The Blood is the Life VIII "Be careful, Doc, he's really been on a roll today," the orderly said, glaring ominously once more at Ranma and Akane. He had made it very clear that he didn't think two innocents like themselves had any place in an institution like this one, that they were too young and inexperienced to deal with the insane, and that this particular patient was especially dangerous and couldn't be trusted not to hurt them. Tofu merely returned the man's gaze stonily and waited, refusing to give him another opportunity to delay them with his long list of grievances. With one final exasperated sigh, the man found the right key and cautiously swung the door open, his misgivings still plainly etched across his face. With barely a nod of acknowledgment, Tofu stepped into the padded room, Ranma and Akane close behind him. "Akane Tendo!" the madman cried. Ranma and Akane froze in shock at the familiar voice. Beneath a bedraggled mop of greasy, untended hair, the maddened eyes of Tatewaki Kuno watered in undisguised joy. "You have come to free me in my hour of need! Quickly, before She returns to finish her work!" "Upperclassman Kuno?" Akane barely managed to force any voice at all through her tight throat. In spite of Ranma and Tofu's reassuring presence, and her own confidence in her ability to defend herself, she found herself ridiculously grateful to see that Tatewaki was securely fastened into a straitjacket. "I should have known it," Ranma muttered. "Foul sorcerer!" Kuno spat. "You know him?" Tofu asked incredulously. "Unfortunately," Ranma answered, his eyes narrowing. "Would that yours was the only evil I had ever known!" Kuno wailed. "You, who have held captive both Akane Tendo and the beautiful pig-tailed Girl!" "Kuno?" Akane asked again. "Who is She?" "Ah, beauteous Akane, that I cannot divulge, for it is not permitted to me to do so. Would that I could help you, my beloved-" "But I have to know!" Akane cried. "My sister Kasumi..." Tears welled up in Akane's eyes, and she paused to draw a few deep breaths. "Please forgive me, Akane Tendo," Kuno said, his voice suddenly almost sane. "Forgive me! Had I but known the depths to which this evil would draw us all, I would never have allowed it to come about this way." "Yeah, whatever, Kuno," Ranma interrupted. "If you know who it is, spill it. This is a matter of life and death we're talking about here." A familiar flash of rage crossed Kuno's face, to be replaced by one of malicious cunning. "I'll tell you, Saotome," Kuno said softly. "Lean in close, and I'll whisper Her name to you." Ranma bent toward Kuno, who lashed out suddenly with the only weapon he had available - his teeth. Ranma howled as Kuno's teeth sank deep into his left hand, before Tofu could intervene or Akane could even cry out. With a savage yank, Ranma tore his hand away, cradling it against his chest and backing up into a defensive stance in front of Akane. Kuno grinned at him with red teeth, and licked a drop of blood from his chin. "The Blood is the Life," Kuno whispered. "The Blood is the..." "What is it that She's trying to do?" Tofu asked quietly, subtly edging his way between Kuno and Ranma. "You said you wanted us to help you before She could finish her work." "I'm not talking to you," Kuno said with some semblance of his usual snobbish manner. "I was addressing Akane Tendo." "It's Kodachi!" Akane yelled in a flash of inspiration, and Kuno looked up at her in sudden fright. "It is, isn't it?" "You mustn't try to interfere with Her, Akane!" Kuno cried. "You don't know what She can do! She can hear you thinking!" "Why didn't we think of that?" Ranma growled furiously, more to himself than anyone else. "I swear, I'll get her for..." "SAOTOME!" Kuno roared, and leaped over Tofu to get to Ranma, his eyes impossibly furious, red-tinted spittle flying from his chin. Ranma grabbed a handful of the Upperclassman's hair, keeping the gnashing reddened teeth from closing on his hand again by the space of a bare second. Behind him, he could hear Akane pounding on the door and demanding release as Tofu helped him wrestle the crazed man to the floor. It seemed like an eternity before the orderly rushed in with two others to assist them, armed with tranquilizers for their deranged patient. Kuno continued to fight for several minutes, incredibly strong and faster than Ranma would have believed. When Kuno finally stopped struggling, Tofu quickly ushered everyone out of the room. Just as the door was swinging shut, Ranma heard Kuno whisper, "The Blood is the Life..." and giggle softly to himself. The train ride back seemed interminably long, and Ranma chafed anxiously every minute of the trip. Akane filled Tofu in on what they knew of the Black Rose, and Tofu grew even more solemn the more he heard. "Do you suppose she'd harm the girls she saw as rivals?" he asked softly. "You think I haven't thought of that?" Ranma snarled, glaring at Tofu for a brief moment before returning his anxious gaze to the scenery rushing by outside the window. "Can't this damn train go any faster?" he muttered. Tofu didn't answer, and he and Akane merely exchanged understanding glances before resuming the conversation. There was no telling what small detail might prove significant, so they went over it all again while Ranma glared out the window in silent rage, trying to make the train move faster by the sheer force of his will. The Ucchan was disturbingly quiet, and by some instinctive understanding, Tofu, Ranma and Akane approached the building in silence, filled with dread. There was no answer to Ranma's knocking, and the door was securely locked. Still without speaking, the three of them walked around to the back of the building, where it opened out onto an alley. The door here hung on its hinges, and with a sick feeling of certainty, Ranma led the way inside. Ukyo lay just inside the kitchen door, pale and cold, her body sprawled out like a forgotten rag doll. With a broken cry, Ranma rushed to her side, pulling her up against him and cradling her head against his chest. Her hair was cut off close to the scalp, all those luxurious chestnut tresses gone. Tofu checked for a pulse while Ranma gently rocked Ukyo's still form back and forth. At the shake of Tofu's head, Ranma started to tremble. Akane quietly arranged Ukyo's limbs, glancing at Ranma every few moments. His throat hurt. There was some kind of high-pitched whining noise... Ranma realized that he was making the sound. "Shampoo..." he whispered, gently lowering Ukyo to the floor and trying not to notice the torn patch on her throat. "We have to go warn her. If it's not too late." He tentatively caressed the short stubble where Ukyo's beautiful hair should be, then rose and left. Tofu and Akane followed him silently, and Ranma turned to see Akane's face stained with tears. It satisfied him somehow, that Ukyo should have more than one person to cry over her. The sun was lowering in the sky, and he hurried to the Nekohanten, his companions keeping pace. They found Cologne in the dining room, impaled on her own staff, her long white hair matted with blood. After all these years of combat, the old warrior had finally met her match. With great respect, Ranma gently closed her wide, staring eyes. Long streaks of dripping red led the way through the restaurant - an extravagance the vampire could only afford if she were killing for amusement... or revenge. Shampoo was in the kitchen, her shorn head resting in her lap like a cruel joke, her clothes soaked crimson from the waist down. MuuMu the duck lay nearby, where he had apparently made his last stand. A flurry of feathers gave evidence of a struggle, and it was easy to see that his neck was broken. They both looked so much smaller in death... Ranma hoped that at least they hadn't had time to be afraid. "Where's Akane?" he asked numbly. The sun would set soon, and Kodachi would surely come after her last rival. "In the back," Tofu answered. His face was grey, and in the growing gloom his eyes were invisible behind his glasses. "We have to hurry." "Akane! Let's go!" Ranma shouted. His fiancee came staggering from the bathroom, obviously nauseated by the carnage. "Come on, it'll be sundown soon. Let's go," Ranma said a little more gently. Akane nodded, biting her pale lips as she gingerly made her way across the room to him. Ranma scooped her up in his arms and bounded out of the building, too pressed for time to notice that she clung to him gratefully. They raced into the house just as the sunset stretched its last bloody fingers of light into the encroaching night. Ranma held Akane a few moments longer than was necessary, and she curled against him, feeling the frantic hammering of his heart echo her own. He gently set her down, tried and failed to muster a grin for her, and settled for leading the way to Kasumi's room. Tofu hung back long enough to check that the garlic blooms were in place before he followed them. After ensuring that Kasumi was soundly sleeping, Tofu caught Soun and Nabiki up on the latest developments in a few quick, whispered sentences. Nabiki clenched her fists in frustration, ignoring her father as he burst into fresh tears. She should have known! What good had all her much-valued intelligence done, when it was really important? She hadn't even been able to recognize the Voice! The rest of the night was spent mostly in silence, though Kasumi was the only one who really slept. Sick fury and unrelenting grief pervaded the entire household, as well as an unspoken fear that left the anxious group taking turns watching over Kasumi. Dawn broke sullenly, bringing with it an unseasonably hot, still morning. The day almost seemed to be holding its breath as Dr. Tofu, Ranma and Akane stumbled out to face the sun. "We'll have to do it now," Ranma said with quiet certainty. "Let's eat first," Tofu answered. "It might be our only chance today." Akane merely shivered in spite of the cloying heat of the breezeless morning. She had not told them what she had seen in the bathroom of the Nekohanten, but the memory of the word "Akane" scrawled over the bathroom mirror in dripping scarlet letters chilled her. Two hours later, everyone but Kasumi gathered in front of the gate to the Kuno mansion. In spite of protests from the rest of the group, Nabiki had insisted on coming along to help, and had displayed a stubborn streak at least as formidable as her little sister's. Her reluctant companions had decided they'd rather have her with them than following them alone. Nabiki's expression revealed none of her inner terror at facing the demon again. Her father hovered by her protectively, clenching a wooden stake beneath the cover of his jacket. Akane had several in a backpack slung over one shoulder, and Ranma and Tofu carried theirs in odd-looking bundles under their shirts. Ranma's eyes met Akane's for one long moment, then with a sharp heave he shoved the heavy iron gate open. It groaned in protest as it opened wide enough to let them each squeeze through one at a time. They crept over the grounds, and Akane had to stifle the urge to giggle. It was all so surreal, the sun spilling down on them as they crunched through dead leaves fearfully. It reminded her of playing with the Kunos as a child, running through the trees with her finger pointed like a gun at the ready and hoping nobody would catch her. Tatewaki had always been the ringleader then, the oldest child in her group of friends and always the one with the coolest ideas on what to play next. It wasn't until after Mrs. Kuno mysteriously disappeared that the Kuno siblings had stopped letting Akane come over to play. And now her one-time friend was drooling all over himself in an insane asylum... Suddenly Akane didn't feel like giggling anymore. They neared the house, and found to their surprise that the door was unlocked. Surely Kodachi had known they would come. Ranma winced at the soft creak of the door as he pushed it open, then carefully looked around before leading the way inside. As had already been agreed, Tofu followed Soun and Nabiki upstairs, leaving Ranma and Akane to search the downstairs. Tofu glanced worriedly over his shoulder at the two teenagers as his group cautiously started climbing the narrow steps in single file. Something told him the vampire wasn't upstairs, but the group had concluded that both teams would need two strong fighters. He turned and silently began padding up the steps. Behind him he could hear Ranma and Akane opening the windows. The sunlight pouring in was a heartening sight, but unfortunately the light couldn't penetrate to the top of the staircase. Soun gently pushed ahead of Nabiki as they climbed, and Tofu bounded up the stairs to catch up to them. He needn't have hurried, though, because Soun had unconsciously slowed down as he reached that part of the staircase that was still cast in shadow. After a moment more of hesitation, he squared his shoulders and stepped into the gloom. A brief scuttling noise off to the right was the only warning Soun had. At the same moment his foot touched on the top step, a figure leaped toward him from the darkness and slashed at him. Soun blocked the blow with his forearms, and his assailant leaped backward again. The weapons glimmered dully in the dim light, but Soun could still make out their shape. "Scissors," he gasped, clutching at the banister for balance. Blood pattered down to stain the carpet on the top step. "It's Principal Kuno!" Nabiki cried in surprise. She hadn't yet noticed the blood, but the deranged Principal had. He grinned maliciously at the sight and brandished his weapons. A high-pitched giggle broke out as he charged again, the scissors clattering in a rapid cadence as Soun struggled to block all the blows. "Daddy!" Nabiki screamed. Tofu grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way, then leaped in, using his full weight to knock the Principal off his feet. Soun slumped to the ground, gurgling, his hands clutching at his throat as blood welled up around them. "Daddy!!!" Tofu tuned out the agonized scream as he focused on his opponent, who had already scrambled to his feet. The Principal's face shone in the dim light, his eyes two dark wounds against the pale blur of his skin. He sported a ragged, unhealed bite mark on his neck, and brandished two pairs of oversized scissors with glee. Without warning, the man charged in a lightning-quick strike. Tofu dodged desperately, trying to avoid the sharp blades while leading the deranged man away from Soun and Nabiki. He ducked under a vicious swipe, then leapt away backwards to evade an attack at his legs. The lunatic dove at his legs again, and Tofu scrambled backward, careening awkwardly into the wall behind him. Pictures and ceremonial swords rattled against the wall as Tofu thumped into it. Thinking quickly, he grabbed one of the swords, flung the sheath away, and parried a scissor attack before it could reach his neck. The Principal smiled. Tofu was grimly aware that the man had him at a severe disadvantage in a sword fight. As if he had merely been waiting for Tofu to recognize his position, the lunatic dove at him. Tofu raised the sword to parry - and found that the Principal had caught it neatly between scissor blades. Tofu's eyes widened in fear as the Principal's free hand reared back to strike, the second pair of scissors glinting dully... The man froze suddenly, then slowly crumpled to the ground. Nabiki stood behind him, her face twisted in a furious grimace, her hand still tightly clutching the bloodied wooden stake as it slid back out of the Principal's body. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Tofu mumbled, "Your father..." and with a muffled cry Nabiki dropped the stake and ran back to the staircase. While her back was turned, Tofu quickly slashed the body's head off and forced the stake back in. Just in case. Soun was pale from shock, but the cut on his neck proved to be shallow, and was the least serious of his injuries. Tofu cursed himself for not having thought to bring bandages while he hastily ripped strips of cloth from the patient's shirt to bind up his wounds. He was just pulling the last knot tight when the screaming started downstairs. Akane opened the last of the dining room windows, then forced a composed expression before turning to face Ranma. Recognizing both her battle face and the terror behind it, Ranma managed a confident grin and waved to the other team as they started their climb up the staircase. Ranma and Akane stealthily made their way toward the kitchen. The sunlight spilling in through the open windows aided them in making a quick check of the ground floor. They found nothing - until they got to the last of the ground floor rooms. Ranma cried out, and Akane clenched her fist around a stake as she peered over his shoulder to see what the problem was. The room was bare, except for two long tresses of hair, tied with ribbons at both ends and tacked to the wall like trophies. "Sh-Shampoo and-" Akane whispered. Ranma dashed forward and pulled the stolen hair down, intent on keeping the murderer from having this ghoulish souvenir. As soon as the tacks came out of the wall, a trap door opened in the floor, and Ranma fell through without a sound. "N-No!" Akane gasped, then ran forward and tried to catch the trapdoor as it closed. The door slammed shut, and in terror Akane scrabbled at the seam, trying to get any kind of leverage to rip it back open. It seemed to her that the room was getting darker, and she turned toward the nearest window, sick at heart, to see that clouds had begun to gather outside. Vampires could attack while the sun wasn't shining. Ranma was down there alone - Akane's worst fear had become a reality! Akane screamed, and tried to pry at the trapdoor with the stake, then frantically began pounding at it with her fists, still screaming. Ranma 1/2 and all Ranma 1/2 characters are the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi, and are used here without permission or license. No claims to the above copyright are made by the author of this work.