Finding Home

Cologne cursed ever meeting Happosai all those centuries ago, his base nature had led to this catastrophe that had befallen the land of the rising sun. The Demons while only in their hundred, possibly thousands had proven impervious to mundane weapons, and while Japan had its share of great martial artists and demon hunters there simply where not enough to combat the threat properly.

She twirled her walking stick deflecting the swinging hammer like blow of the Demon the NWC were currently trying to repulse from it's borders. Nerima was one of the few wards left in Tokyo that had not fallen to demon infestation. She was proud of all her students, with no way to get home or to bring reinforcements from her village here she had be forced to begin training the girls, all of the girls. And while Shampoo had the speed, Ukyo had the weapon skills it was the Youngest Tendo who had surprised her the most. It seemed Ranma had greatly underestimated the young girls potential and once she had broken her of several bad habits due to her teaching herself she proved a brilliant pupil. And while not in Ranma's class still worthy of being named an amazon warrior if she had been born in the village.

The three girls battled a second demon; mallet, bonbori and giant spatula used to great effect to rattle the creature's magical body while Ryoga was bludgeoning a third to death and his weighted Ki enhanced umbrella.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw Ukyo slip on some debris and the creature took advantage it's fist swinging in a backwards arc sending the girl flying into Shampoo knocking them both from the fight leaving the Youngest Tendo alone and vulnerable. Even she with three hundred years of experience was finding the creatures difficult to combat on a one on one basis. She felt a blow slam into her side and she winced as she felt a rib break, she turned her attention to her own foe and prayed to the Kami that the other girls would get back into the fight soon.

Akane watched horrified as her two friend, if it wasn't so serious she would have snorted at that, Ukyo and Shampoo her friends, after everything they had both done to her over the years she'd never have thought they would ever be friends. Except now she found herself alone facing one of the demons and she just knew she was going to get hurt…badly.

Her Mallet crackled as the Demons fist connected against her desperate block but the force behind the blow caused her to slide backwards across the ground. She hoped the other two girls would be able to get to their feet and back into the fight when the sound of an engine filled the air.

"DUCK TOMBOY!"

Instinct overwhelmed her and Akane ducked instinctively at the warning even though the voice was familiar and the words painful she dropped as a man on a motorcycle tore down the street between the debris and slammed on the front break. The back tire rose off the ground and the man shifted his weight and the bike spun on its front tire and the full weight of man and machine slammed into the demon knocking it off it's feet.

The demon staggered backwards under the blow from a bike travelling at roughly forty miles an hour and knocked it through the wall of a ruined store and crashed to the ground in a stunned heap

Akane stared through her blue black bangs at couldn't believe what she was seeing, it couldn't be him, after three years he wouldn't come back now. He hopped off of the bike and took position in front of Akane and watched as the demon clambered to its feet and roared

The man faced off against the demon his feet grinding through the pebbles and dirt to the solid ground beneath and took a loose stance but his fingers curled in against his palms like claws.

The pair moved almost as one, the demon lumbering forward arms wide mouth open revealing wicked looking teeth and slavering maw while the man darted forward and leapt high over the demons wild swing.

The mans arms moved in a blur and with a sound like a meat cleaver being used on a leg of ham the creatures are fell flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water. Green-grey blood sprayed from the ruined stump of the creature's arm and it bellowed agony as it lashed out at its tormentor.

The mans arms came up in a cross arm block and the creatures massive fist connected rocking the man back on his heels and he grunted from the force of the blow sliding backwards a few feet before darting forward pushing against the creatures elbow spinning it off balance and pressing his fist against it's stomach.

The creature howled in agony as Akane watched as its belly slit open, the foul blood spraying in a wide arc across the rubble strewn street. The man moved counter to the direction he had shoved the demon and like a can being opened the wound trailed after his closed fist till the creature ceased to bellow and silently slid into two separate parts. The top half of the demon slid free with a slurping noise and landed on the ground with a wet thump.

Akane shuddered as she looked at the man and the all too familiar pigtail that was longer than she remembered it being. "Ranma?" He voice little more than just a whisper but it seemed to catch his attention as his proud stance shifted, shoulders slumping and he slowly turned to face her blue eyes meeting brown and he stared at her.

"Akane…"

"Airen!"

"Ranma honey!"

He got no further as suddenly he was glomped on both sides, or would have been if he hadn't leapt backwards over the demons carcass and shook his head as Ukyo and Shampoo slammed into each other and both fell down into the spreading puddle of demon blood.

Akane's shock faded into anger, anger at the demons anger at her two friends who even after all this time still hadn't changed and anger at the young man standing nervously in front of her tugging his pig tail. She fought the urge to grab he mallet and start to play the Nerima version of whack a mole and so she snorted and turned folding her arms across her chest. It was then she noticed that Ranma wasn't the only new arrival, two men stood side by side next to a nervous Ryoga talking to him in jovial tones. They were using friend and it's a nice day in ways that told you they were not friendly and it had only been a nice day up till this point and that could change dramatically.

Standing beside Cologne was an old man, about twice her size but still far shorter than normal people dressed in a red and green silk robes and a young girl about the same age as herself dressed in grey robes and a black leather jerkin. A quiver half full of arrows rested on her hip and a bow was strung across her back. She leaned over and whispered something to the old man who nodded in return and began to walk over to them with a slight smile on her face.

Akane got her temper under control and smiled at the girl ready to thank her and her friends for their aid but when she said hello the girl walked straight past her. The girl passed with a glare for her and the other two girls who where still trying to untangle themselves from each other and walked up to Ranma and hugged him tight.

"That's for not getting hurt this time." Akane started to glow blue in anger before it was replaced with shock as the girl hauled back and slapped him so hard he fell on his ass a bright red hand print on his cheek and a rueful expression on his face as though he expected it. "That was for show boating!" She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Grandfather has told you time and again you do the job that's in front of you and you get home alive!"

Slowly Ranma climbed to his feet slowly and smiled sheepishly while the girl rounded on Akane and glared at her again. "And don't think I didn't see you there either…hit him just once with that damn hammer and you'll need a gynaecologist to get it back."

Akane fought the urge to flatten them both and simply settled for glaring back at the new girl. "Who the hell are you people, hell I know who that baka is, but who the hell are the rest of you." She turned her attention to Ranma and glared. "And what the hell are you back for!"

Ranma shook his head sadly and looked at the girl. "I told Grandfather this was a bad idea me coming here with you." Shaking his head Ranma started to walk away towards Cologne and the man they referred to as Grandfather. Shampoo and Ukyo silent during the whole exchange and wary of the new girl hopped to their feet and trailed after Ranma trying to get his attention. The girl shook her head and turned to Akane.

"I'm Noriko, the two gentlemen talking to the walking pork chop over there are my twin brother Yoshi and my Uncle Akira. The old man talking to your Amazon is Grandfather Wu, we are members of the Order of Wang…we are Shih."

Akane stared at the girl blankly. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" She yelped as she felt a slight blow to the top of her head and spun and glared down at Cologne. "What was that for?"

Cologne struggled against the demon, trying to quickly defeat it to come to her students' aid but every blow was countered every trick either ignored of expected and so she fought in a way she had not for almost two hundred years. Even the Hiryou Shoten Ha would not work as the Demon gave off no battle aura, no source of heat hot enough to work. Suddenly an arrow shot over her shoulder and buried itself into the Demons eye and punched out the back of its skull. It bellowed in agony as thick blue grey gore oozed from the ruined eye and the Arrow began to burn with a bluish green flame.

It scrabbled at its head and eye trying to remove the burning arrow when it lashed out in its frenzy bowling Cologne over and yanked the arrow free with a squelch and turned to finish the old woman off only to find an old man standing between them.

It growled gutturally, it would kill this old man and then it would kill the old woman that had hurt it so much. The old man smiled and if the demon had been human he would have known the rule about engaging wrinkled old men in combat but alas it didn't. As it loped forward the old man raised his hands pressing the palms together and started to prey, his prayer beads glowed a brilliant white and suddenly like a storm, paper began to rain own upon it.

The creature swatted at the paper assaulting it, trying desperately to scrape it from its skin as the old man started to murmur a cleansing prayer and paper exploded into blue flame much like the arrow had.

The demon howled and thrashed about on the ground as the cleansing fires consumed the evil that had created its corporeal form and the old man watched with a sad little smile before he turned to Cologne and bowed. "Greetings honoured Elder."

Cologne blinked in shock tearing her eyes away from the burned crispy husk that had once been a Demon and bowed in return out of respect for saving her life. "Greetings and my thanks for your aid, but I must attend to my students she went to hop past him only to be stopped by his arm blocking her way and the young girl who seemed to materialise next to the old man.

He smiled. "That will not be nesscessary, I believe my family have everything in order." He gestured at the three men and Cologne gaped as she watched two men help Ryoga finish off the demon he faced. She damn near fainted when she saw the third young man with his pig-tail and silk shirt gut the demon that had threatened the youngest Tendo only moments before.

"Son in Law????" She gaped at the young martial artist and she spun to face the old man who was chuckling behind his hand while the young girl scowled at her.

"I'm sorry Elder but by the laws of your own clan my grandson is not subject to your marriage laws." The young girl nodded and stormed off towards Ranma and Akane while Cologne rounded on the old man. "Look here Old man three thousand years of Amazon history and law say that boy is husband to my great grand daughter…and HE is not your grand son, I know that boy well and he is a Saotome."

The old mans smile faded and he looked at her like she was some kind of bug crawling through his soup. "WE are the descendants of Wang, as for the boy he was adopted into our family and village after performing a great service for us."

Cologne paled at the mention of Wang and she bowed her nose almost scraping the floor, forgive my disbelief but I did not expect to see one of the Shih here in Japan let alone five of you."

"Yes well my grandson has some favourable feelings for this place and he could not let it be destroyed." The old man smiled. "And as for how we are here that is a tale to be told over tea and better surroundings don't you think?" The old man calmly spoke as he walked towards the five young warriors in time for Cologne to catch the tale end of Akane's rant.

"Show some respect girl!" Cologne balanced on her cane as Noriko went to stand beside Ranma and the others, her arm sliding around his waist and Akane scowled. "They are a venerable order, demon hunters of the highest class and they are here to help!"

"We don't need help we are fine on our own, we certainly don't need his help!" Akane fumed her Aura burning brightly enough to illuminate the street.

"Girl I taught you to control that temper of yours and I will not tolerate it now! We shall return to the Dojo at once!" Cologne turned to Ranma and narrowed her eyes. "Well sonny think you can find your way back to the Tendo dojo?"

Ranma nodded silently looking every where but the fuming Akane.

"Good meet us there."

TBC…

AN: Well here ya go a new chapter and I wanna say thanxs for all the reviews and in answer to a question posed in one of the reviews Happosai died cause he believed the demon to be under his control. I mean how many times has the old Pervert been defeated because he was to cocky and was either distracted or surprised?

Yours Truly

The Evil known as Kai Lun Mau

"Who needs a mask when you are a monster 24 hours a day."