The Darkness Within
Part 1
By Slacker

The Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2? Not mine. It's Rumiko Takahashi's. Vampire Hunter D? Not mine either. It's...um, I forget. Any OTHER characters that aren't original to me? They belong to other people, too.

Nabiki hung up the phone and sighed. She was beginning to despair.

Ranma had disappeared over six months ago. Six months!

It was beginning to really annoy her, too. Wherever Ranma was, he was hidden well. She couldn't find any trace of him anywhere. No exit records from Japan, no entrance records anywhere else. Of course, Ranma claimed to be able to swim from China to Japan, so that didn't mean anything.

She had every one of her operatives looking out for anyone who resembled either of his forms in the least little bit, but so far had found absolutely nothing. The only conclusion she could draw was that he was deliberately hiding.

And doing a damn fine job, too.

Personally, Nabiki didn't care if Ranma disappeared. She liked him well enough, but it meant a lot less headache for her. Sure, it cut into her profits a little, but she made that up in repair costs.

But, since he had disappeared, Akane had been at first depressed, than quickly slipped back into her old behavior. Nabiki knew her sister well enough to know that she was just trying to cope with Ranma's disappearance. Which meant that Akane was hurting.

And no one hurt her family. No one. Ever.

She was going to find Ranma for Akane even if it was just so Akane could beat him into a bloody pulp.

Nabiki leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the clock.

Oh, man. One in the morning? I've got to get to bed. I'll continue this tomorrow.

Nabiki got up and went over to her bed. As she started to drift off to sleep, a final thought went through her head.

Where in the hell could he be?

[3 AM, the bad part of Nerima]

The girl had made a mistake. She was walking by herself in the wrong part of town way too late. Added to the fact that her body left no doubt as to her femininity, especially dressed in her tight blue jeans and T-shirt, this was a VERY serious mistake.

Which explained why she was now backed into an alley with three men blocking the exit.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" The leader, a large, green-haired man with a clothespin through his nose, asked with a lewd grin.

"I don't know, boss. Maybe she needs some directions?" The bald, lanky punk to his left responded as he played with a length of chain.

"Maybe we need to help her out?" The short, brown-haired punk to his right asked. He was shirtless and body-pierced to the point of chain mail.

"Good idea. Miss, do you need us to help you out? Of those clothes, maybe?" The leader leaned forward, his grin getting much larger at the look on the girls face. I wonder if she's a natural redhead? Well, I'll know in a few minutes, won't I?

"I love to see the terror on their faces when they realize they just made the biggest mistake of their life." The bald punk commented as the leader reached for the girl's chest.

"Funny. I was about to say the same thing." The girl said in a calm tone. The leader hesitated for a few seconds, then continued to reach for her chest. She smiled calmly as she grabbed his wrist and proceeded to squeeze. The leader hit the ground from the pain she was causing.

"Did I mention that I really, REALLY dislike rapists?" The woman politely asked as she casually crushed his wrist. He screamed in agony and fell to the ground. The other two looked at each other and ran for the street. They didn't make it. Screams of agony rang out across the street.

Thirty seconds later, the girl walked out of the alley, brushing dust off her T-shirt as she went. She smiled as she patted the new addition to her petty cash fund resting in her pocket. Well, that was useful, in a way. Nerima seems to have slipped a bit. Those morons never would have tried that a few months ago. Oh, well. They won't be trying it again.

She brushed some hair out of her blue eyes as she put her sunglasses on and grinned. I'm gonna have some fun here. Ooooh, yes. A lot of fun.

Ranma Saotome was back in Nerima. Let the chaos begin anew.

[ Tendo Dojo, the next morning]

Kasumi winced as the door slammed after Akane's exit. Akane had been growing less depressed and more angry over Ranma's disappearance recently. She had reverted to destroying large amounts of bricks in order to work off her anger. So far, Kasumi was unable to see any positive results.

"So, she left already." Nabiki stated from the kitchen doorway.

"Yes. And she seemed rather...." Kasumi's voice trailed off as she tried to find a polite way to describe Akane's attitude.

"Try 'Bitchy.'" Nabiki suggested with a smirk.

"Nabiki! Language!"

"Sorry. Just being truthful." Nabiki took the bowl of miso that Kasumi handed her as they both sat at the table. After she had eaten a few mouthfuls, she spoke again. "I can't really blame her. Between Ranma's little vanishing act, Shampoo's and Ukyo's harassment, and the fact that there's currently 20 to 1 odds on Kuno re- issuing the `Beat her to date her' challenge, she's got a right to be a bit...angry."

"Yes, you're probably right. I hope she feels better after today." Kasumi said with a sigh.

Fat chance. "Oh, I'm sure she will." Nabiki said with sarcasm that Kasumi completely missed.

"Oh, that's good."

Nabiki shook her head as she got up and went out the door. I still can't tell if she's truly that oblivious or just ignores the unpleasantness.

She quickly put the thought out of her head and began to mentally get in gear for school.

[Furinkan high]

"Sakura, what are all those boys doing?" Jun asked her friend, pointing at the large group of boys gathering in front of the school. They were both new to Furinkan, having transferred from Juban. Their parents had said something about 'getting away from the chaos.'

"I...don't know, Jun." Sakura was beginning to think that Furinkan might not have been the best place her parents could have sent her. So far, she had seen a boy who couldn't seem to walk five feet without getting lost, a boy with a bokken declaring his devotion to his 'two true loves', and a girl who had a weird fetish with pigs. Sakura had gone into a mild case of shock when she saw the size of the pig following the girl. Now she was at the 'comfortably numb' stage. "And I don't think I want to know."

"You must be new to Furinkan."

Both of the girls jumped at the deep voice. They spun around to see who had spoken. The first thing they noticed were his clothes.

Dark blue Chinese shirt, black pants, black shoes. Then they noticed other details. Black hair. Wrap-around sunglasses with mirrored lenses. Black leather gloves. His head was turned to look down the street, so they could see that he had a braid. The braid was long, thin, and reached the middle of his thighs. As he turned his head back to regard them, he removed his sunglasses.

Sakura and Jun both tried to keep from drooling. He was absolutely GORGEOUS! His most striking feature was his eyes. They were an incredible shade of blue.

Sakura turned to her friend. "Dibs!"

As Jun stared at her in disbelief, Sakura began to edge closer to her new one true love. Right before she latched herself onto his arm, he spoke.

"Do you know martial arts?"

"Um, no. Why?" Sakura responded.

"Magic?"

"Noooo. Why?" Sakura was a bit puzzled at the line of questioning.

"Are you a psi?"

"Nuh-uh. Why?!" And what's a 'psi'?

"How about just plain insanely tough or fast?"

Sakura mutely shook her head.

"Well, then. You don't want to be my significant other. Trust me."

"Why not?" Sakura asked in an indignant tone.

"You wouldn't survive it."

"Excuse me?" Jun said in an incredulous tone.

"I said she wouldn't survive it. Simple fact."

As Sakura and Jun tried to figure out what he meant by that remark, he turned his head and grinned.

"Here she comes. Time for the show to begin."

"What show?" Jun shook herself out of her bemusement enough to ask. He has the NICEST smile.

"That one." He said as he pointed towards the gate just as shorthaired girl ran through screaming. In short order she had rendered the mob of boys unable to move, much less fight. She was about to go into the school when the bokken- wielding boy stopped her.

"Ah, Akane Tendo, my beauteous tigress, how the heavens rejoice at the rejoining of our love! Behold do the...."

Behind them, the boy smiled as he announced "Kuno looks to have gotten better. Must have been training. Might take Akane a few more seconds to nail him than usual."

His prediction was rendered moot when a bandanna-clad boy slammed a fist into the back of Kuno's head. Kuno dropped like a brick. Akane promptly began to yell at her helper.

"Same Akane, I see. 'Appreciation? What's that?' Sheesh, and they wanted me to marry her."

Sakura and Jun looked at each other. The same thought was running through both of their heads. Marry?

Seeing their looks, the boy quickly explained. "Our dads got drunk off their asses before we were even born and had this GREAT idea."

"Oooooh." They said in comprehension.

"Yeah, neither of us were happy about the idea." He responded.

"Happo Five-Yen Yatsu!" The girls turned in time to see a extremely beautiful woman tuck something into the pocket of her very tight dress. Everyone in the yard was on the ground, moaning.

"And Miss Hinako's still around, too. Perfect." The boy sighed as he shook his head. He turned to look at them and cocked an eyebrow. "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late."

Sakura shot a glance at the clock tower. She blinked. "Oh, crap!"

Jun was nearly given whiplash as her friend grabbed her hand and dashed into the school.

Ranma chuckled as he watched the pair dash into the school. He glanced up to the windows he had spent so much time staring out of during classes. Maybe I should drop in? Naw, the looks on their faces wouldn't be worth the trouble it'd cause.

Ranma walked over to some bushes and grabbed a duffel bag, then walked out to the gate. As he strode out, he started to talk.

"Oh, don't be like that. This is Tokyo. I can't just carry you strapped to my back like I could in China."

He paused, then snickered.

"Well, yeah. That's a good point. Still, best if you stay out of sight. Cologne would recognize you on sight, if not by aura."

He continued walking, maintaining a one-way conversation. He received few looks. This WAS Nerima, after all.

Nodoka hummed a little tune as she pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven. She loved to bake. It was one of the few things other than practicing her sword katas that could get her mind off her son's disappearance.

She forced her mind away from her son's continued absence. She endured his ten-year absence by continuously telling herself he'd be coming home soon. A lie, but one that made her feel better.

But now, she had to admit that she had no idea when or even if he'd return. He had just upped and vanished. She feared that maybe he had decided to just give up on Nerima and all it's inhabitants.

She placed the cookies on a rack to cool, then turned to place the tray by the sink. She turned back and frowned a little. Roughly half the tray was missing. She narrowed her eyes. Genma. When did he return from Soun's? And how many times do I have to tell him to stay away from my baking?

She turned and grabbed a wooden spoon. Keeping her back turned to the tray, she started to mentally count down. 3...2...1...NOW!

*THWA-CRACK*

"Ow! Damn it! That stings like a sonuva... Um, it stings." A familiar voice exclaimed.

The spoon hit the floor. Nodoka slowly turned around, praying that she wasn't hallucinating. She wasn't. Her son was standing behind her, rubbing the back of his right hand and grinning at her.

"Hi, mom. What's u-OOOF!" Ranma's breath was driven out of his lungs as his mother wrapped her arms around his waist and attempted to drop his pants size by at least six inches.

"Mom...can't...breathe." he managed to gasp out. Nodoka quickly let go of him, blushing faintly. Then she blinked a few times, and started a classic "mother rant", which then devolved into a "Nodoka rant".

"Where have you been? Do you know how worried we've been? Why did you up and disappear for HALF A YEAR? Do you have any idea what that did to me? Don't you EVER do that again! Well, unless you take a couple of your fiancees with you next time. I DO want grandchildren, you know. Speaking of which, have you met any nice girls while you've been gone?" she asked the last in a tone of voice that suggested 'nice' had an entirely different context than most people were familiar with.

"No, mom. I didn't meet any 'nice' girls. Met several who are now trying to kill me, though." Ranma's voice was resigned.

Nodoka sighed disappointedly. She unwrapped herself from her son's waist, grabbed his wrist, and started to pull him towards the stairs, chattering all the while. It was like she was afraid to let the air grow silent.

"I hope you like your room. I tried to get it as close as I could to how it used to look. It's amazing how fast the construction crews fixed the house." Nodoka was suddenly stopped in her chatter when Ranma grabbed her wrist and stopped. She turned to look at him. He had a very serious look in his eyes.

"Mom, we need to talk about my father." His voice was quiet.

"What did Genma do this time?" Nodoka sighed.

"Mom, I KNOW." Ranma stated emphatically. "I met him."

Nodoka stared at him a few seconds, then made her way over to a couch and collapsed into it. She seemed to in shock. "You...know?"

Ranma nodded silently, then added, "Like I said, I met him."

Nodoka swallowed. Ranma continued, in a voice full of satisfaction, "Then I helped kill him."

Nodoka snapped her eyes up to meet his. He grinned.

"And it was fun, too." He added. Nodoka stared at him incredulously, then started to giggle (although a bit hysterically), then broke out in a full-blown laugh. Ranma soon joined her.

"More tea?"

"Yes, thanks." Ranma held up his teacup so his mom could refill it, then settled back into his chair.

"Soooo...what will you tell the Tendo's when you go see them?" Nodoka asked as she refilled her own cup.

"Nothing. Ain't a chance in hell I'm gonna go see them." Ranma calmly replied, sipping at his tea.

"What? Why not?" Nodoka froze as she was putting the teapot down.

"I'm in town for specific reasons. And dealing with them doesn't even come close to appearing on that list. And I DON'T want to get them involved in my current set of problems. I've got people after me who'd blow up the entire block if they even thought I'd be injured slightly." Ranma set his cup down, then stood.

"I need to be going. I have a job to do." He sighed. "Time to look death in the eye and laugh. Again."

"Wait! You're just going to leave?" Nodoka asked desperately. I can't let him go! I've already lost ten years with him!

"I'll be back. But I have a job to do. And I have to do it soon." Ranma shrugged off her hand from his arm. "Don't worry. If I have to leave suddenly, I'll make sure YOU get an address this time. Or at least an explanation. I promise you that." Ranma's voice was firm.

Nodoka looked into her son's eyes. There was something there that hadn't been there the last time she had seen him. It was hard to pin down, but there was a definitely a change. A look of understanding that can only be won through long, hard fighting. It announced that her boy was gone, replaced by the man now standing in front of her.

Nodoka lifted her hands and cradled her son's cheeks. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she whispered, "What has happened to you?"

Ranma reached up and took her hands. "I was forced to grow up. Maybe I lost something in it. But at least I'm not as moody as D."

"Who?" As Nodoka asked her question, she subtly tried to steer her son back to his seat. Ranma went, but his face revealed that he knew what she was doing.

"D. Vampire hunter. Damn good, too. He's probably the best in the world. Vampyr. Been REAL moody lately. I guess having a pseudo- demonic alchemical experiment gone wrong bond itself to your hand does that." Ranma snickered. "I told him not to touch the damn thing."

Nodoka stared at him.

"Don't ask. Very long, and VERY weird, story. I was there and I'm still not sure what the hell happened." Ranma informed her. "If Alucard hadn't been there, we probably would have died. Painfully, too."

"Alucard? Who's that? Another enemy? You just seem to stack them up." Nodoka commented as she refilled Ranma's cup and placed it in his hand.

"Another vampyr. We accidentally pulled him out of a two century-long nap. He went back to sleep after he helped us take down you-know- who." Ranma saluted Nodoka with his cup.

"How DID you do that? Kill him, I mean? I've researched it. He's been reported as dead at least six times that I can find." Nodoka inquired.

"Carefully. D spent a LONG time planning it. D systematically destroyed all of his safe houses, then waited for the right time. We finally dropped the old bastard by staking him, beheading him, gutting him, and cutting him into four sections.

"Then, we burned the guts and body sections separately, sowed the ashes with holy water, had them blessed by a priest, then scattered them over Europe, Australia, Africa, Antarctica, and the Artic Circle. We hid the ashes of his heart and brain on the American deep-space probe that launched last month.

"And, just to top it all off, we immersed his skull in a vat of holy water lined with pure silver and buried it under the alter of the Vatican." Ranma finished his tea. "If he comes back from THAT, it'll require an act of God. D planned for every eventuality that he could think of."

"It certainly was...thorough." Nodoka commented, a little taken back.

"D decided that if he was going to try it, he was going do it RIGHT. Good philosophy." Ranma stood. "I really do have to go now, Mom. I have to make sure things are ready."

"Ready? For what?"

"I've got a job to do tomorrow. And I'll need plenty of time to prepare. I'll talk with you after I finish the job." Ranma hugged his mother, than smiled down at her. "So I really do have to go."

Ranma disengaged from his mother and walked to the door. He was about to open it when his mother's voice stopped him.

"Wait. I...I have something for you." Nodoka nervously announced.

Ranma watched in puzzlement as she quickly exited the room and climbed the stairs. He could hear her rustling around in her room, then hastily coming back down the stairs. In her arms, she carried a familiar bundle. A bundle Ranma had lived in fear of for almost a year.

Nodoka unwrapped the silk covering her family's clan blade and held the sword in her hands. She sighed. "Normally, there would be a long, formal ceremony in the presence of several witnesses to do this, but since when has anything involving you been normal? Here. The clan sword is yours now. Be careful with it. According to legend, it was forged by a descended god named Yosho."

Ranma nearly dropped the sword when she placed it in his hands, but quickly recovered. He stared at the blade, then lifted his eyes to his mother and said a single word.

"Why?"

Nodoka's eyes were clear as she met his gaze. "Fixing past mistakes. I should have given it to you before the 'Wedding Incident.'"

Ranma nodded. He picked up the silk covering and re-wrapped the sword, then quickly made a sling from his belt and strapped it across his back.

"I also changed the family register. You're clan head, now." Nodoka continued. Ranma nodded again as he opened the front door and stepped out.

"Are you sure you won't go see the Tendos?" Nodoka asked in an almost pleading voice.

Ranma's voice was sad as he answered. "I am my father's son. I've had to accept that. Do you think they could?"

Nodoka was silent. Ranma smiled tightly.

"Neither do I. A clean break is best. If you have to, tell them whatever you need to."

"What about your fiancees?" Nodoka asked.

"When it comes right down to it, I have none. All of the agreements were to engage 'Genma Saotome's son.' The only one that wasn't is Shampoo, who can't marry me because of the laws of her tribe. I'm an outcast to them because of what I am." Ranma shrugged. "Not a very elegant solution, but it works."

"Not very honorable, either." Nodoka's voice was disapproving.

Ranma glanced at her, then turned and started to walk out of the yard. As he walked, he calmly called over his shoulder, "Honor's over-rated. More trouble than it's worth most times. I'd rather be moral than honorable. 'Honor' just gets in the way in a serious fight."

Nodoka just stared at her son's back as he walked away.

"My son, my son, what has happened to you?" she whispered in a soft, sad tone.

[ The Neko-hanten]

"Welcome to Neko-hanten! How can Shampoo serve you?" Shampoo cheerfully asked as the door opened. Her customer, a middle-aged woman with brown hair and green eyes dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"You can serve me by getting Cologne. I was told she was here." The woman calmly stated as she crossed her arms and waited by the door.

"Great-grandmother very busy. Maybe you want some lo mein? Is special today!" Shampoo replied chirpily.

The customer's hand shot out and grabbed the menu from Shampoo's hand, then imbedded it a nearby table. Her voice was polite as she informed Shampoo "Tell Cologne that Lotion is here and wants to see her. She'll see me."

Shampoo nodded quickly, then hurried into the back. It only took a few seconds for Cologne to emerge. Her voice was cautious as she greeted her visitor.

"Lotion. Seeing you here is...unexpected."

Lotion snorted. "Don't try to pull the 'Wise Old Elder' with me, Cologne. I was there when you were born. I was there when your mom caught you and Silk in the woodshed. I carried you home after you found out just how strong sake is. So don't even try it with me."

Cologne looked a little uncomfortable. She quickly asked, "So why are you here?"

"I'm a Demon Hunter. Why do you THINK I'm here? Use your head." Lotion pulled out a chair and dropped into it. "I'm following a former student of mine. I think he's going to make a try for the Hunter's Holy Grail."

"The what?"

"Not what. Who." Lotion grinned. "Short, perverted, and exceptionally hard to kill. Sound like anybody you know?"

Cologne just nodded silently.

"Thought so. I need a room to meditate and a steady supply of food. I'm commandeering this one." Lotion gestured towards the front room. "Don't disturb me unless it's vital."

"And what counts as vital?"

"If the restaurant catches on fire...." Lotion's voice trailed off.

"Yes?"

"It's NOT vital. Get the idea?" Lotion moved to the center of the room and began to clear it of tables and chairs. "And I want all of the Amazons in the area to stay close by. When it goes down, I won't have time to hunt for you."

"Why do you need us? I've seen you fight." Cologne stated.

"Because when you go up against someone like Happosai, it's best to stack the deck. My student is good, but isn't nearly tough enough to do it. So, after he wears the pervert down, I'm going to finish him off. Simple as that."

Later that night, in a dimly lit hotel room on the other side of Nerima, a figure was carefully checking over its gear. The list was large.

The clothing was first. Hand-made undergarments made of silk and cotton. After them came leather, skin-tight and black as the void of space. Buckles were tightened over the arms, legs, and chest, ensuring that there would be no loose edges to snag on something during a fight.

Over all of that came light, flexible body armor to cover the torso, thighs, calves, and arms. A bit restrictive, but his life had been saved by the armor more than once.

A pair of leather gloves, black as the rest of the outfit, secured by straps wrapped around the wrists. Thin, so as to not impede his sense of touch, and with reinforced backs and palms. Sixteen ounces of powdered lead across the knuckles added a little extra hit to each punch.

Calf-high boots. Steel-toed, reinforced soles, special treads. Again, a bit restrictive, but they had kept him from broken ankles many times.

After the clothing came the weapons:

Wards. Shinto mostly, with some other religions tossed in. Secured in a specially designed pocket.

A whole plethora of silver or silver- plated weapons. Knives, garrotes, and throwing blades of every description. Secreted in various places on the body.

A single gun. A custom-modified Desert Eagle .50 AE. Slipped into a holster on the right hip. He'd usually carry others, but they'd just be useless weight for this fight.

Clips for the Desert Eagle. Loaded with custom-made ammo. Silver mostly, with a few nasty surprises mixed in. Secured in pouches made for that purpose.

Several bags of rather unusual items. Rose petals, sand, various herbs, and one bag containing chocolate chips. Put inside a series of pouches at the waist.

Several insulated flasks of a crimson liquid. Secured in various pockets. Thigh, chest, and back.

Several explosive devices, both improvised and military. Hidden where they weren't obvious.

A nylon harness is slipped over all of this and secured. The harness is to hold two scabbards securely on his back. It only used to hold one, but a few hours with needle and thread fixed that.

A quick check of all the buckles, snaps, Velcro tabs, and buttons. Then comes the next layer: an ankle-length leather trenchcoat. Black, of course.

The trenchcoat was loose and supple. It would take a careful eye to notice that something was wrong with the way it draped over his body. It would require an actual physical examination to determine why it did that: Kevlar was woven into it at several key places. The elbows, hem, and all seams were triply reinforced with the strongest material money could buy, ensuring that they would hold no matter what was done to them.

A quick adjustment to the coat and he was ready to slide the swords home into their sheaths. One, ancient beyond recorded time, shining with an internal silver light, shaped like a standard straight-edged katana. The other, not nearly as old but carrying a much greater emotional significance, forged by a master of the craft, also a straight-edged katana.

Both carrying a long and honorable past. Both had seen much fighting. Both had spilled blood. Both were now his, inasmuch as anyone could be said to own a sword.

He sighed and slid them into their sheaths through a pair of holes in the trenchcoat put there for just that reason. Both blades ran parallel to his spine and one hilt was visible over each shoulder.

Then came the finally step, just as the horizon started to lighten with the rising of the sun: a pair of black, wrap-around mirror- shaded Oakleys. Far from the cheapest of sunglasses, but worth every penny.

All told, he was currently wearing well over a million dollars in equipment and weapons. Almost a full two million, if you counted the bribes to get them in, and possible fines if he was caught with them.

A quick kata to ensure that everything was settled in its correct place, and then Ranma flipped his pigtail over his shoulder. He made sure it didn't get hung up on the sword hilts, then clapped his hands together and grinned.

"Time to go to work."

[Furinkan High School]

The girls piled into the locker room, chattering as they went. School had only been in session for a week now, and everyone was still anxiously catching up on each other's summers.

It wasn't until the first few girls emerged from the showers that trouble reared its ugly head. It started with a seemingly simple question from one of the new girls.

"Hey! Where's my bra?"

All the Furinkan veterans froze. There was a mass exodus from the showers and a quick grabbing of towels. It only took a few seconds to determine that ALL their bras and panties were gone. The veterans grabbed whatever weapons were at hand, while a few newbies stared from the showers.

"Jun? What's going on now?" Sakura's day had been fairly weird already. The Principal was a nut, her class had at least two cross-dressers in it (no one was sure about that Konatsu...person, but Tsubasa and Ukyo were for certain), and now she was watching a group of girls get ready for war.

"I have no idea." Jun asked, staring in perplexed fascination. Is that a katana? Where did she get that rake? And where do you even FIND a torch these days?

Suddenly, they found out why everyone was preparing for a fight. A two foot-tall...thing leaped in through a window and cried it's horrifying battle cry.

"SWEETO!" *glomp* Screams of rage rang out.

Sakura and Jun stared in shock as the troll proceeded to molest several of their classmates. It seemed to be upset about something.

"Happosai! Get the hell out of here!" Screamed a shorthaired girl. Sakura thought her name was Akane.

"Where are they? Where are my silky darlings? Why have you hidden them?" The troll seemed greatly distressed.

"Hidden them! You STOLE them!" Akane swung her mallet, but missed by a country mile. Happosai ignored her and bounced around the room, looking for something. He suddenly grinned.

"Ah, there they are! Bad girls, trying to keep them from me!" He bounded over to a locker and ripped it open. A huge mass of lingerie spilled out.

"Sakura, isn't that your locker?" Jun asked in a too-calm voice. She began to edge away from her friend slightly.

Sakura gaped a few times, then finally found her voice and screeched, "WHY THE HELL ARE THOSE IN *MY* LOCKER?!?!"

A calm, MALE voice answered. "Bait."

Happosai's eyes opened wide from his position just in front of the locker. He started to jump back just a gloved fist emerged from the locker and connected with his nose. Everyone winced slightly at the sound of bone breaking. Happosai was launched across the room and imbedded in some lockers at the other side from the force of the blow.

Sakura stared at the fist that had unclenched and grasped the side of the locker. Another hand joined it and slowly, impossibly, a body emerged from the locker.

"That's not possible." Jun whispered. The lockers were just large enough to store their clothes and books, barely three feet tall, two feet deep, and about a foot wide. There was NO way someone could have fit in them. But, someone had.

The figure dropped to the ground, and straightened up, allowing them to make out features, including the black trenchcoat, sunglasses, and skin-tight leather. A voice named the figure.

"RANMA! YOU PERVERT!" Akane swung her mallet, only to have it effortlessly deflected and a quick snap-kick planted in her stomach.

"Not now. I'm busy." Ranma didn't even look at her as he spoke. He grinned. "Well, 'Happi', let's dance!"

Happosai pulled himself out of the lockers and started to growl. "That wasn't very nice, boy."

"Neither is this." Ranma snapped his coat off of his right hip, revealing the pistol. He drew it in a flash and started firing.

The girls started to scream and cower as Ranma pulled the trigger at an insanely fast rate, burning clips like there was no tomorrow. Happosai was moving so fast he was just a blur. Somehow, Ranma managed track him, missing all the bystanders with his shots, but blowing huge holes in the walls and lockers.

Happosai bellowed in pain as a spray of red stained the wall. He stumbled in his jump and Ranma slammed three more bullets into his chest. The slide of the gun locked open on the last shot.

"Out of clips. Damn. Knew I should have packed more. Girls? I'd run if I were you. This is about to get nasty." Ranma calmly announced as he re-holstered the gun. Underneath his sunglasses, his eyes briefly flared red.

The girls rapidly followed his advice.

Happosai rose to his feet, seeming not to notice the three holes in his chest. "You've made me angry."

"Too bad. I'm gonna make you more than angry by the time I'm done." Ranma smiled as he dropped into a ready stance. Happosai responded with a ki blast of deepest crimson.

Ranma intercepted the projectile with his own ki blast of gold shot through with the deepest black.

Happosai froze for a second. "So, like THAT, is it?"

Ranma's grin grew larger. "Yup."

Lotion's eyes shot open. Shock was evident on her face. "I hadn't expected it THAT quickly! Does that boy know no patience?"

Lotion rose out of her lotus position, calling as she did so.

"Cologne! Shampoo! Mousse! It's time! Come along! NOW!"

The trio barely managed to keep up as Lotion ran into Nerima, guided by instincts honed by long use.

A crowd was rapidly gathering outside of the girl's locker room. First had been the screams of outrage, then what sounded like gunshots, then all the girls running out (most only clutching towels, some without even that), and now it sounded like a war was going on in there. No one had managed to get any information out of the near-hysterical girls.

"Oh, my. It certainly sounds rather...lively in there, doesn't it?" Kasumi remarked to her father. Akane had forgotten her bento in her rush to school, so Kasumi had decided to bring it to her. Her father and Genma had accompanied her. (Actually, they were planning on hitting a bar, but when Kasumi asks you to do something....)

Lotion landed not far from her, staring at the locker room.

"Both of them are in there. And they're powering up."

"What does that mean?" Cologne asked between gasps to recover her breath.

"Simple. Duck." Lotion hit the ground just as the locker room was consumed in a fireball.

The explosion threw the bystanders to the ground, a wash of heat flowing over them. Happosai sprang out of the smoke, cackling like mad.

Ranma emerged shortly after, staggering slightly. His coat was ruined, hanging in tatters around him. He shrugged it off, casually commenting, "I lose more coats that way."

He lifted his right hand to his forehead, where a large cut was bleeding. He turned his head and spat out some blood, probably because of his split lip. Then he reached over to his left shoulder. Grabbing it, he pulled on it sharply, causing a loud *POP*.

"That's better. You know, now...you've gotten me pissed."

Happosai just sank into a ready stance and cackled some more. "Whenever you're ready, boy. I've taken better than you."

Ranma grinned and reached over his shoulders, drawing both swords in one easy motion, then sinking into a two-sword ready stance. "I was trained by some of the best hunters ever born. D taught me strength while keeping speed. Alucard honed my skills to perfection and taught me ALL the cheap moves he knew. Lotion taught me all the lore she had acquired in four hundred years of Hunting. So, yeah. You've probably faced better than me. But you've never faced anyone WORSE than me."

"We'll see, won't we?" Happosai's voice was calm.

"Yeah, we will." Ranma replied.

Then, both charged.

Author's notes:

And that's it for now. I finally got a definite idea of where I wanted to go with this and now I'm gonna go there. (Maybe slowly. After all, I place AtST first in writing efforts.)

Ranma OOC? Hey, the Tendos only knew him for a year. He's been gone for six months. People can change a LOT in six months. Especially with how crazy Ranma's life can be.

Of course, any C&C is greatly appreciated. My e-mail address is at the top and bottom of the fic. (Just look down about three lines.)

Ja Ne!
Slacker ([email protected])

First draft 05/22/01
Released to MLs 06/14/01