As he watched the pyre burn, consuming first wood, then Hidoshi's
remains, Ranma could hear the chittering of his fellows, some
commenting on the battle, others berating him for wasting valuable
time. Even as the flames consumed the over-honored hakken, they were
already breaking camp, preparing to disperse into the night. He felt
Yashida's presence aproach well before the young warrior spoke.

"Why? Why not leave him for the carrion birds? We have much to do
before the night is over."

As true as the words were, he could not bring himself to agree, the
aged hakken had been a burden, with his notions of honorable combat
more than once causing friction between him and the rest. It had even
been the cause of his death, facing the bakemono openly, inviting them
to lay him low, yet... His suicidal frontal attack had also given
them their victory, the bakemono, so occupied were they with the lone
raging wolf, never saw the rats with daggers striking from the
shadows.

"He knew..."

"What? What did he know?" Yashida was more than a little confused by
his warren brothers behavior

"He knew he couldnt win... He sacrificed himself as a diversion so we
could win the day."

"More the fool then..." The younger warriors word fairly dripped
contempt "had he stuck to the shadows with the rest of us, he might
still be alive."

"He might.. but that was not his way, while I dont agree with his
views, I can and will honor his sacrifice." He adjusted the ornate
katana slung across his back "The least I can do is return his sword
to his clan, and let them know that he died with honor" Turning back
to face the flames he addressed his warren brother "leave with the
others.. when my business is concluded I will meet you in Osaka" he
then returned to his meditations as his brothers slipped off into the
night.

---

The next time Ranma awoke it was to the morning sun on his face and a
mild sense of relief. His surroundings were easy to recognize, as he
was in the back room of Dr Tofu's clinic, on the same cot he normally
occupied after an argument with Akane. His fever had broken, that
much he could tell immediately, his head still ached slightly and his
throat has bone dry, the glass and pitcher on the counter next to him
told him that the good doctor had apparently anticipated this. The
icewater was a welcome relief to his throat, but just annoyed his
stomach which decided to remind him _why_ he wasnt in the hospital
room. 'Oh man... the hell with this.. I gotta get somthin' to eat' He
was out the window and on the rooftops headed for the Dojo befor he
had actually compleated that thought 'I hope Kasumi has leftovers..'

Kasumi was folding the days laundry when she heard the scuffling
sounds from the kitchen and decided to investigate, walking in she was
greeted with the site of Ranma in a hospital gown inhaling the
leftovers from last nights meal... what was left after Genma anyway.
"Oh my..." when he looked up she could see the sheen of bed sweat, as
well as smell it on him. Wrinkling her nose momentarily she went to
her clothes pile and removed one of his outfits, returning she placed
it on the table "Ranma-san why dont you take a bath and get changed
while I make you some lunch? You need it rather badly"

Before he could answer, she was already at he cabinets selecting
ingredients. After taking a quick whiff of himself, he had to agree
with her, so grabbing his clothes he headed for the bath. After
scrubbing himsedlf down, he inched his way into a piping hot furo to
loosen up his muscles and hopefully lose his headache. Slightly
drowsy from the furo's heat, the buzz in his head resolved itself down
to what sounded like the simultaneous muttering of thousands of
chittering voices. Strangely enough, this was comforting, he could
almost tell what was being said, and their presence reasured him for
some reason. Slipping farther and farther into his trancelike state,
he failed to hear the rest of the family arriving as he was
elsewhere...

---

Ranma walked down the streets of the prefecture known as Nerima,
Hidoshi's katana still slung across his back. He needed to find the
old hakken's family so he could rejoin his... this however was
proving to be more dificult than he had thought. He was out of time,
if he did not leave for Osaka soon he would miss his meeting with his
brothers, that could not be allowed. Slipping into an old kendo
training hall he hid the wrapped bundle, digging a hole for it under a
loose board. He then vowed to return when his battle was won, but
till then Tendo Hidoshi's family sword would have to wait.

==============================================================

Ranma sat up.. He knew... He knew where it was! He could feel it..
Stumbling out of the tub he gave a quick once over and dressed as he
was exiting the bathroom, plowing over Akane who was half undressed in
the changing room. Before she even had a chance to yell, he was out
the door and down the hall, still muttering, "I know where it is... I
know where it is"

As she climbed to her feet Akane was more than a little annoyed 'That
Baka!... he didnt even see me! What the hell was he talking about?
''I know where it is'' He knows where what is?'

"RRRAANNNMMMAAA!! Come Back Here!!" 'Dammit!! I _WILL_ find out
what's going on here...' She turned and began the chase '...even if I
have to beat it out of him!'

Ryouga was lost. While there is nothing new about this fact it is
still fair to mention it at times. It wouldnt be so bad if he at
least had a clue as to where he was, last he checked he was in Kyoto,
now he was here, and while here looked slightly familiar, so did most
of Japan. Kobe.. yes this looked like Kobe.. So where was Nerima in
relation to Kobe? North?... yes North.. so thinking, he turned into
the afternoon sun and started walking... only to be trammpled by a
hurried martial artist and then by the love of his life. "Ite..."
sometimes it didnt pay to get up in the morning. Slowly he climbed to
his feet and began to stagger after them. "Damn you Saotome, damn you
for trampling me, and damn you for forcing the sweet Akane to do so as
well!!"

On the rooftops there is a bare flicker as a handkerchif covered bald
head pokes out momentarily then vanishes once more.

The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High was in his most sacred temple.. The
kendo hall next to the high school. There, he was able to pass on the
wonderous knowledge of the sword to his peers and junior classmen.
Like now, maintaining a pace that challenged yet did not overtax the
advanced members of the Kendo Club. Challenged _them_ anyway.. for
one such as himself, these drills were child's play, but they cleared
his mind and allowed him to think... his problem today was the same
problem as yesterday, and the day before that... That Foul Sorcerer
Ranma Saotome...

On a subconcious level, he knew that Ranma was no sorcerer, simply a
master martial artist, yet his pride would not allow that, so he
convinced himself that it was magic.. he did it so well that some
days he actually believed it. Others, like today, when he was losing
himself in the motions of his art, he could actually come close to
admitting the truth. The truth about Saotome, Akane and his Pig
Tailed Goddess... though the last.. what was supposed to be the truth
proved to be as bad as his fantasies, so he simply ignored it.

His problem was that as much as he would like to drop the whole sordid
affair, he could not, he had openly declared his love for the
pigtailed girl, and his pride would not let him admit that she might
be other than she seemed. Yet while he was ocasionally delusional, he
was not entirely stupid... he had seen them change into each other on
many occasions and even delusions have their limits, yet if he
admitted that she was Ranma then he admitted to declaring his love for
a man, and that would not be tolerated.

So caught up was he in his thoughts that it took him a few seconds to
realize that the class had stopped, as one they were staring at a new
arrival. Following their gaze, a smile touched his lips momentarily
before his eyes hardened. 'Saotome!' The Game was afoot!

Falling into character, he glared daggers at the young martial artist
"Saotome! How dare you defile these sacred halls with your foul
stench! Begone at once ere I show you the errors of your ways!" Upon
seeing that he was being ignored he advanced, while in the back of his
mind warning signals were going off left and right, something was not
right here.

"Very well then sorcerer, the Wrath of Heaven is slow but sure...
Prepare to Meet Justice Fiend!!" with that he charged, a part of his
mind knowing that it would do no good, another part rationalizing that
appearances had to be maintained. He was not in the least bit
surprised when he felt his boken leave his grasp, nor when he felt
Ranmas foot connect with his chin, slamming him into the far wall.

Feigning unconciosness, he watched Saotome, curious in spite of
himself. He observed as Ranma looked at the bokken as if he had never
seen it before, then walking over to far left wall, he paced his way
from there to roughly halfway across the room.

As he watched, Kuno felt a familiar, at least to him, blurring
sensation as the scene changed. The training hall was empty, and had
changed in apperance, the floor was lower to the ground, and the
architecture was of a much older design. A man entered the room,
casting glances about as if to confirm that he was alone, and walked
to a lose board in the center of the floor, lifting it, he dug a
hollow trench in the dirt underneath and therein placed a silk wrapped
bundle. After patting the dirt down the man replaced the board and
examined the area critically, then he turned and left.

The collective gasp from the class brought Kuno back to reality as
Saotome used the bokken to pry up one of the floorboards, revealing
concrete below it. They then watched on in mute astonishment as his
hands became a blur reducing the floor in that section to rubble which
he dug out, digging thru into the dirt below. The greatest shock came
when he withdrew a bundle wrapped in tattered silks from the hole he
had made, and with a smile of satisfaction turned and left the hall,
unimpeded as the club members, unlike their leader, knew better than
to try and stop him.

Kuno waited until he had left and before rising, curiosity burning in
his soul. If he didnt know any better, he would have sworn that the
bundle was a wrapped sword, if so, then who was that man who had
buried it under the hall, and more importantly, how had Saotome known
of its location? After leaving the club members with terse
instrucions to stay put, he left the hall to follow Saotome.

As he followed, he thought of what he had seen... the vision did not
particularly trouble him, as he had been plagued by them since
childhood, as had his sister and their father. As had members of his
family for generations gone by for that matter, his father at one
point had claimed that the visions were why the Kuno house was as
wealthy as it was, as several of his ancestors had taken advantage of
the family 'curse' so to speak, using the predictions garnerd from
them to manipulate the family finances into a sizeable fortune.

Members of his family had always seen what others could not, and paid
a heavy price for it in the end... while accurate, and sometimes
usefull, the gift was not free. For every Kuno gifted with visions,
was cursed with madness as well... as little as he liked to admit it
to himself, on days like this, when his mind was clear, he knew that
he had not escaped.

But no, the vision itself was not the problem here, Saotome knowing
the location of a sword buried at least a hundred years ago, on the
other hand, was cause for more than a little interest on his part.


Ranma was still in a daze, barely registering where he was going, thus
he was wholly unprepared for the blow that slammed him into a building
and knocked his bundle flying. As anger began to cloud his mind he
saw the lost boy standing over him, umbrella held at ready.

"Maybe that will teach you not to ignore me Ranma." This was it Rouga
thought, one man to man fight, no one to interfere, no one to keep him
from finally defeating his hated rival "Ranma! Prepare to Die!"

Ranma could feel anger, anger like he'd never felt before, it was fire
coursing through his veins, the chittering in his head getting louder
and louder, he wanted to rend, he wanted to maim and kill. Rage, rage
such as he had never felt before built up in him, clouding his
thoughts to the point that Ryouga got a blow in, then a second and
third. Strangely enough, the blows didnt really hurt, they simply
provided fuel for the fire raging inside of him. Looking at his
opponents face, he saw a mask of hate, then everything Ryoga had ever
done to him came rushing in. Attacking him without warning or reason
on a daily basis *kill him* interfereing with him and Akane *Kill
Him!* P-Chan *KILL HIM!!*... He could feel something growing inside
of him as he fought, something trying to get out as his rage slowly
consumed the last of his reason.

Genma crouched on the roof overhead and watched. He could feel
something building up down there and had a sinking feeling he knew
what it was, he also knew that if he was correct then things were
going to change radically 'Kami-sama.. why him.. why my son?'

Snapped out of his reverie by Ryouga's attack Tatewaki stepped off to
one side, out of sight as he picked up the bundle lost during the
initial assault, unwrapping it he confirmed his suspiscions. It was a
katana, an old one, Tokugara era from the looks of it, probably a
family blade, his ruminations were interrupted by the latest
development in the battle.

Ryouga was on a roll, for the first time, he finally had had his
nemesis on the ropes and he could feel victory within his grasp.
Feinting an umbrella strike to the head, he nailed Ranma with a
vicious forward stomp, flinging him backwards into a wall, then
poleaxed him to the floor with his umbrella. As he drew his arm back
to finish him off, he paused in astonishment as Ranma's body began to
change. His hackles rose and he was filled with and unidentifiable
fear as Ranma's body began to swell and distort.

Ranma rose to his feet, he could feel the his shirt tighten then burst
under the strain, his shoes ripping apart on his feet as his rage
consumed him. As the change completed, he let out a feral yell and
looked down at the puny being who dared attack him. With a single
swipe of his clawed hand he tore the umbrella from the lost boy's
grasp, then his tail whipped around, snapping across the boys face and
driving him back. With an incoherent snarl of pure rage he leapt at
his opponent claws extended, there was no Art here, no school, no
discipline, simply rage, and a desire to tear his opponent limb from
limb.

Tatewaki was at a loss, part of his mind was screaming at him to flee,
while another, the cool calm part he associated with his visions, held
him in place as he watched Saotome transform into a large furred
rat-like creatue and proceed to tear the Hibiki boy apart. He knew of
the lost ones incredible endurance and resistance to damage, he had
seen the breaking point attack and had watched Ryouga shrug off the
resulting shrapnel blast with no ill effects, yet this creature tore
into him with ease, leaving great bloody rents in his flesh. And for
all of the lost boy's vaunted strength, he was being tossed about like
a rag in a tsunami, never even getting a blow in. Kuno stepped
forward, not sure of what to do, but trying to prevent a murder when a
scream stopped him in his tracks.

---

Akane was still looking for Ranma when she heard the yell followed by
the cries of pain. 'Ryouga? What could do that?' Following the
sounds she came upon a sight that chilled her to the bone and brought
an involuntary scream. Ryouga was being held by the throat by what
looked like a giant huminoid rat, he was battered and bleeding from
dozens of slashes on his body, and the creature looked ready to finish
him on the spot.

The scream caught Ranmas attention, seeing the look of horror on
Akane's face the rage bled out of him as if it had never existed, he
barely noted when his body shrank back down to human. When she turned
and fled all he could do was watch in numb shock, then he remembered
what had happened. Looking down he saw the barely breathing form of
Ryouga, his fingers still locked on the lost boy's throat, then he saw
the blood on his hands and his world collapsed around him. Releasing
the lost boy, he backed up, his hands making warding gestures as if
that would make it all better.

As he looked around himself, he saw Kuno standing there, a worried
expression on his face, as their eyes met, the expression went from
worry to dismay followed by horror. He watched as the normally
impasive swordsman hit his knees, a strangled scream escaping his
lips.

Finally, unable to deal with what had happened, he ran, sprinting down
the road in the vain hope of outdistancing his actions.

Tatewaki stood. It took every ounce of self control he had to keep
from collapsing from the horror of what he had witnessed when his eyes
had locked with Saotome's. The scene had blurred, and he had seen
Ranma, sprawled in a pool of blood with his throat sliced open, the
implement of his demise, a shard of glass from a bottle, still
clutched in his right hand. While this disturbed him, he could
understand Saotome's reasons, no one _wants_ to be a monster.

Then he saw another image. He saw a rain of fire falling down,
destroying everything in its wake, for half an instant he _felt_ every
scream, every death as the world was consumed, and he knew. He knew
that if his first vision came to pass, then the second one would as
well, and while the part of him that was 'The Blue Thunder' might hate
Saotome with a passion, even delusions only went so far. The katana
fell from his suddenly nerveless fingers, as Kuno ran in the direction
Ranma had fled, all the while praying that he was not to late.

Genma watched. He didnt know what to do, for once there was no plan,
no scheme that could fix this, all he could do was pray that his son
would recover. Jumping down to the road, he picked up Ryouga and the
forgotten katana and headed for Dr. Tofu's.


Tbc