The characters of Ranma ½ are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Belldandy, Skuld and Urd are the main characters of Oh My Goddess.
The rest are all figments of my imagination.
[]: Thoughts
{" "}: Telepathic communication
Chapter 20
Showdown
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue popped into existence in the reality
known as the Kami Plane. As they looked around, they found
themselves at the edge of the vortex, which led to the Realm of
Oblivion. Both looked at each other with apprehension as they prepared
to enter into a place they'd sooner forget.
"Here we go again Red." Ranma Blue declared.
"Yeah. This time, we've got eight hours to fight those monsters and
we've gotten a whole lot better."
"I'm not sure that it'll be enough though. Soren and Taron did say that
we're only at about forty-five percent of our total potential. Those
demons are expecting us to go all out. They won't pulling any of their
punches."
"I know. They want us to use that power. That's the trap."
"Like I said before, damned if we do and damned if we don't! We
don't save Akane and her soul gets destroyed while the Dark World
invades the Earth. We try to save her, and we run the risk of making the
invasion go a lot quicker!"
"Nothing like a little double jeopardy! You sure that plan we made up
is going to work?" Ranma Red asked.
"It's got to! We haven't got another choice! Ready to go?"
"Let's do it!"
Both astral forms of the Ranma twins took a deep breath and charged
into the swirling mass of black clouds.
The twins reappeared inside the Realm of Oblivion at the same
location that they had been previously. Looking around, they saw that
neither the demons they fought before or Akane's soul energy was
anywhere in their immediate vicinity.
"Hey Blue! You still got that computer that Skuld gave you?"
"Yeah! I think it's still able to track Akane's soul energy." Taking out
the small device, Ranma Blue looked down at the screen. After a
minute, he gestured to his identical sibling in the direction that the
instrument was pointing. They floated off toward the place where they
hoped to find the rest of Akane's soul.
An hour later, they finally came to what appeared to be a huge stone
platform, which floated in a huge expanse of the gray void. The
structure was the size of Shea Stadium. In its center was a large,
transparent sphere that seemed to be made of crystal. Inside it was the
transparent figure of Akane Tendo. She looked as if she asleep with her
eyes closed and her head bowed down. However, she was floating in a
standing position within her crystal prison. The twins looked around for
any sign of the demons and saw no one.
"Is that it?" Ranma Red asked.
"Yeah." The other Ranma replied as he looked down at the mini-
guide's screen. "According to this, that's her all right. My senses also
tell me that it's her! We've found her! That's the rest of Akane's soul!"
"But why is it out in the open like that?" Ranma Red inquired. "It's
too easy! I wonder where those demons are?"
Ranma Blue nodded as he and his sibling floated toward the edge of
the platform. They were about one hundred and fifty yards from the
center in which Akane's soul was located. It seemed so simple to just
head toward the crystal, grab hold of it and teleport back to the Realm
of Infinity. Something was up.
"Well, it's not like we have any choice. We have to go in there."
Ranma Red said after a minute.
"Right. Just keep a look out for anything funny."
Both brothers cautiously flew toward the sphere, while using their
senses to probe the area around them. Little did they know that danger
lurked nearby.
Earth Realm…
Shampoo was extremely worried. She had used up the last of her
Formula 110 shampoo on Akane that morning with almost no effect.
There was no more to be had in all of Japan. Not that it would have
mattered. Akane convulsions and outbursts were the worst she had ever
seen, and she had built up enough immunity to render the shampoo
useless. The episodes were so intense, that Shampoo had been forced
to use drastic measures to keep Akane from injuring herself as she
thrashed about. Using secret pressure points that she had learned from
her great-grandmother, she had caused the Tendo girl lapse into a near-
comatose state, slowing down her body functions to barest minimum
needed for survival.
Nodoka had become alarmed to hear of what the Amazon had done,
but Cologne assured her that it was the only way to keep Soun's daughter
from killing herself. She had also informed the mother of the Ranma
twins that her sons were now in the Kami Plane, looking for a way to
destroy the source of Akane's torment. All they could do now was wait.
Realm of Oblivion…
Both Ranmas approached the floating sphere with no trouble, which
worried them. If the demons were going to make a move against them,
now would be the time. Ranma Red began powering up his ki energy to
invoke his teleportation spell, while his brother prepared to shatter the
crystal to release Akane's soul.
It was then that all hell broke loose.
There was a deafening and inhuman roar as Arcodos appeared out of
nowhere and charged at Ranma Red from behind. Her moved with
incredible swiftness as he swiped at the red-shirted Ranma with a huge
claw. Ranma Blue's brother had no time to defend himself as he was
starting to invoke the spell. He managed to roll with the blow to lessen the
impact, but the attack still sent him flying to the edge of the platform.
At the same time that Arcodos attacked, his compatriot Zuruka also
appeared to deal with Ranma Blue. Before the startled eyes of the twin,
the demon came into view before him and grabbed the pigtailed martial
artist by the neck. Ranma Blue desperately used his augmented strength
to pry those massive fingers apart, but as soon as he got free of them,
the servant of the Dark World sent a savage kick to the midsection and
sent him flying toward his brother. Both demons chortled with glee as
they began advancing on the champions of Soren and Taron.
"Welcome back to the Realm of Oblivion!" Zuruka taunted.
"You didn't think that we were just going to let you take that girl's
soul so easily, did you?" Arcodos added.
"After we went through the trouble of creating that doppleganger,
we're going to get our investment back! With interest!"
"Your very souls… and every other soul on Earth!"
"Come now boys! Let's see if you've gotten any better!"
Both Ranmas scrambled to their feet as they prepared to face their
foes. As they took their respective stances, they used their telepathic
skills to relay their battle plans to each other.
{"This is it Blue! Stick to the plan! Keep your power levels down!
Don't let them force you to go all out!"}
Ranma Blue powered up some chi energy in his fist and then sent his
arm in an arc toward Zuruka.
"FLAMING CHI WAVE!"
Once again, the demon used his arm to deflect the crescent-shaped
blast.
"Oh come on now! That didn't work the first time!"
Ranma Red was shooting bolt after bolt against Arcodos with no
effect. His foe was simply deflecting the chi and magical energy with
ease as he continued to advance on the magic-using twin.
"I thought you had improved Ranma Red! Are you afraid to use your
full power against me? Perhaps we should raise the stakes!" Arcodos
turned to the crystal sphere and sent a withering blast of red energy into
it. The soul of Akane screamed out as it began to lose its integrity.
Earth Realm…
Akane suddenly screamed in agony, startling all those present. She
began thrashing about with wild abandon. Cologne and Shampoo tried to
hold down the girl, but they soon discovered that whatever was causing
her distress was also giving her a maniacal strength. Nabiki and Kasumi
ran into the room as soon as they heard their sister cry out. They were
horrified as they saw their younger sibling being manhandled by the two
Amazons. They then noticed that she was being handled roughly only
because she was struggling against their attempts to keep her down.
They could do nothing but stare in shock, as Akane's screams became
even more piercing.
The Realm of Oblivion…
"How I love the screams of pure agony!" Arcodos cackled as he sent
another blast at Akane's soul.
"Leave her alone!" Ranma Red screamed as he sent another blast of
energy at Akane's tormentor. Arcodos did not even bother to deflect the
next barrage and absorbed the attacks.
He then turned to his opponent and said, "Make me."
Ranma Blue was becoming desperate as began using his more
powerful techniques against Zuruka. So far, he had done nothing more
than amuse his foe with his attacks. Furthermore, he had been taking a
severe beating from his opponent. Zuruka continued to pummel him
with crushing blows that would have killed a normal person in a
nanosecond.
"RAGING FURY!"
Ranma Blue slammed his fist to the ground and let loose a wave of
fiery energy that caused a massive tremor as it sped along toward the
demon. The blast crashed against the demon like a tidal wave, causing
him to slightly step back from the impact. Zuruka smiled briefly as he
simply stood and waited for the wave to dissipate.
"Not bad! I ALMOST felt that!"
Ranma Red was becoming even more frustrated as he decided to use
one of his stronger spells to stop Arcodos from feeding more energy
into Akane's soul. Raising his fists above his head, he charged up a
massive amount of energy and shouted out his attack.
"SKYFIRE SWORD!"
A huge beam of blue-white energy shot upward from his arms.
Ranma Red then swung his arms downward, and the beam came down on
Arcodos like a gigantic blade. The stone surface of the platform was
cleaved like a hot knife going through butter, and more than a third of
the battle area was cut away. However, when the smoke cleared,
Arcodos was still there. He had a few nicks on his armor and much of
the metal had become dull from the intense heat of the attack.
Otherwise, he was unharmed.
"Very good! I was SLIGHTLY impressed!"
Ranma Red then sent a message to his brother. {"Blue! I think its
time to put our plan into action! We have to start getting serious!"}
{"Okay! They seem to be cocky enough! Do it!"} Ranma Blue
responded as he began maneuvering his fight closer to his brother's.
Ranma Red nodded as began charging up his ki for another attack.
Raising his arms above him, he prepared for another Skyfire Sword.
Arcodos laughed in contempt as he stood in a neutral pose and began
focusing his power. His body glowed with a black light, which suddenly
formed a circular field around him like a barrier, just as Ranma Red let
loose his attack.
"SKYFIRE SWORD!"
The beam of mystical energy came crashing down on the demon,
only to be deflected at an obtuse angle back at his opponent. Ranma
Red had just managed to teleport out of the way as the sizzling beam
shot past him and toward the area, where Zuruka and Ranma Blue were
battling.
Ranma Blue had just started to power up his ki for another elemental
attack when he suddenly got a telepathic warning from his brother. He
charged at Zuruka and at the last instant, dove under the blow that
Zuruka threw at him and ducked beneath his legs. Zuruka looked down
in surprise and that's when it hit him.
Ranma Red's Skyfire Sword plowed into him and his body flared
immense pain, as he was unprepared for the blast of magical energy.
The explosion threw him back and nearly caught Ranma Blue in its wake
as he rolled to the side. Getting up quickly, the elemental Ranma pressed
his advantage and sent another one of his special techniques at his foe.
"FIRE DRILLER!"
Cupping his hands before him, the son of Nodoka let loose a torrent
of flames which took the form of a cone and rammed into the chest of
Zuruka. The demon howled in pain as the attack penetrated his armor
and burned deep into his flesh. The attack left a gaping and charred
wound in the demon's upper torso. Hoping to finish off his opponent,
Ranma Blue charged in and delivered another elemental attack.
"THUNDERSHOCK FIST!"
Ranma Blue threw his fist forward, which became wrapped in an
electrical aura. The blow connected solidly with the open wound of
Zuruka, causing a massive discharge of electricity to occur and
wreaking more damage to the Dark World servant. Zuruka howled in
agony and surprise, as he could not believe that his foe could be
inflicting such pain to him.
On the other side of the battle area, Arcodos was very irritated that
Ranma Blue was getting the upper hand over his counterpart, due to the
fact, that he had indirectly caused it. Furthermore, Ranma Red had also
proven to be a tougher antagonist than he believed. In the past several
minutes, the mortal had managed to evade all of his attacks by using that
teleport technique. Not only that, but Ranma Red was also using this
method to strategically land a few blows on him, while at the same time
keeping just out of his reach.
Not that his blows were hurting him much, despite his increased
strength, but the Dark Worlder was getting very annoyed at being hit
and not being able to hit back. He began powering up a massive amount
of Dark World energy and then released it all in one massive burst. The
energy surged outward in all directions in a hemisphere of black energy
with a yellow outline. No matter where Ranma Red would teleport to,
the blast would catch him.
Ranma Red had been expecting something like this and had come
prepared. Just as the demon had powered up his energies, he invoked
another one of his newer spells. With an intricate motion of his hands,
he threw his arms upward in a crane position and released a bright blue
blast of energy. The magical power shaped itself into a two-
dimensional rectangle that was about ten feet tall and three feet wide. It
was translucent and shimmered like polished silver.
"MYSTIC MIRROR!"
Arcodos was a little more than shocked as he saw his attack
absorbed into the energy mirror. The rectangle seemed to become alive
as its surface swirled and sparked with the Dark World energy. It then
turned on its vertical axis until it was facing toward the place where
Zuruka and Ranma Blue were fighting. Ranma Red then threw an arm
forward and shouted, "POWER RETURN!"
The power contained within the mirror flared before bursting forth
in a huge beam of black light. Just as it had released that beam, the
mirror shattered into smaller fragments before disappearing. The attack
stabbed forth and smashed into Zuruka's back, just as he smashed down
his opponent and was about to deliver a crushing blow. The demon
roared in pain and surprise as he felt his armor and flesh being pierced
and torn apart.
As he was shortly distracted, Ranma Blue again pressed his
advantage. Quickly rolling to one side, he cupped his hands forward and
launched a chi attack from the ground at the new wound in Zuruka.
"MOKO TAKABISHA! RAPID FIRE!"
The stream of yellow fireballs blasted into the demon's dorsal side
at an extreme angle, but enough of the chi energy hit his wound to be
effective. The blue armored monster howled again in rage and pain.
Looking behind him, he saw Ranma Blue scramble to his feet and
invoke another elemental skill.
"ICY MISTS! CONFUSION!"
Swirls of arctic winds erupted forth from Ranma Blue and blanketed
the entire area in a freezing, thick and dense fog. At the same time this
was occurring, Ranma Red had also decided to add to the confusion.
Concentrating his ki, he invoked his duplicity technique.
"SILLOUETTE SPLIT!"
A dozen shadowy figures of himself suddenly appeared and began
running around randomly around the platform. With the dark shadows
of the Realm of Infinity added to the fog and the illusions, it was near
to impossible to tell where the real twins were. Both demons growled
in rage as they began firing in random directions, hoping to hit one of
their opponents.
It was at this point that the Ranma twins fully understood the
importance of their telepathic skills. With their minds linked, each was
able to tell where his sibling was and coordinate their attacks. Zuruka
was firing in vain, as he tried to find where Ranma Blue was. He did not
know that the blue-shirted martial artist was also using his camouflage
skills to remain out of sight. When he saw a shadowy figure run across
his line of vision, he let loose a massive blast. The figure was blasted
apart and a scream was heard. Zuruka smiled as he thought he had
finally hit Ranma Blue. His smile became a frown as he realized that
the scream was not human.
Ranma Red grinned. He had purposely put one of his illusions in
front of Arcodos and Zuruka had taken the bait. His attack was an
especially savage one as he had sheared off his counterpart's arm. The
demon looked down at the charred and bleeding stump that was his right
arm. Smoke was still rising from the wound as Arcodos flailed about
with his good arm.
By sheer luck, he had slammed against Ranma Blue, knocking him to
the ground and causing him to become visible again. Grasping the
former Saotome by the throat, he lifted him seven feet off the ground
and gritted out, "You die now!"
To his surprise, Ranma Blue grinned as he replied, "I don't think so."
Arcodos felt a searing pain in his back as he was blasted by a massive
bolt from behind. He recognized the energy as not Ranma Red's, but
Zuruka's. Ranma Red had placed another one of his illusions in front of
Zuruka, and had gotten the same results as before. As the red armored
demon howled in pain, Ranma Blue decided to dish out some of his own.
Cupping his hands forward, he let loose his chi attack at point blank range.
"MOKO TAKABISHA! RAPID FIRE!"
The balls of chi energy smashed into Arcodos' forehead, causing
him to release the twin and stagger back. The Dark Worlder bumped
into his counterpart, who was very angered as to how the tables had
turned. The twins were winning and they had yet to release their full
power. If this kept up, they would be victorious.
"It is time to get serious Arcodos!"
"Yes, it is time to teach these whelps the true power of the Dark
World!"
Both monsters began focusing their energies on themselves. Their
auras began to swell and intensify as they called upon their most
deepest and darkest emotions. Suddenly, the power contained within
them was released in one massive explosion.
Ranma Red and his brother were a little confused as to what was
happening. The demons had suddenly stopped in their attacks. They
were just standing motionless on the other side of the battle area. They
had started to glow with black auras and both twins knew that something
was up. Then it happened. The two servants of Sharoka were enveloped
in an explosion of black light. The force of the explosion had caused
the fog and the illusions to be dispelled in an instant. Both twins were
thrown backward and landed on their rears. A second later, they got to
their feet and took their stances. What they saw before them made their
blood run cold.
Standing at an intimidating height of fifty feet was a gigantic version
of Arcodos and Zuruka. Its armor was red with blue highlights and had
six-foot fangs protruding from its lower lip. It held out its arms, in
which its tremendous claws crackled with power. It took a step forward,
making the stone platform to shudder as if it was experiencing a small
earthquake. The surface trembled as it seemed as if the platform was
about to give way. It was not a sight to instill confidence.
{"Oh boy! Not good!"} Ranma Red remarked.
{"I know! We can't use their powers against them like before when
they're like that!"}
The giant demon took another step forward, making the platform
shake violently. Then it smiled down at the looks of apprehension on
the twins. With a booming voice that was a combination of Arcodos and
Zuruka, it spoke.
"WE ARE ARCORUKA! PREPARE FOR OBLIVION!"
The giant raised a clawed hand and formed an orange-red fireball that
was the size of Nodoka's house. It lobbed the sphere at the twins, who
barely got out of its way by using their flight powers. The blast plowed
through the stone platform and caused a huge potion of it to be
pulverized. When the dust settled, less than half the battle area was left.
{"Damn! We don't have any choice! We have to go full out!"} Ranma
Blue said.
{"We can't do that! Soren and Taron warned us that the backlash
would destroy Akane and break down the dimensional barrier!"} Ranma
Red gestured over to the crystal, which contained the former Tendo
girl's essence. Miraculously, it had remained relatively unscathed
throughout the most part of the battle. {"Besides, that's what Arcoruka
wants!"}
{"Look out!"} Ranma Blue warned as he pushed his brother to one
side and floated off to the other. Arcoruka had fired off a massive beam
of energy at the twins that would have incinerated a city block. Another
section of the stone structure was obliterated and less than twenty
square yards was left. The area was where Akane's crystal prison stood.
The fused form of Arcodos and Zuruka stood over it and grinned
wickedly. It then raised a claw above it and began to power up another
blast. This time, it was being aimed at Akane.
"NO!" Both Ranmas shouted as they began powering up their ki
energies.
Arcoruka smiled. It was as they expected. They could already feel
the immense power surging from the twins. It was going to be glorious.
They eagerly matched the energy that was building up in the Champions
of Earth. Soon, it was going to be all over.
As they pushed their battle auras to the limit, both twins knew that
there was no turning back.
{"They want us to blast them with everything we got! If we don't,
they'll destroy Akane!"} Ranma Red stated.
{"Looks like a no-win situation! What can we do?"} Ranma Blue
asked as he powered up even further.
{"Damn! There's too much riding on this, and Soren and Taron can't
help us in the Realm of Infinity!"}
{"That's it! That's the answer!"}
{"Huh?"}
{"Red! Do you think you're up to teleporting something big?"}
{"Why?"}
Ranma Blue quickly began relaying his plan to his sibling. Ranma
Red smiled as he instantly comprehended his brother's plan. It was a
desperate gamble and it required a lot of power to implement it.
Fortunately, power was in great abundance at the time.
Arcoruka decided that the time had come to end the conflict.
Directing their claws toward the twins, the giant fired off a blast of
power that would have leveled the lower half of Japan. At the same
time, both twins thrust out their arms like tuning forks and released
their strongest attacks.
"ELEMENTAL ERADICATOR!"
"SOUL SMASHER!"
Both Ranmas let loose beams of power that would have reduced
Mount Fugi into less than an anthill. The beams of elemental and mystic
power pushed back Arcoruka's attack and all that resultant energy was
absorbed into the enormous demon. The twins feel to their knees in
exhaustion after releasing so much power. They could only look up at
their opponent as it was now laughing its head off. It's body crackled
and surged with unbelievable power as it tried to contain it. However,
everyone present knew that was improbable.
"FOOLS! YOU HAVE DONE WHAT WE WANTED! ONCE THIS
ENERGY ERUPTS, IT WILL DESTROY THE INTERDIMENSIONAL
BARRIER AND THE DARK WORLD WILL BE VICTORIOUS! OUR
BODY WILL BE DESTROYED IN THE PROCESS, BUT IN THE END,
WE WIN!!!"
Both Ranmas gave the demon a smug look as Ranma Blue replied,
"Yeah, but you're forgetting one thing!"
"WHAT IS THAT?"
"You need Akane's soul as a conduit in order to make that happen!
But all that power don't mean squat if you're not here with her soul to
use it!"
Arcoruka laughed in contempt as he found Ranma Blue's words as
those of one gone insane. They were here in the Realm of Oblivion.
Akane's soul was here. Her doppleganger was in the Earth Realm and
the connection between the two realities was secure. The energies
within their body was ready to be released, and it was more than
sufficient to do the job. Why shouldn't it work?
It was then that they noticed something. Their body had taken on a
lighter shade and their scales seemed to be translucent. Although their
form was bursting with power, it seemed that they were… fading?! In an
instant, Arcodos and Zuruka realized that they had been tricked. Roaring
with frustration and rage, the fused form of the two demons rushed
toward the twins, hoping to take them with it in its imminent destruction.
The Ranma twins were too exhausted from their last attacks to make
any half-decent attempt to evade. However, they didn't have to. When
Arcoruka got within twelve feet of them, the giant monster faded from
view. There was nothing left to mark its passing, save for a small wisp
of leftover magical and elemental energy that soon dissipated.
Both Ranmas looked at each and smiled.
The Realm of Infinity…
Soren and Taron were in their usual spot as they monitored the Kami
Plane for any indication of their champions' progress in saving Akane.
It was then that Taron sensed something big heading their way.
"Incoming!" Taron shouted as Soren began erecting a protective
barrier around the two of them.
A few hundred meters from their position, Arcoruka suddenly
appeared in the void and was just about to unleash the combined
magical and elemental power within it. Soren and Taron saw this and
decided that they didn't want to be anywhere nearby when that
happened. Using his power over gravity, Taron reversed the polarity of
Arcoruka's body, making it the same as theirs. He also increased the
force of gravitational power a million times over. Moreover, everyone
knows that when two identical polarities come into contact, they repel
each other. The monster was pushed back several thousand miles
through the void. It was then that it exploded.
The release of magical and elemental energies was staggering. The
waves of power went randomly in all directions and the protective
sphere that Soren had erected was bounced around like a beach ball
caught in a tidal wave. The amount of destructive power that erupted
from Arcoruka's destruction was greater than a thousand, 40-megaton
thermonuclear warheads. It made the bomb that was dropped on
Hiroshima seem like a pilot light. This kind of event would have
reduced half of the Earth into rubble, but in the Realm of Infinity, it
didn't really matter. There was not much to destroy.
When the last of the explosion finally faded away into silence, Soren
dropped his shield and looked around. There was no sign of the
monster. Its remains had been totally atomized and nothing was left to
prove that Arcodos and Zuruka ever existed. The only thing that
remained was the errant chunks of stone that floated about, and the fact
that the lights were now darting about more erratically.
"Remind me to teach Ranma Red about being more careful as to
where he teleports things to."
Taron looked at the mess the explosion caused and then nodded.
The Realm of Oblivion…
Both Ranmas crawled their way to the crystal, which contained the
essence of their former love. As they both sat down against the sphere,
Ranma Blue took out the mini-guide computer and asked in a tired
voice, "Can you contact Urd or Belldandy?"
"Affirmative." The device replied.
The Ultimate Force System…
"Hey! That's weird!"
"What is it Skuld?" Belldandy asked as she approached her sister at a
console.
"I'm getting a distress signal coming from the Realm of Oblivion!"
Belldandy frowned as she heard this. "We're not allowed to got
there. That's demon territory. You know the rules."
Some time ago, Kami-sama had decreed that certain areas of the
continuum was to be designated specifically for demons and deities, in
order to keep the two sides from slaughtering each other. Since then,
both sides have followed these rules, since the penalty for breaking
these laws was erasure from existence.
"It's not demon territory anymore! The files have now just registered
the deaths of Arcodos and Zuruka! The Realm of Oblivion has been
named a free zone, until the next demon lays claim to it!"
"Then we'd best get out whomever is in there!" Belldandy stated as
she disappeared from view.
The Realm of Oblivion…
Belldandy appeared before the twins with her usual smile and gentle
demeanor.
"Greetings, Champions of Earth! I did not expect to find you here
again." She then looked at the crystal and saw Akane's soul floating in
it. "Oh my!" She then closed her eyes and extended her senses into the
spirit contained within the orb. She detected that a small portion of it
was missing. She opened her eyes and turned her attention to the twins
again. "A doppleganger?"
Both Ranmas nodded, as they were too exhausted to speak.
"Well we can't have that, now can we?"
The goddess began to glow with a soft white aura, and the group
disappeared in a flash of light.
Earth Realm…
Shampoo and her great-grandmother were puzzled. Akane had
suddenly stopped in her thrashing and had resumed her near-comatose
state. The other sisters looked on with worry, as Nodoka approached
the bed and asked, "Is she…?"
Before anything else was said, the mirror that was mounted on the
hallway wall flared with a bright, white light. Looking back at the door,
the group stared in confusion as a gentle-looking woman entered the
room. At first glance, one would have mistaken her for Kasumi, if she
herself were not already present.
Belldandy gave them a formal bow and then gestured for someone to
come inside. Both astral forms of the Ranma twins floated into the
room, startling everyone for moment, before they remembered that
they were like this, when they had left for the Kami Plane. Their
physical forms were safely lying on the bed in their mother's room.
Belldandy walked over to the still form of Akane, then waved a hand
over her. The sweeping gesture had caused Akane's body to glow with a
soft blue light. Then suddenly, wisps of black smoke rose from her as
every trace of Dark World energy was purged from her. With the task
completed, she then motioned to the spectral twins.
Ranma Blue and his other half nodded as they made the crystal which
contained the other portion of Akane's soul appear. The goddess waved
her arm again and the crystal disappeared. Akane's essence glowed softly
in the dimly lit room as it remained floating in place, standing straight
and at peace. With another sweeping gesture, the goddess guided the lost
soul back into its proper vessel and the process was finished.
Akane's body took on a warm afterglow as all tension disappeared.
Her heartbeat and breathing rate returned to normal, and she seemed
finally at peace.
An hour later…
After the twins had returned to their physical forms and introductions
were made between Belldandy and all those present, the two Ranmas
began to explain how they had saved Akane. After a few more minutes,
Belldandy bid them all farewell and left for the Kami Plane via the
hallway mirror. Ukyo had come to the house at that time to check up on
Akane. She too also listened in as the identical Ranmas related their
incredible experience.
"So Ran-chan, what exactly did you do to stop those demons?"
Ranma Blue smiled as he replied, "When Red here mentioned the
Realm of Infinity, I remembered what Soren and Taron told us about
how those monsters were using Akane's soul as a conduit. I figured that
if they weren't in the same reality that Akane was, when they released
that energy, then the barrier would stay up and we'd have a chance to
destroy them."
"Right." Ranma Red agreed. "When we fed them the power they need
to destroy the interdimensional barrier, I secretly added my
teleportation spell as well. Usually, it's not powerful enough to
transport anything other than myself and maybe a few others. Its range
is still limited. However, all that power those demons had; in addition
to whatever we gave them was enough to transport them away from
Akane's soul before the backlash could affect her. Simple really."
"So where you send them to?" Shampoo asked.
"Well…" Ranma Red began. "We couldn't send them to Earth, and
there wasn't anywhere else that I had been to other than…"
{"The Realm of Infinity."} Soren replied as he and his brother
popped into the room.
Kasumi and Nabiki were startled when the found the crowded room
get even more crowded. Taron and his brother smiled at them and
somehow, that had made the former Tendos relax a bit. After a short
introduction, the immortals turned their attention on the two Ranmas.
Both immortals looked at their pupils with a slightly irritated, yet
friendly expression.
"Do you realize the mess you made in the realm?" Taron asked.
"I'm sorry Taron, but at the time…" Ranma Red started to say.
"Don't worry about it." Soren said as his expression became softer.
"The way I see it, you two found a way out of a no-win situation. You
displayed excellent teamwork!"
"We couldn't be more proud of you." Taron agreed.
"By the way," Ranma Blue asked. "is that old lecher going to be all
right?" The pigtailed martial artist was a bit surprised at hearing himself
show concern for Happosai, despite his history with him.
Taron nodded as he responded, "Don't worry. We had placed him in a
very remote area of the realm, so he wasn't anywhere near the explosion."
"In any case, we came here not only to congratulate you on your
victory, but also to inform you on a few things." Soren added.
"Like what?" Ranma Blue asked.
"Well, first of all, Akane will most certainly recover, now that her
complete soul is in one body. Without Zuruka and Arcodos continually
torturing her, she will eventually stop having those episodes of terror."
"Will she remember everything that happened?" Ranma Red inquired.
"She'll remember everything that her doppleganger had experienced
on Earth." Taron explained. "You see, her doppleganger and the rest of
her soul were still connected. She had perceived only what her
duplicate had sensed. Zuruka and Arcodos made certain that she would
not detect the fact that she was still in the Realm of Oblivion, by
blocking out her perceptions. She only felt what the copy felt. She will
not remember ever being in the Realm of Oblivion, other than that first
time. I think it would be best if we keep it that way."
Everyone present nodded as they all agreed. Akane had been through
a lot. There was no need to make it worse.
"So what else did you want to tell us?" Ranma Blue queried.
Both immortals took on serious expressions as Soren replied, "Even
though you were successful in getting Akane back, the damage already
done to the fabric of reality was substantial. As a result, we must rush
the both of you through the last stages of your training, here in Japan. In
four days… we'll be going to China."
Both twins looked at their fiancées with concern. They knew what
going to China meant. All of a sudden, they began hearing wedding bells
in their minds.
To be continued…
Author's Notes
Wow! I thought I'd never get through this chapter. Creating fight
scenes are not my strong point. In any case, the problems with Akane's
experience in the Kami Plane have now been put to rest. Akane is free
to actually, start on her road to recovery, which still promises to be
long and hard.(At least she doesn't have those demons torturing her
anymore)
The Ranmas are now preparing to leave Japan and start on their quest
to save the world. The training is almost complete and they will achieve
their full potential when they get… (gasp) married! Akane and her
sisters will be joining our heroes as well as their fiancées, Nodoka and
Cologne. What does this mean for everyone else? The next chapter will
go into that.