Ranma 1/2: Ranma No More Alternate History By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address) http://www.mindspring.com/~yanega/index.htm or Visit my Mirror site at: http://www.ranko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.htm Chapter Sixty Three She jumps slightly at the deep base of the 'shh' coming from the person holding her. Nabiki then notices she is leaning against a very bare very muscular chest. hears the sound of another sword as it is being laid on the floor next to her she turns her head slightly to see her aunt looking at her with worry. She then looks up into the quiet and sever face of one of the shaman. She can tell he is very tall from how she fits into his arms. He must be at least 6' 2" tall. He has black eyes that speak of great wisdom, wisdom born of great trials at such a young age is awe inspiring. He looks to be about 22 with a ruddy outdoor complexion. His hair is as black as midnight and shines with a light of its own. He wears his hair loose and it goes just past his shoulders. His features are handsome. They are hard and chiseled. She can tell he is very muscular yet can be gentle as by the way he is comforting her. He is wearing only a pair of blue jeans and soft leather soul boots the come to his mid calf. Around his neck is a medallion of turquoise, silver, and a brown stone Nabiki does not recognize. It is in the shape of an eagle. Nabiki knows she must pull away but she really doesn't want to. She has never felt so safe as she does right now. Not even when she was being hugged by her own father. She reluctantly pulls back but the man keeps his arms around her until he is sure she is alright. "T..Thank you." Nabiki tells him timidly, unsure why she is feeling what she is. "I..I should not have broken down like that. I am usually stronger then this." She smiles shyly at the man before and at her aunt. Aimeko raises an eyebrow as she watches her niece in the arms of a strange man. It is obvious her niece knows him yet she can tell that this is also their first time talking to each other. She just smiles at the shy smile from her niece and sits back and enjoys the show. "It is nothing to be ashamed of. You had to fight to save your life and that of your friend." He tells her near perfect Japanese. When the warriors join the Light Warriors it seems another benefit is that the fast learning does not only apply to fighting skill. It seems the medallions the Light Warrior magic users wear have many great gifts to fight this war. Though some just don't seem to get beyond rudimentary levels of Japanese. Though the power is one that can not be accessed by the warriors it just happens when it is needed. She smiles at the warrior before and nods slightly. Her face darkens as she looks out the door back down the hallway. "H..How many of them are dead?" She asks the shaman warrior whose arms she doesn't want to leave. "*SIGH!* On this floor all but your friend. I have not yet had the chance to check the other floors. We could be lucky and the demons never made it past this floor..!" He stops when Nabiki begins to tremble and shakes her head no. He pulls her closer to him as Nabiki breaks down into tears again. He gently strokes her hair as she relates what she has seen on her flight to save her aunt. The man holding her stiffens, only Aimeko sees his eyes flash with rage. "I fought three on my floor. I was able to surprise them and kill them with the magic sword Ran Koh gave me. But there were only a couple of doors on my floor not yet opened." She stops and takes a gasping sob as she wraps her arms tentatively around the warrior holding her. "On the other four floors as I came down there was no door left tore open. Some of the doors were open from the inside, they actually let their killers in." She broke down again as she remembers all the nice people she met in her building and some of the sweet and precious children. "I will go and check the apartments still in tact on your floor." He slowly rises bring Nabiki to her feet. He picks up his wood staff. It is made of blacken mahogany. The staff is six feet long and has a bear, a mountain lion, a hawk, a coiled snake and a frog carved into it at equal intervals down the staff. Aimeko comes up next to her niece and wraps her arms around her from behind her. She rests her head on the top of Nabiki's head and watches as the man starts to head out. When Nabiki breaks free picking up her sword she heads toward the man. "Wait! They don't know you they may not open the door. They might even attack. I should go with you!" Nabiki tells him, as he turns to face her a glint in his eyes she can not read. "I am sorry Mr. Ahh?" Aimeko asks with a questioning look at her niece. "I am called William, William Lightening Bow." He tells them as his eyes alight on the blushing Nabiki. "Mr. Lighte..!" She stops as the man raises his hand to stop her. "You can call me William." He tells her with a lopsided smile. "I am Aimeko Mander, the young lady in front of me is my niece Nabiki Tendo. If I was you William I would take her with you. Once she gets an idea into her head she will do what ever she has to do to complete it. I am afraid that is a trait she got from her late mother." Nabiki turns at the last statement with surprise. William smiles at the back of Nabiki, but puts on a stern look when she faces him again. Aimeko smiling behind her niece and trying not to giggle. Aimeko then picks up her sword and stands next to her young niece. "I am afraid William, that it is a trait of all Hiromie women. I will come as well, besides I really don't want to stay here right now." Aimeko tells them as she looks around her apartment her eyes overflowing with sadness. William sighs heavily and just shakes his head. He turns and walks from the apartment the two woman close behind him. They head up the stairs for the fifth floor and the hope that some of the residence survived. /*\*/*\ As the trio heads toward the stairs they check each hallway in the hopes that Nabiki's quick glances prove to be incorrect. The first floor shows she is right there is no one left on the first floor alive but Aimeko. "I can not believe that four demons can do this by themselves." William whispers to himself but the two women hear him. "Maybe the others decided to go to greener pastures once most of the people were.." Aimeko can't finish the thought as it makes her sick to think of it. William nods as he thinks this may be what has happened. They finally finish the first floor and find no survivors. They reach the stairs and head straight for the fifth floor hoping being the last floor will have more escapees of tonight's attack. The three enter the fifth floor, the women breathing heavily. They follow William as he checks each hallway. They notice in the first hallway. That all the doors were broken. Nabiki is about to say something when William stops her by raising his hand. The group listens and hears a low groan from one of the apartments in at the apartment at the end of the first hallway. They group heads down the hallway to the broken door. They enter and all three gag as they try not to throw up. The living room is drenched in blood. The life fluids of the residences cover everything in the room. The moan comes again then a low sniffle. They all head for a room to the left. They enter, a child's bedroom. They look around but see nothing. It is Nabiki who walks past the other two and kneels down on the floor at the foot of the bed. She takes a deep sigh as she recalls all the nights she hid under the bed. She would cry for her missing mother, and no one would come to save her. "Hello? Please come out we want to help you." Nabiki whispers softly, the two behind her watch in awe as the bed ruffle moves slightly. "The monsters are all gone, please no one is going to hurt you! My name is Nabiki what's yours?" She continues in the same soft voice her mother would use when she would wake from a nightmare. "Alyssa." The soft reply comes from under the bed. "Alyssa are you alone under there?" Nabiki doesn't think so because the moan and whimper comes together. "No, my b..brother is here too and he won't wake up." The frighten little voice tells her. "Alyssa a friend of mine is going to come pull your brother from under the bed. Don't be afraid and come out with him so we can make sure you and he are ok. Is that alright?" Nabiki explains her tears slowly flowing down her face. There is a long pause under the bed. The group hears voices coming from below as the Amazons have come to search the building for survivors. Nabiki sends her aunt to go bring one of the Amazons here to stay with the children while they search the floor. Aimeko nods and heads out quickly. The girl turns back toward the bed just as a soft reply comes from under it. "A..Alright." Nabiki sighs as William steps forward and slowly lifts the small bed. Nabiki watches his muscles tense and strain as he lifts the foot of the bed she leans forward and grabs the legs of someone in jeans and snickers. She pulls and a small boy of eleven slides out to be followed quickly by a small four year old girl. The boy is just over four feet long and very thin. His hair is a light brown and cut short. The little girl is obviously his sister. Her hair is the same light brown and down just past her shoulders. Her eyes are a light cedar brown with gold flecks. She is at the least a foot shorter then her brother. William lowers the bed once the children are clean then he lifts the unconscious gajin boy and puts him on the bed. The little girl looks up at the tall man her eyes wide with fear. For the first time Nabiki sees the stern shaman, smile. His smile lights up the room and makes his dark black eyes twinkle and almost look midnight blue. William holds out his arms Alyssa who stares at them for only half a second then she runs into them. She begins to cry much like Nabiki did with her head buried in the crook of his neck. Nabiki smiles at him and raises an eyebrow. "Do you have this effect on all the women you meet, Mr. Lightening Bow?" She asks giving him her best 'I know something' smirk. "It's a gift." He states giving her a mock glare. "Yes well some might say that." She returns then turns to examine the boy on the bed. She sees a gash on his forehead probably from being put under the bed. She checks his body and sucks in a breath when she opens his torn shirt to see four gashes across his stomach. William looks when he hears Nabiki's intake of breath. He sees the wound and tries to keep the little girl from looking. He notices the wounds are deep but that it does not look like any organs have been reached. Nabiki runs from the room to return with a damp towel she begins by cleaning the wounds. She jumps slightly when a small pouch lands on the bed next her. She looks up a William with confusion as she picks up the pouch. "It is an herb that retards infection. After you clean the wounds sprinkle it lightly over them." He tells her, she nods then proceeds to do as he says. "Their in here." The two warriors here the arrival of Aimeko and an Amazon. They enter the room just as Aimeko walks in with Mirako, Xian Pu, and an unknown Amazon carrying what looks like a medical bag. Both the Amazon healer and Mirako nod respectfully to William then turn their attention to the young boy. "What have you been able to do so far Nabiki?" Mirako asks as she begins to examine the boy the Amazon moving Nabiki slightly in order to help Mirako. "I cleaned his stomach wound and head wound with a warm wet towel and William gave me an herb to help prevent infections and I just finished putting it into the wounds." Both women nod, the Amazon lifts the pouch smells it then smiles broadly at the shaman. "Is good, shaman know much as Amazons" This is praise is taken as it is meant as a high praise for a male. Xian Pu walks up to the shaman and looks at the little girl who retreats into his grasp and shudders slightly. Xian Pu doesn't let that deter her. She steps around behind the warrior and moves his hair and smiles at the little girl and waves to her. The little girl's eyes open wide and then a small smile forms on her face. Xian Pu returns to face the shaman and holds out her arms to the little girl who reluctantly goes to the lavender hair girl. "Her name is Alyssa we do not know her brothers name. I think when you remove them from here it they should not see what is in the living room." Xian Pu nods and places the little girl on the bed to check for wounds. "I will stay and take the children to the ambulances below so that Shampoo, Mirako and Minuet will be available if you need them." Aimeko tells her niece and Nabiki. Min Ete is just over six feet tall. She is like very Amazon with a body to kill for. Her muscles are taught and show her training in the art. She is one of the few warriors to blend the art of healing and the art of war. Her hair is down to her knees and is the color of silver. Her eyes are a light gray almost white. She wears the same silk pants set as Xian Pu, but her outfit is in royal blue with white orchids embroidered on it. Nabiki smiles with relief, knowing her aunt now has protectors who can do just that. The two nod and start to head out. When the scream stops them. "NOOOOOOO! DON'T GO!" They turn to see Alyssa trying to get free from Xian Pu. Nabiki walks back to the little girl and kneels down in front of the squirming child. She reaches up and strokes the side of the child's face and with a smile she learned from the gentleness of her mother she speaks softly to the frighten girl. "Do not worry Alyssa-chan. These are our friends and they will watch over you till we get back. We just want to check the floor for other people." Nabiki tells her in a soft reassuring voice. Alyssa lungs forward wrapping her arms around the middle Tendo's neck. Her warm tears falling on her exposed skin. In shock it takes Nabiki a second to come back from the surprise and she slowly wraps the young girl in a tight embrace. The shaman watches then nods to Xian Pu who joins him behind Nabiki and the little girl. The shaman turns his back then in barely a whisper he tells Xian Pu what he wants. "If you can, either from the children or from searching the apartment, see if there are any family members we can contact. I think we will find many more parentless children and well will need to find their families." He finishes looking over his shoulder, watching as Nabiki continues to reassure the child. "Agree, great grandmother already get place to put lot children, Xian Pu will search for information before we leave." She tells him also watching the scene play out before her. Xian Pu heads back to the bed and gently, she disentangles the young girl from a reluctant Nabiki. The Tendo girl strokes the girls hair one more time then leans down and kisses the top of her head. She turns and follows William from the apartment. She tries to block out the bloody scene in the living room as William leads them out of the apartment. Their bad luck soon sets in and in the apartments where the demons enter there were no more survivors. A depression sets into the heart of Tendo girl. To this point it has been someone else's war, someone else's problem. All she wanted to do was finish school and work at the Takashi Industries and learn what ever she can to further her own aspirations. Now one frighten little girl has brought back memories of the lessons she learned in her mother's warm embrace. The hallway where Nabiki's apartment lays is the last one to search. There are five apartments. Two on each side of the hall and hers at the very end of the hallway. The first two apartments are familiar scenes but something neither the quiet William on contemplative Nabiki will ever get use to. The last two apartments still have their doors intact. It may be that these apartments held out the longest because they were closer to Nabiki's when Ran Koh cast her spells. They each take a door and pound hard on them. Then to make sure the people inside knows it is humans and not monsters they both shout through the door. "WE ARE WITH THE LIGHT WARRORS THE DEMONS ARE GONE! PLEASE OPEN UP SO WE CAN MOVE YOU TO A SAFER LOCATION!" There is no noise from Nabiki's apartment and she hopes the people are away. From behind her the door to William's apartment opens and an old woman with about five cats around her peeks through the door. She stares into William's muscular bare chest her eyes wide with shock. Her eyes travel up William's chest to land on his face. He smiles respectfully at the woman then bows to show her his respect for her. She then sees the young girl behind him trying to get someone to answer the door behind him. "They can't hear you dear. They are a deaf couple. Just married I think." The old woman's voice trembles. Nabiki turns quickly to see the old woman and her pets. William holds out his hand to her and she looks at it skeptically but with a smile and a nod from Nabiki the old woman takes his hand and lets him help her from her home. "You need to ring the door bell. Aimeko-san had it set up to flash the lights in the apartment if there was someone at their door." Nabiki nods then stops and looks at the old woman. "Do they read lips?" She asks her neighbor. "Yes dear they do." William watches as Nabiki turns back around and pushes the door bell. William looks turns down and stares at the five cats as they brush up against his legs. Nabiki looks over her shoulder and smirks. She then looks at her companion with a mischievous glint. "I guess hanging around Ran Koh and Ryoga you become cat bait." She turns quickly back to the door when she hears a noise behind it. A chuckle as she catches the glare from William as she turns toward the door. The door opens to reveal a young man of twenty five in pajamas and spiky hair behind him is a woman a few years younger. She is also in her night closes and looks disheveled. They stare in confusion at the girl in front of them then past her toward the old woman behind her and the talk ruddy skinned gajin next to her. Nabiki bows to the couple and then slowly tells them they need to pack some belongings they are being evacuated. The couple glares at her as if she was joking. Nabiki is getting angry a lot of nice people have died tonight and she can not take any more of this as her nerves are shot. She quickly reaches out and grabs the man by his wrist. She pulls him from his apartment and drags me down the hallway toward an apartment that has seen the demons carnage. The old woman and William watch in shock as Nabiki drags the man behind her. His wife clutching at his other arm trying to wrest him from Nabiki's grip. "You think I am joking you _jackass!_ " Nabiki growls at the man over her shoulder, his face scowls at the name calling. She stops in front of the door of one of his neighbors a family of six and she can hear no survivors in this apartment. She turns and stares at the couple before her eyes going cold and heartless. The couple shivers at the coldness coming from the girl before them. "Is this a joke you moron!" Nabiki growls again as she shoves the man and his wife into the apartment. The two hostages stop as they are shoved into the front room of their neighbors apartment. A couple they know well, who's four children come over and visit every day and learn sign language from them so they can communicate. They stare in disbelief their eyes wide at the horror before them. The woman falls to her knees a scream escapes her but it sounds more like a gasping grown. On the floor in front of where she falls lays the doll she made the only little girl in the family. She reaches out to the bloody object and picks it up. She clutches it to her chest ignoring the fact that the doll is oozing blood in great spurts. She looks up and her eyes go blank as she turns her faraway gaze onto the back of her husband. The man stares at the living room the once white walls now red with blood. The once clean white carpet is now a red swamp and gush blood with each step. He turns at a slight movement hoping someone in this family is still alive. He only sees the angry young woman who forced them here run to his comatose wife. He watches as she pulls his lovely wife into a comforting embrace. He turns back towards the apartment and goes deeper into the interior. He stands before the door to the three boys room. They were giving the largest room. He opens the door the room is spotless it is as if what ever happened in the living room was a hallucination. The hand on his shoulder makes him jump. He turns to see the ruddy skinned gajin his face stern and full of stress. He follows as William walks into the room and begins to search it. At first he is confused then angry then he realizes the strange dark man is looking for the boys. They do not find the boys anywhere. The deaf man leads William to another room. They open the door this room is not so clean. The once pink walls are now spattered with blood. The stuff animals that line the wall are dripping blood. The deaf man runs to the closet and throws open its door to reveal lots of frilly dress and dainty shoes. He then falls to his knees looking under the bed as they did in the boys room. He lowers his head to the floor and pounds his fist on the floor. He screams with a soft anguished cry. William kneels next to him and something catches his eye. He looks under the bed and there in the far corner barely in the glow of the rooms light lays the small head of a child. A little girl who's once shiny black hair is now nothing but mats of blood and gore. Her lifeless eyes covered in the milky white film of death and forever frozen in a look of terror. William holds down the bile that rises in his stomach. He gets to his feet and pulls the man with him. The deaf man does not resist as he pulls him back into the bloody living room and out the front door. He finds the man's wife clutching to Nabiki as she tries to comfort the woman. "They are all dead it seems only the little girl died in her room." William can not bring himself to tell her of the grizzly sight under the little girls bed. The old woman joins them she is dragging her very suitcase on wheels with a small sad smile. Her cats following behind her. She stops next to the small group averting her eyes from the horror inside the apartment. "I packed some other their things into my suitcase as well. Can we go now?" She asks a quiver in her voice. The warriors nod and leads the group down to the waiting escorts to the shelter. They are met at the stairs by Aimeko and her party. Their faces tell the same story as theirs. There were no more survivors to rescue. The group heads down the stairs Aimeko and Mirako carrying a child. While Xian Pu and Min Ete help the old lady and carry the suitcase. Nabiki and William help the deaf couple and the cats follow behind them. The animals jumpy the whole way as the smell of demons and death fill their nostrils. Their eyes dart down hallways as they go down past each floor leave.