The usual disclaimer: Ranma ½ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

This story is part of the Bindings ("Kasumi's Fate") continuum. Since we are returning to the main plot line involving Henna, it will be helpful if you have read "Kasumi's Fate" and "Brothers", but not 100% necessary – there will be the usual helpful footnotes. You do need to know a few things:

1) Henna was Kasumi's initial antagonist in "Kasumi's Fate". She's an ancient Amazon (way older than Cologne). While she is an Amazon Elder, she also keeps herself separate from the others.

2) Tofu's back and has proposed to Kasumi. Our intelligent doctor is really showing his stuff lately, including his ability as a mage (among other things). Oh, did I mention he is part-Kitsune?

3) Kasumi has given up playing the dutiful daughter (sort of) and become the Matriarch once more (slight changes to her character). She has accepted Dr. Tofu's proposal.

4) Akane and Ranma are actually growing up now (not there yet though). They are dating steadily now and are happy with their relationship.

5) Nodoka has sought help from Tofu for a mental illness. The treatment has been rather successful.

6) Genma is no longer Ranma's teacher as Ranma defeated him in an Anything Goes challenge. Ranma is considered a Master, but he now has many other teachers to continue his studies (you never really stop). See "Genma's Job" for more info.

7) Nabiki is now at college in another Ward of Tokyo. She makes a point of coming home on weekends.

8) Mrs. Chie Shimizu is Dr. Tofu's office manager. This middle-age woman is a good friend of Kasumi and one of the biggest gossips in Nerima.

9) Shizuka Jouda is Kasumi's Tai Chi instructor. She's a tough and implacable warrior who loves children, especially the children of her deceased rival and best friend, Kimiko Tendo (even if the "children" are getting up there in years). She's been involved in Kasumi's life off-stage for nearly a decade now.

10) Hideo Jouda is Shizuka's husband. He runs a florist shop in the same building as her dojo. He's a tall, good natured man, with endless patience – especially for his stubborn wife. He's also a very talented mage as well.

11) Dr. Isamu Ando is a doctor who works for Dr. Tofu. He's the doctor who takes over when Tofu is on the road. A bright man with a lot to learn about people – and an arrogant streak that just begs for a beating.

12) Yuka, Sayuri, Daisuke, and Hiroshi also have personalities now. Yuka and Hiroshi are dating.

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To help save my sanity, the story will be broken into three pieces: "Ignition", "Combustion", and "Detonation". Don't let the titles worry you too much (I have my reasons) – it's not "Ranma ½" without Ranma…

Chapter 1: Henna

Kasumi settled into the warm bath and tried to get rid of the light-headedness that had been with her all day. She wondered if she was coming down with something, but it didn't feel quite right. She had no fever, no stuffiness, and no bloating – just the light-headedness. She laid back into the water and tried to relax…

Kasumi found herself striding naked in the darkness following a woman wrapped in a long black cloak. The woman was leaning on a black staff and using it to feel out the path in front of her in the darkness. Kasumi felt no cold though, and could see the path clearly. Her feet felt like they were not even touching the path. Kasumi looked behind her and saw the lights of a village receding in the distance. The woman in front of her looked agitated. Once, the woman looked behind her, checking where she was in relationship to the village, but she didn't see Kasumi. Kasumi could see her face despite the darkness and the hood over her head. The face was mature, but sported not a wrinkle or blemish. The hair under the hood was pure black except for what seemed to be a lone streak of white. Otherwise, the woman looked to be no older than thirty.

The woman and her unseen companion turned a corner in the path and the village was lost to the darkness. She walked a little further down the path and then stopped to stare at the stars. Suddenly, she wailed out a yell of such anger and frustration that Kasumi stumbled back in surprise:

"AAHHHHHHHRRRGGGHHHH!"

The woman turned and raised her hand toward a barren tree. A blast of energy blew the tree to splinters. Kasumi noted that several other splintered stumps dotted the path. The woman began yelling again: "What is this child?! Is he a Kami in disguise?! A re-born warrior out of legend?! Is this how the bitch is such a danger to me?" The woman struck a boulder along the path only to have it shatter.

There was a flurry of curses before the next few words were understandable. "How could he beat a Phoenix?!" the woman yelled at the stars. More cursing followed. "He could have wrecked everything if he followed through and killed Saffron properly!" The volume dropped as the woman continued: "Thank the gods that foolish girl somehow survived to distract him!"

The woman was silent for a few minutes as she seem to pull herself together again. Then Kasumi heard her muttering to herself: "Ranma must either be destroyed (if that is even possible), or matters must be set so that he will never return to China. I have to keep him away." After another minute or so, she continued with a grump: "Hmph. The latter is probably safer to arrange. Get the Tendo girl pregnant with his child – he will never leave her side again, and she will certainly have no desire to go to China." Then she laughed: "Actually, that probably is the best way to nullify Ranma. Give him a stormy little wife to keep him busy. He may very well enjoy his servitude given his contrary nature. I need to make sure Ranma continues to believe that there is no cure at Jusenkyo too." (2) She paused again. "Yes," she muttered. "That may just do..."

The woman stood silent for a moment, then sighed and continued down the path with Kasumi following her invisibly. Kasumi's thoughts were racing, and a suspicion was growing in her mind, but the suspicion was producing more questions than answers. Shortly, the path began to rise across a cliff face up into the darkness. The pair climbed silently until they turned a corner and Kasumi could see they had just turned into a large cleft in the cliff face. At the backside of the cleft, there was a large house cut halfway up the cliff side. The path to the house became lit about half way between the bend they just turned and the cleft's back. The house was cut into the cliff so that anyone on the path was visible to the house. There was no way to surprise the house's occupants. The stone house itself looked to be set up as three tiers, with lights on in various rooms. The house itself seemed to have no back, but was welded into the cliff face. The cliff face overshadowed the house so that it would be difficult to see the house from the top of the cliff, especially as the viewer drew directly above the house.

As Kasumi followed the woman up to the house, she saw the lady step through a ward and watch it slide smoothly over her. Kasumi stepped up to the ward and stopped. "Will the ward let me through?" she questioned to herself. Kasumi pushed her hand into the cliff face with little effort. "I'm not physically here, so it might. One way to find out…" she thought. She reached out and touched the ward, looking for any reaction. The ward did not fight her and slid over her hand cleanly. Kasumi looked at the woman who did not react to the intrusion, and then slipped the rest of herself through the ward. She ran to catch up to the woman.

The woman approached the door and Kasumi saw a spirit guard open the door for her. The spirit was dressed as a warrior, but had these large cuts running down his armor (and chest). He glowered at the woman, but she ignored him. The spirit then looked at Kasumi in surprise, and glanced at the woman. Noting that the woman ignored both him and Kasumi, the spirit motioned for Kasumi to enter, so she did. As she passed, the ghost touched her shoulder. The word "Caution" flashed into her mind. Kasumi turned to the guard and nodded. The guard returned her gesture.

As Kasumi entered the foyer of the house, she saw that the woman had hung up her cloak and was smiling at herself in the mirror. The woman was very beautiful, with the white streak in her hair only serving to accent her further. But, it was a cold sort of beauty, like a snow flake or an ice sculpture. Kasumi saw no compassion in those features. The woman looked at herself for at least ten minutes before she called out "Talcum" and a sorrowful creature appeared at one of the foyer's doorways. It looked like a dried out and wrinkle old woman. It was wrapped in a sackcloth robe, but the hood was down showing a desiccated face. Kasumi was sure it was some type of zombie. The woman told the little creature to make some tea and draw a bath for her.

The woman walked into a sitting room and Kasumi followed. The sitting room was more like a throne room, with a large ornate overstuffed chair that the woman sat in. Before her were three small ornate wooden chairs, obviously for petitioners. Around the room were various bookshelves filled with volumes written in all languages. Kasumi looked at the titles, but did not try to move anything. As an experiment, Kasumi pushed at the walls, only to have them resist her as if she was physical. Kasumi now knew she must be careful.

The zombie brought in a cup of herbal tea and the white-streaked woman seemed to meditate for about five minutes, but eventually rose with a frustrated face. Kasumi followed her down a long flight of stone stairs into a huge open bathroom. The bathroom was made completely of marble of three different types (rose, black, and white). There were fountains running everywhere in the bathroom and their noise provided a soothing backdrop. The center of the room was dominated by a large bathtub, at least three meters in diameter. The woman stripped and studied her form in the mirror for a few moments. Like her face, the woman's body was absolutely flawless. The woman sighed and went to her bath, allowing herself to sink into the bubbles. She looked across the bathroom at Kasumi, but seemed to be looking through Kasumi. Miss Tendo quickly moved away and turned to look at what the woman was watching. There was a large water tank with a glass front mounted flush in the wall. The tank started about half-a-meter above the floor and ran to the ceiling. The front of the tank was at least five meters wide, but the tank was filled with murky green water so Kasumi could not see anything further.

"Sprite!" The woman called out.

"Yes, Henna?" a voice sounded from the vicinity of the tank. Kasumi nodded to herself as her suspicions were confirmed. She studied the face of her enemy a little closer.

Henna spoke: "The Amazon Council is about to give up on Ranma and allow Xian Pu to return home."

"Yes, Henna. I am aware," the feminine voice responded matter-of-factly.

"And Ranma Saotome has destroyed the Phoenix King," Henna called from her bath.

"Henna," the voice said with heavy exasperation. "I really don't feel like being punished now. Please don't test me like that. You know very well the Phoenix King lives, at least what's left of him." (1)

Henna's face became confused. After a few moments, it hardened. Henna demanded "Sprite! I command you to show yourself."

"No, Henna. Please leave me what's left of my dignity," the voice said tiredly.

"You have no dignity left!" Henna snapped. "Show yourself to me!"

"No," the quiet voice said.

"Fine then. Suffer the consequences!" Henna raised her hand and power crackled from her finger tips. The energy leapt into the large tank, startling Kasumi. Henna started to smile as she heard the Sprite give a high pitched scream. The smile was quickly lost as Henna's own scream of pain tore out of her throat. "AHHHH!"

Henna shot out of the bath and stood not far from Kasumi. Henna was covered head to toe in painful blood blisters. She stared at herself in total confusion. Kasumi heard the Sprite thrashing in the wall tank. It slowly stopped, and then a bitter laugh began to fill the bathroom. "Oh Henna! You are so predictable. It's no wonder your enemies have no issues side-stepping you."

"What…what have you done to me?" Henna asked in disbelief.

"Done to you?" hissed the Sprite maliciously, and then broke out in a laugh. "There's nothing I can do to you; you've seen to that too well. You issued a Binding more complete than I could ever imagine, and used my immortality for your own purposes. Well, guess what? It's over. I'm dying."

"WHAT?!" screamed the Amazon in disbelief. "You *CAN'T* die."

"Of course I can, Henna. Everything that exists under the Sun dies, even my kind. I was suppose to live much longer, but I was foolish. I allowed myself to become close to a local tribe and let them into my confidences. Then one of them took my secrets and betrayed me. She cut me off from my source of power and then harnessed that power for her own purposes. Sound familiar Henna?"

"Your siblings would never let you die!" Henna screamed.

"My siblings have died, Henna." the Sprite said in an emotionless tone. "Go ahead. Go confirm that I'm telling you the truth. Then know that you enabled this to happen. You used me to weaken each of them and then Bound them as you Bound me, drawing on their power to keep me alive as you drained me daily. Well, that's over too. There's no one around to replenish me anymore. Once you use up my power, whether by draining it from me or hurting me, it's gone for good."

"No! You're lying!" Henna shouted.

There was movement in the tank and a face appeared on the other side of the glass. It was a little larger than Henna's face. "Look at me Henna," it commanded. "Look at me and tell me if I'm lying."

Kasumi saw a face that appeared to be about fifty years old. She could tell that the face had once been very beautiful, despite the blood blisters that now covered it. The Sprite had flowing green hair, but the hair looked like it was starting to thin and showed large streaks of gray throughout it. Through the murky water, Kasumi could see breasts that had once been very full, but were now shrinking with age. Henna shrunk back in horror.

"Enjoy the sight Henna?" the Sprite mocked. "Soon, very soon, you'll see it in the mirror. Your body is over nine hundred years old – Do you know how much power it takes to maintain it? Plus, your servants, your tells, your wards, and your other magics?"

"NO!" Henna said, no longer doubting the Sprite's words. "I'll find a way around this!"

"Will you Henna?" the Sprite said "There's no help for you at Jusenkyo and you are beyond the Tears of the Hermaphrodite. Not even the Psychic's Curse will aid you."

A wild look entered Henna's eyes. "There's time. If I cut down the drain on you, I can stretch out your time. I can make you last twenty to thirty years." Henna pulled herself together at that thought. "Yes, there's time to find another way."

The Sprite began laughing again. "Oh, yes. I'm sure if you had twenty to thirty years, you'd figure out a way. Bathe in the blood of a couple of villages, make some deals with a few dozen devils, so on and so forth. You're a true fairy tale villain; you know that, don't you? But you don't have the time. In thirteen moon cycles, it will be all over for me – and for you.

"What are you talking about, worm?" Henna asked, her disdain back in place.

"You don't listen very well, do you, decrepit witch?" replied the Sprite, matching Henna's tone. "My siblings are dead. How do you think that happened? They were still connected to their power bases, just held in your thrall to keep me alive. But they have *died*. Someone killed them, and that someone will come for me as well."

The disdain on Henna's face began to fade again. "Who has the power to slay one of you?"

"Actually, it's not a matter of power, just knowledge and opportunity – something you should be familiar with old hag," the Sprite said snidely. "Take a child and, using an ancient ritual, consecrate the child to the Balance. Baptize the child three times with sacred water, and then slay the child in the presence of the targeted Spirit. Upon the child's death, the Spirit will be unbound and lose its place in this world."

"And someone has done this to your siblings?" Henna pressed.

"Oh yes." The Sprite answered. "Both my Brothers and my Sister have been swept from this world. My turn is coming. Already, the child has been selected and consecrated twice. It will be soon – very soon. "

"Who is doing this? I order you to tell me, Sprite!" Henna commanded.

"Or what?" the Sprite mocked. "You'll punish me? Go right ahead – let's see if you age with me this time. I may hate pain, but I don't fear Death like you do, Henna."

Kasumi saw that Henna had to restrain her temper before continuing: "None the less, bitch, you are under my Binding, and you will serve as my Oracle. So answer the question!"

The Sprite sunk a little in the tank and sulked, "Fine," it stated, and then looked at Henna darkly. "The person is heavily warded and I cannot see her face. She knows about my powers, and about yours. She's ready for you now, and soon she'll be ready for me."

Henna pounced on the wording immediately. "So it's a *she*, is it?"

The Sprite looked thoughtful for a second. "Yes, it is a female," it confirmed.

"Or maybe a part time woman…one who seems very adept despite his/her upbringing," Henna thought out loud. Focusing on her Oracle again, she spoke sharply, "Sprite! Could it be Ranma Saotome?"

The Sprite sneered at her. "You are dense, old crone. Ranma Saotome? Kill a child? Have you learned nothing about the boy-girl? Besides, Ranma Saotome's time is running short."

The comment caught Henna by surprise. "What? What do you mean it's running short?"

The Sprite rolled its eyes at the question and answered, "Just what it means, hag – Within two moons, Ranma Saotome will be no more. The destruction will be so complete, by autumn's end, you won't even find a birth certificate for the boy." It then went on gleefully, "Just think, by the end of winter, Xian Pu could be back with the tribe, her onus abated completely."

Henna sucked in a breath at the taunt. "So, creature, with all this going on, is Xian Pu even a threat to my power anymore?"

"Oh, yes. Beyond a doubt, Xian Pu is still the greatest threat to your power. Too bad the Binding will not let you kill an Amazon. She is destined to replace you completely at the Amazon Council. The Council won't remember your name in a couple of hundred years, but Xian Pu's name will be memorialized as long as an Amazon walks the earth." The Sprite savored that pronouncement and then went on. "But, Henna dearest, forget your power – it is your very life you should be asking about. In thirteen moons, I'll be gone and you with me I imagine." It rolled onto its back and fluttered its eyes at Henna. "Don't you want to save your faithful servant?"

"I care only about my power, slave," Henna answered coldly. "With power, I can preserve my life even without you." With that, she stormed from the room.

The Sprite righted itself and watched Henna leave the bathroom, no doubt to get some ointment for her blood blisters. Then it lay on the bottom of its tank, folded its arms, and carefully laid its head in its arms. "You are such a fool, Henna," it thought out loud. "Throw you a few red herrings, and you forget all about the big picture. You never ask the right questions, even though I prompt you to." It chuckled to itself then. "Of course, if I thought my prompts might work, I'd never make them. I said I couldn't see my killer's face, but you didn't ask why. You never pressed me for the killer's name. And while Xian Pu, my precious red herring, is indeed the biggest threat to your power, she's not the biggest threat to your life." It sighed then. "I miss you my dear siblings, but at least we will be re-united soon." And with those spoken words, the Sprite allowed itself to sink to the bottom of the tank and close its eyes.

Kasumi started towards the stairs to follow Henna, her mind awhirl with questions. At her movement, the Sprite looked up with a start and stared straight at Kasumi. "Who are you?" Kasumi mouth was clamped shut in surprise. The Sprite roused itself and moved forward, sliding straight *through* the glass as if it wasn't there. The head stayed level with Kasumi as she backed away from the spirit. The Sprite drifted toward Kasumi, its long hair floating through the air as if the creature was still in water. As more and more of the Sprite slid free of the tank, Kasumi could see that the creature resembled a mermaid, except that the tail was more eel-like and very long. Impossibly, the coils of the tail began to fill the room, and blocked the entrance to the bathroom.

Kasumi's eyes widened as she realized her path of escape was block. The blistered face of the Sprite smiled at her with hunger and spoke: "Now, now, I can't have you running away, can I? You heard some things I'd rather keep quiet after all. What are you and how come I didn't notice you before?"

The eldest Tendo daughter backed away until she felt the far wall press against her. The Sprite flowed up to her with the same hungry smile and stared her in the face. A look of surprise appeared briefly on the Sprite's face, followed by a look of recognition. "Oh, it's you. I should have known." The face became reflective. "This, dear Henna, is what happens when you lose control of your magics." The Sprite focused on Kasumi. "You should be more careful, young lady. I could have eaten you. Then you would have been trapped within me. Things would have gone downhill from there for us all."

"Who are you?" Kasumi asked.

The creature frowned a little at her and placed a fingertip on Kasumi's lips. "Sorry, little sister, you don't get to ask any questions, but you do have something I want." The Sprite touched Kasumi's forehead and the mortal woman felt dizzy for a moment. When Kasumi's eyes cleared, she saw that the Sprite's face was clear of blisters. Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise. "Relax," said the Sprite. "I only removed Henna's lost power from you. That's how you got as far as you did. It would have eventually betrayed both you and her anyway." A small smile appeared. "Now it will only betray Henna." (3)

Kasumi forced herself to stand up straight away from the wall. "I don't understand," she said.

"It's not necessary for you to understand," it answered. It's only necessary for you to go home. However, I have to repay you for Henna's power, so listen carefully – One: Your power should not have awakened yet until you had grown a little more, but it's awake now. However, you have a means to cope – whenever you find yourself spirit-walking like this, Summon your Gi. (4) It will come even now. It has Kami-sama's Blessing on it and it would have protected you even from me. Two: Your task is to protect your family – all of them." The Sprite added extra emphasis on the last three words, then continued: "Three: While my words to Henna were true, there is a way forward. It may require sweat, blood, and tears, but a happy ending is possible. Now…it's time to send you home."

With those last words, the Sprite grabbed Kasumi by the shoulders and lifted her into the air. It then slammed the young woman into Henna's full bath tub. Kasumi hit the water hard and the fluid shot up around her as she was totally submerged. The Sprite's hands left her, and Kasumi fought to get out of the tub. Her head cleared the surface and Kasumi wiped the water from her eyes. She was back in her own tub, in her own bathroom. Of course, the tub was half empty and the bathroom was flooded, but she was home. She got up quickly and staggered to her robe. She would deal with the mess later. Right now, she needed to get outside to clear her head. Putting on her robe, she staggered outside to the back garden, and deeply breathed in the night air.

Footnotes:

1) For those who have only seen the Anime, the last arc of the Manga had Ranma facing off against Saffron, a human-phoenix hybrid. See my Profile for a link to a version of the Manga on-line if you are curious.

2) In "Say 'Yes' to the Dress", Mousse reasons that there is no cure at Jusenkyo and convinces the Nerima shape-shifters of this. Now you know who planted the idea in his head. In "The Date", Ranma learns that the cure does exist at Jusenkyo, but there is a price for the cure. He decides the price is not worth it and starts to make peace with who he is.

3) An unmentioned result of Kasumi's face-off with Henna at the start of "Kasumi's Fate".

4) Kasumi created the Chaos Gi in "Kasumi's Fate". It has some unusual properties due to the manner and place of its creation. It has Kami-sama's/Heaven's Blessing granted through Kimiko, Kasumi's deceased mother. Kasumi was unaware of the Blessing until now.

Updated: 1/12/14 - I accidentally used Henna's name before the Sprite confirms it. That's the problem with re-writing a story and re-using the old pieces; sometimes you miss a word here or there when you change the perspective. My thanks to Richard Ryley for catching it.