The Nightmare Saga: Warrior Of The Shadows Chapter 1: Prologue: Reflections of Rage, a ranma fanfic

WARRIOR OF THE SHADOWS.

A Ranma 1/2 fanfic.

Part one of the Nightmare Saga.

By Jason Olin

These characters are not mine! I'm only a Specialist in the Army and I certainly can't afford a lawsuit! Suing me for money would be a waste of time! _ All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi, Viz. video, Shoganaku, and to everyone else who was involved in the rights to this series both in its TV and manga format.

Points of interest: This story contains some use of foul language, you have been warned. If this offends you, stop reading here!

Note of importance: This series starts off where the OAV series ends. Certain characters in my series only appeared in the manga so if you haven't read the Ranma comics, you may be a bit lost since I've decided to tie in the climatic end of the manga with the end of the OAV series. The timeline of this series places the final fight with Saffron several months after the OAV episode "The two Akane's, Ranma look at me!" I hope that clears up any possible confusion.

This is my newest version of this story. I've added some new scenes that I'm certain you all enjoy! This will also be the final revision done to this story. I hope you all have as much fun reading this as I did writing it! I consider it a tribute to my favorite Anime series, one I collected and enjoyed for over nine years.

WARRIOR OF THE SHADOWS.

A Ranma 1/2 fanfic.

Part one of the Nightmare Saga.

By Jason Olin

Points of interest: This story contains some use of foul language, you have been warned. If this offends you, stop reading here!

"I am Death, Destroyer of worlds."

- J. Robert Oppenheimer

Prologue:

"Nekonron, huh?"

The young man looked out at the barren scenery from his position atop a large, grassy hill and surveyed the bleak target below. The barren kingdom bearing the scrutiny of his predatory eyes seemed, at first glance, so vulnerable and quiet, like a sleeping baby in its protective crib, oblivious to the hazards and dangers produced by the chaotic world around it. Perhaps it was true that Nekonron was a kingdom better suited for a fairy book tale than actual reality. The kingdom certainly did not receive a fair number of visitors based on the scratches upon that hard stone that could only vaguely be called a road.

While the mystical kingdom of Nekonron was surely an oddity to the world at large, it was nothing out of the ordinary for this part of China, a rather small stretch of mystical land nestled deep within the Qing Hai province. In this part of the ancient country that was home to Jusenkyo, Mount Phoenix, Neknonron, and the Amazon Tribe, oddities were just a normality of life that wasn't questioned. Such magical factors somehow hid away in plain sight from the eyes of the wandering travelers and tourists who came to China every year.

The young man sneered with contempt, finding the land almost not worth the trip and even less worthy of being put on a map. Though this country was weak, useless, and an eyesore, it still held one important feature to it. That one feature was why he'd had come so far. He only hoped his chosen opponent wouldn't prove to be as weak as his kingdom was. His mood and strained patience wouldn't tolerate such a disappointment lightly.

He spat on the ground, defiling it with an impish glee not given in to since childhood.

"This is utterly pathetic. Why the hell would anyone want to live out here?"

A cold wind picked up and he hugged the cloak that concealed his bulky form tightly under his chin, further giving vocal life to his irritable inner thoughts. "They dare to call this barren rock pile a kingdom? No, it is certainly not worthy of such a title."

He picked up a fist sized stone and absentmindedly began tossing it in his hand, surveying his temporary hunting ground with well-trained eyes. There was no use rushing into things. Besides, as a hunting warrior he wanted to savor the neck of his prey before he bit down for the kill. He had all the time in the world to initiative the offensive against his unwary foes. The coming events would move at his pace and proceed at his discretion and design. As such, he had absolutely nothing to worry about and nothing to rush over. Let the citizens here enjoy a final few minutes of peace before he unleashed hell. In the end, it really wouldn't matter.

The night wind continued to pass by, rustling his unruly hair like invisible fingertips. This, combined with the devilish grin on his face, gave him a truly inhuman appearance. He had never been normal, at least not in the mind of others. But that was neither here nor there and he didn't care about the thoughts and opinions of people, especially since they were mostly negative. Ridicule from the weak had never kept him from working hard to complete his goals. On the contrary, it only served to motivate him.

His determination for vengeance radiated from every pore on his body now that the plan of action was ready to commence at last. The rage and excitement that had been building in his heart for weeks boiled up, begging to be released. All the lesser opponents he had faced up to this moment had been but a series of tests for the big hunt that was to come. He was ready now for a true challenge; surely someone here could give him a good show and provide him with that which he desired. What he needed was a way to test his skills. That was why he'd come all the way out here.

Tonight would lay a proper foundation for his ultimate revenge. It was all he desired, like the sweetest of wine sought by a drunkard. All he wanted was to reap vengeance and become the strongest martial artist the world had ever seen. It was all he thought about during his waking moments and all he dreamt about in his darkest slumber.

To prove his supremacy, he'd designed a plan that would set him against the best of the best in the Orient for the purpose of testing his honed body and mind. If the rumors he had heard were true, the ruler of this little territory fit that need to a tee. Simply put, it would be the first hit of many.

Ah, the thrill of the hunt. The singular pursuit of an opponent. Thus was the reason for the lone wolf's entry into the land of wind and stone, the micro kingdom of Nekonron.

The young man's smile widened to an almost impossible size and his eyes shone with bloodlust, transforming his features into something all too demonic and evil. He laughed deeply without humor and listened as the sound echoed across the rugged mountains around him. His hands came up from his sides, defying the heavens above. He felt like a god, invincible and omnipotent atop an invisible throne.

The intense training, the punishment he had put on his body, the strain of nearly breaking so many times, all had helped his skills ascend to an unimaginable level. His pain threshold was incredible, his strength that of a monster, his wrath easily given out with no remorse or regret. His heart and soul had become one with the darkness and shadows. Now he moved through that same dark current that gave him this harnessed power like a swimmer through water.

He felt a small thrill surge from within as he realized an important truth. He had molded himself into the perfect warrior at last, a true shadow warrior in every sense of the word.

The young man had become a monster in more than just form, and oh, how glad he was for it. His twisted views, warped by years of ill treatment and hostility only added to his strength, dispelling the ridiculous notion that kindness, love, and compassion were the most important emotions. To the jaded youth, more ridiculous words had never been uttered. Kindness to others was always overlooked, love was a mind-altering weakness that hindered good judgment, and compassion was nothing but a fear to kill, to beat an enemy into oblivion. It enabled those who had the resolve to kill to dominate those who feared to inflict warranted death.

Power. Strength. Hatred.

Yes, those were the true emotions of a determined warrior who basked in the loss of his own soul. Nothing could stop him and he would share this truth with the targets he had selected to become his playthings. He would most enjoy breaking them one at a time.

Inside of his mind, the young man realized that he had become a slave of sorts to the dark hatred that had come to fester in his heart. That knowledge only caused him to grin again. What of it? If that was the price to accomplish his revenge, then so be it. A soul, in the end, was of little consequence. Strength and power were all he cared for; these attributes were all he needed to get by in the world and tame it as his own.

His piercing eyes gazed down at the quiet land again. Nekonron was to become but the first small step in a series of bigger ones that was to define the path of glory he was undertaking. He could not move away from this path. He had already come too far and sacrificed too much. Besides, it felt so good to bring chaos upon the ignorant. It was all so right within his mind, tattered and tainted as it had become.

At last, after over a year of hardships he would finally set in motion the final plans he had held back for so very long. The adrenaline flowed through his veins like wild fire and his heart beat faster to keep up. Surely this was what it felt like to be truly alive. He stretched his arms out to his sides again and took a deep breath, feeling the blood and energy surge through him.

The training had been hard but necessary. He just hadn't been strong enough before. His past battles had made that lesson painfully clear. The grin disappeared from his face as he temporary reflected on this. He momentarily flexed his right hand, shattering the palm sized rock he had been tossing into dust particles as a brush of annoyance swept through his mind.

He shook his head, dispelling the ill-wanted remnant of a thought. If only the old man had just given in to my simple request in the first place none of this would need to happen!

Over time, ill events had continued to occur, and so his rage and frustration had grown to match. The source of his anger had mocked him, tormented him countless times, and the other people there had presented themselves as obstacles to his goals. Time and time again he had been thwarted. The faces of so many opponents who'd conspired against him flew through his thoughts. They'd stood against him once too many times.

"Not anymore." He set his jaw. "Never again."

Defeat would no longer be tolerated. It was time to take things to the next level. He'd play their foolish game in their stupid little town one last time, but he didn't intend to fail again. He would bring swift death to all that stood in his way. There would be no simple bruises and black eyes this time around. No, this time he was out to take lives. It was a completely necessary extreme and he felt no fear, remorse or pity at the thought of performing such murder. After all, they had driven him that far. He wasn't to blame for what he had become.

Strapping on his metal, face-concealing helm, the young man started down the dirt path toward his awaiting destiny. The dark shadows of night engulfed his powerful form like a hungry war beast. With but a thought, he merged with these shadows as intimately as if the two were lovers embracing in the night's concealment. The shadows were his world now, a cold, comforting ether realm.

The fun was about to begin. Let the hells be unleashed. A new nightmare was about to descend upon the world. Excitement and joy bubbled up within him and his terrible laughter trailed behind him as he descended further into the shadows that cloaked him. The sound of a strong force scattering rocks down the sloping trail towards Nekonron was the only indication he even existed to the world.

One with his hatred, one with the shadows, he prepared for battle…