RanSquares14 Realities Squared By Jim Robert Bader (Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi & Others, with ideas, characters and concepts supplied by my fellow fanfic writers Gregg Sharp and DB Sommers Chapter Fourteen. Continuum #17046289 Roll Call: Lylac Tendo --17, purple haired daughter of Nabiki and Shampoo From Continuum #59343921 Ekko Daitokuji --16, redheaded daughter of Beiko and Aiko From Continuum #59343921 Tenko Masaki --17, blue haired daughter of Tenchi and Ryoko From Continuum #59343921 Veil Morisato --16, brown haired daughter of Keiichi and Belldandy From Continuum #59343921 Lamyra Saotome --17, green haired daughter of Ranma and Megumi Native to this Continuum. Ranma Saotome --38, dark-haired brooding figure whose tragic life was marked by his doomed marriage to Akane. A Time Agent, Troubleshooting consultant, linked with the spirit of the god Shiva, the Destroyer. Ryoga Hibiki --38, dark haired partner to Ranma whose marriage go Akari was both happy and fruitful. Time Agent/Troubleshooter linked to the god Vishnu, the Preserver. Nabiki Tendo --38, brown haired Lore Master and Time Agent/Dispatcher, Ranma and Ryoga's immediate supervisor and current Iinazuke to Ranma. Toltir --Cat-Man, Elder God of Mischief, Age: Indeterminate but Ancient. Ranko Saotome --16, redheaded daughter of Ranma and Akane From Continuum #29715382 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan. Watazashi Saotome --16, black haired daughter of Ranma and Kodachi From Continuum #29457180 Yuan-Yen Tendo --16, brown haired daughter of Mousse and Nabiki From Continuum #29457180 Tinkerbell Tendo --17, brown haired daughter of Perfume and Kasumi From Continuum #68743219 Rinse Saotome --17, purple haired daughter of Ranma and Shampoo From Continuum #472193567 Tachi Kuno --17, brown haired daughter of Tatewaki and Nabiki From Continuum #472193567 Ryeka Masaki --16, blue haired fusion daughter of Ryoko and Ayeka From Continuum #472193567 Atari Moroboshi --16, green haired daughter of Ataru and Lum From Continuum #472193567 Silver Saotome --17, silver-haired daughter of Shampoo and Ranma, From Continuum #48972185 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan. Akira Tendo --20, black haired son of Shampoo-kun and Kasumi From Continuum #48972185 Kinko Kuonji --14, brown haired daughter of Ukyo-kun and Akane From Continuum #32145896 Jusenkyo Curse: Winged Angel. Kama Sutra Saotome --18, purple haired daughter of Miko Mido and Ranma Native to Continuum #57821964 Part Shikima Tsuyori Saotome --18, brown haired daughter of Ukyo Kuonji and Ranma Native to Continuum #57821964 Part Kitsune-Fox Cheetah Saotome --17, brown-furred daughter of Kasumi and Ranma From Continuum #729058146 Humanoid Cheetah Ryoga went crashing through a wall and went through a second without hardly pausing in between steps. He managed to recover after the second crash, landing on his feet with no great fanfare then assumed a fighting crouch as he murmured to himself, "This could be going better..." The attack came in what was now the expected chain-and-tentacle attack, but this time he was ready to counter it, moving his hands at blinding speed as he severed each link and/or member that came near to his person. The man-boar roared in pained outrage and started shouldering its way through the gaps Ryoga had created, creating room enough for its own massive form to fit, which gave Ryoga an idea as his eyed drifted upward, and then he smiled and waited for the moment when it would happen. Then the Balrog at last reached him Ryoga let loose with a powerful hand gesture, only not one aimed for the creature itself but rather for the massive stalactite above it, shoring its base as the disruptive current of air created by his motion acted like a giant meat cleaver to sheer through the stalactite's base and send it plummeting downward point-first into the creature. It barely had time to register the object protruding from its back and then it started to keel over, beating its wings in a futile effort at dislodging the piercing object, which effort took the last of its strength and it fell to the floor, pinned there like a moth to the matting. "Ouch," Ryoga said in mock-sympathy, "Now that's gotta hurt." The creature lay still for a moment, but then its massive form shrank down and assumed more human contours, the face becoming recognizable as a slightly older version of Mousse, whom Ryoga had not seen in nearly two full decades. As Ryoga stared in mild astonishment the eyes of the Chinese Amazon flickered open briefly, and then he heard a very faint murmur escape from his lips before breath failed him altogether. "Thank you." That said, Mousse lay still and Ryoga knew that his long torment was finally over. "Mou," Ryoga murmured faintly, uncertain what to feel at the sight of a boy who had once held the dubious distinction of being more pathetic in love than even Ryoga himself. What had he endured living past the grave...and most probably beyond his beloved Shampoo...in service to a greater monster? Ryoga was about to turn away when he took notice of a chamber adjoining the one that he stood within, a dimly lit chamber, but one that caught and held his interest. Turning to investigate, he approached the light, only to pause on the threshold, seeing before him a room that was illuminated like a shrine with slow-burning oil lamps casting faint light upon what looked like a room full of photographs whose image was at once familiar and utterly surprising. As Ryoga forced himself to set foot into the room he became overwhelmed by a sense not unlike one felt entering a holy refuge, only twisted and distorted by years of bitterness and grief into something recognizably evil, for which he visibly shuddered, understanding at once that he stood within the very doorway to madness and obsession. As it was he wondered why he should be surprised upon discovering that the room contained pictures of a young Tendo Akane in various attitudes and poses signifying what must have been several years of surreptitious photography, much of it taken at great distance. The earlier pictures were crude and not very well focused, but the later images showed surprising sensitivity and increasing facility, Akane's hair going from long to short to a number of different styles, some Ryoga did not remember seeing before. Here was Akane at rest, at play, laughing, working out, getting angry, engaged in fights with various boys and girls, all familiar aspects to her character that filled Ryoga with nostalgic reflection. And then there were images where her picture had clearly been cut out of other photos, or other people had been removed from the scene to allow Akane to stand as the center of interest, and later images of Akane standing next to her sisters, and one of her posed with another girl whom Ryoga knew was Tendo Natsume. Wall after wall and the entirety of the ceiling taken up with images of Akane, and at the center of it all a life-sized picture of her framed and displayed as one might a favored relative or loved one at a funeral parlor with offerings and incense left to appease the spirit of the departed. It gave the room the aspect of a small temple to someone's personal goddess, and it was with shocking clarity that Ryoga realized the sense of remorse he felt came from the past- tense feeling of Akane as one of the long-departed and much lamented. "She truly was something else," a voice caused him to start and turn around, finding a dark-robed figure standing a ways off from him in cloak and hood that obscured his features, "There was something so very alive about her...I almost regret having done away with her at the end...but at last she proved to be as frail as any other mortal wretch...more's the pity." "Who?" Ryoga was at once on his guard, wondering where Megumi had gotten off to during his fight against Mousse-the-Balrog. "Have I changed so much that you do not recognize me?" the dark hooded man lifted his gaze to reveal more of a face that was sickly pale as death with eyes unusually wide and ruemy as he added the words, "Old friend?" "Gosunkugi?" Ryoga momentarily taken aback at the sight of the once-sickly boy whom he could dimly remember as always hovering in the background at Furinkan High School. "How nice," the unwholesome pale face twisted with a cruel smile that made him seem more ghastly in the half-light than any undead lich whom Ryoga had previously encountered, "You remember me...just as I remember you, one who also shared my appreciation for the Goddess whose shrine you have entered. Of course I also remember killing you, rather definitely too, I might add, but let's not bother with technicalities such as how you might possibly have survived as it could spoil the moment for both of us, don't you agree?" "What's your game?" Ryoga frowned, "Why did you create this...gallery? And what became of you? You're nothing like the Gosunkugi that I remember!" "Perhaps," the dark-clad creature before him continued to smile in a mirthless fashion, "But the Gosunkugi that was is not even a memory now...nor any trace of the hapless fool you knew. I am the Shogun of the Dark, the Regent of Darkness and right hand to my Master, Lord Maelstrom, the Dragon of Twilight who rules all and can never be opposed, let alone withstood. You will find that I am nothing like the poor wretch who first created those images...now I am a GOD, and you are merely an annoying worm come to offer hopeless challenge on the dawn of my ascension to true greatness!" "What are you ranting on about?" Ryoga's eyes narrowed slightly, "What did you do with the Akane of your world?" "Do?" the word seemed to amuse the Shogun, "Why, everything I wished to do with her, my every heart's desire, and more. I won her over to my cause, made her my servant and plaything, gave her the jewels of the earth to play with, elevated her to the level of a Princess, and what did the ungrateful bitch do in the end? She betrayed me!" Ryoga felt a wave of hate flow from the man and braced himself against the shock wave that collided with his defenses. He withstood this attack, but the room around him did not fare half so well, for the photos began to ignite as the walls themselves caught fire, and in moments the shrine itself was transformed into a funeral pyre with the life-sized picture the last thing to be touched by the inferno. Ryoga did not budge, even when the Oxygen level in the room became dangerously low. He gathered his power into himself and then extended his arms with a wave of both hands and extinguished the blaze, snuffing it out with the ease of a Shi Shi Hokoudan. "Shame on you," Ryoga declared as the lighting returned to normal, "How could you discard her memory so easily, you who professed to once love her?" "Love?" the Shogun's lips curled into a sneer, "I should have rid myself of those momentos of the past long ago. It was sentimentality that caused me to preserve them, nothing more than that. I do not require Love, only obedience to my will, and when one of my pets dares to snap at her master she must be dealt with accordingly, as an example to all others." "I see," Ryoga relaxed his posture slightly, "Then you really are nothing like Gosunkugi. He at least had some faint trace of humanity, for all his cowardly obsession, lurking in the background playing stalker to a girl who barely even knew he existed." Ryoga saw the glint of feral hate in the other man's eyes and knew that his ploy had paid off with a telling jibe that at least revealed that his antagonist had an all-too-human ego. "I don't need to listen to this," the Shogun declared in tones of menace, "Not from one who used to walk around on all fours and pretend to be a harmless pet so he could worm his way into her bedchamber. Don't talk to me about puppy-like obsession, Dog-boy, it reeks of hypocrisy to hear the likes of you speak to others of outrage." "Dog...?" Ryoga was not notoriously quick on the uptake, but it required little wit on his part to recognize that his counterpart must have been under a very different curse from that of his own, so he just nodded his head and said, "Whatever. I was wrong to deceive Akane, but I've long since made my peace with that aspect of my past. You, on the other hand, are going down for what you did to her, and all the other innocent people that you murdered in your mad quest for power!" "Innocent?" the Shogun laughed, "There are no Innocents, boy! There are only the sheep and the predators, and this is the day when the flock is shorn of what is left of their miserable existence!" As he said this he brought one hand out from the concealment of his robes and revealed the thing that he was clutching there, a glowing object roughly the size of a grapefruit but shaped like the brain of some long-dead creature carved from solid jade and all but reeking of dark and terrible power, which Ryoga felt with a wave of revulsion. It suddenly became clear to him that this was the key to the Shogun's power, and a terrible power it was indeed, dark and obscenely twisted like a thing from the darkest pits of nightmare. Ryoga sought to attack rather than wait to be attached, but a wave of force emanated from the object and struck him in mid-charge, beating him back and hurtling him against the farthest wall of the cavern, which started to collapse about him as the Shogun sought to transform the former shrine into his tomb, laughing all the while with malevolent relish... Two versions of Ranma-chan struggled against the might of the tentacles that were ravishing them both with methodical insistence, heedless to their protests and unvoiced cries at the indignity of it all while the Lord of Chaos held them in his power, suspending them above the ground and relishing the sensation of having the both of them at his pitiless mercy. For Time-Cop Ranma-chan it was an unpleasant reminder of why his curse had always served as the very antithesis of all things manly that he once had aspired towards in his youthful folly. Having long ago resigned himself to having a dual nature, he had come to appreciate his female side's many positive aspects and even made peace with that aspect's more charming abilities, which included things that he knew would not have gained the favor of his mother. Now fully a woman in body, he had learned to give in and let go, to accept what being a woman meant with both positive and negative qualities, one of which was the fact that she was an object of adoration to most men, eternally young and beautiful as his curse slowed his aging process down so that he almost appeared to be a young woman in her early twenties. One aspect he did not find so comfortable to deal with was the vulnerability to penetration that now was the crux of her current dilemma. Having more openings than her male aspect possessed, she was being reamed both fore and aft by tentacles, which were also intrusively "deep-throating" her with the vile taste of a tentacle-like cock sliding past her tonsils and working its way up and down her esophagus in steady rhythm, making breathing itself a matter of gulping in breaths with each partial withdrawal from her breathing passage. Only slightly more annoying to her was the sliding in and out of her unlubricated vulva and anus, which thankfully did get smoothed out when the tentacles themselves secreted some sort of substance that caused her to involuntarily lubricate as though being hormonally stimulated against her will and without real enjoyment. Ranma had rarely been even threatened by rape, twice actually experiencing the sensation in the days of his gypsy wanderings, before coming unto his true power. The first time it had actually happened had been a soul-shattering ordeal that fragmented what was left of his shallow self-esteem at the time and taught him a blacker despair than any known since recovering in the Hospital from his near-fatal stabbing by Akane. It was a testament to Ranma's character and will to survive that she/he had climbed back from the abyss of despair that the experience had cast him into, and only when he accepted that rape was a reality many women faced in prospect every day did he begin to come to terms with what had happened. It made it easier to endure the second time he had been forced to submit sexually, but he had never forgotten the intense shame and humiliation that came from being abused in such a manner. That experience came to the fore now as Ranma-chan recovered from the overwhelming surprise that had left him momentarily at the mercy of the creature, and with great effort Ranma-chan snapped back from the edge of her dismay to rally her anger and outrage at the thought that Kuno would take advantage of her in such an honorless manner. All right, so it was a Kuno possessed by a Demon and thus obviously not in what passed for his full wits, but even without a Demon in him, Kuno had shown no reluctance or hesitation in the past to force himself upon a woman who loathed and despised him. It made it very easy for Ranma-chan to reach down into that aspect of herself that was no longer human and call upon the dark malevolent powers of Kali, the Goddess of Madness and Destruction. The power erupted from within her and incinerated the tentacles within her, shooting their ashes out of her openings as Ranma-chan was transformed from helpless damsel to avenging Goddess. Beast Ranma-chan had been having a rougher time of it, but unlike her counterpart, she was no stranger to tentacle rape scenarios and had long ago grown accustomed to the sensations of ravishment, learning to work with those sensations to increase his internal power and resist the attempts by the creature to drain his life essence. She was working herself around to having a self-stimulated orgasm that would give her the charge that she needed to break free when she sensed the other Ranma-chan's transformation. Twisting her body around to afford herself a better vantage point from which to see, she was the redheaded Avenger break free from her tentacles as her body was surrounded by an unholy light of its own, and suddenly he knew that this Ranma-chan was very different from the grim-visaged brother whom she had been playing with only moments before. The Lord of Chaos was even more unprepared for the sudden transformation as one of his "victims" suddenly became the aggressor, hurtling towards him with lethal intent that could not be resisted. Kali-Ranma struck fast and hard with hands that were invisibly swift, her whole body becoming a blur as she tore into him with the fury of the Nekoken, only redoubled a thousandfold to superhuman levels! Body-armor that could shrug off anti-tank shells with ease proved no match for the blazing fires that erupted from the hands of the crimson blur that was upon him, and all the Lord could do was flail his arms helplessly in a futile attempt to ward off the rain of blows that tore into his flesh and left the massive creature bloody and battered. With a final savage cry Kali-Ranma plunged one hand into the massive chest and cracked it open like a walnut, tearing the rib- cage open as she proceeded to eviscerate the Lord of Chaos, tearing him apart in a bloody orgy of carnage worthy of the deva whose name was synonymous with bloodshed and destruction. "Whoah!" Beast Ranma-chan exclaimed, unprepared to witness such a savage display of unbridled carnal fury. He was no stranger to such savage displays, of course, but to see his counterpart go wild like this was hardly something that he could be prepared to witness. In seconds the other Ranma-chan had finished off their massive opponent, glowing with a scarlet battle aura that set off every one of her alarm bells. When Kali-Ranma started to cast around looking another opponent it was not a very appealing prospect. "Okay," Beast Ranma said, "Time to throw a little water onto this subject!" He snapped his fingers again and a sudden hot shower of flash rain washed over them, reverting them both to male aspect. This had the pleasing effect of causing Time-Cop Ranma to glance around, then stare at the remains of the Lord of Chaos before saying, "Ah...did I do that?" Beast Ranma arched an eyebrow at that comment, surprised at how swiftly sanity had been restored to his counterpart. Hovering in the air a reasonable safe distance he asked, "Feeling better...now that you worked that out of your system?" "Ah...sort of," Time-Cop Ranma ran his fingers through his loose black hair and said, "Guess I owe you an explanation...but it's kinda complicated." "Try me," Beast Ranma urged. "Well..." Time-Cop Ranma glanced around and immediately located his leather jacket, then moved to retrieve it, "A number of years ago I...sort had this near-death encounter with an entity so vast and powerful that it sort of makes the word Kami sound pretty pale and insignificant. For lack of a better word, I call this entity by the Hindu name Shiva." "Shiva," Beast Ranma replied, "As in the God of Destruction?" "More like one of the three aspects of a Universal being known as Bhrama," Time- Cop Ranma replied, "I made acquaintance with the guy whose charged with destroying what's old to make way for what's new. Not really what you'd call an anthropomorphic representation of a primal force of nature, but intelligent enough to hold a pretty decent conversation. We...sort of came to an arrangement...and ever since that time I've been linked with Shiva and can sometimes call on his aspect to serve me when I need a power boost." "And that's why you freaked out just now?" Beast Ranma asked. "Actually no," Time-Cop Ranma said as he partially zipped up his jacket, "The downside of the bargain is that I sometimes have to deal with Shiva's renegade wilder aspect, Kali Durga, who ain't that nice as deities go. She only comes out when I'm in my female aspect, but when she takes over...whoo! Run for the hills, 'cause she don't care if it's friend or foe, as long as she gets to destroy them." "That's some arrangement," Beast Ranma noted. "Tell me about it," Time-Cop Ranma sighed, "At the time, though, I didn't have anything better going on in my life, and having one third of all the power of creation at my beck and call can sometimes be pretty useful, like with that Vegita guy, or chuckles here for that matter." "I guess," Beast Ranma said dubiously, "All for the sake of the Art, huh?" Time-Cop Ranma frowned, "I don't give a fig about that anymore. The Art may be my life, but it destroyed whatever chance of happiness I had growing up, thanks to Pop and his stupid obsession. What's the point of being the toughest guy around if you ain't got nothing left worth defending? That's why I'm hoping to start up a new life with Nabiki once all of this is over and done with...otherwise I might as well be a mindless mass of muscle like Kuno here, may he rest in pieces and all that." "Guess I'd feel the same way if I was in your space," Beast-Ranma noted, "Good luck making it with Nabiki and-I don't bloody believe it!" "Huh?" Time-Cop Ranma turned to see what remained of Kuno, only to sense the gathering energies, and as he looked with widened eyes the pieces of the body began to slow with energy and slowly come together, "WHA-No way!!!" Before their eyes the body of Kuno rippled and shifted and in moments became whole once more, then The Lord of Chaos opened crimson eyes and lifted its massive head, gleaming with hate as it saw the two different versions of Saotome Ranma. "Is he an Immortal or something?" Time-Cop Ranma declared in disbelief, "What does it take to take this guy our permanently?" "I guess maybe the Shogun's keeping him alive with his magic," Beast Ranma deduced, "Either that or Maelstrom is doing this directly." "Oh, what...now you just remembered he could do that?" Time-Cop Ranma berated his counterpart. "Hey, give me a break," Beast Ranma replied, "It's the first time I've fought this guy in almost twenty years...who knew how powerful he's become with all the life energies he's absorbed in the last two decades!" The Lord of Chaos rose to its feet and roared, and once again a huge katana of light appear between his fingers as he prepared to employ it in the manner of a bokken. "Pop always said there'd be days like this," Time-Cop Ranma sighed as he braced himself to meet the renewed challenge... "Uh...is there time to, like, change my mind about taking part in this?" Silver asked as Tenko and Ekko finished strapping her down into the harness. "Sorry," Tenko smiled at her, "Last call to back out was about five minutes ago, but don't worry, we'll be joining you soon enough in our own seats for this ride." "Swell," Silver glanced down at herself and dubiously wondered if the day could get any more freaky than it was. She could not move her arms or legs as they were held in place at a slight "V" angle while the bulk of her weight was supported by straps around her shoulders, chest and hips, exposing the area between her legs where the saddle-like seat had a noticeable gap at front and rear angles. Her nipples were capped by a pair of odd looking devices that were wired to the harness itself, which a third cap was placed over the area of her clitoris, insuring full stimulation would be achieved when the ride got underway (though it was the riding part that was making her nervous). Nearby her, Rinse also was experiencing second thought about her part in this operation, but as she, Tachi, Ryeka and Atari had already been strapped in, it seemed the only thing she could say was, "Next time I get a crazy idea about volunteering for something like this...talk me out of it please?" "You got a deal, Cousin," Tachi agreed, silently averring to herself that dignity was the first casualty of this type of warfare. "Actually this does not seem all that bad," Watazashi remarked, settling into her harness as she remarked in a casual, off-handed way, "The straps are not too tight, the seating is adequate and there's not real discomfort to being suspended in this manner. Of course the view could stand some improvement, but I suppose we can't have everything in the same package." "I'm glad one of us is enjoying this," Yuan-Yen remarked, "I don't see why you have to be in the inner circle while the rest of us ride the outer ring..." "Geometric Constancy," Tsuyori remarked as she smiled at an anxious Lylac, whom she was helping to strap in to one of the four inner positions, "Of the Eighteen women here, about seven of us are Temporal Nexuses, and with Ranko occupying the center slot that leaves six of us to be balanced around her in such a way that we can channel the energies generated here in a dynamic manner." "Correct," Ekko remarked as she came to stand alongside the anxious Lylac, "You are one of the four cardinal points who will be directing the flow of Akashik energy through your body and into the central platform, where it will go to enhance the Unity Equation, which Ranko will be performing with Akira. Yggdrasil itself will do the rest from there, all we need to do is contribute our energies to complete the equation, and then the operation will be a success and we can return home to our original timelines." "Sounds nice in Theory," Ryeka growled, "But I'd like it better if I could actually see Rinse-chan. I guess I'll have to trust Grandmother to get it right for once since Tenko and her know more about this tech stuff than I do." "What do you mean 'Get it right?'" Silver asked, "You guys saying this is all just a theory?" "Wonderful," Atari rolled her eyes, "The fate of my beloved...and not inconsequentially myself...resides in the reputation of the greatest Mad Scientist that Juraian space has ever incubated." "Sounds like fun," Cheetah remarked from where she dangled in her own harness, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't wait to get started." "Same here!" Kinko smiled in spite of having to position her wings in such a way that they did not get in the way of the various straps and attachments that connected her to her harness, "Are we ready to go with this or what?" "You seem unusually in a hurry," Kama Sutra smiled indulgently, "All things come to those who wait, so be patient and let us see what develops." "Never fear, Lylac-chan," Ekko said as she leaned next to her friend, "I will be with you all the while, so whatever your fate will be, you know that I will gladly share it." "Uh..." Lylac eyed the redheaded genius with some confusion, "Does that mean you'll be ready to break both of us out if anything goes wrong?" "I'm afraid not," Ekko said as her face hovered near to the purple haired girl's, "Veil-chan designed these harnesses to be strong enough to hold even one with my level of power. I fear that I will be as helpless as the rest of you once my own straps are secured, but it is a fate I am resigned to..." "WHAT?" Lylac exclaimed in dismay, "You tell me this now after I-MMMPH!?!" she exclaimed as Ekko suddenly leaned forward and prevented the flow of her words with a kiss that caught her wholly by surprise. "For luck," Ekko informed her as she broke off the brief kiss, that left Lylac dangling there confused and mildly disoriented. "Well now," an amused Tenko turned to Ekko and said, "Shall I strap you in next, or will you do me the honors?" "I might as well go next," Ekko replied, turning away from a bewildered Lylac with a most unusual reluctance, "But first let us help our friendly Pixie into her coveted spot..." "Ah..." Tinkerbell said musically as she studied the other dangling girls, then the four open positions that awaited occupation, "Er...thanks, but I wouldn't want to rush you guys. Take your time, I can wait my turn..." "Such generosity is admirable," Tsuyori mused with an appreciative leer in the hovering girl's direction, "But we wouldn't think to deny you your spot." Off to one side Nabiki was shaking her head in disbelief and saying, "I can't believe I'm actually going along with this. What would I say to their mothers if anything does go wrong?" "Cheer up," Toltir reassured her, "If anything does go wrong, then you won't have a Multiverse to get back to. That should solve your problem nice and neatly." "I'm sure Aunt Nabiki appreciates what's at stake here, Uncle," Veil replied, "But it can't be easy watching your loved ones risk it all for the sake of the Cosmos. I only hope that I performed the spells correctly to specifications, because it may be difficult to rectify problems in the basic equation once the device is fully activated. I still think I should be there with them risking my own life alongside my companions..."" "And I'm pretty sure your Mom would feel the same way in your place," Toltir remarked, "But she'd ground you in a heartbeat just for saying that. I know what you mean, though...it'd be a shame if anything bad happened to Cheetah. I'm rather fond of the timeline she hails from...it's one of my own specialty jobs." "Why don't I find that surprising or reassuring?" Nabiki asked dryly, "Oh well...in for a pinch, in for the long haul. I just hope Ranko's up to doing her part. I keep wondering what she and Akira must be thinking now, knowing that their part is instrumental to the whole shindig?" "The kids will do just fine," Toltir replied, "Have some faith...after all, it's what they've been gathered her to do, right? After all, if this timeline collapses it won't be like any of those temporary jobs we divine sorts sometimes set up in order to test out scenarios and theories...this one will bring the whole house of cards tumbling down if we don't shore it up right away, and that's the job for Heroes, which these kids qualify for in aces and deuces." "A Hero arises because the Universe has need for his or her services," Veil agreed in somber reflection, "But when a hero fails disaster sometimes can occur, as happened when twelve heroes died in this very chamber. We setting the wrong things right by undoing the Anti-Life equation that was performed back then, using the Life Equation itself to stabilize the pattern. I just hope nothing will go wrong at this point..." "Relax," Toltir grinned like a Cheshire, "You got me to supervise affairs, so what could possibly go wrong?" "I don't really know," Nabiki replied, "And that's the thing that has me worried..." The Shogun surveyed his handiwork with grim satisfaction and began to turn away, saying, "Rest in pieces, Hibiki..." A slight shifting of stone brought his attention around to the stone that he had collapsed, wondering if it were possible that Hibiki could have survived being crushed under all that stone and rubble, only to react with even greater surprise when the stone erupted from the space almost directly behind him. The Shogun began to turn about when a fist driven with great force and passion picked him up and nearly tore his head from his shoulders. It was with stunning ferocity that he made contact with a different section of wall, and then while his head was still ringing he heard Hibiki's taunting comment, "Bet you never saw that coming." The Shogun shrugged off the stinging blow and growled, "I see...burying you in stone was a mistake, obviously." "Obviously," Ryoga replied with a mocking smile, "Ever since I learned the Breaking Point technique I've been able to move through stone like it was water. You really don't stand a chance against me, so you'd better quit now before I get really nasty." "You?" the Shogun grated nastily, "Don't make me laugh! You pass out from a nosebleed whenever you even look at a woman! Putting you out of your pathetic misery was the one human act of kindness that I could perform before moving beyond mere petty human concerns. I don't know how you survived our last encounter, but you won't be making any more miraculous recoveries..." "Funny thing," Ryoga replied with a confident grin, "I was going to say the same thing about you." He became a momentary blur, only this time the Shogun was prepared for the attack and repelled it with the artifact in his hand. Ryoga bounced off the forcefield that met his sidelong attack and he was suddenly slammed up against a wall and held fast like a fly in amber. No matter how hard he tried to move his muscles refused to budge, and not even the Breaking Point could help him to escape through the wall itself as the Shogun suspended him above the floor with very little effort. "You see, you pathetic wretch," the Shogun smiled, "You're helpless before my power, just as all living things must be before the might of my Master. You cannot move, let alone attack me while I hold the ultimate power in the palm of my hand. Nothing is beyond me now...even the much vaunted Akane was but a pawn for me to use and discard when she proved too tiresome and lost her air of mystery that had once so enthralled my present host body..." Ryoga's face contorted with emotion, and with great effort he managed to grate out, "H-How dare you...how dare you invoke...the name of Akane!" "Eh?" the Shogun frowned, feeling an increasing resistance to the power that he was employing against Ryoga, "You dare to speak to your master without permission?" "Master?" Ryoga braced himself against the wall and began pushing, "Don't...make me laugh. You're nobody's master...let alone mine..." The Shogun extended the glowing artifact in his hand and increased the power of his exertions, but it was not enough to prevent Ryoga from forcing his way against the numbing force of his attack, bracing against the fury of dark greenish energy that was no longer penetrating his personal defenses. Ryoga's face became a mask of righteous fury as he cried, "YOU WONDER HOW I SURVIVED? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I DID! I'VE BEEN TO HELL AND BACK SO MANY TIMES THAT I CHALK IT UP AS ANOTHER SCENIC VACATION!" "What?" for the first time in long memory the Shogun was dismayed to find his power meeting a formidable opposition. Even the much-vaunted Amano Jyaku had never offered such a fierce resistance, and so great was the Shogun's disbelief that he acted like a true villain and blurted out the standard line, "How can you be doing this? Where are you getting your power? You should be paralyzed and helpless before me!" "You can talk about power?" Ryoga replied as he stood his ground and refused to budge, "This is nothing! You may cow some people with your pompous preening, but you're nothing but a self-inflated windbag next to the kind of people Ranma and me deal with for a living!" "What...you and Saotome?" the Shogun's surprise was intensified as he again increased the power levels without achieving any noticeable effect, "You two have hated each other since childhood..." "You're wrong," Ryoga replied, "I was wrong...it took me a while to figure it out, but I now know the truth, that Ranma and I are brothers, not enemies..." "Brothers?" the Shogun declared in disbelief. "What's the matter?" Ryoga smiled, "Don't see a resemblance between us?" For an instant the Shogun had a flash of recognition, having seen that confident, cocky smile all too many times on the face of the much-hated Saotome. It was an instant when his grip on power relaxed by a mere fraction, and in that instant Ryoga surged against the sudden weakness, twisting the force against itself as one might redirect energy in a fight and with his uncanny grasp of weak areas in strong force lines he stabbed a finger forward and cried, BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" The Shogun gave back with a startled oath as the power exploded before him, ripping apart along the numberless fault lines within the energy streamers and causing a massive feed-back that rippled up one arm and nearly caused him to stagger under the onslaught. As he furiously summoned energy to cancel out the disruptive currents threatening to tear him apart from within, Ryoga broke free and was upon him, striking fast and savagely, only to be met by the protective armor that was the Shogun's living cloak, which thwarted his efforts to get near enough to attack the Shogun. "You caused me to feel pain!" the Shogun declared as he switched possession of his artifact from one hand to the other, extending the member that tingled from various micro-fracture lines that rendered it momentarily useless, "No one has dared do that to me in over a decade!" "Then allow me reacquaint you with the sensation," Ryoga held his fists at the ready, "I'm not like the Ryoga that you remember, Keep fighting me like an amateur and you'll find out what pain means. The Shogun extended the glowing artifact in his good hand and said, "Now you die...!" All at once the cavern erupted with the booming mental voice of a swelling evil far greater than that wielded by the Shogun, <"SHOGUN, DESIST! WHILE YOU ARE DISTRACTED DEALING WITH THIS WRETCH THE TRUE THREAT IS ABOUT TO BE UNLEASHED! THE ONE CALLED NABIKI IS PREPARING TO LAUNCH THE TRUE THREAT AGAINST ME AT THIS VERY MOMENT!"> "Nabiki?" the Shogun turned his attention towards the ceiling, "No! The Witch! What is she doing up there? I have not time to deal with the likes of you now, Hibiki!" And with that he wrapped himself within the folds of his cloak and vanished, even as Ryoga surged forward an instant too latch to intercept him. "Come back here, you Coward!" Ryoga cried before belatedly remembering that Nabiki was unguarded upstairs and that his task had been to dispatch the Shogun before he could prove to be a real problem. He hastily activated his wrist- locator but found the dimensional coordinates were skewed, which meant he would have to find his way out of the caverns on his own, a prospect that he as much looked forward to as pulling teeth from a tiger with a pair of tweezers. He needed a guide who knew her way out of there, which of course brought him back to remembering about Megumi. He had all but forgotten in the rush of events that she was with him, only she had somehow disappeared during his battle against the demonically possessed Mousse. He fixed a locator beacon for her unique energy signature and found her reasonably close nearby, so he headed off her way in by accelerating his momentum to many times that of normal. His intent had been to by-pass any lingering attackers who might further wait in ambush, but he encountered no such opposition as he burst through one wall and discovered Megumi being molested by a hundred writhing tentacles. Ryoga was about to come to her assistance when he felt a power surge welling up from within her, so he held off and watched, which proved to be a very wise tactical maneuver. All at once Megumi's naked form discharged the energy that had been welling up inside her, power that felt like a thousand womanly climaxes redoubled into a massive Big Bang, which disrupted the tentacles and caused everything within ten meters of her to be blown apart into smoldering fragments. "Ah...!" Megumi stretched as she flexed her limber form, then alighted down on one bare foot and said, "I needed that! What took you so long? I was starting to get worried." "You...were worried about me?" Ryoga suddenly took notice of her ravishing nakedness and hastily forced himself to look away, conjuring up mental images of Akari. "Of course," Megumi posed herself fetchingly, not bothered at all by his charming modesty, "A place like this holds no terrors for a Princess of the Beast Realms. You, on the other hand, are as out of place as a duck in a desert. I was just waiting for you to get finished up because I thought you could use a lift out of here. Interested?" "You bet," Ryoga glanced around and said, "But...uh...do you have anything to wear?" "Nothing too useable, I'm afraid," Megumi sighed as she scanned what remained of her clothing, "But I might be able to fashion a halter from the scraps. Too bad...that was my favorite outfit." "We have to hurry," Ryoga informed her, "The Shogun got away from me, and I think he's after Nabiki." Megumi abruptly sobered, "No...she's after the children! If they've gone ahead with the plan, then they'll be helpless and at his mercy!" "Get me back up there at once," Ryoga made a fist and managed to ignore the attractive green haired woman as his face became resolved and determined, "He made a mistake letting me live, and when I see the Shogun next, he's going to learn just why!" Megumi hastily snatched up her things and in a blur of motion fashioned a bikini bottom and halter, then without waiting for an appraisal of her new fashions statement she snatched up the leather clad Ryoga and phased the both of them through rock and stone, accelerating upward with the speed of a guided missile... "Well now," Nabiki said as she surveyed the device presently adorned by naked girls, unable to help reflecting that it resembled a carousel-shaped birthday cake or (inverted candelabra) constructed by someone with a truly perverted imagination, "What now?" "Now we prepare to activate the device," Veil replied somberly, "And we wait to see if it will work according to the design plans." "Just great!" remarked Silver as she surveyed herself, as did many of the others, "We've been reduced to the level of crash test dummies, emphasis on the word Dummy." "Relax," Tsuyori smiled, "It should be an interesting ride, and it should begin at any minute." "I'm glad to see one of us is having a good time," Rinse growled, "Because it sure isn't me!" "I understand your nervousness," Watazashi assured them, "But it's too late to back out now, so I plan on doing as Tsu-chan recommends and enjoy this ride to the fullest. After all, we've been in far more compromising situations, eh, Yuan-chan?" "Yeah...right," Yuan-Yen replied dubiously from the ring below the four cardinal points that topped the twelve in the outer circle. "You don't sound very enthusiastic," Cheetah noted, "You remind me a little of my younger sister, Arashi. She and Tenma never volunteer for anything, and it usually falls to me to uphold the Saotome traditions." "I'm glad somebody thinks this is a great honor," Lylac replied from the opposite side of the wheel, "Because it sure isn't me! I just wish I knew how you keep talking me into stuff like this, Ekko!" "Because you're sensible enough to listen to my persuasive arguments, of course," Ekko replied with nonchalant disregard for her equally compromised status. "That and the fact that you're a persuasive talker," Tenko said in amusement beside her, "One of these days you two are going to have to get used to the fact that you were meant to be together. It would sure make life easier for the rest of us, let me tell you!" "You mean they're always like this, Sis?" Ryeka asked from her position directly below Rinse and next to Atari, "Geez...and I thought we sounded like one of Mom's romance manga!" "Can we get this thing started already?" Kinko asked, "Before my arms get tired, not to mention my wings?" "You're actually looking forward to this?" asked Tinkerbell from where she was strapped below Watazashi and next to Yuan. "Oh sure," Tachi said without bothering to hide her sarcasm, "I'm sure it's a lot more fun than being in class, right?" "Depends on which class and which teacher," Kinko replied, "And sometimes Principal Hinako sits in on homeroom, which is not any fun, let me tell you!" "Oho?" Kama Sutra asked, "You mean on your timeline she isn't your step- grandmother?" "Grandmother?" Akira asked with a slightly dubious expression before glancing down at the leather harness that made him look like a male Bondage cover model, "Are you sure I have to wear this? I feel more than a little silly." "The harness links you to the machinery and helps completes the circuit that you will be creating with Ranko," Ekko replied, "So yes...fashion statements aside, it is necessary." "Complete the circuit?" asked Ranko from where she lay facing upwards on the top of the machine, spread eagle with all four limbs held out towards cardinal points, and the space between her legs uncomfortably exposed from where Akira was currently standing, "I definitely don't like the sound of this...!" "I guess there's no point in waiting any longer," Veil heaved a sigh, "I still feel guilty about not being up there with the rest of you, but I do all that I can to insure your safety..." All at once Nabiki put a hand on her shoulder and said, "One moment...I sense something...evil...!" That was all the time she had to speak before a looming shadow reared up before her, and all at once the Shogun of the Dark appeared directly behind her, swatting Veil to one side with a brush of his arm before his other hand shot out and gripped Nabiki by the neck, lifting her off of her feet before she had time to react. "YOU---DARE---TO DEFY ME AGAIN???" the Shogun snarled as he squeezed hard and shook Nabiki like a leaf, "Nevermore! This time you die, bitch! You all will die for defying my master!" "Auntie!" Akira cried, lurching forward like a true hero, only to discover that the harness he was attached to prevented him from leaving the space where he was atop the carousel. He was no more able to come to her rescue than any of the girls looking on helplessly from their own uncomfortable positions. "R-Ranma?" Nabiki managed to gasp, feeling her consciousness begin to slip away as she was unable to rally any defenses in the face of the Shogun's towering evil... "Okay..." Time-Cop Ranma winced as he got up again from what was left of yet another smashed up building, "That hurt...a little..." "Count yourself lucky," Beast Ranma surveyed the canyon-like crater that extended for several city block, created by the Lord of Chaos with a single downward slash of his energy blade, "You only took the backwash...it could have been messy if you hadn't dodged at the last second." "Luck had nothing to do with it," Time-Cop Ranma remarked as he surveyed the sight of the Lord of Chaos and his energy katana, "Kuno always did list to the left on his strokes. I just didn't expect him to be so fast is all..." "I keep telling you, Bro," Beast-Ranma replied, "This ain't the same Kuno! That guy died a long time ago, what you're facing now is a major Uber-class demon." "Bull," Ranma ran the back of his hand against the corner of his lip and idly noted the trickle of blood there, "It's still Kuno...no matter what fancy tricks he's picked up, he hasn't changed deep down where it matters, which is why I wanna try something. Hang back for a bit and let me take over, then you come in when I give you the signal." "You still want to attack after all that?" Beast Ranma indicated the trail of devastation that had been the better half of Nerima, "Forget it, we're outclassed here. Better do like Pop would and use the Special Final Attack to pull out of here until we can think of something better..." "Don't talk to me about Pop," Ranma's tone dropped several score degrees centigrade as he started moving forward, "And no running away either. We finish this now, and we finish it but good." "I can sympathize with the sentiments, but how?" Beast Ranma asked, "You saw him get up after you eviscerated him the last time. He won't die...so how the hell are you gonna stop him?" "You'll see," Time-Cop Ranma continued to walk forward while his counterpart held back and hovered in the air to watch, sensing in his counterpart an unwavering determination that was altogether familiar and reminded him of a time when he himself had been possessed of a similar stubborn streak, the kind that always cried out, "No retreat, no surrender!" "Your funeral, Bro," Beast Ranma murmured to himself, then stood and watched, fists balled as he summoned the power of the Beast Realms into his fists, determined to see that the other Ranma did not go unavenged, should avenging be needed. "Yo, Kuno!" Time-Cop Ranma called out when he was no more than ten meters away from the giant demon, "You having fun, man? You getting your rocks off of destroying things, showing off your power? Don't it feel great cutting loose without any cares and responsibility for the people who might get hurt by you, Moron?" The Lord of Chaos glowered dangerously as his ruby eyes gleamed in menace. "Oh, you don't like it when I call you that?" Ranma asked in scornful tones, "Too bad. Look around you, Moron, and tell me what you make of all this! Does it make you proud, feel like a real man knowing you're responsible for all this carnage and destruction? Yeah, that just like you, Moron, never did give a damn about anybody but yourself, though way I hear it you did once have the hots for a lady named Natsume." To Beast-Ranma's amazement, the Lord turned his feral eyes to sweep the path of destruction that had been created as a consequence of their fight, only to have his attention rivet back at Ranma with the mention of the name Natsume. "Yeah, that's right, you dumb jock," Time-Cop Ranma grimly nodded, "I said Natsume...the girl you were supposedly in love with, only what happened to her? Was it because of you? Couldn't protect your own woman? What'd you do? Cheer and applaud when the Shogun iced her? Or was it you did the dirty deed? Man, you are really something else, you pathetic excuse for a Samurai! That's real manly!" The Lord of Chaos reacted to the insults as though recognition were warring against instinct, and in that moment Beast Ranma cottoned on to what his counterpart was doing. It was so obvious that it amazed him that he had never thought of it himself, a strategy so sublimely effective that he had employed it with great success on numerous occasions, the single weapon in her arsenal that had never failed him. Taunting! "So now you got nothing better to do with your life than to go on running errands for the Shogun like a good little Psychopath," Time-Cop Ranma shook his head, "Man, I used to think your sister was a piece of work, but you're right out there in looneyville! Of course I guess it's not really your fault that you turned out like this, having a father you got dealt. Talk about luck of the draw, huh? Compared to your old man, mine was almost stable!" The Lord of Chaos growled in menace as if the mere mention of his father was dangerous to trespass. Time-Cop Ranma took no heed of him, however, and merely continued, "I guess when you come right down to it we're more alike than we'd like to admit. You got your sick, demented family and I had mine, so the way we both turned out was actually pretty comical, if you're into sit-coms. Too bad we never got a chance to really sit down and compare notes...might've found out we didn't need to be enemies all this time and I might have even looked on you as a brother, like with Ryoga." The Lord of Chaos seemed to hesitate and eyed the leather-clad with obvious suspicion, to which Time-Cop Ranma replied, "What, you don't believe me? I guess that's only to be expected. I wouldn't believe me either twenty years ago, but what can I say? I've had lots of time think on what went down all those years ago, and it sure caused me some uncomfortable moments. So...what do you say...bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones, or are we gonna continue to tear up what's left of the place, because we can do this either way. It's your call." For a very long, tense moment, the Lord of Chaos hesitated, as if some part of Ranma's words was slowly penetrating to the deep subconscious regions where a young boy named Kuno Tatewaki still resided, but this brought about a surge of opposition from the part that was the Lord of Chaos, and that part surged to life with a vengeance as he lifted the Katana of light in his hands and prepared to smash down on this impudent mortal that had dared to approach the part of him that was still human. But Ranma's outline blurred, and before the Lord of Chaos had time to take note of this he was struck from all sides, a thousand blows raining down on him from all sides, striking at every single one of his vital places, hitting nerve clusters and disrupting the flow of energy currents that circulated within his massive form. The rain continued until the Lord was pulverized and his body- armor shattered. All at once Ranma was directly before him, gripping the horn upon the head of the Demon before saying, "Good night, sucker!" and yanking it free, causing the Lord no end of torment as it felt as though a part of his soul had been ripped clean from his body. "NOW!" Time-Cop Ranma cried out as he backed as far away from the Lord of Chaos as safety permitted. Beast Ranma needed no further urging before unleashing his energies in a single attack that struck the demon square in the chest and tore his mass asunder. This time there was a massive wave of energy discharged from the space that the Lord had occupied mere seconds before hand, and when at last the energy wash was done there was nothing left to the Lord but a smoldering crater. "Nice shot," Time-Cop Ranma remarked in the ensuing silence. "Let's see if he pulls himself together after that," Beast Ranma replied, "Then you can thank me." "For what?" Ranma tossed the horn to one side, "I could have taken him by myself, not that the help wasn't appreciated, of course." "Right," Beast Ranma replied when he saw his counterpart stiffen, "Is something wrong?" "Nabiki!" Time-Cop Ranma cried out, and all at once he was gone, moving so fast that he created a brief popping noise as he seemed to vanish from the spot before Beast Ranma was even aware that he was moving. Just as instantly the Shogun found himself being body-slammed against the far end of the room as Ranma materialized once again, catching Nabiki and easing her to the floor with as much tenderness as he could manage under the circumstances. "Nabiki?" he asked, cradling her chin and feeling along the ugly bruise marks left by the Shogun's hand where it had come near to snapping her neck like mere kindling. With the tips of his fingers Ranma assessed the degree of damage and judged that it had been a very near thing. Another instant or two later and her head might have been torn loose along the third and forth vertebrae. As it was he could extend a portion of his own life energy to mending the damage and insuring her survival. Veil was surprised to find herself being cradled by Toltir as the cat-man god appeared behind her to prevent her having a rough landing. She turned to survey the situation with Nabiki before turning to see the Shogun, and in unconscious mimicry of someone else from the previous generation said, "Oh my..." "Yeah," Toltir remarked, "This ought to really be something else." The Shogun was stunned by his rude encounter with the wall, having dug a deep furrow in the already ruptured metal. With a snarl he pushed away from it with the glowing artifact in hand, prepared to deal with these petty annoyances once and for all time, and seeing the hated Saotome bent down with his back turned towards him was too good an opportunity to bypass. He extended the artifact and prepared to utter a spell that would annihilate everything and everyone made of flesh with the instant it made physical contact, only before this could happen he felt a slight suddering go through his body...literally through as a moment later he felt an explosion in his chest. The Shogun looked down in dismay to find a fist protruding from his ruptured rib cage, clutching a slowly beating organ that had been much in disuse of late, but when squeezed to a pulp the effect was none the less quite alarming. Ryoga and Megumi emerged from his cloak of shadows, through which the Beast Woman had teleported the both of them, seeing as this was the fastest way to commute out of Hell, following the psychic trail he had left them. Ryoga removed his hand from the Shogun's back and shook it a few times to dislodge the black ooze that passed for blood in the undead monster. The Shogun gurgled something to the effect of not believing this was happening, which was the last thing he did because Megumi's hand moved like a scythe and removed his head from his shoulders. "Ugh," Ryoga winced as he examined his own hand, "Anybody got a towel?" "We came as fast as we..." Megumi hesitated when she saw Ranma bent over Nabiki. Ryoga took a step forward, hesitated, then asked, "Is she...?" "She'll live," Toltir replied, helping Veil back to her feet, "Which is more than I can say for the other guy, and frankly I think he got off lucky." Nabiki coughed, then looked up to see the cobalt blue eyes of Ranma boring down on her with no pretense or hesitation, to which she managed to gasp, "What took you so long, Saotome?" "Traffic was murder," he gruffly replied, clutching her hand in his own hard- callused palm as he spoke hesitantly, "Nab-chan..." She reached up with a finger and prevented him from continuing, "You won, that's all that matters. I take it we're ready to begin? So what's the hold up?" "Ah...well..." Veil replied uncertainly. "Begin?" Ranma asked as he lifted his eyes and for the first time took notice of the carousel full of bound and naked women, "You gotta be shitting me!' "I wish..." Nabiki paused, glancing to one side at the floor that she lay upon before frowning, "What's that trembling noise?" "Trembling?" Ryoga glancing at his own feet and saying, "There's something coming out from the ground..." "I feel it too," Megumi gasped, "It's like a wave of evil...I've never felt it's like before!" "I have," Toltir suddenly evidenced a rare expression of alarm, "Everybody brace yourselves! It's coming this way!" "What is?" Veil asked, then gasped as she, too, felt the incredible evil of the thing approaching. At once she shot a glance to her friends on the carousel, and without pausing to ask what was happening she began to craft a spell of protection. Beast Ranma saw the ground well up from near to the complex and hesitated in his rush to make it back to the others. He watched in dismay as a wall of already chewed up Earth slowly swelled in a telltale budge that he had witnessed on only one previous occasion, that being Jusenkyo before the place was destroyed forever. One section rose up higher than the rest, dirt, brick, mortar and concrete falling away from ebony scales as a head the size of a battleship loomed up into the dwindling twilight of the rapidly dying day, revealed to all who could stare up from the huge gaping holes previously created in the ceiling of the complex as it loomed over the pale and foolish mortals that gazed upon its awful maw with terror. Ranko was uncomfortably positioned to see the thing looming over them all, being the one in the center of the carousel laid out like a blue plate special. She fought instinctively against her bindings while Akira looked up in equal dismay and gasped, "I don't believe it...!" "Dragons," Ryoga murmured under his breath, "Why does it always have to be Dragons...?" "Maelstrom," Megumi breathed, unable to suppress a shudder as the very jaws of Hell itself opened wide to emit a roar that would terrify the Kami of heaven... Continued. Comments/Criticism/Worm Oroboros Notes: shadowmane@ridgenet.net Where's a Dragonslayer when you really need one? Are Parn and Deedlit standing on call awaiting a heroic summons? How will the heroes cope with this menace now that the preliminaries are over and the real battle is about to begin? Tune in next time and see Ranma reveal his other self, and then sit back for a wild ride as the girls do their thing to liberate an entire cosmos! Be there!