As always, the characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Urd, Belldandy and Skuld of Oh My Goddess belong to their respective
creator(s). I write this series purely because I enjoy it.
[]: Thoughts
{" "}: Telepathic communication
|" "|: Foreign language other than Chinese.
Chapter 15
Soul Search
They were too late.
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue landed on the ground near the unmoving
form of Akane Tendo. Their auras were glowing with unimaginable
power as they had taxed their flight abilities to the limit in their attempt
to stop her from ending her life. Unfortunately, Ranma Red's
teleportation powers were still limited to short distances, and he could
only transport himself to far away places that he had already been to. As
a result, both he and his brother were forced to employ a slower means
of travel, despite the fact that they nearly broke the sound barrier in
their desperate flight to save their former fiancée.
Both twins approached the body of the youngest member of the
Tendo family with dread. They did not want to see her lifeless form, but
they knew that her suicide was because of them. They stopped a foot
away from the body, and crouched down. Each brother reached out with
their arms and trembled as they picked up Akane and cradled her. Tears
began welling up in their eyes as they gazed upon the remains of what
was Akane Tendo.
Her head was cocked at a bad angle and it was apparent that she had
broken her neck on impact with the ground. Her eyes were half-closed
and she had a calm, yet sickeningly serene look about her. Her school
uniform was full of dirt and was tattered near the hem. Blood was
oozing profusely from a head wound, but in her current state, it didn't
matter.
Akane was dead. She had willingly ended her life because she could
not conceive it without Ranma. Both twins became overcome with grief
as they realized they were the main cause of this tragedy. They soon
became desperate as Ranma Red began invoking his healing spell in the
lifeless form of his once-loved Akane. Ranma Red's aura glowed with
more intensity as he poured massive amounts of ki and magical energy
into her. Suddenly, her body began to straighten out as the damage to it
was rectified. Her head moved back into correct alignment as the
shattered neck was rejuvenated. All the cuts, scratches and bruises
disappeared in an instant. The head wound was quickly sealed up as
Ranma Red taxed his healing abilities to the limit. He was already
exhausted from his desperate flight to save Akane, but he refused to
stop. Finally, after several minutes, his aura gave out and he collapsed.
Ranma Blue looked over his sibling with concern.
"Are you all right?"
Ranma Red shook his head. "No. I've fixed all the physical damage,
but it was like repairing a car with no one to drive it. Her soul is... gone.
I can't sense her ki at all. She's... dead."
"Damn! This can't be happening!" Ranma Blue swore, pounding the
ground with his fist. "Things were going so well in the beginning! We
finally get cured of the curse. We're engaged to Ukyo and Shampoo.
Ryoga's not fighting us any more! Mousse is gone! WHY DID THIS
HAVE TO HAPPEN?!"
{"I'm sorry that this had occurred."} Taron said.
{"Why didn't you warn us?! Better yet, why didn't you save her?!"}
Ranma Red asked angrily.
{"Calm yourself you two! This is not the time for you to lose your
control!"} Soren advised.
{"What do you mean?"} Ranma Blue retorted. {"Akane's dead
because of us and YOU WANT US TO BE CALM?!"}
{"Yeah! I tried my healing powers, but they don't work on someone
who's already dead!"} Ranma Red was clearly becoming as angry as his
twin was.
{"Yes, I am telling the both of you to be calm, because... there is a
way to bring her back!"} Soren replied uneasily.
Both Ranmas snapped up their heads in confusion and said at the
same time, {"Really?"}
{"That's right."} Taron said with a sigh. {"We had hoped to ease you
into this phase of your training but... circumstances force us to throw
you two headlong into this. Before we tell you anything more, we must
be certain that you are willing to face the consequences of what you are
about to do."}
{"What kind of crud are you throwing at us?!"} Ranma Blue replied
hotly. {"Of course we'll do it!"}
{"Hang the consequences!"} Ranma Red added.
Within an instant, the two twins and the body of Akane Tendo were
enveloped in blinding flash of white light and vanished.
The Realm of Infinity...
The Ranma brothers found themselves back in the Realm of Infinity.
In front of them, the repaired body of Akane Tendo was laid out in front
of them on a stone platform. On the other side of the body, there stood
Taron and Soren.
"Before we tell you two how to save Akane, we have to say that we
are very against doing this, so early in your training." Taron said in an
irritated voice.
"Stuff it Taron!" Ranma Blue replied as he glared at him and his twin.
"You knew Akane was going to kill herself, didn't you?"
"Yeah! You and your stupid destiny!"
"Calm down you two or it may become too late to save Akane!"
When the Ranma twins settled down, Soren continued with his
explanations. "First of all, we did not have the slightest idea that Akane
would do something so drastic! We are charged with observing the
movements of the Dark World and keeping an eye on you two, not
every individual on the entire planet! Secondly, because of a few
stipulations from Kami-sama, we are also forbidden to directly
interfere with mortal affairs, unless it had something to do with the
Contract! Akane made her choice to end her life willingly! Fortunately,
it was not yet her time!"
Both Ranmas looked at Soren in confusion.
"That's right!" Taron affirmed. "When people die before their
appointed time, their souls wander through the Kami plane! Usually, the
gods and goddesses sort through these souls and send them to their
final destinations (heaven or hell), or send them back to Earth as
reincarnated beings. However, since the space-time continuum has
become disrupted due to the Contract Renewal, many souls have
become lost and are now without guidance. This has happened
occasionally over the millennia, especially when a person meets a
violent end. These people may wander for centuries before they are
finally catalogued and sent on their proper paths. However, with the
dimensional barrier so woefully unstable, the deities are taxed to their
limits, trying to keep the flood of lost souls from becoming dispersed
as they careen through the plane!"
"That is where we think Akane's soul has gone. She had met a violent
death before her time during the period of the Contract Renewal,
thereby doubling her chances of getting lost! That is where the two of
you come in!"
"How do we save her?" Ranma Red asked.
"I am about to project your souls to a point on the edge of the Kami
plane. I believe the mortals call it astral projection. I was going to teach
this skill to Ranma Red, but we don't have the time right now. " Soren
replied.
"That's fine for him, but what about me?" Ranma Blue asked. "I don't
do magic!"
"You won't have to, because your brother will be sharing his power
with you." Taron supplied.
"Huh?"
"That's right!" Soren said. "Since the two of you share the same ki
energies, you can both draw upon the same energy sources. Not at the
same time mind you, but enough to combine your abilities without
having magic and elemental power counteract each other. That was how
you two were able to form the Thunderbolt Dragon to beat Happosai.
As long as the two of you cooperate and not try to establish control
over each other, then the magic and elemental power will work
together, rather than compete against each other!"
"Once you two have entered the Kami plane, you will find that you
will have your full capabilities in your astral forms. In fact, it will feel
as if you still had your real bodies! Mind you, you can still be hurt and
feel pain. So watch yourselves! You must move quickly, for the longer
you stay in the Kami plane, the more difficult it will be to leave it!
Another thing to remember is that the Kami plane is considered as the
nexus for all realities and dimensions. Be careful not to get too close
to any vortexes or you'll be swept up and thrown somewhere else!
Hopefully, Akane soul hasn't gotten close to one yet!"
"Couldn't you just go in there and help us?" Ranma Blue asked.
Taron shook his head. "Afraid not. Our immortal souls, coupled with
the mystic forces and the power of nature, would cause a major
disruption in the plane, sending all the confused souls further into
disarray. No, I'm afraid that you two are on your own for this one, since
your mortal souls will not cause as much chaos."
"Are there any questions before we get started?" Soren asked as he
began building up his ki energy.
"I don't know if I'm up to this! I used up a lot of energy just restoring
Akane's body!" Ranma Red stated.
"Don't worry about it! Once you become separated from your physical
body, you'll be able to tap into the spiritual energy of the Kami Plane. It's
also conductive to elemental powers so Ranma Blue will be able to draw
from it as well. Remember to keep in close contact and use your senses
to follow Akane's trail. We'll also send a message to a few of the deities
to lend you a hand! Once you have found Akane, head back to the point in
which we sent you and we'll pick you up. Now we must begin!"
The two Ranmas braced themselves as they watched Soren build up
his ki to mind-boggling amounts. White ethereal mist began
surrounding them as they noticed their auras begin to glow without
them willing them. With a shout, Soren released a huge blast of energy
at the twins that enveloped them in a blinding brilliance.
At the same time that Soren had released his power, Taron had also
built up his ki and opened up a circular portal in the space beside him.
Just as the light of Soren's spell had faded away, Taron had completed
his task. On the platform beside Akane's lifeless corpse, Ranma Red
and Ranma Blue were laid out. Both bodies were warm to the touch and
glowed with blue and red auras. They looked like they were asleep, but
in reality, they had been put into a trance. The auras soon began to glow
intensely and in another burst of light, this time red and blue, both
spirits of the Ranma twins floated free from their vessels of flesh and
blood and floated through the portal that Taron had created. The
energies resembled ghostly figures of the twins, one red and one blue.
In an instant, the spiritual twins were on their way.
The Kami Plane...
Belldandy and her sister Skuld were more than overwhelmed by the
assignment that they had been given. Since the Contract Renewal had
greatly disrupted the dimensional barrier and caused many lost souls to
become even more lost, their father had deemed it necessary to
temporarily call back his daughters from their current assignments in
order to deal with the extra workload.
"Yaaah!" Skuld yelled as she used her croquet mallet to bash another
six-legged BUG, which had gotten too close to one of the terminals of
the Ultimate Force System. As soon as she hit it, the bunny-faced
creature popped out of existence. "I can't believe that there are this
many BUGS! Why can't we just reboot the system?"
Belldandy looked over her younger sister with a disparaging eye. In a
calm, yet soothing voice (Kasumi would be proud), she explained the
reason. "Now Skuld! You know very well that we can't do that!
Especially at this time! Rebooting the system would reset all the main
files, especially the one concerning the Contract! We would end up with
another ten thousand years of fighting the Dark World! Soren and Taron
have gone through a lot to get to this point! We only have to wait a little
longer! After the Dark World is defeated, the BUGS will disappear on
their own."
"But sis!" Skuld whined. "I've been whacking BUGS nonstop for a
couple of weeks now! Heck! I've even tried my Super Skuld Bugerizer
6000X (patent pending), on them. No matter how many it zaps, they
still keep on coming! These stupid things are causing the Spirit
Directional Program to glitch up! We're losing more souls to the void
than we can round up, let alone catalogue them! Urd's been out there
collecting lost souls by the dozens, but even she can't keep up!"
"Skuld!" Belldandy chided. "As a goddess, you should be more
patient! We are all feeling some discomfort, but it will be over soon.
Taron and Soren tell me that these new champions are the greatest that
they had ever trained."
As if on cue, Ranma Red and Ranma Blue popped into Kami Plane
beside them. They were more than a little disoriented at being separated
from their bodies and then sent into a place that looked like a giant
room filled to the brim with all sorts of computer equipment.
"Oh no! Now the BUGS are getting bigger!" Skuld rushed toward the
twins with her mallet.
Both twins got an odd feeling of déjà vu as they saw someone dash
toward them while brandishing a mallet. They quickly jumped to the
sides , just as Skuld tried to smash both of their heads with her
debugging device.
Belldandy looked at the newcomers and her eyes widened as she
recognized them. "Skuld! Stop! They're not BUGS! They're the Chosen
Twins!"
"Huh?" The younger goddess stopped in her tracks as she looked
back at her sister in confusion.
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue were already in their battle stances,
ready to deal with whatever threat this girl in the red and white outfit
represented. As soon as they heard the other girl tell Skuld to stop, they
looked towards the goddess Belldandy.
Their eyes widened as they looked over the brown-haired girl who
had a remarkable resemblance to Kasumi, both in appearance and
demeanor. She radiated a sense of serenity that reminded them so much
of the eldest Tendo daughter. She had a soft, soothing voice that made
them feel welcomed and they could sense only an aura of tranquility
about her. It was if Kasumi had become divine beyond words.
"Hello, Chosen Ones. I am the Goddess Belldandy. First Class, First
Category, Unlimited. I must apologize for my sister's behavior.
Welcome to the Kami Plane."
Belldandy was radiating so much calming emotions that the twins
couldn't help be feel relaxed. Ranma Blue decided to start the
introductions.
"Nice to meet you. I'm..."
"Ranma Blue Saotome." Belldandy finished. "And that is your brother
Ranma Red. I know about you. Taron and Soren told us about you two."
"They did?" Ranma Red asked.
"Yes. So what brings the two of you to..." Belldandy paused for a
moment as she tilted her head slightly, as if listening to some noise.
She then blinked and turned her attention back to the twins. "I have just
received a message from Soren. He tells me that you are here to pick
up a friend of yours."
Both Ranmas got excited when they heard of this. "Yes! We're
looking for Akane Tendo!" Ranma Blue blurted out.
"Akane Tendo?" Looking to her sister, who was still brandishing her
mallet, Belldandy gave her a slightly disparaging eye and said, "Now
Skuld! Where are your manners!"
Skuld remembered herself and slung her hammer over her back.
"Sorry sis!" She then gave a curt bow to the twins and introduced
herself. "I'm Skuld, Second Class, Second Category, Limited. I can
bring up the file on this Akane Tendo of yours." Quickly moving over to
a small terminal, she punched in a few codes into what appeared to be a
keypad and in an instant, a readout was displayed on a holographic
monitor. The words were written in some foreign language that the
twins did not know. As soon as she read the file, she had a look of
puzzlement on her face. "That's odd. According to this file, Akane
Tendo has just died, but her appointed time was not until a few years
after she had become a great-grandmother!"
Both Ranmas had become guilty at hearing this.
"I'm afraid that we're the reason for this mess." Ranma Red said in a
bit of a depressed tone. He and his brother then gave an abridged
explanation as to what had happened. After they had finished,
Belldandy's expression was one of great concern.
"Oh dear! This will never do! Of course you have to get her back!
Her sudden demise is only adding to the problem here! If she stays in
this plane for too long, she will be beyond any chance of recovery!"
"Then you'll help us find her?" Ranma Red asked hopefully.
"We will do all that we can to aid you." Belldandy replied. "However,
we can't do anything right now. It is taking nearly all the power of my
sister and I just to keep the Ultimate Force System from crashing!
However, my older sister Urd is out in the void, gathering up lost souls.
She may have already found your friend. Akane would certainly have
been on her list!"
"Urd is your sister?" Both Ranmas said in amazement. They couldn't
quite comprehend that this gentle, Kasumi-like person was related to
the vivacious and sexy goddess that they had met previously.
Belldandy smiled as she responded, "Yes she is. I'm quite proud of
how she had convinced your mother to accept your new engagements.
But enough talk. You must hurry. I will send you to her."
"Wait a minute, sis!" Skuld piped up as she took out a small device
from her robe. It resembled a Game Boy hand-held video game and had
a large screen on the front. She inserted the device into a slot at the
terminal beside her. After a few moments, she extracted the device and
handed it to Ranma Blue.
"What's this?" Ranma Blue asked.
"It's a mini-guide computer." Skuld answered. " I've programmed it
with Akane's spiritual energy so you can follow it to her, if Urd hasn't
found her yet. It will act as a map in case you get lost in any of the other
dimensions or realities. It's been adapted to your ki energies and will
answer your questions! Just talk to it if you want to know something!"
Turning to her sister, Skuld nodded her head. "Okay, do it!"
The mark on Belldandy's forehead glowed with a bright light as she
waved her arm at the twins. The two spectral forms vanished in an instant.
Somewhere else in the Kami Plane...
Urd was a bit irritated she floated in the multicolored void. Behind
her, there were several dozen ghosts following her like a pack of
wolves. (I use the term wolves since nearly all of them were MALE
ghosts) She ignored the constant wolf-whistles, leers and... suggestive
remarks as she fumed silently to herself. [Damn! I hate this
assignment! I'm supposed to be a Goddess of Love and the Past, not
some retrieval drone! I should be trying to get Belldandy and Keiichi to
do the mattress dance, not play follow the leader to lost souls!]
Just as she had completed her thoughts, a bright flash of light
appeared before her. She a bit surprised as she recognized the two
people who materialized in front of her.
"Well now! If it isn't the Ranma twins! What brings you two studly
boys to this neck of continuum?" Urd gave them a slow wink and moved
sensually toward them. This display earned her several more hoots and
whistles from the specters that she was leading.
Both brothers reddened a bit. Urd had not changed. They quickly
informed the goddess on their reason for being in the Kami Plane.
"Akane Tendo?" Urd repeated as the brothers finished up their story.
"Yes, she is on my list, but I haven't found her. In fact, I've barely found
one tenth of the new lost souls that had come in today alone! The
disruption of the interdimensional barrier is making things really hard
for me. I won't even mention the backlog of those who had died
centuries ago."
"We have to find her and quick!" Ranma Red stated.
"Yeah! Belldandy said that if she stays here for too long, we'll never
get her back!" Ranma Blue added.
Urd took on her rarely seen serious face and nodded. "That's right. If
a departed soul remains in this place for more than eight hours, the soul
will become acclimated into the Kami Plane! Then, it will be impossible
to resurrect that soul into its own original body. In fact, it's dangerous
for you two to be here! If you do not exit this place before that 8-hour
time limit is up, your astral forms will become incapable of leaving it!"
"Do you have any idea as to where Akane is?" Ranma Blue asked.
Urd closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated. She then turned
her attention back to the twins. "I sensed that Akane's soul had drifted
off in that direction." She pointed toward a cluster of distant lights. "Do
you have anything to help you track her?"
Ranma Blue held up the mini-guide. "Your sister gave us this."
Urd nodded. "Good. Make full use of it! I'd come with you, but as
you can see, I've got my hands full! The rest of my fellow deities are
also roaming around collecting lost spirits!"
"So we're on our own, huh?" Ranma Red said in a depressed tone.
"I'd help you if I could, but I can't abandon these spirits any more
than you could forget about Akane! Many of these souls are in the same
situation as she is and have the chance of being restored as well! I can
only give you some advice. Keep your guard up! There are many beings
other than lost souls in this place. Some of them are very unpleasant!
And whatever you do, avoid the vortex that leads to the Realm of
Oblivion! That is the nexus point in which the Dark World has great
influence over. Judging by your current power levels, you're not ready
yet to face the minions of Sharoka!"
With these words, Urd bid them good luck and floated off with her
charges following close behind. As they watched the group fade off
into the distance, the twins began debating as to what to do next.
"Well bro, this is it!" Ranma Blue commented.
"It's not the first time that we've been left on our own!" Ranma Red
remarked. Looking off at the direction that Urd had indicated, the red-
shirted martial artist frowned at the distant lights. "Try asking that
doohickey if there's any way we can get there quick! I can't use my
teleportation spell since it's beyond my usual range, and I've never been
here before!"
Ranma Blue nodded as he held up the device and said, "Uh, we need
to get to that place over there fast! Is there any way we can do that?"
"Affirmative." The small computer answered in a metallic voice.
Both twins were enveloped in another burst of light and were
instantly transported to area of swirling lights. When they rematerialized,
they found themselves amid a cascade of flowing colors and mists.
"Where are we?" Ranma Blue asked.
He had meant the question for his brother but the mini-guide
decided to answer for him, "Kami Plane, area 9453, quadrant 10."
Ranma Red and his brother looked around and used their enhanced
senses to try and detect the presence of Akane.
"Hey! She was here! Not too long ago!" Ranma Red remarked.
"Yeah, but all this residual spiritual energy is making it hard to lock
onto her trail!" Ranma Blue said as he tried to concentrate. Failing in
this, he consulted the computer again. "Which way now?"
"This way." The device replied as they were once again transported to
another sector.
When they reappeared, the twins found themselves among a crowd
of ghosts, which were gathered in a white room. Many were seated on
benches, while others were standing. Some were talking to others,
while some were just patiently waiting for something to happen.
As the twins looked at the group, they noticed that all were dressed
differently and were from different parts of the world. Some were
outlandishly dressed in clothes from different time periods.
"Where are we now?" Ranma Red asked.
"Waiting area 4754." The computer replied.
One of the spirits noticed the twins and floated toward them. He was
dressed in a military uniform, which was from the United States Calvary
of the nineteenth-century. He had a saber hanging from a sword belt and
had several medals on his tunic. He had blond hair with a long mustache
and sideburns. When he spoke to the twins, he used a southern dialect.
|"Well howdy boys! You're new around here, aren't you?"|
Ranma Red and his brother looked at the stranger with a confused
look. Realizing that he was speaking English, Ranma Red began
focusing his ki and invoked his spell of comprehension. He modified
the spell so that his brother could also understand. The specter paid it
no mind as he was already used to seeing strange things happening.
"Excuse me. What did you say again?" Ranma Red asked.
"I said that you're new around here, right? Are you waiting to be
judged too?"
"Judged? What do you mean?" Ranma Blue said.
"Well this here is the place where some folks wait to be tried by the
All Mighty Lord himself! Oh! Where are my manners? I'm George
Armstrong Custer! I used to be a general of the United States Calvary
back the Old West."
"United States? You're an American?" Ranma Red said.
"Born, raised and died!" Custer said proudly.
"Why are you here? What are you being judged for?" Ranma Blue
inquired.
Custer sighed as he responded, "Well, back in the Old West, we
didn't take too kindly to them Injuns when they went on a rampage!
Especially them Sioux Injuns! I mean, we owned those lands after those
savages had signed the treaty, then went back on their words! I was only
following orders when I was told to go out and send 'em back to the
reservations. I guess the Lord saw that it wasn't right to force people
off their own lands. After being here for the last hundred years or so, I
kinda agree with that notion."
"What happened to you?" Ranma Red queried.
"I underestimated my opponents. I thought I was dealing with a bunch
of savages. Turned out that Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse weren't all that
stupid. His army of five thousand wiped out me and my division of two
hundred men. I should have sent out scouts at the Little Big Horn!"
"That's why you're here?"
"Uh huh. It was my pride and my racism that cost me and my men our
lives! I figure that's why I've been here for so long. I guess the Lord
wanted me to ponder a mite about how I should treat other people. Just
because they're different from me doesn't mean that they deserve any
less respect."
The Ranma brothers became saddened by Custer's words, then
remembered why they were in the Kami Plane.
"By the way," Ranma Blue asked. "did you see a young girl come by
recently?"
"Short black hair, about sixteen or so? Name's Akane?" Custer asked.
Both Ranmas nodded. "Yeah. I met up with her a while ago. She looked
like she was from China or somewhere about there, but we didn't have
trouble talking. One good thing about being dead, we all understand
each other. Can't figure why you didn't understand me at first."
[That's because technically, we're not dead yet!] Ranma Red thought.
"Anyway," Custer continued. " she was a really sad little girl when
she wandered by. We talked a mite, and after I told her how I should
have respected those Injuns better, she started moaning about how she
should have treated some guy called Ranma better."
Both brothers winced at that revelation.
"Is she here?" Asked the blue-shirted Ranma.
"Nope. She didn't seem to care about anything. She told me that there
was no need for her to be judged. She decided not to hang around and
left. Went out that there door." Custer pointed to a blue door on the
other side of the room. "If I were her, I would have stayed put. I was lost
in that void for fifty years before one of God's angels came and found
me."
Both brothers gave their thanks to the ghost of Custer and headed
out the door. They found themselves floating in the void again. Looking
around, they could see several wraiths drifting about aimlessly with
confused looks. Not sensing Akane anywhere in the near vicinity, they
consulted their mini-guide and were instantly transported elsewhere.
For the next several hours, the twins roamed the Kami Plane. With
all the disruptions that the Contract Renewal was causing, Akane's
spiritual trail had become weak and was hard to track, even with the
mini-guide and their senses on full. As they followed Akane's trail, they
had come across several prominent figures in history, all of which had
met with a violent and tragic end. Davy Crockett, Napoleon, Adolph
Hitler, Admiral Yamamoto, Mussolini, Abraham Lincoln, the crew from
the Space Shuttle Challenger, Princess Diana and others to name a few.
"Wow!" Ranma Red remarked. "Urd wasn't kidding when she said
there was a huge backlog!"
"Yeah, but we're still no closer to finding Akane!"
After another hour, the trail led to a swirling mass of dark clouds
that resembled a black hole. As they hovered near the edge, the mini-
guide started giving off a sharp beeping noise.
"Warning! This is the dimensional vortex that leads to the Realm of
Oblivion! Do not enter! Repeat! Do not enter!"
"This is where the trail leads." Ranma Blue said to his sibling.
"I know that Urd told us not to go in there, but I can sense Akane's
presence in there!"
"Me too. Do we go in?"
Before Ranma Red could answer, they both felt a chill pass over
them. Then suddenly, they heard the tortured scream of a girl in agony.
A scream they recognized.
"No doubt about it! She's in there!" Ranma Red shouted.
"It's not like we have a choice! WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT!"
"Right!"
The two of them paused as they gathered in their energies. Then they
leapt into the vortex.
The Realm of Oblivion...
Arcodos and Zuruka laughed maliciously at the soul contained in the
large crystal sphere hovering before them. Every now and then they
would send a blast of searing energy at the orb, causing the spirit inside
to writhe in pain as a small piece of it was torn away.
"It's been a good two thousand years since we were able to enjoy
ourselves like this!" Arcodos said as he sent another bolt into the
crystal. "Hearing the screams of pain and despair in an innocent soul
always cheers me up!"
"Yes." Zuruka agreed as he sent yet more energy into the crystal. "It's
a good thing that this soul wandered too close to the vortex! The
thousand years between Contract Renewals can get very boring! I enjoy a
little diversion now and then. How long do you think this one will last?"
"Hmm... judging by how much despair and pain it was feeling when
we caught it, I'd say a few more minutes. We might as well enjoy them
before this soul is completely used up!"
"A pity these mortal souls are not made of sterner stuff! When we
made this one relive her most painful memories, her cries of anguish
were so delightful, I wanted them to last for eternity! They were sweet
music to my ears!"
"Yes. Ironic that this one had strong connections to the Chosen
Twins. We could have used her as a pawn. However, since she is dead,
she is nothing more than a temporary bit of amusement. Oh well."
Arcodos sent another blast at Akane's soul. Her form wavered and
began to lose its form as she let out another scream. She then collapsed
to her knees inside the crystal.
"Well Arcodos, this one is about finished. She should be grateful to
us! Once her sprit energy loses its cohesion, she will be absorbed into
the great vastness of the Realm of Oblivion!"
"She's a lucky girl!" Arcodos replied as they both raised their arms
for one final blast.
Akane looked up at her tormentors. She had thought that after dying,
she would feel no pain. She was wrong. The demons that had caught her
had made her feel agony far beyond a physical level. They had made
every one of her most painful memories come back in her mind like a
tidal wave. Every regret, nightmare and mistake that she had experienced
in life had been brought back with crystal clarity. Even worse was that
each memory had a profound effect on her very being. She could feel her
very soul slowly being torn apart with each blast. The very fabric of her
being was slowly being unraveled.
She had seen her mother die a second time. The only difference was
that the demons had made her feel the despair and pain that Kimiko had
felt as the disease ravaged her body and sapped her will to live. She had
experienced the agony of her father as he tried to deal with the loss of
his wife and the mother of his children. She relived the bitterness and
loneliness of the following years as she threw herself into her martial
arts to deal with the absence of her mother. Worst of all, she
remembered every pain, every sorrow and every heartache that she had
for the one person whom she had fallen in love with. Ranma Saotome.
These final remembrances were the most unbearable of all. It was
worse than rape. It was worse than being traumatized. The heavy
feelings were so intense that when she saw the demons raise their arms
to deliver the final blast, she welcomed it, knowing that when she lost
her very being, she would finally have peace.
It was then that she heard a familiar voice. In stereo.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!"
Zuruka and Arcodos were totally caught off guard by the twin chi
attacks. They were struck in the backs and were driven to their knees.
Snarling with rage, the twin servants of Sharoka got to their feet and
turned to face whomever was foolish enough to attack them.
Their faces turned from rage to sadistic delight as they recognized
their assailants.
"Well now. This is a pleasant surprise!" Zuruka said.
"Yes. The dimensional barrier is still preventing us from entering the
Earth Realm. We were wondering how to get at you two! Looks like
you saved us the trouble by coming here!" Arcodos smiled with a
sadistic grin as the two demons began powering up their energies.
"I love it!" Zuruka crowed. "Not only do we now have THREE
SOULS to amuse ourselves with, but we can finally ensure victory over
the Earth after ten long millennia!"
"In your dreams!" Ranma Red declared as he took a stance.
"You're not getting our souls, and you can't have Akane's either, you
monsters!" Ranma Blue added.
"Monsters?" Zuruka said in a sarcastic tone. "Boy, you don't know the
meaning of the word. However, Arcodos and I are going to enjoy
teaching you as we tear your souls apart!"
"You want this soul? Come and take it." Arcodos stood at the ready
with Zuruka.
The Ranma twins faced off with the demons as they prepared to
make their first move.
To be continued...
Author's Notes
This chapter represents the first encounter between the twins and the
Dark World. Akane Tendo is once again put into the role of the damsel
in distress, only this time, it's REALLY SERIOUS! Furthermore, it is a
situation in which she herself had gotten herself into. If you thought
that the battle with Happosai was trouble for the twins, think again.