Ranma ½ is the property and invention of Rumiko Takahashi. The following story is not produced for any monetary or personal gain. Its sole purpose is to entertain using the characters and plots developed by Takahashi. ALL rights reserved
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Shadows of the Land
Volume I : The Journey to Aina
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The Shadow felt their presence. Yes they were still coming. He would have his fun. He summoned the governor to him.
"They are coming! Send the men to engage them. When the men are defeated, tell them that they will find their friends in my chambers."
"But master, I think you are giving up on the men too easily!" exclaimed Kripin.
The Shadow laughed a long drawn out evil cackling laugh not unlike Kodachi’s.
"How could your men possibly stop them! Look at Fregid, the boy and the girl alone took out most of his force! Do you expect your ‘elite’ force to do any better?" he snickered.
Kripin remained silent. He knew he was half to blame for leaving the boy and the girl with Fregid. The Shadow sensed his thoughts.
"Do not worry, that mere boy cannot defeat me! Not where I will take them! No matter what he does, victory will be mine!"
************
Ranma and Ryouga led the others with the girls directly behind them, while Kuno and Mousse brought up the rear. They walked briskly and to the naked eye looked totally unawares, but all of them were at the ready. They were all experienced fighters and knew how to act defenceless to draw their opponents forward. They did not have long to wait.
About five miles from the castle, an armada of what appeared to be ninja attacked them. Most had broad swords and katanas as their weapons. Ukyou readied her spatula while Shampoo’s bonbori made their appearance. Kuno’s wooden bokken was drawn. The seven of them formed a circle. Ranma made sure he was next to Akane and gave her a small smile no one else saw. Then the fighting began.
Ranma and Ryouga took the brunt of the attack from the front, dazing their attackers and leaving them for the girls to finish off. Shampoo was holding her own at the back. Her bonbori were proving very useful as could be seen by the men clutching their heads and their bodies around her. Kuno had taken a frontal approach and was easily defeating the less skilful swordsmen in front of him. Many an enemy had succumbed to the voluminous expanse of weaponry hidden under Mousse’s robes. Several of his enemies were bound with chains. Others had large duck potties imbedded on their skulls, not to mention the host of clubs, maces, egg bombs, staves, bricks, pots, pans, car parts, stereo systems, refrigerators, rocks, trees and whatever else was hidden, being sent into the crowd in front of him.
A lot of the fallen men were flailing around, their bodies badly bruised from the beatings they were receiving. Most of them had lost their sense of direction and kept running into each other. After a couple of minutes, the whole scene wreaked of total chaos.
Akane yawned in the back. She was getting bored behind and decided to join Ranma in front much to the surprise of Ryouga and Ukyou. The others were too busy to notice. Together, Ranma and Akane ploughed a path forward and I mean plough. Ukyou and Ryouga could see a clear line of bruised bodies behind Ranma and Akane as they cut a path straight through the oncoming men.
Ranma easily slipped in between the defences of the men in front of him and were picking them off using palm strikes and roundhouse kicks to send the men around him into pain. He glanced at Akane. Her increased speed and strength due to his training was showing itself. She was no where near his abilities, but her practice with crowd control at Furiken High allowed her easily management through the masses of surging men.
The Shadow watched the fight from the mirror. He knew they would get in easily, but then the point was for them to get in but never come out.
After five minutes, it was more of a cat-fight. More people were on the ground clutching their heads, arms and whatever else than were standing. The others took a look at the carnage of their own men and surrendered (meaning- they ran away).
"Cowards! I see thoust hath fear the wrath of the Blue Thunder!" shouted Kuno after them.
Ranma & Company rushed into the compound of the castle. Kuno finding himself alone outside ran after the others who vanished into the castle.
They had the fortunate circumstance to see a man with a dark cape scamper into a room. As always the Nerimians gave chase.
The seven of them stepped into the room. There he appeared in front of them. A huge figure, over seven feet tall. The long dark hair cascading down his cape. The clothes he wore were all black. But that was not what was bothering the seven of them....
All of them, even Kuno could feel the deep penetrating dark aura emanating from the figure in front of them. They had never felt anything like that. They had nothing to compare it to. Saffron was a joke compared to this. This was pure evil, pure hate, pure fear. A taste of another plane of existence, one that was feared by all men who lived, all men who were alive and all men yet to come. A taste of the world of the demons...
The room was completely dark, except for a small candle on a table towards the side of the room. The flickering of the small luminous flame cast eerie shadows upon the wall of the room and the shadowy figure in front of them. It brought with it a foreboding sense of darkness, of a damp dark future. The shadows played their haunting ballet across the walls, enticing the minds of the young warriors into the realm of imagination. Shaking their heads of the images swarming their minds warning them of impending danger.
The face of the figure had been obscured to their eyes by something akin to a black top hat.
"Welcome to your doom!" announced the figure.
(wham)
The doors behind them slammed shut. Then they all felt it. They felt the unseen hands grabbing at their consciousness, grabbing at their memories, grabbing at their nightmares. They all clutched their faces, except Ranma and Akane who grabbed each other’s hands tightly. That gesture was perhaps the only thing that saved them all.
***********
Akane felt the demon enter her mind. It picked at bits and pieces of the fragments of her memories. She tried to resist it but it was too strong. She hadn’t the power to stop it. Then her mind was flooded with images....
Ranma hugging Shampoo...Ukyou’s my cute fiancee...stupid tomboy...uncute...sexless.... -No no that wasn’t Ranma...Ranma loved her-. It laughed at her. Ranma loves you ha...look at him with the Chinese hussy...with the other girls...- no that’s not Ranma. He picked me! - Why would he pick you, he said it himself. Then the song came to her mind, ‘you’re built like a brick, your legs are too thick, your food makes you sick...’-no this couldn’t be happening to her. Ranma loved her she knew it. She fought back, she fought back for her control, for her memories- She fought for her sanity, she remembered the times, he kissed her, -yeah right he only did that to fulfil his family honour. He doesn’t love you Akane, he only doing it for his honour...honour...- Akane was feeling herself slip away, away and into the darkness...did he love her or didn’t he love her.
In her fall she felt something, something warm, something pure...It was Ranma she felt, she felt his hand in hers and then she remembered. She remembered their kisses; she remembered what she had felt when she had touched his soul last night. YES Ranma loved her. With that conviction, she fought against the dark currents forcing her from her body. She fought against that dark will that was imposing itself over her...she fought to break through and finally she centred all her will and banished it from her mind...
**************
Ranma felt himself falling. Falling into an abyss, he saw Jusenkyou again he saw himself fall in. He relived the whole memory of first finding himself turned into a girl. Images of Akane flooded his mind, Akane with Ryouga, with Shinnosouke, with Toma. Whatever it was that was in his mind, it was trying to use his memories against him. Trying to deprive him of the very essence that drove him. It tried to mock him, to show him how much Akane hated him, despised him, rebuked him. But Ranma fought against these rising thoughts with his own thoughts of Akane’s smile, her touch, her beauty. The only reason he had ever stayed was because of her; she was his link to her world. He drove back the offending force from his memories. He had almost tasted victory, feeling the darkness slipping away from his conscience, then he saw it, in the corner of his mind. He saw it. The soft black fur, the feline prowl...It came to him. He froze, petrified. He looked around, tried to escape...but everywhere he turned, it was there...following him...always getting closer. Ranma was getting frantic and began to run. He ran like he never had before, but it was always right behind him. He couldn’t shake it loose, then he felt the wall in front him, he heard the small meow. Ca...ca...ca...cat he shouted but it wouldn’t move, it kept coming. Ranma could feel himself slipping into the darkness again. Not into the darkness of the neko-ken, but something else was pulling him further into the darkness...he tried to fight the fear but it was too much...too much for him to ignore...he was slipping...slipping again, but he would not give up. With his final strength, he lashed out at the darkness that was threatening to envelop his mind, and he felt it. He felt it and it felt so wonderful. He felt its strength, its power. The meaning of that hand in his and Ranma fought. He fought against the cat-fist, he fought against the darkness, he fought for control. He had been falling for a long time, but he would fight. He had a reason to fight; he couldn’t afford to lose. He fought against his worst enemy, his fear. He concentrated, even more than he concentrated when he summoned his ki. He could feel the sweat of his face. He put his all into overcoming this fear for he had to win. He had to win, for himself for the others, for Akane.
Nothing happened at first. Ranma knew he couldn’t keep this up for long. Then the darkness bucked in its strength for some unknown reason and Ranma seized his opportunity. With the skill wrought from the Hiryu Shouten Ha, Ranma concentrated his whole soul, mind and body into one and unleashed it against the unnatural forces in his body. At first nothing happened, then he felt it move against his will, it lost its grip on his mind. Ranma summoned all his will and drove it, drove back from the depths of his mind and out. Then he felt his mind clear. He was free something hit him in the chest...he gulped for air.
**************
Akane woke with a stabbing pain in her hand. It was Ranma. He was crushing her hand in his. She shuffled her weight and brought his head to rest on her buxom. She could feel the tension around him. She saw the thick beads of sweat pouring down from his face. Then she realised something else was wrong. His face was an unhealthy pale blue colour; he wasn’t breathing. Tenderly, she stroked his face, imploring him to wake up, to breathe. No reaction. Akane was getting hysterical now, shouting at him, demanding that he get up. No response. Panic crept in. Tears streamed from her face, and she did the only thing that she thought would wake him up. She banged her fists against his chest.
Ranma’s chest heaved as his body arched forward, gasping for the breath that he so crucially needed. Akane hugged him tightly from behind, her tears dropping freely onto his face.
His eyes opened and she was relieved to see those sparkling blue-gray eyes staring back at her.
"Didn’t think I would leave ya, did ya?" asked Ranma with a small smile as his breathing returned to normal.
"You baka," muttered Akane in relief as she kissed him on the crown of his head while cradling him lovingly in her hands.
They stayed like that for awhile then separated as they checked the others. They were all still seemingly unconscious, undoubtedly battling whatever Ranma and Akane had conquered. Ranma watched his fallen comrades and he swelled in anger.
"Coward!" shouted Ranma, "show yourself, have you no honour!"
A shape at the edge of the room shifted in the darkness.
"So the boy has a tongue."
The Shadow came forward. Both Ranma and Akane adopted their fighting stances, positioning themselves between the person in front of them and the others. He was a lot taller than Ranma, probably the height of the dojo destroyer and was thin and muscular. His hair was jet black and his features were rough and demeaning. Then Ranma saw those eyes.
The eyes seemed like holes, sucking all life into it. They gleamed with a sinister sparkle. Those eyes were empty, devoid of all emotion. They were cold and hard, only hate and evil radiated from them. The dark aura from the man caused Ranma to shiver. Ranma had never felt anything that cold and sinister before. Not even after almost seeing Akane die in his arms did he fell this depth of ice.
The shadow in front of them stopped about two meters in front of them and snickered.
"So you think, _I_ am the threat. Why don’t you look around and check your so-called friends."
Normally Ranma would have thought that was a ploy to distract him, but something in his mind tingled. He whirled around to face Kuno, Shampoo and Mousse. Something was different about them though. He couldn’t make out their normally distinctive auras. Something had tainted their life source. He barely had time to dodge when they attacked.
*************
Mousse felt the evil presence in his mind. He was overcome by the pure evil that stirred in him. He saw himself as a child, running after Shampoo. Bits and pieces of him and Shampoo playing innocently by themselves. Then he saw Ranma. He saw Ranma taking Shampoo away from him. He saw Shampoo being abused and tortured by Ranma. His mind told him to ignore these images, but they had been the same ones he had always believed to be true. So, he embraced those memories and revelled in the ones that offered him a future with his darling Shampoo. So focused was he on these dreams of his defeating Ranma and marrying Shampoo, that he did not feel himself falling into the darkness. The waves of dark energy took root in him. Yes, If he got rid of Ranma, Shampoo would be his. All he had to do was get rid of Ranma! Then with a fire in his eyes, and the determination of a man with nothing to lose, Mousse awoke...
Kuno saw his Osage no onna appear before him with Akane Tendo. Then he saw the infamous sorcerer Saotome casting his spells on them. They were powerless against his onslaught and his spells made them do unspeakable acts before him. He saw the sorcerer taunting him, taunting him to come and release his loves. Then Kuno heard a voice urging him onwards. He saw the spirits of his loves pleading with him to release them from Saotome’s evil clutches. So involved was Kuno in his delusions, that he failed to see the strong hold the dark wisps took on his mind. Yes, Kuno would free his loves from the clutches of Saotome this very day...he awoke with a burning desire to vanquish the evil sorcerer.
Shampoo’s mind was flooded with images from her memories and her dreams. She felt the presence and tried to control the waves of memories and remnants of dreams that flooded her mind. She tried to fight the presence...until something caught her attention. It was an image of Ranma and herself with their children. An image that she herself had forged of her own desires. 'Do you want him?' asked a voice that resembled her great grandmother’s. Yes she replied. I want Ranma. Then you must get rid of her commanded the voice, as a picture of Akane floated into view. Yes, Shampoo kill stupid pervert girl! The seed took root and Shampoo arose.
Ryouga battled for his sanity. The thing that had invaded his mind was pressing him against the boundaries of his consciousness. He fought hard against it, pushing against the forces that he knew would lead him into the darkness. But he was losing and he knew it. The images of P-chan choked him down sinking him. He saw Akane with Ranma and the grief when he saw them acting nice around each other. He saw Ranma taking advantage of his pig form. He saw Ranma kicking him into the spring of drowned piglet. He saw Ranma stealing Akane from him. Then he saw Ranma with Akari, and his blood began to boil. How dare he, how dare he go after Akari. And so Ryouga fell...
Ukyou mind screamed in pain as her memories were torn from her grasp. She fought to get them back, fought to retrieve them. Events of Akane and Ranma played over in her mind. Events convincing her that Akane hated Ranma, that Akane only wanted to hurt her Ran-chan. That Akane did not deserve her Ran-chan. Only she deserved Ran-chan. But it wanted her to do what! Ukyou shivered to her soul. She couldn’t do that. She remembered how badly she had felt after she had destroyed the first wedding. Something was trying to get her to fight with Akane. But she couldn’t do that! Akane was her friend. Ranma would hate her if she fought Akane. So Ukyou continued to fight...she was falling, but she continued to fight, summoning her will to hold back the encroachment of the dark forces on her mind. For now it worked...and Ukyou kept some degree of control.
************
Ranma dodged the first wave of attacks that were sent against him, barely. He hardly had time to try and taunt either Kuno or Mousse into making a silly mistake. An unmistakable aura of dark ki was flowing in them. Ranma dodged for his life. Neither Kuno nor Mousse had ever been this fast. Not even when Kuno had been taken over by the spirit of the samurai sword could be compared to this. The two moved with uncanny precision and Ranma found himself hard pressed to deflect and dodge their attacks. He winced as a chain narrowly missed him. He was too caught up in his own fight to notice Akane’s battle.
Akane was worse off than Ranma as she dodged Shampoo’s attacks. She knew there was a tough chance of her defeating Shampoo normally, but now, she knew she had definitely no chance of defeating her. Akane hated admitting defeat, but that was better than getting herself killed. She satisfied herself by trying to keep away from the brunt of Shampoo’s attacks, and hoped that Ranma could help her.
Ranma realised he stood no chance of winning if he fought Mousse and Kuno how he normally did. He caught glimpses of Akane as she dodged Shampoo’s attacks. Ranma knew it was just a matter of time before Shampoo got the better of her. He had to do something now.
Ranma concentrated as he dodged and brought his ki to his hands. Then with lightning speed, he launched a series of ki spheres at both his assailants. This was one of the new techniques Cologne had shown him. They hadn’t expected him to do that and were caught off guard. The impact of the projectiles slammed them into the solid stone wall.
Ranma smirked, thinking he had disposed of them, then he stared in disbelief as they staggered to their feet and began their attack again.
Kuno went into his special bokken attack and Ranma smiled. Maybe this was the chance he had been waiting for. As Kuno brought his sword to bear, Ranma concentrated again. He calmly dodged the plethora of objects being sent towards him by Mousse. He studied the pattern of Kuno’s strikes, then he touched the bokken. Energy streamed from Ranma across the bokken, paralysing Kuno momentarily. Fortunately a moment was all Ranma needed. He hit every single paralysis spot he could think of, and soon Ranma stood over an unmoving heap that once was Kuno.
Ranma already knew the weaknesses of Mousse’s technique. It was only a matter of time before Mousse would try a close in attack. That was when Ranma would be ready. Mousse leaped into the air for an aerial attack and Ranma jumped in anticipation. Ranma's finger connected with the appropriate spots on Mousse’s back and the hidden weapons marital artist’s hands fell like useless lumps of clay. A couple of minutes later, Mousse joined Kuno on the floor. Ranma was about to help Akane when he heard another distinct voice.
"Ranma prepare to die!!" shouted Ryouga as he mercilessly went after his longest rival.
Kuno and Mousse were one thing; Ryouga was something else. Ryouga was almost as good as Ranma was two months ago, and Ranma would normally easily put him away. But if whatever was holding them could make Mousse and Kuno neglect a mouthful of wall, fighting Ryouga was something that Ranma knew he wouldn’t enjoy. Ryouga was almost impregnable with his Breaking Point Technique training. Ranma wondered just how much tougher the lost boy could get. He didn’t have to wait long to find out....
Akane kept to her plan. She continually dodged the Amazons advances, but that did not mean that she was left unscathed. A couple of very nasty bruises were forming where Shampoo had got a hit in. She was heavily thanking kami for Ranma’s training. If not for that, she would have been a goner a long time ago. But be that as it may, she knew she would tire out faster than the Amazon would. She hoped that somehow, Ranma would be able to get them out of this.
Ryouga first attack was as predictable as always and Ranma easily parried the first blow. But even now, Ranma could feel the determination in the Lost Boy's movement. He was faster, and stronger too. Ranma felt the unnatural aura around Ryouga. Something was making him do this, there had to be something Ranma could do to make him stop.
"Ranma, you will not put your filthy hands on Akari!"
That outburst almost made Ranma lose his concentration. One of Ryouga’s punches narrowly missed his chest. Ranma’s brain started going on overdrive again. Ryouga was fighting him about Akari, but why...unless...
Akane was tiring and Shampoo was not. Shampoo’s attacks were bearing down on her, getting closer and closer...
"Shampoo help! Ryouga’s trying to kill me!"
Akane found herself blocking air as Shampoo stopped automatically in front of her, frozen for but a moment. Shampoo’s gaze shifted away from her former target. Akane sighed in relief.
"Stupid Lost Boy no hurt husband. I KILL!"
Shampoo attacked Ryouga, leaving Ranma and Akane alone. Ranma wasted no time in rushing over to his fiancee. There was no way of knowing how long those two would fight before they turned on them again.
"You okay Akane?"
"I’m alright Ranma," she replied. This time there was no hint of the ‘I’m a martial artist too syndrome’
Ranma looked over her injuries, which were quite evident. She had some nasty bruises on her limbs. Evidently, Shampoo had not been going easy on her. Akane was slightly favouring her left leg. Ranma knew she wouldn’t last very long in any other fights today.
"C’mon Akane, let find that thing and..."
"Oh so you’re looking for me! I must commend you on your fine thinking, m’boy. But it is time for me to take care of business. Your time is up! Better give up young man, you can never hope to defeat me!" boasted the man to Ranma.
"Oh yeah, we’ll see about that!" shouted Ranma with his usual bravado.
The Shadow was hoping he would say that. He wanted to have some fun before he disposed of the boy. He settled into his own fighting form ready for victory.
"Come on Akane let’s get this over with!" shouted Ranma.
Akane heard Ranma’s response. If Ranma would fight, so would she. They attacked.
Ranma attacked in the air while Akane concentrated on the ground. The man was taken aback when they both attacked. Ranma attacked the man’s torso using the Amaguriken. Ranma landed about two hundred punches when he realised that the man was not even fazed by them. That was impossible! Even by now, Tarou would be hurting! Even Ryouga’s enhanced state would have felt the effects of all those blows.
Akane was not getting any results either. All her punches were also having no effect. Although she had attacked a bit later than Ranma, she prayed that he was having more luck than she was.
Ranma started putting his ki into his punches, but with no effect. He felt his hands burning from just touching the man.
Ranma then realised something that disturbed him greatly. The man was absorbing his punches. He could feel the energy leaving his body as he touched him.
Ranma felt an energy build up but was too late to do anything about it. He saw a black blur fly towards him from the man’s hand. Ranma tried to block it but was unsuccessful. The full blast of the blow hit him squarely, sending him flying, smashing into the wall.
Akane saw this and got angry.
"NO ONE HITS MY RANMA EXCEPT ME!"
Her mallet appeared and she threw it at the shadow. He dodged it easily and swatted her with his hand across her shoulders. Akane crashed into the wall next to Ranma. Fortunate for her, she was able to roll slightly, minimising the damage.
Ranma saw Akane hit the floor, his eyes went blood red.
"Ok LET"S SEE YA HANDLE THIS… MOUKO TAKABISHA!"
Ranma connected with his inner self. The ki blast formed his hands and slammed into the man. Ranma smiled, the man had not dodged that.
Akane had got up by then and saw the ki blast by Ranma. She realised that it was one of his more powerful ones and he had put a lot of his ki into it. She smiled when she saw it hit the man. He was toast, definitely!
When Ranma recoiled from his ki attack he gazed towards the darkness and surveyed the damage.
His eyes opened in shock, the man still stood there, unfazed by the ki attack. Doesn’t anything hurt him? Things were definitely not going well now. Ranma’s mind was racing for an option on how to get through to the sinister figure in front of him.
"You call that a ki blast," mocked the man. He cupped his hands and dark blur formed from them. It flew from the man’s hand towards Ranma. Ranma tried to dodge, but his body was still trying to compensate for the ki blast he had released. Sapped of its energy, his body only partially responded. The ki blast glanced him on his side, but its power was so strong that it smashed him into the wall again. The rock wall itself crumbled into dust, covering Ranma.
Akane saw the man hit Ranma with another ki blast. She stood shocked as she saw Ranma and the wall behind him disappear behind a cloud of dust. Enraged, she attacked again.
She attacked the man with a series of punches. Jumped back and with a loud cry launched her own ki blast, which took the form of a giant red flaming mallet.
Ranma watched Akane’s blast close in on the man. He stumbled up preparing to execute the Saotome Final Technique, it seemed the only way for Akane and him to escape alive. His side was burning and his chest was heavy. He could smell that his shirt and his side had been burnt. His head was pulsing. He had already used too much ki in this fight. He was on the last of his strength.
Ranma was expecting no effect from Akane’s blast. It closed in on the man and again the man did not move. Then Ranma heard a shriek of pain. The blast, it had damaged him! Enraged the man sideswiped Akane straight across the room right across the shoulders. She flew across the room, colliding with Ranma, sending the two of them sprawling.
Ranma’s mind went into overdrive. What was different between Akane’s ki blast and his? Then he knew the answer. He crawled over to Akane who was struggling to get up. The man was approaching them slowly from the right. Whoever he was, the ki attack had hurt him somehow. Ranma could hear the difference in the man’s breathing and movement. The man struggled to regain his composure. Ranma knew the man had weakened them sufficiently to defeat them easily now, but Ranma had one card up his sleeve. He hoped it was an ace.
Ranma pulled a dazed Akane onto his lap. Akane looked at him wearily. The Shadow was still recovering form the damage that had been inflicted on it. They only had a little bit of time and only a little bit of energy.
"Akane, do you remember what Cologne made us do last night?" Akane nodded "Think you can do it again?" She smiled.
Akane put one hand around Ranma’s waist and interlaced the other with Ranma’s free hand. She felt her body and her energy connect with Ranma’s. She felt their combined energy reaching from their souls into their bodies. But she needed more than a simple touch from Ranma. She wanted more than just a touch.
She lowered her head towards him and kissed him gently on the lips. She felt him seize up on her for a moment then he leaned in towards her. Akane closed her eyes and gave Ranma her love.
With a loud cry Ranma closed his eyes and focused all the ki around him and all his emotions into one flaring red sphere and released it.
The shadow was now getting to his feet when he saw a colossal blast of red ki fly towards him. He tried to dodge, but the previous attack had strained his hold over the mind of his captive. The body would not obey.
Hiro finally had leverage over the evil force. After years of captivity, he was not going to waste what may be his only chance. The blast impacted with its target.
The body screamed as the dark shadow was forced away from the body it occupied. Years of torment came to an abrupt end. The shadow’s leaching tentacles were pulled away from the man’s soul as the ki energy struck it like a massive lightning bolt, the sparks shredding the dark ties attached to the mind.
The last command it gave to the body were the last words Akane and Ranma heard.
"I still have your friends. Come and get them if you dare…" uttered the shadow, then the body dropped.
Hiro summoned all his strength and his will. He focused his entire will into one command, and after all that captivity, he had control again. The body wasted from the paralysing mental battle collapsed, leaving the mind at peace.
Akane and Ranma broke their kiss and watched the body drop to the ground. The Shadow disappeared into a wall at the side of the room. They held each other tightly. The blast had almost completely drained them of their ki. Deprived of their life energy, they slumped into unconsciousness. Ranma hit the floor, Akane still held tightly to him.
No one was left awake to notice Ryouga and Shampoo’s screams as they joined the already cluttered floor.