Disclaimer: Okay, I’m sure you know what this’ll say by now... I didn’t create these people I’m using, nor any of the settings, blah blah, everything belongs to those peoples who did, blah blah, etc etc...
Ranma 1/2 Z Neo: Part 15
(...) thoughts
*...* anything not spoken or thought
^... translations/ notes from the author
Things Revealed
=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=8=
*A dark streak, dressed in white, slams into Ranma. The elbow in Ranma’s side stops Argos, transferring all momentum to Ranma, who is flung away. The boy hits the rooftop holding Akane, Ukyou, and Jet, whether by accident or design, rolling to a stop just a couple of feet from Akane. Surprised by the unexpected attack, Ranma took the full force of the blow, and so lays stunned - just as Akane’s eyes flicker open again.*
Akane: *seeing Ranma* R-Ranma.... *sitting up onto her elbows* Ranma? *Ukyou sits beside her, equally surprised*
Ukyou: Ranma-honey...
Akane: *shouts* RANMA!!!! *Ranma doesn’t move, trying to figure out what just happened. Akane mistakes his lack of motion for something worse. She panics - and the energy Ukyou gave her puts itself to use by multiplying.*
Ukyou: A-Akane? *Her eyes widen as Akane goes into a full fit of panic power-up, her hair dancing from the blue-black of normalcy to the light gold of Super Saiyajin - and darkening by the second as Akane’s emotions take over her. Her eyes go from brown to blue-green, also changing by the second. Where as Ranma’s anger controlled his upsurge, giving control as well as strength, Akane absorbs power, but has no control. High up in the sky, a certain man makes comparisons with his past*
Vegita: No... She’s doing it all wrong! She won’t complete the transformation!
Goku: *nods* Just like we did the first time. If she doesn’t get control, she’ll never get it right.
Gohan: Well, we were just lucky the other guy, ... Ranma?, made a good transformation. We can’t ask for two perfect ones.
Vegita: Shut up, boy. How would ~you~ even know?
Gohan: ...
*on the rooftop*
Ranma: *getting his breath back and snapping out of it* Ite^. Huh? *looks up and sees Akane going berserk* Akane! You’re okay!!! (And going crazy!!!) *Tries to figure out how to calm her, hardly acknowledging his own shock and relief that she’s okay*
^Ow
Akane: *sees Ranma* Ra-Ranma? *Calms down, and descends back to normal Super Saiyajin* Ranma-!
Ranma: *gently teasing* Can’t you say anything else, you silly tomboy?
Akane: *Glomps him* BAKA!!! Ranma no baka.^
^Idiot!!! Ranma, you’re an idiot.
Ranma: Urk! (I had to ask...) C-can’t breathe... *Akane releases him*
Akane: *~looks~ at Ranma* You’re different!
Ranma: Huh? Oh yeah. *remembers he’s still in SSJ2* Ummm.... *Blushes, looking down* I thought you were dead...
Akane: (Is that a tear? Is he... crying?) ...
*Hovering above them, his black cape rippling dramatically*
Argos: *sarcastically* What a touching reunion. Such a pity you weren’t both dead. Now I’ll have to do that. *Tosses off his cape, revealing to a fuller degree the two dragons twining around his shirt. A sword hilt, formerly hidden by the cape, pokes out over his shoulder. He makes no move to draw it, as if he does not even remember its presence*
Akane: *stands up, her aura glowing. Ranma also stands up, being careful not to let his own aura out of control, knowing it would knock Akane away, but also knowing that Akane does not have the power to defeat this mystery attacker.* You’re the one who will pay for that.
Ranma: *taking Akane’s hand, whispers to her* You need to power up. But not like before.
Akane: *whispers back, still glaring at Argos* How, then?
Ranma: *thinks for a moment* Relax.
Akane: *tries to do so* That’s easier said than done with that guy staring down at us. He’s not going to -
Argos: *Randomly starts taking potshots at the group, blasting away* Just so you know, I’m getting bored of waiting.
Akane: *dodging, has to yell to Ranma* - wait any longer.
Ranma: *also dodging* Yeah, I just noticed. (Grrrr.... I can’t let Akane fight him. Not like this. She’ll get killed.)
Argos: (Now how shall I go about this? Perhaps a few minutes of fun before I eat...) *His gaze flickers to where Ryouga and Tempo battle, and a small corner of tongue flickers out as he licks his lips in anticipation.*
*Argos slaps away Ranma’s fist, grinning cruelly. He almost casually jabs his knee into Ranma’s side, then brings his other leg up and over, flipping Ranma. Akane charges, wanting to defend Ranma, but does not even reach the two others before their auras blow her away. She realizes that the power of the two combined utterly dwarfs that of a normal SSJ. Inside the bubble of untouchable space caused by the fighters’ auras, Ranma retaliates against Argos, catching himself upside down and using the air like solid ground, pushing off against it with aura and hands and ramming his feet into Argos’s stomach. The man in white barely recoils, sneering down at Ranma. Instead, he grabs an ankle before Ranma realizes what has happened, and starts swinging Ranma in a circle. Ranma draws on his power of ki, stopping the spin and pulling himself out of danger. Argos, surprised by this tactic, does not block in time to avoid the uppercut Ranma lands on his chin. Whereas seconds before Argos was a clear winner, the tides turn and Ranma starts to dominate. Argos bashes Ranma with a head butt, but Ranma ducks, and Argos flips over his shoulder instead. Ranma chops the tumbling man in an overhead sweep. Argos catches himself behind and a little below Ranma, and blasts back in with a silent ki attack. Ranma, not hearing the typical yell that usually accompanies ki attacks, is not prepared to take the blow. He recoils, being tossed through the air as well.*
Ranma: Yah! That was a dirty trick!
Argos: *grins evilly* So? Didn’t your teacher ever tell you to expect the unexpected?
Ranma: *growls in response* (This guy reminds a little too much of Pops...) *has an idea* Look! *points to the ground* A thousand yen piece!!!
Argos: ... So? What’s your point?
Ranma: D’oh! (Well, that would’ve worked on the ol’ Panda.) Never mind.
Argos: Alright. *Attacks again as if nothing happened, briefly surprising Ranma into taking a hit before he starts fighting again*
*on the ground*
Tempo: Hey, watch it! *Ryouga slams her with a punch. She can barely concentrate, feeling Argos’s energy above her. Her body feels like it’s on the verge of explosion with the powers shimmering in the air above her. Fear steals through her. She wonders how much longer Argos will fight the boy before he comes to do... something to her. Only Ryouga’s continually slamming fists keep her from being driven to distraction by her own fear. Still, she gets phenomenally beat up, unable to concentrate on the battle.*
Ryouga: (If I wasn’t pulling my punches, she’d be dead or something by now. What’s her problem?) *Seeing his opponent’s weakness, he avoids seriously hurting her. Finally, he just drops his fists, folding his arms and watching her. She stands and shakes, her midnight black hair flying about her as if stirred by an invisible wind. She shivers as if her red bodysuit and black vest don’t keep her warm enough, though before she had no problem. Suddenly, a gust of wind sweeps the road, blowing every moveable object on the street past the two, then circling back around and encasing Ryouga and Tempo in an oval ring of wind. Ryouga’s eye twitches, and he backs away from the wall toward Tempo.* N-nani?!?!?!^
^W-what?
Tempo: *With her eyes closed, she steps backward until she leans against the wind, which supports her as if it were a solid wall. Her voice starts deep and quiet, but raises to a rolling scream* Sleeping... winds... AWAKE!!!! *The wall which surrounds the pair explodes up, meeting in a dome above them. Ryouga ducks instinctively, but for no actual need... in the center of this windstorm, all is almost eerily calm. Outside the dome, where the walls raised to meet each other, a point forms and lances skyward. It streaks past Akane, who beats helplessly outside the power of Ranma and Argos, then blasts through the auras and slams between the two fighters, knocking Ranma painfully aside and striking Argos with the blunt of it. The winds disappear from the top down, until once again Ryouga and Tempo face each other in a small ring of wind. The final walls of air disappear, and Tempo drops to her knees, exhausted, but no longer shivering. Ryouga stands stunned in the middle of the former oval.*
*in the air*
Ranma: *shaking his head to clear it* What was that?
Argos: *still reeling from the attack, but can sense exactly where it came from. His voice sounds a little strained.* Obviously, bad aim. *He narrows his eyes and glares downward at the girl who rests on her knees on the ground. The human boy stands near her, looking confused and ... well, confused. Argos’s senses tremble at the release of this strange energy, especially on himself. His eyes start to dilate and his pupils elongate, but before he can get out of control, he stops himself. His dark silver hair shifts around his face angrily, agitated by the remaining breeze. Suddenly, Argos stands up to his full height, deciding not to play any longer. His eyes fall on the still recovering Tempo, and he lets his hunger take over.* Treble, come with me.
Treble: *eyes widening with what could only be seen as sadistic pleasure* Yes, Argos! *zooms to his master’s heels and follows as Argos lands upon the street*
Argos: You know what to do, Treble. *Treble grins and nods, forming a ball of ki at his fist.*
Treble: KYODAI KOBUSHI!^ *He punches forward at Tempo. However, at the last second Argos intercepts, grabbing his fist. From the look in Treble’s eyes, this is ~not~ how everything is supposed to go* Argos? M-m-master???
^gigantic fist
Argos: *an evil glint overtakes his eye, and the ki which Treble has summoned flares up, revealing all of his ki in its reddish coloring. Argos’s own aura becomes evident, a slimy black of things left too long in the refrigerator, oozing with the feeling of rot and decay.* Do you really think that you were anything more than the other two?
Treble: *pitifully* B-but you need me, master! You need me to draw the power! To drain the girl and the boy!
Argos: You obviously have self-deluded yourself. Can’t you see that I am completely capable of draining them - and you - myself? *His had crushes Treble’s with a sudden force, and his aura seems to overcome Treble’s, absorbing it. Treble screams as he feels his ki being stolen from him, but his screams fade feebly away as the monster called Argos feeds. Finally, Argos finishes his terrible task that Treble had thought meant for Tempo, and releases the giant. A thud sounds as Treble’s inert form hits the ground. In the background, a scared and worried Akane hovers, unable to approach the titanic power of Ranma, who spreads his aura to keep her away and therefore protect her. Argos looks up at the hovering Ranma, scorn written all over his face.* Prepared to die, boy?
*on a neighboring rooftop, where he and Ukyou fled from Argos’s attacks*
*Jet Stream looks on in horror as Argos drains Treble. However, more evident in his eyes and heart is his sister, Tempo, curled around herself on the ground, hovering between consciousness and lack thereof. As Argos leaves the ground to face off with Ranma, Jet dashes down to the ground, and picks up Tempo, carrying her back to the rooftop. She goes limp in his arms halfway up. He lays her gently down upon the roof. Forgotten on the street, Ryouga tries to figure out everything that just happened.*
Jet: Tempo! Tempo, wake up!!! I’m sorry!!! Just please, wake up!!! *Ukyou watches as Jet starts to panic, her attention caught by the monster that glares up at Ranma, her gaze dodging between the two. Finally, touched by the caring Jet shows his sister, and knowing she can’t do anything about Argos, who drifts upward to meet Ranma, she walks over to Jet and kneels down.*
Ukyou: (Poor guy... he cares so much. And I don’t think he even knew about that thing.) Let me look at her. *Jet looks at her, his eyes wide and slightly suspicious. Ukyou just ~looks~ at him in that way that only a woman can master, and he nods uncertainly and stands up.*
Jet: So what’s wrong with her?
Ukyou: *rolls her eyes* I don’t know yet, I have to look first. *checks over Tempo* Pulse is strong... she’s breathing, but her breathing is a bit labored... lots of bruises, but that’s all from Ryouga I’d bet... *mutters to herself as she makes her diagnosis*
*in the air*
Piccolo: *Now that he’s seen this thing in action, he understands what it is fully. He watches closely at what unfolds. Beside him, the Saiyajins stir anxiously*
Vegita: Kuso! What was that?!?!
Goku: *growls* I don’t like it.
Piccolo: Shut up, you two. There’s nothing that any of us can do about it.
Gohan: Piccolo-san... do you know what this thing ~is~?
Piccolo: Yes, Gohan. It’s a thing so full of evil that only the purest of life can destroy... it would take the full force of five elements tapped by five people to get rid of this thing.
Vegita: Great! So we need a bunch of druids to save or something!
Piccolo: ... Not quite. *looks at the young earthling warriors who he has had the pleasure of watching train* (I can’t afford to hope... but there’s nothing else left.)
*On the rooftop*
Jet: Is she all right? *crowding Ukyou*
Ukyou: Wouldja give me some room, already?!? *Jet blushes and leans back at the rebuke* She’s okay, just... um...
Jet: What?
Ukyou: Ummm... I’m not entirely sure what’s wrong. I think she’s just unconscious, but I can’t tell. *suddenly occurs to her* Hey, don’t you have a doctor you can call?
Jet: *remembers Syme on the ship* Oh yeah... *brings his arm up to his chin, pulling back the edge of his white glove to reveal a wristband identical to his sister’s. He speaks into it* Syme!!! Syme!!!
voice over watch: Yes, Jet?
Jet: Syme, something’s wrong with Tempo!!! She’s... I don’t know...
Syme over watch: I’ll be right out.
*on the ship*
*Syme gathers up a bag of supplies, and races to the same exit he guided the lost escapees through earlier, also the nearest exit. The minute he steps outside of the ship, he feels something assault him. Only the automatic light extension keeps him from falling like a dropped stone to the ground below as he stumbles and has to lean against the doorframe. He shudders at the energy he feels. However, Jet’s urgent cries to hurry over his com-watch^ encourages him to take off again the instant he can stand it. He flies low to the ground, following the beacon indicating Tempo’s presence.*
^The wristbands they’re talking through
*in the air*
Argos: *flexes his muscles, testing his power limits* Hmmmm... Not bad, but I’ve had better. I suppose that that slave was just too weak for my natural form to be revealed.
Ranma: *descending to stare straight at the cruel evil before him* *scornfully* ~Nothing~ is natural about that power. *spits at Argos, sensing in his bones an evil far to great and disgusting to reasonably exist on the small and semi-peaceful planet Earth.*
Argos: *glares down the boy* For that you shall die.
Ranma: *raises a comical eyebrow* Weren’t you already going to kill me?
Argos: *pauses, thinking back over his words* Why, yes, I was. *shrugs* so now I’ll just make it that much more painful.
Ranma: Threats and promises. Can’t you give anything more substantial?
Argos: Alright. *punches at Ranma* (Hmmmm... this boy could be a problem. Perhaps I ought to try the girl and her brother when I get the chance. One of them ought to transform me...)
Ranma: *dodging the fist* So where’s the substantial?
Argos: *narrowing his eyes at the insulting boy* You’ll see soon enough. *summons small ball of ki and tosses it at Ranma. Ranma bends out of the way, and takes no more notice of the ki ball as it annihilates six buildings and a noticeable amount of ground before flying off into nothing. Ranma raises his arms to ward off the next flying energy ball, and brushes it off along with the accompanying punch.*
*on the ground*
Ryouga: *annoyed* Oh joy, I seem to be forgotten once again. *looks around* Where is everyone anyway? *spots group on rooftop* Oh, I see. *takes off in that direction, landing on rooftop by Ukyou, Jet, Syme, and Tempo. He peers over the doctor’s shoulder as Syme examines the girl.*
Syme: Back off! I need some room for this! *Ryouga obediently backs up and goes to peer over Jet’s shoulder*
Jet Stream: *growls absently* Go away. *Ryouga wanders away, and finally comes to stand over Ukyou*
Ukyou: ... *A fist flies backwards and catches Ryouga in the face. Ryouga falls back and finally takes the hint, walking off to another part of the roof. Suddenly, a pair of taps indicate someone landing beside him. He whirls around to see Akane*
Akane: *sounding depressed and a little annoyed* I can’t believe that Ranma. I go through all that trouble to try and help him, and he becomes utterly unhelp-able. We can’t even get near him! *Ryouga hears something that sounds suspiciously like a sniffle, but with Akane’s face turned down and her hair covering her eyes, he can not be sure.*
Ryouga: *hesitantly* A-Akane? *suddenly, she grabs onto him, desperately in search of something to hold onto in this changing and awful world*
Akane: Oh, Ryouga! He always does this! I hate it! I hate him! He goes and does something that could get himself killed! -and expects me to just sit aside and watch! I love him and he- he- *She chokes on her words and beats her fists against Ryouga’s chest, gently but with enough emotion in them to send him flying if the heart could be hit in such a manner. And in a way, his heart is hit. With her words, she has told the eternally lost boy that Ranma, not himself, holds her heart evermore. But as his former hope dies, he finds no sadness - only compassion for the aching Akane. He holds her comfortingly as she tries to regain her composure. Finally, she takes a deep breath and disentangles herself from Ryouga.* I-I... Gomen^, Ryouga.
^Sorry
Ryouga: *smiles* Hey, no problem. Now you know why I’ve always been trying to kill Ranma. How else can I be sure no one else does? *Realizes with a start the truthfulness in this empty comfort* *looks down* I... I guess he’s just my best friend.
Akane: *a silent yet pregnant pause as she tries to figure out what to say, then she shakes her head* Why are we just sitting here? Let’s go and help him!
Ryouga: *Nods, then pauses* Ummmm.... how?
Akane: *looks at him semi-annoyed* We’ll power up as much as possible, first! *does so, Ryouga following her lead. They both end up still SSJ1*
Ryouga: *still struggling to power up more* H-how did Ranma get all ~that~ power?
Akane: *shrugs, knowing she’s reached her limit* I don’t know. *Both watch as Ranma continues to fight against Argos, trying to figure out what to do next*
*other side of the roof*
Syme: *sitting up* She’s only tired.
Jet Stream: What do you mean? She’s practically unconscious! That can’t be sleepiness!!!
Syme: *a steady, slightly scolding look* Jet. She’s tired. She drained herself of energy.
Jet: B-but her ki-
Syme: That wasn’t a ki attack; it was a different sort of power. Her ki is fine. She just needs a little rest. *Jet looks about to protest again, but Syme’s look catches his words in his throat. He sullenly looks away, sitting by his sister’s head as if to protect her.*
Ukyou: *staring at Syme* What do you mean? That ~looked~ like a ki attack. Just like Ranma’s Hiyruu Shoten Ha.^ I mean, he uses ki for that, it just feels weird.
^dragon ascension wave
Syme: *brow furrows* What do you mean?
*Argos and Ranma’s fight*
Ranma: *dodging a foot aimed at his temple, starting to sweat* (Is he... toying with me? It seems like nothing I do ~really~ hurts him. Yet he doesn’t hurry and start fighting with his full power... and it’s as if he wants to.) What’s the problem, Dragon-man? *takes name from Argos’s armor patter of two dragons* Too tired to fight with all your power?
Argos: *growls* Hyaa! *fist flies out, unchecked by Ranma’s blocks... or by Ranma, as he dodges out of the way.* Enough of this! ANGER’S FIRE^!!!! *streams of energy shoot from his hands, lighting the air around them on fire and pouring smoke into the atmosphere. The smoke seems to cover the sky briefly, turning an already cloud-darkened sky to midnight, then blowing away as the fiery attack ends. Ranma stands on air with his arms crossed to protect his face, smoking. He looks up, proving himself mostly unhurt.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
^Anger’s fire!
Ranma: You need to cool off. HIRYUU SHOTEN HA!!!!!!!!!! *He swings his arms down and out to the side in a rounded motion, bringing them up again behind him. His trademarked dragon rises, swallowing Argos, who still burns with his own attack. This time, he allows for the added energy of Argos’s heat, avoiding being drawn into his own attack. The waterspout twists almost serenely, despite the struggling power inside. Suddenly, it bursts apart, as a blast annihilates the ground it spins upon. Argos tumbles to the ground, not even catching himself before he slams into the concrete below. A stunned second follows, as even Ranma did not expect such an effect. Argos twitches, and Ranma tenses, preparing for attack. Instead, Argos stands and looks contemptuously up at Ranma. Blackish colored blood trickles from a broken lip.*
*on the roof*
Syme: *in response to Ukyou’s question about the difference between the energy Tempo had used and ki* Well, it seems that the power that Tempo used for her attack was not of ki nature. Rather, it draws a bit of nature into it. An... elemental attack, if you will. Unfortunately, using it all at once seems to have exhausting effects. *indicates Tempo, who suddenly starts to move*
*Tempo groans a little, and raises herself up haltingly by her arms. She shakes her head a little, clearing it, and breathes deeply. Jet Stream watches with a semi-worried look in his eyes, schooling his features to lessen their caring.*
Jet: What, no more lullabies?
Tempo: *absently* Shut up, Jet.
Syme: Remarkable. This... energy replenishes itself incredibly quickly.
Tempo: Hey, Syme. *yawns, as if just waking from a nap* What ~are~ you talking about?
Jet: Nothing. You just did something dumb again. You do that a lot.
Tempo: *sticks her tongue out at him* I thought I told you to shut up. *Jet grins jauntily*
Ukyou: Don’t remember your last attack?
Tempo: *thinks, then cocks head curiously* Yeah... I never did that before... *sits up, then makes as if to continue to standing. Jet helps her up.*
Jet: *explaining his help* You’re turning into an old maid, sis. You can’t even get up without help.
Tempo: Did you even let me try, Mr. Friendly?
Ukyou: *sweatdrop* (You’d think they hated each other the way the talk...)
*on the ground*
Argos: *staring up at Ranma* (*BEEP!* That hurt! That’s impossible! Ki cannot hurt me that much... Nor can physical attacks... His attacks are not that strong. How could I take so much damage?!?) *growls, and launches himself back at Ranma*
Ranma: *to himself* What’s with this guy? *to Argos* What, don’t like water?
Argos: You ~will~ die for that!
Ranma: *as Argos stops in front of him* Yeah, yeah, heard it before. Now, you to fight or not?
Argos: *summons a ball of ki in response, and silently releases it. It strikes Ranma in the shoulder as Ranma dodges too slowly. So slowly, in fact, that a normal person ~might~ have been able to see a blur as he dodged, as opposed to his typical faster-than-light movement.*
Ranma: *ignoring a spurt of pain* Man, that tickles. *jumps above a second silent attack, trying not to show any favoring of his left arm* Kame... hame... HA! *throws the energy wave at Argos, hoping for a similar response as he received to his water attack. Instead, Argos knocks it carelessly away.*
*in the sky*
Goku: What!?! He shouldn’t be able to do that! That was a perfectly good Kamehameha wave!
Vegita: *growls* He must be stronger than he looks.
Piccolo: *nods solemnly*
*on the rooftop*
Akane: Why did the Hiryuu Shoten Ha work, but not the Kamehamehe?
Ryouga: *also puzzled* That doesn’t make sense, does it?
Akane: No. And Ranma can’t do another dragon attack right away, either.
Ryouga: What? Why not? He used to be able to!
Akane: *looks sideways at Ryouga* It’s sort of a side affect. When he had to do a spiral, he had enough time to recover all the energy he spent on the twister. Without the body movement, though, his ki just doesn’t seem to recover enough between attacks to do it again right away.
Ryouga: But he can do plenty of other attacks in succession...
Akane: Yeah, I don’t get it either... *behind them, Ukyou stands up and walks over to the two. She hears most of their conversation*
Ukyou: *looking back at Syme* (Maybe he’s right... Maybe it’s not ki....) Akane... Ryouga...
Akane: *as both turn around* Yeah, Ukyou?
Ukyou: *hesitates* I think... er,... *points to Syme* Their doctor suggests that Ranma’s attack isn’t entirely ki... it’s something else.
Ryouga: Something... else? Like what?
Ukyou: Some other kind of energy.
Akane: *pauses, reflecting and remembering* (when I did my phoenix attack, I wasn’t entirely tired ki wise... it was like most of what was drained was something else. Like ki was only part of what was used...) Yeah, I guess that could be true... *calls out to Ranma* RANMA! Use your dragon attacks!!!
Ranma: *hearing Akane* Right! DORAGON YA BAKUHA!!!!^ *He straightens and interlocks his hands in front of his chest. A dragon, dark blue as the angry sea, circles about his feet and starts its spiral upwards. Before it reaches his knees, though, a fist buries itself in his abdomen. Ranma doubles over, and the dragon dissipates.*
^Dragon Arrow Blast
Argos: Yeah, right, kid. Nice try.
Ranma: *croaks a little and then gasps, getting his wind back* T-tha- *gets cut off again as Argos elbows him in the chin*
Akane: *gasps* Ranma! *without her realizing it, her power explodes about her. Ryouga stumbles away as she takes off, and slams her arm into Argos* HOUOU SHOUNETSUJIGOKU!!!!^ *A phoenix forms where her hand lays, engulfing her fist in flames - and consequently scorching Argos. The heated air bursts with a rumble of thunder, as the storm overhead, for a while quieted, bursts once again into action as if in response to Akane’s attack. Thunder rumbles, lightning sparks, and a drizzle of rain fizzles out on auras of incredible power. The clouds for an instant turn red instead of black, then fade again to their normal dark grey.*
^Phoenix inferno
*Argos flies away from where Akane touched him, her new powers surprising him, especially since she is now no longer repelled by his and Ranma’s auras. Where her fist touched, a tender burn mars his otherwise pale skin. A nasty blister forms in the middle of skin that is too blackened to rightly sport such. Ranma stands back up, looking at Akane’s handiwork. He places his hand on her shoulder. She keeps an eye on Argos.*
Ranma: *hesitantly* A-Akane-...
Akane: *not sparing him a glance* No, I’m not staying out of this. You need me.
Ranma: *smirks ironically* I know. Thanks. *she looks at him, surprised, so he turns his own gaze to watch their mutual opponent. Argos holds one hand across his wound, and glares at the two young people.*
Argos: *to Akane* I was fighting ~him~. *nods towards Ranma*
Akane: No. You’re fighting ~both~ of us. *A figure floats in from the side, to stand beside the two of them, putting a hand on Akane’s other shoulder.*
Ryouga: No, he’s fighting ~all~ of us. *he reflects briefly on how thankful he is that an aura stops the rain before focusing all his attention on Argos*
Ranma: Ryo- *catches himself, then smiles his own trademark cocky grin* Yeah. ~All~ of us. *leans forward and whispers to Ryouga, never taking his eyes from his opponent* So how come Ukyou’s not trying to fight, too?
Ryouga: *whispering back* I told her to wait in reserve, just in case we need the help. It took both me and Trunks to convince her, too.
Ranma: *nods* Right. Thanks.
Argos: *looking at the little group, then sneers as if in contempt* How touching. (I can’t beat them all if they cover each other while they attack. I need my true form.) *His eyes roam the the surroundings quickly, picking out a slender form on a rooftop. He grins.* (Perfect.)
*On the roof*
Jet: Would you just stay still, Ash-brains?
Tempo: Only if you stop bugging me, Mold-head. I’m trying to watch a fight. *indicates where Ranma, Akane, and Ryouga all fly, though she hasn’t been watching for a few minutes. Instead, she has spent the time arguing with her brother.*
Jet Stream: What, wishing you had the power to make a bruise on someone?
Tempo: If you weren’t ~so~ much weaker than me, that might have stung.
Syme: *watching them* (She’s fine. I’ll head back to the ship now.) *Hovers a little over the rooftop, about to head back to the ship.*
Jet: Yeah, right. You’re just still mad about all those times I beat you into the ground.
Tempo: What, those times I let you wiiiiiaaaaaah....... *her voice trails off as she is raised from the roof by a power other than her own, her arms cartwheeling for balance. She futilely kicks her feet at the air as she gets higher. A streak of silver and white streaks until it stands behind her. She looks upwards behind her, and is held by fear. Below, Jet screams her name and takes off towards her.* Ar-Argos?
Argos: *grins evilly* Yes, Argos. *Raises a glowing fist into the air, calling a bit of ki to it. Tempo tries to raise her arms to block the attack, but they refuse to move from their outstretched positions. She braces for attack, and Argos grabs her shoulder instead of hitting her. Her aura and his; light, streamlined blue like a summer breeze and an unhealthy pitch black respectively; become evident. As if to terrify her more, his hand slides down her shoulder to grasp her upper arm. He lifts her higher into the air as his aura begins to absorb hers. She screams, yet her voice is drowned in a blast of thunder which makes the very air vibrate with its intensity. Jet Stream grabs an outstretched arm, trying to pull her away from Argos. Argos merely lifts the girl over his head and holds an arm, palm out, at Jet, black fire crackling around his fingertips. A streak of it blasts Jet away as the summer breeze aura is swallowed by the rotting black. As he feeds, Argos starts to change. His eyes blur together into one eye, whose pupil elongates both ways diagonally, forming an x. His formerly silver hair changes to gunmetal-colored fur, covering his entire body except his stomach, palms, and feet, all of which are now exposed as his shirt and shoes are ripped to shreds. The sword sheath on his back breaks open, exposing not the customary sheen of metal, but instead a thick and powerful tail. From the back of his head, no less than ten spikes form an armored plate over his skull. The thing formerly known as Argos glares scornfully down from his height of 10 feet, 2 inches at the angry and injured boy trying to stand to rescue his sister. Tempo lays limply in Argos’s grasp, only a bare sliver of aura remaining about her. Argos tosses her at Jet Stream, who scrambles to catch as she flies bonelessly through the air. He catches her and holds her close as he glares at Argos, his body radiating hate. A twitch in his arms catches his attention. Tempo breathes in quiet pants, still living. Jet retreats to the rooftop, keeping a wary eye on Argos. Argos ignores him.*
Argos: *looking at his transformed hands* Well, I guess she was the one to transform me, after all. Feels nice to be in my true form again. *Turns toward the shocked group of would-be heros flying in the air* *sarcastically* Won’t you come and play?
Ranma: *pulling his gaping jaw back up* Akane... Ryouga... His side... *points where Akane’s attack had wounded him. No longer does a blister show on Argos’s side.*
Akane: *nods* I guess turning into a monster healed him.
Ryouga: *He shakes his head to clear the incredulous thoughts out of it, then smirks* Well, then, I guess it’s time to injure him again.
Ranma: *grins* Yeah, for once you’re right, P-chan.
Akane: If only you two would stop joking around, we could begin.
Ranma: *smiles at Akane* Of course. Have we ever let you down? *pauses* Never mind, don’t answer that.
Ryouga: Huh? Anyway, let’s go. We’ll cover for you while you do that thing you were trying to do.
Ranma: Right.
Ryouga: *flying forward towards Argos* FU-RAI-IN-GU BA-CON!!! *The smell of frying bacon fills the air as smoke covers everything. Argos feels a ki attack batter his side, but it does not even phase him. What does bother him, though, is the smoke, which hides every movement from sight. The three young humans hide their ki, impairing every sense Argos might use. Suddenly, one spurt of strange energy hammers him from the side. Seconds later, the maw of a dragon formed from stormy water bites down on him, crushing his whole body between its jaws. He shields himself as best he can, and emerges in a single piece, though a little wounded. The air clears, and he sees the boy known as Ranma standing calmly by.*
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Author’s notes
Whoa... feels weird, writing 2 of these in one day... Anyway, this is where, obviously, I broke this chapter in half for easier reading. The second half is actually Chapter 16, which you might or might not have noticed was posted at the same time. I personally hate it when I have to leave a chapter in the middle of reading it, so I decided to turn this into two chapters instead, as it started out over twice as long (in fact bordering on 3 times as long) as my average chapter. That in part explains why it took so long to write it, I hope. There are a few more reasons, but those are just the everyday “real non-comp life” things that get in the way, including lack of inspiration for a while and writer’s block and a total re-write of a section. Sorry to everyone for the long delay, but I hope you enjoy these even if they are a bit late. Please send all C&C to Fanime_Lynn@hotmail.com . Well, gotta go, so ‘Bye for now!
--Fanime Lynn