Doors Best Left Unopened
Part 17:  Desperate Measures

by Mark MacKinnon
 

     Someone was shaking him.
     Ranma tried to focus on the face staring down at him, but it was
hard.  His sight blurred, doubling and tripling in a stomach churning
manner.  He should be wary, he knew that with a vague but insistent
certainty, although the reason was unclear for the moment.  Something
about spiders ...
     His vision suddenly came into sharp focus.  He was someplace
dark, lying on his back, and above him were milky white strands of
gauzy material, stretched across space like a giant spider's web ...
     He remembered then, and tried to sit up, his heart hammering
wildly, but someone's hands held him.  Frantically, he tried to break
free, but his limbs were still weak, without strength.  Got to get away,
he thought numbly, got to escape.
     That was when the person holding him spoke.
     "Ranma?"
     Akane?
     "Ranma, talk to me!  Ranma!"  He could see her now in the
dark, crouched over him, her warm eyes brimming with concern and
unshed tears.  Her arms were what held him, and his panic fled as he
realized that she was with him.  If they were together, then everything
was going to be all right.  Everything ...
     More of his memories came rushing back, and his breath caught
painfully .  The spider woman!  If she was still here, then Akane was in
danger.  They had to get out of there, right away.  He struggled to
make Akane understand, but he couldn't seem to speak.  She placed a
finger over his quivering lips, gentle and feather-light, her smile speaking
volumes.
     "It's all right now, Ranma," she murmured.  "I'm here.
Everything's going to be all right.  I promise."  His gaze shifted over her
shoulder as something moved behind her, a shadow amongst shadows.
He opened his mouth to cry out, but the words got tangled maddeningly
in his throat, and he watched with impotent horror as long, slender
spider legs twined around Akane's waist and dragged her back into the
foul embrace of the alluring spider woman.  Akane screamed in shock
and started thrashing wildly, but she was well and truly caught.  Tears
stung Ranma's eyes as the otherworldly beauty sank her fangs into
Akane's throat, and his Akane went limp in her arms, eyes still wide
with fear.  The woman caught his eye and smiled.
     "Now I have you both," she purred.  "And you can watch as I
do to your little girlfriend what I did to you ..."  Slowly, tauntingly, she
moved her lush mouth over Akane's, and he felt a dull pressure building
in his chest as he tried to move, to cry out, to do something,
ANYTHING.  This couldn't be happening, he had to save her, he had
to ...
     Akane!
     Tiny white motes of light began to flow from between Akane's
lips as the other woman moved closer, finally covering Akane's mouth
with her own.  Akane didn't even struggle, but Ranma knew she was
being drained, and he couldn't do anything.  He couldn't help her.
     No.
     No!

     "NO!"
     He sat up, panting, sweat covering his bare chest, shoulders
heaving as he panted.  The blanket pooled around his waist, and he
blinked warily.  The walls were light blue, and sunlight was streaming in
through the window.  What the hell?
     He jumped as the door banged open and Akane rushed in.
She was smiling wildly, and she practically threw herself onto the bed.
     "Ranma!"
     "Akane?"  He wrapped his arms around her uncertainly, as if
she might vanish.  But she didn't, and after a moment he hugged her
tightly, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder.  As he began to
get his laboured breathing under control, he became aware of her scent,
warm and intimate, the fresh smell of her hair and skin.  She was warm
and real in his arms, and for a moment the image of her, helpless in the
spider-woman's embrace, slammed up behind his closed eyelids with
almost physical force.  He forced the foul image away, relief flooding
him.  That had just been a nightmare, not real.  She wasn't in danger.
He hadn't failed her.  She was here, with him, and that was all that
mattered.
     "You've been asleep so long," she whispered, her breath hot in
his ear.  "I was starting to worry."  He pulled back with no little effort
to look at her, and she ducked her head bashfully, eyes full of warm,
unshed tears.
     "Akane, what happened?" he asked.  She glanced up at him,
surprised.
     "You don't remember?" she asked.  Did he?  There was a
confused jumble of fleeting images in his mind, of Miss Hinako, and a
dark place, and the beautiful spider-woman ...
     He flashed on the web then, and the woman's mocking laugh,
and stiffened.
     "Where am I?  How did I get here?" he blurted.  Akane just
giggled, almost giddily.
     "As soon as you ask for something to eat, I'll know you're
back to normal," she sighed.  He blushed at that, still confused, and her
smile faded at his expression.
     "You're safe now, Ranma," she said sombrely.  "And we're
together.  That's what matters."  He nodded, wiping the sweat from his
forehead with the back of his forearm.  He'd find out how she'd
rescued him soon enough.  For now, he could barely think straight, and
all he wanted was to hold her tightly, to assure himself that the dream
had been just that, and that she was safe.  As if reading his thoughts,
she pressed close to him once more, mischief dancing in her eyes.
     "I'm glad you're okay, Ranma," she breathed, her cheeks
flushed and her eyes bright.  He suddenly had trouble swallowing.
     "I'm glad you're okay, too," he murmured.  She leaned closer,
and then they were kissing, all hot slick mouths and frantic passion that
slowly, oh so slowly, tailed off.  Akane leaned her head against his
chest and clasped his shoulders gently as he kissed the top of her head.
He looked down at her, his heart pounding, and as he did he saw
something odd where her blouse gapped at the throat.  It looked like a
small bruise, or maybe a bite mark.  A sudden chill ran through him.
     "Akane," he said slowly.  "What's this?"  He tried to touch it,
but she pulled away from him defensively.  He blinked.
     "Akane?"  She wasn't looking at him, staring down at the bed,
her arms clasped tightly around her body, bangs hanging in her eyes.
     "It's okay, Ranma," she said softly.  "There were so many of
them, and  I was all alone.  I couldn't let anything happen to you.  So I
made a deal."  His heart stopped then, it must have, because the
sudden pain in his chest seemed as though it would tear him open.
     "Akane," he whispered, horrified.  "What did you do?"  She
looked up then, smiling even though the tears were still glistening in her
big brown eyes.
     "SHE promised we could stay together," Akane said softly.
But she said that I wouldn't be enough for you anymore, not after
she'd had you.  So I let her fix things."  He couldn't move, and when he
looked down those soft, silky strands of webbing were everywhere,
holding him tight.  His gaze came up quickly to find Akane crawling
across the bed towards him, and something appeared to be writhing
under her blouse.  It tore easily, allowing the four long spider legs to
burst free from her back.  She reared over him, her tiny fangs gleaming
in the golden light.
     "See?" she whispered.  "I did this for you."  He flinched, a
mewling noise rising in the back of his throat as she leaned closer, those
long spindly legs wrapping around him.
     "Kiss me, Ranma," she breathed.  "You promised to love me
forever, so kiss me ..."  She pressed her mouth against his, and as his
essence began to flow into her the scream that was building in him
finally

broke

     free

     "Mister Saotome!"
     He jerked, the scream catching in his throat.  His notebook slid
from the desk, hitting the floor with a loud thud.  Everyone laughed as
Miss Hinako glared at him.
     "You had better not be falling asleep in my class, Mister
Saotome," the diminutive teacher warned, "or it'll be detention for you
again!"  He blinked, frozen in place.  His heart was still hammering, but
...
     (a dream)
     he was awake
     (all a dream)
     wasn't he?
     No, he thought fuzzily.  I was ... it was all real ... wasn't it?
Didn't I run from Miss Hinako in a warehouse?  There was a giant
spider web, and a woman that ...
     No, THIS is real, part of him argued.  THAT was the dream, idiot.
ALL of it.  Miss Hinako and spider women and all that weird sexy stuff
... man, Akane's right.  You ARE a pervert!
     No, it had been
     (real)
     hadn't it?  But then, was this
     (a dream)
     or real?  Was he awake?  Could he even remember what was
real anymore?
     Snap out of it! he thought angrily.  Get it together, Saotome!
He caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye, turning to see
Akane holding his notebook out to him.
     "Are you okay?" she whispered, looking concerned.  He
studied her carefully.  She looked normal.  Everything did.  He took the
notebook cautiously, eyes darting about as if they might catch
something out of order.
     "Uh, yeah," he replied.  Miss Hinako cleared her throat noisily.
     "If you two lovebirds are through, perhaps we can go on with
the class?"  Akane blushed and sat up straight as everyone laughed.
Ranma sat back carefully, looking at his notebook as the disgruntled
teacher turned back to the blackboard.
     This is real, he thought.  It has to be, everything's so normal.  And I
can feel this notebook, hear the chalk on the board.  I just had a
strange dream about dreaming, that's all.  Yeah.  But I'm awake now.
Really.
     I'm sure of it.
     He felt groggy, though, a touch unfocused.  Things seemed to
lurk at the edges of his vision, vanishing every time he turned to look at
them directly.
     Stop it!  It was just a dumb dream, okay?  What's the matter
with you?
     He glanced over at Akane, and started to relax.  She was real.
She was the most real thing in his life.  He watched her for a while,
warmth spreading through him.  Gazing at the board, her chin in her
hand, she gently clasped the end of her pencil between her teeth in a
way that made his breath catch sweetly.  Sighing, she turned slightly to
look at the clock.  The collar of her school uniform gapped slightly as
she did so, and he froze, the warmth fleeing in an instant.
     There was a mark on her neck. Like a bruise.  Or a bite ...
     She turned to see him staring at her, and smiled.  As he
watched, something wriggled out of the corner of her mouth, something
long, thin, and hairy ... like a spider's leg ...
     No, he thought numbly.  No, no, no.  Please.  No more.
     Akane's mouth opened slightly to let the huge, hairy spider
drop to her desk with a sickening plop.  He heard similar sounds from
all around him, but he was afraid to look.  He didn't want to see, as if
not seeing might make it not real, but at the same time he HAD to look,
because the sounds were getting closer, and the sky itself seemed to
have gone dark ...
     Please.  Please, no more.  This can't be real, it can't.  It isn't.
It isn't real!  I'm still dreaming!  STOP IT, THIS ISN'T REAL!
     And it wasn't.  Not that time.  Or the next.
     Or the next.
     Or the next.
     Or the next ...

***

     Nabiki peered through the gloom, straining to somehow
penetrate the walls of the run-down old warehouse and determine what
was happening.  Akane, she thought, why do you have to be so bloody
stubborn all the time?  If you'd just waited, you wouldn't have had
to go alone.  Did you really think none of the others would come?
     But of course, that was exactly what Akane had thought.  And
although Nabiki was still angry about that, in a way she really didn't
blame her sister.  In Akane's mind, she had won Ranma, and that
meant the others had lost him.  And none of them were particularly
good losers.  If she'd stopped to think about it, really think, then maybe
she would have realized just how selfish she was being, but her temper
and her fear for Ranma had kicked in and driven her to action, ill-
considered as it was.
     All the pain, all the machinations, everything that had
happened had driven the old group apart, perhaps for good.  But in
spite of everything, Nabiki knew in her heart that they wouldn't let
Ranma die.  She was certain of that.
     At least, not if they could help it.
     Dammit, she fumed silently, this is exactly what I didn't want to have
happen!  Foreknowledge was supposed to make our lives SAFER!  I
went into this with my eyes open, but after everything I've seen and
discovered, Akane's the one who's in danger.  And I can't do anything
now but wait out here and hope those guys can fight together and bring
Akane and Ranma out in one piece.
     It was just about that time that she became aware of a presence
behind her.
     The freshening wind had covered any sound that might have
warned her, and her heart leapt painfully as she whirled to find herself
suddenly face-to-face with a dark figure in a long trenchcoat.  Her
stifled squeak caused the figure to hesitate, then step forward where the
light revealed its face ...
     "Yukio!" Nabiki gasped, her heart still racing.  "You scared the
... what are you DOING here?"  Yukio pressed close, peering around
the side of the building.
     "I've been lurking around the estate," she murmured, staring at
the lonely warehouse with narrowed eyes.  "I knew something was
going to happen.  I just KNEW it.  And this time, I wasn't going to wait
to hear that my last child had died."  Her face was drawn, pale but
determined.
     "I heard shouting and fighting, and when I came running I saw
all of you running away, so I followed," Yukio continued, while Nabiki
shook her head in amazement.
     "Yukio ..."
     "He's in there, isn't he?  My son?"  She turned that dark,
intense gaze back to Nabiki, who was once again struck by how much
Kodachi had resembled her mother.
     "Yes," she sighed.  "But listen, Yukio, there's nothing we can
do but wait.  They'll ..."  She broke off as Yukio's gaze slid over her
shoulder, those almond-shaped eyes widening in shock.  Nabiki spun
around, wondering who else could possibly show up.
     The answer turned out to be totally unexpected.
     Dark, hulking shapes loomed out of the night, moving forward
in a loosely formed line.  The best of them was merely ugly; the worst
could have curdled milk just by looking at it.  And there, perched
primly on the shoulder of the biggest creature of them all, was
Furinkan's own Miss Hinako.
     The teacher smiled beatifically when she caught sight of Nabiki,
and that smile chilled like a November rain.
     "Why, Miss Tendou!" she called gaily.  "Fancy meeting you
here!  My, it's a small world!"  Nabiki tried to speak, but her mouth
was painfully dry and her pulse was throbbing in her temples.  The sight
of Miss Hinako sitting, pretty as you please, on that thing's shoulder,
slim legs dangling down and crossed at the ankles and one arm resting
on a horn which curved from the thing's head, just floored her.  Even
after her strange behaviour at the estate, this was too much.
     "What the hell are you doing?" she finally managed to croak.
Hinako cocked her head.
     "Doing?  Well, the good news is we're going to kill all the demons
that have young Ranma," she said with a vicious cheeriness.  "The bad
news is we're going to kill everyone else, too.  Still, you can't win them
all!"  Nabiki felt Yukio's presence at her back, unnaturally still, as if by
not moving she could keep the things from noticing her.  Nabiki shook
her head.
     "I don't get it!" she blurted.  "Why?  Why side with them?  How
could you?"  Hinako tossed her caramel hair back over her shoulder
insouciantly.
     "Because, dear, I AM them," she purred.  "Hinako Ninomiya is
no more.  This body is now mine ... as yours soon will be."  There was
a terrifying rumble, and it took Nabiki a few moments to realize that it
was the sound of Hinako's mount clearing its throat.
     "Tragus, our boys will be in position in the back any second," it
rumbled.  "Can we just kill her and move in?"  Hinako's gaze locked
with Nabiki's, and what the middle Tendou sister saw there made her
skin begin to prickle.
     "Yes," Hinako said softly.  "Yes, you can."
     And then she smiled.

***

     Ukyou tried to control the panic that welled up in her, but it
wasn't easy.  She hadn't told anybody, but after the fight at Furinkan
she'd had nightmares about those creatures, nightmares that had her
waking up in a cold sweat.  In some she was trapped alone in Ranko's
world, the last human prey left as every demon in the whole world
sought her out, chasing her through dark mazes of the ruined city.
     This moment reminded her uncomfortably of those dreams.
     "I was sort of expecting fewer demons," Reiko muttered
quietly, her eyes shifting from side to side.  "Like, maybe, one.  A
couple at most."
     "How many do you think there are?" Ryouga hissed back from
the other side, as those slithery noises continued just out of sight in the
shadows.
     "Let me put it to you this way," Reiko said tightly.  "Oh, SHIT.
Does that answer your question?"  Ukyou tightened her grip on her
spatula, trying not to get distracted.  Ryouga was looking to Kunou's
left flank, she was watching the right.  Reiko seemed to be trying to
look everywhere at once, rubbing her palms on her jeans nervously.
And Kunou was fixated nicely on the guy with the sword ... wait a
minute.  Did he say COUSIN?
     Whatever the hell was going on, all hell was about to break
loose.  She could feel it in the air, like an electrical charge, the sensation
of imminent violence thick and heady.  There was no sign of either
Akane or Ranma, though.  Some rescue this was turning out to ...
     Alerted by the loud crash behind her, she spun and brought her
spatula up quickly into a guard position.  She barely had time to register
that the door had been flung open and that someone was running in
towards them before a bolt of lightning backlit the figures with a harsh,
actinic white light.  Ukyou blinked away the afterimages, making out
two figures running full tilt, and chose the one on the right, her weight
shifting forward even as her vision began to clear.
     "Ukyou!"
     Nabiki?
     She could see now, Nabiki and a woman with long dark hair
tied back from her face, a woman who seemed familiar somehow.
     "Nabiki, what are you doing?" she shouted.  Everyone seemed
frozen in place, even the swordsman and his friends, shocked by this
deviation from the script.  "Get out!  Quick!"
     "Not a good idea!" Nabiki blurted, her eyes wide with panic.
Ukyou's gaze shifted back to the doorway in time to see a huge,
taloned hand reaching in.  Lightning flashed again, two or three huge
sheets of it detonating in the roiling clouds, and as the thunder of rent air
swept over them, the hand closed on the edge of the door frame and
wrenched it loose, the sound lost in the din of the storm.
     The door frame was thrown carelessly into the sky, catching the
first drops of rain that hammered down out of the darkness, and
something forced itself through the hole the unfortunate door had left
behind.
     With that, the storm broke in earnest.

***

     The girl's anguished scream was music to Riana's ears.  A sort
of vital warmth had suffused her now, at the moment of her triumph.
Whiling the afternoon away with young Ranma had been a delightfully
sensual experience, and it had quite relaxed her.  His girlfriend was
quite something as well; pretty enough to look at, but vivacious in her
temper and with a deep and enticing chi.  Nothing compared to
Ranma's, but still deeper than any she'd tasted in quite some time.
     Riana drew the moment out, savouring it.  The girl had the
pendant; no matter what she claimed, she would not have come without
it.  Afterwards, Riana would make her and Ranma into pets, at least for
a time.  Each could watch the other being ravished.  Yes, that sounded
like it had real potential for entertainment.
     But right now, Riana was wondering if the girl, having just been
treated to the sight of her boyfriend, was going to attack.  She figured
the odds were running at about ten to one in favour of that option.  The
girl's gaze shifted back down to Riana, and she quickly adjusted those
odds.  Call it fifty to one in favour.  There was a delicious rage in those
eyes, fierce and unreasoning.  Heat blossomed in her belly as Riana
imagined how delightful it would be to play with the girl, drawing her
into the silky bonds of her web and draining that rage slowly away,
leaving only helpless submission.
     "I have waited so long for this day," Riana murmured, lips
curled into a lazy smile.  "I do hope you're not going to ruin it by being
reasonable."  The girl didn't attack, though, even though her body
seemed to vibrate with rage.
     "What did you do?" the girl asked, her voice tight.  Riana ran
her finger lightly over her lower lip in a vaguely suggestive manner, her
gaze holding the girl's as she did so.
     "Whatever I wanted," she purred.  "And by the end, he was
begging me not to stop.  He couldn't even remember your name ..."
     "LIAR!" the girl shrieked, and this time she DID attack,
launching herself at Riana like a missile.  Riana had been expecting the
attack, though, and sidestepped easily, bringing the edge of her hand
down across the back of the girl's neck as she stumbled by.  The girl
cried out, a sweet sound, and tumbled to the floor.  She bounded back
up, though, more quickly than Riana would have expected, and lunged
again.  This time, Riana stepped in and backhanded the girl, catching
her with a savage blow and throwing her sprawling.  The force of the
impact drove the air from the girl's lungs in a sharp cry, and something
skittered away from her outstretched hand, spinning to a stop on the
cool, cracked concrete.
     The pendant.  Riana licked her lips unconsciously as she finally
saw it, gleaming in the light.
     Hers now.  The boy.  The girl.  The pendant.  And victory.  All
hers.
     One step forward, then another, her movements slow, almost
languorous, hips swaying gently, her flesh tingling with anticipation.  Her
Baenma watched silently as she knelt and plucked the pendant from the
floor, standing to regard it reverently.  With this, the final piece of the
puzzle, she could complete the spell and set her love free.  The pendant
spun lazily at the end of its fine chain, throwing off flashes of golden light
as edges and planes caught the room's illumination and cast it back.
     It really was quite beautiful.  Fitting, really.
     She was still staring at it when something tore through the back
wall of the warehouse.
 
***

     Akane struggled to bring the world into focus.  Whatever else
that woman was, she was unbelievably strong.  Akane's head was
ringing, and she shook it gently, her teeth clenched and her lips drawn
back in a scowl.
     Get up! she screamed at herself.  Ranma needs you, now get ...
the ... hell ... UP!
     She saw her tormentor then, gazing raptly at the pendant, and
realized that she must have lost it when she fell.  Her only leverage was
gone now, and her stomach churned painfully.
     Then she heard a crash, and shouts, and a long, unearthly
screech.  The woman looked away from her and toward the rear of the
building, startled.
     Now, Akane thought grimly.  She gathered her legs under her
and came up off the floor fast, ignoring the pain from her bruises.
Grabbing the woman's wrist before she could react, Akane pivoted
and knifed a kick up into her opponent's face.  She connected with
satisfying force, twisting the arm she still held as the woman fell back.
The strange beauty cried out, losing her grip on the pendant as she
crumpled.  Akane snatched it out of the air and spun, racing toward the
shadows under the loft structure.
     "Lady!" one of the others called out sharply.  "It's the
renegades!  They're here!"
     "More coming from the front!" another shouted.  Akane
ignored them.  She didn't know what was going on, but if it gave her a
chance to get to Ranma, she was all for it.  Whatever it was, the four
women didn't seem prepared for it.  By the time they began to react,
she was already past them, running all out into the concealing darkness.
She stuffed the pendant into the pocket of her skirt, casting about
desperately for a ladder or staircase, something that would lead her to
the top of the loft, closer to Ranma.
     But it was awfully dark under there ...

***

     Wynneth stood at the edge of Shadow, sensing a sudden shift
just beyond.  Something was happening out there.  Screams, and noise,
and fighting.
     Delightful.  The perfect time to launch her own attack.
     She nicked her finger with one razor-sharp fang, casting the
blood down in a series of sharp motions.  It formed a Sign by her feet
and began to glow.  Now the portal between Shadow and the Light
Realm would be held open.  She stood aside and stared at her pack.
     "The way is open," she said in a low, husky voice.  "Go forth
and strike down my enemies.  Your mistress commands it.  Go!"
     They went.  Her devoted servants hurled themselves into the
unknown howling, driven by obedience, and fear, and hunger.  Always
the gnawing, biting, maddening hunger.  And Wynneth, not one to lead
from the front, watched them go with a faint, amused smile.
     Yes, go, she thought smugly.  Draw away any distractions, but
leave Riana to me.  It is time she knelt down and acknowledged me as
her mistress as well.  Far past time.
     With that thought, she stepped across the threshold and into
glorious chaos.
 

***

     Kunou's thoughts whirled madly.  Keisuke faced him
impassively, the hard planes of his face revealing no emotion, yet hate
seemed to pour off him like fever sweat.  Kunou's sword thrummed in
his grip, all contained power, waiting for him to unleash it.
     But he could only stare.  Cousin?  Nonsense.  A trick, to try
and distract him.  Yet ...
     Yet wasn't there something oddly familiar in the lines of his
opponent's face, in the eyes, in the way he set his jaw?  Could it be
true?
     "Come on, boy," Keisuke said softly, yet still his words seemed
to carry an edge.  "Are you man enough to use that pretty sword or
not?"  Kunou shifted slightly, the other matching him effortlessly.
     "I have no cousin."  There were other things he should have
said, but that was what came out.
     "They never told you about me?" Keisuke asked, his dark eyes
gleaming.  "Well, that's no surprise, I suppose.  No doubt they were
ashamed of what they did, of how they treated my mother.  They
wouldn't have wanted to admit to their crimes, would they?  Not those
who fancy themselves just and good."  Kunou was aware of noise
behind him, someone shouting, but his attention was focussed on
Keisuke.  Barely leashed violence clung to the man like a dark aura,
increasing in intensity as he spoke, and Kunou had a pretty good idea
that if he let his guard down even for an instant he wouldn't live to regret
it.
     "I do not know what you are speaking of," he said evenly.
"But if you were truly my cousin, then you would join with us to fight
these creatures."  The man laughed, a sharp, humourless sound.
     "Join you?" he snorted.  "I'm going to kill you, boy, kill you
slow ..."  He trailed off, and Kunou blinked at the terrible tearing sound
from behind him.  Keisuke fell back, eyes widening in disbelief, and
Kunou half turned, risking a quick look back.
     He saw the others, and Nabiki was there, and ... was that his
MOTHER?  And even that paled to the nightmare vision that was
storming in through the ruined doorway.
     For at the head of a pack of baying monstrosities, riding the back of
a huge, horrifying vision from the depths of Hell, was Miss Hinako.
     And she was smiling.
     His sword thrummed madly in his hand, and he just had time to
register that the things were charging directly for them, the others
scattering.
     Then he was swept aside, striking out blindly and trying to stay
on his feet ...

***

     In the impenetrable gloom, Akane nearly ran headlong into the
stairs, managing to pull up short only at the last moment.  Her heart was
hammering in her throat as unearthly shrieks and howls broke out
behind her, echoing strangely in the cavernous warehouse.  It sounded,
literally, like all hell was breaking loose.
     But she didn't turn to see.  She didn't WANT to see.  All that
mattered was getting to Ranma before they did.
     Feeling her way around the end of the cold metal railing, she
found the first step and started up.  Her eyes were adjusting, and she
could make out the rising stairs ahead of her in the gloom.  She
pounded headlong up the stairs, the one hand trailing lightly over the
pitted railing her only concession to personal safety.  The space where
the loft opened up to allow access was a square of pulsing light,
illuminated by the red glow of that circle and punctuated by whatever
was happening out on the floor.  That couldn't be good news, but at
least it helped her see where she was going.
     She was nearly at the top when the entire staircase lurched
sickeningly.  Akane was thrown hard into the railing, crying out in pain
and alarm as she teetered, disoriented.  The stairs shifted again, sharply,
and there was a terrible noise as the metal tore apart.  She lost her
balance, and for one heart-stopping moment she was certain she was
going to fall.  Lashing out blindly, her hand closed over something cold
and solid, and she held on with desperate strength as her legs swung
out into space.  The stairs collapsed with a deafening metallic din that
drowned out her cries, and she twisted her body so that she could grab
on to the piece of railing that led up to the loft with her other hand.
     Fighting back a drowning tide of panic, she pulled herself up,
clambering awkwardly onto the abbreviated length of stairs that
projected downwards from the loft.  The entire staircase had been torn
away like tissue paper, ending between one step and the next in a
jagged border of metal.  Once Akane had managed to pull herself fully
onto the remaining steps, she glanced down into the darkness below.
     Something large hulked in the shadows, the twisted remnants of
the staircase gripped in its huge hands.  It was using the staircase as a
weapon, bludgeoning something that was out of her line of sight.
     Akane wanted to whimper, to cry, to scream.  It just wasn't
FAIR to have to fight things like this!  It just wasn't!  She did none of
these things, though; cautiously, she scooted around on the shaky
remnants of the stairs and crawled up onto the loft.  Once she was
there, she breathed a shaky sigh of relief.  Whatever had destroyed the
stairs had apparently not been after her, and she had a moment to catch
her breath ... a moment she desperately needed.
     Drawn by a horrible fascination, she crawled closer to the edge
of the loft, peering down into the chaos below.  Her gaze was drawn
first to the glowing circle, the four beautiful women still standing in its
eerie light.  They appeared to be trying to protect it from the onslaught,
striking out desperately as a wave of monsters swept towards them,
only to be blunted by even more monsters fighting back with
unrestrained ferocity ...
     Akane let her gaze wander, dumbstruck.  Creatures out of
darkest nightmare, creatures like those they had faced at Furinkan that
dark day, milled about wildly, darting in and out of the impenetrable
pools of shadow.  Their bellows and shrieks filled the air with an
unearthly cacophony, a sound to make a person's blood run cold.  But
below the horror, there was confusion in Akane's mind.
     Because the things seemed to be fighting each other.
     She watched them clash, fangs and claws and barbed tails
drawing dark lines of greenish blood, with the occasional flash as
something breathed fire or struck lightning from its hooves.  There
seemed to be no sense to it that she could see, just a chaotic melee, a
horrendous free-for-all.  Still, whatever the reason, they were clearly
more interested in fighting each other than chasing her.  Now, if only her
luck could ...
     Her breath caught in her throat as the swirling mass shifted.
There was a girl down there, towards the back and barely visible,
laying about herself frantically with something large and metal as she
fought her way through the battle.  Akane lost sight of her moments
later, but the image remained frozen in her mind.
     Ukyou?  It HAD been Ukyou, but how?  Had they followed
her here?  Had they really come to help Ranma?
     She caught sight of Kunou then, space clearing around him as
he swung his sword in deadly glowing arcs.  He seemed to be searching
for someone, but from her vantage point she could see he was nowhere
near where Ukyou'd been.
     Then she saw another person running headlong into the fray, much
closer to vantage point.  She didn't recognize him at all.  He was
followed closely by a small group of people, all unarmed.  Something
about them seemed strange to Akane, but she couldn't pin it down.
Then, as she watched in disbelief, the lead figure launched himself onto
the broad back of one of the battling monstrosities ... and began
BITING it.
     The enraged demon flung the raggedly dressed man away easily
with a sweep of its tail, but another immediately took his place.  And
the one who'd been flung to the floor with bone-crushing force bounded
to his feet again easily, as if unaffected by the blow.
     Akane edged back from the scene of carnage, looking around
her numbly.  It was too much to take in.  She just had to concentrate on
one thing at a time, and that one thing was saving Ranma ...
     (if he's even alive)
     "Shut up," she hissed venomously.  That traitorous little voice in
her head fell silent, but reluctantly.  He HAD to be alive.  HAD to be.
And she was going to get him out of this.
     She looked up, picking him out of the high shadows easily.  His limp
form was still spotlighted, suspended in the clinging strands of the
strange web.  Now all she had to do was figure out how she was going
to get up to him.  The web had to be anchored to the open rafters and
walls, but she couldn't see into the dark reaches of the ceiling.  And
anyway, he was too far from any wall to climb up and grab him.  There
were stacks of crates piled further back in the spacious loft, lurking
ominously in the shadows, though.  Maybe she could pile some up so
that she could reach him.  Chancy, but it was worth a try.  She moved
tentatively away from the light, trying to fight back the sense that time
was running out.
     Hold on, Ranma, she thought desperately.  I'm coming, so just
hold on.
     Then something grabbed her from behind.

***

     Wynneth stood still, cloaked in the shadows, regarding the
scene before her with wonder.  Borgunma were hurling themselves at
each other with savage glee, their cries rising above the fray in a steady,
bloodcurdling din.  Her pack had joined the fight, attacking anything
that moved, driven half-mad by hunger and their fear of and devotion to
their mistress.
     Wynneth hadn't expected anything like this.  Her plan had been
to draw Riana's loyal supporters away, then strike from the shadows.
This was totally unexpected.  How ...?
     She frowned and concentrated.  Ah!  There.  She'd tasted
Tragus's blood, and so could sense the lovely renegade's presence.
That must be it.  Tragus had escaped the earlier trap, and somehow
had discovered where the ceremony was to take place.  Some of these
Borgunma must be the rebels who'd come through the portal from the
other world.
     All well and good, but there was one major problem with
Tragus and her bunch showing up as they had.  Riana had pulled in
close to the spell-circle she'd laid down, along with her Baenma.  The
spell wasn't completed yet, which meant Riana didn't have the pendant.
That was good.  Unfortunately, she seemed intent on protecting her
partially completed circle, which was bad.  There were no shadows
deep enough for Wynneth to use that close to a magic circle, and with
Riana flanked by her fiercely loyal Baenma, a frontal assault would be
folly.  Plus, she would have to worry about being trampled by the
hordes of battle-frenzied Borgunma while she was distracted.  But she
couldn't risk Riana completing that spell ...
     Wait.  She cocked her head, sending a ripple through her cloak
of midnight hair.  Somewhere, mixed in with Tragus's bloodscent and
the milling awareness of her pack, there was something else.
Something familiar ...
     A slow, wicked smile spread across her face.  Someone else
who'd known her dark kiss was here tonight.
     Reiko.
     Yes, she thought.  My lovely Reiko.  How utterly perfect.
     Silently, she blended into the haven of dark shadows.
     And called out to her prey.

***

     This was madness.
     Reiko dodged frantically between two demons, both of whom
seemed more intent on tearing each other apart than on her.
Fortunately.
     They'd all become separated in the initial attack, and now she
was trying to fight her way to the periphery of the battle.  That seemed
like it would be moderately safer than being here in the middle of the
action.  Of course, in this case "safer" was an entirely relative term.
She concentrated, raising her hands in a graceful motion and unleashing
a bolt of lightning to clear her path, then bolted through the resulting
opening.
     Reiko had learned of demons during her studies, and had even
fought a couple with the old man.  She was completely at a loss,
however, to explain just what the hell was going on here.  These things
seemed more intent on killing each other than in hunting the humans in
their midst, which made no sense to her at all.
     Of course, there was no sign of the damned pendant.  Reiko
cursed under her breath as she crouched in the lee of a stack of
mouldering wooden crates.  She would never, ever admit this out loud,
but the old man was the only person she would have done something
like this for.  In her whole life, he was the only person who'd ever given
a damn about her, and even though she still hadn't forgiven him for
going and getting himself killed, his dying wish was quite plain.  Retrieve
the pendant that was her birthright.
     So here she was, but this was getting ridiculous.  If it had been
for anyone else, she'd have run from this insanity and never looked
back, but Reiko Hisikawa didn't turn her back on those she cared
about.
     Not like some people.
     She edged carefully around the crates, trying to remain
unnoticed in the shadows.  She could sense the magic signatures of
those two swords, slowly but surely moving towards each other
through the press, and beyond that the steady thrum of whatever spell
was being cast deeper into the warehouse.
     The magic of that spell throbbed in her awareness, and she
fought the urge to rub her bare skin.  The sensation that power evoked
was dark, evoking an almost atavistic fear in her gut.  She recognized
that sensation, having felt it only once before.
     Necromancy.  Someone had laid down a magical pattern of
some sort, either a containment ward or possibly a circle of summoning.
Whatever it was, people had died to make it.  And now the circle was
alive with the power of those sacrifices, alive but somehow incomplete,
as if it was waiting for something ...
     The pendant?  As soon as she had the thought, she knew it
must be true.  The pendant was the missing element in that spell, that
was why the demons wanted it so badly.  But they didn't have it yet, or
they'd have completed the circle.  And she was pretty sure that
completing the spell would be bad, at least for them.
     She was watching the roiling battle so closely she didn't notice
that she had company until a voice came out of the dark.
     "Psst!  Reiko!"  She jumped; she couldn't help it.  Her heart
hammering wildly, she turned to see Nabiki and some woman crouched
between some crates along the wall.
     "Dammit, you scared the hell out of me!" Reiko snapped.
     "Where are the others?" Nabiki asked, her face appearing pale
and drawn in the dark.  Reiko shook her head.
     "Don't know," she sighed.  "We got separated.  Geez, what a
madhouse!"
     "You're a sorceress," Nabiki said tightly.  "Can't you do
anything?"  Reiko scowled.
     "Oh, sure!" she snapped.  "I'll transform into Magical Super
Girl Reiko and send them all away with my magic wand!"  Nabiki
blinked.
     "I'll take that as a no," she said dryly.  Reiko took a deep
breath.
     "Look," she said in a low, even voice.  "Whatever caused this
fight, it isn't going to end until most of these things have slaughtered
each other.  The best we can do is stay out of the way and try not to
get noticed."
     "I can get behind that plan," Nabiki nodded.  "But what about
the others?"
     "My son is out there," the woman chimed in.
     "And my sister," Nabiki added.  Reiko glanced over her
shoulder.
     "Let's hope they all have the common sense to stay ..."  She
trailed off, eyes widening.  Nabiki frowned.
     "Reiko?" she asked tentatively.  Ignoring her, Reiko half-raised her
hand to her throat.  The bite mark there, still hidden by the unobtrusive
band-aid, had begun to throb again, gently but insistently, burning with
an unwholesome heat.  She shuddered as a cloak of phantom silk
seemed to slither over her skin.  Her nostrils flared slightly as they
caught a faint ghost of a scent, enticing and compelling, a perfume that
promised dark pleasure and willing submission, one she associated with
pale skin, ruby lips, a mane of blackest night and eyes to drown in ...
     "Wynneth," she whispered.  The phantom sensations vanished,
but the bite mark still throbbed.
     "What?" Nabiki asked.  Reiko ignored her, a sudden icy panic
blossoming in her gut.  The very thought of Wynneth made her afraid in
a way the rampaging demons hadn't.  The compelling vampiress had
stripped her of her control, had trapped her will in a silken vise with
frightening ease.  And the worst part was that she would be able to do
it again, if given half a chance.  Reiko had no illusions about that.  The
most frightening thing about Wynneth was that she could make her prey
WANT to surrender, even knowing what she was.
     That was why she had to die.
     Reiko scuttled away from the startled twosome, staying low
and close to the wall as she moved.  Maybe it was reckless to go after
Wynneth, but it beat waiting for the witch to come after her.  Because
she would, of that Reiko was certain.  Once Wynneth had her fangs
into someone, she wouldn't let go.  But Reiko had hurt her before, and
this time she'd be certain to finish the job.  If she could take advantage
of the confusion to strike quickly, before Wynneth could slip away into
the shadows, she could end things here, tonight.
     That certainly beat the alternative of lying awake every night,
waiting for her pale suitor to slip out of the darkness and ravish her
again.
     The wall shook as a hulking demon with six arms slammed his
unfortunate opponent into it somewhere ahead of her.  She froze until
the combatants had moved away, then edged forward again.  It
wouldn't do to stop and think about what she was attempting; if she did
that, she'd probably lose her nerve.  As it was, she had to call up
Wynneth's mocking smile to bolster her anger.  Anger was better than
fear.  Anger would let her become the hunter instead of the hunted.
     The almost subliminal buzz of the waiting spell was somewhere
ahead and to the left, not visible through the churning mass of bodies
but clear to her nonetheless.  If Wynneth was behind this whole thing,
that was where she'd be.  But there was no way that Reiko was just
going to charge straight in.  She was angry and she was afraid, but she
wasn't stupid.  Catching the witch off-guard was the only way to do
this.
     She slipped forward again, straining for a clear view of the
source of the magic as she came even with it.  There was a deep, even
glow, and she caught glimpses of several women around its perimeter,
but nothing clear.  Her best chance seemed to lay on the other side of
the circle.  There were fewer creatures fighting between the glow and
the loft that extended across the rear half of the warehouse.  If she
could get back there, she might have a clear shot at her enemy.
     But it's awfully dark under there, a little voice whispered in the
back of her mind as she lurked behind a support pillar, uncertain.  And
the dark is HER element.  What if she's waiting in there for you?  Reiko
twitched as Wynneth's lush scent came to her again, as if thinking of the
woman had conjured it.  But it was stronger this time, almost as if ...
     A pale hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off her startled
cry as a slim arm snaked around her waist.  She was pulled back
sharply, off-balance, against someone behind her.  Lush lips brushed
her ear gently, and a low, throaty voice whispered seductively, hot
breath fanning against her skin.
     "Reiko.  Fancy meeting you here, pet."  The sensation of
something soft gliding along her bare arms caused Reiko to glance
down, eyes widening.  Thick, glossy locks of raven hair were twining
down to her wrists, immobilizing her arms.  Her cry of alarm was
muffled by Wynneth's strong hand, and her heart was pounding with a
mixture of fear and something she didn't want to think about.  Struggling
only resulted in Wynneth pulling her closer and chuckling huskily into
her ear.
     "Oh, pet, you struggle so prettily," she crooned.  Reiko fought
down her panic, struggling to concentrate over the hot, maddening
pulse of the bite on her throat and the sensation of Wynneth's power
weighing on her like a suffocating blanket.  She tried to reach for her
power, to call it up, and it was like trying to push through syrup.
     "Oh, how naughty," Wynneth purred.  "Trying to burn me
again, pet?  I had envisioned some more ... pleasant diversions for our
evening."  Wynneth's free hand strayed lazily from Reiko's waist,
making its way slowly up her body until it reached her throat.  Reiko
whimpered as long, blood-red nails traced the edges of the band-aid
that covered the bite mark, then slipped under the corner and slowly
peeled it back.
     "Now why did you cover that up?" Wynneth breathed.  "I
marked you so that everyone would know you belonged to me."
Reiko's blood seemed to be on fire as it pounded through her veins,
and panic fuelled her frantic struggles.  If she didn't break free soon, she
wouldn't be able to at all.  But the medusa locks coiled tightly around
her wrists and arms were joined by more entwining her waist, capturing
her in a silken prison, and Wynneth's mesmerizing presence seemed to
be blocking her from calling up her magic.
     Just like last time, she thought desperately.  Do it just like last
time and burn the bitch.  Do it!  The thought that, entwined with
Wynneth as she was, she would also be burned didn't bother her the
way it should have.  She was frantic to be free.
     Wynneth traced the throbbing bite with her nails, and Reiko's
legs nearly buckled.  She cupped Reiko's cheek with her other hand,
turning her head until their eyes met.  Reiko whimpered at the flood of
dark compulsion that swept through her as Wynneth's gaze found hers.
Those eyes were as she remembered them, light drinking pools of
bottomless darkness, drowning pools that pulled her into their inviting
depths.  Wynneth chuckled again, a low and confident sound.
     "One bite allows me to cloud your mind when we're this
close," she murmured against her captive's cheek.  "After two bites,
you'll be even more ... pliant."  Reiko tried to scream, a hopeless
eruption of outrage and fear, but the sound died in her throat, emerging
as a quiet whimper that made Wynneth smile wickedly.
     "Now, Reiko," she breathed, pulling the girl's head back
gently.  "Don't be afraid.  It won't hurt.  In fact, it's going to feel
sooooo ... pleasant ..."  As Wynneth's mouth traced lightly down the
line of her jaw towards the bared punctures on her neck, Reiko
trembled with impotent rage, but that emotion seemed strangely distant,
muffled by the thick cloak of Wynneth's mental control.  Gently, lush
lips grazed the pulsing wound in a teasing motion, brushing across the
skin like a lover's kiss, then again, but this time revealing the sharp
points of her fangs.
     Come on! Reiko screamed into the void where her power
should be.  I need you now!  Burn her!  Burn!  Please oh please don't
let her please ...
     But there was only the void, dark and comforting and peaceful.
     Safe? a tiny, tremulous voice asked, and the voice was hers.
Wynneth's mouth pressed against the tender flesh of Reiko's throat,
lips parting slowly to allow those tiny fangs to dance along the wound.
     It's a lie! Reiko half sobbed, straining to reach her power,
straining to deny that part of herself that sought refuge in the dark
promise being offered.  A lie!  She's not safe!  Fight, damn you!  Fight!
     Then twin pinpricks of hot pleasure flared at her throat, and the
soft, welcoming darkness was rushing up to meet her, swallowing her
cries, enfolding her in its irresistible embrace.
     And she was lost.

***

     Intolerable.
     The word continued to rise above the inarticulate fury that beat
at Riana like a thing alive.
     Simply intolerable.
     These low-life scum were rebelling against her, their mistress,
their Lady, their BETTER.  Somehow, they'd slipped the snare she'd
set for them and found their way to this place, and now her triumph was
slipping away in a noisy tide of brawling, common peasants.  She
glanced back at the circle, still secure for the moment, then edged
toward her Baenma.  The three stood with their backs to the circle,
looking outwards, Callie and Tisa holding weapons.  They'd already
been forced to use them.
     "Tisa."  At the sound of her name, Tisa nodded.
     "Hard to say right now," the green-tressed bodyguard reported
grimly.  "Their forces and ours seem pretty evenly matched.  That's the
only thing that has spared us having to repel any sort of massed charge
here."  Her gaze swept the chaos steadily.  "If things change in the
enemy's favour, though, we'll be in a bad position tactically."  As usual,
Tisa's grasp of the situation was dead on.  Even with the spell
incomplete, none of their kind could cross the circle, so their backs
were secure.  But if the tide of battle swung the wrong way, they could
quickly find themselves trapped against that barrier.
     The need to pursue the girl with the pendant was intense, but
Riana knew she needed to stay close to the circle.  If it were somehow
disrupted, she would have to begin the spell again, and that was no
longer an option.  Not now.  And if she couldn't go herself ...
     "Lilla!"
     "My Lady?"  Lilla glanced her way quickly.
     "Take to the air," Riana instructed.  "Find that girl.  I do not
care what happens to her, but I need that pendant!"  Lilla nodded once,
and launched herself into the air, sleek black wings spreading with a
snap.  Riana turned back to her remaining lieutenants.  Keisuke was out
in that mess, doubtless seeking his cousin with murderous intent.  She
couldn't begrudge him that; in fact, she'd arranged things just that way.
But now that events had been set in motion, she was certain that
Keisuke's fury could not be controlled.  She'd seen to that.  Still, that
didn't stop her from wishing that he was at her side right now.
     "Lady."  Something in Tisa's voice told her that there was yet
more bad news.
     "What is it, Tisa?"  The long line of Tisa's back was stiff with
unspoken fury.
     "Vampires."  That one word told Riana that, no matter how
bad she thought things were, they truly could get worse.  She saw now
what had caught Tisa's eye; a human form dressed in rags was clinging
to a hulking Borgunma, chewing at the enraged creature's neck like a
rabid dog, seeking blood.  He was plucked off and tossed into the
crowd, but another quickly took his place.
     "That bitch," Riana breathed, rigid with rage.  Wynneth had
obviously been preparing to move against her for some time.  The fact
that she'd revealed her servants now meant that there was no going
back for any of them.  Wynneth had to win here tonight; if she didn't,
she knew that Riana would destroy her for this outrage.
     But how did they know where to find us? Riana screamed silently.
How?
     "There's Tragus!" Tisa shouted, pointing.  The renegade
appeared briefly before being swallowed up again by the crowd, her
slight form wreathed in a nimbus of light.  Tisa began to step forward,
and Riana reached out a hand to restrain her.
     "Tragus knows the true threat here," she said darkly.  "She will
come to us, and when she does you must kill her.  Wynneth must also
be here, and she is by far the greater threat."
     "Oh, Riana," a low, throaty voice purred, amused.  "You do
say the sweetest things."  She whirled sharply to see her rival emerging
from the concealing darkness under the loft, her pale face seeming to
float in the darkness at first, matched by a flash of long, icy leg.
Wynneth glided out towards them, her long black cloak swirling around
her as she moved, hair sweeping out behind her in a luxuriant dark flow.
A stray Borgunma started towards her as she crossed the floor and she
turned her head slightly to catch its gaze.  It froze, caught by her eyes,
then quickly decided to seek less dangerous prey.
     "You," Riana snarled as Wynneth stopped a safe distance
away.  Wynneth inclined her head slightly, as if accepting a compliment.
     "Come now, Riana," she murmured.  "Didn't you always
suspect it would come to this between us?  We both have ambitions,
but only one of us can come out on top."  It was almost eerie, carrying
on such a matter of fact conversation while chaos swirled all around
them.
     "And you think to fulfill your ambitions by killing me," Riana
said flatly.  Wynneth smiled, but there was no humour in the curve of
her ruby lips.  Only hunger.
     "Kill you?" she asked softly.  "Oh, you won't be that lucky,
lovely Riana.  I have not forgotten the humiliation of my defeat at your
hands.  This time, you will submit to me.  I think you'll make a fine
blood concubine, once you're properly ... broken."  Riana laughed out
loud, her eyes narrowed to slits.
     "Bold talk, Wynneth.  But your mangy servants have deserted you
to hound the lowlifes.  Poor discipline, just like their mistress."  Riana
felt Callie and Tisa beside her, poised to spring at her command.  She
wanted to lure Wynneth further from the deep shadow before she
unleashed them, though.  Earlier, when it had appeared she would catch
Wynneth and Tragus together near the school, she'd made plans to
take her rival alive.  Now, she knew that might no longer be feasible.
Still, if she could manage it, she would.  Wynneth would die, but her
death would be slow, deliciously lingering, and would be an object
lesson to all who would challenge Riana or try to take what belonged to
her.
     "Quite the contrary, Riana," Wynneth shot back with a sultry
smile that set Riana's nerves on edge.  "My servants are wonderfully ...
obedient."  She raised her slim arms, causing her cloak to part in a
gracefully theatrical motion.  Her lithe form seemed almost suspended in
the inky shadows within the concealing mantle of the cloak, shadows
that were strangely impenetrable and seemed to obey Wynneth like a
well-trained pet.
     As Riana watched, a hand emerged from that
darkness as if it were the surface of some black, placid lake.  An arm
followed, then a swath of blonde hair, startlingly bright against all that
darkness.  Wynneth lowered her arms to lightly embrace the girl as she
slipped from Wynneth's personal shadows, and Riana frowned.  That
girl seemed oddly familiar somehow.  There was nothing jerky or
controlled about her movements, but Riana knew this one was in
Wynneth's thrall.
     "Now, pet," Wynneth said, just as the shock of recognition hit
Riana.  She'd seen pictures of Reiko Hisikawa, and now she was
seeing her in the flesh.  And from the sudden sharp sensation of
summoned magic, her theory about the girl's abilities was correct.
     And she was Wynneth's tool.
     Then the girl was raising her hands, and a sheet of crackling
force erupted outwards.

***

     Lilla soared up over the carnage, thankful for the high ceiling.
Borgunma battled each other the way they usually did, without any
pretence of strategy or subtlety, content to match power against power.
Lilla caught sight of two swordsmen fighting their way closer to each
other, and would have loved to watch what happened when they met.
Unfortunately, she had more pressing matters to attend to.  She caught
sight of the odd human form down below, including a girl with long
brown hair climbing one of the support pillars to escape the press, but
no sign of her quarry.
     She dearly hoped that the girl wasn't still under the loft.  Lilla's
wings would give her no advantage in that confined space.  But, as she
swooped back in that direction, she finally caught sight of the girl up on
top of the loft.  A tall, cadaverous Borgunma had her from behind, and
had leaned in to whisper something in the shocked girl's ear.  Whatever
is was, she didn't like it much.  With a snarl, she stomped on her
captor's foot, pivoting to drive her elbow straight back into his nose as
he loosened his grip.  His howl of pain was audible even this far away
over the general din, and as he instinctively released the girl she
grabbed his bony arm and executed a perfect throw, tossing the
enraged Borgunma over her shoulder with such force that he cleared
the edge of the loft and dropped to the floor below.
     Impressive.  This could end up being fun.  Lilla raked her wings
back and dove down, catching the girl square in the back before she
could turn and driving her headlong into a stack of crates.  The
succubus landed gracefully on her feet with a showy flourish.  Her
opponent, on the other hand, didn't fare nearly so well, crumpling
untidily in a heap before struggling to her feet to face Lilla.
     The girl stood, shoulders heaving as she gasped for breath, and
glared at Lilla.  Her short dark hair was tousled, and her dark eyes
were wide and a little wild in her pale face.  Her dress, some sort of
school uniform, was smudged with dirt, the long skirt swirling as the girl
hastily adjusted her stance.  She would have been pretty enough, Lilla
supposed, under ordinary circumstances.  But here and now, cheeks
flushed with high temper, eyes blazing, her passionate fury made her
beautiful.
     Lilla focussed on the girl, tuning out the battle below as she
warmed herself in the glow of the girl's rage.  Lilla was a creature of
high passion and low appetites, something she never bothered to deny.
It was just her nature, and she accepted it.  Now, her blood already hot
from the surprise attack, she met her opponent's gaze and felt an
answering heat rise in her.  It had been too long since she'd indulged
herself in the savage joy of battle; their Lady did indeed keep them on a
short leash these days.
     She had been instructed to get the pendant.  Nobody had said
she couldn't have a little fun while she did it.
     "Mmmm," Lilla sighed while she let her gaze wander
provocatively over the girl's body.  "Well, kitten, here we are."  The
girl scowled fiercely.
     "The name," she spat, "is Akane."  Lilla smiled.
     "Akane.  A lovely name.  I'm Lilla, and I've been sent to get
that pendant.  Now, we COULD do this the easy way ..."  She trailed
off suggestively.  The girl hesitated, and for a moment Lilla was afraid
that she was going to be sensible after all, denying the frustrated
succubus her chance to play.
     "Bring Ranma to me," Akane said firmly.  "Then I'll be happy
to talk trade."  Lilla glanced up to where the boy dangled, limp and
helpless, suspended in her Lady's web.
     "Sorry, sweetie," she said.  "I just can't do that."
     "Because you have no intention of letting him go at all, do you?"
Akane asked tightly.  Lilla shrugged gracefully.
     "I just follow orders," she smiled.  "The boytoy stays tied up
until my Lady gets what she wants."  Akane's answering smile was thin
and humourless.
     "Then I guess we'll be doing this the hard way," she said
simply, bringing her hands up in front of her in a ready stance.  Lilla
watched her appreciatively.
     "A tough girl," she breathed, idly twining her fingers in the hair
in front of her ear.  "I have a weakness for tough girls, you know."
Akane tossed her head, a contemptuous little motion that set Lilla's
heart racing, and snorted.
     "If you want the pendant," she growled, "why don't you come
and get it?"  Lilla held her hands up in front of her face, crossed at the
wrists, and watched as her nails slowly lengthened until they were as
long again as her hands.  Then she smiled hungrily at the shocked girl
facing her.
     "Oh, I fully intend to," she purred.  "Come, kitten.  Let's
dance."

***

     Damn.
     The creatures were giving him wide berth, likely because of his
blade's angry glow, yet Kunou could not seem to find any of the others.
His frustration was steadily mounting as he tried to charge through the
fighting mob without being trampled.  He felt that this was his operation,
and so responsibility for its disastrous failure must rest on his shoulders.
Certainly, he hadn't anticipated anything remotely like this.  The foul
beasts were fighting each other, although for reasons completely
beyond his comprehension, and the only saving grace to the entire
debacle was that they appeared more intent on each other than on him.
     At least, for the moment.  Still, he had not even managed to
locate Akane or the pig-tailed girl, much less help either of them.  He'd
allowed his people to be scattered in the charge, and worst of all,
Nabiki and his mother were in here.  He'd last seen the two running for
shelter along one wall, and could only hope that they were safe.
     Oh, what a marvellous rescue you've engineered, a little voice
mocked from deep inside.  How fortunate that you've decided to
shoulder the burden of Guardian of the House of Kunou.  It might be
somewhat more impressive, however, if your entire rescue force did not
themselves require rescue before the end of the operation ...
     He clamped down on the self-doubt hard, difficult though that
was.  The best idea he'd been able to come up with was to force his
way deeper, towards the glow in the heart of the building, in hopes that
the others would do the same.  A sudden parting of the bodies in front
of him, though, brought him up short.
     There, facing him, was Keisuke, who claimed to be a Kunou.
Claimed to be his cousin.
     A lie, he told himself angrily.  Just as the false Kodachi in the
garden was a lie.  An attempt to deceive, to confuse.  Lies are the
life's blood of the enemy.
     But part of him was not convinced.  Something in the man's
easy stance, in the lines of his face, the curve of his jaw, the angle of his
brow, was tantalisingly familiar.  Something ...
     "Well," Keisuke said with that same dark grin, swinging his
sword in a short arc as he stepped forward.  "As I was saying before
we were so rudely interrupted, it's time to see who's the better
swordsman in our family."  Kunou stiffened.
     "Your claim is preposterous," he snapped.  "You are no kin of
mine.  I have no cousins."  Keisuke stopped for a moment, cocking his
head.
     "What of your father's sister?" he asked in a deliberately casual
voice that was belied by the tension in his lithe frame.  "If she'd had a
child ..."
     "My father was an only child," Kunou replied.  Keisuke began
moving forward again, and Kunou backed up carefully, hoping to make
his way closer to one of the walls where he wouldn't have to worry
about his back.
     "You really believe that," Kesiuke said, his voice flat.  "So
that's how it is.  They made my mother an un-person, erased her
existence."  He continued his slow advance, dark eyes gleaming with
some wild, barely contained emotion.  Kunou was frankly puzzled by
this approach.  Why didn't he attack now, surrounded by his allies?
What was the purpose of this charade?
     "You speak in riddles," Kunou replied, eyes narrowed.  "Do
you seriously expect me to believe that my father has lied his entire life
about ever having had a sister?"  Keisuke's lips pulled back from his
teeth in a motion that was more snarl than smile.
     "That is hardly the worst secret your precious family has kept,"
he growled.  "Oh, I can see it in your eyes, boy.  "Why does he go on
so?  Why not just attack?"  Isn't that what you're wondering?"  The
light seemed to dance along the edge of Keisuke's blade, being sucked
in as it ventured too close to the dark blade.
     "Perhaps," Kunou allowed, keeping his voice neutral.  If he
could keep Keisuke talking, he might be able to find a defensible spot
to fight.  That was his immediate concern.
     Nonetheless, he kept listening.
     "Oh, foolish boy," Keisuke hissed, his eyes flaring with deep,
old hatred.  "You have no idea how long I've waited for this day.  It
wouldn't do to rush things now, when the moment is finally at hand.
And it won't be perfect unless you understand, truly understand, the
wrongs that have been committed."
     "Against you," Kunou said.  It wasn't a question, but Keisuke
surprised him.
     "Against my mother," he spat.  "My mother, whose only crime
was to love unwisely.  She died surrounded by strangers, alone,
frightened.  I imagine how it must have been for her sometimes, in the
dark, when sleep won't come.  And my only comfort comes from
knowing that you will all pay for what you did to her."  A long, lizard-
shaped terror ventured within the clear space the two men walked in,
and Keisuke lashed out with his sword, sending it shrieking back the
way it had come.  At no point did he even take his eyes from Kunou.
     "A poor way to treat your allies," Kunou said flatly.  Keisuke
grinned, a feral expression.
     "This disgusting rabble?  I do not serve them," he replied scornfully.
"She whom I serve uses me to keep these beasts in line.  They fear me,
as they should.  As you should."  Kunou smiled back.
     "I shall have to disappoint you," he said.  "I am not afraid of
you."
     "Oh, but you will be," Keisuke murmured, the rictus of a grin
vanishing in an instant.  "As she was.  Surrounded by such ugliness as
these vermin, denied by her people, her family.  I will make you feel her
pain before you are allowed to die, boy.  I have sworn it."  Kunou shot
a quick glance behind him.  The wall was in sight, clear of combatants
although he would have to be careful around the shadowy stacks of
crates.
     "I cannot help but think you believe what you say," he said to
Keisuke cautiously, trying to keep him talking and distracted.  "And yet,
your tale makes no sense to me.  If my father truly had a sister, why
would he hide her existence all these years?  Why would our clan deny
her so thoroughly?"
     "Here we are, boy," Keisuke said, his voice a low rumble.
"This area will certainly suffice for our duel, will it not?"  Kunou realized
with a chill that, far from being distracted, Keisuke had known exactly
what his opponent was doing, and had allowed it.
     "And as for your questions, I can shed some light there as well.
You see, there is something you do not realize."  Keisuke stopped,
sword hanging loose at his side, his dark eyes locked with Kunou's.
As Kunou watched in shock, ripples seemed to run along Keisuke's
body under his long black coat.  The skin of his hands pulled tight
against the bones, and his dark eyes began to glow an angry red.
Kunou brought his sword up instinctively, causing Keisuke to burst out
laughing.
     "Now you see," he said, his voice curiously soft.  "Now you
understand."  Kunou just stared at him, dumbfounded.
     "You are one of them," he breathed.  Keisuke smiled
unpleasantly.
     "Not quite, boy.  You see, my mother was Misao Kunou, your
father's older sister.  And although the Kunou family and the demon
clans were constantly at war, she managed to fall in love with an
Aerkinma, one of the Lords of the High Court."
     "No," Kunou whispered.
     "Oh, but it's true, boy.  She loved the enemy.  When the inner
circle found out, they were horrified.  But the worst was yet to come
for those good, fine men and women."  His voice was dark with bitter
venom, and Kunou stood frozen in spite of himself.  He couldn't believe
this tale, it was just too fantastic.  And yet ...
     "For you see, she had been careless in her youthful passion,
had my mother, and was found to be with child.  A monster child."
Keisuke stopped, his face contorting, and looked away.  When he
looked back the unsettling rippling had stopped, and his eyes were
normal again.  Normal, but full of rage and pain.  And Kunou knew one
thing; for certain then.  Keisuke was not acting.
     "And so they planned a ceremony to kill the foul thing in her
womb.  She tried to fight them, but they would not listen.  That night, as
they prepared to do the deed, her lover and his people attacked the
estate, planning to liberate her.  That was a black night for both sides,
boy, as I'm certain you are aware."  Kunou realized he was referring to
the night almost thirty years before, when his grandparents and so many
others had died.  His thoughts spun with the implications of Keisuke's
story.  It seemed impossible, but what if it was true?
     "And so the survivors carried her away from her people, saving
her from a dangerous and possibly fatal mystic procedure.  After that,
all attempts by my mother to contact her family were rebuffed.  They
wanted nothing more to do with her.  She was unclean, vile, and would
likely have been killed on sight had she gone back to the estate.  And
so it was, in the end, that she died giving birth, surrounded only by the
few survivors of the High Court and their servants, outcast for daring to
love the wrong man.  She was denied the love and comfort of her
family, and I was denied my mother."  He fell silent, his face set and
expressionless.  Then he raised his eyes to Kunou's again, and Kunou
saw that the anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but it
had been pushed back by something else.
     Anticipation.
     "Now, boy, you know of the crimes against my mother by your
family," he said softly.  "She was not strong enough to make them pay
for her humiliation, for making her die alone in the dark.  So I have
carried this pain for her these many years, and now I will have revenge
in her name.  I will make the arrogant, unfeeling House of Kunou pay
for its crimes."  He brought his sword up to chest height, arm cocked
back, blade angled slightly down, and smiled grimly.
     "Beginning," he breathed, "with you."
 
***

     Akane shifted her weight slightly, trying to size up her opponent.
The woman was slightly taller than she was, with glossy, shoulder length
black hair that framed her pale face, deep blue eyes with cat-like
pupils, and long, tapered ears.  She was not like the beasts they'd
fought before, but she clearly wasn't human.  Akane watched with
trepidation as Lilla's black wings shrink into her shoulder blades like
magic.
     Like magic?  Hell, it WAS magic.  Just like the way her nails grew
long and straight, like blades.  Akane didn't want to waste time fighting,
but she had no choice.  She couldn't go after Ranma until she beat this
woman, so she'd just have to try to beat her quickly.
     Lilla launched herself forward unexpectedly, with such speed that
Akane barely had time to react.  The unearthly beauty came in low,
sweeping her arm in a long arc, then leapt straight up, flipping in mid-air
to land back where she'd started.  Akane blinked.
     So fast!  She started to step back, then felt a breeze against her
legs.  Glancing down, she was dumbfounded to see that her long skirt
had been sheared off at mid-thigh, cloth fluttering to the floor, and the
front of her school uniform gaped from navel to just under her sternum.
     "You're really quite lovely," Lilla said, her voice suggestively
low and husky.  "I want to see more of you.  In fact, by the time we're
done, I want to see ALL you have to offer."  Her lush lips curled into a
lazy, mocking smile, and Akane's shock was replaced with anger.
How dare the witch toy with her?
     "Come on and fight me!" she blurted.  She rushed forward, but
Lilla suddenly wasn't there.  A tearing sound as she spun prompted
Akane to look down.  A long expanse of her narrow waist was now
visible, and as she stood there, one sleeve slipped gently down her arm
and fluttered to the floor.  On the next pass the rest of the waist was
gone from her dress, and she had to hastily tie a knot in the remainder
of the skirt to keep it from falling away completely.  Lilla just watched
her patiently.
     "Yes," she murmured appreciatively.  "That's MUCH better.
Although there's still too much of that dress for my liking ..."  Fairly
trembling with rage, Akane sprang forward, lashing out with a vicious
kick.  Lilla spun away from it with maddening ease, her hands blurring
forward towards Akane as they clashed.  When Akane spun around,
Lilla was gone again.  She barely ducked in time to avoid a blow from
behind.
     "Not bad," Lilla said.  "But you're going to have to start
impressing me, or this is going to be over way too soon."  Her superior
tone seared Akane's ego like acid, and her fists were clenched so
tightly that they trembled.  Her dress had been reduced to a skimpy
two-piece outfit, the skirt tied low across her hips, her top sheared off
just below her breasts and the collar sliced open so deeply that the top
of her bra showed.  One sleeve was gone completely, the other missing
from the elbow down.
     It was clear that Lilla was playing with her.  It was also clear
that she didn't know just how bad an idea that was.  Akane was
fighting for Ranma, and she would not be beaten.  It was time to teach
the snotty bitch a lesson.
     Akane's perception narrowed, her breathing slowing and her pulse
smoothing out, until Lilla was all she saw.  The other girl stood, one
hand on her hip, watching Akane casually.  She exuded lazy grace, as if
she wasn't facing a determined opponent at all.
     "Well?" she asked, sounding bored.  Akane could see that her
nails had returned to normal.  Overconfident, are we? she thought with
grim amusement.  Well, let's see how you like THIS.
     Akane uncoiled, letting the strength of her legs propel her
forward like a bolt of lightning.  This time, though, she dropped low as
she reached Lilla, planting her hands flat on the rough wooden floor of
the loft and spreading her legs in a V, spinning around to spear her legs
out and up in the opposite direction from her attack.  Lilla, who'd
moved so quickly Akane had nearly not seen her and was now behind
her, was caught square in the small of the back by Akane's feet and
propelled across the loft to crash heavily to the floor.  Akane flipped
neatly to her feet, watching with great satisfaction as Lilla slowly
regained her feet.  She seemed to have some trouble catching her
breath, too, Akane noted gleefully as she glided closer, looking for an
opening.
     "Not bad," Lilla conceded, her smug smile gone for the
moment.  There was a glint in her eye, though, that was not at all
comforting.  "You've finally decided to get serious, huh, sweetie?
Okay, then ... let's do it!"  Lilla spun and leapt straight up, arcing so
high that she was momentarily lost in the shadows high above.  Akane
was already moving, knowing that to remain in one place was asking
for trouble.  She caught a glimpse of motion out of the corner of her eye
and dove, rolling away from a savage kick and coming up to her feet in
time to see Lilla bearing down on her.  She sprang away, hitting the side
of a stack of crates feet first and springboarding off of them neatly.
Lilla's fist crashed through the mouldering wood, and then they were
facing each other again, the only casualty Akane's remaining sleeve..
     "I knew you'd be fun," Lilla breathed, almost seeming to glow
with savage joy.  Akane didn't bother to rise to the bait this time,
unleashing a barrage of lightning fast punches.  Lilla dodged and wove,
avoiding them with animal grace, not bothering to counter or launch an
attack of her own.  Akane was backing her opponent into a corner,
though, and soon she'd have nowhere left to retreat to.
     Then, as Akane pressed her advantage, Lilla's hand snaked out
and caught Akane's wrist in mid-strike.  Lilla pulled Akane off-balance,
using her opponent's momentum to spin Akane as she moved.  Before
Akane could react, Lilla was pressed up against her from behind,
trapped arm twisted up and locked behind her back, Lilla's other arm
snaking around her throat, pulling Akane up and back tightly against her
foe.
     "Oh, dear," Lilla breathed in her ear.  "What a troubling
development this is."  Akane struggled, but she had no leverage from
her position.  Only the balls of her feet were still in contact with the
floor as Lilla made a low, throaty purring noise, her breath hot against
Akane's ear.
     "Let me see, now," she breathed.  "Where could that pendant
be?"  She let her hand stray across Akane's shoulder and down slowly.
     "Hmm," she murmured.  "Not heeere ..."  Akane flushed
angrily as Lilla pressed even more tightly against her, seeming to take
great pleasure in her search.
     "Not here either," she continued, her hand sliding lower.
Akane gritted her teeth.  There weren't many places to look; thanks to
Lilla's attacks, she only had a brief version of her dress top and a
drastically abbreviated skirt.  The shallow pocket was still intact,
though.  Akane could feel the weight of the pendant against her leg.
Lilla's hand slid past it, though, her fingers slithering over Akane's bare
thigh in an intimate manner.  Akane stiffened, but Lilla wrenched her
captive arm even higher up her back, a not-too subtle warning that
caused Akane to stifle a gasp.  Then Lilla's mischievous hand began to
creep slowly higher, over Akane's bare belly, nails digging in lightly, not
quite hard enough to draw blood.  Her taunting hand came up to the
bottom of Akane's cut-off top, and Lilla chuckled in Akane's ear.
     "Well," she whispered.  "Maybe it's here."  Akane stiffened
with shock as Lilla's hot, wet tongue traced a line along the edge of her
ear, the witch's hand slipping up under the loose top and gently
squeezing Akane's breast.  Bellowing with outrage, Akane finally
wrenched free, spinning and lashing out with a kick all in one motion.
Lilla was gone, though, back-flipping out of range to stare insolently at
Akane.
     "You made me lose my place," she said teasingly, biting down
on her thumbnail in an oddly girlish gesture.  "Now 'll have to start all
over again."
     "Pervert!" Akane blurted, arms crossed tightly over her
breasts, her skin still tingling from Lilla's blatantly intimate attentions.
What the hell was this woman's problem?  Did she think she could treat
this fight so casually?
     "Oh, my dear," Lilla said with a lascivious smile.  "If you think
THAT was perverted, you should have seen the way Lady Riana was
carrying on with your little boyfriend earlier."  Akane froze, and
something in her expression must have amused Lilla, because she threw
her head back and laughed.
     "Oh, yes," she continued carelessly.  "She's quite an
accomplished seductress, is my Lady.  She did things to that boy that
made even MY blood boil."
     "Shut up," Akane whispered.  She'd heard this earlier from the
white-haired witch, but it was lies, all
     (Your Ranma is delightful.  And a very good kisser.)
     lies.  They were only trying to
     (He'll never be satisfied with you after having tasted
the exotic pleasures of a real woman.)
     distract her.
     "He resisted at first," Lilla went on blithely, watching Akane out
of the corner of her eye.  "But no mortal can resist us for long, Akane
my sweet.  He was quite receptive to her by the end ..."  Her opponent
continued with her taunts, her words driving icy spears into Akane's
chest.
     Not true.  None of it.  Ranma loved HER.  Akane felt a hot,
welcome rage rising behind her eyes in a blood red tide, and she
opened herself to it.  Lilla shouldn't have told such lies about her
Ranma.  She shouldn't have been smiling so smugly, and she REALLY
shouldn't have treated Akane with such contempt.
     Akane remembered how it had felt, being cradled in Ranma's
arms after she'd nearly been killed during Ranko's first appearance.
She thought of way the head-strong, tongue-tied boy had taught her
"kitchen katas", his presence next to her sweet and comforting.  She
thought of the way he'd forced himself to talk about how he felt, how
he'd done it for her.  And her thumb traced the cool ring on her finger
as she remembered his face, gorgeous blue eyes catching the tawny
golden rays of the setting sun as he held out a ring box for her, his face
so eager and nervous and hopeful all at the same time.
     Her Ranma.  And they'd hurt him.  That thought called up the
churning fury, white hot and immediate, and she welcomed it, no longer
fighting to be calm.
     "I don't know what you want," Akane interrupted Lilla's taunt, her
voice deceptively gentle.  "But you really shouldn't have hurt Ranma.
That was a mistake."  Lilla looked at her in amazement, as if she'd
performed a really interesting trick.  Then she opened her mouth to say
something.
     Akane moved.
     She let that rage explode within her breast, ceased letting it control
her and instead used it, riding the tide of her fury like a quicksilver bullet
express, streaking forward as the world seemed to slow.  She saw
Lilla's arm sweeping out towards her, and had all the time in the world
to leap to the side.  Defying gravity, she ran for several steps along the
side of a crate, flipping to the floor over Lilla's spinning kick.  There
was a rushing sound in her ears and an almost crystalline clarity to
everything that she'd never experienced before.  Lilla's knife-edged
nails drove straight out at her, glinting in the low light, and Akane
sensed more than saw the opening as it appeared.  One hand caught
Lilla's wrist as she extended, and then Akane was slipping along the
inside of her opponent's outstretched arm, using her momentum and the
coiled power in her hips and shoulders to unleash a series of
devastating body blows.  Lilla's head snapped forward, eyes wide with
shock, as she was driven back under Akane's assault.
     Akane tucked one leg in close to her body, bent in half at the
knee, then spun and unwound it straight into Lilla's jaw.  The sensation
she felt when the witch flew sprawling across the floor was an
incredible rush.  There was no more time for hesitation or self-doubt.  If
she wanted that smug smile off Lilla's face, she was just going to have
to remove it herself.
     Well, so be it.
     Lilla was up and moving quickly, a snarl on her lips, and Akane met
her in mid-air, the two clashing in a savage series of strikes and blocks.
They pushed away at the same time, landing lightly to spin and rush
together again.  Lilla was fast, and strong, but she didn't have Akane's
training in martial arts combat.  They clashed again, whirling around
each other, parting and coming together like partners in some lethal
dance.  Akane caught Lilla's arm and spun, locking the elbow and
throwing the other woman, but Lilla managed to spin in mid-air and
land on her feet, launching a kick at Akane's head.  Akane blocked
with her own leg, then the two sprang apart again, only to clash in
another leap.  Akane was caught and thrown to the floor, rolling as she
hit and barely avoiding Lilla's shattering kicks that splintered the wood
as she tried to score a hit on the rapidly moving girl.  Akane bounded to
her feet, back-flipping away as Lilla pressed forward, then going high,
planting her hand on Lilla's head and springing over her.
     Again they met, and again, finally ending up facing each other across
the floor.  Akane's blood screamed through her body, her skin slicked
with sweat.  A line of stinging heat had etched itself across her
chest, and a glance showed that she was bleeding from a shallow cut
just above her breasts.  Lilla had landed a couple of other slashes as
well, but none of them were serious.  And now her opponent no longer
looked fresh and smug.
     And, most importantly, that superior smile was gone.  In its
place was a wary, almost respectful gaze as both combatants tried to
catch their breath.  Lilla was bruised, her tight black top torn and dirty,
and a thin thread of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
     "Well," Lilla gasped.  "I guess I shouldn't have underestimated
you."  Akane smiled thinly.
     "I guess you shouldn't have," she agreed breathlessly.  That
strange clarity was still with her, almost like an extra sense, probing
Lilla's stance, her very aura, for an opening.  Akane had to finish her so
she could get to Ranma, and now she was beginning to believe she
could.  She really could.
     They were both startled by a loud concussion from below.
Akane blinked as several bright streaks of light arrowed up past them,
detonating in fiery explosions against the ceiling.  Now that she thought
about it, things down there had been getting pretty noisy while she'd
been fighting.  The battle, incredibly, actually seemed to be heating up.
     "Well, well," Lilla said, dark amusement tainting her throaty
voice.  "This isn't good."  Akane followed her gaze and stifled a gasp.
Fire had broken out in the wooden rafters above them, a fierce orange
blaze of light and heat.  Fingers of rippling flame danced along the
webbing that soared amongst those rafters, and as Akane watched in
horror, she could see that they were spreading inexorably towards
where Ranma hung, helpless.
     "Well," Lilla said, her tone low and silky.  "Time's running out,
and our fight isn't over yet."  Akane dropped her gaze, panic beginning
to grip her as the reality of the situation set in.  Even if she just gave Lilla
the pendant, how would she reach Ranma in time?  Lilla watched her
face carefully, smiling at what she saw there.
     "Well, Akane?" Lilla demanded.  "If you give me what I want,
I'll leave you alone to try and rescue your man."
     "Why should I believe you?" Akane asked, fighting to keep the
desperation from her voice.  Lilla cocked her head, her glossy bob
brushing the tops of her shoulders lightly.
     "Let's just say I'm not immune to the charms of true love," she
said, the taunting lilt absent from her voice, and for a moment something
seemed to lurk behind those bold blue eyes, something Akane couldn't
identify.  Then it was gone, and Lilla was smiling that arrogant smile
again.
     "A pity we can't finish our fight, though," she murmured.  "Now, my
pendant?"  Expressionless, Akane fished the pendant from her
abbreviated skirt pocket, gripping the strangely shaped head so tightly it
broke the skin of her palm, letting the chain dangle loosely.  She walked
slowly towards Lilla, stopping just out of arm's reach.
     "How do I know you won't interfere?" she asked tightly.  Lilla's
smile broadened.
     "You don't.  But your options are, shall we say, limited."  She
stared into Akane's eyes, her cheeks still flushed and glowing from their
fight.  "And one other thing," she added as Akane reluctantly began to
raise her hand.
     "What?" Akane asked, eyes narrowed.  Lilla reached up to
trace the edge of the trickle of blood that ran from the corner of her
mouth down her chin.
     "Clean this off for me," she murmured, her stare cool and imperious.
"With your dainty little tongue."  Her stare, her mocking smile, her very
stance dared Akane to refuse.  Akane stared, unable to hide her shock
and outrage at the demand.
     "Pervert," she whispered hoarsely.  Lilla propped one hand on her
hip and raised her chin slightly, still holding Akane's gaze.
     "The fire, Akane," she breathed.  "It's getting closer even as
we stand here.  Any delay could be fatal.  Do you really have time to
argue about this?"  She didn't, of course, and the witch knew it.  Lilla
watched her swallow nervously, her lips curled in a wicked smile of
anticipation as Akane took one step closer.  Then another.  That smile
widened ever so slightly as Akane bit her lower lip, fetchingly reluctant,
bracing one hand lightly on Lilla's shoulder as she held the pendant out
with the other, slowly rising up on her toes.  Lilla reached to take it
even as her lips parted in anticipation, slit pupils widening into dark
pools.
     "Good girl," she whispered huskily.
     Akane sprang.
     Her body twisted, legs thrust straight up, as she used the hand
on Lilla's shoulder as a fulcrum, snatching the pendant away with the
other just as Lilla's fingers were brushing it.  As she slipped down
behind her tormentor, she slipped the dangling chain over the startled
woman's head like a noose, yanking it tight as she planted her knee in
the middle of Lilla's back.  Lilla was forced to her knees, and Akane
rode her down, maintaining her leverage and praying that the chain
wouldn't break.
     It didn't.  It appeared to be more than strong enough for her
purposes, digging into Lilla's unprotected throat as Lilla's hands came
up, frantically clawing at the tight chain.
     "Freeze," Akane hissed.  Lilla obeyed, a strangled noise
escaping her open mouth.  Akane leaned closer, her knee still in the
woman's back.
     "Listen closely!" she snapped, sparing a glance for the situation
above.  The flames were closer to Ranma now, and whole sections of
the billowing web were now ablaze.  She turned back to Lilla.
     "Can you fly carrying me?" she asked, her voice tight with urgency.
Lilla nodded frantically.  Akane smiled.
     "Good girl," she said mockingly.  "Then here's what you're
going to do ..."

***

     Ukyou clung to the pillar tightly, sparing another glance below.
The thing didn't appear to have any eyes on its smooth head, but she
could have sworn it was looking right at her.  It grasped the wooden
pillar in its huge claws and began to shake, the tremors travelling up to
where Ukyou was perched.
     Oh, boy, she thought.  This is bad.  A quick sweep of the area
didn't hold any better news.  The things were fighting almost
everywhere she could see, although bubbling pools of green goo on the
floor indicated that there had already been some casualties.  Strangely,
she could make out some people in the mix, fighting the creatures
unarmed, but she was sure they weren't part of her group.  The only
person she could recognize was Kunou, his sword glowing fiercely over
by the far wall, as he faced off against the guy who'd claimed to be his
cousin.
     Boy, she thought as the support began to creak alarmingly.
This isn't going too well.  She laughed then, almost giddy with fear and
adrenaline.  She was faced with the choice of dropping to the floor and
fighting Mr. No-face, or waiting to be dropped to the floor, getting
trampled, and then probably eaten by Mr. No-face.
     Some choice.
     As she was reaching back for her slung spatula, though, the
creature roared in pain, arching its back as several yellow and black
disks hit it together.  Wild joy filled Ukyou as a familiar figure arrowed
out of the crowd, slamming into the pain-wracked demon and throwing
it across the floor.
     "Ryouga!"
     "Ukyou!  What in the world are you doing up there?" he called.
She grinned ruefully.
     "I was trying to find everybody else, but I got treed," she called
down.
     "Have you seen Ranma or Akane?" he asked as he glanced
around him.
     "No," she replied.  "I can't see anybody except Kunou."  At
that moment, her gaze shifted and she blinked in surprise.
     "Miss Hinako?" she asked.  Ryouga began to turn, but he was
too late.  Miss Hinako brought her hands up in front of her.
     "Hello, children," she said cheerily.  "And good-bye!"  She
unleashed a chi blast that caught Ryouga and threw him back, shattering
the already weakened support.  Ukyou's world lurched abruptly, and
there was a sudden rain of debris from above her.
     Then she was falling.

***

     Exquisite.
     Everything about the experience was just as exquisite as
Wynneth had dreamt it would be.  First, there was the almost liquid
pleasure of utterly controlling Reiko, making her wield her powerful
sorcery at Wynneth's whim.  Reiko's power exploded against Riana's
hastily erected shield, throwing the Aerkinma Lady to the ground.  Then
Reiko turned, cupping her palm and casting a bolt of force at Tisa and
Callie, throwing them both into the surging mass of fighters not far
away.  Wynneth saw Andrei, Kenji and Ayako near the fallen Baenma
and spared a moment to reach out to them mentally, nudging them
towards those two.  She wanted to ensure that they were kept busy for
a while.  Through her blood link she could sense the others of the pack
in their wild feeding frenzy, helping to keep the battle chaotic and away
from the circle.
     Yes.  Just exquisite.  She glided up behind Reiko, resting her
hands lightly on the girl's slim shoulders.  They watched together as
Riana struggled to her feet, Wynneth hungrily, her pet with a neutral
expression.  Wynneth would see devotion on that beautiful face one
day soon, but for now her control was of necessity firm.  Even with two
bites, she couldn't risk Reiko breaking free.  The memory of those
mystic flames consuming her body with searing, white-hot pain ensured
that she would not make that mistake again.  Ever.
     "Well, Riana," she purred contentedly.  "Let me introduce you
to my newest pet.  But you already know her, don't you?"  She
stroked Reiko's loose hair, a proprietary gesture, and favoured Riana
with a smirk.
     "You brought other friends, Wynneth," Riana observed flatly.
"You've obviously been planning this for a while."  Wynneth raised one
eyebrow.
     "Surely you didn't think I would accept my humiliating defeat so
easily?" she asked archly.  "Oh, I've been planning my revenge for
years, my dear.  And tonight, I'll finally have the power I deserve.
And you, Riana, will find out what it feels like to submit to a hated
enemy."  She smiled slowly, making sure the tips of her fangs showed
between her parted lips.
     "Oh," Wynneth crooned, "this is going to be such fun.  Reiko."  She
gestured and Reiko turned towards a hulking green-skinned Borgunma
who was charging in from the crowd.  Whether he was one of Riana's
intent on rescue or one of the renegades looking for softer prey, she
really couldn't say.  Nor did she care.  She felt the thrill of power
through her link to Reiko as the girl unleashed a thin wedge of force
which arrowed away, striking the enraged creature head on.  The
expression on his face was priceless as he staggered a couple more
steps, his body falling in two pieces.
     Riana took advantage of the momentary distraction, throwing
her arms out from her body.  Thin, supple strands of webbing fired
from under her fingernails, snaking out to twine around Wynneth and
Reiko.  Wynneth couldn't summon shadows to her this close to the light
of that cursed circle, but she didn't really need to.
     "Reiko," she said calmly.  Reiko bent her head slightly, and the
webbing stiffened and shattered like glass.  Riana cursed, then threw a
spell-bolt.  Impressive enough, but the bolt splashed harmlessly off
Reiko's shield.
     "Ah, Rianaaaa," Wynneth sighed, drawing her rival's name out
teasingly.  "Isn't she marvellous?  And very powerful, as you can see.
Tragically, she doubts her power even as she is forced to embrace it,
for it has brought her nothing but pain.  In my service, though, she has
no compunctions about using her full potential.  Because she would do
anything for me.  Isn't that right, pet?"
     "Yes," Reiko said coolly.  Wynneth slipped her hand around
the girl's shoulder and caressed the delicate bite mark on her throat,
smiling as the girl shuddered under her touch.
     "Yes, Mistress," she corrected.
     "Yes, Mistress," the girl repeated obediently.
     "Very impressive, Wynneth," Riana spat.  "But if you're so
keen on revenge, why don't you fight me yourself?"  Wynneth smiled
sweetly.
     "Oh, don't worry," she told her rival.  "I'll be finishing you
personally.  But my darling Reiko aches to demonstrate her devotion to
me.  Don't you, pet?"
     "Yes, Mistress," the girl repeated softly.  Wynneth beamed.
     "You see?" she asked.  Then the smile became harder, uglier,
and she met Riana's eyes, feeling the stubborn Aerkinma resisting her
call with all her strength.
     "You nearly had him back," she taunted.  "Too bad things
aren't going to work out for you, Riana.  Still, you'll forget about him
when you're mine.  Eventually."
     "You haven't won yet, witch," Riana growled.  Wynneth just
smiled.
     "Reiko," she said.  "Why don't you show Riana what you can
do?"
     Content, Wynneth stood back and watched her new pet go to
work.

***

     From her precarious perch, Akane caught terrifying glimpses of
the carnage below.  Fortunately, she was too busy clinging to Lilla's
back and avoiding the buffeting of those black wings to spend much
time sightseeing.  With her free hand she held the pendant's chain
snugly around the girl's throat, although she didn't have very much
leverage from this position.  If Lilla was going to try something, it would
be soon.
     Unfortunately, Akane didn't have much choice in the matter.  If
she didn't reach Ranma, and quickly, he was going to be killed.  Lilla
swooped upwards, hovering near the rafters, and Akane tightened her
grip on the chain in a none-too subtle gesture.
     "I need to get closer!" she shouted.  Lilla regarded the
spreading flames critically.
     "If a piece of flaming web falls on us, we're history!" she
shouted back.  Akane could see the danger, but she wasn't going to be
dissuaded.  Having come this close, almost close enough to touch him,
there was no way she was turning back.  Not for anything.
     "If you don't do what I tell you, YOU'RE history!" Akane
snarled, yanking on the chain.  Lilla twitched, her body going rigid, and
she twisted her whole body as she tried to turn towards Akane.
     That move saved Akane's life.  She had the impression of a
sleek shape, mottled gray-green, arrowing towards her, and reacted
instinctively.
     She jumped.
     Claws raked the space where she had been, and Lilla cried out
as the heavy form collided heavily with her, its thin membranous wings
folding around her either from the force of the impact or by design.
Either way, her own wings were entangled and they fell together in a
long arc towards the floor.
     Akane saw all this in the moments she was airborne.  Her leap
had taken her towards the rafters, and she tucked her legs tight against
her body as she passed close to some open flames.  Uncoiling at the
last moment, she managed to snag a solid section of the rafter with one
hand, although the way it lurched under her weight told her that she
wouldn't be hanging there for long, one way or the other.  Both ends of
the beam were aflame, and it was beginning to give way.
     She could see Ranma, though.  And, with the beam on fire and
about to collapse, there was only one way she could reach him in time.
She reached up with her other hand, taking a firm grip on the small
section of beam that remained safe, and began to swing her legs in a
pendulum motion.  With enough momentum, she might be able to hurl
herself across the intervening space and reach Ranma ...
     Would.  Not might, *would* be able to!  The beam creaked
and shifted again, heat from the fire causing the skin on her hands and
arms to tighten painfully as it crept closer.  Now or never, she thought
giddily, and as her legs swung forward again she let go of the collapsing
beam, tucking into a ball and twisting so that she flew towards Ranma
head first, arms outstretched.
     For a moment, she was certain she had miscalculated and
would plunge to the floor, but she managed to get one arm around
Ranma's bare waist as she fell past, her momentum carrying her
through the weakened web.  As the strands parted, clinging to her face
and hair, she snaked her other arm up to join the first around Ranma's
waist and hung on, gasping for breath as her heart pounded wildly.  Her
ballistic arrival had torn Ranma partially free of the confining web, only
several thick strands that wound down his right arm to his chest now
holding them both up.
     For a moment Akane just hung there, aware of the warmth of
Ranma's bare skin under her hands.  Blood and sweat were
intermingled there, making his body slick, but for an interminably long
moment all she could think about was that heat.
     He's alive, she told herself, almost dizzy with relief.  I know for
sure now, he's really alive!  She craned her head up to see his face, and
froze.
     His eyes were closed, mouth slack, but what had caught her
attention was his hair.  Unbound as it was, it mostly obscured his face,
but from this angle she could see that a thick lock, extending from
crown to a point hanging in front of his nose, had gone pure white.
     "Ranma," she whispered, her voice tight and strengthless.
"What did they do to you?"
     Get a grip! she told herself, fighting down the tide of fury that
threatened to overwhelm her.  You're not out of the woods yet, girl!
     Indeed she wasn't.  For now she had Ranma, but no way to
get down.  The fire was coming closer to them, and if the web didn't
give way first the rafters certainly would.  Akane held on tight, her
cheek pressed against Ranma's abdomen, and glanced down.  The fitful
glow of the fire revealed little of what was below them, but judging from
where the glow of the circle was, Akane knew that they had to be
over the loft.  She hoped.  Her momentum had set them swinging at the
end of those strands of webbing, and she was uncertain whether their
arc of swing took them out over the concrete floor.  To make it worse,
they were spinning slightly as well, disorienting her.
     Had Ranma been conscious, it wouldn't have been that much of
a problem, but in this state he wouldn't be able to protect himself when
they fell.  So she was going to have to do it.  The strands holding
Ranma's arm above his head began to part under the encroaching fire,
and Akane took several deep breaths to ready herself.  As the strands
finally gave way, she pulled herself up, wrapping herself around
Ranma's limp body and pulling him tightly against her.  The sensation
of free falling was at once exhilarating and terrifying, and she closed her
eyes, squeezing Ranma tight as she braced for impact.
     Don't worry, she thought as they fell.  Don't worry, Ranma, I'll
protect you.
     I promise ...

***

     Ukyou struggled to her feet, and for one panicky moment she
was certain she'd lost her spatula.  Then her hand closed around the
cool grip, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
     Her relief was short-lived, though, as something grabbed her
from behind and hoisted her into the air.  She yelped, flailing wildly as
she was tossed aside like a rag doll, managing to get her feet under
herself as she crashed to the floor.  She rolled, immediately having to
dodge two titans who were locked in combat, stomping back and forth.
That brought her to a momentarily clear area, and she hefted her
spatula warily, looking around for Ryouga.  Whatever had gotten into
Miss Hinako, she hadn't been fooling around with that blast.
     Ukyou saw someone not far away, a dark-haired man with his
back to her, and grinned.
     "Ryouga!" she shouted with relief.  At the sound of her voice,
he turned toward her, and she saw at once that he wasn't Ryouga.  His
shirt was dusty and torn, revealing a gaunt, almost emaciated chest.  His
cheeks were also sunken, as if he were half-starved.  And his eyes ...
     They glowed, a deep, baleful red.  He stared at her and started
across the floor, his rictus grin revealing long, sharp fangs.  She was
only distantly alarmed by those, however.
     His eyes were strange, not human, yet somehow compelling.
She couldn't seem to look away from them, even though they were
filled with dark hunger.  Her spatula hung at her side, forgotten, and she
stood there, trembling, wanting to run but also wanting to stay, to look
into those eyes forever ...
     Why, I don't know what I was thinking, she told herself faintly.
He's not ugly.  In fact, he's quite beautiful.  I should throw my arms
around him and give him a big hug, that's what I should do ...
     He was close now, almost close enough to touch, and those
eyes seemed to expand to fill her whole world, burning with unholy
hunger and need, and for some reason her pulse seemed to be
pounding in her ears ...
     She blinked.  The red glow was gone, and she stepped back
instinctively, suddenly aware of her heart pounding dizzily.  The eyes
staring into hers were now an ordinary brown, and looked puzzled.
Seconds later, they tilted as the man's head toppled from his body,
falling to bounce off the floor with an unsettling hollow thunk.  Then
body folded up and joined its head soon thereafter, leaving Ukyou
staring, dumbfounded.
     "Nihao!"  That voice.  She jerked her gaze up to see the lovely
Chinese amazon smiling at her.  In one hand, Shampoo had a long,
wickedly sharp-looking sword, and Ukyou couldn't help but notice that
she looked completely unfazed by the chaos.
     "Shampoo!" she blurted.  "What ... when ..."  Shampoo
ignored her, bending down to retrieve the head from the floor, lifting it
by the hair and examining it like a fresh melon at market.
     "Shampoo thinks it will do," she murmured with approval,
dropping the bloody prize into a brown sack at her waist.  Ukyou
shook off the last of her strange lethargy.
     "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.  Shampoo
regarded her innocently.
     "Shampoo need to get head," she explained.  Ukyou blinked.
     "Come again?" she ask