A simple twitch to the side was enough to allow a fist to harmlessly
brush past his head. He smiled as his saw his opponent blink at him with
startled eyes. Wasn't expecting that was he? Just what kind of training did
he do over in the mountains, he must be thinking. Wouldn't he like to know.
Still, he couldn't help but feel as if it were a cheap thrill as the tables
were turned on his rival. To finally know what his enemy may have had thought
of him when they fought: Slow, clumsy due to anger, while he, on the other
hand, swift, calm, collected.
Not this time. If only his rival knew the Hell he went through. None of
this emotional hell as proclaimed before. No... if Ranma only knew what Hell
Ryouga went through this time around would he have known that he would have no
chance in winning this time.
Akane fumed within her place in the sidelines. Her throat had become
raspy from her futile protests of her two "friends" fighting. Realizing that
her attempts were pointless, she huffed and folded her arms in front of her in
scorn. Those two would never give up, she mused to herself. Frankly, she was
beginning to get tired of the situation. Still, after the fight was finished,
she would have to give Ranma a good thwack in the head for his behavior. Didn't
he have any consideration to the people around him, or was he really that self-
centered?
Her mind recalled earlier when the fight first started. Ranma was
shamelessly flirting with his "other" fiancees. Feeling his ego swell from his
bullying Mousse, although Kuno did deserve that kick into lower earth orbit, he
just couldn't have enough. Then, here came Ryouga staggering through the front
gates of the school, his clothes torn to shreds at places and his skin and
clothes covered in thick layers of dirt. There was something about Ryouga's
eyes, Akane remembered, they somehow seemed older and expressed more lethargy
than usually seen in his features. Instantly she became worried about her
friend, but the preoccupation was never expressed as Ranma decided to prove
himself more of a jerk in Akane's eyes.
Instead of asking of his condition, Ranma arrogantly strolled toward the
"Lost boy" and began to pick on him! Honestly! Still, Ryouga tried to keep his
control in check, yet Ranma persisted in his annoyance. The inevitable was
merely delayed as Ryouga finally got fed up from Ranma's teasing and a few
seconds later struck justifiably at the pig-tailed idiot. Still, this fight
seemed different somehow from their previous fights. Usually it was Ranma that
dodged Ryouga's attacks. Ryouga still threw punches and his usual kicks, but
they lacked the luster Ryouga previously put in his preceding battles. Perhaps
Ryouga was just exhausted? Oops! Now they've gone over the wall. Akane sighed
and followed, hoping she'll get a chance to put it in their heads to stop this
inane fighting, even if she did have to bash both their brains in.
Ranma was getting severely annoyed. Just where did "pig-boy" learn to
move so fast? Still, there was nothing like a good old spar with Ryouga...
even if this one did seem a bit off. Ryouga wasn't responding to most of the
hits Ranma got through. Yet, with the proper "goading," Ryouga seemed to give
some sort of super-powered punch, at least that's what they felt like. Punches
that were nearly fast enough to rival Katchu Tenshin Amurgiruken speed, but
just nearly. What also made his attacks odd was the strong aura behind each
punch. A force he hadn't felt since that incident with that annoying,
mischievous demon that possessed Kasumi a while back. What was also odd was the
non-existent battle marks. Twice had he blasted Ryouga to a wall using his
Mouko Takabisha, yet Ryouga seemed free of any scuff marks, bruises or cuts of
any kind. Manipulation of Ki helped heal wounds rapidly, but so quickly? And
during a battle even? It was almost as if Ryouga was mocking him. As if he was
saying that he'd rather heal his injuries than take the time to battle him.
Well, Ranma thought, this just meant that he would have to just raise the
stakes higher and not hold back. Maybe then would ol' "Bacon-bits" would take
him more seriously.
The foot brushed millimeters past his nose yet Ryouga didn't blink. It
wouldn't have mattered to him if it connected. Nothing seemed to matter
anymore. This time, he couldn't solely blame Ranma for this predicament,
although he did feel better afterward. No, this time the fault lied on a very
special girl... who just happened to be half-demon. He sighed as he figured he
would have to continue on his search for her. She wasn't dead, no, he could
only be so lucky. What would he do when he found her again? Would he help her?
Well, he did promise her he would. It was afterward that made him ponder. He
wouldn't impose himself on her to invite her to wander aimlessly around the
world with him, although the idea did have merit. What kept him before from
expressing any feeling toward her was Akari. He wouldn't do that to the sweet
pig-farmer, he just couldn't find it in his heart to harm her. He didn't think
he had it in him to let her go either. It was Hell enough to begin to let go
Akane. Akane.... Akari... now this demon girl? Kami... He was almost as bad
as Kuno! No, that idiot only chased after two people... Ranma... now there was
a guy that fit the category. Gods! Could he live with himself knowing he was
just as a womanizer as that pompous j...
"OMPH!"
Hmmm, a cracked jaw... must pay more attention to the fight, Ryouga
murmured to himself. Just what was it that they were fighting over this time?
Ah well, he'd ask Ranma later. Sighing in disdain, Ryouga took time to take in
his surroundings. This didn't look like the school grounds, (then again, not
even the school grounds looked like the school grounds sometimes). Unless the
economics class went a little out of hand and opened an large shopping center,
it was safe to say he wasn't in Furinkan High. He shrugged slightly and
coughed as Ranma got another punch through his defenses. Well, he sing-songed
in his mind, someone had been training since he was gone. Ryouga actually
smiled at this. Perhaps this spar would prove amusing at the least. He
actually felt that single punch, not like Ranma's previous attempts when it
took a multi-fisted strike to get the same effect. Letting his mind wander
again he looked around at his "audience" for the fight. Everyone he knew (and
various passer-byers who got curious of all the commotion) stayed to watch.
Even the old Ghoul came to be entertained. Well, didn't he feel honored... Ah
well, she didn't seem that old to him anymore.. not since he met that half-
demon. Didn't matter. There goes Akane again... hmm, there was something
about her voice, perhaps he should stop momentarily to pay attention to what
she's screaming? Look out? What was that last part? Look out for the...?
Ryouga heard a horn blare behind him and turned rapidly. Blinking at the
oncoming tour bus, he sighed. Looking upwards to the heavens he silently prayed
to whatever deity that would bother to hear him.
"Not again..."
Slow motion. That's how Akane would recall it in her mind. In complete,
agonizing slow-motion. Akane covered her eyes and turned away. She couldn't
watch, but she soon learned that the sound was much worse. She doubted she
would ever sleep again without hearing the sounds pass over her mind again in
the stillness. Already it was enough to drive her crazy! The screeching tires,
the loud, sickening crunching sound, maddening silence, then... then... Kami!
What got to her most were the screams of several of the witnesses. Her mind
couldn't take it anymore. She felt her entire self go numb. This wasn't
happening. Maybe if she told that to herself repeatedly she may perhaps
actually believe that shit. Ryouga was strong, built like a rock. He could
survive this! The Bakusai Tenketsu training built his endurance into super-
human standards. She couldn't accept this! Ryouga was her friend! Her best
friend. She WOULDN'T accept this! She turned around, as if to defy the facts,
determined to prove to herself that it was nothing more than her imagination.
She looked up... then collapsed onto her knees, emptying her stomach to the
side. Blood. Blood everywhere, on the street, on the walls, on the bus... on
Ranma. She couldn't handle it anymore and screamed. A high pitch scream,
ringing her own ears as well. It was until she felt a sharp poke on her neck
did she stop screaming and collapsed exhaustedly onto the ground. It wasn't
fair! She didn't want to sleep. Not now! Maybe it was her mind already going
mad, maybe it was an effect of the shiatsu point.. but she somehow believed
Ryouga couldn't be dead. Now... Now they put her out before she can prove to
herself her instincts were true? It wasn't fair! Before she went unconscious
though, she vowed she would give that Old Ghoul an ear-full when she woke up!
Cologne sighed and pulled back the tip of her staff away from the
youngest Tendo.
"It was for her own good..."
Turning back to the devastation, she couldn't help but feel a great sense
of loss. Although male, Ryouga did possess various qualities found in the best
of her Amazon warriors. Although not as skilled as her son-in-law, Cologne
couldn't help but believe if she played her cards right, he would've been a
valuable asset to the future of her tribe. But all that was moot as she
observed the chaos around her.
Her son-in-law stood there, frozen in shock, blood dripping down his
face. Not his blood, which made it all worse. She didn't blame him, as
sadistic as it sounded, he did get a "front-seat" view of his rival's tragic
demise. Shaking her head she sighed as she observed her great-granddaughter
bawling on the ground. She thought she had taught her better than that. She
was a warrior, death should have been a part of her as life was. Shampoo was
merely one hundred years too early to grasp that, Cologne supposed, so she
dismissed it. Then again, the Amazon matriarch could only faintly recall when
she had been the same when she was about her age. Mousse, not surprisingly
enough, was one of the few that had snapped back into reality. Pulling various
traffic associated signs from the confines of his robe, he began to divert
traffic away from the site. If only the situation wasn't so dire, Cologne
would've raised a brow as the myopic Amazon pulled a working traffic light to
assist him. She could hear sirens approaching, not that they could do
anything. Everyone else was either still in shock, or gradually breaking down.
Cologne couldn't help but feel as if they all were nothing more than
hypocritical bastards! How many times had the boy disappeared for weeks upon
months without end. When he did appear, not many gave notice, or gave it a
second thought. Now... now that he was truly gone did people "suddenly" gave a
damn? Of course, she couldn't place blame on all of them... for she was the
same.
Sadly she turned her back on the bedlam, holding her long, age-old
withered staff held securely in her hand she began her descent back to the
restaurant. No matter how many times she's seen it, no matter how many times
she told herself she was immune to the effects to it, she would never get used
to the notion of death.
A loud groan caught her attention. Perhaps her son-in-law had finally
snapped out of his trance. She turned to address him when what she saw nearly
caused her to stagger off balance.
Ryouga's body slowly staggered from the bloody asphalt, using the side of
the bus as a crutch. For a few moments he just stood there, leaning slightly
on the blood-stained vehicle, grumbling about the "stains on his clean shirt."
By all means that boy should've still been scattered under the tires, not
trying to clean blood off his face with his trade-mark bandanna. Cologne wasn't
the only who also realized this. Shampoo, thinking that the "dead had come to
haunt them", fainted there in the middle of the street. Cologne sighed again.
Her great-granddaughter was always the superstitious type, but perhaps she had
a point. Suddenly, something caught her eye before she was able to pull out
some wards to dispel the entity. Hidden behind the supposedly dead, Lost-boy's
bangs was a character she had not seen in over a century. And when she had
seen it, it was when she was first given the honor to read the tribe's most
sacred scrolls of her ancestors.
The scrolls had told of an ancient civilization known as the Sanjiyan. A
tricloptic tribe of demons known to possess supernatural powers and the gift of
eternal youth. It had long disappeared, yet the scrolls gave no indication
how, only the fact that this civilization did exist.
The scrolls also recounted a legend associated with the Sanjiyan. It
described the particular character found on Ryouga's head to the mark. Before,
it had only been that... a story, a legend. No one in her tribe had ever given
it a second thought, until now. With the facts in front of her: Ryouga's
resurrection, appearing unharmed, with nary a scratch on his body. (His
clothes, on the other hand, was a different matter.) Cologne even recalled the
battle that lead to his "supposed demise." She remembered the punch he threw
earlier at her son-in-law. She could feel some sort of demonic aura behind the
swing. She had previously dismissed it as another angsty feeling the boy was
subjecting himself to in order to call upon a new martial art technique. Now
she knew better. With humor she even recalled Ryouga's supposed last words.
She smiled and shook her head. This would indeed prove interesting. Perhaps
she may even use this situation to her advantage. Hopping onto her staff, she
"pogoed" her way to the confused boy until she stood before him. Ryouga merely
blinked at the Amazon matriarch, and even more so when she thrust a finger to
point at the symbol on the boy's forehead.
"To believe," she paused to give the engifted lad a thin-lipped smile.
"To believe one such as you would carry the Sign of the Void."
Cologne chuckled as the boy's eyes widened in amazement then he chuckled
himself, nodding. Of course! If anyone would know anything about ancient
spells and/or artifact, it was Cologne, Ryouga mused again to himself.
By this time, the police were franticly looking around for the supposed
"dead" body that brought them in the first place. This place wouldn't do for a
conversation, Cologne realized. Not with the sirens blaring and people still
in shock.
Calling upon Shampoo and Mousse to follow her, Cologne looked back at
Ryouga and gave an amused, yet calculating stare. Producing a bucket from
within her robes, she flung the contents on Ranma, who, with the assistance of
the cold water, at that moment decided to return back to the Hell known as
Reality. Surprisingly enough, either everyone was still in shock, or had grown
accustomed to the change, but hardly anyone gave the transformation a second
glance. The boy-turned-girl looked around, dazed and confused... effects from
the shock, Cologne analyzed... and simply gave a confused look at the Amazon
matriarch.
"Gather everyone and meet me back at the restaurant." Cologne then gave a
solid stare at the Lost-boy. "You boy... have some explaining to do."
With that the withered crone hopped onto her staff and descended back to
familiar territory. Ryouga, shaking himself out of the glare, sighed in
contempt. To think he would have an eternity of Hell to deal with now.
"Pai... this is all your fault!"
brush past his head. He smiled as his saw his opponent blink at him with
startled eyes. Wasn't expecting that was he? Just what kind of training did
he do over in the mountains, he must be thinking. Wouldn't he like to know.
Still, he couldn't help but feel as if it were a cheap thrill as the tables
were turned on his rival. To finally know what his enemy may have had thought
of him when they fought: Slow, clumsy due to anger, while he, on the other
hand, swift, calm, collected.
Not this time. If only his rival knew the Hell he went through. None of
this emotional hell as proclaimed before. No... if Ranma only knew what Hell
Ryouga went through this time around would he have known that he would have no
chance in winning this time.
Akane fumed within her place in the sidelines. Her throat had become
raspy from her futile protests of her two "friends" fighting. Realizing that
her attempts were pointless, she huffed and folded her arms in front of her in
scorn. Those two would never give up, she mused to herself. Frankly, she was
beginning to get tired of the situation. Still, after the fight was finished,
she would have to give Ranma a good thwack in the head for his behavior. Didn't
he have any consideration to the people around him, or was he really that self-
centered?
Her mind recalled earlier when the fight first started. Ranma was
shamelessly flirting with his "other" fiancees. Feeling his ego swell from his
bullying Mousse, although Kuno did deserve that kick into lower earth orbit, he
just couldn't have enough. Then, here came Ryouga staggering through the front
gates of the school, his clothes torn to shreds at places and his skin and
clothes covered in thick layers of dirt. There was something about Ryouga's
eyes, Akane remembered, they somehow seemed older and expressed more lethargy
than usually seen in his features. Instantly she became worried about her
friend, but the preoccupation was never expressed as Ranma decided to prove
himself more of a jerk in Akane's eyes.
Instead of asking of his condition, Ranma arrogantly strolled toward the
"Lost boy" and began to pick on him! Honestly! Still, Ryouga tried to keep his
control in check, yet Ranma persisted in his annoyance. The inevitable was
merely delayed as Ryouga finally got fed up from Ranma's teasing and a few
seconds later struck justifiably at the pig-tailed idiot. Still, this fight
seemed different somehow from their previous fights. Usually it was Ranma that
dodged Ryouga's attacks. Ryouga still threw punches and his usual kicks, but
they lacked the luster Ryouga previously put in his preceding battles. Perhaps
Ryouga was just exhausted? Oops! Now they've gone over the wall. Akane sighed
and followed, hoping she'll get a chance to put it in their heads to stop this
inane fighting, even if she did have to bash both their brains in.
Ranma was getting severely annoyed. Just where did "pig-boy" learn to
move so fast? Still, there was nothing like a good old spar with Ryouga...
even if this one did seem a bit off. Ryouga wasn't responding to most of the
hits Ranma got through. Yet, with the proper "goading," Ryouga seemed to give
some sort of super-powered punch, at least that's what they felt like. Punches
that were nearly fast enough to rival Katchu Tenshin Amurgiruken speed, but
just nearly. What also made his attacks odd was the strong aura behind each
punch. A force he hadn't felt since that incident with that annoying,
mischievous demon that possessed Kasumi a while back. What was also odd was the
non-existent battle marks. Twice had he blasted Ryouga to a wall using his
Mouko Takabisha, yet Ryouga seemed free of any scuff marks, bruises or cuts of
any kind. Manipulation of Ki helped heal wounds rapidly, but so quickly? And
during a battle even? It was almost as if Ryouga was mocking him. As if he was
saying that he'd rather heal his injuries than take the time to battle him.
Well, Ranma thought, this just meant that he would have to just raise the
stakes higher and not hold back. Maybe then would ol' "Bacon-bits" would take
him more seriously.
The foot brushed millimeters past his nose yet Ryouga didn't blink. It
wouldn't have mattered to him if it connected. Nothing seemed to matter
anymore. This time, he couldn't solely blame Ranma for this predicament,
although he did feel better afterward. No, this time the fault lied on a very
special girl... who just happened to be half-demon. He sighed as he figured he
would have to continue on his search for her. She wasn't dead, no, he could
only be so lucky. What would he do when he found her again? Would he help her?
Well, he did promise her he would. It was afterward that made him ponder. He
wouldn't impose himself on her to invite her to wander aimlessly around the
world with him, although the idea did have merit. What kept him before from
expressing any feeling toward her was Akari. He wouldn't do that to the sweet
pig-farmer, he just couldn't find it in his heart to harm her. He didn't think
he had it in him to let her go either. It was Hell enough to begin to let go
Akane. Akane.... Akari... now this demon girl? Kami... He was almost as bad
as Kuno! No, that idiot only chased after two people... Ranma... now there was
a guy that fit the category. Gods! Could he live with himself knowing he was
just as a womanizer as that pompous j...
"OMPH!"
Hmmm, a cracked jaw... must pay more attention to the fight, Ryouga
murmured to himself. Just what was it that they were fighting over this time?
Ah well, he'd ask Ranma later. Sighing in disdain, Ryouga took time to take in
his surroundings. This didn't look like the school grounds, (then again, not
even the school grounds looked like the school grounds sometimes). Unless the
economics class went a little out of hand and opened an large shopping center,
it was safe to say he wasn't in Furinkan High. He shrugged slightly and
coughed as Ranma got another punch through his defenses. Well, he sing-songed
in his mind, someone had been training since he was gone. Ryouga actually
smiled at this. Perhaps this spar would prove amusing at the least. He
actually felt that single punch, not like Ranma's previous attempts when it
took a multi-fisted strike to get the same effect. Letting his mind wander
again he looked around at his "audience" for the fight. Everyone he knew (and
various passer-byers who got curious of all the commotion) stayed to watch.
Even the old Ghoul came to be entertained. Well, didn't he feel honored... Ah
well, she didn't seem that old to him anymore.. not since he met that half-
demon. Didn't matter. There goes Akane again... hmm, there was something
about her voice, perhaps he should stop momentarily to pay attention to what
she's screaming? Look out? What was that last part? Look out for the...?
Ryouga heard a horn blare behind him and turned rapidly. Blinking at the
oncoming tour bus, he sighed. Looking upwards to the heavens he silently prayed
to whatever deity that would bother to hear him.
"Not again..."
Slow motion. That's how Akane would recall it in her mind. In complete,
agonizing slow-motion. Akane covered her eyes and turned away. She couldn't
watch, but she soon learned that the sound was much worse. She doubted she
would ever sleep again without hearing the sounds pass over her mind again in
the stillness. Already it was enough to drive her crazy! The screeching tires,
the loud, sickening crunching sound, maddening silence, then... then... Kami!
What got to her most were the screams of several of the witnesses. Her mind
couldn't take it anymore. She felt her entire self go numb. This wasn't
happening. Maybe if she told that to herself repeatedly she may perhaps
actually believe that shit. Ryouga was strong, built like a rock. He could
survive this! The Bakusai Tenketsu training built his endurance into super-
human standards. She couldn't accept this! Ryouga was her friend! Her best
friend. She WOULDN'T accept this! She turned around, as if to defy the facts,
determined to prove to herself that it was nothing more than her imagination.
She looked up... then collapsed onto her knees, emptying her stomach to the
side. Blood. Blood everywhere, on the street, on the walls, on the bus... on
Ranma. She couldn't handle it anymore and screamed. A high pitch scream,
ringing her own ears as well. It was until she felt a sharp poke on her neck
did she stop screaming and collapsed exhaustedly onto the ground. It wasn't
fair! She didn't want to sleep. Not now! Maybe it was her mind already going
mad, maybe it was an effect of the shiatsu point.. but she somehow believed
Ryouga couldn't be dead. Now... Now they put her out before she can prove to
herself her instincts were true? It wasn't fair! Before she went unconscious
though, she vowed she would give that Old Ghoul an ear-full when she woke up!
Cologne sighed and pulled back the tip of her staff away from the
youngest Tendo.
"It was for her own good..."
Turning back to the devastation, she couldn't help but feel a great sense
of loss. Although male, Ryouga did possess various qualities found in the best
of her Amazon warriors. Although not as skilled as her son-in-law, Cologne
couldn't help but believe if she played her cards right, he would've been a
valuable asset to the future of her tribe. But all that was moot as she
observed the chaos around her.
Her son-in-law stood there, frozen in shock, blood dripping down his
face. Not his blood, which made it all worse. She didn't blame him, as
sadistic as it sounded, he did get a "front-seat" view of his rival's tragic
demise. Shaking her head she sighed as she observed her great-granddaughter
bawling on the ground. She thought she had taught her better than that. She
was a warrior, death should have been a part of her as life was. Shampoo was
merely one hundred years too early to grasp that, Cologne supposed, so she
dismissed it. Then again, the Amazon matriarch could only faintly recall when
she had been the same when she was about her age. Mousse, not surprisingly
enough, was one of the few that had snapped back into reality. Pulling various
traffic associated signs from the confines of his robe, he began to divert
traffic away from the site. If only the situation wasn't so dire, Cologne
would've raised a brow as the myopic Amazon pulled a working traffic light to
assist him. She could hear sirens approaching, not that they could do
anything. Everyone else was either still in shock, or gradually breaking down.
Cologne couldn't help but feel as if they all were nothing more than
hypocritical bastards! How many times had the boy disappeared for weeks upon
months without end. When he did appear, not many gave notice, or gave it a
second thought. Now... now that he was truly gone did people "suddenly" gave a
damn? Of course, she couldn't place blame on all of them... for she was the
same.
Sadly she turned her back on the bedlam, holding her long, age-old
withered staff held securely in her hand she began her descent back to the
restaurant. No matter how many times she's seen it, no matter how many times
she told herself she was immune to the effects to it, she would never get used
to the notion of death.
A loud groan caught her attention. Perhaps her son-in-law had finally
snapped out of his trance. She turned to address him when what she saw nearly
caused her to stagger off balance.
Ryouga's body slowly staggered from the bloody asphalt, using the side of
the bus as a crutch. For a few moments he just stood there, leaning slightly
on the blood-stained vehicle, grumbling about the "stains on his clean shirt."
By all means that boy should've still been scattered under the tires, not
trying to clean blood off his face with his trade-mark bandanna. Cologne wasn't
the only who also realized this. Shampoo, thinking that the "dead had come to
haunt them", fainted there in the middle of the street. Cologne sighed again.
Her great-granddaughter was always the superstitious type, but perhaps she had
a point. Suddenly, something caught her eye before she was able to pull out
some wards to dispel the entity. Hidden behind the supposedly dead, Lost-boy's
bangs was a character she had not seen in over a century. And when she had
seen it, it was when she was first given the honor to read the tribe's most
sacred scrolls of her ancestors.
The scrolls had told of an ancient civilization known as the Sanjiyan. A
tricloptic tribe of demons known to possess supernatural powers and the gift of
eternal youth. It had long disappeared, yet the scrolls gave no indication
how, only the fact that this civilization did exist.
The scrolls also recounted a legend associated with the Sanjiyan. It
described the particular character found on Ryouga's head to the mark. Before,
it had only been that... a story, a legend. No one in her tribe had ever given
it a second thought, until now. With the facts in front of her: Ryouga's
resurrection, appearing unharmed, with nary a scratch on his body. (His
clothes, on the other hand, was a different matter.) Cologne even recalled the
battle that lead to his "supposed demise." She remembered the punch he threw
earlier at her son-in-law. She could feel some sort of demonic aura behind the
swing. She had previously dismissed it as another angsty feeling the boy was
subjecting himself to in order to call upon a new martial art technique. Now
she knew better. With humor she even recalled Ryouga's supposed last words.
She smiled and shook her head. This would indeed prove interesting. Perhaps
she may even use this situation to her advantage. Hopping onto her staff, she
"pogoed" her way to the confused boy until she stood before him. Ryouga merely
blinked at the Amazon matriarch, and even more so when she thrust a finger to
point at the symbol on the boy's forehead.
"To believe," she paused to give the engifted lad a thin-lipped smile.
"To believe one such as you would carry the Sign of the Void."
Cologne chuckled as the boy's eyes widened in amazement then he chuckled
himself, nodding. Of course! If anyone would know anything about ancient
spells and/or artifact, it was Cologne, Ryouga mused again to himself.
By this time, the police were franticly looking around for the supposed
"dead" body that brought them in the first place. This place wouldn't do for a
conversation, Cologne realized. Not with the sirens blaring and people still
in shock.
Calling upon Shampoo and Mousse to follow her, Cologne looked back at
Ryouga and gave an amused, yet calculating stare. Producing a bucket from
within her robes, she flung the contents on Ranma, who, with the assistance of
the cold water, at that moment decided to return back to the Hell known as
Reality. Surprisingly enough, either everyone was still in shock, or had grown
accustomed to the change, but hardly anyone gave the transformation a second
glance. The boy-turned-girl looked around, dazed and confused... effects from
the shock, Cologne analyzed... and simply gave a confused look at the Amazon
matriarch.
"Gather everyone and meet me back at the restaurant." Cologne then gave a
solid stare at the Lost-boy. "You boy... have some explaining to do."
With that the withered crone hopped onto her staff and descended back to
familiar territory. Ryouga, shaking himself out of the glare, sighed in
contempt. To think he would have an eternity of Hell to deal with now.
"Pai... this is all your fault!"