fro, but never dared approach the school itself.

“He’ll be back, don’t worry.”

Akane snorted. “Worried? About that idiot?” She crossed
her arms and glared at the black sun.

Ukyou snorted in return. “Yeah, and I’m not worried about
him either,” she retorted sarcastically.

Sighing, Akane placed her forehead against the cool
window and scratched her leg. “Do you. . . do you think. . .”

“Do I think what?” Ukyou asked, glancing at Akane
curiously.

The other girl tilted her head toward the sun.

Ukyou face turned grim and she shook her head. “I hope so.
If it stays black like that. . .”

“It seems like there are more of them out there,” Akane
said, now looking down at the surrounding purple wraiths.

“Yeah, and there’ll probably be more tomorrow.”

They stood in silence for a minute, listening to the shallow
moans coming from outside. Ukyou rubbed her forehead to ward
off a headache. “Lets go back to the library.”

“I don’t want to. Kuno’s being weirder than usual. I’d
rather just stay here,” Akane muttered.

“Stop being selfish, Akane!” Ukyou snapped abruptly. “You act
like you’re the only one that’s lost someone! You ran off today
leaving me and Hina-chan-sensei to get supplies alone!”

Akane gaped at the okonomiyaki chef.

“Everyone in that library has lost someone. Remember
what Ranma-honey said?”

“‘I’m a big dumb idiot’?” Akane mocked in a Ranma like
voice.

Ukyou didn’t laugh. “No, that’s what you wish he’d say.”
She shook her head. “He said, ‘We’re all we’ve got, and if we
don’t take care of each other, then no one else will.’

“If you hole yourself up in here, Akane. . . you have to let
go of what’s lost out there, Akane. Focus on what’s still here, in
this school. Stop thinking of just yourself, and your own problems,
because we all have the same damn problems ourselves.”

Akane sighed out of her nose. “Are you done?”

Ukyou blinked, surprised by the response. “Yes.” She
turned and walked out of the classroom.

Turning, Akane glared out of the window into the school
yard, scratching her leg in irritation.

--

“Ain’t you gonna sleep?”

Ranma eyed the two-horned demon. “Why? So that when I
do, you and your pal can kill and eat Sasami and me?”

The two demons burst into rough laughter, the one-horned
toppling onto his side.

“Stupid Hanyo! Why would we bother dragging you two
this far just to eat you?” the one-horned demon exclaimed,
slapping his knee and shaking his head.

“Yeah, that would’ve been nothing but a waste of time. Don’t
you think we would’ve eaten the little girl already?” the
two-horned demon added. “Besides, our kind of demon doesn’t
like the taste of human flesh.”

Ranma glanced down at Sasami, peacefully asleep, her
head resting on his lap. He moved his shackled hands and gentled
brushed the hair out of the young girls face.

He silently strained against his chains, hoping to crack them.
Nothing happened though and he sighed in annoyance. While
most of his body seemed to have cleaned out the poison, his
arms were still weak, particularly his left. The poison was having
a much stronger affect on his glowing limb.

“Then what’re you going to do with us?” he asked.

“You’ll stand Trial,” the two-horned demon replied, staring
him hard in eyes.

“Trial? For what?”

Neither demon responded, ignoring him instead.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Ranma angrily whispered so not
to wake Sasami.

“You better just shut up and go to sleep,” the one-horned
growled. “You’ve got quite a walk tomorrow.”

Ranma looked up at the sky and black sun, relieved despite
his predicament. “It’ll turn white again?”

“It? It?” The two-horned demon looked at the one-horned.
“Can you believe this guy, Boraa?”

The one-horned demon, whose name was Boraa, shook his
head. “What do you expect from a Hanyo!”

Ranma glared. “What’re you guys talking about? Why’re
you calling me a ‘Hanyo’?”

“That sun you just called ‘It’ is Amaterasu, the Sun
Goddess,” the two-horned demon explained. “She’d burn you to
ashes for such a comment.”

“Ama. . . Amaterasu?” Ranma repeated, gazing up at the
dark sun in slight awe. “No way. . .”

“She’s sleeping right now, Hanyo,” Boraa added. “She’ll be
back when she wakes up.”

The two-horned demon snorted, looking Ranma over
incredulously. “I wouldn’t even call this guy a Hanyo.”

Boraa laughed, slapping his knee. “Yeah, he’s more of an
Army, Naraa!”

“Hanyo? Army?” Ranma looked back and forth between
the two red skinned demons.

“Yeah, you know, a half-demon?” Naraa replied. “But
you’re not really a half-demon are you?”

“You’re more of an arm-demon!” Boraa exclaimed. “That’s
even more pathetic than a half-demon!”

Ranma’s eyes narrowed. “Demon?” He glanced as his
weakened left arm.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know?” Naraa asked, genuinely
surprised. “How could you not know your arm is almost all
demon?”

Shaking his head ardently in disbelief, Ranma raised his
shackled hands in front of his face, careful to avoid the still
sleeping Sasami. “That’s. . . impossible. . . I’m human!” he retorted
fervently.

The two-horned Naraa and one-horned Boraa shared a
glance. “Those markings on your arm are clearly demonic,” Naraa
explained cooly.

“Yeah, ‘cept your demonic powers are pathetic!” Boraa
shouted, once again bursting into an uproar of laughter.

Ranma exhaled heavily, slumping. His eyes narrowed in
thought. “Impossible. . .” he breathed.

“Not so,” Naraa countered. “You may not be able to feel
the demon in you, but it’s there. The markings are familiar looking
too, but I can’t really place them.”

Ranma stared silently at his arm. It made sense, to his
dismay. It explained his sudden swings of anger, as well as the
constant delightful feeling it radiated whenever something bad
happened.

“How can I get it out?” Ranma asked. “I don’t want it.” His
arm pulsed weakly in objection.

“That. . .” Naraa paused. “That I do not know. Except for
perhaps cutting off your arm, but there’s no telling if that’d remove
the demon from you.”

“Lord Gozu-Tenno may know a way, but you’ll never meet
him,” Boraa added. “He hates weakness, and the demon in your
arm is nothing but. Your Trial should be quick.”

“Gozu-Tenno?” Ranma muttered. ‘Isn’t that the name of a
God?’ he thought, and glanced at the Sun, Amaterasu.

“You should sleep, human, you have a long day tomorrow,”
Naraa stated.

“My name is Ranma,” the pigtailed teen growled.

“For the time being, we’ll call you what we wish, Army,”
Boraa retorted with a grin.

A short breeze touched them all, and Sasami curled up closer
to Ranma, a frightened expression on her sleeping face. He
gently laid his shackled hands on her forehead, and her face
twisted even more. Quickly, Ranma removed his hands. Her
face calmed slightly and he frowned.

Glancing up at Naraa and Boraa, he saw them both laying
down, attempting to sleep. He strained against his chains, trying
again to break them. His demonic arm faltered still and the chains
remained intact.

He clenched his fists and glared at his dim arm. It glowed
lightly in response. Boraa was wrong about his arm, Ranma knew
that. It was much stronger than the two demons perceived it to be.
Ranma briefly considered going for one of the demons clubs and
using it against them, but didn’t.

‘I’ll pass their stupid Trials then see Gozu-Tenno about
getting you out of my arm,’ Ranma thought, staring at his arm
which suddenly was beating pleasantly. With that thought in mind,
Ranma shut his eyes.

--

Kuno Tatewaki’s dreams typically consisted of beautiful
girls throwing themselves at his feet, specifically his redheaded
Goddess and Akane Tendo. They were good dreams, and if ever
there was a villain, he would fight them off with his mighty
bokken, saving the day and damsels. And then the girls would
throw themselves at him again.

The dream he had this night was not so pleasant. It had
started off well enough, with both his redheaded Goddess and
Akane running toward his open embrace. The two girls stopped
though, and his redheaded Goddess began fading, vanishing before
his eyes. He cried out for her, but she was already gone.

He spun toward Akane, seeing her smiling still, and sighed
in relief. She reached out for him when suddenly the earth below
her cracked and a massive burst of flame engulfed her body. Her
eyes widened and she cried out for the brief moment that she still
existed.

Kuno dropped to his knees, shocked. From the ground a
giant, flaming hand broke through, trapping his arms tightly in its
grasp. He struggled against it, but to no avail. The flames covering
the monstrous hand licked his face and legs, but they didn’t burn
him.

“Let go, vile hand!”

The hand instead started dragging him back towards the
hole. Kuno braced his feet, hoping to stop the pull but it made little
difference. The fires burned stronger as the hand neared its place of
origin.

Kuno struggled still, never one to give up. “I will not. . . be
defeated by the likes of you!”

The monstrous hand tightened its grip, squeezing the breath
out of Kuno. He gasped and woke with a start, sitting up violently.
His breathing was ragged, and he stretched his arms and body to
relish the sudden freedom of movement. Wiping his forehead with
the back of his hand, he glanced around the library, studying the
other sleeping students.

“Tatewaki-san, is everything alright?” a lone teacher asked.
She had be chosen for first watch, to keep an eye on the outside
and make sure that if the wraiths outside came in, they would all be
warned.

“Bad dream,” Kuno muttered in reply, rising to his feet. He
glanced at the teacher. “I do not think I will be slumbering any
longer this night. I will take the watch.”

The teacher nodded. “Hinako-sensei was supposed to take
watch after me. If you get tired, wake her and she’ll take over for
you.”

Kuno nodded, scratching the back of his right hand. “Thank
you, I will do that.”

Smiling tiredly, the teacher wandered off, disappearing into
the back of the library.

Alone, Kuno stared listlessly out of the window he had
been sleeping next to. There were slightly less wraiths outside than
earlier. He turned and carefully made his way out of the room,
unaware of another set of eyes watching him.

--

Kocho Kuno awoke with a start, still gagged and bound
inside his office. His eyes widened when he noticed that he was not
alone, and he tried pleading for freedom. Blinking drowsily, he
realized who the person was, and smiled against his gag.

--

Kuno pushed open the front doors to the school, having
removed the desks barricading it. As he stepped outside, the
remaining wraiths approached, mouths gaping. He raised his
bokken at them, and they backed away.

“You fear my might, do you?” he declared to the
surrounding demons.

The wraiths moaned in response.

“There is nothing for you here, nor I,” Kuno stated, his thoughts
drifting to his redhead Goddess fading away, and Akane’s flame
engulfed form.

He stepped forward, and the wraiths made way, allowing
him to pass. Unchecked, Kuno disappeared down the destroyed
streets of Nerima.

--

Ranma was pulled to consciousness, quite literally. He
tumbled forward, onto his chest, Sasami falling off his lap as he
did so. Looking up in annoyance, Ranma muttered a few choice
words under his breath as Naraa yanked on his chains once again.

“Alright, stop!” he shouted, tugging back. The sun,
Amaterasu, was beginning to brighten.

“What happened?” Sasami mumbled, reaching up to rub
her head.

“It’s time to walk,” Boraa stated, picking Sasami up off the
ground with casual ease and planting her on her feet.

“I’m hungry,” she whispered.

“No food for you, human,” Boraa retorted, pushing her
forward.

Sasami stumbled and fell to her knees, tired and weak. Her
hunger was clearly affecting her.

Ranma glared hard at the one-horned demon, and he rose to
his feet. “Don’t touch her.”

“Or you’ll do what, Army?” Boraa taunted.

Naraa stood silently, watching the exchange, casually
taking note of Ranma’s demonic arm and how it pulsed.

Ranma looked up into Boraa’s eyes, fists clenching.

“Well?”

“Boraa, that’s enough,” Naraa ordered.

“But, brother-!” Boraa started.

“No more. Now we walk.” Naraa glanced toward Ranma,
who was watching at the two-horned demon in confusion. He gave
Ranma a incredulous look. “You heard me. Walk.”

“Sasami needs food. When was the last time she ate?”

Naraa eyed the girl. “Is that her name? She’ll get none,” he
stated and turned away from Ranma. “She isn’t worthy of food.”

Sasami slowly pushed herself to her feet, her legs wobbling
beneath her.

“Give her food or I’ll kill you both.”

Boraa toppled over, cracking up as Naraa raised an
eyebrow. “This guy’s hilarious! Kill us?”

“We don’t have any human food,” Naraa explained cooly,
attempting to calm the angered Ranma.

“Where’s my backpack? I had food in that?” Ranma
demanded.

“I oughta crush your head for talking back to us like this,”
Boraa snarled, suddenly enraged by Ranma’s gall.

“But you won’t,” Naraa concluded. “Fetch his human pack,
Boraa.”

“But-!”

“Just do it.” Naraa grinned at Ranma. “But only one of you
gets it.”

Ranma didn’t blink. “Give it to Sasami.”

“Aren’t you the good Samaritan.” Naraa snatched the bag
out of his younger brothers hand and tossed it at Sasami.

The young girl barely managed to catch the heavy pack
without bowling over. She blinked, unsure as she held it securely
in her arms. At Ranma’s nod, she quickly unzipped it and dove in,
pulling out a couple of candy bars and a bag of chips.

“Willing to go hungry for someone else. . . pathetic,” Boraa
muttered. “Survival of the strongest, that’s how we do it.”

“I think I’ll be fine.” Ranma grinned, shook his head and
rattled his chains. “Lets get going, shall we?”

--

Akane and Ukyou watched the huddled group of whispering
teachers as if they were a top rated tv show. They had been
blocking the exit to the library since before either of them had
woken up, and weren’t allowing any students to leave.
Something was clearly up.

“Hey.” The two girls turned to see Nabiki as she scanned
the room around them. “Have either of you seen Kuno?”

The two girls shared a quick glance. They still weren’t on
the best of terms since their encountered the day before.

“Haven’t seen him all morning, sugar,” Ukyou replied.

Akane shook her head as well. “Nope. Kinda surprising that
he hasn’t jumped out proclaiming his love.”

“Yeah. . . I found that odd too,” Nabiki mumbled to herself.
“I can’t find it him anywhere.”

“You have any idea about what’s going on over there?”
Akane asked, nodding toward the teachers.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces from other students, but nothing
really cohesive. Something apparently happened in another part of
the school, and the teachers don’t want any students to see it,”
Nabiki explained.

“I know what happened,” a quiet voice rasped nervously,
then coughed.

The three girls turned, finding Gosunkugi Hikaru standing
uneasily nearby.

“Gosunkugi?”

The small, frail teen looked at the three girls, unable though
to meet their eyes. “I know what happened,” he repeated, just as
quietly as before then coughed again. “Sorry, I think I’m getting
sick.”

“What happened?” Nabiki asked, crossing her arms over
her chest, unconvinced by Gosunguki’s confession, ignoring his
ailment.

Gosunkugi glanced around furtively. “Principle Kuno’s
dead,” he whispered, and wrung his hands nervously.

“What?”
“No way?”

“How?” Nabiki demanded, her glare making the skinny
teen cower.

“Stabbed with a pair of his scissors.” He glanced around
again. “They think Tatewaki did it.”

“They think Kuno killed his dad?” Akane asked and snuck
a peek at the still huddled teachers. “Why would he do that?”

“Where is he?” Ukyou wondered, and looked around.

“How do you know this?” Nabiki’s glare hardened, and
Gosunkugi cringed even more.

“I over heard the teachers talking earlier,” he replied
quickly. “They don’t know where Kuno is, he’s totally
disappeared, but they found the front doors of the school wide-
open this morning and think he’s left.”

“The doors were wide-open?” Akane exclaimed.

Gosunkugi nodded, coughing into his hand.

“And none of those things came in?” Ukyou wondered
aloud. The three girls shared a look. When they turned back to
Gosunkugi, he was gone, having slunk off, disappearing into the
crowd of students.

“They think Kuno killed his own dad?” Akane repeated.
“Well. . . I just can’t believe it,” she muttered in disgust. “He may
have been a nut case, but a murderer. . .”

“And why his dad?” Nabiki asked. “Why not anyone else?
He must’ve done it while we were all sleeping. Why not one of the
teachers? Or a student?”

“Or you?” Ukyou added.

“Are you insinuating something, Kuonji?” Nabiki growled.

“You did screw him over a lot, Nabiki,” Ukyou countered,
raising an eyebrow, challenging the Tendo girl to deny her words.

Instead, the mercenary Tendo just glared.

“Who he could’ve killed doesn’t matter, now. It’s the fact
that he DID kill someone that’s important,” Akane whispered,
butting in on their squabble. “He and his dad didn’t get along, we
all knew that.”

“But to go as far as killing him. . .” Nabiki stated in
disbelief.

“All I know is that Ranma-honey better get back here soon.
. . With Kuno missing and gone crazier than before, there’s no
telling what could happen next.”

Akane glowered at the still gathered teachers, scratching
her leg. Everything was beginning to grate on her nerves, and
things were steadily getting worse.

--

Groaning, Tenchi rolled over in the bed he was laying on.
Then he sat up and promptly fell off, confused and disoriented. He
made to stand, legs tangled in the sheets, when someone entered.
Reaching for the Tenchi-ken with his blood covered hands, he
grasped nothing, and panicked.

“You’re awake!” an older woman’s voice exclaimed.

Tenchi paused in his freaked out state long enough to look
at who had spoken. In the doorway of the room stood a middle-
aged woman with neatly cut, short brown hair, a worried
expression on her face.

“Who’re you? Where am I?” He glanced at his blood
soaked arms and clothes. “What happened?”

“You killed that demon dog,” the woman explained and
approached him slowly.

The memories of his fight with Orthrus flooded him and he
clutched his head at the rising ache. His fingers pressed against his
temple, smearing more blood across it.

“Are you ok?”

Tenchi shook his head. “Just a headache. How long have I
been out? Who are you?”

“You’ve only been out for the night. It’s just morning now,
I think,” the woman replied. “My name is Yukio Haruno. There are
others downstairs.”

Tenchi blinked. “More people? Alive?”

Yukio nodded, smiling lightly. “Yes, because of you. That
dog demon had been wandering the streets before you arrived. It
had already attacked a number of people,” she said sadly.

“We found you after your fight and brought you into this
house to rest,” she finished.

After staring at his red hands for a minute, Tenchi blinked
back into reality. “Where’s my sword? The Tenchi-ken?”

“Your sword? Tenchi-ken?” Yukio repeated. “We didn’t
find any sword near you, only the hilt of one.”

“Where’d you put it?” Tenchi asked urgently.

Yukio pointed at the night stand next to the bed, the
Tenchi-ken hilt there, soaked in blood as well.

Leaning over from his sitting position, Tenchi grabbed the
hilt, and dragged it off the stand. He clutched it tightly against his
chest, and after a moment of silence, he looked up at Yukio, eyes
hollow. “Where can I wash off this blood?”

--

Ranma smiled winningly at Boraa as the four continued
their trek across the wasteland that was once Japan. For his part,
what hunger Ranma felt hardly affected him and he knew it upset
the one-horned demon. As a child he had been starved many times
by his father while on their trip. This was nothing new to him.
Sasami was doing much better after eating a number of
snacks from his pack. She was still visibly tired, just not as much
as before. The smile on her face was directed at Boraa as well,
mocking him in tandem with Ranma.

They were steadily getting closer to what looked like a
section of a city, a high-rise in the center stretched into the clouds,
taller than any building Ranma had ever seen. It didn’t look like
any building that had existed in Japan before the red wave hit. A
large strip of highway ran through the middle of the remaining
portion of city. Ranma gaped slightly, so much city in one piece a
sight to behold.

“Is that where we’re going?” Ranma asked.

“Yes,” Naraa replied plainly. “That is the Ikebukuro.”(1)

Ranma blinked, recognizing the district immediately. “The
Ikebukuro?” He glanced at the tall building. “That’s the Sunshine
60 Building? But it’s different.” (2)

“The Ikebukuro is our home now and the base of the
Mantra,” Naraa explained.

“Mantra?”

“Shut it, Army!” Boraa shouted, yanking on Sasami’s
chains, and pulling her over.

Glaring at the one-horned demon, Ranma moved to help
the fallen girl.

“Boraa.”

Starting, the younger demon turned to his older brother.
“What?”

“I’d rather we bring them BOTH in ALIVE,” Naraa
growled, staring at his brother through heavy lidded eyes.

“How much further til we get there?” Ranma asked,
protectively standing beside Sasami.

“Soon.”

--

“How’re you feeling, Dr. Tofu?”

The older man smiled. “A little better, Akane,” he said,
carefully adjusting his injured arm in its sling.

“What about Cologne-san?” Ukyou sked.

“She’s still resting. She’s been through a lot for someone
her age,” he explained. “Hopefully she’ll wake up soon.”

Akane and Ukyou nodded. “We could really use her help.”

“Well, I’ve looked everywhere and asked everyone, and I
can’t find Kuno anywhere,” Nabiki stated as she approached the
three. She shook her head. “Maybe that little rat was right.”

“Right about what?” Dr. Tofu eyed the girls suspiciously.

They explained to him what Gosunkugi had said, leaving
the good Doctor with a serious disposition. He was silent for a
moment. “None of you should know about that,” he said at last.

“So then it’s true?” Akane stared at the floor, having a hard
time comprehending it all.

“You’re to speak of this with NO ONE!” Dr. Tofu
whispered fiercely, surprising the three girls with his anger. “We
don’t need the students to get into a panic over this.”

“What if Kuno comes back and none of the students know
about what he’s done,” Nabiki countered quietly.

“We don’t need a panic. Everyone’s already scared enough
as it is,” Tofu explained. “If Kuno returns, we’ll take care of him
before he has the chance to hurt anyone else.”

“I don’t like this,” Nabiki muttered.

“It’s not something to be liked, Nabiki, it’s something to be
dealt with and nothing else.” Dr. Tofu adjusted his glasses before
leaving the three girls to themselves.

“Unbelievable,” Akane breathed.

“I know,” Ukyou added.

“Well, we have no control over what’s out there, and no
control over what’s in here,” Nabiki growled and kicked the book
return cart, jarring a couple loose.

--

“Father?”

“Hm, yes, Kasumi?” Soun Tendo asked, looking up at his
daughter from his game of shogi. Genma took the opportunity to
switch some pieces.

“I’m going to Nekomi to visit a friend,” Kasumi stated as
she wiped her hands on her apron.

Genma stopped his cheating, suddenly worried. “You’re
leaving?”

Soun, too, was worried. “For how long? Alone?”

The oldest Tendo daughter smiled reassuredly. “I’ll be
home in time to make dinner,” she explained and Genma visibly
relaxed, his cheating recommencing.

“Alone?” Soun repeated.

Kasumi kept on smiling, removing her apron. “I’ll be
visiting a friend, father. I’ll be okay.”

“What will you be doing in. . . Nekomi?” Soun queried,
trying hard not to cry.

“Shopping, of course!” Kasumi replied brightly. “My friend
has a new recipe I want to try.”

“I say we let her go,” Genma declared.

“But-”

“My taxi’s already waiting outside,” Kasumi said, and
moved for the front door. “I’ll be back later! Don’t worry, father!”
She gave a little wave and walked out.

Soun sat in silence, gazing at the door his daughter had just
walked through, ignoring Genma’s cheating hands.

As Kasumi stepped into the taxi, she looked back at her
home, a small frown present on her face. For some reason she felt
like this would be the last time she was going to see it.

The car jostled, and Kasumi sat up, rubbing her eyes
wearily. She yawned softly, stretching her legs. The day before she
had wandered alone, through a ward of Tokyo. She had looked for
other survivors, but after finding no one had entered a nearby
Toyota dealership, and used the back seat of a car as a makeshift
bed.

Her back cracked and she groaned pitifully. It had not been
a good nights sleep. She stopped her painful musing when a piece
of metal clattered outside of her car. She tensed and ducked down,
scared.

There was another clang, and some muttering followed. She
peeked through the window, seeing no one. Another clank that
came from behind her made her glance at the rearview mirrors. In
the left one she saw a figure hunched over a cars engine.

The person stood up, long black hair tied into a braid that
reached their lower back. They were wearing what looked like a
woman’s traffic cop uniform. Raising her arm, the young woman,
somewhere in her early twenties, wiped the sweat from her brow.

Kasumi opened the car door and stumbled out
uncharacteristically into the room, startling the other person. She
spun around, wrench gripped tightly in her hand.

“Oh my!” Kasumi cried, surprised by her sudden fall.

The traffic cop, a little shorter than Kasumi, dropped her
wrench in shock. It clattered noisily in the empty showroom. She
blinked, frozen momentarily as Kasumi climbed to her feet.

Once steady, Kasumi stared, uneasy and excited. Her hands
wrung her kimono, smiling anxiously. “Uh. . . hello,” she greeted
softly.

The traffic cop blinked again. “Hi,” she managed through
her shock. She glanced around the room, looking to see if anyone
else was going to tumble out of a car.

“Um. . . I’m Kasumi Tendo,” she said and bowed politely,
if not a bit nervously.

The traffic cop looked around again before reaching down
and picking up her wrench. “Miyuki Kobayakawa,” she responded
and bowed in returned. “It’s VERY nice to meet you, Tendo-san.”

Kasumi and Miyuki smiled brightly at each other, happy to
have found someone.

--

Ranma covered his face and groaned quietly. He was
beginning to think that letting Naraa and Boraa bring him to
Ikebukoru had been a bad idea.

The city remnants were swarming with demons, many of
the Naraa and Boraa variety, with more or less horns in dissimilar
places, or different skin color, each one carrying a large weapon of
some kind. A number of dark skinned demons, bodies as thin and
frail looking as Gosunkugi’s, stood guard at every street corner,
holding long spears at their sides. Their large, brimmed straw hats
covered most of their faces, only slits in the front allowing them to
see.

Sasami had tensed at his side, clutching at his right arm.
Many demons were staring at them now, from across the street, to
the windows above their heads, their eyes gleaming of amusement,
hatred and many other various emotions.

The demons moved through the streets of the Ikebukuro
like humans would, entering stores, buying and selling wares,
eating in restaurants. Cars were not used, the streets empty of them
and Ranma wondered where most of them had gone.

He noticed two demons, encased in sinister looking armor,
approaching. The first demon’s armor was made mostly of human
bone, his helm a human’s skull with bullhorns jutting out of the
top. A long purple cap swung behind him as he walked.

The second demon’s armor was a dull blue, spikes running
down its shoulders to its wrists as well as from its hips to its
ankles. On his back was a red cape.

Ranma almost missed that both capes had different looking
demonic symbols on them that looked somewhat similar to his
arms markings. Long swords hung at their hips and the metal in
their armor chinked with every step they took.

His heart rate quickened and he realized then that the
presence of the two approaching was intense, almost
overwhelming.

“Demons Naraa and Boraa,” the demon dressed in bone
armor stated and Sasami flinched at the grated sound of his voice.

“Great Marques Marchosias,” Naraa returned, nodding in
acknowledgment. He nodded at the demon in the blue armor.
“Great Duke Berith.”

“Lord Thor has been awaiting your return,” Marchosias
said. “Who are these humans?”

“Trespassers, and possible spies of Provert,” Naraa
explained, though everyone could hear the lie in his voice. “They
will stand Trial.”

Marchosias looked at Sasami and Ranma, his eyes lingering
on the latter and his left arm. “Interesting,” he muttered, his red
eyes flashing. “Take them immediately to the cells, then report to
Thor.”

“Yes, sir,” Naraa replied and Boraa growled.

The Great Marques and Great Duke brushed past, armor
chinking, and capes swishing. Ranma turned and watched them go,
grasping his left wrist in his other hand. His arm was pulsing
steadily again, having overcome the Zen’s poison and regained its
strength.

He tensed, and felt his shackles start to give. Sneaking a
glance at Naraa and Boraa, Ranma grinned.

--

Setsuna Meioh and Hotaru Tomoe had left what had
remained of Juuban, an entire three blocks. After some wandering
South, or what they thought was South, had entered another section
of Tokyo that was still intact. After some searching of the desolate
streets, a figure appeared in the distance a couple of blocks away.

They moved to intercept the person, calling out and waving
but slowed when the figure finally began to take shape.

--

“What was that about?” Ranma asked, gaining Naraa and
Boraa’s attention. “Who were they, and what the hell is a Provert?”

“They,” Naraa started, “are the Great Duke and Great
Marques of Hell, Berith and Marchosias.”

“They’re pricks is what they are,” Boraa cut in, sneering at
their backs.

“They hold higher ranks in the Mantra, and are more
powerful than us,” Naraa explained.

Ranma nodded, having felt their power. “At least there are
only those two,” he replied, relief flooding through his body at the
thought. He silently made a crack in his shackles.

“No.” Naraa’s eyes hardened. “There are over a hundred, a
number of them more fearsome than those two.”(3)

--

Under the morning light the figure, cast in blood red armor,
two long swords at his hips, appeared clearly. His helm had two
white horns at its sides which pointed forward like a bull’s. A face
mask covered everything but his black eyes and the red cape that
hung from his shoulders bore a black, demonic mark in the center.

The two girls stopped, wary now of the imposing figure.

“Be ready, Hotaru.”

The younger of the two nodded firmly, though it was easy
to see the fear on her face.

The devilish figure stopped a few yards away, his armor
settling into place. He stood without any movement and eyed the
two girls silently. Unfriendly, ragged breaths escaped through the
helmet’s mask.

What felt like hours to Hotaru passed before a word was
spoken.

“Who are you to trespass on Mantra land?” The voice was
hollow, near lifeless, but carried both strength and authority.

Hotaru glanced at Setsuna, wringing her hands.

Setsuna’s face remained cool. “I am Setsuna Meioh, and
this is Hotaru Tomoe. We are simply passing through. We did not
know this land was under someone’s control.”

“Mantra Law states that any trespassers must be taken in to
stand Trial,” the demonic looking knight stated and reached for one
of his swords. “You will come with me.”

“We will leave your land instead,” Setsuna reasoned. “It is
unfair to punish us for things we did not know.”

“I am the Great Duke Zepar, and as such you will not leave
this land. You will either come with me to the Ikebukuro to stand
Trial there,” the Great Duke slowly drew his swords, holding them
before himself, “or you will stand Trial right now.”

The twin blades burst into raging red flames.

--

Ambling down the empty street, Ryu Kumon glanced at all
the empty store fronts. Reaching a fruit cart, he plucked a fresh
apple from one of its buckets and bit into it. He chewed loudly,
checking out his surroundings again. He moved on, peeking into
the windows of cars that were still in one piece.

“Anyone here!” he called out, and took another bite out of
the apple. He received no reply and pushed on.

In the middle of the day, the once bustling city was silent,
barren, godless. He gazed up at the tall high rises, dead neon signs,
and lifeless windows. Ryu squinted slightly as the white sun
appeared around the side of one building, steadily growing
brighter. He went on.

He blinked as he felt the ground beneath his feet and
noticed the cars lining the street shudder softly. “Earthquake?” Ryu
glanced around, hoping to not see another stampede of animals.
The road under his feet shook again, and he half expected a demon
made of cement to pop out from the street.

Then heard a scream. It was soft, but definitely a woman’s
scream. Turning in the direction of its origin, Ryu estimated it had
come from a couple blocks away. He ran down the street, but
stopped when the cry returned. Spinning around, Ryu ran the other
way, smacking his forehead.

--

Ryouga stepped out of a supermarket, his newly stolen
backpack stuffed with rations, a bottle of lukewarm water in his
hand. He took a sip and glanced around, ignoring the spirit that was
back in the supermarket as it yelled at him to return the goods he’d
taken.

Yawning, he scratched his right arm and moved down the
block. The street was otherwise silent, something he had gotten
used to over his many years of wandering alone and had come to
enjoy. It was peaceful, something he didn’t get a lot of when
people were around.

He licked his lips and took another sip. “I could get used to
this,” he said with a smile moments before he felt a tremor run
through the ground under his feet and the windows in the buildings
around him.

A scream pierced the silence and he sighed. “Just when I
was enjoying myself.”

Another scream and he was moving toward it, hoping he
wouldn’t get lost.

--

Kasumi and Miyuki ducked behind a car, ragged, nervous
breaths escaping their lips. The vehicle shook as the ten foot tall
behemoth Troll stumbled into the showroom. The girls had felt it
coming but hadn’t known for sure what was making the ground
shake until the very last second when it rounded the building side.

The hulking form sniffed the air before grunting and
pushing a car out of its way with casual ease. It moved toward their
hiding place, lifting another car up by its front and depositing it on
its top.

Miyuki quietly reached down and grabbed her gun. She
checked the chamber round and took a deep breath. “Get ready to
run,” she whispered.

Kasumi nodded weakly, wincing as yet another car in the
room was shoved aside. The tires screeched loudly.

“Run,” Miyuki breathed.

“What?”

“Run!” Miyuki rolled out from behind the car, stopping in a
crouch, gun held high.

Kasumi scrambled to her feet, running for the exit.

The troll grunted and blinked in surprise at the sudden
appearance of the two humans. Its head rocked back as a bullet
entered its forehead. A small line of blood ran down its face from
the wound. Its large tongue came out, licking at some of its own
blood.

Miyuki pulled the trigger again, unloading another bullet
into the trolls temple.

The troll stumbled back, crying out in pain and rage. It
wiped at the blood running down its face before glaring at a now
terrified Miyuki.

Hands shaking, the police woman fired the rest of her clip,
hitting the troll a number of times in the gut and arms. The bullets
did nothing to bring the behemoth down.

Bleeding profusely from its multiple wounds, the troll
bumbled forward. It swiped at Miyuki, who fell back screaming,
avoiding the large hand. It reached to grab her and as she hurriedly
tried to reload her gun, something blunt crashed into the side of its
head.

Miyuki rolled away from the reaching hand and falling
wrench, shoving the new clip into her gun.

Kasumi stood, breathing heavily and grasped another,
larger wrench in her delicate hands. She pulled back and let the
tool fly, this one hitting the troll on the nose, breaking it loudly.

The troll reared back, punching through a cars top in its
anger. It lifted the car and flung it at Kasumi who screamed and
dropped to the ground. The car passed right over her, shearing her
long hair before crash landing just behind her feet.

Miyuki unloaded her new clip into the trolls back and side,
the shots echoing through the silent streets.

Swinging its arms around, the troll roared, hoping to swat
away the bullets tearing into its body. Grabbing the front of a car, it
threw it up, through the ceiling. A moment later the ceiling
exploded downward, raining car and plaster throughout the room.

Kasumi and Miyuki covered their heads as the once gray
troll turned plaster white, its blood staining its skin and lots of the
floor. It bellowed loudly, thrashing its arms about, creating a
bloody cloud of dusty plaster.

Kasumi looked up, face white as a sheet. She stumbled
back as the troll picked up the car she had been hiding behind and
lifted it over its head. It stared down at her balefully and grinned
stupidly, and bloodily.

“Don’t move!”

Pausing, the troll blinked seconds before a foot slammed
into its gut. It stumbled, falling onto its back, the car it had been
holding dropping onto its chest and head. The behemoth grunted
once before passing out.

The person landed in front of Kasumi, and she stared at the
camouflage style pants. She started laughing, relief flooding
through her.

--

Setsuna and Hotaru had transformed, and in doing so
discovered that their powers were weaker than usual. The fight had
not been pretty so far, the Great Duke easily withstanding their
attacks, his swords deflecting them with casual ease. He appeared
bored by their fighting.

He walked in close, swords blazing. “You two are weak,
and in a world like this, the weak do not deserve to live.” Swinging
his blades, two lines of fire raced toward the girls.

They jumped apart, avoiding the flames and the Great Duke
rushed for the now unguarded Hotaru, cape fluttering behind at his
charge. Hotaru raised her staff as Zepar drew back his blades once
more.

“Dead Scream.” A large ball of energy screamed toward
Zepar, tearing up the street as it did.

Zepar turned one of his blades, knocking the attack into the
side of a building which exploded outward. A lance of flame
seared at Setsuna from the sword as the other easily turned aside
Hotaru’s striking Silence Glaive. The tip of the burning sword
stopped, resting at the young girls temple, nearly scorching it with
its flame. Hotaru screamed in surprised at the sudden counter
attack.

Setsuna dove, barely avoiding the spearing, fiery blade. It
continued on, cutting into the side of a building. The interior
immediately exploded into flames.

“A waste of my time,” Zepar grumbled.

Hotaru swallowed and fell back.

“Move again, and you die,” Zepar stated as he watched
Setsuna climb back to her feet. “Now watch. I’ll show you a power
you can never hope to achieve.”

His other blade returned to normal, still burning, and he
swiped it at Setsuna, a massive wave of fire pouring out. It raced
toward the green haired Senshi, melting the road and cars.

Setsuna raised her Garnet Orb, preparing another Dead
Scream. She’d barely managed to speak when someone dropped
down beside her, threw her over their broad shoulder and easily
jumped out of the way of the wave of fire. She shouted in surprise
at the sudden rescue, but her eyes widened when the attack crashed
into the building she had been standing in front of. It quickly
melted, tumbling to the side and smashed into another building.
The windows exploded from the force, raining glass into the street.

They landed and Setsuna was set on her feet, dazed. She
looked at her savior, who was reaching up to the bandana on his
forehead.

--

The shackles snapped, and fell to the ground, surprising
everyone. Eyes wide, Ranma glanced at Naraa and Boraa, who
were just as shocked.

Stepping back, Ranma slugged Boraa in the gut, and
snapped a kick into Naraa’s chin. The two demons fell, and Ranma
quickly grabbed Sasami’s hand. He pulled and she ‘yipped’ as he
tossed her onto his back, pulling her shackled arms over his head
and around his neck. “Hold on!”

The hundreds of demons around them broke into a riot,
many enraged, a few confused or scared. The angry ones rushed at
Ranma and Sasami.

Grabbing the chain attached to Sasami’s shackles, Ranma
twirled it over his head. It hummed and sparked the ground every
time he brought it down to nipped the floor. He swung it around
like a lasso, warding off the surrounding horde.

“This was foolish, Ranma.”

His eyes snapped to the speaker, the chain never stopping.

“You’ve only made things harder for yourself,” Naraa
stated, rubbing his chin.

Two of the starved, black skinned demons broke through
the crowd, heavy staffs at their sides. They eyed Ranma through
the slits in their large straw hats.

Ranma whirled the chain at them, forcing them back a step.

“The Ikusa are much stronger than they look,” Naraa
explained, referring to the two malnourished guards.

“I’m a lot stronger than I look,” Ranma countered,
whipping the chain around himself and Sasami again.

“You really think you can fight your way out of this?”

“I know I can.” He swung the chain and the surrounding
crowd backed away, muttering angrily.

“Ranma.” Naraa stared the pigtailed boy right in the eyes.
“Stop this. Before it’s too late.”

Ranma’s eyes narrowed, surprised by the serious tone in the
two horned demons voice.

Boraa appeared at his brothers side. “It’s too late. He’s
already here.”

The crowd surrounding Ranma parted, and a massive, 14
foot tall figure in heavy gold armor marched through. The two
Ikusa stood at immediate attention, their bodies quivering wildly as
they did. Ranma swore he heard their bones rattle.

Naraa and Boraa, along with many other demons paused,
some staring in awe, some glaring in anger while a select few stood
at respectful attention.

The hulking figure stepped up to Ranma, towering over
him, his gold, Spartan like armor shining cleanly. A giant hammer,
just big enough for his large hands, hung at his hip. A long white
cape hung from his shoulders, and stormy yellow eyes stared down
at Ranma through the slits of his helm.

His countenance reminded Ranma of Saffron, and he found
himself in as much awe as some of the demons. Sasami stared from
over his shoulder.

The figure looked the two up and down, lingering on
Ranma’s arm and Sasami’s clinging form.

“Interesting. . .” he breathed, and Ranma felt his skin crawl.
“Very interesting.”

Regaining his composure, Ranma stepped back, chain
whirling again. “Who’re you?”

The giant ignored him. “Who brought these humans?”

“We did, Lord Thor,” Naraa stated and he and his brother
stepped forward.

‘Thor? Where have I heard that name before?’ Ranma
thought frantically, recognizing it yet not knowing it fully. The
name resonated power though, a power Ranma wanted to stay
away from.

Thor, God of Thunder, looked at the two demons. “You let
this happen?”

“The boy is stronger than he looks,” Naraa replied. “He has
a demon in his left arm as well.”

“I can see that, demon,” Thor rumbled. “He will stand Trial
immediately for this attempted escape.”

“Try and make me!” Ranma snapped, spinning the chain
between himself and Thor.

Thor glanced around at the assembled demons and
chuckled loudly, prompting them all to laugh raucously along with
him.

Ignoring the laughter, Ranma whipped the heavy chain at
Thor only to gape as the God grabbed it out of midair. He and
Sasami were yanked off their feet, Ranma landing on his knees and
Sasami falling from his back.

Electricity ran down the chain, shocking the two and they
convulsed in pain, screaming. Ranma released the chain and rolled
away, clutching his sides. He punched the street, cracking it, to
dull the electrical pain as Sasami continued to cry out.

“Stop!” Ranma shouted and jumped at Thor, punching him
in the chest. His fist did nothing to the armor and instead he was
launched back, through the air, by a burst of lightening. He fell,
clothes and hair smoking lightly.

Thor had released the chain, sparing Sasami from more
pain, instead focusing on the fallen Ranma. “You foolishly attempt
to strike me? I am a God.”

Ranma pushed himself to his feet, breathing heavily. He
met Thor’s eyes, glaring dangerously. “You maybe a God, a
demon, whatever, I don’t care, but if you hurt Sasami again I WILL
kill you.”

His arm glowed brightly from the anger coursing through
his heart.

Sasami had curled up into a ball, crying, coughing, shaking,
and whimpering.

Thor unhooked his hammer and pointed it at Ranma. “You
are too weak and thus have been judge guilty by me. Your
execution shall be right now.” The hammer began to shine and
crackle with electricity.

Ranma braced himself.

--

Ryouga sneered, barring his fangs at the Great Duke, and
pulled two bandana’s from his forehead. He reared back, throwing
them hard. They cut through the air, spinning at Zepar who raised
his free sword to block it.

The first bandana hit his sword and burst into flames. The
bandana still forced the blade aside and Zepar found himself
having to use his other sword, leaving Hotaru unguarded. He
smacked the other bandana away and watched briefly as it cut
through a light post and lodged itself in the side of a building.

Hotaru swiped her Silence Glaive, hitting Zepar in the side
of his leg and cutting it heavily. The Great Duke dropped to his
knee and swung his sword around at Hotaru. He was stopped as the
ground beneath him exploded, throwing him back, cement blocks
smashing into his body.

He rolled to his feet, avoiding Ryouga’s fist as it slammed
into the ground, creating a large crater. The ground exploded again,
showering the two fighters in debris and a cloud of dust. Zepar
sliced his swords across his body, clearing the dust away just in
time to see another screaming ball of energy fly at him. He leapt
over it easily and landed on top of a light post.

“You’re quite strong,” Zepar stated, eyeing Ryouga with
interest. “You’re not a normal human.”

Ryouga looked up at the Great Duke, his right arm buried
in the street, up to his shoulder. He gave a toothy grin, and slowly
started pulling his arm from the ground.

“You’re right. . .” Ryouga replied and yanked the rest of his
arm free, revealing a strange red line that ran down his forearm. It
glowed brightly and pulsed an erratic beat as more lines spread like
red vines over his skin and down to his hand. It slowed to a stop,
the sound of a second heart beating only in Ryouga’s ears. He
inhaled, relishing the new presence and subsequent power that
came with it. “I’m not normal.”

--

“Wait, sir!”

Thor paused and eyed the speaker. “You question my
authority, demon?”

Naraa stood at attention. “The human should not be judged
like this.”

“You don’t trust my judgement?” Thor questioned
humorlessly. “I have found him guilty, demon.”

“I know, sir, but I’d like this human to stand Trial like the
rest. Don’t you think that after all this he deserves the chance to
defend himself, my Lord?” Naraa reasoned.

Thor laughed at the flattering response. “I suppose you’re
right. I’m curious now to see what this human can do in the
Trials.”

As Thor lowered his hammer, Ranma charged him. He
feigned a punch with his right and struck with his demonic left
arm. His fist hit armor and again he was shocked, but he drove
against it. The electricity currents surrounded him, passing through
his body and he grit his teeth from the pain.

Thor’s hammer rose and fell, knocking Ranma out and
dropping him to the street.

“Take them to the cells,” Thor ordered and turned to leave.
“Prepare the boy for his Trials immediately thereafter.”

Naraa and Boraa moved forward, picking up the two
downed humans.

Thor stopped and glanced down at his armor, taking note of
a small crack that had suddenly appeared. His large eyes narrowed
in thought.

--

“It appears that I’ll have to go all out then,” Zepar stated
and stuck his swords down into the light post. The flames on his
blades died out and he reached back to his cape. Thick armored
fingers fiddled with the latches and the cape dropped immediately
to the street, slamming into it like a ton of bricks.

Zepar stretched. “Much better.”

“His cape was weighted,” Ryouga muttered to Setsuna who
had retrieved Hotaru during all the commotion.

The Great Duke pulled out his swords which burst back
into flames. They grew in length then went limp, now fiery whips.
Zepar leapt into the air, pulling his whips back, his speed much
greater.

“Faster,” Ryouga added as the Great Duke flung his arms
forward, the whips following through.

“Silent Shield,” Hotaru intoned and the fiery whips were
stopped by the appearance of a dark purple wall.

“Dead Scream.” Setsuna’s attack broke through the shield,
surprising Zepar. The demon jumped up to avoid it.

Ryouga appeared behind the ball and leapt up at the Great
Duke, fist pulled back.

‘Their team work is nearly flawless,” Zepar thought as he
raised his whips for defense.

The glowing red fist brushed the Great Dukes chest and
Ryouga cursed at his miss. One of Zepar’s whips coiled around his
pulsing right arm and the two fighters dropped to the street.
Ryouga grasped the end of the whip in his hand, the fires trying
desperately to burn him, but he held the weapon in place. Blood
seeped through his fingers as the bladed whip cut into his palm.

“That’s it?” Ryouga asked and pulled on the whip.

Zepar pulled back, trying to free his weapon and prepared
to strike with the other. “Why aren’t you being burned!”

Ryouga stepped back and yanked, dragging the Great Duke
forward. He turned hard and Zepar stumbled to his side, onto his
knees. The Lost Boy pulled again, and Zepar released the whip
before he could be dragged forward again. The weapon unraveled
from Ryouga’s arm, returning to its original sword state. He tossed
it aside, away from the demon.

Zepar stood, clutching his other whip tightly. “I’m going to
kill you all,” he growled.

“Silence Glaive Surprise.”
“Dead Scream.”

Ryouga jumped high into the air, over the combined
attacked of Setsuna and Hotaru.

It ripped its way at Zepar, tearing apart the street, and
flipping cars onto their sides, their windows exploding from just
the touch. The Great Duke snapped his whip up at the building at
his side and it straightened back into a long sword. It stabbed into
the wall and as if he were pole vaulting, lifted himself high into the
air. The incredible attack tore past, underneath him, and as he
started to fall, the blade went limp again.

Ryouga leapt to meet him in midair and the two collided
violently. Ryouga’s fist drove into Zepar’s chest as his whip
wrapped itself around the fanged boys waist.

The Great Duke flew back, crashing into the wall of a
nearly collapsed building. From this Ryouga was pulled by the
whip, and flew at Zepar, rearing back his burning red right arm.

“No!” Zepar uttered moments before Ryouga’s fist
slammed into his armored face. The Great Duke exploded through
the wall, out the other side, and across the subsequent street, into
the side of another building which collapsed immediately from the
impact.

The whip, still around Ryouga’s waist, reverted back to its
sword form and fell down to the street below. The Lost Boy landed
beside it, waist burnt and bleeding. He stepped on the blade,
breaking it in two.

Hotaru and Setsuna hurried to his side. “Are you all right?”

“I’ve been better.” Blood ran down over his pants and
pooled over the ground around his feet.

Hotaru raised her hands and immediately started healing
him.

Ryouga’s right arm pulsed powerfully, shining red with
every beat. The markings spread, running over his fingers and up to
his shoulder.

Ranma snapped awake and shook his head. He sat up
slowly before covering his eyes from the invading light. The arm
he had dreamt of, just like his but red, had been frightening.
Stronger, and more dangerous than his own.

He glanced around, noting that he was alone in a dark cell.
A few random demons walked past.

“So those four are gone?”

“Yeah, they just took off in the middle of the night.
Apparently they went into the caves.”

“Damn, that’s too bad. Those guys were really strong.”

“What’s going on?”

A floating, cape wearing, jack-o-lantern appeared. It was
carrying, ironically, a lit lantern. “What’s this? You’re awake?”

Ranma stared at the demon in shock. “Uh. . .”

“The name’s Jack, pal, and it’s about time you woke up,”
the floating pumpkin stated. “Can’t start your Trials with you
sleeping.” Jack floated out of sight.

Alone again, Ranma put his face against the cell bars. He
glanced up and down the hall. “Hello? Sasami?”

“Ranma-san?”

“Sasami? Where are you?”

“Right next to you.”

Ranma blinked before Sasami’s slim arm appeared out of
the corner of his eyes. She was in a cell next to his own apparently.
“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m not alone.”

“What-” Naraa banged on the bars, and Ranma stepped
back. The cell opened and Boraa stepped in.

“Don’t try to escape now, Ranma,” Naraa said, referring to
the teen by his first name once again.

“Just go with you to my Trials?” Ranma asked
sarcastically.

“Yes. It’s your best chance of surviving,” Naraa explained.

Ranma thought for a moment, about making another break for it,
freeing Sasami and fighting his way out of wherever they were. It’d
be suicide. He exhaled. “Alright then. Lets go.”

Naraa grinned and Boraa grabbed Ranma’s elbow, leading
him out into the empty hallway. The walls were bare, cream
colored, and the floor a cold stone.

As they moved, Ranma glanced at Sasami’s cell, seeing her
and about fifteen other people inside. They watched him with wide
eyes. He grinned and gave them all a thumbs up with his free hand.

Sasami smiled back.

They turned a corner, Ranma now alone with Naraa and
Boraa. “There are three Trials you must pass to prove your
innocence.”

Ranma peered at Naraa out of the corner of his eyes.

“If you pass them, Lord Gozu-Tennoh will most likely want
to meet you,” Naraa added.

“Why’re you telling me this? Why have you been trying to
help me?”

“Because I have a feeling about you, and one day when I
need help. . .”

“I’ll returned the favor,” Ranma concluded.

Naraa grinned. “The first Trial should be no problem for
you. You’re strong enough to handle it.”

Ranma nodded. “The second?”

“Much tougher, of course. You remember the Ikusa
guards?” Boraa asked.

“Yeah, the skinny guys with the staffs?” Ranma replied.

“One of them is the second Trial. They’re a lot stronger
than they look, as well as fexible. Don’t underestimate him.”

“Okay, what about the third?”

“You’ll have to pull out all the stops,” Naraa replied.

“Usually they don’t go to such an extreme, but you’re a
special case. Word is they’re bringing in a Great Duke to challenge
you,” Boraa explained. “If you make it through the first two Trials
that is.”

“A Great Duke. . .” Ranma muttered.

“Apparently Thor wanted to do it, but Lord Gozu-Tennoh
refused,” Naraa added. “You got lucky.”

“Yeah, lucky me . . .”

“Slightly,” Naraa said. “A Great Duke isn’t some easy
fight.”

“Do you know which one?”

“Sorry, haven’t a clue as to which.”

“If we find out before the fight we’ll let you know,” Naraa
reasoned.

Nodding, Ranma was escorted into a large room, the walls
lined with various spectator demons. Thor sat, hunched forward,
eyeing his entrance. In the center of the room was a large ring,
surrounded by bars. It was a prison cell with no walls, just bars, so
all the demons could see inside. Ranma looked over, noticing a
couple small, but plump, purple creatures scraping something off
the floor. They greedily shoveled it into their wide, toothy mouths.

“Preta’s,” Naraa stated, answering Ranma’s unasked
question. “Nasty little bastards.”

“What’re they eating?” Ranma asked, squinting at the
Preta’s.

“The last person on Trial.”

The Preta’s turned and looked at him as one. They smiled,
large teeth smeared with blood. Ranma’s fist clenched, and his left
arm beat in response to his sudden anger. His knuckles popped
from the tension as he watched the Preta’s scurry out of the cell.

“Don’t lose to your anger,” Naraa muttered, and shoved
Ranma into the cell. The door snapped shut behind him, locking
him in and the assembled spectators booed.

Ranma took a deep breath, trying to ignore the large blood
stain in the center of the ring and the numerous jeers that were
being sent his way. The crowd started cheering as a demon, much
like Naraa and Boraa, entered from the other side. He had four
horns, sharp eyes and crooked teeth. Raising his arms, the demon
milked the crowd for more cheers which they readily gave.

Ranma’s glare hardened.

A demon wearing black armor stood up among the crowd, a
black cape hung from his back. He was tall, over six feet, and the
horns on his helm that pointed straight up only added to his
overwhelming height. His obsidian helm had no holes for eyes or
ears, only a large one for his monstrously gaping mouth.

The crowd silent as the demon began to speak, his voice
loud and heavy. It demanded respect and the crowd willingly gave
it to him.

“This human stands Trial for multiple crimes against the
Manta. One: Trespassing. Two: Being a Povert spy. Three:
Attempting to escape; and Four: Assaulting a High Member of the
Mantra. For these crimes he stands Trial in order to prove his
innocence. His Trials will begin shortly.”

Ranma walked over to the side of the ring and Naraa
approached. “Who’s that?” he asked through the bars.

“That’s King Paimon. He speaks on behalf of Lord Gozu-
Tennoh outside of his throne room,” Naraa explained. “He’s not
one to be trifled with.”

“Hence the helmet with no eyes or nose hole,” Ranma
figured.

“Exactly. Typically Trials aren’t this packed, but after the
stunt you pulled, everyone wants to see you go down.”

“What about this guy?” Ranma nodded at the four horned
demon.

“He is of no relation to Boraa and I.”

Ranma grinned. “Good, then I don’t have to go easy on
him.”

--

“So just who are you?”

“Ryouga Hibiki,” the lost boy said. “Who’re you?”

“I’m the Sailor Senshi of Pluto, and she’s the Senshi of
Saturn.”

Ryouga nodded looking ready to leave. “It was nice
fighting with you. I’ll see you later maybe.”

“Where are you going?” Hotaru asked, wide-eyed.

“Dunno really. Just going.”

“We should come with you,” Setsuna stated. “It’d be better
for us to stick together.”

“Er. . . I kinda get lost a lot,” Ryouga replied, rubbing the
back of his head sheepishly.

Setsuna and Hotaru blinked. “We’ll just. . . keep a close eye
on you then.”

“You can try.”

“What’s on your arm?” Hotaru asked, pointing at his
marked right arm.

Ryouga looked at her, then to his red-marked arm and shrugged.

“You’re a good guy, right?”

The lost boy grinned, barring his fangs. “Very good.”

--

The demonic crowd broke into cheers as Ranma stepped
back into the center of the ring. He glanced at the blood stain, then
up at his opponent.

“You’ll be joining that spot soon,” the four horned demon
taunted.

Ranma fixed him with a glare but took no stance.

“You should probably start running now!” the demon cried
and charged, readying a punch. The crowd grew louder, deafening
almost.

Down the hall, Sasami and the other prisoners listened to
the echoing roar of the crowd.

“He’s dead,” someone muttered, and the other prisoners
hung their heads.

“No way!” Sasami exclaimed. “Ranma-san’s gonna win!”

“Look kid, I’ve seen a number of people go down that hall
now and none of them hav-” a guy started but paused when the
cheers abruptly stopped.

Ranma’s fist embedded itself hard into the demons face.
The demon’s head rocked back, and his body followed. He crashed
into the bars and slumped to the ground, blood pouring out his nose
and mouth.

The crowd went silent, shocked. Naraa and Boraa grinned
as Ranma wiped the blood from his knuckles onto his pants. Boraa
walked off, down the hallways.

Ranma sighed and glanced at the crowd who were just
starting to recover. He found Thor, taking note that the God didn’t
look surprised, but more annoyed, probably at the fact that he
wasn’t going to get the chance to fight.

Boraa arrived at the other prisoners cell. He grinned.
“Ranma’s passed the first Trial.” Having said this, he turned and
left.

Sasami stuck her tongue out at the other prisoners. “Told
you!”

The crowd was booing now, both Ranma and the beaten
demon. The King Paimon stood again and the crowd went silent.

“The human has been found innocent in his first Trial.” The
crowd booed, and Paimon raised a hand to quiet them. His large
mouth opened, revealing razor sharp and rotten teeth. “The second
Trial will begin soon.”

Ranma walked over to the side again, to where Naraa stood,
smiling broadly. “You’re even better than I thought. Seeing how
easily you handle the four horn, the Ikusa should be little trouble
for you.”

“I think the Judge realized that as well,” Ranma said,
glancing off to the side where four Ikusa were ushering into the
ring a monstrous beast. With the full body of a lion, a long
rattlesnake for a tail and a goat head sticking out of its back, the
beast roared, and Ranma flinched. “What. . . is that?”

“That’s the Chimera. . . much stronger than an Ikusa.
Watch out for its tail when it gets close, and don’t try any sneaky
attacks, its got incredible senses.”

“I’m afraid of cats.”

“What?”

“I’m afraid of cats. That’s a big. . . mutated. . . cat.”

“Then don’t look at it,” Naraa replied and shook his head.
“Afraid of a cat, are you kidding me.”

The Ikusa quickly shuffled out of the ring. The crowd
cheered as the Chimera walked over to the fallen demon and
slammed its front paws into his chest. The demon snapped awake,
eyes wide.

“No!” he cried before the Chimera’s lion mouth closed on
his head. He struggled against the beast before its rattlesnake tail
bit him multiple times. The body stilled, convulsed, then moved no
more.

The audience went wild. “That. . . is one big cat,” Ranma
repeated.

The Chimera climbed off the demon, licking its chops. It
moved, planning to attack from the side, and Ranma followed it
with his eyes. The beast pounced and Ranma rolled away, the
rattlesnake tail snapping right at his ear.

‘This isn’t gonna be a close range fight while that tail’s
involved,’ he thought as the Chimera circled again. He stepped
back, avoiding a swipe, and stumbled, fear nearly overtaking him.

The crowd groaned, having hoped for a hit.

“Don’t look at it, Ranma. . .” he muttered to himself. “I can
fight this thing without looking at it directly.”

His arm pulsed and Ranma blinked at it, having nearly
forgotten about it in his frightened state.

Ranma grinned. “Yeah, and you’ll help me, won’t you.”

The beat of his arm steadied and slowed and Ranma peered
the beast out of the corner of his eyes. As it got closer, the beat in
his arm grew stronger. It was like having a sixth sense.

The beast roared and Ranma wished he could turn off his
hearing, shuddering from the sound. His arm pulsed heavily and he
dove aside, avoiding the Chimera’s attempted tackle.

‘If I can distract its main body, I could go after the tail
unchecked,’ Ranma reasoned. He grinned suddenly, a plan coming
into fruition. Cartwheeling away, Ranma stopped at the dead
demon’s body. As the Chimera closed in, Ranma grabbed one of
the demon’s legs.

“Saotome School of Anything Goes: Demon Body Throw!”
He pulled on the leg and tossed the corpse.

The Chimera rose up, catching the body with its front paws
and slammed it onto the floor. Ranma appeared, jumping over its
head to land on its back. The goat head there spotted him and
opened its mouth. A flame thrower like line of fire spewed forth.

Ranma arched his back, falling onto the beast’s head, barely
avoiding the flames. He rolled off and scrambled to the side bars as
the Chimera growled angrily at him. It dug its claws into the
corpse, tearing open its chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me the goat head could do that!”
Ranma snapped.

“I didn’t even know it could do that,” Naraa replied. “No
one that’s fought the Chimera has last this long before.”

Ranma leapt up, clinging to the bars and the Chimera
crashed into the spot he’d just stood. Naraa stumbled back and
Rama continued to scale upward. The crowd booed, the Chimera
roared, Naraa cursed and Ranma breathed heavily.

The Chimera jumped, trying to climb the bars. It fell,
unable to reach Ranma or get a grip. Roaring, the goat head on its
back shot another line of fire up the bars.

Ranma pushed off, back flipping over the flame and
Chimera, landing near its hind legs. He dodged to the side,
avoiding a strike from the rattlesnake tail. Hands moving fast,
Ranma grabbed onto it, holding it tightly at the base of its head. As
the rest of the beast turned, Ranma forced the snakes mouth open
and jammed it onto the side of the goats head.

The goat head cried out as the rattlesnakes teeth slid into it, poisoning
it. It shook, trying to dislodge the reptile tail. Roaring, the Chimera
bucked like a horse, its back paws slamming into Ranma’s chest,
throwing him across the ring.

Ranma hit the floor and skid to a stop. He groaned as the crowd
cheered and he pushed himself back to his feet. His left arm was
going crazy, burning hot, shining brightly and Ranma clenched his fist.

The Chimera slowly turned to face him, the goat head on its
back slumped over, dying. The rattlesnake tail was free, wagging
wildly, clearly pissed from being man handled in such a way. The
rest of the body didn’t look to be doing as well. It’s breathing had
become ragged and its movements sluggish. It opened its mouth
but all that came out was blood.

Ranma looked away, not wanting to watch giant cat die. He
rubbed the spot where he’d been hit and the crowd booed even
louder when the Chimera finally collapsed under its own weight. It
gave one last gurgled breath before stilling completely. Breathing a
sigh of relief, Ranma eyed the dead animal. “God, I hate cats.”

The crowd was in an uproar. Many looked as if they wanted
to jump into the ring themselves.

“Two down,” Naraa stated as Ranma approached him.

“One to go.”

--

“They’re booing again.”

“Do you think he won?”

“Of course he won!” Sasami exclaimed.

A loud bang drew their attention to the bars where the
floating Jack-o-lantern was. He had smacked his lantern against the
bars. “Quiet down!”

“Calm down, Jack.”

The pumpkin demon turned to the speaker. “Ah, demon
Boraa, what can I do for you?”

“Don’t be upset that the Army passed the second Trial,”
Boraa stated before grinning at the imprisoned humans.

“I’m not,” Jack replied indignantly. “There’s no way he’ll
beat Great Duke Eligor!”

“Eligor. . .” Boraa muttered. “They chose Eligor?”

“Who’s Eligor?” one of the prisoners asked.

--

“Who’s that?” Ranma watched the new demon closely as
he approached the ring.

The demon, encased in dark red armor, a similarly red cape
hanging from his back, march through the crowd. His helmet
covered everything under his eyes while two devil like horns
protruded from the sides. He carried a large naginata at his side.
Pure black eyes focused solely on Ranma, ignoring the
rambunctious crowd around him.

“That’s Great Duke Eligor,” Naraa replied. “He’s near
indestructible.”

“Indestructible?”

The Great Duke stepped into the bloody ring, the door
shutting behind him.

“When he’s holding his weapon his body is unbreakable.
You can’t hurt him,” Naraa explained.

“So if I disarm him, I can hurt him?”

“I’ve never seen that weapon leave his hand.”

King Paimon stood and the crowd silenced once more.
“Great Duke Eligor shall oversee the third and final Trial. Should
the human succeed, he will be found not guilty and be invited to
become a member of the Mantra.”

The crowd booed, hurling insults at Ranma.

“Just what I always wanted,” Ranma muttered. “What about
Gozu-Tennoh?” he called out.

King Paimon turned to the teen, the crowd suddenly quiet,
though seething visibly. “Lord Gozu-Tennoh does not see pathetic
humans such as yourself.”

“Oh, he’ll want to see me, especially after I cream the Duke
here,” Ranma retorted, jerking a thumb at Eligor.

Paimon ignored him, instead addressing his opponent.
“Great Duke Eligor.”

The demonic Duke stepped forward, drawing up his
weapon. “I’ll make your death quick,” he announced, his voice
hard and heavy as steel.

“You can try.”

The Great Duke moved, raising his naginata, and stabbed at
Ranma. The teen easily dodged around it and back flipped away.
The weapon twirled in Eligors hands before the strikes came
fiercer, faster and Ranma became hard pressed to avoid them all
cleanly.

‘Damn!’ he thought. ‘He’s really fast!’ Ranma rolled under
a side swipe, and sprang away when the blade dropped down at him.
The naginata hit the floor, cracking it.

Ranma was already on him, stepping on the back of the
blade to pin it down. He punched Eligor in the chest. Nothing
happened.

Eligor lifted his weapon, Ranma with it. The teen flipped
off, surprised that his attack had done absolutely nothing. He
stumbled away, the naginata stabbed, swung, and swiped faster,
forcing him to dodge even more.

His back hit the cage bars and he ducked. The naginata
sliced over his head, and cut through the bars with ease. Ranma
kicked Eligor’s ankle and rolled away again, his attack having no
effect.

Ranma reached down and rubbed the spot where his ankle
had hit the Great Duke’s. “Damn, that armor hurts.”

Eligor spun around, cape flowing, and his naginata
followed. Ranma pushed himself back, avoiding it, then charged as
Eligor raised it over his head. “Kachu Tenshi Amaguriken!”

His fist struck the Great Duke what appeared as three times.
The 300 punches forced Eligor to stumble a step. The crowd
gasped then went silent. The high ranking demons began
whispering to one another. Eligor and Ranma paused, surprised as
well.

“Not so tough now?” Ranma taunted.

Eligor raised his naginata, armor chinking. His hard voice
issued from his devilish helm. “For that, I’m going to kill you.”

“Didn’t you already say that?” Ranma retorted, and charged
again.

The Great Duke sliced at Ranma. The attack was avoided
and Eligor was punched in the chest and stomach another 200
times. He stepped back, swinging his weapon to ward the teen off.

Ranma flipped away easily, before rubbing his knuckles.
‘That armor’s gonna tear up my fists if I keep this up.’ The lines on
his arm beat steady, and Ranma swore he could hear a voice softly
whispering to him.

Eligor approached, spinning his naginata over his head and
then in front of himself.

Ranma stood low, dropped his hands to his right hip.
“You’re not going to beat me,” he said and his hands suddenly
filled with blue ki. He pushed his hands forward. “Moko
Takabisha!”

The ball of ki shot at the Great Duke. He stopped twirling
his naginata and sliced it at the ball. The ki split in two and
vanished, much to Ranma’s surprise.

“You think I haven’t seen such a technique before?” Eligor
taunted and started spinning his weapon again.

The whispering in Ranma’s arm grew louder. ‘use me. . .’ it
urged. ‘use me. . .’

‘Could the Hiryu Shoten Ha work against this guy? He
seems too level headed. Maybe the Forbidden Techniques.’

As Ranma debated internally how to face this foe, Eligor
spoke again. “Is that all, human? Are you out of tactics?”

Ranma chuckled. “Not even close.”

“You will tire out long before I do, boy,” the Great Duke
sneered..

‘Use me. . . Use me. . .’

“Then I’ll just have to beat you before that happens,”
Ranma retorted and suddenly vanished into thin air.

“A stealth technique in such an enclosed area? Foolish.
How long can you hope to hide here, human?”

“Not long.”

Eligor’s eyes widened and he turned, raising his naginata.

Ranma’s hands, full of ki, were directed at Eligor’s back. The
ball of ki crashed into the Great Duke’s side, throwing him across
the ring and slammed him against the bars. Ranma dropped to his
knee and inhaled deeply.

“How was that, eh?”

Eligor rose to his feet, naginata gripped tight in his armored
hand. The bars behind him were smashed outward. He turned his
head and stared at Ranma, bored. “How was what?” he asked, and
his eyes, if possible, grew even blacker in his red helm.

‘Use me! Use me!’ Ranma clenched his left fist and tried to
bury the voice. ‘Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!’

“Allow me to show you some of my powers,” Eligor
growled. He began to spin his naginata in front of his body and
Ranma blinked at the sudden gust of wind. Cape flapping, the
naginata picked up speed, high winds flowing through the entire
room.

Ranma raised his arms and he found his feet sliding back.
His pigtail whipped wildly and he closed his eyes from the rush of
dust. His arm pulsed in annoyance. ‘Use me!’

‘It’s too strong,’ Ranma thought, struggling against the
wind and ignoring his left arms screams.

The naginata stopped, the winds immediately halting.
Eligor brought it back.

Hesitant eyes opened just in time to see the Great Duke
swipe the naginata at him from across the ring. A visible line of
powerful wind slammed into his chest, blowing him into the bars
behind him.

He fell onto the dead Chimera, a large gash across his upper
chest.

‘Use me! Use me! You can’t ignore me! Use me!’

‘Shut up, damnit!’ Pushing himself up, Ranma jumped,
grabbing onto the bars and clung to them as the rattlesnake, still
alive, snapped at him. Another line of wind sliced through the
snake, then the bars below Ranma’s feet.

‘USE ME!’

‘SHUT UP!’ Ranma leapt off the bars, over another wind
slice. He landed in a crouch and charged. Sidestepping the next
attack, he moved up close and slammed 100 punches into Eligor’s
head, anger boiling over. ‘LEAVE ME ALONE!’

Eligor stumbled, surprised by the quick and powerful blow.
He swung his naginata around and it connected with Ranma’s side,
sending him tumbling across the ring.

‘USE ME, DAMNIT!’ the voice raged.

“Enough of this,” the Great Duke growled, and he reached
back and unclasped the hooks on his shoulders. His cape dropped,
landing hard and spider webbing the floor with cracks. “Now I’ll
show you another level to my power.”

Ranma rose slowly to his feet, staring at the ground. “Then
I guess. . .” he started and blue flames exploded from the lines on
his left arm. They grew fiercer, covering his demonic arm
completely. “I’ll have to show you my next level.”

The crowd of demons watching all stood, each trying to see
the fiery arm. Thor rose over them all and his large eyes narrowed.

Eligor stepped back. “Incredible. . . the demonic flames aren’t
even burning his clothes, yet they’re so large. What kind of
monster. . .”

Ranma raised his hand and looked it over slowly. ‘So this is
what it’s like. . . to use you. Amazing. . . No one could ever beat
me if I used you.’ The blue flames licked his cheek, but it didn’t
burn.

He turned his eyes to Eligor. “I’ve only used this arm four
times now, but never to this extent or for so long.” He grinned.
“I’m excited to see what it can really do.”

“That arm will never come close to me! I’ll remove it from
your body before it ever does!” Eligor countered and began twirling
his naginata. Wind started to blow again.

The flames around Ranma’s arm whipped. “Not this time. . .”

--

“The crowd’s gone silent,” one of the male prisoners
announced.

“Is it over?” another asked.

“What’s wrong with the girl?”

They all looked over to Sasami, the young girl down on her
knees, staring blankly ahead. Her hands clutched at the hem of her
school uniform, trying to squeeze the fear out of her body.

An elderly woman swooped in, pulling the shocked girl into
her arms.

“Such a horrible presence. . . what kind of monster. . .”
Sasami finally breathed.

“Just what the hell is going on?” someone shouted.

--

Ranma rushed forward, cutting through the wind. His fiery left
arm extended and his hand grabbed the naginata, stopping it
abruptly, stunning the Great Duke. He cocked his right fist back,
punched Eligor 500 times square in the face, and tried to pry the
naginata out of his grip.

Eligor held on and Ranma released the weapon. The Great
Duke stumbled back, brought the naginata across his chest and
swung it at the pigtailed teen.

Ranma stepped in close, blocking the wood shaft of the
naginata with his right arm. “Too easy.” He grinned and his fiery
left arm burned brighter. His fist connected first with Eligors chest,
then the inside of the Great Duke’s back before hitting the bars
behind him, cracking them easily.

Silence reigned throughout the room.

‘Incredible. . . while Eligor still holds his naginata,’ Naraa
thought, awed by the sight of Ranma's arm punched through
Eligor's chest.

‘I should have killed him when I had the chance.’ Thor
stood over the crowd and turned to leave.

Ranma pulled his arm from Eligor’s chest, a slick and
bloody pop issuing forth. The flames around his arm had died and
it was covered with blood instead. It dripped from his fingers,
smearing the floor even more.

“Impossible. . .” Eligor gargled and blood oozed out from
under his mask. “A stupid. . . human. . .” The naginata shook in his
hand, his grip weakening. He dropped heavily to his knees.

Ranma flicked his hand at the downed Great Duke,
sprinkling his helm with his own blood. “Yeah, just a stupid
human.” His arm pulsed in delight.

“I’m going. . . to kill. . .”

“No. You’re not,” Ranma cut in. He grabbed Eligor’s
naginata and tore it from his numb fingers. The weapon twirled in
Ranma’s hands and he stepped away, turned around, and rolled the
shaft around his hips, and behind his back. The blade hit and easily
sliced through Eligor’s neck. The head fell and rolled away, the body
collapsing onto its open chest.

Sliding to a stop, Ranma lifted the naginata and javelin
threw it into the dead Chimera’s neck. He flicked his arm, shaking
off more droplets of blood and walked over to the stunned Naraa.

The many demons watching remained silent, the only sound
that of heavy, shocked breathing.

Naraa eyed the dead Chimera, naginata jutting from its
neck. “What was that for?”

“Just making sure.”

“What the hell are you, Army?” Boraa muttered.

Ranma met the one horned demon’s eyes, feeling the blood
drip smoothly from his fingers. His grin was cocky, brash.

--

Next Time:
Chapter 6 - Choices And Their Consequences
Ranma and Sasami head back for Nerima, but not before Ranma
makes a with a devil. A couple uneasy alliances are formed.

AN: Long. . . long chapter. I’ve had this written in my notebook for a bit,
but I just hadn’t gotten around to typing it out. Already working on
Chapter 6. Hopefully shouldn’t be as long, or take as long for me to finish.
Leave a review telling me what you thought.

Tenchi Muyo was created by Masaki Kajishima.
Magic Girl Rayearth is the property of Clamp
Oh! My Goddess was created by Kosuke Fujishima
Yu Yu Hakasho was created by Yoshihiro Togashi
Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi
Inu-Yasha was created by Rumiko Takahashi
Bleach was created by Tite Kubo

Oh, and as many have guessed: SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI III:
NOCTURNE is what this story is based on. It’s owned by Altus.

I obviously own none of these series, so this is my disclaimer for
them.

(1) Ikebukuro: It’s a part of Toshima ward, and is a large
commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. It’s about 5
and a half miles, South East, from Nerima.

(2) Sunshine 60 Building: A 60-story building in east Ikebukuro,
Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, situated at the end of Sunshine City.

(3) In Christian demonology, most of their demons have a certain
ranking. It follows as such:

Great King
King
Great Prince
Prince
Great Marquises
Marquises
Great Duke
Duke
Great Earl
Earl
Great President
President
Knights
Great Marshals

There are over 100 of them. These demons weren’t in the game,
but I’m using them for myself for this story. Every other
monster/god that’s been discussed was in the video game.