Ranma was in hell. That was the conclusion she was coming to, anyway.

For what felt like an eternity, she'd watched through a window in the darkness that surrounded her as her body, in its male form, fought the people closest to her. At the same time, the thick black fog around her tightened around her, slowly wrapping her in its icy grip.

By the time she saw Ku trick everyone into a giant spiral, Ranma felt like the darkness was crushing her body. It was a horrifying feeling, to be crushed in the depths of darkness. She imagined this is what it must be like to drown at sea, only she had no difficulty breathing the black fog, forcing her to suffer through this nightmare.

That nightmare only got worse as the events continued to unfold. She felt Shampoo's rage bleeding into the darkness from her aura at Ku's insults. She'd never seen the Amazon in such a state, not even when she was on her honor quest to kill her before discovering she was in fact a male. All this rage that fed the darkness was over Akane somehow.

Akane. That was the one person Ranma dreaded seeing the most through this window in the darkness. She had joined the others right before Ku started leading them into the spiraling dance of combat. Every time she saw Akane in the opening, Ranma felt her heart ache, and the darkness seemed to pierce her mind.

Now, Ranma was watching a nightmare come to life. The vision she was witnessing was akin to one of her greatest fears, a situation where she loses control. It didn't happen often, only when she was pushed too far by the various forces in her life. Whenever that happened, if she didn't blow off enough steam, her sleep would eventually play out a scenario where she loses control in her male form, and hits everyone that brought him suffering as hard as he could.

Those nightmares showed Ranma the consequences of his fury, and always reminded him on why he had to keep control. To his gratefulness, his subconscious never saw it fit to place Akane in those nightmares.

Every time Ranma had such a nightmare he'd wake up in a tense sweat. The rage would suddenly be suffocated by something in his chest, and things would return back to normal the next morning. That was not happening this time. Ranma couldn't wake up, and Akane was very much involved in what she was watching through the opening in the darkness.

"This has to stop!" Ranma grunted. She tried once again to fight for control, but no amount of concentration or physical struggle made a lick of difference. In fact, Ranma's actions only brought back the eerie laughter that boomed through her mind.

"Struggle all you want," a demonic voice said through the laughter. "You are powerless to stop this."

"You..." Ranma growled. "This is all your doing!"

The laughter increased in reply to Ranma's accusation, and then turned to the growl of a wolf. "Yes," the voice agreed. "Watch as I break everyone you hold dear."

Ranma wanted to fight back. She wanted to regain control. The laughter increased around her as she struggled, and the darkness tightened around her. Now, the opening was directly in her face. She watched with growing tension as everyone fell into the trap she'd set against many opponents. The spiral.

Ranma felt ill as everyone chased Ku around in the perfect pattern. She'd never attempted such a tactic against multiple opponents, but the concept was sound. Together, all eight of the people were creating a flow of warm chi while Ku radiated cold just from his damned existence. One-on-one, Cologne may not have fallen for it, but in the group, she didn't seem to take notice.

Then, came the worst part. Ku grabbed Akane by the wrist and caused her to scream in pain. The sight of her un-cursed hand grabbing her in such a way made Ranma want to die on the spot. The look on Akane's face combined with the scream was unbearable to her. It was the one thing she couldn't stand more than cats.

"Akane!" Ranma screamed at the opening, but to no avail. She watched as Ku hurled her back onto the roof and turned on her father.

As she thought, Ku could use the techniques she'd learned over the years somehow. The spiral he'd made with everyone provided the perfect opportunity to use the hiryu shoten ha, and Ku didn't waste it.

Even though Ranma had used the hiryu shoten ha many times, she was not prepared for seeing it with such destructive force. The tornado Ku created was tighter and more volatile than the ones Ranma created. It didn't have the reach, but it made up for it in raw power, and turned the stone walkway into fine gravel that was sucked up into the vacuum.

When it finally ended, the dirt, splinters, and gravel rained down like a storm amongst the bodies. Ranma couldn't feel a thing with her senses through the window, and feared the worst. Ever so slightly, Ranma began to sink down further into the darkness. She felt the weight of her failure crushing her soul, while her body grew numb. The laughter was now overwhelming.

Ranma ½: Limitless

By: OmegaGear

Chapter XXV: Whisper

Ku let out a short grin when Cologne joined the others in unconsciousness. He felt his body chill as he surveyed the scattered bodies and clenched his fists to feel the ice pumping through him. Probing his inner self, he felt Ranma's will sinking further into the recesses of his mind and laughed. "It is done," he told himself quietly.

Yes, he could feel Ranma sinking into the lower reaches of his mind where he'd trapped him there in his cursed form. Within his host, Ku used its body of black chi to smother what remained, meaning to bury it forever. He flowed his black chi against Ranma's existence like a raging wave, battering it with the weight of failure and despair.

Above Ku, on the roof, Akane was down on her knee looking down desperately.

Things didn't look good. Everyone was unconscious except for her, and she was in no shape to take on Ku alone, no matter how weakened he was. She had to clench her right arm tightly with her left hand to bite back the pain that still stabbed through it, and that was making it difficult to move.

"What now?" Akane asked herself. She couldn't just stay up there and let Ku do as he pleased.

Ku looked up and gave Akane a look of disgust. She saw malice in those eyes, but it was different from the murderous look he'd given her in the past. As if that hadn't been bad enough though, those eyes were even worse. She'd gotten used to his glare of cold contempt, but seeing Ranma's face look at her like she disgusted him hit her where it counted most, her unguarded heart.

Akane drew in a sharp breath and pushed down the emotions she was feeling. She forced her heart behind her old shields as best she could and stood up.

Ku didn't stand still for long, and turned his back to Akane. He began to walk away from the house towards the scattered bodies. He stopped by Soun and knelt down so that Akane could watch. He could sense Ranma's fear and smiled to himself. It was time to kill them one-by-one.

"It will be like two birds with one stone, eh?" he asked Ranma quietly, knowing she could hear him where she was trapped. "When I crush his skull, you and Akane both will feel it."

Akane watched nervously from her perch on the roof. She didn't like the looks of things, but was still too weak to attempt leaping down. "What is he doing?" she wondered out loud, but was afraid of the answer.

Ku pulled back his hand and grinned. Ranma's fear was so intense, he decided to take a second to enjoy it, savor it.

"Stop this instant!" A woman shouted, getting Ku's attention.

"Auntie?" Akane said in a hushed voice.

Ku paused at the sound of the woman's voice. His mother... he thought in a strange mixture of curiosity and frustration. Her voice had given pause to Ranma's descent into the darkness within his mind, and yet, it didn't exactly thrill Ranma either. Ku would humor this development.

Slowly, Ku stood and turned around. He saw Ranma's mother standing in the destroyed entrance of the Tendo house with her sheathed katana at her hip. "It's too late, woman," he said. "I've won. Ranma is no more."

Nodoka clenched her jaw in response to Ku. She was holding the sheath in a shaky hand while her other palmed the handle. Her face was pale as the moon above, a sharp contrast to her quivering brown eyes. "You're wrong," she said.

Ku observed the woman and delved into Ranma's mind, picking at the scarce details he had of her. What he found was quite interesting. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes, it is so," she spoke more sternly now. "My son won't be beaten by the likes of you."

"Look around you, woman," Ku said with his arms spread. "They're all fallen. I've won! Your son couldn't stop this, and now none shall stand in my way!"

Nodoka twisted her palm over the handle of her katana and gripped it firmly. "I will."

"You?" Ku asked, his amusement spread over his face. He could tell by her stance alone that she was no fighter.

Auntie no! Akane wanted to shout, but didn't. She had seen Ranma's mother wield that katana before. Ranma always teased herself for being a klutz, but his mother took the trophy from her in the blink of an eye. She was preparing to intervene, but held out. She needed as much time for her arm to recover as she could get.

Nodoka bent down to be in position to pull out her sword. She fixed a strong glare on Ku, trying her best to ignore the fact that it was her son's body in front of her. "I can't let you do this to my son."

Ku saw the moonlight shine off the blade as Nodoka pulled it out just an inch and laughed. "So that's it," he said. "It all makes sense. Better to kill your son now than to let him live on in shame as a husk?"

Nodoka choked back her answer. Her mind was swimming through a turmoil of thoughts, and she wasn't sure if her words would be honest. "That's not what this is about," she said.

"Isn't it?" Ku asked with his brow raised.

"No, it's not," Nodoka said. "All of this damage... All of this pain... It has to stop."

"Don't act virtuous with me!" Ku yelled. His voice was suddenly changing, no longer sounding like Ranma's. "You, who would kill your own son if you ever found him unworthy as a man!"

Nodoka froze as Ku's eyes bore into her. She felt like she was paralyzed.

Behind Nodoka, Nabiki and Kasumi appeared in the hallway. Both of them were watching nervously, but neither came closer.

Ku glanced at the new arrivals for a second, but then returned his attention to Ranma's mother. "You, who had your son sign a contract in blood when he was only six," he nearly spat as a low demonic growl accompanied his every word.

"Ranma knew what he was doing," Nodoka said weakly, as if she was trying to convince herself.

Ku ignored Nodoka's pathetic protests and advanced another step, deepening the hold of his gaze. "You, who looks at him with disgust every time you see him as a girl?"

"That's not true," Nodoka barely whispered. The world around her was starting to vanish, leaving only those black eyes eating into her.

"Did you think your son never noticed?" Ku asked. "Did you think he didn't feel your shame?"

"No! I never looked at my son that way!"

"Yes, live your little lie," Ku goaded her. "Pretend that everything's alright in your little glass box, but know this. I. Am. The. Hammer!" Ku's last words were throaty as his voice had become a grotesque growl. His aura came to life, but Nodoka remained frozen where she stood.

"It's not a lie," she said numbly. "I... I... I love my son."

"You love honor more than you could ever love Ranma," Ku said as he held up his right hand and bent its fingers. His aura focused into that hand, creating a brilliant ball of green light around it. "Even he could see that."

Nodoka shivered and looked into her memories. Was it true? Did she really look at him that way without realizing it? Did Ranma see that look in her eyes. What she saw in her memories mortified her. There were times when Ranma would step away and avert his gaze, as if ashamed to be in her presence. "No..."

"Don't worry," Ku said as he raised his glowing hand. He reached to the sword on his back and grasped the handle, but didn't pull it just yet. "You don't have to suffer his disgrace anymore."

- x -

Ranma floated almost lifelessly while watching the situation become more desperate. She strained against the cold that spread over her, trying to keep up the fight.

"Damn it, mom, move!" Ranma yelled at the top of her lungs. She was flailing her arms like she was imitating a bird while yelling into the opening she was watching through.

"It's all a lie!" she shouted. "Sure, I'm ashamed... but it's about how I feel, not the way you look at me! I've never even noticed..."

The laughter encircled her again, tearing her attention away from the opening for a second. She looked around, but still saw nothing with her in the darkness while she continued to sink slowly.

"Did you really not notice?" the voice asked. "Or are you just denying the truth?"

"I won't fall for your stupid tricks," Ranma answered. "My mother accepts me for what I am."

"Does she, now?" the voice asked, sounding unconvinced.

The darkness drifted closer, brushing against Ranma's skin. It scratched along her temple like the boney fingers of death and memories were forced through her mind.

Ranma shut her eyes tightly as the memories invaded her mind. She relived the countless times when her mother would walk in on her while in her cursed form and pause. Every time, she looked at her judgingly, if only for a second. Ranma knew why, and she didn't blame her. Other mothers didn't have to suffer a son that turned into a girl at random.

The memories played, shifting, twisting into something worse. Ranma's mother no longer just paused, she wore a frown on her lips. Sometimes, she even scowled quietly.

Ranma couldn't recall these memories clearly. Were they real? Was it all a trick? Before she could try to figure it out, the memories faded, returning her attention to the opening in the darkness.

"Look at her now, as she crumbles in shame," the voice said with sick joy. "She now realizes the truth in her heart. She has been ashamed of you all this time, and merely lives within a lie."

"Shut up!" Ranma shouted. She tried to shut out the voice by covering her ears, but found it was speaking right into her head.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Knowing your own mother can never truly find love for you."

Ranma didn't want to believe it, but part of her had always been afraid of such a truth being revealed. The memories came flooding back, this time of her own witless accord. Had she really been so blind to her mother's behavior all this time? Was she not accepted, and merely pitied and tolerated? Her heart ached at the possibility.

"She would even kill you now, rather than try to save you," the voice added.

The voice's last taunt struck Ranma in the wrong way. The ideas of surrender and sacrifice were toeing a fine line in her raging mind. She knew her mother wouldn't surrender so easily. She'd waited ten years for her to return a man among men. No, she was willing to sacrifice her son if it meant the pain would stop for everyone. It was a quality she'd shared with her mother.

"Damn you, and your sick games," Ranma grunted. She looked back through the opening and saw Ku raising his hand. "No!" she screamed. "No!"

"That's enough!" a woman's voice cut through the darkness.

Ranma paused her screaming as she heard a faint echo coming through the opening. It was distorted from coming through the opening, but she knew that voice. "Akane?"

Ranma looked up and was frozen solid from what she saw. Kasumi was standing in front of Nodoka with her arms spread to take the blow. Every alarm in her head, gut, and heart went off at once, pulsing together into a sharp lightning strike through her body.

"K-Kasumi...?" Ranma muttered in shock.

- x -

Ku stepped back and lost his focus at the sudden appearance of the eldest Tendo daughter. Her presence added another layer of restraint around him, and he was starting to feel like a cage was being raised around him.

He looked within himself at his flow of chi. The black energy strained to flow smoothly against Ranma's acute awareness combined with the pulsing of the blue speck in his chest. He was starting to rethink sticking around with these sudden developments.

Ku squinted at the younger woman standing in front of Nodoka. "Kasumi," he said, losing much of his demonic taint in his voice.

Kasumi had a hard look on her face, but still carried the same graceful composure she always had. "You need to end this, Ranma," she said.

Ku stood with his hand grasping the handle of his sheathed sword glaring into Kasumi's eyes. He filled them with blackness and pierced into her grown pools, but was met with a strangely composed resolve. There was fear in her, yes, but there was also such confidence, and in what, Ku could not figure out. Her allies were laid waste around them, and he could cut her down in a second, yet there she stood, with no doubts in her heart.

Then, there was something. Ku could see it deep down at the back of her mind where countless walls had been build to block it. A pained regret. Yes, she had a deep seeded regret. It was something that had been shut in tightly, underneath so much baggage, that letting it out would almost certainly cause her to break down. It was the perfect emotion to exploit.

"You don't have to carry on like this," Ku said softly, as if to comfort her.

Kasumi's gaze became hard and she tensed her body. "I know I don't, but I am," she replied.

"You've already sacrificed enough you kn-"

Ku was abruptly cut off when Akane grabbed his arm that was raised to grip his sword and heaved him over her shoulder. He flipped backwards to land on his feet while Akane rolled forward and spun on her heels to stand between him and the two women.

Nodoka finally allowed herself to collapse from the tension Ku's gaze had forced into her body at Akane's arrival. To her relief, Nabiki appeared to help her to her feet.

"Thank you, Nabiki," Nodoka said.

"Auntie, we'd better go inside," Nabiki replied. She helped the older woman stand and glanced nervously at Kasumi's back. She didn't know where the others drew such strength, but she wish she could find it in herself.

"Y-yes, Nabiki, you are right," she said with a jittery voice. Her face was covered in a cold sweat, and she could barely walk, even with Nabiki's help.

Akane stood ready to fight while Nabiki lead Nodoka back into the house. Kasumi lowered her arms, but remained behind Akane in a show of support for her sister.

"You again..." Ku said, sounding rather annoyed. In the back of his mind, he could now feel Ranma's presence burning brightly against his suffocating darkness.

"You're going nowhere," Akane said.

"You should go back into your house with your sisters," Ku said grimly. "It's in your best interest to take this offer."

"No." Akane got into her usual stance. "You're not leaving as long as I can fight."

Ku's face went from shock to anger in a second. Her defiance would have amused him, if it wasn't also filling Ranma with joy and pride. He would teach her a hard lesson, and twist the knife in Ranma's heart at the same time. "You stupid girl," he hissed. "Stupid uncute, unsexy, tomboy."

Akane was able to ignore Ku's verbal jabs now that she'd come to terms with whom she was facing. She stood there defiantly, ready to fight whenever Ku was.

"Stubborn as an ox too, I see," Ku added. "Here's a little lesson. Don't tempt fate, because Ranma isn't around to save you anymore!"

"You're wrong!" Akane yelled back.

"What?" Ku asked in surprise.

"You're wrong," Akane repeated. "Ranma is still in there. Otherwise you wouldn't be avoiding a fight with me."

"Avoiding a fight with you?" Ku asked sarcastically. "You are imagining things. I've gotten what I came for. Ranma's will has been crushed."

Akane felt ice forming in her stomach at the possibility, but shooed the thought away. She refused to believe Ranma would lose like this. Something in her heart told her he was still alive in there. "Prove it," she said.

Ku couldn't believe the stubbornness of this girl. Ranma's memories didn't do her justice. He growled and summoned his aura. He looked at her with hatred and frustration. Akane's defiance really woke up Ranma's will, which meant beating her would go a long way in crushing it. Yes, that is what he would do. After all, Ku did so enjoy killing the women his hosts loved. "Oh, I'll prove just how wrong you are!" he yelled.

"Bring it on!" Akane summoned her own blue aura and charged.

Ku steeled himself as Akane rushed at him. He felt the strange light in his chest pulsing, but ignored the slight burning. When he moved to block, he felt that same restraint, although it was fainter than before.

Akane and Ku's auras cracked loudly when they collided in battle. Ice cold green met with electric blue as the two martial artists fought in the rubble that had once been the entrance to the Tendo household.

Kasumi backed away with her hands clasped nervously. She'd not seen her sister this way before, and she wasn't sure if she should be hopeful, or afraid. Every time Akane blocked time seemed to freeze, burning that image in Kasumi's eyes.

As the battle raged on, with the aura flashing like lightning against each other, Kasumi hid behind the broken doorframe of the house. She watched from where she hid, now understanding how Akane must feel every time Ranma fights to save her. It was chilling to witness such a brutal fight, and made the thrashings Akane gave Ranma look like playful slaps by comparison.

It was terrifying to see what these battles could be like. Kasumi had heard the stories from Akane, but the way she told them didn't live up to the real thing. If anything, Akane spoke matter-of-factly at times, like the danger was nothing compared to the given fact that Ranma would save her. She even made the stories sound wistful, in her own way, but this was anything but a fantasy come to life.

Kasumi let out her breath to calm her nerves. For the first time, she was facing the danger head on, no longer sitting idly in the house, oblivious to the truth. For the first time since their mother passed away, Kasumi felt true fear. "Be safe, Akane," she said softly in prayer.

Akane traded blows with Ku, willing herself against the ice cold aura he radiated. Its energy rippled through her every time they collided, but she believed he had to be feeling the same thing. Still, her arm still hurt from when Ku had grabbed it with his aura, and she was favoring that side too much. She needed space to get into a better position, so she threw her aura into a flaming wave of energy from a retreating spin kick.

The wave of fiery blue energy flew from Akane's foot towards Ku, providing Akane a chance to gain some space to catch her breath. As it reached Ku, he raised his arms across his face to shield himself. The wave crashed against him, scorching over his green aura.

Ku grunted as the blast from Akane's aura burned against his. Unlike Shampoo, Akane was able to remain balanced, despite her obvious emotions over the circumstances of the fight. His aura crackled as the wave crashed against it, and it faltered, relenting to his lack of control over Ranma's now acute awareness within him. "Damn..."

Akane saw Ku's aura fade away like it did earlier when everyone else was fighting him and moved in for the real fight. She drove her fist in hard, right into Ku's blocking arm. She felt her fist impact Ku's arm and took note of how it felt. It was solid, and the block was on the mark, but the movement was rigid. She stepped forward and threw more attacks, watching her opponent with all of her senses. Ku blocked everything she threw at him but didn't respond with any of his own.

Ku grunted when he felt Akane's fists hit his bare arms. The touch of her skin was still like fire, but he accepted the pain. Pain of the body couldn't defeat him.

He continued to block Akane's attacks. Her style was a solid, straight line form, making it all too easy to keep out of harm's reach. The problem was that light in his chest. Even with his darkness completely encasing it, its pulsing made it difficult to move in Akane's presence. Still, it was weaker than before, and he was ready to test his limits.

After another combination, Ku saw his opening. Akane had faltered from her straight line attacks with a spinning kick. This left her open, and Ku was quick to move in to strike.

Akane felt Ku's sudden shift towards her in her mind's eye. The void in the chi surrounding her was moving in fast, but not fast enough. She dropped her elbow and blocked Ku's punch, but couldn't prevent the biting pain from shooting through her arm.

Ku drew back his fist. It tingled strangely, but he didn't let it show on his face. He advanced on Akane and attacked again, forcing his way through the warmth that strained through his body as he did so.

Akane deflected Ku's attack with her good arm before starting to trade blows with him. He was fast, precise, and strong, much to her dismay. Her aura didn't waver as the battle continued, but her body wanted to relent with each punch and kick it absorbed.

Ku fought through Akane's weakening defenses until finally forcing her back a step. He leaned forward after her with his fist going for her face. The burning resistance in his arm intensified against him striking her there, causing him to actually miss as if the air itself deflected him.

Akane saw the way Ku's attack was strangely deflected before it could hit her face, thankful for whatever force had spared her. While Ku was taking longer than usual to recover from that strange occurrence, she was able to straighten herself again and refocus.

Ku was really getting angry now. He retreated from Akane a few steps while she attempted a combination of attacks and concentrated on his chi flow. He searched for every bit of light within him and smothered them all in darkness. When it was done, he felt the strain on his body lessen, and resurged his green aura.

With his aura back, Ku was able to fight Akane much more effectively. Combined with her growing exhaustion, his advantage was quickly growing. He could sense Akane beginning to tire from blocking so many attacks. Her movements were slowing, and she no longer held her body still when she blocked. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Want to give up?"

"Never!" Akane yelled and attacked with newfound fire.

Ku smirked and blocked the first pair of punches. Her aura was fading fast now. He had endured the scorching heat of her flesh, and now absolute victory would be his. Even now, as she weakened with every attack, Ku could feel Ranma's will shrinking.

Akane pushed herself to keep going. She wouldn't surrender as long as she could stand. Her body burned from exhaustion, but still she threw her fists. She didn't stop until Ku caught her left hand with his right and drew her to his face.

"It's over," he said.

Akane glared into his eyes despite her screaming heart. It couldn't end this way. She refused to believe it was over. She pressed her right hand against Ku's chest feebly. "No way..." she groaned.

Ku's eyes went wide when Akane's hand pushed against his chest. A fire erupted within him and it did more than make his body feel like it was burning. His black chi felt the scorching heat and he exhaled sharply.

"Akane..." a voice whispered in Akane's mind, yet it sounded as if it meant to yell.

Akane knew that voice. "Ranma?"

A strange, but familiar pulse reverberated through her right hand on Ku's chest. This time, there was no wondering if the voice had been her imagination.

- x -

Watching the fight with Akane was unbearable for Ranma. To her, it really seemed like she was seeing everything through her eyes, and not an opening in the black fog.

Now, with Ku holding Akane still, Ranma became desperate. She looked into Akane's eyes and focused on everything she felt in her body. Beyond the numbness, through the pain of her guilt, Ranma reached for the bond.

She wasn't sure if she could reach it in her current state, or even if she could will it to work. Ranma didn't care though, she had no other options. She felt for something in her center, desperate for the spark. There was nothing within her, however.

Ranma tried to look deeper, but couldn't find anything within herself. She let out a frustrated breath. "I guess I shouldn't have expected much... this not really being my body..." she told herself.

A moment later, Ranma saw Akane refuse to surrender and something above her pulsed. It was faint in the thick black fog, but the feel of it as the ripples reached her were familiar.

"This..." Ranma looked up and focused on the space around her. The ripples were tapering off, but she knew what they were. "Akane!" she yelled.

"Ranma?" Akane's whispered question came through the opening like all the other sounds of the outside world, but this was different. High above, that whisper echoed gently from another source.

"Akane!" Ranma yelled back. She had a faint smile, but was still yelling urgently.

Around her, the darkness shook gently, and the growling of the wolf echoed. Something was happening, and Ku was not pleased.

Hope swelled within Ranma for the first time since this hell swallowed her. She fought through the thick fog until she could almost reach the opening with her hand.

Through the opening, Ranma looked into Akane's eyes as she pushed against Ku's chest. She saw the fire and the hope burning brightly. The same fires that now were lit within her. "Don't give up!" she yelled.

- x -

Ku howled in pain and dropped Akane to the ground. He retreated backwards and grasped his chest where her hand had been. "What..." he paused and looked down. That strange blue light was flickering within his black abyss. It had managed to dig itself a little pocket of space from whatever Akane had done.

There was more than that going on too. Ranma was no longer just acutely aware. She was swelling with something very powerful. Was it hope, Ku wondered. He didn't understand what this strange light was within him. It was distinctly different than Ranma's spirit, yet linked to it somehow. As it pulsed, so did Ranma.

Not leaving it to chance any longer, Ku dug through Ranma's memories, searching for what this light was. Two things revealed themselves, one clearer than the other. There was something Akane had done to him, but Ranma had no memory of it. It left a part of her with him and left them bonded. Then, there was the blue light of Ranma's center. The essence of his true being that manifested as a dragon through a technique he'd learned.

Ku couldn't figure out which it was that was causing him to react this way to Akane's touch. The bond made more sense, but the light in his chest was unmistakably blue.

Growling in frustration, Ku channeled his black chi through his body and encircled that speck of light. He couldn't snuff it, but he could block it off with layers of darkness. There was nothing he couldn't kill. There was no flame he couldn't extinguish. He would put out this light. It didn't matter what it was, as long as he proved to be its superior.

It took a moment, but Ku managed to silence the uproar in his chest. Ranma, however, was still burning brightly, and it was causing a faint pounding in his head.

"Seems you were wrong," Akane said from where she was getting to her feet. She wasn't sure if Ku was aware of Ranma being able to speak to her through their bond, or even of the bond itself, so she chose her words carefully. "You seem to be having some problems."

Ku glared down at Akane, the apparent source of what was happening. He'd never had this much trouble breaking his host's will before. His usual tactics seemed to have a bipolar effect on Ranma, causing suffering one moment, and then lighting a determined fire the next. He clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood. He was going to end this foolishness.

"A minor setback," he said. His eyes were now burning a faint green light.

"I think it's a little more than that," Akane said.

"Even if it is, you're finished. You can barely stand."

"As long as I can stand, I'll stand in your way," Akane shouted firmly.

"And just what is this boldness in you?" Ku asked. "Ranma remembers you as a helpless little girl."

Akane growled as her temper boiled from hearing Ku. She hated being belittled, especially by Ranma. Just thinking about him treating her like a helpless little girl made her want to clobber him into next week.

"Akane!" Kasumi shouted. She stepped out from where she'd been watching behind the door frame.

Akane took a step back and put her hand to her forehead. She'd let herself fall back on bad habits at the worst of times, just like Ku wanted her to. She looked over to where her sister was standing and nodded her understanding. She wouldn't allow herself to be distracted like that again.

"Give up while you still can," Ku warned her. His eyes showed unmatched hatred when he spoke. "I won't give you another chance."

Akane shook the fog from her head and firmed her stance. "I'll never give up."

"Then you will die." Ku focused his flow of chi, creating a more powerful aura than before. He pumped his chi like he did when Cologne had attempted to block it. If he couldn't overcome the barriers created by this light, he would break through them. Nothing would be able to contain his power.

Akane drew upon all of her remaining strength and produced the best battle aura she could. Her whole body felt the faint burning of muscle fatigue and soreness of growing bruises, but she ignored their pleas for her to stop.

With a determined cry, Akane rushed at Ku and delivered her best combination of attacks from a series of katas she knew by heart. Ku met her blow for blow, showing a cold rage he'd not shown since his fight with Ranma the previous night.

The two battled like fighters on their last breath. Akane fought through her exhaustion while Ku strained through the resistance Ranma pressed on his body. Both fixed focused eyes on the other, not giving an inch, but it was Ku's force of will that won.

Just as Akane finished a third combination, she reached her limit. Her aura faded, and exhaustion clouded her mind. She was dizzy, tired, and lost her sixth sense all at once. Her mind's eye could barely sense the flow of chi, forcing her to rely on more base instincts.

Her first block was slow, allowing Ku's fist to strike her in her left shoulder. She reeled back from the blow, but didn't retreat. Her next block missed his attack by an entire second, a kick to the gut that sent her pedaling backward. She stumbled, waving her arms to try to keep balanced.

"You're too slow," Ku said with malice. He moved with inhuman speed to get behind her and elbowed her side. The attack sent her spinning, and a simple step forward from Ku tripped her off her feet. "Clumsy," he added with a downward backhand to her stomach that slammed her into the ground finally. "Weak."

Akane hurt all over, but it wasn't from the exhaustion. The last few hits had hurt more than anything she'd ever felt before. Each blow had been punctuated by Ku's insults through Ranma's twisted voice. They stung, because they were insults that Ranma often used against her. Most of all though, she couldn't believe how much strength Ku had hit her with. She curled into a ball, clenching her stomach to try to stop the pain.

"You are pathetic, Akane," Ku said. "To think you would be so stupid as to believe you ever stood a chance."

Akane didn't speak. She slowly rolled onto her knees and pushed her hands against the ground. Her body shook as she tried to push herself up, causing Ku to laugh.

"You really don't know when to give up," he said. "Your cooking, your practice of the art, your foolish ideas of competing with Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi."

Akane growled and winced in pain at the same time. His words made her angry and sad at the same time. Part of her still hadn't come to terms with everything, and let those words creep into her mind and stay there. She tried to force it out, but it remained like a poison. "Damn you..." she rasped.

Ku smiled. This was the victory he'd come here for. There was no greater despair than love shattered. "You never stood a chance," he said. "They are better than you in everything that is important to Ranma." He leaned in to speak directly into her ear. "Food, martial arts, and most of all, beauty."

Akane felt something snap inside. She spun towards Ku, whom was now standing up straight again. Her anger drove her to her feet and she tried to punch his lights out while a single tear escaped her right eye. "I hate you!" she screamed.

Ku returned Akane's anger with an evil smile. He avoided her attempt to punch him in the face and sent her back to the ground with a backhand that caught her by her eye.

"Oh my, Akane!" Kasumi cried.

Akane didn't say anything as she laid on the ground. Her eye and cheek stung from where Ku had hit her, and she knew it was going to show within the hour. She knew that was the point of the blow he'd given her. It marked in a way no woman wanted to ever be marked. It would swell and bruise as if Ranma had beaten her.

Akane couldn't hold it in anymore, and allowed her tears to leak out. Her defeat had become bitter.

- x -

Ranma stared wide eyed into the opening, but no longer took notice of what her eyes saw. When Ku struck Akane in the face with the back of his hand, something within Ranma snapped.

That action had been different than everything else she'd witnessed within the darkness. Something in the air around her changed, causing her to be pulled into the opening. It no longer was like she was looking through it, but rather through her own eyes in the real world again. She could even feel it, when her body's hand hit Akane, and felt cold hatred coursing through chest. In every manner, it was like she herself was hitting Akane.

Just as quickly as the strange experience had happened, Ranma found herself being sucked back into the darkness, and she was once again peering into the foggy opening.

The experience had been haunting for Ranma, to say the least. It was like waking from a dream to find herself striking Akane as if she'd been sleep walking. Seeing her on the ground crying was an image Ranma would never forget for the rest of her life.

Ranma couldn't breathe. Her breath had caught in her throat after feeling her own hand hitting Akane, and it was now a painful lump. Tears ran from her eyes as she looked down at her hands. They were trembling from her nerves and aching heart.

The darkness felt heavier around Ranma as she succumbed to the horrors she was experiencing. The last event replayed in her mind over and over despite her best efforts to not see it. Every detail was intensified in her memory. The sound of Akane's cry of pain. The feel of her knuckles hitting her by the temple. The cold hatred in her chest. The burning rage in her arm. Everything was made worse by her memory.

A faint growling began to sound overhead, but Ranma ignored it. She didn't care about whatever it was creeping in the darkness. The only thing that mattered to her was the pain Akane was going through because of the situation they were in. All she wanted to do was put an end to this any way she could.

As Ranma continued to focus on her thoughts of Akane, and her desire to make this stop, the growling became louder. It was distant, but also different than the growing she'd heard earlier. This was not the growl of Ku's wolf form.

The growling fell over her ears. As it did, Ranma heard her male voice speaking within her mind.

"He did this," it said. "He did this!"

Ranma gazed through the opening at Akane's still huddled form and squinted. She knew who had to answer for this.

"Make him pay," her male voice said, sounding a little more forceful than how she usually was.

Ranma wanted to make Ku pay. Above her, she felt a pulse send ripples through the darkness, along with a faint roar. Her body tensed of its own accord, wanting to act.

"Make him pay!" her male voice cried. "He hurt Akane! Akane!"

Ranma suddenly realized that she recognized this voice. Of course, she recognized it, because it was her true male voice, but it was more than that. It was the feeling the voice gave her as it spoke, like something deep down in her heart fighting to break out. The last time she'd felt it was when she was facing off against Saffron. That was when she'd been pushed further than ever before. That was when she'd made a hard stand, and came to terms with what it truly meant to fight for your life, to the death.

"Kill him!" the voice cried. "He must pay! No one hurts Akane and gets away with it! Put an end to this! Kill! Kill! KILL!"

Ranma became acutely aware of what she needed to do, effectively silencing the voice in her head. The roar faded from her ears, and she looked upwards. "I'm going to kill you!" she screamed.

Ranma's aura flared to life, filling the darkness with blue light. The black fog could now be seen around her, shadows cascading along its layers from Ranma's aura. A pair of green eyes and a glowing fanged maw were glaring back at her from within the black fog.

Ku's revealed demonic form snarled at Ranma and coiled itself around her tightly. It brought its full weight upon her, attempting to block her aura's light from escaping its mass.

Ranma pushed and swung through the thick fog, using her light to guide her. She kept her eyes on Ku's, moving closer with each cut of her arms through the dense fog. "You're dead, Ku!" she threatened. "You're dead!"

Ranma continued to force her way forward while Ku brought more darkness down upon them. The thick fog was now denser than ever, nearly blinding Ranma to Ku's green eyes. She didn't relent. The thicker the darkness became, the harder she fought to break through it. Each time she batted away another layer, she saw her target in the distance.

While Ranma burned brightly, the pulsing of energy from above was becoming stronger and more frequent. She felt each pulse move through her like a surge of energy, while Ku howled as if pained.

Ku's green eyes retreated out of Ranma's reach. As it rose high above, its body of fog fell over Ranma like a tidal wave. More and more black chi came flooding from behind the green eyes, crushing her underneath its cold, numbing touch. She wouldn't surrender, however. It didn't matter how deep the abyss was. Ranma would claw her way out and make Ku pay for what he's done.

- x -

Ku felt Ranma sinking under despair as he glared at Akane's defeated form. He was savoring the taste of victory. It was just as it always was. A man brought to his knees, to despair, at the beating of the woman he loves. Adding the twist of making him feel like he was the one doing it twisted the proverbial knife, which only made Ku grin in satisfaction.

Ranma's presence was just about finished when Ku felt the light in his chest pulse. He squirmed slightly and looked down at it within him. It pulsed again, stronger than the first time, causing him to flinch.

He placed his hand at his chest and moved his chi to subdue the light. When he did, he left an opening for Ranma's presence, although he saw nothing wrong with that. Ranma's presence remained in its state of shock and despair, not even aware of the lightened burden.

Then, everything changed. A third pulse from the light took advantage of Ku's attention, and ever so slightly, reached to Ranma. The whole thing was so slight, Ku didn't even take notice. He continued to try to subdue the light until Ranma's spirit suddenly burned so bright he howled.

"Grah!" Ku cried. His body went rigid, and he grabbed his head in his hands. Pain. Burning hot pain was ripping through his head.

Akane looked up at Ku's howl of pain. She watched through eyes blurred by her tears as he clenched his head tightly and cried out. His whole body was shaking violently.

"Ranma?" Akane asked herself. When Ku's body flinched violently, she called out to him. "Ranma!"

Ku's eyes opened, looking crazed from the pain he was experiencing. He didn't understand. Ranma seemed more determined than ever. The light in his chest was pulsing like a heartbeat. Everything was going wrong.

While the pain continued to rip through him, Ku looked over to where Akane was kneeling. She was no longer huddling in pain. Instead, she looked hopeful and determined.

"Fight it, Ranma!" Akane yelled.

Akane's words made the pain even worse, forcing Ku backwards. He growled and pushed down both of the lights within him. As the lights were pushed further back again, Ku regained his senses and glared at Akane. "You..." he growled. "This is all because of you!"

Ku suddenly released his black chi, which surrounded his body like smoke from a fire. He stood there burning from his rage, eyes murderous as they glared into Akane's. With a push of his arm, he attempted to send his chi towards Akane, to make her feel true despair.

Akane shielded herself from the black chi as it glided towards her. It touched the arm she was using to protect herself, and its terrorizing touch began to affect her.

Akane's worst nightmares flashed through her mind in the blink of an eye. Painful memories, long buried by her subconscious, came dredging back to the surface. As they bombarded her mind, the smoke began to pass through her like an ice cold breath.

"Suffer and die," Ku said grimly.

While Ku's attention kept Ranma firmly in place in his prison, the same could not be said for the light in his chest. While it had been content in remaining deep within its little pocket of space before, things were now different. As the black smoke pulled the memories and thoughts from Akane's mind to use against her, the light changed its behavior. It now came lancing through the darkness, and exited his body as a wave of energy.

The blue light emitted from his chest and pulled the black smoke back in. As it dragged the black chi from Akane, she fell limply to the ground, trembling from what she'd just experienced.

The two energies fought within Ku, making him flinch and convulse. He tensed his muscles and focused as best he could. The light in his chest was strong, but it wasn't fighting to gain ground, or even force him out of control, not that it could. It remained in his chest adamantly, merely keeping the darkness from escaping when Ku attempted to move it again.

Ranma, on the other hand, was breaking through the barriers he'd formed around her. Ku couldn't contain her while also fighting to subdue the blue light that prevented him from attacking Akane. He surrendered his intent to harm Akane, slowly pulling his chi back from the blue light and back towards where Ranma was being held. The light did not pursue, and calmed as its haven was left intact.

With the revolt in his chest momentarily at peace, Ku directed his attention to Ranma, bringing his crushing cold and despair on her like an ocean. "Foolish mortal," he seethed. "You only delay the inevitable."

Ever so slowly, Ku managed to submerge Ranma enough to stop the pain in his head. Her light was now encased in a tight prison of black chi. It now only buzzed slightly, but he would deal with that in time. The light was more troublesome, and Ku didn't think he could deal with these problems while sticking around.

At that moment, Akane was just beginning to struggled from her back to her hands and knees. She looked up at Ku, hoping to find that Ranma had won. To her disappointment, she could tell that was not the case.

Ku was glaring down at Akane, but making no move against her. He was focused on holding himself together against the conflicting forces inside of his host body. His plan to break Ranma had failed, and another presence was making things far more difficult beyond that. There were other ways to get what he wanted, however.

Without a word, Ku leapt over Akane and then the crumbled gate. Akane tried to turn to look after him, but stumbled halfway from either exhaustion, or pain. She couldn't tell.

Kasumi finally ran over to where Akane was on the ground and held her tightly. "Akane, are you alright?" she asked, voice trembling.

"He's still alive," Akane said, ignoring her sister's question. "I heard him."

Kasumi was glad to know that Ranma was still alive, but her worry for her sister was the dominant thought. She couldn't imagine what Akane must have gone through, especially that last part. "That's good to hear, Akane, but what about you?" she asked again.

"I'm fine," Akane said in a hurry. Her mind was a complete mess of rushed thoughts and scattered plans. "We have to go after him," she added while trying to stand. Before she could even get an inch off the ground she fell back down. "Ouch," she groaned.

"Not tonight, you're not," Kasumi said while helping her sister up. She supported her arm with her shoulders and began to walk her back to the house.

"But he's going to get away!" Akane argued.

"There's nothing you can do like this, Akane," Kasumi said pointedly.

"But-"

"Akane!" Kasumi snapped in her strict tone. She waited a second for Akane to calm down and looked at her with assurance. "You're only going to make things worse by trying to go after him now."

"I know, but we don't know where he's going," Akane said sadly.

"Something will turn up," Kasumi said, sounding sure of it. "Everything will work out, Akane. As long as Ranma's alive, he won't give up. We can't give up on hope. And besides, we can't just leave everyone like this."

Akane looked around at everyone laying on the ground unconscious. Kasumi was right, of course. No good would come of her trying to chase Ku in her current state, and everyone else needed help now. She didn't like it, but she would have to rely on hope for now.

Author's Notes: Alright, time to move on from this bout of mental and emotional trickery. Onwards to bigger and better things. I hope this last chapter doesn't come off as a complete disaster, because it was tough trying to make Ku's tricks make sense. Things will be more straight forward from here on out, though.

poseidon's son: The final battle will determine who finally bests him.

Richard Ryley: Yeah, I noticed that about Shampoo's hair too, although it seemed to become more purple at times. Most people see indigo as purple anyways, and it's not really a topic of confusion. Ukyo's eyes, however, had me stumped, since they so blatantly change.

AliceTheBookGirl: It's good that you remembered that bond, and Akane's chi. It will come back as a major topic during Ranma's part of the story. You are right though, that I won't answer your question directly. I will say it should be answered by Ranma's side of the story, however.

linkgold64: Sorry to hear your computer got fried. I always fear that'll happen to mine, and I'll lose all my writing, among other things.

BobV: As I touched in this chapter, Ku is not entirely aware of Ranma's situation with Akane's chi, because although Ranma has knowledge of it, he has no memories of the ritual itself. Ku can look through Ranma's memories, but without knowing what to look for, he's kind of at a loss.

Lisa: Whatever it is, it will make sense in a special way.

As usual, any comments on this chapter, and the fanfic as a whole, are greatly appreciated.