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Of Cats and Men (Part 3)
By Kit
Ranma puzzled as he waited by the school gate to protect Hiromi on her way home. Every since lunch, she had either been avoiding him or out right glaring at him.
"Hiromi-chan!" Ranma called out as he saw her approaching. She immediately bore into him with that same glare.
She didn’t say a word when she got to the gate. She just kept walking. Ranma followed her, not knowing what to do.
"Giru had to go to the hospital last night," she finally said about 2 blocks later.
"So?" Ranma answered back.
"The police wanted to talk to you, but the teachers all defended you, describing how you didn’t even try to hurt him."
"Ah, they didn’t have to do that." Ranma remarked.
"You did it, didn’t you?"
"He tried to attack me last night." She stopped and turned to look at him for the first time since they left the school grounds.
"He has both his arms broken, both of his legs broken, one of them in two places, a cracked rib and a broken nose," she almost sobbed.
"He didn’t learn, so I had ta teach ‘em!" Ranma said, getting defensive. "Besides you weren’t there!"
"Oh, so you think I only care about what you do in front of me!" Tears freely flowing down her face now.
"Look," Ranma started.
"No, you look! I don’t want to walk home with you any more. You don’t care about anyone but yourself! I can’t and I won’t be friends with someone like that!" She turned and stormed off toward her home.
Ranma just stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Tis a sweet moment that hath finally come this very day." Kuno started as he stepped out from around his favorite tree. "For this day, I shall end your enslavement of Akane and the pig-tailed girl, finally freeing them from your ill begotten ways," Kuno boasted.
Ranma only shook his head as he cracked his knuckles in preparation of delivering a much-needed pounding to a pompous jerk.
"Be forewarned, Dark Sorcerer, I have come to learn the secret that binds your magic."
"That’ll be the day!" Ranma called out as he got into a battle stance.
"Do not worry Akane nor the fair pig-tailed girl, I shall free you both into my embraces once I have defeated Saotome!" Kunou called to the skies, in hopes that the pig-tailed girl could hear, and have hope.
The pig-tailed girl, currently in her male form decided she had had enough, and the fight began.
Ranma burst forth, before Kunou could finish bringing his boken to the first position. Walking his strikes up Kunou’s chest, Ranma made sure that he used only enough force for him to feel each blow. A swift kick to Kunou’s hip and Ranma danced back out of range. Frustration from the events from this morning and the day before combined with his anger at Kunou both for this daily idiocy and for his dishonorable actions that caused his secret of the Neko-ken to be revealed burst forth.
Kunou slashed forth at his nemesis. He growled once as he attempted to push for advantage. Ranma dodged and waited until Kunou fell into his usual comfortable pattern, then leaped back into range. At Kunou’s first words, Ranma had decided that his usual way of handling Kunou had been his mistake all along. They had always left Kunou unconscious. That allowed him to interpret how things had gone for himself.
Ranma kept his eyes locked on Kunou’s. He had fought the idiot too many times not to know what his next move would be. With a speed just short of the Amaguriken, hard hand chops rained down Kunou’s left and right arms. This time, Kunou would have to beg for unconsciousness.
Weaving in and out of Kunou’s range, Ranma continued his assault on Kunou. He made sure that he used only enough force and stuck in places that would leave him standing. Kunou’s hands where already beginning to swell from constant strikes rained upon them. Even if this didn’t teach him the lesson, Ranma would make sure he wouldn’t be able to try anything for a few weeks.
Ranma’s eyes lit with the dark fire not seen in them in years.
"Something’s wrong," Nabiki heard Akane pronounce. The fights between the two had long since become to boring to watch. After all, it was a forgone conclusion how they would end. She turned her attention back to the fight. Ranma was giving Kunou a beating. More than a beating really. From the size of the bruises that had started to appear and the pain clearly lit in Kunou’s eyes, it was clear that Kunou had somehow pushed the wrong button this time. He wouldn’t be bouncing back from this one; he’d be lucky to be back up this month.
Quickly she glanced around, looking for a way to try to stop this fight. Akane gasped then froze in place. Surprised by the quick change in her sister, Nabiki again looked to see what had changed. It was hard to see it at first. No one else on the field had seen it yet, either. Nabiki blinked. She blinked again. It was subtle, but she now saw the shift in the fight.
"What does he think he’s doing," muttered Nabiki.
Akane had no answer as she looked worriedly on. The one-sided fight continued.
At fist he had held back. He had wanted this victory at his own hand. However, that was not to be. The demonic magics that protected his foe were as strong as ever. Remembering what his would be ally had told him one night previous, Kunou began the incantation. He was warned that the results would be unpredictable, but he didn’t care. The promise of revealing Saotome’s true nature was too tempting to pass up. He would show them all that he had been right all along. How could they not see it?
It was difficult at first. To even say the word. Not because of the word itself, but because of the overwhelming pain his body was informing him of. But Kunou was stronger than normal men. He had long before become accustomed to pain. It began as no more than a whisper. Slowly his chant grew in volume.
Suddenly, the foul sorcerer slipped. Oh, he tried to hide it, but Tatewaki Kunou was the rising star of Furinkan. His chanting grew stronger. He fully understood it now. It was a calling, a calling for heavenly aid. Today the vengeance of heaven would be swift and sure. "Hiromi – Hiromi – Hiromi."
From a distance, a figure watched as the fight progressed. Yuota wasn’t sure why he asked that Kunou person to try shouting her name during their next fight. At the beginning, he had felt somewhat disappointed as it looked like what he had expected. Now he began to doubt his course of action, as he wasn’t quite sure what to make of what he was seeing.
Ranma Saotome was losing. Losing bad enough that everyone could recognize it. Every time Ranma attempted a punch or kick, he would see that face that had plagued him for the past few days, and he couldn’t follow through. Every time he pulled his punch, Kunou rewarded him with a blow.
Once again, Ranma jumped back out of range. He fought the dizziness that threatened to take his consciousness. Ranma took stalk of the battlefield. For the first time, he noticed the looks of the students watching the fight. He remembered the day all of the male students had acknowledged defeat to Ranma, as he alone had defeated Kuno. ‘If Kuno wins now…’ He glanced over at his worried iinazuke.
"Alright!" Ranma shouted. "Playtimes over!" Ranma jumped up and over Kunou’s reach. Kunou looked up trying to follow his arch. Two feet planted themselves on his forehead. Gravity combined with leg strength to shove Kunou to the ground.
"You dare mock the mighty house of…" was as far as Kuno got before he blacked out, once again.
"Just what kind of game did you think you were playing with him!" Akane shouted storming over to Ranma. "He could have hurt you!"
"Like Kuno could ever touch me!" Ranma claimed nonchalantly.
"Oh, yea?" Akane poked him in the chest. Ranma collapsed to the ground.
"Like you care!" Ranma cried back from the ground, unable to stand on his own.
"Why would I care about a pervert like you!" she responded.
"Pervert! Who are you calling a pervert, you dumb, uncute, tom-boy!"
"I’m calling you a pervert, you dumb pervert!"
Yuota watched the spectacle before him with a frown. ‘I have to, or she will be next.’ He thought darkly to himself.
"Hey, you! Homeless Boy!" Yuota called out to Ranma, who was practicing hitting a post with his bare fists. His sister had come home crying the day before, but she hadn’t let him go out to confront him. This had been his first chance.
"The name’s Ranma!" He challenged. Looking the boy up and down, he knew he wasn’t a match.
"You have been bothering Hiromi. I want you to leave her alone!"
"What’s it…" he started to retort, hoping to enrage him, but then he recognized him, Hiromi’s brother. ‘I bet she wouldn’t be too happy if I beat him up.’
"I know your kind, and your all no good!"
"You should go!"
"Or what?" Yuota taunted back.
"I am not going to fight you!" Ranma said defiantly.
"Then maybe I’ll just beat you to a blood pulp!"
"What would your sister think of you then?" Ranma called back. Yuota looked like he was getting very angry when Ranma heard the door to the house squeak open.
"Want to know what she really thinks of you?"
"What should I care what some dumb know-it-all-chan girl that thinks she can tell me what to do!" Ranma called out.
"Fine, then we don’t have a problem do we!" Yuota shouted, getting really nervous seeing Ranma big father staring at him in a disapproving manner.
"Fine!" Ranma returned.
As Yuota turned to leave, Ranma turned to go back inside with his father. Yuota noticed for the first time a large bruise partially covered by his gi and several small scratches on his arms and legs. All of which would normally be covered by his school uniform.
"Just what do you think you’re doing!" he heard Genma shout, just before the door shut.
Akane and Nabiki left the school building slowly. Ranma had left early again, but after word made it around as to just how badly hurt Kunou was, no one seemed to mind that he was gone, not even the teachers.
The school day had past as a complete haze for the both of them. Over and over they the fight played in both their heads.
"Just what happed out there?" Nabiki thought aloud, once most of the crowd was past them.
"I don’t know," Akane replied, equally soft.
"You’re the girl that that drifter likes, right?" A new voice broke into their silence.
"What are you talking about?" Akane returned indignantly. Both girls looked up. Nabiki recognized him as the boy that had talked to Kunou yesterday. Suddenly more pieces of the puzzle seemed to snap together.
"That no-good low-life drifter boy. Saotome."
"How dare you insult Ranma like that! If he were here…" Akane began yelling out.
"If he knew I was here, he would probably kill me, just like he is planning on killing you!" Yuota’s face flushed as he interrupted Akane. Both girls just blinked.
"He would never…"
"Both he and his father already killed my sister, and who knows how many other children."
"What!" Akane returned.
"You had something to do with the fight this morning, didn’t you?" Nabiki stepped in.
"Maybe," he replied trying to meet Nabiki’s stare, just not quite making it.
"What did you do to Ranma, and what do you mean he killed your sister?" Nabiki glanced at Akane to stop her from making her next comment. Akane closed her mouth, settling for just glaring death at the ‘boy.’ Ranma would never kill anyone!
"They moved into my neighborhood a few years back and started sacrificing children and animals." Nabiki didn’t flinch. Akane wanted to do a lot more than just flinch. "We tried to stop them, but they ran away before they could finish on my sister."
"I thought you said they killed your sister?" Nabiki responded.
"We scared them off before they could bath in her blood, but they had already stolen her soul."
Nabiki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I think you should start at the beginning."
"You don’t believe him do you!" Akane accused.
‘After today,’ Nabiki thought. "Let’s just say that I would prefer to hear all sides before I make a decision." Akane looked like she was about to say something, but didn’t.
They made their way to a nearby park, letting him collect his thoughts before starting.
"After Hiromi…" He closed his eyes. "She was my baby sister." He now had Akane’s full attention. "I am sorry, I just haven’t talked about this in a long time."
"It’s okay." Nabiki attempted to reassure him. Though she though Kasumi would do a better job.
Taking a deep breath, he began his tale.
"Come on guys," Yuota called as he grabbed his coat from the closet. "We need to go pay a visit to the local low-lifes."
"Hey, I ain’t going near that place. You know he put all of Koji’s gang in the hospital!" one of Yuota’s friends responded.
"My sister has been missing all day! And I know that kid has been pestering her every since they got here," he responded with all the emotion he was feeling at that moment. "I am not looking for a fight, and I’ll go alone if I have to."
Everyone else jumped up and started getting ready, including grabbing bats, lights, and just about anything else they could think of.
The house was dark and quiet when they arrived. Yuota called out, but no one answered. As they looked around, they could see signs that someone had been staying in what was left of the living room, but looked as if they had packed up and left. The house was old, and considering how expensive land is, it was surprising that such a place would remain unused except for the rift-raft that might blow through town.
"Hey, Yuota, I think I see her!"
"Where?" he came running toward the voice that called.
"She’s in the back yard."
"It’s freezing outside, what’s she doing out there!"
"Hiromi!" Yuota called as he went out to her, but she didn’t respond.
"Hey what’s this?" another friend called out, but Yuota was focused on his sister.
He took off his jacket and flung it around her. She was just sitting there, staring into nothingness. All her clothes ripped to shreds. She felt cold to his touch.
"Man, help me. She’s freezing. Somebody call for a doctor!"
"Yuota, I think this is blood!" someone called out as another pulled out his cell and started to make a call. Everyone cast their lights where he was and gasped. Something that was a deep red seemed to cover most of the ground.
"I think there’s something down there!" another shouted. He was looking down what appeared to be a pit of some kind. There had been a covering of some kind, but it had been broken to bits. As they cast their lights down into the pit, they heard very soft meowing.
"Cats?"
"They where torturing cats. Over thirty in all. Most had died from malnutrition and the cold before the animal shelter could get there. We thought the blood must have been cats blood, but the police said it was human blood."
Nabiki and Akane were stunned.
"Hiromi, had caught pneumonia. She lived for several weeks, but never got any better. You could see it in her eyes." He wiped his eyes and looked up at the darkening sky. "They had stolen her soul."
Nabiki looked at him. "You said a pit of cats?"
"Her final words were a plea to help save her and the cats from Ranma," he said solemnly.
"Come on, we have to go!" Nabiki said jumping up from the park bench.
"What where are we going?" He asked.
"Dr. Tofu’s."
"Why there?"
"To get some answers!"