Timothy Groves
28th July 2007, 05:41 AM
Disclaimer
Ranma 1/2 was created by Takahashi Rumiko, and anyone who doesn't
already know this won't understand this story anyway. Bleach was
created by Tite Kubo; you don't really need to have seen Bleach to
understand this fic, but just so you know, anything not Ranma related in
here was created by him.
- - -
Ranko frowned. "When I killed that evil ghost last night, it was
like...like I was meant to be doin' it."
- - -
The boy appeared to be a martial artist; his obvious skill in
battle led her to believe that he was a Master of his art. No doubt an
appeal to his vanity would be the best course.
- - -
Something fell back from him, a form of cloud and mist. Ranko jumped
back in panic, staring incredibly as it started to coalesce.
- - -
The pavement directly beneath Ranko exploded, knocking her leap
off-course. Fragments of ashphalt peppered her, one cutting her cheek.
She rode the shockwave, turning it into a high-angle leap, and dropped
blade-first straight for the creature's mask.
- - -
"It's been a long time since I've smelled your kind..."
Ranko scowled. "Gonna be a really long time before you smell anything
ever again!" But bravado aside, she realized that she was good and
trapped.
- - -
Tail Kinker Presents
Pale Horse
Chapter 3: Curses Have Claws
Retsukawa Masami knelt before Captain Ukitake.
"Retsukawa. I have a mission for you. One of some sensitivity."
"I am ready to serve, my Captain."
"A rogue agent has appeared in Tokyo; we need more information before
deciding to proceed."
"I understand. What actions am I permitted to take?"
Ukitake considered. "It would be best to observe, at first. If you can
convince the rogue to accept you as an equal, you may attempt to assess
her knowledge of the Society." He glanced down. "You are probably the
best equipped of our agents to deal with this issue; I feel I can trust
you to follow your instincts." He pulled a scroll from his tunic.
"These records could assist you; the agent in question appears to be
Shaolan, who died in the Middle Kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty."
Masami took the scroll with some reverence; the name Shaolan was still
spoken with respect. "I shall report daily."
- - - - -
Kuno would have mocked Ranko's grip on the shinai, for she was holding
it precisely backward. However, for training with the nagimaki, the
shinai was a decent substitute.
Across from her, Ranma stood, in a ready position. Akane watched from
the side lines.
"Ready when you are, kid."
Akane raised a hand. "Begin."
Ranko leaped forward, aiming a strike for the head. Ranma dodged the
shot by a millimeter, countered with a foot sweeShe frowned. "When I
killed that evil ghost last night, it was like...like I was meant to be
doin' it."p. Ranko jumped over his foot, and struck again. The two
sparred for almost five minutes, before Ranma's fist grazed Ranko's
cheek.
"Hold."
The two broke apart, panting slightly.
"Not bad." Ranma wiped a trail of perspiration from his cheek. "You
make for a pretty good workout."
"You too."
Akane snorted. "Much good it does you two to spar against each other.
You both already know everything the other does."
"Not quite." Ranko held up the shinai. "I've got some skill with this,
above what I knew as Ranma. The drowned girl's skill with the nagimaki
seems to have carried over."
"Well, I can tell you something else." Akane frowned. "Neither of you
two are as good alone as you are when you're fused."
Ranma blinked. "Yeah, I think you're right."
"Probably because I've got a fair portion of his energy," added Ranko.
"It's hard to tell when we're fighting each other, though."
"I guess that makes sense." Akane stepped into the dojo. "Ranma.
Wanna spar?"
"Sure." Ranma stepped back. "Same rules?"
"Except that I'm unarmed. Ranko, ref?"
"Sure." Ranko stepped to the sidelines, and raised a hand. "Begin."
The battle was not as lop-sided as was traditional between the two;
Ranko noted that Akane's shots were more often parried than simply
dodged. Ranma was definitely working up a sweat; it was almost ten
minutes of constant exchanges of blows before a fist worked past Akane's
defense and caught her across the ribs.
"Stop." Ranko stepped forwards, and laid a hand on Akane's shoulder.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." She sucked in a breath. "Damn, you hit like a tank, Ranma."
"Sorry 'bout that...I had to take the opening when I saw it." He looked
down at his fist. "I guess you're right, Akane...I'm not nearly as fast
as I was, nor as tough. The technique is still there, but..."
"If you were to try Ryouga right now, you'd get smeared." Ranko
scowled. "I ain't sure that I like this, pal."
"-You- don't like it? I nearly lost to the Tomboy."
"Yeah, I can see that buggin' ya." Ranko grinned. "At this point,
though, you could train Akane without fear of causing her permanent
harm. I don't think any of your ki attacks will function right now."
"Or yours. Right now, you gotta rely on that stick."
"I know." She set the shinai back on the rack, drew her nagimaki. She
twirled it a few times. "It just seems more natural."
Akane frowned. "You aren't planning to go out again tonight, are you?"
"I dunno." She frowned. "When I killed that evil ghost last night, it
was like...like I was meant to be doin' it."
"Ranko..." She stepped forward and grabbed the smaller girl's
shoulders. "I'm a bit worried about you. If you die fighting one of
those things, what happens to Ranma?"
Ranko shrugged. "Guess I'll just have to win every time, so we don't
have to find out."
- - - - -
She had waited for nightfall this time; she'd not encountered the
creature until well after dusk last night. Now, the streets were clear
of both the living and the dead.
"There must be something great on TV. Do ghosts have TV?" Ranko
glanced around. "I figured that I'd at least see a few friendly ghosts,
but no..."
She leaped to the top of a nearby house.
"Guess I've still got the energy for roofhopping..." She glanced
around, and spotted a familiar figure three blocks away. "Ryouga..."
She grinned, and leaped down into the street.
- - - - -
Ranko was not the only one stalking the Lost Boy.
Her mission was of paramount importance, but until she encountered the
rogue, Masami had little else to do. So when she'd spotted this boy,
and realized what he harboured, she'd decided to tail him. She'd leaped
from rooftop to rooftop, keeping out of his sight; according to the
scroll, the Cursed would be able to see her, if only faintly.
-If he's one of those cursed by Jushenkyou, he'll need my assistance
sooner or later.-
So it was with some surprise that she saw the rogue drop down in front
of the boy.
Ranko smirked. "Hey, bacon breath. Can ya see me?"
Ryouga paused. "Who's there?"
"It's me, pig-boy. Don'tcha see me?"
Ryouga stared right through her.
"Oh, man, he's just like Kasumi. One of those medium-rares." Ranko
pulled her nagimaki off of her back, and walked up to the Lost Boy.
Ryouga took a step back. "Stay back."
She scowled, and gave him a poke with the butt-end of her glaive.
Something fell back from Ryouga, a form of cloud and mist. Ranko jumped
back in panic, staring incredibly as it started to coalesce.
"What did I do?"
Atop the roof, Masami cursed, and grabbed the hilt of her katana.
The form solidified, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape. It was quite
massive, easily six hundred kilograms, and the bone-white mask seemed to
form the skull of a wild boar. Ranko blinked.
"That's his curse! I just knocked his curse right outta him!"
The creature didn't seem to take kindly to being expelled. It roared in
anger, and kicked Ryouga across the street. He slammed into the far
wall and collapsed in a heap.
"Oh, man. If it's strong enough to knock Ryouga out, I might be in
trouble." She readied the glaive, and leaped towards the boar.
It backhanded her, knocking her back the way she'd come. She rolled,
regaining her feet, and winced.
The creature raised itself to a more upright posture, bringing its hands
together in a familiar cup. Ranko's eyes widened, and she leaped aside
as the Shi Shi Houkodan smashed into the wall behind her.
"Okay, it's stronger than Ryouga, faster than Ryouga, and it knows his
moves. I'm in trouble." She considered her own arsenal; the revised
Amaguriken might be of use, but last time it had bounced off one of
these demons with no effect. She lacked the ki to generate a Mouko
Takabisha, and she doubted that a Hiryuu Shouten Ha would work.
"Guess I'll have to rely on the blade again."
She ran in, dodging a claw attack, and slashed the beast's arm in
passing. A spray of blood followed her path, but the boar didn't seem
to notice the injury. She backflipped over its counterattack, and
rammed the nagimaki's blade straight into its arm.
That, it noticed. An earsplitting howl filled the night, and the
creature slapped her aside. She slammed into a parked car, setting off
its alarm, and slumped to the ground.
She shook off the stun, and shakily rose to her feet. The boar was
lumbering towards her, its skull-like mask grinning obscenely.
"Okay, I hurt it somewhat." She tighened her grip on the glaive. "How
did I kill the last one?"
"Aim for the mask."
She glanced behind, to see a tall, black-haired woman standing on top of
the car. "Who the heck are you?"
The stranger's garb was identical to her own; a black kimono, straw
zuri sandals, and tabi socks. She had a katana in one hand, resting
across her shoulders.
"Introductions can wait. To dispatch the Hollow, you need to smash its
mask with your blade."
"Yeah, I remember now. I told me that once." She turned back, and
leaped for the creature.
The boar tapped the ground at its feet with one taloned finger. The
pavement directly beneath Ranko exploded, knocking her leap off-course.
She touched down, and immediately jumped away, as the pavement exploded
again. Fragments of ashphalt peppered her, one cutting her cheek. She
rode the shockwave of the Bakusai Tenketsu, turning it into a high-angle
leap, and dropped blade-first straight for the creature's mask.
The boar slapped her out of the sky, pinning her to the groud beneath
its massive paw. It leaned in over her, vapour condensing from its
breath.
"It's been a long time since I've smelled your kind..."
Ranko scowled. "Gonna be a really long time before you smell anything
ever again!" But bravado aside, she realized that she was good and
trapped.
A black and silver blur passed by; Masami's katana neatly severed one
tendon, weakening the beast's grasp. The boar roared, and lifted its
paw. Ranko rolled backward, feet over head, and leaped again into the
air.
The creature sucked in a breath, and Ranko's eyes widened as she
realized its intent.
"Perfect Shi Shi Houkodan!"
The crushing weight of massive ki caught her, forcing her down to the
ground. She rolled again, turned it into a lunge, and her blade struck
home, right through the eyeslot of the beast's mask. She recovered, and
watched with satisfaction as it dissolved into black mist.
"One more beastie down."
She turned back to the car, but the girl was gone.
"Wonder who the heck that was?"
The silent streets offered no reply. She shrugged, and walked over to
the crumpled Ryouga.
- - - - -
"Looks like you did all right this time." Ranma looked his double up
and down. "Only one little scratch."
"With this kimono, you can't see the bruises. I ran into Ryouga."
"Oh, yeah?"
Ranko scowled. "He was carryin' one of those monsters inside of him.
Nasty one, too. I knocked it outta him, and killed it. With a bit of
help."
"Help?"
"Look, I'll just merge with you, okay? That way, you'll know as much as
me." She stepped into him.
And found herself again in the dojo. Not the Tendo dojo, but the same
one she'd seen the first time she'd fought one of the demons.
Her duplicate was there.
"Okay...what's going on?"
The redhead smiled. "You do our work naturally, without inhibition."
"You mean killin' those monsters?"
"Yes. But you lack the link to your weapon."
Ranko shrugged. "I seem to be doin' okay with it."
"You must listen to her."
"Who?"
Again, she heard the purring, and stiffened. She glanced to the right,
to see a small white kitten sitting on her shoulder.
"Yaaahh!!"
Ranma jerked upright, and brushed his shoulder.
"Cat..." He shivered, and glanced around.
He was back in the Tendo dojo, with no sign of Ranko. He glanced again
at his shoulder with a final shiver, and walked off in search of his
bed.
- - - - -
Masami looked herself over in the mirror. Her features had been called
attractive before, but she knew them to be too sharp for true beauty.
Her hair, which she normally kept in a bun, was loose and reached past
her ass; she picked a scarlet ribbon off the dresser and tied it back
in a ponytail.
She preferred the stern garb of her office, but knew it would be out of
place in modern Japan. The long black skirt and loose shirt looked
reasonably decent on her. Her apparent age of nineteen put her outside
the range of the uniformed schoolgirl, which suited her just dandy.
The scroll's information on Jushenkyou, combined with the re-integration
she had witnessed the previous night, gave her a good idea on how to
proceed. The boy appeared to be a martial artist; his double's obvious
skill in battle led her to believe that he was a Master of his art. Her
bravado in battle told her of the girl's desire to be the best.
No doubt an appeal to his vanity would be the best course.
- - - - -
Ranma's breakfasts had become heartier since he'd taken up
ghostbusting. He was on his third helping when there was a knock at the
back door.
Kasumi rose from the table. "I'll answer that."
"Thank you, Kasumi." Soun rustled his newspaper. "So, Ranma. Akane
tells me you've finally started treating her like a proper student."
"Yeah...She's a lot closer to my level recently, so I figured I can give
her some real trainin'."
"The bond between a student and master is a strong one, boy." Soun
looked over the top of his paper. "Perhaps in a few weeks' time, we can
call for the priest again, hmm?"
"Dad!" Akane scowled.
"Look, Tendo..." He set down the bowl. "Me and Akane will decide when
we're ready to get married, an' it ain't yet. We're still only
seventeen."
Kasumi walked back into the family room. "Ranma...there's a girl here
who says she wants to train under you."
There was a pause.
Ranma scratched his head. "Anyone we know?"
"I don't think so." Kasumi looked puzzled. "She doesn't look
familiar. And she's not dressed like any kind of martial artist."
Ranma shrugged. "So where is she?"
"I sent her to the dojo. Should I make some more tea?"
"Yeah, good idea. I'll take a pot out there with me."
- - - - -
Ranma walked into the dojo, and nearly dropped the pot.
"You!"
The girl smiled. "I see that you remember me."
"Yeah." Ranma scowled. "But I thought you were a ghost, like when I
was walkin' around in my ghost form."
"I took on a faux body, so that I can visit you." She bowed. "My name
is Retsukawa Masami. I am attached to the Thirteenth Division of Soul
Society, under the command of Captain Ukitake Jushiro."
"Saotome Ranma, of the Satome Ryuu Musabetsa Kakotou." He returned the
bow. "I assume that the story you gave Kasumi was just a way of gettin'
to see me privately?"
"Not entirely; I think that there is much we can teach each other."
Masami gestured towards the teapot. "May I have some tea?"
"Uh? Oh, sure." He knelt, placed the teacups on the floor of the dojo,
and poured them full. "So what exactly are you doin' here?"
"I was ordered to investigate reports of a rogue Shinigami."
"Shinigami...you mean that literally?" He blinked. "Wait...you mean
that that girl who drowned in the pool was a Death Goddess?"
"Oh, yes." She knelt before him, and picked up a teacup. "The
Shinigami have two roles: To guide the dead to Soul Society - you might
call it Heaven - and to fight the Hollows."
"You mentioned them before. That thing I fought last night...that was a
Hollow, then?"
"Yes. They are spirits of the dead who remain on Earth, tied to things
left undone. They start out as ghosts - we call them Pluses, as their
karmic energy is still in the positive - but eventually, their souls
degrade and erode, until they become nothing more than the Anima. The
life-force, driven by an emotional need that they can no longer
control."
"And what's Soul Society?"
Masami sipped her tea, and stared into the distance. "Soul Society is
home to many spirits, mostly good. It is also the home of the
Shinigami."
"Makes sense."
"It is a peaceful place, for the most part." She looked down again.
"As far as I have been able to tell, you harbour the soul of a fallen
Shinigami. She died in China, fifteen hundred years ago, trying to undo
a dangerous spell."
"Jushenkyo."
"Yes. The cursed springs were created by Hollows, and anyone who falls
into a pool ends up picking up a Hollow and carrying it with them until
the day they die." She looked up at Ranma. "All but you."
"Why me?"
"I'm not entirely certain. But for whatever reason, you instead picked
up the soul of Shaolan, formerly a Lieutenant of the Fourth Division.
We could not free her from the pool in which she drowned, and feared
that she would become a Hollow. But I can see that she has not."
"Lucky for me."
"Yes, and no. You retain none of her knowledge; her Id washed away
many years ago. But the traits you picked up lead you to fight the
Hollows, and allow you your link to your zampakto."
"You mean the glaive."
"Yes." She grinned. "I can help you master your skills, and allow
Shaolan to return to Soul Society."
Ranma considered this.
"Assumin' for the moment that I want to go to this Soul Society
place...what do I have to do in return?"
"You can train me, to begin with." Masami smiled. "I'm always willing
to learn more of the combat arts."
--
Homepage: http://www.tailkinker.net
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eMail: groves_ca (AT) yahoo (DOT) co.uk
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Ranma 1/2 was created by Takahashi Rumiko, and anyone who doesn't
already know this won't understand this story anyway. Bleach was
created by Tite Kubo; you don't really need to have seen Bleach to
understand this fic, but just so you know, anything not Ranma related in
here was created by him.
- - -
Ranko frowned. "When I killed that evil ghost last night, it was
like...like I was meant to be doin' it."
- - -
The boy appeared to be a martial artist; his obvious skill in
battle led her to believe that he was a Master of his art. No doubt an
appeal to his vanity would be the best course.
- - -
Something fell back from him, a form of cloud and mist. Ranko jumped
back in panic, staring incredibly as it started to coalesce.
- - -
The pavement directly beneath Ranko exploded, knocking her leap
off-course. Fragments of ashphalt peppered her, one cutting her cheek.
She rode the shockwave, turning it into a high-angle leap, and dropped
blade-first straight for the creature's mask.
- - -
"It's been a long time since I've smelled your kind..."
Ranko scowled. "Gonna be a really long time before you smell anything
ever again!" But bravado aside, she realized that she was good and
trapped.
- - -
Tail Kinker Presents
Pale Horse
Chapter 3: Curses Have Claws
Retsukawa Masami knelt before Captain Ukitake.
"Retsukawa. I have a mission for you. One of some sensitivity."
"I am ready to serve, my Captain."
"A rogue agent has appeared in Tokyo; we need more information before
deciding to proceed."
"I understand. What actions am I permitted to take?"
Ukitake considered. "It would be best to observe, at first. If you can
convince the rogue to accept you as an equal, you may attempt to assess
her knowledge of the Society." He glanced down. "You are probably the
best equipped of our agents to deal with this issue; I feel I can trust
you to follow your instincts." He pulled a scroll from his tunic.
"These records could assist you; the agent in question appears to be
Shaolan, who died in the Middle Kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty."
Masami took the scroll with some reverence; the name Shaolan was still
spoken with respect. "I shall report daily."
- - - - -
Kuno would have mocked Ranko's grip on the shinai, for she was holding
it precisely backward. However, for training with the nagimaki, the
shinai was a decent substitute.
Across from her, Ranma stood, in a ready position. Akane watched from
the side lines.
"Ready when you are, kid."
Akane raised a hand. "Begin."
Ranko leaped forward, aiming a strike for the head. Ranma dodged the
shot by a millimeter, countered with a foot sweeShe frowned. "When I
killed that evil ghost last night, it was like...like I was meant to be
doin' it."p. Ranko jumped over his foot, and struck again. The two
sparred for almost five minutes, before Ranma's fist grazed Ranko's
cheek.
"Hold."
The two broke apart, panting slightly.
"Not bad." Ranma wiped a trail of perspiration from his cheek. "You
make for a pretty good workout."
"You too."
Akane snorted. "Much good it does you two to spar against each other.
You both already know everything the other does."
"Not quite." Ranko held up the shinai. "I've got some skill with this,
above what I knew as Ranma. The drowned girl's skill with the nagimaki
seems to have carried over."
"Well, I can tell you something else." Akane frowned. "Neither of you
two are as good alone as you are when you're fused."
Ranma blinked. "Yeah, I think you're right."
"Probably because I've got a fair portion of his energy," added Ranko.
"It's hard to tell when we're fighting each other, though."
"I guess that makes sense." Akane stepped into the dojo. "Ranma.
Wanna spar?"
"Sure." Ranma stepped back. "Same rules?"
"Except that I'm unarmed. Ranko, ref?"
"Sure." Ranko stepped to the sidelines, and raised a hand. "Begin."
The battle was not as lop-sided as was traditional between the two;
Ranko noted that Akane's shots were more often parried than simply
dodged. Ranma was definitely working up a sweat; it was almost ten
minutes of constant exchanges of blows before a fist worked past Akane's
defense and caught her across the ribs.
"Stop." Ranko stepped forwards, and laid a hand on Akane's shoulder.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." She sucked in a breath. "Damn, you hit like a tank, Ranma."
"Sorry 'bout that...I had to take the opening when I saw it." He looked
down at his fist. "I guess you're right, Akane...I'm not nearly as fast
as I was, nor as tough. The technique is still there, but..."
"If you were to try Ryouga right now, you'd get smeared." Ranko
scowled. "I ain't sure that I like this, pal."
"-You- don't like it? I nearly lost to the Tomboy."
"Yeah, I can see that buggin' ya." Ranko grinned. "At this point,
though, you could train Akane without fear of causing her permanent
harm. I don't think any of your ki attacks will function right now."
"Or yours. Right now, you gotta rely on that stick."
"I know." She set the shinai back on the rack, drew her nagimaki. She
twirled it a few times. "It just seems more natural."
Akane frowned. "You aren't planning to go out again tonight, are you?"
"I dunno." She frowned. "When I killed that evil ghost last night, it
was like...like I was meant to be doin' it."
"Ranko..." She stepped forward and grabbed the smaller girl's
shoulders. "I'm a bit worried about you. If you die fighting one of
those things, what happens to Ranma?"
Ranko shrugged. "Guess I'll just have to win every time, so we don't
have to find out."
- - - - -
She had waited for nightfall this time; she'd not encountered the
creature until well after dusk last night. Now, the streets were clear
of both the living and the dead.
"There must be something great on TV. Do ghosts have TV?" Ranko
glanced around. "I figured that I'd at least see a few friendly ghosts,
but no..."
She leaped to the top of a nearby house.
"Guess I've still got the energy for roofhopping..." She glanced
around, and spotted a familiar figure three blocks away. "Ryouga..."
She grinned, and leaped down into the street.
- - - - -
Ranko was not the only one stalking the Lost Boy.
Her mission was of paramount importance, but until she encountered the
rogue, Masami had little else to do. So when she'd spotted this boy,
and realized what he harboured, she'd decided to tail him. She'd leaped
from rooftop to rooftop, keeping out of his sight; according to the
scroll, the Cursed would be able to see her, if only faintly.
-If he's one of those cursed by Jushenkyou, he'll need my assistance
sooner or later.-
So it was with some surprise that she saw the rogue drop down in front
of the boy.
Ranko smirked. "Hey, bacon breath. Can ya see me?"
Ryouga paused. "Who's there?"
"It's me, pig-boy. Don'tcha see me?"
Ryouga stared right through her.
"Oh, man, he's just like Kasumi. One of those medium-rares." Ranko
pulled her nagimaki off of her back, and walked up to the Lost Boy.
Ryouga took a step back. "Stay back."
She scowled, and gave him a poke with the butt-end of her glaive.
Something fell back from Ryouga, a form of cloud and mist. Ranko jumped
back in panic, staring incredibly as it started to coalesce.
"What did I do?"
Atop the roof, Masami cursed, and grabbed the hilt of her katana.
The form solidified, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape. It was quite
massive, easily six hundred kilograms, and the bone-white mask seemed to
form the skull of a wild boar. Ranko blinked.
"That's his curse! I just knocked his curse right outta him!"
The creature didn't seem to take kindly to being expelled. It roared in
anger, and kicked Ryouga across the street. He slammed into the far
wall and collapsed in a heap.
"Oh, man. If it's strong enough to knock Ryouga out, I might be in
trouble." She readied the glaive, and leaped towards the boar.
It backhanded her, knocking her back the way she'd come. She rolled,
regaining her feet, and winced.
The creature raised itself to a more upright posture, bringing its hands
together in a familiar cup. Ranko's eyes widened, and she leaped aside
as the Shi Shi Houkodan smashed into the wall behind her.
"Okay, it's stronger than Ryouga, faster than Ryouga, and it knows his
moves. I'm in trouble." She considered her own arsenal; the revised
Amaguriken might be of use, but last time it had bounced off one of
these demons with no effect. She lacked the ki to generate a Mouko
Takabisha, and she doubted that a Hiryuu Shouten Ha would work.
"Guess I'll have to rely on the blade again."
She ran in, dodging a claw attack, and slashed the beast's arm in
passing. A spray of blood followed her path, but the boar didn't seem
to notice the injury. She backflipped over its counterattack, and
rammed the nagimaki's blade straight into its arm.
That, it noticed. An earsplitting howl filled the night, and the
creature slapped her aside. She slammed into a parked car, setting off
its alarm, and slumped to the ground.
She shook off the stun, and shakily rose to her feet. The boar was
lumbering towards her, its skull-like mask grinning obscenely.
"Okay, I hurt it somewhat." She tighened her grip on the glaive. "How
did I kill the last one?"
"Aim for the mask."
She glanced behind, to see a tall, black-haired woman standing on top of
the car. "Who the heck are you?"
The stranger's garb was identical to her own; a black kimono, straw
zuri sandals, and tabi socks. She had a katana in one hand, resting
across her shoulders.
"Introductions can wait. To dispatch the Hollow, you need to smash its
mask with your blade."
"Yeah, I remember now. I told me that once." She turned back, and
leaped for the creature.
The boar tapped the ground at its feet with one taloned finger. The
pavement directly beneath Ranko exploded, knocking her leap off-course.
She touched down, and immediately jumped away, as the pavement exploded
again. Fragments of ashphalt peppered her, one cutting her cheek. She
rode the shockwave of the Bakusai Tenketsu, turning it into a high-angle
leap, and dropped blade-first straight for the creature's mask.
The boar slapped her out of the sky, pinning her to the groud beneath
its massive paw. It leaned in over her, vapour condensing from its
breath.
"It's been a long time since I've smelled your kind..."
Ranko scowled. "Gonna be a really long time before you smell anything
ever again!" But bravado aside, she realized that she was good and
trapped.
A black and silver blur passed by; Masami's katana neatly severed one
tendon, weakening the beast's grasp. The boar roared, and lifted its
paw. Ranko rolled backward, feet over head, and leaped again into the
air.
The creature sucked in a breath, and Ranko's eyes widened as she
realized its intent.
"Perfect Shi Shi Houkodan!"
The crushing weight of massive ki caught her, forcing her down to the
ground. She rolled again, turned it into a lunge, and her blade struck
home, right through the eyeslot of the beast's mask. She recovered, and
watched with satisfaction as it dissolved into black mist.
"One more beastie down."
She turned back to the car, but the girl was gone.
"Wonder who the heck that was?"
The silent streets offered no reply. She shrugged, and walked over to
the crumpled Ryouga.
- - - - -
"Looks like you did all right this time." Ranma looked his double up
and down. "Only one little scratch."
"With this kimono, you can't see the bruises. I ran into Ryouga."
"Oh, yeah?"
Ranko scowled. "He was carryin' one of those monsters inside of him.
Nasty one, too. I knocked it outta him, and killed it. With a bit of
help."
"Help?"
"Look, I'll just merge with you, okay? That way, you'll know as much as
me." She stepped into him.
And found herself again in the dojo. Not the Tendo dojo, but the same
one she'd seen the first time she'd fought one of the demons.
Her duplicate was there.
"Okay...what's going on?"
The redhead smiled. "You do our work naturally, without inhibition."
"You mean killin' those monsters?"
"Yes. But you lack the link to your weapon."
Ranko shrugged. "I seem to be doin' okay with it."
"You must listen to her."
"Who?"
Again, she heard the purring, and stiffened. She glanced to the right,
to see a small white kitten sitting on her shoulder.
"Yaaahh!!"
Ranma jerked upright, and brushed his shoulder.
"Cat..." He shivered, and glanced around.
He was back in the Tendo dojo, with no sign of Ranko. He glanced again
at his shoulder with a final shiver, and walked off in search of his
bed.
- - - - -
Masami looked herself over in the mirror. Her features had been called
attractive before, but she knew them to be too sharp for true beauty.
Her hair, which she normally kept in a bun, was loose and reached past
her ass; she picked a scarlet ribbon off the dresser and tied it back
in a ponytail.
She preferred the stern garb of her office, but knew it would be out of
place in modern Japan. The long black skirt and loose shirt looked
reasonably decent on her. Her apparent age of nineteen put her outside
the range of the uniformed schoolgirl, which suited her just dandy.
The scroll's information on Jushenkyou, combined with the re-integration
she had witnessed the previous night, gave her a good idea on how to
proceed. The boy appeared to be a martial artist; his double's obvious
skill in battle led her to believe that he was a Master of his art. Her
bravado in battle told her of the girl's desire to be the best.
No doubt an appeal to his vanity would be the best course.
- - - - -
Ranma's breakfasts had become heartier since he'd taken up
ghostbusting. He was on his third helping when there was a knock at the
back door.
Kasumi rose from the table. "I'll answer that."
"Thank you, Kasumi." Soun rustled his newspaper. "So, Ranma. Akane
tells me you've finally started treating her like a proper student."
"Yeah...She's a lot closer to my level recently, so I figured I can give
her some real trainin'."
"The bond between a student and master is a strong one, boy." Soun
looked over the top of his paper. "Perhaps in a few weeks' time, we can
call for the priest again, hmm?"
"Dad!" Akane scowled.
"Look, Tendo..." He set down the bowl. "Me and Akane will decide when
we're ready to get married, an' it ain't yet. We're still only
seventeen."
Kasumi walked back into the family room. "Ranma...there's a girl here
who says she wants to train under you."
There was a pause.
Ranma scratched his head. "Anyone we know?"
"I don't think so." Kasumi looked puzzled. "She doesn't look
familiar. And she's not dressed like any kind of martial artist."
Ranma shrugged. "So where is she?"
"I sent her to the dojo. Should I make some more tea?"
"Yeah, good idea. I'll take a pot out there with me."
- - - - -
Ranma walked into the dojo, and nearly dropped the pot.
"You!"
The girl smiled. "I see that you remember me."
"Yeah." Ranma scowled. "But I thought you were a ghost, like when I
was walkin' around in my ghost form."
"I took on a faux body, so that I can visit you." She bowed. "My name
is Retsukawa Masami. I am attached to the Thirteenth Division of Soul
Society, under the command of Captain Ukitake Jushiro."
"Saotome Ranma, of the Satome Ryuu Musabetsa Kakotou." He returned the
bow. "I assume that the story you gave Kasumi was just a way of gettin'
to see me privately?"
"Not entirely; I think that there is much we can teach each other."
Masami gestured towards the teapot. "May I have some tea?"
"Uh? Oh, sure." He knelt, placed the teacups on the floor of the dojo,
and poured them full. "So what exactly are you doin' here?"
"I was ordered to investigate reports of a rogue Shinigami."
"Shinigami...you mean that literally?" He blinked. "Wait...you mean
that that girl who drowned in the pool was a Death Goddess?"
"Oh, yes." She knelt before him, and picked up a teacup. "The
Shinigami have two roles: To guide the dead to Soul Society - you might
call it Heaven - and to fight the Hollows."
"You mentioned them before. That thing I fought last night...that was a
Hollow, then?"
"Yes. They are spirits of the dead who remain on Earth, tied to things
left undone. They start out as ghosts - we call them Pluses, as their
karmic energy is still in the positive - but eventually, their souls
degrade and erode, until they become nothing more than the Anima. The
life-force, driven by an emotional need that they can no longer
control."
"And what's Soul Society?"
Masami sipped her tea, and stared into the distance. "Soul Society is
home to many spirits, mostly good. It is also the home of the
Shinigami."
"Makes sense."
"It is a peaceful place, for the most part." She looked down again.
"As far as I have been able to tell, you harbour the soul of a fallen
Shinigami. She died in China, fifteen hundred years ago, trying to undo
a dangerous spell."
"Jushenkyo."
"Yes. The cursed springs were created by Hollows, and anyone who falls
into a pool ends up picking up a Hollow and carrying it with them until
the day they die." She looked up at Ranma. "All but you."
"Why me?"
"I'm not entirely certain. But for whatever reason, you instead picked
up the soul of Shaolan, formerly a Lieutenant of the Fourth Division.
We could not free her from the pool in which she drowned, and feared
that she would become a Hollow. But I can see that she has not."
"Lucky for me."
"Yes, and no. You retain none of her knowledge; her Id washed away
many years ago. But the traits you picked up lead you to fight the
Hollows, and allow you your link to your zampakto."
"You mean the glaive."
"Yes." She grinned. "I can help you master your skills, and allow
Shaolan to return to Soul Society."
Ranma considered this.
"Assumin' for the moment that I want to go to this Soul Society
place...what do I have to do in return?"
"You can train me, to begin with." Masami smiled. "I'm always willing
to learn more of the combat arts."
--
Homepage: http://www.tailkinker.net
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