A Ranma ½ - King of Fighters crossover

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and the King of Fighters characters. Especially some macho chick that's built like a stick! Dumb as a brick! Thighs are too thick! Can't even kick! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Ugh… shutting up now…

Flames of Destiny
By Insane Blight

Blood of the Demon

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Deep inside the forest of Ryugenzawa, the legendary beast Orochi let out a deafening roar, causing the oversized animals nearby to run away in a hurry. The monster just came to realize that the four people standing defiantly in front of it were nothing more than men wearing women's clothing. A familiar fanged boy as well as a certain pigtailed martial artist were among them, both wearing a nurse outfit and a school girl uniform respectively. Standing beside them was a fairly tall boy dressed as a policewoman, and an old man wearing a ridiculous wedding dress.

While the beast was busy glaring and growling at the four cross-dressers with heavy distaste, a familiar mallet-wielding girl, who was ironically dressed in a boy's outfit, anxiously searched for the moss that would cure her friend's illness. 'Where is it? Shinnosuke's life depends on that moss… I have to find it no matter what.'

"Damn it, looks like the jig is up gramps," Ranma yelled as he started jumping around the place, hoping to avoid the oncoming serpent heads that would just love to feast on his flesh.

"It looks like it can't be helped anymore. We have to take it out ourselves!" the old man in a dress shouted to the three young men, hugging one of the nearby trees to avoid a furious serpent head.

Upon hearing this, Ryoga grinned and ripped out his nurse outfit. Finally! Cupping his hands, he began thinking about the worse possible things that he could imagine happening to get him depressed enough to launch his attack. 'Akane-san likes that Shinnosuke guy… Akane-san likes that damned Shinnosuke guy…' "I have nothing more to live for! Shi Shi Hokodan!"

Ranma also cupped his hands and began gathering energy, though the source for his attack was more of the opposite to that of the fanged martial artist's. 'I won't lose this battle… I'm the best there is, so there's absolutely no way I'd lose to the likes of you!' "I ain't gonna lose to a stinkin' snake! Mouko Takabisha!"

Both depression and confidence-based ki blasts darted towards the monstrosity that was the Orochi, with the blasts striking the massive beast dead center, producing mounds of dust and rising water as an aftereffect. Shielding their eyes from the dust hurdled at them, Ranma and Ryoga looked at the hopefully knocked out Orochi. What they found made them tremble. The currently seven-headed serpent stood before them, unharmed, its eyes brimming with unbridled fury.

"That kind of power still has no affect on it," Shinnosuke, the young man wearing the policewoman outfit, whispered in morbid fascination.

"What now, gramps? Our attacks aren't even dentin' this stupid thing!" the pigtailed boy yelled, shaking himself out of his frightened stupor.

As if there wasn't a problem in the world, the old man, who was Shinnosuke's grandfather, casually walked up to the angry pigtailed martial artist with a thoughtful look on his face as he eyed the case of beer placed underneath a large tree. "Hmm… my boy, I have a few beers for the upcoming celebration. Perhaps if we give those to Orochi, it would calm down a bit. It worked in the past before, so why don't we give it a try."

"I don't think that'll work old man. It's already seeing red! Trying to use beer… to…" Wasting no time, Ranma grabbed the case of beer and dashed at the rampaging monster. Sensing his approach, all seven heads turned their attention to him, pausing for a second before advancing at him with simultaneous roars. Seeing that things were going as planned, he furiously shook every beer bottle then threw them into the air, where he sliced off all of its tops with his hand. "Take this ugly! Shuku Shogan Tsu Homatsu Dan!"

The beers' foaming liquid struck all of the beast's eyes, eliciting a thunderous, pained howl. As the beast howled, the seven serpent heads recoiled back into the lake, surprising the four men watching. Ranma cracked his knuckles and cautiously approached the lake, intent on finishing the beast. He didn't get the chance, as he found himself hurled into the air the moment the ground underneath him exploded in a flurry of dirt and rocks.

As Ranma was sent flying back, the remaining people gathered watched in awe as Orochi's eight and final head appeared amidst the mounds of dust and debris. This serpent head was different from the rest, simply because it was almost triple the size of its brothers. The girl dressed in a boy's outfit gasped when she saw the moss of life sitting on top of the large serpent head. With renewed determination, she called out to her fiancée as she approached the monstrosity. "Keep it busy Ranma!"

"Yeah… busy… easy for you to say Akane," Ranma grumbled, shakily getting back on his feet. With a loud battle cry, he jumped forward and punched the gigantic head a few times. Distancing himself, he looked at his bruised hands with gritted teeth. What was this thing made of, Akane's cooking? And what happened to Ryoga? Looking over his shoulder, he was ready to lash out at the fanged teen but he only found Shinnosuke's grandfather there. He looked questioningly at the old man, who just shrugged his shoulders and pointed to a distant part of the forest. 'Oh man! What a time to get lost P-chan!'

"Shinnosuke, Ranma, I've got it! I have the moss of life!" Akane cried out in joy, causing the remaining men to snap their heads and look at her. The girl's joyous cry was short-lived when the previous seven serpent heads suddenly rose up from the lake and wrapped themselves around her body. The frightened girl could only scream as the serpent heads tightened its hold on her before dragging her to the bottom of the lake.

"Akane!" both Ranma and Shinnosuke screamed, frantically rushing forward.

Just like several time before, Ranma wasted no time in going to the rescue of his kawaiikune fiancée. He dived down, swimming after her like a man, or girl, possessed. Ranma-chan caught up with the serpent heads and tried frantically to free Akane. She soon found herself being swatted away like a fly for her troubles. Cursing inwardly, she grabbed a large rock nearby and tossed it on top of the largest serpent head. Orochi howled in pain, its smaller heads forced to release their hold on the now unconscious Akane.

Catching the unconscious girl, Ranma-chan swam back to the top and frantically began gasping for air the minute they reached the surface. Getting out of the lake, the pigtailed girl sighed when she saw Shinnosuke rushing towards them. With pain-filled yet determined eyes, she lifted Akane up by the arms and handed her to the approaching boy. "T-Take care of her, will ya?"

Shinnosuke, even though seriously intimidated by the look on Ranma-chan's eyes, nodded nonetheless. "I will, but you should take care as well."

Another deafening roar shook the entire forest of Ryugenzawa, a clear sign that Orochi had resurfaced once again. Glancing at her fiancée one last time, Ranma-chan turned and faced the infuriated legendary beast. Jumping away from both Shinnosuke and Akane, she couldn't help but grin as an idea popped into her head. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she called out to Orochi in a very girlish tone. Having gotten its attention, she turned around and wiggled her butt at it, slapping it a few times for good measure.

Orochi's eighth head quickly zeroed in on the redhead, while the smaller heads started attacking Akane and Shinnosuke. Fortunately, Shinnosuke was a man of his word and fought tooth and nail against the slithering heads. Although most people would wonder how he was doing it when all he had in his possession was a giant brush, a brush that had the moss of life on its tip, the moss he desperately needed.

Meanwhile, Ranma-chan stopped running away from the serpent head so she could try to taunt it again. Hopefully, she could also divert the smaller heads attention to her in doing so. Turning around, she found herself looking directly into the serpent's slitted eyes. Neither serpent nor human moved, as if they were in some kind of trance. Orochi was the first to break out of it, growling as it called out the smaller serpent heads to leave the unconscious girl and attack the frozen redhead instead.

It was perfect timing, as Shinnosuke had another relapse seconds after the serpent heads left them. Having seen this, Shinnosuke's grandfather gathered whatever courage he had left and rushed up to the boy. Removing his grandson's shirt, he grabbed the giant brush and carefully applied the moss of life at the boy's backside. "Come on boy, this should work."

With a groan, Akane stirred just in time to see Shinnosuke's grandfather apply the moss on her friend. Sighing in relief, she sat up and was about to call out to Ranma when the words died on her throat. She placed a hand on her mouth, shocked at the sight that greeted her. Ranma-chan was still under that weird trance, even when the seven smaller serpent heads were furiously biting at her. Seeing her fiancée in danger, she got up and joined the fray. She never got close. She was sent back to the land of unconsciousness as two serpent heads released their hold on the frozen redhead and struck her hard.

Hearing Akane's scream finally snapped the pigtailed girl out of her trance. She tried to move, but the more she resisted, the deeper the Orochi heads bit her. Mumbling a series of curses and profanities, she glanced at one of the serpent heads gnawing at one of her arms. Gulping audibly, she braced herself before biting the head. There were two notable reactions that took place, one was the serpent head hissing in pain as it released its hold on the arm, and the other was the look of absolute disgust on the redhead's face as she spat out some of the serpent's blood.

With her arm freed from the serpent's grasp, Ranma-chan quickly used it to clonk another serpent on the head, forcing it to release her other arm. Ignoring the pain, she cupped her hands and launched confidence-based ki blasts at Orochi and its remaining heads, stunning the beast long enough for her to completely escape its sharp clutches. Cupping her hands, she was about to blast the monster again when a voice suddenly started speaking to her.

Blood… my blood…

"Where did that come from?" Ranma-chan wondered, frantically searching for the source of the voice. A chill went up to her spine when she stared at Orochi, who seemed to be looking at her in amusement. "Did you just talk?"

My child…

The redhead felt a sharp tug on her chest, making her fall to her knees. Hunching slightly, she clutched her chest and struggled to breathe, the pain becoming more unbearable with each passing second. Glaring defiantly at the eight headed serpent, she snarled and gasped out, "What do you want from me?!"

Hatred… kin… you… give your… to me…

A new surge of pain struck her chest like an oncoming truck, causing her to spit out blood. Ranma-chan fell forward, body shaking uncontrollably. She didn't even have the strength to scream anymore.

Awaken!

And the world went white.

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What happened would remain a mystery to everyone except for those well-versed in internal energies. In a mansion hidden in a forest near the outskirts of Hokkaido, a beautiful, dark-haired woman garbed in ceremonial priestess clothing comfortably sat on a porch together with her pet, a small sparrow that was currently resting on her shoulder. Her face was a mask of neutrality, her clear and pristine blue eyes held a certain kind of warmth in them, carefully hidden underneath her cold gaze, and her flowing black hair was held back by a simple white headband.

Grabbing a small tea cup placed to her side, she was about to take a sip when her senses started going overdrive as a familiar dark aura surged past her. Standing abruptly, she looked in the direction of its source and glared, absently dropping the tea cup and spilling its contents on the floor. With clenched fists, she bit her lip tightly before saying, "So you've finally showed yourself, Orochi."

"Lady Chizuru!" a young girl called out in a panicked voice, hurriedly rushing up to her lady's side.

Leveling her gaze at the panting girl in front of her, Chizuru mildly shook her head and said, "There is no need to tell me, for I felt it too. This is not like any kind of power we have come across thus far, this is the real thing." 'It would seem that the power that had been released ten years ago now finally revealed itself, which could only mean that he would show up soon. Even I have to admit that I am still not strong enough to defeat that man by myself, but who could I ask for help?'

By fate or by some odd coincidence, a gentle breeze blew a flyer towards her. Seeing the piece of paper, her hand blurred and grabbed it in a blink of an eye. Reading its contents, she raised a curious brow and her face became thoughtful at the new possibilities presented before her. 'The King of Fighters Tournament, Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi, two people intertwined by fate… Perhaps I should host the tournament this year, and ask the winners to help me defeat that man and his dark schemes.'

With that thought, she turned and walked back into the mansion, with her panting servant following close behind.

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Inside the Musk Stronghold in China, 'Princess' Herb abruptly got up from her throne and narrowed her eyes as she stared outside the window, into the distant sky. The people gathered at the throne room were at a loss as to what was the cause of their leader's strange behavior. Ignoring their nagging query, Herb slowly walked out of the room and made her way towards her private quarters, her hands slightly shaking when she felt that this dark, malicious entity seemed to be rapidly growing in power.

"You have haunted my dreams now you dare haunt me in reality," Herb snarled, forcefully slamming the double doors shut the moment she stepped into her room. She channeled her ki and flew to the far corner of the room, staring intently at the large, golden crest mounted on the wall. It was a crest of a dragon and a serpent fighting each other. "I am no match for you at the moment, demon, but someday I shall make you bow down before me. I swear it."

Herb turned around and crossed her arms, draconic eyes brimming with steadfast determination. Taking a deep breath, she called out to her most loyal, though slightly eccentric warriors. Rushing into the room, the two warriors addressed their leader with respectful bow as they got on one knee. "Mint, Lime, gather the finest warriors on our lands and bring them to me. I want to test my skills against the Musk Kingdom's best."

"As you command, my lord," Mint replied respectfully, silently wondering the purpose of such an odd request. Regardless, he would do as his lord asked, although he had other matters to tend to at the moment. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Lime instinctively grab their lord's breasts and roughly caressed them. Seeing that he was too late to stop his partner, he sighed and bowed his head in resignation. From his lord's twitching eyebrow, it would seem that another 'lecture' was in store for Lime.

Mint only hoped Lime would live through it.

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That night, Ranma, Akane, and Ryoga have made it back at the Tendo Dojo, with the latter carrying the sleeping Ranma-chan over his shoulder. Their trip back home was a quiet one. Neither Akane nor Ryoga talked that much, both still puzzled at the events that transpired at Ryugenzawa. When Akane came to and when Ryoga finally got back, the fight had long since ended and neither Shinnosuke nor his grandfather had any ideas as to what really happened.

The scene that awaited both Akane and Ryoga was nothing short of amazing. Half of the place was leveled, presumably destroyed in the ensuing fight. Animals, trees, the ground, even the entire lake wasn't spared. It was fortunate that Shinnosuke and his grandfather had taken the unconscious Akane far away from the place or else she would've ended up like the poor inhabitants of Ryugenzawa.

What amazed them the most was the sight of a dead Orochi floating on top of what was left of the lake, and of course, Ranma-chan, whom was floating right beside the eight headed beast. All things pointed to one conclusion, and none of them dared believe it. Ranma defeating the legendary beast when they all saw the pigtailed boy struggling against it just to stay alive? Akane shook her head. True, Ranma had done his fair share of miracles and turned the tides against superior opponents, but this was pushing it.

'Besides,' Akane thought with a sour face, 'If we did tell him that he could've possibly defeated the legendary beast Orochi, I'm sure that his ego will go up several notches more. The baka's gloating over his defeat of Prince Herb was bad enough, no need to add this to his ever growing list of defeated enemies.'

Akane watched as Ryoga placed Ranma-chan to her room before the fanged martial artist promptly got lost. She stared wistfully at the snoring redhead for a minute then quietly headed to her room, but not before mouthing a sincere 'thank you' for saving her and for helping her get the cure for Shinnosuke.

"Orochi… sama…" Ranma-chan mumbled in her sleep, her voice a pained whisper.

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Four months passed, and the 1996 King of fighters Tournament was reaching its crescendo. Fighters from far and wide have come and gone, having tasted bitter defeat from stronger opponents. In the end, only two three-man teams remain, the first of the two teams only had a single fighter left standing while the second team still had all of its fighters, although it would seem that two of the three fighters were simply watching the events with mild interest.

The first team, the Hero Team, was indeed down to its last fighter. Kyo Kusanagi, sole heir to the Kusanagi clan, and a popular figure among the masses, stood defiantly against his long time adversary. Just like his fellow clansmen, he had the power to wield the crimson flame. His clan's crimson flame was the same one used to fight against the eight-headed serpent, as told in the legends.

The second team, the Yagami Team, had its strongest fighter facing off against the Kusanagi heir. Iori Yagami, the last living member of the cursed Yagami clan, and long time rival of the young man before him. Opposite to that of Kusanagi, Iori had the ability to wield the cursed purple flame. His clan's cursed flame was also connected to the legends of old, and it also was the very reason for the clan's fated demise.

Yagami's partners, two beautiful women named Mature and Vice casually stood at the sidelines. Though still able to fight after their respective matches, they forfeited their matches with the Kusanagi boy as per their agreement with Yagami. Yagami wanted Kusanagi all by himself and they were more than happy to oblige since they had nothing to gain in fighting the boy. Besides, they had other things to worry about.

Back to the two flame wielders, the two kept trading punches and kicks, neither one willing to back down. It had been that way for a good while now, and it showed no signs of slowing down even if they were running out of time. The two fighters never did notice it, and neither did the thousands of spectators watching the intense fight before them. It was only when a beautiful, long-haired woman strolled towards the Kusanagi and Yagami and told them that the match was over did any of them snap out of their stupor.

"Yata," Mature spat, furiously trying to stand up even if she knew it to be futile. She was too late in sensing it, the disgusting seal of the Yata clan that would bind any and all things related to 'the evil presence', as that wretched clan described it. Shooting a glance at Vice, she couldn't help but smile when she saw that her partner was well on her way in destroying this seal.

"This battle is a draw," the woman stated, eyeing both fighters with a critical eye, specifically Yagami.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Iori demanded, quickly summoning his purple flames. This fight would not go down like this, not if he had something to say about it!

"I am Chizuru Kagura, the main sponsor for this year's tournament," the woman answered coolly, eyeing both exhausted fighters with her icy gaze. That simple statement shut Yagami up because as the main sponsor, she pretty much could do anything she wanted, so if she declared this match a draw then it would definitely become one. Sensing no impending attack from the snarling man, she closed her eyes and said, "Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, I, a member of the Yata clan, am in desperate need of your assistance. I ask that you two work together alongside me to fight a powerful evil entity, for you two have the power to defeat it."

"Not interested," Kyo snarled, glaring at his rival from the corner of his eyes.

"Like hell that'll happen," Iori scoffed, mimicking Kusanagi's movements as he glared right back. "Besides, why should I help you after calling my match with Kusanagi a draw?"

"You two should listen to the priestess, for everything she said was the absolute truth," an amused voice told the two startled fighters. With a furious gust of wind, the man suddenly appeared in between the two flame wielders. He took a brief glance at the visibly bristling Chizuru in front of him before smirking at the darkened skies above and continuing, "Except for the part where you two would beat me."

"So you finally showed yourself, you bastard." Kyo called out his flames and quickly sent a wave at the man that soundly defeated him in the past. "I'll make you pay for what you did to me!"

"Tsk, tsk, I expected a member of Kusanagi clan to have a little bit more tact than this." With a disappointed shake of the head, the man vanished and suddenly appeared in front of the surprised Kusanagi heir. He drove his fist into the boy's gut, making Kyo leave the ground for a moment because of the force behind it. As Kyo collapsed to his knees, the man leaned forward and whispered, "It would seem that you still are too weak to be of any use. A pity, I would've loved to see someone of Kusanagi blood fully resurrect my lord and master."

Seeing this strange man gather energy around his fingertips to finish Kyo, Iori stepped in and forced him to take a leap backwards with his purple flame, much to the surprise of everyone. Scowling, he glared at the man with seething hatred. "And just what are you supposed to be?"

"Ah, please forgive my rudeness, Yasakani," the man apologized, doing a mock bow. "I am one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, Goenitz of the Wind!"

"I don't know what you're planning and frankly I don't care," Iori growled out, rushing at Goenitz with the intent to kill. "What I do care is you trying to take what's rightfully mine! Kusanagi's life can only be ended by me!"

"I think not," Goenitz told him with a wide grin, lifting his hand high above his head and casually snapping his fingers together. Multiple razor-sharp wind blades shot towards the angry redhead, effortlessly slicing through his clothes and skin. Seeing a bloody Iori fall back unconscious, he turned his attention to the thousands of speechless spectators gathered around the arena. "All of you rejoice! You shall become the guiding light for my master's return!"

"You monster!" the Yata priestess screamed as the Hakkeshu of Wind raised his arms and summoned an enormous wind void, one that started pulling in thousands of panicking fans into itself.

"An interesting choice of words, child," Goenitz chuckled, swatting away the charging woman with a strong wind gust. Watching the priestess flip to safety, he grinned and pointed at her kneeling form. "If I am a monster, Yata, then what does that make you? The way your kind killed countless people in the past make my actions seem tame in comparison."

Enraged by the Orochi priest's words, Chizuru clenched her fists and charged recklessly. Seeing that his little trick worked, Goenitz smirked and teleported right in front of the angry priestess. With Chizuru overcome with heavy emotion, she couldn't react in time when the Hakkeshu of Wind grabbed her in a cross chokehold. With a triumphant laugh, the Hakkeshu brought his hands down, his fingers tearing through the young Yata's flesh as if they were nothing.

Blood flowed freely from the priestess's wounds, and the Hakkeshu of Wind loved every moment of it. Smirking at the fallen Yata, he gazed at the ring he wore in his right hand and laughed, "To think that such a simple ring can counter the effects of one of the most powerful seals in the world."

Vice finally broke free of her binds, and quickly helped Mature out of hers. Goenitz saw this and chuckled, "It's about time you two. Come, we have to finish gathering energy for our master."

"No," Mature said defiantly, standing up as soon as Vice broke her seal. She and Vice didn't give the Hakkeshu of Wind a chance to question them as they suddenly attacked him in tandem. Vice furiously fought the man on the ground while Mature took to the air and assaulted Goenitz with a series of ki blades. Though try as they might, they knew that they were still no match for the oldest and most experienced Orochi Hakketsu Shuu.

Goenitz knew that fact, and he knew it well. With a simple snap of his fingers, multiple hurricanes descended from the skies above. Grinning madly, he stepped back and watched the two frantically avoid the ensuing cyclones. At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before those two traitors get ripped to shreds. Such was the fate of those who dared defy his almighty master.

Before Goenitz' plan came to fruition, a flame-covered punch struck his face. The flames swiftly spread on the Hakkeshu's body, forcing him to dispel his powerful attack. He rolled on the ground a few times to rid himself of the flames. With a snarl, he looked at the smug look of his attacker with complete and utter annoyance. "It would seem that I had underestimated you Kusanagi, but it is of little consequence. After all, a bug will always be a bug!"

And so the fated duel between a Kusanagi and a servant of Orochi began. This time, Goenitz was hard-pressed in just dodging Kyo's relentless attacks of flame-covered punches and kicks. Kyo was quick to figure that the Hakkeshu of Wind loved using his ranged attacks a bit too much. It was either overconfidence or lack of close-ranged fighting skills on Goenitz' part, but this glaring weakness might leave the master of wind open just enough for him to go for the kill.

While the logic was sound, Kyo was dead wrong about Goenitz lacking in close-ranged offensive skills. So the moment Kyo got past the Hakkeshu's guard, a smirking Goenitz welcomed him in a bloody chokehold, the very same move used against Chizuru. With a frenzied laugh, he tore the young Kusanagi's skin with his bare hands and then kicked him in the gut to send him flying back.

However, Goenitz didn't have time to gloat because Iori was already up on his feet. Growling loudly, Iori lunged at him from behind and tackled him forcefully. Just like Kusanagi, Iori settled for a close fight since that was more his forte. Besides, he was never one to wait for an enemy to leave an opening. He'd make one for them. With a snarl, he shouted, "Asobi wa… owari da!"

Yagami's fighting style was much effective than Kusanagi's in fighting Goenitz simply because of the fact that Iori could make his fingernails as sharp as knives. So even if Goenitz blocked it, he would still incur quite a bit of damage. He might even drop his guard completely, and that was the scenario Iori wanted. The cursed member of the Yagami clan smirked evilly to himself. If Goenitz won't drop his guard then he'd just force him to, even if he had to tear the bastard's arms out to do it.

"Damn you, Yasakani filth," Goenitz sneered, wincing as his clothes and the flesh on his arm were steadily being ripped apart. To make matters worse, Kyo, having closed his bleeding wound with his flame, jumped in and joined his rival in attacking him.

"Kurai Yagare!" the Kusanagi heir shouted, as he directed a powerful fire wave towards the wavering Hakkeshu. He didn't care if his flame also struck Yagami, since he knew for a fact that Yagami would do the same. Fortunately, Yagami rolled away, leaving Goenitz to take the full brunt of the attack by himself. Cautiously approaching Yagami and the blazed form of the master of wind, he tried to hide his surprise when he saw crimson flames flickering around Yagami's hands. He was about to question his rival when a strong gust of wind appeared and put out the flame covering the Hakkeshu's body.

With an amused laugh, Goenitz sat up and stared the two down with his slitted eyes. He got on one knee and raised his hand, intent on sending the largest and most powerful hurricane he could call out when he found himself unable to move. He instantly recognized this seal, but he should be immune to it, unless… Gazing at his raised hand, he gritted his teeth the moment he saw what was left of his ring. 'Damn you, Kusanagi…'

"The Kusanagi and the Yagami clan were once allies. They both worked together with the Yata clan to seal Orochi 1800 years ago, and we will do so again," Chizuru Kagura coldly informed the immobilized Hakkeshu. She was clutching the base of her neck, where her wound was. Thankfully, it wasn't as deep as she first thought. Cutting her musings short, she glared at the man before starting a series of hand movements. "I'll never forgive you for killing my whole family so you can unlock the seal of Orochi. I hereby banish you to the depths of hell!"

"This… is far from… over," Goenitz gasped out, slowly losing to the effects of the Yata seal. "Everything is now in place, Yata. All of you humans will die by my master's hand."

Chizuru was about to ask him what he meant when another strong wind gust emerged, forcing the fighters to shield their eyes. Impossible! He shouldn't have been able to use his powers! As the winds receded, she gasped when Goenitz was nowhere to be seen. All that was left of his presence was the large pool of blood that had shown up on where he once was.

A maniacal laughter boomed across the wrecked arena. "Do not worry, child. Your seal worked, but I will not let you have my soon to be corpse. I wish to go to Gaia, where my master eagerly awaits my return."

With those final words, the Hakkeshu of Wind was no more.

Sighing softly, Chizuru turned to face Kyo and Iori and again asked for their help. Once more, the two refused, even after witnessing the terrifying destructive power of one of Orochi's servants. In the end, the Yata priestess was the recipient of an indifferent scoff and a resentful sneer.

Iori walked away from his rival and that meddlesome woman, and slowly went over to his teammates. As he approached them, a sharp, increasing pain in his chest would hit him. He shrugged it off, thinking it was just one of the wounds he received from Goenitz.

"You look like hell, Yagami," Vice laughed, seductively walking towards the scowling man. Mature crossed her arms and simply rolled her eyes at her partner's behavior. They had stood back in the fight against Goenitz because it was their plan to use Yagami to fight the Hakkeshu of Wind, the latter of whom they had considered a serious liability in achieving their ultimate goal. Iori didn't need to know that bit of information though.

Just as Mature was about to join the two, she heard Vice let out a blood-curling scream. She looked up, and found herself staring at a pair of soulless eyes. She screamed as the figure before her began tearing her apart, never giving her a chance to defend herself. The last thing she saw was the evil, sadistic smirk of her attacker, which turned out to be none other than Iori Yagami.

Finished with his two partners, a crazed Iori turned his attention to the spectators who survived the wind void. With speed he hadn't shown before, he rushed up to them and slashed them to death with his bare hands.

"What is happening to him?" Kyo asked the Yata priestess, hands shaking at the massacre taking place right in front of him. Just what was happening to Yagami?

"Yagami is going through the Riot of Blood," Chizuru answered in a deceptively calm tone. "As Saisyu Kusanagi probably told you by now, Yagami has the blood of Orochi flowing in his veins because of the pact his ancestors made with the fallen god hundreds of years ago. By going through the Riot of Blood, his Orochi heritage is starting to awaken…"

Riot of Blood Iori howled, wildly thrashing his arms around as he continued tearing everything in sight.

"I have to stop him!" Kyo shouted, absently tugging at his gloves. He was about to make good on his word when he felt his whole body going numb. He fell to his knees not long after.

"It's useless, Kusanagi," Chizuru told Kyo, holding him in place with a simple seal. With a leveled gaze, she looked down at the scowling Kyo and said, "You'll only get killed by him if you faced him in your current state."

The insane Orochi warrior let out another inhuman howl before walking towards the exit, his bloodstained hands continuing to tear through anything and everything that blocked his path.

Releasing her hold on Kyo, Chizuru slowly approached the bloody scene in front of her, trying to see if anyone survived Yagami's onslaught. To her surprise, she did find a pair, and they were none other than Mature and Vice. A part of her wanted to leave them there, while another part badly wanted to help two people in need. Seeing that the latter side won, she sighed softly and began treating their injuries to the best of her abilities.

"The Orochi Riot of Blood," Kyo whispered, shakily getting back his bearings while clutching his neck wound from earlier. He stared at the destruction around him for a long while before turning and walking away, the carnage he witnessed still fresh in his mind.

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Coincidentally, something similar was about to happen in Jusendo, China.

Ranma Saotome was battling the Phoenix King Saffron, and losing badly. He was on all fours, having nearly exhausted his ki reserves. Through blurred vision, he gazed at the magical weapon of ice Gekkaja lying before him. Gritting his teeth, he used the last ounce of his strength to reach out for it, but misfortune struck when a large fireball blasted it away. With his last hope so far out of reach, he finally collapsed and silently wondered what went wrong.

It was supposed to be simple. They were to use the dragon tap on Akane and then hightail it out of there, perhaps teaching the arrogant Phoenix King a lesson or two as well. Well they managed to do the former, and he told the group to leave the place, which they reluctantly did, so he could fight the transformed Saffron all out. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted the possibility of losing to the obviously more powerful Phoenix King.

He knew now that the decision he made had been one terrible mistake, a mistake that might very well cost him his life. He had to laugh at that. His past opponents greatly underestimated him, paving the way for his victory. But now the situation changed. He was the one that looked down on Saffron and called him nothing more than a weakling, and that perhaps was the most glaring factor in his defeat.

Irony did run abound in this world.

Oh well, at least he would die with the knowledge that Akane and the others were safe. He only hoped that Saffron skip the cliché bad guy talk and go straight for the kill. He heard enough of the Phoenix King's incessant mocking to last him several lifetimes. Such hope was completely shattered the minute he felt Saffron's boot stomp on his head. Yup, he was going for the long bad guy talk.

To his surprise, Saffron only said a few words to him, although that was more than enough for him to feel an uncontrollable amount of depression, hatred, and rage. These emotions fueled his desire to continue fighting, but to his surprise, something else had awakened because of this.

My child…

"You really do care about that girl," Saffron sighed, feigning disappointment. "It truly would be a pity if someone decided to shall we say… enslave her by using the Surikomi eggs. It also would be disheartening when the people traveling with her were to get ruthlessly annihilated just because they were too stubborn in protecting her."

It is time…

Ranma suddenly convulsed and began coughing up blood, causing Saffron to fly back in surprise. The Phoenix King watched, mesmerized, as the purple flames swallowed the landling whole. Realizing what those flames meant, Saffron viciously narrowed his eyes and began gathering energy for his most powerful attack, the Tenka Shunmetsu Koukyuudan. "It seems that I'd do the world a favor by destroying you, monster!"

A gigantic ball of flame descended towards the blazed pigtailed boy. Imagine the Phoenix King's shock when his most powerful attack was snuffed out by Ranma's outstretched, flaming hand. Before he could even recover, a howling Ranma jumped at him with unbridled speed and tore off his left arm and wing in one fell swoop. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on regenerating his lost limbs, but Ranma had other ideas.

Grabbing Saffron from behind, he sank his fingers into the Phoenix King's body. With another inhuman howl, he tightened his hold as he set the Phoenix ablaze with unforgiving purple flames. The two literally blazing warriors landed roughly, creating a large crater upon doing so. Standing up, a still berserk Ranma looked down and seemed pleased at the results. All that was left of his winged foe was a pile of ash.

Saffron, Lord of Jusendo and ruler of the Phoenix People did not rise from his ashes after that attack, nor would he do such a thing ever again.

Steam came out of Ranma's mouth as he howled again, soulless blue eyes staring intently at the skies above. With his foe utterly annihilated, his hunched form slowly left the place. What the berserker didn't realize was that he was headed in the general direction of Mount Phoenix, where an entire race eagerly awaited the return of their Lord Saffron.

Perhaps the crazed Ranma Saotome did realize it, as a feral, almost maniacal grin crept up to his face.

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AN: Second rewrite. Hope it's better this time around.

Next: Ties That Bind